Better Call Saul
I have the most embarrassing confession to make: I never watched Breaking Bad. Never saw a single episode. [cowers in shame] And I don't even have any excuses. I haven't been in solitary confinement at Gitmo for the past five years; haven't been living in a cave in the Himalayas.
When AMC premiered this new show called Breaking Bad, whenever that was, the description just didn't call me. By the time I started hearing and reading that Breaking Bad was the most brilliant riveting kickass TV series EVER, the series had already had so many episodes, I figured it would take me forever to catch up on all the plots, who's who, who did what to who, etc. So I didn't bother. That ship had already sailed. The train had left the station.
I've loved these first two episodes of Better Call Saul — a prequel to Breaking Bad. Reviews have been pretty mixed. It's just a gimmick to keep Breaking Bad viewers tuning in; it can't possibly last; series spinoffs usually fail; etc.
No doubt I've missed a lot of inside references to Breaking Bad on these first two Better Call Saul episodes, but that's OK if I don't know what I'm missing.
Bob Odenkirk — who plays Saul — was also in Nebraska, and he played the sheriff in Fargo (the TV series, not the movie).
Anyway, check out Better Call Saul — Monday, 10 p.m. on AMC. AMC has always been one of my favorite channels, but lately they've been sinking into an endless orgy of zombie shows and Breaking Bad reruns, IMHO. I'm glad they have another cool show on. And in April, Mad Men will return for its final banzai mini-microscopic season.
Labels: Better Call Saul
posted by Tom Harper @ 2:17 PM
6 Comments:
Actually, if you watch the prequel first, you're seeing the show in the correct order. I enjoyed Breaking Bad. I wasn't sure that I would. It's sat in suburbia and is visually unappealing due to the setting. That said, the premise is interesting and the characters feel very real and unique--not the typical characters pull off the shelves from past bad guy films.
I was one of the lucky fools who caught the first episode of Breaking Bad. And yes, it deserves all the accolades it has gotten. Funny, sad, sick and twisted, it has it all. Even though it is another series by the guys who conjured up Breaking Bad, the one thing it does not have is Bryan Cranston. I only tuned in Breaking Bad in the first place because he was in it. What an excellent actor.
I have watched the first two episodes of Better Call Saul. I am holding off my opinion for now. I Like Bob Odenkirk from Fargo and some other roles he has had. Hope he pulls off his first lead part.
Karlo: That's true; if I ever start watching Breaking Bad reruns, they'll probably make some sense after having seen Better Call Saul. My understanding of Breaking Bad was that it was supposed to show how a white-bread suburbanite can be driven to such extremes. I might end up watching some of those reruns, who knows.
MRM: The only other time I saw Bryan Cranston was when he played a dentist on several Seinfeld episodes. That's quite a switch, from dentist to ruthless meth kingpin. Bob Odenkirk must be pretty versatile too. I saw every Fargo episode and I didn't even recognize him on Better Call Saul.
I first noticed Bryan as "Hal", the space shot dad in "Malcolm in the Middle". He could bust my gut.
I could never get into BB, just didn't seem like there was really anybody to root for (I'm a little old fashioned that way). But I watched the first episode of BCS and enjoyed it.
MRM: I've never seen Malcolm in the Middle, but I found out Bob Odenkirk has been around since the late '80s when he was on the writing staff at Saturday Night Live.
Jim: Probably my favorite thing about Breaking Bad is that recurring "Breaking Ballard" skit on "The 206."
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