For all those complaining about "nothing happening".... I suggest you stick with network (shonda rhimes) primetime dramas, where there's 8 concurrent story-lines throughout each episode, filled with pop music cues and plenty of relationship plot lines. The fact that not much is happening, yet people are enjoying the 45+ minutes of scenes goes to show you that there's more to a TV show watching experience besides plot-lines/action.
I enjoyed all these episodes but then again I really don't have any problem with a slow burn type set up. The performances are excellent so it's hard not to stay entertained, for me and the wife at least.
This is the Vince Gilligan can-do-no-wrong fanboy take again. It's like some people simply cannot hear criticism. We GET IT. Breaking Bad moved slow. This has been different. While season 1 of BCS was "slow" - there was actually a lot of moving parts. Plenty going on. This is the 2nd episode of season 2 where almost nothing happens. At all. I still enjoyed the episode but it can't continue at this pace. The latest episode felt like it moved slow because they needed filler, not because there was significant character development or anything important happening.
Well they have been renewed for a 3rd season so someone likes the pace! I think it's been solid, a little slower than the first season but as others have said the performances by Jimmy and Mike have been great.
The performances have been good, but all that really happened is Jimmy has more friction with his job, Kim is still in the doghouse, and Hector gets introduced. Sure, we get more information about Jimmy's backstory plus his relationship with Chuck and Hamlin's motivation for putting Kim in the doghouse, but all of that could have happened in the previous episode. A slow burn does allow viewers to enjoy the big moments because the payoff was worth it, but this is a bit too slow. Halfway through the season and not much has happened.
I've basically enjoyed just about every episode of this show up to this last one, and in fact I've disliked a lot of the more popular Walking Dead episodes for the same reason other people liked them: they have tons of action. I find I like Walking Dead better when it's slower, instead of rushing from action scene to action scene. That said, there comes a point where if you slow it down drastically enough, it becomes too slow even for people who like slow shows. This last episode just reeked of filler to me. As opposed to something like the protracted scene between Walt and Krazy 8, which by any other show's standards was a ton of time spent, but which actually served to lend it a narrative tension and character development that would've otherwise been lost. This past episode of BCS wasn't that; it revisited concepts we either already knew, or assumed. Serious question: what would an episode of BCS need to do for you to dislike it?
Not necessarily (but I do like it). AMC's whole shtick is giving new series the chance to succeed over time instead of canceling them immediately like NBC/ABC/CBS/FOX.
Anything but a "fan-boy"... I was skeptical when the show started as to how it would be possible to develop interesting story-lines with just the Saul/Mike characters... but I gave it a chance, and now I look forward to it. Season one basically centered around the Kettleman case... wouldn't necessarily call that a lot of "moving parts". Once that was done, there wasn't much direction for it to go towards (until they came up with another case... the Sandpiper one)... I feel season 2 is actually setting the foundation for what the rest of the series will be.
While I understand why back-stories are necessary for character development... I haven't particularly loved any of the BCS ones (despite many feeling the Cicero and Mike backstory episodes were some of the best of the series). Definitely could have done without the long-drawnout flashback of Chuck/Jimmy's dinner with his ex-wife. I do look forward to the "present day" episodes showing Jimmy/Saul/Gene possibly escaping Omaha and moving back.
You can say I drank the kool-aid but I find no fault with this last episode, I enjoyed what it was doing at the pace it was doing it.
The last episode was clearly filler, and they didn't even hide it with the 5 minute long montage of Kim grinding away. I don't have an issue with the overall pace of the series, but I do expect things to pick up once they've set the table for the direction of the story. Right now, they're just covering all their bases in terms of giving every character the proper backstory.
Yeah, as insanely popular and beloved as Breaking Bad is, I think it took like 3 or 4 seasons before they really started seeing the ratings to reflect that. I'm sure AMC is hoping for the same thing for Better Call Saul, because my understanding is the ratings haven't been great up to this point.
The most important scene to date is one most aren't commenting on- when jimmy sees mike beat up and mike sees jimmy with his assistant- that leads to a permanent working relationship between the two for the rest of the series
Slow Burn makes the big movements feel bigger ITs story telling illusionary tactics So far I am ok . . but I did not need 15 minutes of ole girl making phone calls Rocket River
Agreed with you... but that wasn't quite what I was getting at. My fault. I phrased my question too vaguely. My question should've been: how slow would BCS need to get before you disliked it? Keep in mind, a single-shot 45-minute episode featuring Jimmy and Kim discussing the weather couldn't be considered: cliched writing, overacting, formulaic plot line, or a narrative disconnect. Nonetheless, it would be extremely boring to watch. That was my real point.
I like the fact that the drudgery and boringness of being a lawyer in real life is being showcased...makes for not terribly exciting TV but for the first time a semi-realistic legal show is out there.
Because it adds a sense of realism. The events of BB and BCS are still highly improbable in real life... But it's the subtle mundane references to actualities in everyday life that makes the show as good as it is. The Sopranos was similar in that way as well.
