There's a level of trust the writers have built with us since Breaking Bad, that we're going to pay attention to almost every detail. It's an unspoken relationship that I really appreciate. I only wish it was present in other shows.
Black Sails did this really well too. They had plot points for season 2 planned out before they even aired season 1. And little details with different crew members make recurring appearances.
@@kdizzle901 Lost? LawL I cannot express in words, yes it is my own ignorance, in how fucking funny anyone saying how much Lost was a good show. I never watched a one but still, I would rather watch the Dick Van Dyke show. Don't ask me why I thought of that, simply because it's better in every way. Oh except DVD doesn't have a Bab5 member in it. Still, walking and LawLing that Lost was good. Fucking shoot me please.
try The Leftovers on HBO, so many things in that show are full circle, visual storytelling, metahpors, and deeply rooted in the concept that there's more to something than just the dialogue (which is also well written)
Think about this, when Kim quits S&C and mesa verde and jimmy is upset about it, it’s not just because he sees her giving up financial success, but because if Kim doesn’t wanna work with mesa verde anymore, that means everything jimmy did to chuck to ultimately cause his demise, was all for nothing
Another object that gets so much importance and meaning when characters interact with it: Jimmy's ring from Marco. The ring symbolizes his Slippin' Jimmy days, or at least the schemes running in his head when he wishes to pull off something devious. Everytime he's in a situation that requires him to be Slippin' Jimmy/Saul Goodman, he rubs the ring.
Fun fact, in asian fairy tales, there are sometime stories about magic ring, if you rub them it can summons entities for that particular culture like, genie, spirits or ghost. Which comes to grant wishes to the owner. It's like jimmy is summoning a dodgy parallel creature, which in here is Saul Goodman, to grant him a wish, ghost of his childhood conman who appere as Saul.
It's not an object, but I love what they did with Chuck's last words. The last thing he said to Jimmy is "Truth is, you never mattered all that much to me". Jimmy doesn't react. Season 4, Chuck is dead, and Jimmy still doesn't react. And then in the finale of that season, in the middle of his pep talk in front of the middle-schooler he feels sorry for, Jimmy goes "You're gonna do whatever it take, you're not gonna play by the rules, you're gonna be smart and you are gonna win ! They're on the 30th floor ? You'll be on the 50th. Rub their noses in it, make them suffer. *You never mattered all that much to them* ? So what ! So what. Screw them." I can't help but respect a show that trusts you'll catch these things without pointing out to you the meaning behind every little sentence.
So many great small details that make these shows. Jesse's parents have a stick figure family on the back window of their car. Just the parents and brother. Jesse isn't part of it. It has maybe 3 seconds of screen time, it's super subtle. But it helps to illustrate his relationship with his parents.
Im wondering if that girl will make a return. She's wearing a shirt with garden gnomes and in a previous episode those 2 dudes who go on a crime spree steal a gnome as part of sauls "50% off!"
In the first scene of Season 6 Episode 1 , we were told that something happens to Kim and Saul has moved on by a simple image of the tequila stopper falling out of Saul's belongings. That showed us she not only is gone she left that behind something that she has taken with her multiple times. It also lets us know that by the end of the BB timeline has has moved on past her, by not taking it with him to Omaha.
I'm pretty sure it means the opposite. The opening scene of s6e1 is happenning after the events of brbad, Saul's house is in the process of being taken apart by the government. Saul himself is nowhere to be found. He didn't even had time to go to his house and took the things of sentimental value when he went on the run. The lonely tequila stopper lays on a dirty roadside as a reminder of something good that Saul had, left behind in ABQ.
Finally someone took attention to this! This symbolic attachment to objects had happened since Breaking Bad, like the cardboard knife in the beginning of season 4 (between the opening of the meth lab and the death of Victor) or all the appearances of the pink bear in season 02. Good video as always!:)
Mike coming home beaten to a pulp cracking a beer one handed on the couch while clutching Tuco's boxing gloves necklace in his other hand was one of the best things of the entire series.
on top of the score during the scene where Kevin is showing Kim all the models there is a shot of Kim looking through one of the windows of the model which creates the appearance of Kim looking through prison bars. when I first noticed it I thought it was foreshadowing Kim ending up in prison, but upon further reflection it made more sense to me that it was representative of Kim's feelings of being trapped or imprisoned by Mesa Verde. really neat stuff these show writers pull off.
Loved this video too, Gil. Here's another scene that I know you'd appreciate: When Mike goes shopping for a rifle in that motel room, and the seller shows him the last one, the M-40....for a brief moment the camera pans on Mike's face...a somber look when he sees it. It brings him (and us) back to his past in Vietnam. The horrors he must have seen... The seller says, "You seem to know this one", and Mike says, "Yeah....you could say that.". That's all we need to know about his backstory. This has to be one of my favorite scenes in the entire series...
@@itspaddyd you're right, he says something about moisture causing jams then says "they should of thought of that before sensing a bunch of people into the jungle with it..."
When I watched Breaking Bad, I realized Vince Gilligan doesn’t just focus on random objects and have seemingly random scenes. They always have a meaning and/or involve the plot, the dude is a damn genius and Breaking Bad in my opinion is the best show ever made. Better Call Saul is a damn close second too, its as close to breaking bad level of brilliance we will ever get and Im going to be sad when this last season ends. Ill watch anything Vince Gilligan does after though.
I feel like a LOT of shows currently try to get away with filling up time with long-winded shots. The most recent series of Peaky Blinders, although I loved it, was probably half plot and half Tommy Shelby walking around. Vince Gilligan seems to make every second count with his shows! Love it!
I normally watch most television programs only once but I look at “Better Call Saul” multiple times. With each viewing I notice details that I didn’t notice at an earlier viewing. I loved your comparison to “Dexter”. You were absolutely right. “Better Call Saul” is a much better show than “Dexter”. The comparison that you made about the two shows gave me a good chuckle.
