Check out the OneTake Podcast channel where we host longer-form discussions, including deep dives into each new episode of Better Call Saul! ruclips.net/channel/UCiA1mbsgg6WhaWkB4HFS04Q
You hit the nail on the head with the lack of expository dialogue. That stuff drives me insane in other movies and shows when the characters just awkwardly spout off information directly to the viewer. It feels like watching two people talking in an infomercial or an ad, having this strange conversation that would never happen in real life.
To operate in morally grey IS to be human. Hence why BB & BCS are so amazing. And the actors bring such life with every nuance of tone and body language (80% of all communication - words are worthless).
Even Francesca has so much character. I genuinely feel sad when I rewatch BB and hear how crass Saul talks to Fran, completely opposed to how they first talk in BCS.
Another thing that makes "Better Call Saul" unique is that there aren't any annoying characters or characters that are designed to be hated and not given much thought. Every single character on the show has been characterized masterfully to the point where the audience has a clear connection to them and can understand every decision that they make. Characters such as Chuck and Howard that were written to be hated by the audience in the beginning are now viewed through a more sympathetic lens as the show has progressed. In fact, people are now siding with these characters over the supposed protagonists. Especially, Howard who is characterized immaculately to the point where people like him more than they like Jimmy and Kim. In contrast, "Breaking Bad" lacked in this aspect as there were certain characters that were just designed to be annoying and get in the way of the protagonist. Characters like Skylar and Ted were poorly characterized in this regard. While there were several moments that made the audience sympathize with them, there were an equal amount of moments that made the audience despise them. I honestly feel like Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould saw the audience's response to those specific characters and tried to write the new characters in "Better Call Saul" with much more care. I can confidently say that "Better Call Saul" is superior to "Breaking Bad" in terms of characterization.
ima be honest i never hated skylar. i think all her actions towards her family were warranted and realistic. she was always under pressure and manipulation from walt when he started. except happy birthday ted. that scene fucka
Skylar was hated because of MGTOW and incel-fueled rage. I've never seen someone genuinely like Walter better than Skylar, given Walter is a whiny, narcissistic pos (by design, it's literally intended that way), unless the people were themselves despicable. If you empathized with Walter over Skylar and thought Skylar was poorly characterized as a result, the oft-used feminist phrase "Who hurt you?" seems very apropos. Cause that's what it takes, you need to have a visceral problem with women to not despise Walter and his treatment of his family, and what he ropes them into. At most you could argue the cheating is hateable (and it is), but that seems like a post-hoc justification.
@@Arcessitor I think that's an over simplification. The main reason why people hated Skylar was because we were looking at the story through Walt's perspective and she was written as the nosy wife who always got in the way of Walt's plans. Now, you can argue that Walt was doing terrible things and Skylar was right to have opposed him. However, the point I'm trying to make is that she was never given further characterization beyond her relationship with Walt. Since, we were looking at things through Walt's eyes, we understood him and had a deep connection with him and were more forgiving towards him even though he did terrible things. That's how a good character is written. The same can't be said about Skylar as we never got to know anything about her. I would have liked to seen more about Skylar's backstory and her motivations and desires. This would have helped paint a better picture of her as a character and help explain how she ended up marrying Walt. Furthermore, certain things she did throughout the show were extremely cringe worthy. The 'happy birthday' song that she sang for Ted made me very uncomfortable. It was so ridiculously sexual and it further established that she already fancied Ted even though she was married to Walt. Something else she did that made me upset was helping Ted with his shady finances. This made her seem like a hypocrite as she condemned Walt for engaging in criminal behavior while doing the same thing herself. Lastly, giving millions of dollars to Ted which completely broke Walter as he had stacked away that money as a safety net for the family. In conclusion, they could have done a better job to delve deeper into her character which would have helped the audience sympathize with her. That being said, I never hated Skylar and I certainly don't support the harassment of Anna Gunn as she was just an actress doing her job and misogyny was certainly at play there. Speaking for myself, I'm not MGTOW or an incel and have no problem with women. Just because I have a certain opinion, doesn't mean that you can insinuate those things about me. Think before you write something like that down.
