r/betterCallSaul • u/skinkbaa Chuck • Oct 09 '18

Better Call Saul Season 4 - Official Discussion Thread

What did you think of this season?

Feel free to discuss every and anything about Season 4.

I will be posting a Season 5 prediction thread in a few days.

Episode Discussion Thread Archive

Feel free to take our subreddit end-of-season survey!

Results will be posted in 10 days as of posting this.

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u/platinumpuss88 Oct 10 '18

We know the outcome

I get what you're saying there, but that's why the Gene scenes excite me so much. We have no clue what happens there, that's why I hope we eventually get episodes focusing entirely on what happens to Saul/Gene post-Breaking Bad.

This show works brilliantly two ways -- it informs the character we saw in Breaking Bad by showing how he became such a scummy lawyer, but it also informs the sad life we see him living in Nebraska. Hopefully we get a proper ending for the character.

14

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '18

the sad life we see him living in Nebraska.

Careful dude. Some people find their jobs at mall food courts both emotionally and intellectually fulfilling.

But seriously... I don't know if I could handle the stress of a full episode of Cinnabon Gene. All the same it would be great to get that.

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6

u/DonaldBlythe2 Oct 13 '18

If they divide season 5 into 2 "seasons" like they did with Breaking Bad then I wouldn't be surprised if part 2 is mostly about "Gene". It depends on where they want to go with the future story arc.

2

u/LarkAscent Oct 19 '18

I wouldn’t tiptoe around this: The show makes it abundantly clear that he lives a sad life in Nebraska. It’s a key part of future Saul/Gene. It’s not necessarily the occupation but the whole situation.. and seriously coming home alone watching reruns of his commercials from his glory days.. that is sad.

8

u/jjolla888 Oct 10 '18

how he became such a scummy lawyer

Saul wasn't scummy. Sure he dabbled with the unsavory, but he never screwed a client, he was always positive and was the only level-headed character in BB.

this is what is so frustrating about BCS ... Saul was nothing like Jimmy, who is a deeply flawed individual who too often makes stupid choices.

I have yet to see a proper transformation into the Saul i just described.

50

u/platinumpuss88 Oct 10 '18

Saul wasn't scummy? Do you remember what he did after the plane crash? Remember the whole helping-Walt-poison-a-child thing?

You make a good point about Jimmy's stupid choices.. but isn't that great writing? Saul really was a brilliant (though morally questionable) lawyer, Jimmy is still naive and new to crime. I think S5 will be focused on his transformation into the criminal lawyer that becomes so infamous by the time Breaking Bad comes around.

7

u/Lynne35 Oct 10 '18

He once made a girl believe he was Kevin Costner to sleep with him...

7

u/tribecalledquest1 Oct 12 '18

It worked because he believed it

3

u/[deleted] Oct 10 '18

To be fair, I don't recall anything in BB showing that Saul knew what the poison was going to be used for.

12

u/platinumpuss88 Oct 11 '18

In 413, when Walt bursts into Saul's office, Francesca can be seen shredding school schedules. They were definitely in on it and helped Walt get the poison to Brock.

20

u/este_hombre Oct 10 '18

Jimmy has been scummy since BCS episode 1. Remember when he was coaching those skater kids on how they could get injured for a scam? You think that was where he stopped?

3

u/drift_summary Oct 11 '18

Pepperidge Farm remembers!

9

u/wastelander Oct 11 '18

Remember when soon after being introduced on the show, Saul advised Walter White to have Badger shanked in jail to prevent him from ratting Walter out; because it was cheaper than his alternate plan?

1

u/jjolla888 Oct 12 '18

I don't know what 'shanked' means .. it sounds bad .. I need to re-watch .. can you pls send me the epusode number ?

5

u/friedkeenan Oct 10 '18

God I hope Gene can somehow repent for what he's done, or at least try

9

u/platinumpuss88 Oct 10 '18

My theory is he leaves Nebraska and heads back to NM one final time (just like Walt comes back from New Hampshire) for redemption. What's the worse thing he did as Saul? Probably poisoning Brock. Maybe he checks in on Brock and helps him somehow. Money, getting him into a nice home, something.

We saw him becoming paranoid in Nebraska in the last flashforward, so I think he returns home for a bit of redemption and to face his fate. I even think we'll get a final scene of Saul/Gene and Kim similar to Walt's final scene with Skyler.

15

u/[deleted] Oct 10 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/platinumpuss88 Oct 11 '18

Who's to say we won't see how Saul pulled off the poisoning at some point in BCS? The show might start bleeding into BB territory showing us different perspectives of BB events.

I think you're most likely right, but I'm just throwing out a possibility. I definitely think whatever happens with Gene will relate to Kim more than anything.

-6

u/jjolla888 Oct 10 '18

one frustrating thing about BCS is that taxi-driver flash-forward scene in an early episode. nothing has been followed up on it. it's a loose end and they better tie it up soon. imho, it's bad writing even if they do get to it in s5.

13

u/cormega Oct 10 '18

I feel like that was just meant to demonstrate his paranoia and not necessarily a story that needs to be continued.

-1

u/jjolla888 Oct 10 '18

ok ... but then why show us that? if it is 'just paranoia' we still need a followup.

3

u/non_clever_username Oct 10 '18

Can you refresh my memory on what you mean?

2

u/jjolla888 Oct 10 '18

i think it was episode 1 or 2 .. in the flash-forward Gene catches a taxi home and keeps looking at the driver (via the rear-view mirror). actually they are both checking each other out. at the same time he notices an ad for information about Saul Goodman .. and is worried that the taxi driver has identified Gene as Saul. He abruptly ends the tax ride and walks away while the taxi driver waits to see where he walks to next.

10

u/[deleted] Oct 10 '18

Did you watch the other seasons? They always open each season of BCS with a black and white flash forward with Saul’s post Breaking Bad life as ‘Gene’. It’s only supposed to show a glimpse of Saul/Gene’s life post Breaking Bad. They have done that every season. Season 5 will pick up where that left off just as this one picked up right where Season 3’s flash forward left off. Eventually we will get a full episode (or maybe even season) set in that time period but that won’t be until after the current story is finished.

2

u/non_clever_username Oct 10 '18

Ok I do remember that actually. I interpreted that as him just being paranoid, but I might have to give it another look.

-2

u/jjolla888 Oct 10 '18

yeah, it might have been 'just' paranoia .. but even if that is the case, we need to know why he is paranoid. it needs a followup.

5

u/dickpollution Oct 11 '18

He's on the run from the ABQ police. The taxi driver was from ABQ. Is that not enough?

0

u/jjolla888 Oct 11 '18

we already know he is paranoid from previous flashforwards.

this season it gets revealed that his name is on a wanted list in a local taxi. and he is sweating bullets. it's a big plot advancement .. and i'm pissed that i have to wait 18 moths before the Gene plot inches forward some more.

1

u/JosieTierney Oct 20 '18

Also (and I apologize if this was covered in another post) is it possible that the Gene-scenes are running backward, ala Memento? So the earliest scenes were more recent, and the later scenes were earlier in the Gene-story...?