Every single time. Either I notice something new or I've changed enough that I started to notice details other's arent ready to see. Like rewatching old 80s or 90s movies and being horrified or amazed by what passed or was able to pass as entertainment.
Thank you. At 5:57 we see the Davis & Main bottle is used to store Jimmy’s urine, both reminding us of the pain and resentment he feels toward the system, but also reminding us that Jimmy arrived here from his own poor choices, the main theme of that very episode. You actually opened up an entire dimension of symbolism for me.
I remember being really amazed by the space blanket scene in Bagman. Most other creative teams would have flashed a clip of Chuck in the space blanket to make sure the point is driven home, but Gould-Gilligan know it's not necessary. As much as I love the Sopranos, it always bothered me when they would flash to clips to remind you what a character connects with it, like when Tony is set off by the Billy Bass toy because it reminds him of his dream about Pussy.
the only "flash" in BB/BCS i can remember is "you got me" when hank takes a shit Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are not my favorite shows (i think it goes to Firefly, Archer and Arcane) but it's definitely the best shows ever made in every objective aspect some episodes are so good i'm not gonna ever rewatch them (ozymandias as the prime example -- it's too fucking hard) but the whole attention to the smallest details, and the trust from directors and producers to viewers is amazing
Dude this is a great video. BCS is masterful of visual storytelling. Could you make a video about how Jimmy unhealthily copes with Chucks suicide by compartmentalization of his true feelings? I never see any video essays about that.
Well. Jimmy blamed himself after Chuck's dead up to the point that Howard admitted that he felt that his pushing Chuck out over the insurance increase as the stepping stone to his suicide. Jimmy took that and transformed all that guilt into anger towards Howard.
@@TheEbonyEngineer Yes, even though Jimmy was the reason the insurance got increased in the first place. [However, Chuck's wish to break all his ties with friends/family/memories so that he would be free to commit suicide was likely the primary motivator of his decision to sue HHM -- the insurance was just a handy excuse. Chuck was torn between wanting to recover and fear/wish/belief that he would not be able to. He then said to Jimmy what he knew would separate them for good (that he never cared about Jimmy, which is pure BS, but Jimmy can't see that because of his own fears & doubt.) Then he severed his last tie with Rebecca by destroying the house she decorated (Bois, her last name, means "wood," BTW) and which constantly surrounded him with her memory. Then, with all that destroyed, he was "free" to go.]
Better Call Saul is the same series as Breaking Bad and several times it surpasses BrBa in some ways. Chuck, Kim, Nacho, the Vet, Lalo, Pryce, so many amazing characters that TOTALLY fit into the BrBa universe. There have been at least 30 cameos of BrBa characters in BCS and every one of them was great and served the plot. Some have even gotten to play and flesh out the character even more than BrBa (Hector, Mike, Domingo, Tuco, etc)
I recently started watching The Umbrella Academy after years of being barraged with recommendations for it, and treating the audience like children who have to be shown/told everything is one of the show's main flaws. It's perfectly encapsulated at the end of S1 E4 where Diego, before leaving a crime scene picks up a receipt intent on investigating it. Then, immediately after the next episode begins, Diego removes the receipt from his pocket with a steady resolve. But, for good measure, the show flashes back to when he got it one more time. Like, we know he has it! You don't need to tell us this.
To be honest, the average viewer doesn't really want to look that deep into stories. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are shows that specifically cater to the type of audience who enjoys looking for deeper meaning, but you can't expect every show to try that because it's not something their core audience would enjoy
@@parknplay8328 but, the part that sticks for me is that a show like Arcane, that’s made for a younger audience followed the Gilligan path of not treating audiences like morons. And, people LOVE Arcane, including me; The only reason I watched it is because people kept recommending it so much that I had to give it a shot. So, it can be done for broader audiences and still be satisfying.
@@iainronald4217 Even with popular things that are really good like Arcane, they're still the exception to the rule, and most shows that are popular with general audiences don't bother being well written because the vast majority of people don't care and don't have the attention to detail required to even notice
‘Seeing something, and not needing to hear it being explained, or even casually discussed.’ That’s what Alfred Hitchcock described as both essential and unique to movie making. It was was Hitchcock about whose work and methodology that François Truffaut found so important that he devoted two years of his life to interviewing and writing an book, which he crafted as meticulously as any of his films. If anyone is interested in an excellent yet nicely brief example of this, I suggest watching ‘The Beginning of Season 1 Ep 1 of Killing Eve, available on utube now, and titled that way. ~Especially for those who aren’t familiar with the series, it’s 120 seconds of your time that I trust you’ll enjoy.
Great video! I also love the way the writers use objects. It is refreshing to see a show where viewers aren't treated like idiots and the writers trust we will understand what they lay out. It makes the show so much more enjoyable. I like your take on Jimmy and Mike's relationship, that Mike is the brother (partner-in-crime) he always wanted. I figured he refused the space blanket bc it reminded him of Chuck, but hadn't considered the other points you lay out regarding that interaction. I think Jimmy lost that when he left Cicero/Marco died. Anothrt important object is Marco's ring which is like the Zafiro Anejo stopper to Kim.
One item that you seems to overlook but it’s my favorite and very important to the story: The GPS coordinates for the place Walter and Jesse first cook. At first, it served as a symbol of Walter reminiscing his old days with Jesse before their relationship was slowly but surely deteriorated and it also was a symbol of deception and secret since it was a place he buried his drug money away from Hank. Later, this object changed its duty into a symbol of Walter’s self-destruction. Walter called the Aryan brotherhood to this exact location which caused his money to be stolen and most importantly, Hank’s death, which will destroy his family and his secret as Heisenberg shortly after. Finally, it became an object for Walter’s redemption. Walter used this thing one last time to make things right by giving Skyler the location of Hank and Gomey’s burial site to get her out of the mess he created and give Marie’s closure that Hank is actually dead, not just missing without trace. This object alone represents the entire character development of Walter White so well thanks to Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould and the crew for putting so much efforts in every tiny details of the show.