As I work in the backstage/design world, the costumes, sound, etc. also add to making these characters real. They choose music choices that connect to what the characters are feeling and clothing that shows their status in the show- such as Jimmy being an outsider and essentially poor in season 1- clear yet subtle in a way that adds to what the characters are going through. The BB/BCS universe is a masterful class of all aspects of making the world of the show real from both the acting and the production design.
Much of BCS and BB is shot on location, which is rare for TV shows. In movies and TV, interiors and exteriors are often filmed at different locations, but not in Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad. I think this really adds a layer of authenticity to the shows.
@@Skrenja Yes! Plus the locations are accurate in our world! They are not only shooting on location but if you visit ABQ and are determined to find certain places if the address is mentioned you'll find them! Same for the Nebraska locations too (in regards to being accurate- such as Red Cloud being on the Nebraska/Kansas border). Such a fantastic show.
There's all these little details especially in Better Call Saul that are shown but not spoken. They basically treat the audience like they're not stupid which helps in making it that much more satisfying to watch
@@ADreamingTraveler Yes! Nothing is spoon-fed, but at the same time perfectly consistent. One thing I hate with some shows and films is when they just skip over the key details and are inconsistent with how and why they are important and often throw away established plot points, which is confusing at best. Better Call Saul requires you to pay attention to small details and rewards you for doing so, making the character and the overall world stronger to experience.
Saul didn’t really choose to be Lalo’s bagman. It was pretty implied he didn’t have much choice but to accept. It’s a result of his choices, though I’m not sure exactly where it was that set him down the path that he had to be the bagman.
I did my thesis on that: dialogues that are used just to explain things to the audience. I didn't apply it to film or TV though, but it's pretty common
Though I like the analysis videos with a focus on a specific moment or character, this video was great. I’m glad so many great essayists like you are able to explain what sets this show apart.
I so appreciate the fact that you speak grammatically correct English. Apparently there are very few writers and commentators who actually learned English grammar in school. Editors are not doing their jobs these days. The grammatical errors I read and hear now are abominable. And the writers, speakers, and editors are actually being paid for this dreck. But you sir are masterful with our language, and it makes me so glad to hear it. GREAT job!!
Here's a weird bit of BB trivia I learned today: The actors playing Walt, Jesse and Hank all appeared in X-Files episodes earlier in their careers (along with about 50 other now-famous actors.)
The characters truly make the shows stand out and of course the story that goes with those characters makes people intrigued as to what will happen next and how things will end. Great video man, keep up the great work!
There are too many shows these days that are all about the "How long have we been brothers" thing. It's assuming the audience are total morons and that the writers are bad and can't explain it through the story properly.
