Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
08-07-18, 06:11 PM
#51
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
Does anyone have any thoughts on whether Chuck was plotting something at the end of last season when he tried to rehabilitate himself to withstand electricity again? I always felt like he could miraculously endure anything electronic as long as the end goal was to hurt Jimmy somehow.
That's the one part of the story that didn't seem very satisfying. Here he is "getting better" and then suddenly - bam! - relapse and then suicide. Or maybe he genuinely wanted to forget about Jimmy and return to his law practice, but then Howard ended that dream?
That's the one part of the story that didn't seem very satisfying. Here he is "getting better" and then suddenly - bam! - relapse and then suicide. Or maybe he genuinely wanted to forget about Jimmy and return to his law practice, but then Howard ended that dream?
08-07-18, 07:13 PM
#52
Moderator
Thread Starter
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
Geez... people will nitpick anything. This isn't on the shit level of TWD. 
As someone already said, it was a direct continuation to the finale and starts to set up the season.
The show has always been and will continue to be a slow burn. It lays seeds and groundwork. Things will happen and it will be unexpected and impactful when it does.
Exactly. Mike going through the factory was Mike being Mike. He is meticulous. He's not going to be linked to a front that could susceptible and taken down to dumb errors.
As someone already said, it was a direct continuation to the finale and starts to set up the season.
The show has always been and will continue to be a slow burn. It lays seeds and groundwork. Things will happen and it will be unexpected and impactful when it does.
Exactly. Mike going through the factory was Mike being Mike. He is meticulous. He's not going to be linked to a front that could susceptible and taken down to dumb errors.
08-07-18, 11:55 PM
#53
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I wondered about this before the season premier but didn't want to post it because it might have come up in the premier, but since it didn't:
Howard handed Chuck a buyout down payment check for $3 million not long before his suicide, with an agreement for another $5 million still to be paid. Seems like that would be part of Chuck's estate, and considering Jimmy is Chuck's only surviving relative...
Vince Gilligan has never been the kind of guy to let things like that just sort of disappear into the ether. Makes me wonder if this isn't what keeps the Jimmy/HHM (HH?) thread alive going forward (that, and the Sandpiper lawsuit).
Howard handed Chuck a buyout down payment check for $3 million not long before his suicide, with an agreement for another $5 million still to be paid. Seems like that would be part of Chuck's estate, and considering Jimmy is Chuck's only surviving relative...
Vince Gilligan has never been the kind of guy to let things like that just sort of disappear into the ether. Makes me wonder if this isn't what keeps the Jimmy/HHM (HH?) thread alive going forward (that, and the Sandpiper lawsuit).
08-08-18, 12:16 AM
#54
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I wondered about this before the season premier but didn't want to post it because it might have come up in the premier, but since it didn't:
Howard handed Chuck a buyout down payment check for $3 million not long before his suicide, with an agreement for another $5 million still to be paid. Seems like that would be part of Chuck's estate, and considering Jimmy is Chuck's only surviving relative...
Vince Gilligan has never been the kind of guy to let things like that just sort of disappear into the ether. Makes me wonder if this isn't what keeps the Jimmy/HHM (HH?) thread alive going forward (that, and the Sandpiper lawsuit).
Howard handed Chuck a buyout down payment check for $3 million not long before his suicide, with an agreement for another $5 million still to be paid. Seems like that would be part of Chuck's estate, and considering Jimmy is Chuck's only surviving relative...
Vince Gilligan has never been the kind of guy to let things like that just sort of disappear into the ether. Makes me wonder if this isn't what keeps the Jimmy/HHM (HH?) thread alive going forward (that, and the Sandpiper lawsuit).
And I agree with johnnysd and Dex. The pace is appropriate.
The thing I found surprising is the (apparent) jump in age of Mike's granddaughter, Kaylee. She was already on pace to be too old, compared to her character in BB. Now she looks like she had a growth spurt between seasons 3 and 4, making it even worse.
08-08-18, 12:31 AM
#55
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
As to the ex-wife, I don't believe she would be entitled to anything unless Chuck put something in his will, which he could have, and he also could have cut Jimmy out entirely as well. Regardless, Chuck has an estate worth many millions of dollars, and I would be surprised if they just ignored that.
08-08-18, 02:32 AM
#56
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I had $8 million and that there were going to be three payments stuck in my head which I know is right because it is 1212 less than Magna Carta.
As to the ex-wife, I don't believe she would be entitled to anything unless Chuck put something in his will, which he could have, and he also could have cut Jimmy out entirely as well. Regardless, Chuck has an estate worth many millions of dollars, and I would be surprised if they just ignored that.
As to the ex-wife, I don't believe she would be entitled to anything unless Chuck put something in his will, which he could have, and he also could have cut Jimmy out entirely as well. Regardless, Chuck has an estate worth many millions of dollars, and I would be surprised if they just ignored that.
I also see Chuck leaving his brother out of the will. He'd either leave his estate to his ex-wife, or to some kind of charity or scholarship. A Charles McGill law school scholarship would be a subtle way of thumbing his nose at Jimmy one last time.
08-08-18, 06:37 AM
#57
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
The black and white intro really worked for me. The drawn out interactions and the close ups really ratcheted up the tension for me.
I couldn't figure out the end. Was Jimmy happy that he was ultimately responsible for Chuck's demise?
I couldn't figure out the end. Was Jimmy happy that he was ultimately responsible for Chuck's demise?
08-08-18, 08:09 AM
#58
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
Reading this thread, you can see that the last scene could be interpreted several different ways, which is exactly what they were going for. Since it was the last scene of the episode, they'll deal more with this as it goes on.