I don't know if I'd say White was "redeemed." He could have done all those things by turning himself in to the cops. Anything less than honoring his family and community by turning himself in is not "redemption." He terrified Gretchen and Elliott and even presumed to give them orders on what to do with his blood money. (I don't think they obeyed him, by the way. They're more than rich enough to protect themselves and research whether or not his threats were legit. And, even if they had obeyed his disgusting orders, Flynn would have refused to accept the money, anyway. He's already seen how unearned cash ruins people.)
This is an amazing video One Take . Appreciate your wonderful analysis and love for the show .I think Better Call Saul season 6 will end up outdoing breaking bad season 5
OMG, I would NEVER been ever to remember these easter eggs from prior seasons, totally missed their importance when binging S5 last week, thanks so much!
SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT: One reason I love this series is how much of this there is, even smaller examples run throughout the whole show. In a flashback with Marco, you see Jimmy stashed a box with some money up in the ceiling of his family's old store, and is glad to see it was still in its same place. In a flash forward in the future as Saul Goodman later in the show, when he and Franchesca are shredding all the evidence, you see him retrieve a bag of money from his office ceiling in the same way, happy again that it's all still there. Jimmy's ring is another great one. So much more little stuff you notice on a rewatch, makes it that much more rewarding
The first scene of the 6th season is the greatest example of object importance in the show. There's no dialogue at all and yet you're fully comprehend the memories that stay with Jimmy (Saul) throughout the years.
Real question: does Kim’s Kansas City Royals shirt at the end of Season Five give us a clue of where she ends up-similar to Gene-at the end of Season Six?
the dexter part was so good and true to what the show really is, but to be honest, that was one of the appeals of the show. the fact we could hear the thought process of the serial killer who tried to play as a human and how he reacted to such events. While its a spot on example its like comparing drama with comedy . both are movie genres but they have a different execution. Same way mr robot did voice overs but the purpose of it was for elliot to speak with us because he needed a friend because he was just so lonely he imagined us in existence so he can have a friend and someone he could talk with
I love videos like these! I’m very unobservant with shows, and I feel like some of these things should be obvious to the me but they aren’t. I finished better call Saul season 5 about 2 months ago and watching these videos on the series has let me appreciate it so much more!
Another example would be when Kim and Jimmy are brushing teeth together, they are at first shown in one mirror together. some episodes later the whole shot is cut in half and they are shown in opposing camera angles. Now in season 6 it's two seperate mirrors.
Another great video. Your analysis is spot on. I can talk about this show and BB all day. The video you made yesterday on BB and BCS was phenomenal too.✌
I keep rewatching it. I think its the nature of how the show is done. Sure has amazing actors and actresses but I think its the roux, the bones of the show(s) that make this world pop. Like the right amount of rosemary in the right dish. Even the small talk is masterful. Like every line of dialogue has three meanings. Mr Robot is like that. You can rewatch it multiple times and one day you will stand up and say! Omg! I never realized...!
thats exactly what i was thinking lmao. and its exactly what ruins anime for me. its like there really isn't anything to pay attention too or get invested in cuz they just tell you.
yeah it was clear to me IMMEDIATELY that Jimmy recoiled from the idea of being offered that silver blanket from Mike because it put him right back in a Chuck headspace. Though as far as the tracker, I thought would've been a reasonable move to employ that as part of getting home safely. Mike scolds Jimmy's idea of burying the money to come back for it alone later because he wouldn't be able to leave a convincing enough marker to find it again. Well couldn't they have simply buried the tracker receiver with the bag of money? The transmitter theoretically would've led them back to exactly where it was.
The tracker was a short range one and worked only within a 500m radius or something like that. So it would've been a pain in the ass to find it again. Also, there's the risk of its battery dying out
I'm definitely not the first person to notice this but, Gus gives Don Eladio the Anejo, obviously it's not the same bottle or stopper or anything but. I think it's interesting that it's not the first time it's shown up
One of the reasons I love this show so much is that it doesn't treat the viewer like they have 3 braincells. It's subtlety ads so much depth to the show and rewards you for piecing things together by making you feel smart
Was thinking the same thing. There's just been too much time between each season lately that I forgot about some of these things. 2 years between each season is tough without rewatching
Huells ability of pick pocketing items is the most harmless but at the most time the most destructive in the show. He indirectly helped killed Chuck He destroyed walts,jessie,saul relationship He beat that cop with the sandwich
Am I the only one who sees more than just the stopper but also the tequila bottle as a metaphor for Kim’s bottled up thrill-seeking side being released? And you know what they say…you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. It even happens to mimic the shape of the bottle in the old sitcom “I Dream of Jeanie”.
A great example of this is when the scene opens on a newspaper stand that says "50cents on sunday" and you see mike put in two quarters to show you the sunday meeting is happening
Brilliant analysis. Thanks! You pointed out some aspects I missed, such as the space blanket being turned down likely due to the association it had with Chuck in Jimmy’s mind.
Great video. The opposite of this well story writing is like 90% of all anime in which these characters will verbally explain every stupid thing thats going on.
I don’t know what it is about anime storytelling that mandates everything to be explained verbally. Even fight scenes which should be quick and snappy will always have them talk to themselves or with eachother.
Spot on analysis! The Albuquerque air freshener and the rearview mirror in the cab that picked up Gene from the hospital were particularly significant too, in my opinion.
Spot on with the tequila stopper. It was shown falling out of the moving truck at the beginning of the first episode in the new season 6, probably indicating her separation from Saul.
I sort of watched the show with one eye while working and I thought I understood it just by listening to dialogue but man, this video makes me think I need to sit down and watch it all over again
Great video. Do more of these. Especially in this world. This world has so much subtext the more I watch it the deeper I see the meaning. It's great that they gave this world and show so many layers.
Watching Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is like finding "the one". You respect one another, and the more invested you are, the more your effort is rewarded.