I want to talk about the duality of Jimmy McGill and Mike Ehrmantraut. These two have the same character arc: People with bad pasts trying to turn over a new leaf but failed and went deeper into the more corrupt version of themselves. They have the same arc yet Mike managed to gain sympathy from the audience (a lot) more than Jimmy. I think these are the reasons. 1. Mike’s granddaughter and daughter in law were both alive and well in Breaking Bad while Kim Wexler was non-existent. That planted a bias in our mind that Mike managed his life really well while Jimmy will eventually fuck up the relationship with Kim. That’s why she’s gone. 2. Mike has a silent, professional and more respectable demeanor while Jimmy has a reckless clown persona who won’t gain respect from anyone. 3. Mike was good to Jesse. Meanwhile, Jimmy (albeit reluctantly) teamed up with Walter in poisoning Brock and even tried to suggest Walt to kill Jesse. 4. Mike’s family members LOVE him. Stacey was always there for him and supported him a lot. Meanwhile, Jimmy’s family member HATES him. Chuck always antagonized Jimmy so even his own family doesn’t love Jimmy, why should we sympathize with Jimmy? 5. Speaking of Chuck, Mike did a lot of morally reprehensible stuffs. He killed Werner Ziegler and watched Nacho die while doing nothing only to get Gus out of trouble, and he also became a cold blooded murderer over time but his actions are more acceptable morally than Jimmy because he kept it to himself. He didn’t have any character to chastise him for his actions. Meanwhile, Jimmy constantly got insulted by everyone. Sometimes for a crime he didn’t even commit. Chuck viewed him as a screw up. Suzanne called him a scumbag. Bill hated him for helping Lalo (something that MIKE told him to do). Jimmy got insulted 24/7. That shaped our perception that “If everyone thinks that he’s bad, then he must be actually bad.” 6. Continue from the last part, just look at Walter’s perception of Mike and Jimmy. Walter MURDERED Mike yet he still had a huge respect for Mike even after that. Meanwhile, Walter constantly looked down on Jimmy, telling Jimmy as “unethical” and threatened to kill Jimmy all the time. Since we look mainly from Walter’s eyes, we would have more respect for Mike than Jimmy because Walter thought that way. 7. We saw the backstory of Jimmy’s victims. Irene Landry is one innocent woman who got scammed so hard that it destroyed her emotionally. What Jimmy did to her was a pure scumbag move. The Kettlemans are not innocent but they are weirdly likable characters. Meanwhile, we barely knew about the backstory of Mike’s victims or once we knew, most of them were bad guys. Werner Ziegler wasn’t as innocent as Irene so when Mike killed him, it feels more “acceptable” and easier to victim blame Werner for being “stupid”. The rest of the people Mike killed were cartel goons without backstory so we were fine with it. 8. Jimmy barely showed his emotions compared to Mike. So it’s harder to sympathize to an emotionless person than an emotional one. Just look at the episode “Winner”, Mike killed Werner Ziegler yet the thing that infuriated fans the most was that Jimmy lied to get his job back. Because Mike turned out to be sad for some time while Jimmy pissed us off because we expected him to show a genuine emotion yet he managed to scam us with his fake ones so lying about his own emotions seem more morally reprehensible than killing a guy in our eyes. 9. About Fred Whalen, Mike was the one who set up his death (albeit unintentionally) from the start. He was even the one who told Jimmy to help bail Lalo out. Mike got a free pass for this because he didn’t have to look into the eyes of Fred’s family. Jimmy, on the other hand, was the man of action who saw Fred’s mother crying personally so the weight of the situation was on his back. Plus, the whole law community hates him for it so it shaped us into thinking that Jimmy was the only one at fault here, while Mike didn’t have to take responsibility for this at all.
i find really interesting that both these characters are defyned by grief and how they deal with it. they both ''betrayed'' a moral family member leading to his death. mike accepts all the responsibility while jimmy avoids to do so. also the people they let down are not accidental, mike lost his his son, and jimmy his ''father figure''. so these two are more than mirror images of themselves, each other represent an immoral version of the person they let down. i hope they will give closure to this theme of grief and the relation between mike and jimmy.
@@nikolaskerameus It’s also interesting that both of them got their downfall because they became more and more like Chuck over time. Jimmy being spiteful to Howard (just like how Chuck was spiteful to him) caused the chain of events that will destroy his marriage with Kim and his own morality, which led to the Gene timeline. Mike’s distrust towards Jimmy (just like Chuck who saw Jimmy as a loose cannon) made him hire another lawyer to take care of his money which caused chain of events that ultimately led to his “trip to Belize” without giving his family a single penny.
