Better Call Saul Season 6 thread (with spoilers)

[Cosmo]

Did not see one of these, and this is definitely a show worth pulling out and discussing on its own outside of the TV thread.

Replaced my Tuesday movie night with watching the premiere on demand last night, which was apropos since it was 2 1/2 damn hours long with commercial breaks.

Some early thoughts.

* The cinematography and tracking shots are as great as usual. The visual storytelling has been so good across the BB universe, and it doesn't change here.

* Kim seems to be far closer to becoming Saul Goodman than Jimmy McGill is. The scene at the tax place where she's calling the IRS is tense and perfectly played. Kim is not someone to **** with.

* The cartel stuff is interesting but not the easiest to follow. Love the tug of war between Mike and Gus on Nacho, as it's clear Gus could give no ****s if Nacho just died while Mike wants to see him survive.

* Gold toilet in Saul's place, of course.

* It's worth reading Sepinwall's review of this episode. It's long, but I had forgotten so much of what had happened in the early seasons, and he does a good job of refreshing how the first two episodes tie into the greater narrative of the first five seasons.

* Gonna be a really fun ride to the end.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Sepinwall’s review was close to a pan.

Only watched the first episode. Looking forward to the rest. I have no doubt it will hit the landing.

 

[Cosmo]

I suppose it was. But it was also a recognition that every BCS season has started really slowly, so if you're expecting fireworks out of the gate, you'll be disappointed.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

It’s not going to end well for Kim. The only question is how.

 

[TigerVols]

It’s not going to end well for Kim. The only question is how.

Alt take: that was her bikini top draped around the bathtub faucet in Saul’s house during the LE confiscation.

 

[jr/shotglass]

I do love the show ... but I thought Vince was very much in love with his cinematography to make that opening sequence six minutes long.

 

[User 149557]

I thought both episodes were incredible. And I usually think the first episodes of seasons in the Albuquerque saga have underwhelmed in the past.

 

[clintrichardson]

The scene with Saul and Kim at the tax place felt like the most important part of the opening episodes. It seemed like the point was to establish that Kim is more hard-hearted than Jimmy, with the line where she rags on him for giving that couple the money.

 

[sgreenwell]

Saw it suggested on FB, and it kind of made sense to me - Why would Jimmy go "full Saul" at the end of the series, and basically be completely sleazy by the time Breaking Bad starts? Because:

Spoiler

Kim seems like the only person who would never "cross" him, but eventually, she does. Because it's BCS / BB, I kind of assume it's for a decent reason - like, Kim seems legitimately motivated to help people, whereas Jimmy can still fall into the trap and allure of The Scheme. She realizes it, and does something like ****ing him out of the settlement money, and just extricates herself completely from the New Mexico bull****. It takes Jimmy the events of Breaking Bad, and his Cinnabon management skit, to realize how he ****ed up with her.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Do I want to click spoiler? I’ve only seen the first episode of the new season.

 

[Cosmo]

It's more of a theory than a spoiler, so I think you're safe.

EDIT: Actually, I'd wait to click it until after watching the second episode, as it features a key moment that is discussed in the theory.

 

[JimmyHoward33]

Alt take: that was her bikini top draped around the bathtub faucet in Saul’s house during the LE confiscation.

The tequila bottle topper that falls out the box into the street at the end of the open is indisputably Kim’s. They made a point to linger on her hand when she took it out of her desk leaving Schweikert last season.

So either she lives in Saul’s house and is the Oz behind all his schemes or that’s some kinda next level red herring

 

[JakeandElwood]

Or that could just be a token that he's kept. It would be pretty ridiculous for her to have just been around the whole time in Breaking Bad but never even make an appearance.

 

[poindexter]

The Mexican storyline is so much better than the Kim/Saul storyline, IMO.
Nacho and Lalo are by far the most interesting characters in the show.

 

[User 149557]

The Kim storyline will be the slow-moving one that eventually pays off better.

Nacho’s storyline makes loud noises. Kim’s will gut everybody.

 

[da man]

The Kim storyline will be the slow-moving one that eventually pays off better.

Nacho’s storyline makes loud noises. Kim’s will gut everybody.

I’ve been convinced for awhile Kim will not survive this series.

 

[JimmyHoward33]

The Jimmy story hasnt been as good post Chuck.

The Nacho story requires so much more intimate knowledge of BB to follow along though. My mother picked up Saul early because she enjoyed Jimmy Chuck and Kim and has absolutely no idea who Gus is, what the super lab is. Explained it 4-5 times but without watching BB she can’t get it.

The first two seasons the callbacks were just that, Easter eggs unessential to following the story. Since Gus came back its been the opposite.

Not saying thats a bad thing, but I think it explains the shift in focus from Jimmy to Nacho, Gus and Mike.

 

[Tighthead]

I’ve only seen the first 15 minutes or so. Can’t wait to get some more Gene time.

 

[Batman]

Watching that cold open: WTF!?
Watching the end scene: Awww, that's actually kind of sweet.

 

[exmediahack]

The end scene. The only way he could “depart” with any dignity, I suppose.