It's great that Breaking Bad and BCS trust the audience so much but it's actually the contrast to how little other shows do that really makes that stick out. Sure the symbolism, foreshadowing, and characterization in the BB universe goes really deep but a lot of it isn't that hard to recognise or engage with. It's just that other shows have subscribed to the notion that the audience has to be spoonfed. Ultimately it also comes down to the kinds of viewers you want to cultivate. For example you can't expect a sitcom or weekly periodical audience to watch every single episode or to even watch them with their full attention.
Whether it means to or not, this amount of detail lends itself better to binge watching. With years between seasons I forget these details and end up missing the meanings vs. watching all at once.
Things like this are the biggest reason I love Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, there are so many clever things that tie points together, and because the show isn't holding your hand you get to go "OH SHIT!!! IT'S THE THING FROM THAT TIME?! THAT MUST MEAN...!!" It's so much more rewarding and enjoyable overall for sure!!
@@OneTakeVids I feel ya 😆👌 I love that with this show the "the curtains are blue" joke doesn't even apply, because obviously blue represents the lawful side. Just because you showed the scene for a short moment here in this video: One thing that always stuck with me was when Jimmy tries to get his licence back for the first time (and fails), the room this happens in looks very odd. It's so dark and uncomfortable, and deep in my memory it looked almost like a closet, and when I imgained any shot with Jimmy in that room, the background was always black. I just find the lighting and oppresive framing in that scene so striking.
I saw it as Chuck saved Jimmy in a way when Jimmy used the thermal blanket as a lure for the truck. Something like that, wish I could describe that better.
This point is more in tangent with the end of the video, but Better Call Saul is really a master of season first impressions and season last impressions. "Why didn't we take the money and run?" "Well I know why I didn't, and it's never gonna stop me again." "Yeah, well, it's your word against mine, isn't it?" "S'all good, man!"
Another small detail about the mug and the Davis and Main car is that the model mercedes Jimmy drives has a cupholder that opens revealing a deeper wider cupholder that would've held the mug. Take with that what you will
This is the perfect response to those literalists who go “what if the curtains are blue because they are blue” and don’t want to think any deeper about the meaning of objects
So I've watched both series more than twice, and the way the writers nonchalantly put these sometimes obscure references in tickles me because it makes you keep connecting dots for years after the show is over, I can't believe I missed some of these important character references after watching several times, these shows are truly worthy of your full attention and then some.
And here I was just sitting and enjoying the show without thinking too deeply about anything. For me then and now, it's just entertainment. I don't want to have to think too hard when I'm relaxing.
**Kim quit Schweikart & Cokely... Not Davis & Main
I was about to post this :3
@@mxbunnycatter :3
@@decoolman6210 :3
@syncyst :3
but why Mike was protecting Jimmy? i don't get it
There's a level of trust the writers have built with us since Breaking Bad, that we're going to pay attention to almost every detail. It's an unspoken relationship that I really appreciate. I only wish it was present in other shows.
Mr Robot is the same way.
The Wire, The Sopranos, The Shield, Lost all do it too
Black Sails did this really well too. They had plot points for season 2 planned out before they even aired season 1. And little details with different crew members make recurring appearances.
@@kdizzle901 Lost? LawL I cannot express in words, yes it is my own ignorance, in how fucking funny anyone saying how much Lost was a good show. I never watched a one but still, I would rather watch the Dick Van Dyke show. Don't ask me why I thought of that, simply because it's better in every way. Oh except DVD doesn't have a Bab5 member in it.
Still, walking and LawLing that Lost was good. Fucking shoot me please.
try The Leftovers on HBO, so many things in that show are full circle, visual storytelling, metahpors, and deeply rooted in the concept that there's more to something than just the dialogue (which is also well written)
Think about this, when Kim quits S&C and mesa verde and jimmy is upset about it, it’s not just because he sees her giving up financial success, but because if Kim doesn’t wanna work with mesa verde anymore, that means everything jimmy did to chuck to ultimately cause his demise, was all for nothing
Holy shit I never realized that 😱
@@HotelMari0Maker lol I just realized it right as I was watching this video.. kinda blew my own mind with that one lol
Oh, my, god. Not the only layer but definitely a layer. Wow. Hello darkness my old friend...
@@TheEbonyEngineer this show has so many layers to everything, that’s what makes it so much fun to analyze and theorize about
It's kinda the norm for Gilligan and Gould to throw huge pitfalls at us
Another object that gets so much importance and meaning when characters interact with it: Jimmy's ring from Marco. The ring symbolizes his Slippin' Jimmy days, or at least the schemes running in his head when he wishes to pull off something devious. Everytime he's in a situation that requires him to be Slippin' Jimmy/Saul Goodman, he rubs the ring.
I’ve seen the show twice and never even noticed this!
Through my second time watching the show I noticed the ring much more! Very subtle but meaningful object.
Fun fact, in asian fairy tales, there are sometime stories about magic ring, if you rub them it can summons entities for that particular culture like, genie, spirits or ghost. Which comes to grant wishes to the owner. It's like jimmy is summoning a dodgy parallel creature, which in here is Saul Goodman, to grant him a wish, ghost of his childhood conman who appere as Saul.
I noticed this when I watched the show, but was surprised that it wasn’t mentioned in any of the BCS videos I’ve watched
It's not an object, but I love what they did with Chuck's last words. The last thing he said to Jimmy is "Truth is, you never mattered all that much to me". Jimmy doesn't react. Season 4, Chuck is dead, and Jimmy still doesn't react. And then in the finale of that season, in the middle of his pep talk in front of the middle-schooler he feels sorry for, Jimmy goes "You're gonna do whatever it take, you're not gonna play by the rules, you're gonna be smart and you are gonna win ! They're on the 30th floor ? You'll be on the 50th. Rub their noses in it, make them suffer. *You never mattered all that much to them* ? So what ! So what. Screw them."
I can't help but respect a show that trusts you'll catch these things without pointing out to you the meaning behind every little sentence.
