Yeah, that was Banks' Emmy submission tape right there. I even told him that on Thursday, he laughed.

Better Call Saul is a fine piece of television, with or without Breaking Bad. I had concerns that the show would try too hard or not hard enough to be like Breaking Bad, but it has been its own creation and entity so far, separate from BB. The Bad universe is very much alive here, but almost everything about it is different from its predecessor (successor, technically?) while still being in the same basic idea. I don't know, it's difficult to explain but fascinating all the same. Six episodes in and it's awesome so far.

I don't think BB ever devoted the majority of an episode to one character like that. Certainly not for an origin story. Gus came close in Season 4.

To be fair, though, the last episode would not have worked as well as it did had we not known Mike before.

To be even more fair, the last episode would not have worked without Jonathan Banks. We pretty much knew where it was going early on, but he elevated everything. Take him out and sub in a different actor, and it would have been a solid episode, but he made it something special.

But I agree of course that without Mike on Breaking Bad, the episode wouldn't have the same impact.

"RICO" was another pretty great episode. I really like how much this series has carved out its own identity from Breaking Bad. Bob Odenkirk has really made Jimmy into an incredibly likable, sympathetic protagonist, with so many more layers than it seemed like Saul Goodman ever had.

This episode (and Bob Odenkirk's performance) broke my heart. Chuck is a secret monster. Poor Jimmy.

I think this is Bob Odenkirk and Micheal Mckean's submission tape for the Emmys. I haven't really been impressed with Jonathan Bank's performance this season.

Wow, what an episode, indeed.

Easily the best episode of the series so far!!!

I never knew that Chuck was this calculating to his own brother (What a great twist). I'm also enjoying Mike this season. I love how the past episodes had sub-plots with Mike.

So Umh... should I start watching this show?

Definitely!!!

Thinking about it more...damn, that last episode was grand.

Absolutely.

But I thought it was a bit of an underwhelming finale.

Smoke on the Water is the song Marco is humming in the alley way before he dies. It's more about Jimmy staying on that course of the life of Slippin' Jimmy.

I get that it's tragic to see a good man become, well, a Goodman, but the show glorifying that isn't anything new to Gilligan and Co. Morally, we weren't supposed to root for Walter White, but we mostly did anyway. Take the major "Tread lightly" scene in Season 5. That was the ultimate showdown of the show between good (Hank) and bad (Walt). But you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn't respond favorably to Walt's "tread lightly" line, although we should despise him in that moment.

I liked the finale. I've become accustomed to cable dramas blowing their big moments in the second-to-last episode of the season. It seems that's more often than not the case. If this were a regular episode, I think it would have seen much more favorable reviews. Not that it's been reviewed poorly, but I think Lecter's "underwhelming" comment is a prevailing sentiment from fans. To me, this was to Jimmy what "Five-O" was to Mike. Major character builder. Of all the episodes so far, I'd like to see this submitted for Bob Odenkirk at the Emmys.

In my eyes, it's tragic to see him turn his back on being good and fair, but I don't think he will be written as such a despicable character as Walt. Even on BB, he was a slimy TV-advertised lawyer, but he was still a smart guy who just looked out for himself. I think there's a sympathetic character they can still wring out of him. He's the ultimate underdog still. And no matter how hard he tries, he can't be the person he wants to be because no one will accept him. If that's not a story to which people can relate, I don't know what is.



Wow, I know sometimes it's hard to understand the dialogue, but I don't recall subtitles.

When you're looking for someone to be a dick and point out your spelling errors,

Better Call X!

So, I just started binge watching this today and I'm already on episode 6.

Holy shit give Jonathan Banks the Emmy now, seriously it's on par with Bryan Cranston on Ozymandias.

That's his redemption win right there. He's so incredible in that entire episode.

Omg at the end of episode 9.

That's one of the most heartbreaking moments in BB universe. Chuck ripped Jim a new one. And Bob Odenkirk acted the shit out of that scene.

Banks and Odenkirk must win all the awards.

I'm glad that after reading some of the comments online about Odenkirk's acting in Fargo and even Breaking Bad that he's getting some well-deserved praise for Saul.

He and Jonathan Banks must win the Emmys this year.


It's gonna be a fucking shame if they don't.

Will the Emmys finally give one to Jon Hamm, or will they Carell him?

I mean Hugh Laurie never won for "House", so...