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Post by mhynson27 on Aug 10, 2022 0:09:47 GMT
Also, fuck, man -- Kim having to resign herself to a boring life talking about waterworks parts and extremely vanilla sex from the most boring man on the planet is as devastating a fate as anything. Should have shown her choosing vanilla ice cream over strawberry to really drive home that metaphor. Nah, it was better having her not making any decisions in her new life.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Aug 15, 2022 17:18:49 GMT
Last episode ever tonight. sad.
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sirchuck23
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Bad news dawg...you don't mind if I have some of your 300 dollar a glass shit there would ya?
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Post by sirchuck23 on Aug 15, 2022 18:10:49 GMT
Last episode ever tonight. sad. Having flashbacks to this time period:
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Post by stephen on Aug 15, 2022 18:50:37 GMT
Gonna miss the hell out of this crew.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Aug 16, 2022 3:31:38 GMT
That was as satisfying of an ending as I could have hoped for. Part of me was a little worried that it would become Breaking Bad 2.0 involving another tragic “losing your soul” conclusion, which would have felt lazy. But I like how the writers basically made Jimmy’s arc sort of the inverse of Walt’s – who starts out nominally “good” and becomes a villain – whereas we’re led to believe Jimmy/Saul has always “been this way” and will never change, but he finally sees the light at the end. Once his confession happened, I figured it would end with one final scene of him and Kim reuniting, but part of me was wondering if they would actually end with the scene on the bus with the other prisoners chanting “Better Call Saul!” which would have been hilarious, but of course we wouldn’t have gotten the closure between the two. In my head canon, Kim ditches “Miracle Whip” Josh, she becomes a public defender, remarries Jimmy in prison, and they see each other semi-regularly.
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Post by DeepArcher on Aug 16, 2022 3:51:17 GMT
Man. It's always so surreal and disorienting when something that's been in your life for so long comes to end, and especially the case here for me. I don't think there's another show, at least not as long running, that I've followed along with from the airing of its pilot all the way to its finale. I was a freshman in high school when this started airing and now I'm a college graduate On top of that Breaking Bad is something that's been in my life since I was in middle school and was just, like, a very formative piece of media for me. And to add an extra layer: as cliche as it sounds, this is a finale that truly feels like the end of the era of the last 25-ish years of television, the era of the capital-g Great cable dramas about "complicated" male antiheroes, etc. - for better or worse this was like the final remnant of a now bygone era, and it's a weird thing to sit with on both a micro and macro level. Also: lol at me for expressing doubt about this show in season 4 / early season 5. I think in the end I've wound up in the camp that fully thinks this surpassed its predecessor.
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Post by stephen on Aug 16, 2022 12:30:08 GMT
Jimmy, you magnificent bastard. Showing that he absolutely could've skated away from it all with only seven years (which showed us that no one, not even the US Attorney General, is prepared for Saul Goodman), but deciding to go out on his own terms and save Kim in the process -- no matter what Chuck or anyone else said, Jimmy McGill has a heart of gold.
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Post by stephen on Aug 16, 2022 12:32:46 GMT
Once his confession happened, I figured it would end with one final scene of him and Kim reuniting, but part of me was wondering if they would actually end with the scene on the bus with the other prisoners chanting “Better Call Saul!” which would have been hilarious, but of course we wouldn’t have gotten the closure between the two. In my head canon, Kim ditches “Miracle Whip” Josh, she becomes a public defender, remarries Jimmy in prison, and they see each other semi-regularly. I would absolutely love this and would consider it for my own headcanon, if it weren't for that last scene. That felt so much like Kim saying goodbye, but knowing that Jimmy was okay, that he was in the environment of his own choosing and seemingly thriving (so glad that it doesn't appear that he'll have to watch his back in Supermax; they love the guy!), it meant she could be free to live her own life. But yeah, fuck "Miracle Whip" Josh. I hope he dies in a tragic Outback Steakhouse accident.
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Post by DeepArcher on Aug 16, 2022 14:21:32 GMT
Final Top 10 Eps: 1. "Fun and Games" (6x09) 2. "Chicanery" (3x05) 3. "Waterworks" (6x12) 4. "Winner" (4x10) 5. "Bad Choice Road" (5x09) 6. "Bagman" (5x08) 7. "Point and Shoot" (6x08) 8. "Nailed" (2x09) 9. "Witness" (3x02) 10. "Wexler v. Goodman" (5x06)
Final Season Rank: 6 > 5 > 3 > 1 > 2 > 4
Keeping in mind, I haven't done any significant re-watches (aside from a few episodes and scenes here and there) since initial airing, so largely based on first impressions and memory.