So many great small details that make these shows. Jesse's parents have a stick figure family on the back window of their car. Just the parents and brother. Jesse isn't part of it. It has maybe 3 seconds of screen time, it's super subtle. But it helps to illustrate his relationship with his parents.
Im wondering if that girl will make a return. She's wearing a shirt with garden gnomes and in a previous episode those 2 dudes who go on a crime spree steal a gnome as part of sauls "50% off!"
Thank YOU for catching that, bc I didn't. Wow.
Wait when was its end of what season
I was way too dumb for BCS
For Kim the Zafiro Añejo stopper has the same meaning as Marco's ring has for Jimmy
Yeah, I think it does. Now I need to know why Jimmy ends up with it.
Yes! Spot on!!
@@goldilox369 I guess now you know
@@WaBC9IPa 😭 I do. 💔
You could also have mentioned the ring Jimmy got from Marco. We can see him play with it every time he's thinking of doing a new scheme...
I never noticed that, but now that you're saying it..
In the first scene of Season 6 Episode 1 , we were told that something happens to Kim and Saul has moved on by a simple image of the tequila stopper falling out of Saul's belongings. That showed us she not only is gone she left that behind something that she has taken with her multiple times. It also lets us know that by the end of the BB timeline has has moved on past her, by not taking it with him to Omaha.
Dude that's gonna be heartbreaking to witness 😭👍
I'm pretty sure it means the opposite. The opening scene of s6e1 is happenning after the events of brbad, Saul's house is in the process of being taken apart by the government. Saul himself is nowhere to be found. He didn't even had time to go to his house and took the things of sentimental value when he went on the run. The lonely tequila stopper lays on a dirty roadside as a reminder of something good that Saul had, left behind in ABQ.
I can only hope the bottle stopper comes back in the series finale.
Finally someone took attention to this! This symbolic attachment to objects had happened since Breaking Bad, like the cardboard knife in the beginning of season 4 (between the opening of the meth lab and the death of Victor) or all the appearances of the pink bear in season 02. Good video as always!:)
Mike coming home beaten to a pulp cracking a beer one handed on the couch while clutching Tuco's boxing gloves necklace in his other hand was one of the best things of the entire series.
teddy bear eye
on top of the score during the scene where Kevin is showing Kim all the models there is a shot of Kim looking through one of the windows of the model which creates the appearance of Kim looking through prison bars. when I first noticed it I thought it was foreshadowing Kim ending up in prison, but upon further reflection it made more sense to me that it was representative of Kim's feelings of being trapped or imprisoned by Mesa Verde. really neat stuff these show writers pull off.
Loved this video too, Gil. Here's another scene that I know you'd appreciate: When Mike goes shopping for a rifle in that motel room, and the seller shows him the last one, the M-40....for a brief moment the camera pans on Mike's face...a somber look when he sees it. It brings him (and us) back to his past in Vietnam. The horrors he must have seen...
The seller says, "You seem to know this one", and Mike says, "Yeah....you could say that.". That's all we need to know about his backstory. This has to be one of my favorite scenes in the entire series...
I swear he also says something about wooden stocks warping in the jungle humidity but I might be going insane
@@itspaddyd No, you’re right…..he does mention that! Awesome scene….
@@itspaddyd you're right, he says something about moisture causing jams then says "they should of thought of that before sensing a bunch of people into the jungle with it..."
That Mike impression had me dead. Great video.
lmao same
it was spot on
In Breaking Bad, a bottle of Zaphiro was used by Gus to poison Don Eladio. Nice reference to that.
Ties him into having some part of that event in BB
2:38 that “hamfisted” impression of Mike is gold!
When I watched Breaking Bad, I realized Vince Gilligan doesn’t just focus on random objects and have seemingly random scenes. They always have a meaning and/or involve the plot, the dude is a damn genius and Breaking Bad in my opinion is the best show ever made. Better Call Saul is a damn close second too, its as close to breaking bad level of brilliance we will ever get and Im going to be sad when this last season ends. Ill watch anything Vince Gilligan does after though.
I feel like a LOT of shows currently try to get away with filling up time with long-winded shots. The most recent series of Peaky Blinders, although I loved it, was probably half plot and half Tommy Shelby walking around. Vince Gilligan seems to make every second count with his shows! Love it!
For me BCS surpassed BB a long time ago
vabro Nicev
I normally watch most television programs only once but I look at “Better Call Saul” multiple times. With each viewing I notice details that I didn’t notice at an earlier viewing. I loved your comparison to “Dexter”. You were absolutely right. “Better Call Saul” is a much better show than “Dexter”. The comparison that you made about the two shows gave me a good chuckle.
Every single time. Either I notice something new or I've changed enough that I started to notice details other's arent ready to see. Like rewatching old 80s or 90s movies and being horrified or amazed by what passed or was able to pass as entertainment.
Thank you. At 5:57 we see the Davis & Main bottle is used to store Jimmy’s urine, both reminding us of the pain and resentment he feels toward the system, but also reminding us that Jimmy arrived here from his own poor choices, the main theme of that very episode. You actually opened up an entire dimension of symbolism for me.
I remember being really amazed by the space blanket scene in Bagman. Most other creative teams would have flashed a clip of Chuck in the space blanket to make sure the point is driven home, but Gould-Gilligan know it's not necessary. As much as I love the Sopranos, it always bothered me when they would flash to clips to remind you what a character connects with it, like when Tony is set off by the Billy Bass toy because it reminds him of his dream about Pussy.
Anyway, $4 a pound
@@capassoman 😂
T A K E M E T O T H E R I V E R
D R O P M E I N T H E W A T E R
the only "flash" in BB/BCS i can remember is "you got me" when hank takes a shit
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are not my favorite shows (i think it goes to Firefly, Archer and Arcane) but it's definitely the best shows ever made in every objective aspect
some episodes are so good i'm not gonna ever rewatch them (ozymandias as the prime example -- it's too fucking hard)
but the whole attention to the smallest details, and the trust from directors and producers to viewers is amazing
Dude this is a great video. BCS is masterful of visual storytelling. Could you make a video about how Jimmy unhealthily copes with Chucks suicide by compartmentalization of his true feelings? I never see any video essays about that.