Great analysis. I love how this really puts into word how Better Call Saul is a masterpiece of a show and a great prequel to Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad tells about how one man can change the world. Better Call Saul tells about how the world can change one man.
and they hate each other becuse they remind each other the person they let down. saul could be like a son to mike, but he feels disappointed by his corrupt nature, and vise versa for jimmy
Mike doesnt enjoy killing people, he does it as a job to earn money. He knows he is a bad person and he aknowledge it and accepts it because he wants to make his dead sons daughters life better. And being a hitman is the only thing he is good at. The irony of course is that it ultimately leads to his death, and he lost the last years to be with his grand daughter. Jimmy on the other hand loves to conn people and even does it for fun without making money. Jimmy doesnt kill people, like Mike, but he comes across less sympathetic because he takes advantage of honest people to get what he wants. He is so good at it, but of course Chuck uses this to tear down Jimmy and ridicule him for wanting to be a lawyer, when he doesnt even follow the law. Its important to note that Jimmy didnt kill Chuck. Chuck Killed himself when he realized that he couldnt work for HHM anymore and that Jimmy would never come back after he told him that he never really meant that much to him. Jimmy was very flawed, but in the end, Chuck was too jealous of his charme and wit to make amends.. Even when Jimmy came to HIM. Its very sad when you think about it, that these two brothers could have been pillars of support and trust for each other, but instead tore each other down. Imagine if Chuck had supported Jimmy as a lawyer and genuinly believed in the good in him. Saul Goodman wouldve likely never existed and Chuck wouldnt have killed himself.
This is truly such great content writing from you to present such great ideas so lucidly and in a clear cut structure which makes this video essay easy to follow. Absolutely love the work that you are doing. You have elevated my experience of watching better call Saul to a degree where I can figure out the why question about characters and their actions after the filmmakers have shown us the what and how.
That was incredibly good Gil! You could be writing think pieces like this for a pub like Rolling Stone or something. Excellent job (making me more forgiving in my nitpicking in your Axe+Grind review with Adam) 😏
Spice girls always get me going when i hear that name. Automatically think of '97 in the boston garden. Had my wig & hair extensions blowing in the win- o wait, spice curls? O yea. Ofcourse thats what i mean.. Ya.
I counted four times you used the finger-guns clip of Kim. No shade, it's probably one of the best character-centric shots in the entire series 😄 great video
Tbh that’s one scene I never liked from this show and ironically it literally starts with one of those “It’s been what five years since we spoke?” lines. But I’d say that’s a rare miss from this show and 9.8 times out of 10 it strikes a home run
I just noticed from this vid how the writers got people so deeply invested in Jimmy over Chuck that Jimmy's ends justify his means. Jimmy had he been caught would surely have been disbarred for what he did to those docs and for any number of things he did in the pre Saul era of the prequels. The second he was sworn in as an atty he became an officer of the court and his conduct should conform as such. But for the longest time fans sided with him. That's pretty Hitchcockian level work ala Psycho.
Fantastic video essay! Out of curiosity, have you seen Mad Men? That's another amazing character driven show that's in GOAT territory. Donald Draper is as iconic as Walter White. Yet this show is so underappreciated.
The fact that the actions of the characters will surprise you more than the plot be it Walt poisoning Brock or Jimmy's acting in the court saying shit like being worthy of the name McGill and the second he is free he changes his name to Saul Goodman....these twists and changes(feels sudden but were planted throughout the show) simply betray us or surprise us as if I know Walt and he surprised me and betrayed we felt cheated that's how brilliant the writing of these shows is it's truly peak tv and when bcs final season ends we'll be saying goodbye to one of the greatest stories/universe that ever graced the small screens 🙏🙏🔥
Found this channel on some high shït but subbed immediately because this video stimulated my brain! I swear this video was good to listen to after a hard days work.
The acting and writing work hand in hand brilliantly. When we feel anything towards the characters in BB or BCS, we know the why and we can see ourselves in their reasoning and their raw emotion, rather than their choices. That's what grounds a viewer to the characters. It never forces the actors to be the characters but rather feel what the characters are feeling. Bad writing would have the actors artificially making up emotions because the choices the characters make aren't always based in what a real person would do or feel. It's based on what the plot demands, so we only really see their characters through their choices which doesn't work if we don't agree with them. We can't see ourselves in something so inhuman. BCS and BB excel as theatric experiences because they're not afraid of looking into unpleasant parts of being human and give us a full range of complexities and quirks. We're simply left to contemplate the potential for darkness within us because we're able to see ourselves within dark characters.