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Post by stephen on Aug 16, 2022 15:10:23 GMT
It'd be a tough order for me to do a proper episode ranking because I have not rewatched the series at all. I have a friend who's wanting to watch it and I figured I'd do my rewatch alongside them. Obviously there are certain episodes that stick out ("Five-O", "Chicanery," "Wexler v. Goodman", "Plan and Execution") but I wanna give some other, more off-the-beaten-track episodes some attention before doing a ranking.
I will say this, though: the thing I love is that every single character in the show got their moment to shine, even when you least expected it. Even Lyle.
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sirchuck23
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Bad news dawg...you don't mind if I have some of your 300 dollar a glass shit there would ya?
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Post by sirchuck23 on Aug 16, 2022 15:29:39 GMT
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sirchuck23
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Bad news dawg...you don't mind if I have some of your 300 dollar a glass shit there would ya?
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Post by sirchuck23 on Aug 16, 2022 15:52:35 GMT
Just to add, like Stephen it would be hard for me to rank individual episodes because I would need to do a rewatch which I don't have the time for now. But as seeing every episode since it premiered in 2015, I see Better Call Saul as a great novel and journey of Jimmy McGill and how he grew as a character while also actually pulling off contextualizing arguably the greatest tv show ever (Breaking Bad) in an entirely new way. Incredibly hard to pull off and also justifying the existence of this show and banking on fans going along the slow-burn journey. I was curious to see how they were going to pull off moving BCS along into the the Breaking Bad-esque elements and era (Salamancas, Gus, Mike, etc.) and by god that writing room pulled it off. Giving us characters we'll remember alongside the Breaking Bad icons like Kim, Lalo, and Nacho. I can't say enough good things about what Peter Gould, Vince Gilligan, and the writers room accomplished here. Would be awesome to do a back-to-back Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul re-watch in the future but they're attached at the hip now forever. Can't talk about one show without the other. I hope everyone involved in this show (Cast and Crew) get all the Emmys. They deserve it. Job Well Done!
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Post by Lord_Buscemi on Aug 16, 2022 16:06:54 GMT
All things considered, a somewhat happy ending. Jimmy proves that Chuck was wrong when he said he'd never change and, ironically, behind bars is now where he's truly free, with Saul's legacy turning him into a folk hero amongst the inmates. What a lot of people will misinterpret is that he's not confessing to save Kim, he's proving to her he's still the man she once knew. He can't save Kim from the civil suit she'll face from Howard's widow, so it's still likely she'll also be punished. Kim said their relationship was bad for each other, so after that phone call when Jimmy bitterly rebuffs her saying she should turn herself in first, the burden of guilt is too much and she finally does. Learning of this, Jimmy drops the sleazy Saul façade in court, does the selfless thing and comes clean in a showy confession to everyone (the opposite of the fake performance Saul puts on about what Chuck meant to him when he's trying to get his license as an attorney back), but more importantly, he admits to all this for Kim to see. In a way, he was showing that their relationship can be good for each other too.
It's why the three flashbacks of Mike, Walt and Chuck involve the time machine question because Jimmy realises he doesn't need to fix the past to take a different path. This gives Kim some closure, with the shared silence and cigarette between the two not just as a visual callback to parallel the change they've been through since, but as a personal reminder to them that they can still be who they used to be. I thought it was a really potent ending and I always expected the show to go the Leftovers route of a finale that's simple yet effective and true to the core of the series.
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Post by stephen on Aug 16, 2022 16:16:17 GMT
B O B R A P V I N C E O T E R H E A
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Post by Lord_Buscemi on Aug 16, 2022 16:25:56 GMT
Favourite Episodes:
1. Winner (4x10) 2. Bagman (5x08) 3. Plan and Execution (6x07) 4. Chicanery (3x05) 5. Point and Shoot (6x08)
HM: Saul Gone (6x13), Coushatta (4x08), Bad Choice Road (5x09), Rock and Hard Place (6x03), Something Unforgivable (5x10), Gloves Off (2x03), Five O (1x05)
Favourite Moments:
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Post by ibbi on Aug 16, 2022 20:30:32 GMT
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Aug 16, 2022 21:00:02 GMT
Once his confession happened, I figured it would end with one final scene of him and Kim reuniting, but part of me was wondering if they would actually end with the scene on the bus with the other prisoners chanting “Better Call Saul!” which would have been hilarious, but of course we wouldn’t have gotten the closure between the two. In my head canon, Kim ditches “Miracle Whip” Josh, she becomes a public defender, remarries Jimmy in prison, and they see each other semi-regularly. But yeah, fuck "Miracle Whip" Josh. I hope he dies in a tragic Outback Steakhouse accident. Between this and Ben Affleck's line in Gone Girl after a routine fuck, I love how Outback Steakhouse has become a signifier for a boring existence with bro-ey men.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Aug 17, 2022 0:37:18 GMT
I can't remember, is the last time we see Gus the scene where he's talking to Don Eladio, or the scene where he's drinking wine at the bar? And is the last time we see Mike (not counting the flashback in the finale) where he goes to see Nacho's dad, or when he's watching Lalo and Howard's bodies being buried?