Thanks Joe! Without spoiling the rest of the videos I'm releasing this week, I'll say that one of them will definitely include this topic!
Well. Jimmy blamed himself after Chuck's dead up to the point that Howard admitted that he felt that his pushing Chuck out over the insurance increase as the stepping stone to his suicide. Jimmy took that and transformed all that guilt into anger towards Howard.
@@TheEbonyEngineer Yes, even though Jimmy was the reason the insurance got increased in the first place. [However, Chuck's wish to break all his ties with friends/family/memories so that he would be free to commit suicide was likely the primary motivator of his decision to sue HHM -- the insurance was just a handy excuse. Chuck was torn between wanting to recover and fear/wish/belief that he would not be able to. He then said to Jimmy what he knew would separate them for good (that he never cared about Jimmy, which is pure BS, but Jimmy can't see that because of his own fears & doubt.) Then he severed his last tie with Rebecca by destroying the house she decorated (Bois, her last name, means "wood," BTW) and which constantly surrounded him with her memory. Then, with all that destroyed, he was "free" to go.]
tf is compartmentalization
Better Call Saul is the same series as Breaking Bad and several times it surpasses BrBa in some ways.
Chuck, Kim, Nacho, the Vet, Lalo, Pryce, so many amazing characters that TOTALLY fit into the BrBa universe. There have been at least 30 cameos of BrBa characters in BCS and every one of them was great and served the plot. Some have even gotten to play and flesh out the character even more than BrBa (Hector, Mike, Domingo, Tuco, etc)
Aaaaand the tequila cap just showed up in the S6 premiere
…falling out of a truck and into the gutter. uh oh
Wild that season 6 opens with that same cap
I recently started watching The Umbrella Academy after years of being barraged with recommendations for it, and treating the audience like children who have to be shown/told everything is one of the show's main flaws. It's perfectly encapsulated at the end of S1 E4 where Diego, before leaving a crime scene picks up a receipt intent on investigating it. Then, immediately after the next episode begins, Diego removes the receipt from his pocket with a steady resolve. But, for good measure, the show flashes back to when he got it one more time.
Like, we know he has it! You don't need to tell us this.
Umbrella academy is made for a younger audience
To be honest, the average viewer doesn't really want to look that deep into stories. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are shows that specifically cater to the type of audience who enjoys looking for deeper meaning, but you can't expect every show to try that because it's not something their core audience would enjoy
@@parknplay8328 but, the part that sticks for me is that a show like Arcane, that’s made for a younger audience followed the Gilligan path of not treating audiences like morons. And, people LOVE Arcane, including me; The only reason I watched it is because people kept recommending it so much that I had to give it a shot. So, it can be done for broader audiences and still be satisfying.
@@iainronald4217 Even with popular things that are really good like Arcane, they're still the exception to the rule, and most shows that are popular with general audiences don't bother being well written because the vast majority of people don't care and don't have the attention to detail required to even notice
‘Seeing something, and not needing to hear it being explained, or even casually discussed.’ That’s what Alfred Hitchcock described as both essential and unique to movie making. It was was Hitchcock about whose work and methodology that François Truffaut found so important that he devoted two years of his life to interviewing and writing an book, which he crafted as meticulously as any of his films. If anyone is interested in an excellent yet nicely brief example of this, I suggest watching ‘The Beginning of Season 1 Ep 1 of Killing Eve, available on utube now, and titled that way. ~Especially for those who aren’t familiar with the series, it’s 120 seconds of your time that I trust you’ll enjoy.
Kim with the finger guns is low key one of the most impactful moments in the entire series.
Low key or high key? Maybe medium key? Can I get a no cap, bruh? Sheesh?
thos comment aged well!
👍
I'm surprised there's no mention of Marco's ring. That to me is the most important recurring object in the show.
Great video and great timing for it too - the bottle top has already returned in season 6!
Watched the last two episodes and continued to be amazed at the love put into every aspect. As a songwriter I know that’s the secret
Thanks Ron! It's definitely a show I'm passionate about, and that makes it easy to have a lot to say about it!
@@OneTakeVids to me I consider BCS and BrBa the same series. Act II and Act I with El Camino as a nice epilogue for Jesse.
You missed the shot when Walter picked up the lily of the valley pot from his garden. This is when you imagine that he indeed tried to poison the kid.
So much brilliance in such a short video - and aside from that, you casually threw in the best wrapup of the ricin plot I've seen so far.
The icecream with the ants on it was some of the best symbolism I've seen on screen. Perfection.
Great video! I also love the way the writers use objects. It is refreshing to see a show where viewers aren't treated like idiots and the writers trust we will understand what they lay out. It makes the show so much more enjoyable.
I like your take on Jimmy and Mike's relationship, that Mike is the brother (partner-in-crime) he always wanted. I figured he refused the space blanket bc it reminded him of Chuck, but hadn't considered the other points you lay out regarding that interaction. I think Jimmy lost that when he left Cicero/Marco died.
Anothrt important object is Marco's ring which is like the Zafiro Anejo stopper to Kim.
One item that you seems to overlook but it’s my favorite and very important to the story: The GPS coordinates for the place Walter and Jesse first cook.
At first, it served as a symbol of Walter reminiscing his old days with Jesse before their relationship was slowly but surely deteriorated and it also was a symbol of deception and secret since it was a place he buried his drug money away from Hank.
Later, this object changed its duty into a symbol of Walter’s self-destruction. Walter called the Aryan brotherhood to this exact location which caused his money to be stolen and most importantly, Hank’s death, which will destroy his family and his secret as Heisenberg shortly after.
Finally, it became an object for Walter’s redemption. Walter used this thing one last time to make things right by giving Skyler the location of Hank and Gomey’s burial site to get her out of the mess he created and give Marie’s closure that Hank is actually dead, not just missing without trace.