YES, I love this. I love that they are not explicit at every step. I absolutely despise narration in the movies and I feel like someone is slapping me in the face with their lazy horrible writing. I love that this universe is created around logic. Not around the "message", politics, stupid romance etc. It's logical and poetic at the same time.
It's clear now that Kim isn't going to break bad, she always was bad, thanks to her mother. But Jimmy refused to see it. And by extension, we, the audience, also refused to see it.
Yeah we refused to see it big time. That’s why whenever she made a bold and badass decisions, it’s all her own merits. And whenever she made bad decisions, it’s all because of Jimmy’s manipulated her.
@@nont18411 nah its because she is seeking love or approval from jimmy/ her mom. Kimmy isn't doing anything because someone else manipulated her." I save me"
i spent so long avoiding videos that explained nacho's fate in season 6 and season 6 spoilers in general but i forgot to check when this vid released and BAM. sad for me tbh.
The first minute and a half of this video is half of my explanation for why I never really liked breaking bad, but find better call Saul to be amazing.
I want to say something about characters feeling real they are harder to describe than one that doesn’t to me anyway because it feels natural it’s like that you know but you can’t put your finger on why they just do
7:36 Small nitpick, with this exact wording I would have prefered the confrentation between the Joker and Harvey, showcasing both the coin and the Joker in the same cut and combining audio with a visual beyond the formulaic character introduction. Watch me harpoon onto something even stupider by the end of the video
8:10 i disagree It starts with the *kicking the dog moment* and you are meant to sympathize with him everyone gets kicked for no reason and has to get up again... and yes he commits murder BUT - those were jerks treating him unfairly... so it feels just even when he shoots the host its "justified" in the sense that this guy just wanted to make fun of him in front of millions, so he can have a good show. nice isnt it? is he a good man? nope. do WE often want to shoot a guy to show it to them? oh hell yea
*A SPOILER IN A VIDEO ABOUT THAT THING WE WATCH* !!! Seriously, what princess goes online and watches videos about a show they "want to watch sooo bad" but dont- instead watch those videos on yt Oo???
Sorry but Saul/Kim/Howard have become parodies of themselves. The show has jumped the shark. It's just not believable anymore. They have Game of Thrones it.
How Sway?? Parodies? nah, Howard hasn't changed. our view of him has based upon his choices, but he has remained the same. Kim's internal feelings have been released, opened, Jimmy gave her permission to act how she has always wanted to. She has been holding back, like Elsa in Frozen. Jimmy has always been and always will be Slipping Jimmy. His reasoning might have changed, he had times were he tried to make different choices, different roads. But it never worked, the cup wouldn't fit!
Check out the OneTake Podcast channel where we host longer-form discussions, including deep dives into each new episode of Better Call Saul! ruclips.net/channel/UCiA1mbsgg6WhaWkB4HFS04Q
Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad truly have the most fascinating character studies I've ever seen. This universe is unmatched.
Agreed!
Even side characters have great arcs
And The Sopranos!!!
@@veralynn8334
Sopranos, Yes, you beat me to it.
@@veralynn8334 yep, expected a comment reply mentioning Sopranos and of course I agree.
You hit the nail on the head with the lack of expository dialogue. That stuff drives me insane in other movies and shows when the characters just awkwardly spout off information directly to the viewer. It feels like watching two people talking in an infomercial or an ad, having this strange conversation that would never happen in real life.
Cough *Marvel* cough
What about Indiana Jones, “what exactly is the headpiece to the staff of Ra?”
To operate in morally grey IS to be human. Hence why BB & BCS are so amazing. And the actors bring such life with every nuance of tone and body language (80% of all communication - words are worthless).