08-08-18, 09:30 AM
#59
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I liked the intro, but I didn't find it tense at all simply because I knew Jimmy wasn't going to get caught. These intros are just setting up the future scenario and won't have any major conflicts that will leave the viewer hanging - especially with 2 or more seasons left until the future timeline takes over the show.
08-08-18, 09:59 AM
#60
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I think Jimmy was just relieved that the insurance thing wasn't going to come around to him and that Howard took that hit.
08-08-18, 10:19 AM
#61
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
My wife though she saw the chemist that worked with Walt in BB in the warehouse when Mike was driving around on the golf cart. I couldn't make out the face well enough but I don't think they dropped that kind of easter egg here. Anyone else notice this? It was the three guys talking to each other while one was on a fork lift...
UPDATE Nevermind. unless they didnt credit him for the scene it wasnt Gale...
UPDATE Nevermind. unless they didnt credit him for the scene it wasnt Gale...
08-08-18, 10:44 AM
#62
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
No one has yet mentioned the photo in the first post of.this thread. That seems like a pretty big clue to me that Jimmy's happy face was an act. But I like reading the other theories as well.
08-08-18, 10:44 AM
#63
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
As far as the end goes, I saw it as a peek into the fact that Chuck's death is the catalyst for Jimmy becoming Saul. Suddenly, rather than deal with the angst he had all episode, he completely disconnected and jumped back into his normal routine (feeding the fish, coffee, etc). We're seeing the transformation into a second personality as a form of self-protection.
08-08-18, 10:59 AM
#64
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I liked the intro, but I didn't find it tense at all simply because I knew Jimmy wasn't going to get caught. These intros are just setting up the future scenario and won't have any major conflicts that will leave the viewer hanging - especially with 2 or more seasons left until the future timeline takes over the show.
08-08-18, 10:11 PM
#65
Member
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
Very low key premiere.
Agree that the present day hospital scene dragged, but I get why Jimmy/Saul was nervous.
And I don’t think we really needed to hear Howard read Chuck’s complete bio to Jimmy on the phone. That scene was a little long winded.
Not really much else that stood out for me. Mike’s exploits in the factory was amusing.
Agree that the present day hospital scene dragged, but I get why Jimmy/Saul was nervous.
And I don’t think we really needed to hear Howard read Chuck’s complete bio to Jimmy on the phone. That scene was a little long winded.
Not really much else that stood out for me. Mike’s exploits in the factory was amusing.
Also, I liked Howard reading the obit, especially when he was still "reading" it without looking at the paper. Howard did his due diligence and memorized the crap out of that obit in respect of a fallen and respected law firm partner.
Mike in the warehouse made me think of work, so I am conflicted, but I liked the methodical way he went about breaking down the business that just issued him a big boy check.
08-09-18, 03:24 AM
#66
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
New interview with Gilligan and Gould dropped some pretty interesting info.
“Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk and masterminds Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould just changed everything we thought we knew about Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman’s life in Omaha: It turns out the black-and-white sequences on “Saul” may take place when Walter White is still alive.
Wait, we hear you saying. What? We had the same reaction. The Omaha sequences on “Saul” — brief segments that hint at Saul’s sad life after he fled Albuquerque to live undercover — suggest Gene is still living in fear because of his life as Saul. (The Season 4 premiere spelled this out more explicitly than any episode before.) On the “Better Call Saul Insider” podcast released this week, Odenkirk, Gilligan and Gould raised the possibility that Saul might be living in fear of Walter.
Wait, we hear you saying. What? We had the same reaction. The Omaha sequences on “Saul” — brief segments that hint at Saul’s sad life after he fled Albuquerque to live undercover — suggest Gene is still living in fear because of his life as Saul. (The Season 4 premiere spelled this out more explicitly than any episode before.) On the “Better Call Saul Insider” podcast released this week, Odenkirk, Gilligan and Gould raised the possibility that Saul might be living in fear of Walter.
08-09-18, 09:30 AM
#67
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
That doesn't make any sense. Just because Saul may be in fear of WW, it doesn't mean he is still alive. He may not know that Walter is dead, I doubt it would make national news. He could have kept up on local Albuquerque news, but maybe not.
I guess we don't know for sure how much time elapses between Ozymandias and Felina but it couldn't be more than a few months, right?
I guess we don't know for sure how much time elapses between Ozymandias and Felina but it couldn't be more than a few months, right?
08-09-18, 09:35 AM
#68
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I think their comments went more to the idea that it is still open as to whether or not WW is still alive in Gene’s timeline. They simply haven’t made those decisions yet, but it is possible.
08-09-18, 09:35 AM
#69
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
They mean the actual timeline and events of the BB finale may not occurred yet during the Gene scenes we have witnessed. So, Walt may still be alive.
08-09-18, 09:37 AM
#70
Moderator
Thread Starter
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
When we met Saul again in “Better Call Saul,” in Omaha, no one told us how much time had passed since his split with Walt. Yes, we saw Walt die in the finale of “Breaking Bad” — but we don’t know when the Omaha scenes take place in relation to “Breaking Bad.” They might occur during the stretch of “Granite State” when Walt is hiding out in Nebraska.
08-09-18, 09:40 AM
#72
Moderator
Thread Starter
08-09-18, 09:43 AM
#73
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
I do wonder if we are only getting one or two Genes scene this year. I wouldn't mind each episode opening with one as we get closer to the end.
08-09-18, 09:44 AM
#74
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Better Call Saul (S4E01) -- Season Premiere -- "Smoke" -- 8/6/18
08-09-18, 09:47 AM
#75
Moderator
Thread Starter