This object alone represents the entire character development of Walter White so well thanks to Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould and the crew for putting so much efforts in every tiny details of the show.
I don't know if I'd say White was "redeemed." He could have done all those things by turning himself in to the cops. Anything less than honoring his family and community by turning himself in is not "redemption." He terrified Gretchen and Elliott and even presumed to give them orders on what to do with his blood money. (I don't think they obeyed him, by the way. They're more than rich enough to protect themselves and research whether or not his threats were legit. And, even if they had obeyed his disgusting orders, Flynn would have refused to accept the money, anyway. He's already seen how unearned cash ruins people.)
This is an amazing video One Take . Appreciate your wonderful analysis and love for the show .I think Better Call Saul season 6 will end up outdoing breaking bad season 5
That's kind of scary. Isn't it? We are in for a treat.
OMG, I would NEVER been ever to remember these easter eggs from prior seasons, totally missed their importance when binging S5 last week, thanks so much!
SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT: One reason I love this series is how much of this there is, even smaller examples run throughout the whole show. In a flashback with Marco, you see Jimmy stashed a box with some money up in the ceiling of his family's old store, and is glad to see it was still in its same place. In a flash forward in the future as Saul Goodman later in the show, when he and Franchesca are shredding all the evidence, you see him retrieve a bag of money from his office ceiling in the same way, happy again that it's all still there. Jimmy's ring is another great one. So much more little stuff you notice on a rewatch, makes it that much more rewarding
Yup, then in S5 there's the Gene scene where he dumps a small pile of diamonds from the band aid box in a similar way, checking that it's still there.
The first scene of the 6th season is the greatest example of object importance in the show. There's no dialogue at all and yet you're fully comprehend the memories that stay with Jimmy (Saul) throughout the years.
Real question: does Kim’s Kansas City Royals shirt at the end of Season Five give us a clue of where she ends up-similar to Gene-at the end of Season Six?
That's what I think! I made a whole video about it.
Jimmy has a Kansas City Royals lunchbox when he's in hiding as Gene. Probably as a reminder of Kim. So there's that.
the dexter part was so good and true to what the show really is, but to be honest, that was one of the appeals of the show. the fact we could hear the thought process of the serial killer who tried to play as a human and how he reacted to such events. While its a spot on example its like comparing drama with comedy . both are movie genres but they have a different execution.
Same way mr robot did voice overs but the purpose of it was for elliot to speak with us because he needed a friend because he was just so lonely he imagined us in existence so he can have a friend and someone he could talk with
The impression of mike is spot on 💀
I love videos like these!
I’m very unobservant with shows, and I feel like some of these things should be obvious to the me but they aren’t. I finished better call Saul season 5 about 2 months ago and watching these videos on the series has let me appreciate it so much more!
Fantastic amazing video. Love this show so much, I have also been rewatching it. So excited for the new season, and your upcoming videos.
Another example would be when Kim and Jimmy are brushing teeth together, they are at first shown in one mirror together. some episodes later the whole shot is cut in half and they are shown in opposing camera angles. Now in season 6 it's two seperate mirrors.
Another great video. Your analysis is spot on. I can talk about this show and BB all day. The video you made yesterday on BB and BCS was phenomenal too.✌
I keep rewatching it. I think its the nature of how the show is done. Sure has amazing actors and actresses but I think its the roux, the bones of the show(s) that make this world pop. Like the right amount of rosemary in the right dish.
Even the small talk is masterful. Like every line of dialogue has three meanings. Mr Robot is like that. You can rewatch it multiple times and one day you will stand up and say! Omg! I never realized...!
Excellent video! Better Call Saul’s storytelling is unmatched!!
Also, that knock on Dexter sounded like something from an anime lol
Thanks Justin! And hahaha good call on the anime comparison, I have been watching a lot lately so may have rubbed off on me
thats exactly what i was thinking lmao. and its exactly what ruins anime for me. its like there really isn't anything to pay attention too or get invested in cuz they just tell you.
yeah it was clear to me IMMEDIATELY that Jimmy recoiled from the idea of being offered that silver blanket from Mike because it put him right back in a Chuck headspace.
Though as far as the tracker, I thought would've been a reasonable move to employ that as part of getting home safely. Mike scolds Jimmy's idea of burying the money to come back for it alone later because he wouldn't be able to leave a convincing enough marker to find it again. Well couldn't they have simply buried the tracker receiver with the bag of money? The transmitter theoretically would've led them back to exactly where it was.
The tracker was a short range one and worked only within a 500m radius or something like that. So it would've been a pain in the ass to find it again. Also, there's the risk of its battery dying out
I'm definitely not the first person to notice this but, Gus gives Don Eladio the Anejo, obviously it's not the same bottle or stopper or anything but. I think it's interesting that it's not the first time it's shown up
One of the reasons I love this show so much is that it doesn't treat the viewer like they have 3 braincells. It's subtlety ads so much depth to the show and rewards you for piecing things together by making you feel smart
I think i would have picked up a lot more on these unspoken meanings if there weren't years between seasons.
Was thinking the same thing. There's just been too much time between each season lately that I forgot about some of these things. 2 years between each season is tough without rewatching
Huells ability of pick pocketing items is the most harmless but at the most time the most destructive in the show.
He indirectly helped killed Chuck
He destroyed walts,jessie,saul relationship
He beat that cop with the sandwich
Am I the only one who sees more than just the stopper but also the tequila bottle as a metaphor for Kim’s bottled up thrill-seeking side being released? And you know what they say…you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. It even happens to mimic the shape of the bottle in the old sitcom “I Dream of Jeanie”.
A great example of this is when the scene opens on a newspaper stand that says "50cents on sunday" and you see mike put in two quarters to show you the sunday meeting is happening
Yeah, that's pretty slick!
that mike impression made me laugh so fucking hard I spilled tea all over myself thank you
Brilliant analysis. Thanks! You pointed out some aspects I missed, such as the space blanket being turned down likely due to the association it had with Chuck in Jimmy’s mind.