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Post by DeepArcher on Aug 17, 2022 0:59:22 GMT
I can't remember, is the last time we see Gus the scene where he's talking to Don Eladio, or the scene where he's drinking wine at the bar? And is the last time we see Mike (not counting the flashback in the finale) where he goes to see Nacho's dad, or when he's watching Lalo and Howard's bodies being buried? Gus' final scene was the wine scene, which to me was such a beautiful final grace note for the character. To give us a glimpse of the life he could have led, but show how his dogged commitment to self-discipline and single-minded pursuit of revenge completely denied him happiness. In addition to the flashback in the finale, there is also a Mike flashback in 6x11 when he reports to Saul after investigating Waltuh, which is how Saul knows to find Walt at the school. Chronologically, though, the last we see of Mike in the BCS timeline is him going to see Nacho's dad.
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Post by Lord_Buscemi on Aug 17, 2022 1:17:09 GMT
I can't remember, is the last time we see Gus the scene where he's talking to Don Eladio, or the scene where he's drinking wine at the bar? And is the last time we see Mike (not counting the flashback in the finale) where he goes to see Nacho's dad, or when he's watching Lalo and Howard's bodies being buried? Gus' final scene was the wine scene, which to me was such a beautiful final grace not for the character. To give us a glimpse of the life he could have led, but show how his dogged commitment to self-discipline and single-minded pursuit of revenge completely denied him happiness. In addition to the flashback in the finale, there is also a Mike flashback in 6x11 when he reports to Saul after investigating Waltuh, which is how Saul knows to find Walt at the school. Chronologically, though, the last we see of Mike in the BCS timeline is him going to see Nacho's dad. I also took Gus' final scene as him acknowledging he can't ever get close to anyone because they'll only end up getting hurt like Max.
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Post by stephen on Aug 17, 2022 1:46:10 GMT
Gus' final scene was the wine scene, which to me was such a beautiful final grace not for the character. To give us a glimpse of the life he could have led, but show how his dogged commitment to self-discipline and single-minded pursuit of revenge completely denied him happiness. In addition to the flashback in the finale, there is also a Mike flashback in 6x11 when he reports to Saul after investigating Waltuh, which is how Saul knows to find Walt at the school. Chronologically, though, the last we see of Mike in the BCS timeline is him going to see Nacho's dad. I also took Gus' final scene as him acknowledging he can't ever get close to anyone because they'll only end up getting hurt like Max. And that's what's so heartbreaking. Gus had happiness within his reach. He was on top, he had nothing more to fear from Juan Bolsa and the Salamancas, Lalo was dead . . . but he couldn't let go, because to do that would be (in his eyes) a betrayal to Max. Gus was obviously the antagonist of Breaking Bad and justifiably so, but in Better Call Saul he was indisputably the side you were rooting for (even though you knew he was destined to come out on top in the Saul timeline). Gus Fring is one of the great characters of modern media because he stretched the gamut so flawlessly, and I don't think he or Giancarlo Esposito really get as much credit as they deserve. I am so glad they gave us more Gus, but didn't shed too much light on him to ruin his mythic status.
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Post by Lord_Buscemi on Aug 17, 2022 1:56:30 GMT
Something I also thought was worth mentioning. How nice is it having a show finish on a final note that's not cynical or subversive? Finding optimism in ugliness, quite literally finding colour in the drab world of the last few episodes, is often undeservedly viewed as corny, while dark endings are held up as mature. In no way does the ending cheaply absolve Jimmy or Kim of their actions, not even morally, but it searches for the innate goodness in them to do right, despite Jimmy's potential, as Chuck said, to take shortcuts as he always does by accepting a plea deal for a shorter sentence, and it concludes you can be whoever you want yourself to be, that you're not defined by your past irrespective of your mistakes. Given the circumstances, it's the happiest ending the show could have had because Jimmy's confession goes against what everyone thought of him and he's able to find peace with Kim.
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Post by Billy_Costigan on Aug 17, 2022 2:26:47 GMT
I really need to rewatch Breaking Bad
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sirchuck23
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Bad news dawg...you don't mind if I have some of your 300 dollar a glass shit there would ya?
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Post by sirchuck23 on Aug 17, 2022 3:10:47 GMT
I really need to rewatch Breaking Bad Their attention to detail with every line of dialogue on these 2 shows is extraordinary.
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Aug 17, 2022 3:15:31 GMT
So I watched this and then I thought, "now let me watch what not to do" and I popped on the GoT finale.
Let's just say that one of these things was not like the other.
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