Even Francesca has so much character. I genuinely feel sad when I rewatch BB and hear how crass Saul talks to Fran, completely opposed to how they first talk in BCS.
That's the one thing about Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul they don't treat the audience like their stupid explaining every little thing to them.
Dude, you nailed it. Having the characters not give awkward exposition dumps is so good!
Another thing that makes "Better Call Saul" unique is that there aren't any annoying characters or characters that are designed to be hated and not given much thought. Every single character on the show has been characterized masterfully to the point where the audience has a clear connection to them and can understand every decision that they make. Characters such as Chuck and Howard that were written to be hated by the audience in the beginning are now viewed through a more sympathetic lens as the show has progressed. In fact, people are now siding with these characters over the supposed protagonists. Especially, Howard who is characterized immaculately to the point where people like him more than they like Jimmy and Kim. In contrast, "Breaking Bad" lacked in this aspect as there were certain characters that were just designed to be annoying and get in the way of the protagonist. Characters like Skylar and Ted were poorly characterized in this regard. While there were several moments that made the audience sympathize with them, there were an equal amount of moments that made the audience despise them. I honestly feel like Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould saw the audience's response to those specific characters and tried to write the new characters in "Better Call Saul" with much more care. I can confidently say that "Better Call Saul" is superior to "Breaking Bad" in terms of characterization.
ima be honest i never hated skylar. i think all her actions towards her family were warranted and realistic. she was always under pressure and manipulation from walt when he started. except happy birthday ted. that scene fucka
Skylar was hated because of MGTOW and incel-fueled rage. I've never seen someone genuinely like Walter better than Skylar, given Walter is a whiny, narcissistic pos (by design, it's literally intended that way), unless the people were themselves despicable. If you empathized with Walter over Skylar and thought Skylar was poorly characterized as a result, the oft-used feminist phrase "Who hurt you?" seems very apropos. Cause that's what it takes, you need to have a visceral problem with women to not despise Walter and his treatment of his family, and what he ropes them into.
At most you could argue the cheating is hateable (and it is), but that seems like a post-hoc justification.
I mean…
Jimmy McGill, that character is designed to be hated. Nobody likes him.
@@Arcessitor I think that's an over simplification. The main reason why people hated Skylar was because we were looking at the story through Walt's perspective and she was written as the nosy wife who always got in the way of Walt's plans. Now, you can argue that Walt was doing terrible things and Skylar was right to have opposed him. However, the point I'm trying to make is that she was never given further characterization beyond her relationship with Walt. Since, we were looking at things through Walt's eyes, we understood him and had a deep connection with him and were more forgiving towards him even though he did terrible things. That's how a good character is written. The same can't be said about Skylar as we never got to know anything about her. I would have liked to seen more about Skylar's backstory and her motivations and desires. This would have helped paint a better picture of her as a character and help explain how she ended up marrying Walt. Furthermore, certain things she did throughout the show were extremely cringe worthy. The 'happy birthday' song that she sang for Ted made me very uncomfortable. It was so ridiculously sexual and it further established that she already fancied Ted even though she was married to Walt. Something else she did that made me upset was helping Ted with his shady finances. This made her seem like a hypocrite as she condemned Walt for engaging in criminal behavior while doing the same thing herself. Lastly, giving millions of dollars to Ted which completely broke Walter as he had stacked away that money as a safety net for the family. In conclusion, they could have done a better job to delve deeper into her character which would have helped the audience sympathize with her. That being said, I never hated Skylar and I certainly don't support the harassment of Anna Gunn as she was just an actress doing her job and misogyny was certainly at play there. Speaking for myself, I'm not MGTOW or an incel and have no problem with women. Just because I have a certain opinion, doesn't mean that you can insinuate those things about me. Think before you write something like that down.
@@nont18411 I disagree. They have characterized him enough so that the audience feels sympathy for him even when he does terrible things.