You absolutely nailed the Dexter impression at 11:24!
Great video. The opposite of this well story writing is like 90% of all anime in which these characters will verbally explain every stupid thing thats going on.
I don’t know what it is about anime storytelling that mandates everything to be explained verbally. Even fight scenes which should be quick and snappy will always have them talk to themselves or with eachother.
Spot on analysis! The Albuquerque air freshener and the rearview mirror in the cab that picked up Gene from the hospital were particularly significant too, in my opinion.
Spot on with the tequila stopper. It was shown falling out of the moving truck at the beginning of the first episode in the new season 6, probably indicating her separation from Saul.
I sort of watched the show with one eye while working and I thought I understood it just by listening to dialogue but man, this video makes me think I need to sit down and watch it all over again
Awesome analysis
But holy fuck the abrupt Mike impression caught me so off guard, had me cackling
Great video. Do more of these. Especially in this world. This world has so much subtext the more I watch it the deeper I see the meaning. It's great that they gave this world and show so many layers.
Watching Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is like finding "the one". You respect one another, and the more invested you are, the more your effort is rewarded.
Don't forget Mike checks the cap in Nacho's car when acting as the bodyguard for Pryce
True! Good call
You predicted the significance of the finger guns in the finale. Nice one!
It's great that Breaking Bad and BCS trust the audience so much but it's actually the contrast to how little other shows do that really makes that stick out.
Sure the symbolism, foreshadowing, and characterization in the BB universe goes really deep but a lot of it isn't that hard to recognise or engage with. It's just that other shows have subscribed to the notion that the audience has to be spoonfed.
Ultimately it also comes down to the kinds of viewers you want to cultivate. For example you can't expect a sitcom or weekly periodical audience to watch every single episode or to even watch them with their full attention.
I’m not just gonna gloss over that impeccable mike impression
This is a fantastic video. I always noticed these little things as well
Good video, one small edit. It was schweikart and cokely she quit, Davis and Main was the firm Jimmy quit in Season 2.
Dang! I'll blame that one on a combination of sleep deprivation and still getting over COVID 😄
The best part bout this is I didnt consciously take in this stuff, but unconsciously
Whether it means to or not, this amount of detail lends itself better to binge watching. With years between seasons I forget these details and end up missing the meanings vs. watching all at once.
Things like this are the biggest reason I love Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, there are so many clever things that tie points together, and because the show isn't holding your hand you get to go "OH SHIT!!! IT'S THE THING FROM THAT TIME?! THAT MUST MEAN...!!" It's so much more rewarding and enjoyable overall for sure!!
Great breakdown. A couple of things I had not picked up on even after watching the series to date more than once.
Man thank you for these videos! I find this show 100 levels above all others and its so interesting to start understanding why
Great stuff here!
Thanks Chris!
@@OneTakeVids I’d utterly missed Kim’s two finger guns and that’s after watching the series twice! Thanks for calling that out.
Amazing shows and a great clip by you !
I've been saying for years that Better Call Saul is every English teacher's wet dream.
writing these videos has felt a bit like being back in AP Lit 😂
@@OneTakeVids I feel ya 😆👌
I love that with this show the "the curtains are blue" joke doesn't even apply, because obviously blue represents the lawful side.
Just because you showed the scene for a short moment here in this video: One thing that always stuck with me was when Jimmy tries to get his licence back for the first time (and fails), the room this happens in looks very odd. It's so dark and uncomfortable, and deep in my memory it looked almost like a closet, and when I imgained any shot with Jimmy in that room, the background was always black. I just find the lighting and oppresive framing in that scene so striking.
I saw it as Chuck saved Jimmy in a way when Jimmy used the thermal blanket as a lure for the truck. Something like that, wish I could describe that better.
This point is more in tangent with the end of the video, but Better Call Saul is really a master of season first impressions and season last impressions.
"Why didn't we take the money and run?" "Well I know why I didn't, and it's never gonna stop me again."
"Yeah, well, it's your word against mine, isn't it?"
"S'all good, man!"
Great video....Great dexter impression it was really spot on!
Another small detail about the mug and the Davis and Main car is that the model mercedes Jimmy drives has a cupholder that opens revealing a deeper wider cupholder that would've held the mug. Take with that what you will
"Good thing I've been tracking you on my GPS, Jimmy. Right here in this gas cap!" This is the moment Mike Earman because Trout moment the became Mike
actual good mike impression
I would say the box in Saul's office is the most important object/holder of all important objects in the series.
I didn't catch that upon my first watch thanks for pointing it out.
Good thing I've been tracking you on my GPS, Jimmy! Right here in this gas cap.
2:37 o god. i am deceased. haahha that is one S+ Ehrmantraut impression
Good thing i've been tracking you on my GPS, Jimmy... right here in this *gas cap*!
This is the perfect response to those literalists who go “what if the curtains are blue because they are blue” and don’t want to think any deeper about the meaning of objects
havent watched yet but I'm loving the week of saul idea, you've gained a sub from me bro, this is my lunchtime entertainment every day of this week!
So I've watched both series more than twice, and the way the writers nonchalantly put these sometimes obscure references in tickles me because it makes you keep connecting dots for years after the show is over, I can't believe I missed some of these important character references after watching several times, these shows are truly worthy of your full attention and then some.
2:44 I laughed out loud. There may be an untapped RUclips genre for making good shows and movies bad. I that would be funny.
I have no idea how I completely missed the fact Kim kept the Tequila Stopper, all of the scenes. I have no idea how.
you're so insightful... loved the impressions btw. haha
This is when Kim truly became hesienburg
How you explain this makes me want to write a new tv show good work
Really great insights
Thanks Kevin!
And here I was just sitting and enjoying the show without thinking too deeply about anything. For me then and now, it's just entertainment. I don't want to have to think too hard when I'm relaxing.
this show is a true masterpiece
Your Mike impression is great
love that mike impression
Can we appreciate OneTake’s Mike impression