As I work in the backstage/design world, the costumes, sound, etc. also add to making these characters real. They choose music choices that connect to what the characters are feeling and clothing that shows their status in the show- such as Jimmy being an outsider and essentially poor in season 1- clear yet subtle in a way that adds to what the characters are going through. The BB/BCS universe is a masterful class of all aspects of making the world of the show real from both the acting and the production design.
Much of BCS and BB is shot on location, which is rare for TV shows. In movies and TV, interiors and exteriors are often filmed at different locations, but not in Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad. I think this really adds a layer of authenticity to the shows.
@@Skrenja Yes! Plus the locations are accurate in our world! They are not only shooting on location but if you visit ABQ and are determined to find certain places if the address is mentioned you'll find them! Same for the Nebraska locations too (in regards to being accurate- such as Red Cloud being on the Nebraska/Kansas border). Such a fantastic show.
There's all these little details especially in Better Call Saul that are shown but not spoken. They basically treat the audience like they're not stupid which helps in making it that much more satisfying to watch
@@ADreamingTraveler Yes! Nothing is spoon-fed, but at the same time perfectly consistent. One thing I hate with some shows and films is when they just skip over the key details and are inconsistent with how and why they are important and often throw away established plot points, which is confusing at best. Better Call Saul requires you to pay attention to small details and rewards you for doing so, making the character and the overall world stronger to experience.
Love your videos man, I can gladly watch your video essays on this show for hours.
Wow, thank you for the kind words! Literally makes my day to hear a comment like this
The writers of this show know how to tell a good story. To the point it's like no one ever even tried to do this before
Saul didn’t really choose to be Lalo’s bagman. It was pretty implied he didn’t have much choice but to accept. It’s a result of his choices, though I’m not sure exactly where it was that set him down the path that he had to be the bagman.
Lalo was perfectly fine with Jimmy not doing the job. It was Jimmy's need / desire for money that made him choose.
I did my thesis on that: dialogues that are used just to explain things to the audience. I didn't apply it to film or TV though, but it's pretty common
I'm sad it's almost over. There's just not very many shows like this
The writers & directors of these shows deserve film schools & everything else. This is genius level production! F*ckin excellent awesome!
Though I like the analysis videos with a focus on a specific moment or character, this video was great. I’m glad so many great essayists like you are able to explain what sets this show apart.
I so appreciate the fact that you speak grammatically correct English. Apparently there are very few writers and commentators who actually learned English grammar in school. Editors are not doing their jobs these days. The grammatical errors I read and hear now are abominable. And the writers, speakers, and editors are actually being paid for this dreck.
But you sir are masterful with our language, and it makes me so glad to hear it. GREAT job!!
Its crazy that people now hate Kim. Like how do yall switch up so fast? She didn't pull the trigger. The entire point is choice road!
Here's a weird bit of BB trivia I learned today: The actors playing Walt, Jesse and Hank all appeared in X-Files episodes earlier in their careers (along with about 50 other now-famous actors.)
and their creator was a part of the writers team
Cliff Main and Charles McGill were in a band together. Gimme some money is the song.
@@kenanacampora Also, Sex Farm
because Vince was a part of that show
You also missed Michael McKean appearance in the episode Dreamland p1/2 of the X files
The characters truly make the shows stand out and of course the story that goes with those characters makes people intrigued as to what will happen next and how things will end. Great video man, keep up the great work!
There are too many shows these days that are all about the "How long have we been brothers" thing. It's assuming the audience are total morons and that the writers are bad and can't explain it through the story properly.
I want to talk about the duality of Jimmy McGill and Mike Ehrmantraut. These two have the same character arc: People with bad pasts trying to turn over a new leaf but failed and went deeper into the more corrupt version of themselves.
They have the same arc yet Mike managed to gain sympathy from the audience (a lot) more than Jimmy. I think these are the reasons.
1. Mike’s granddaughter and daughter in law were both alive and well in Breaking Bad while Kim Wexler was non-existent. That planted a bias in our mind that Mike managed his life really well while Jimmy will eventually fuck up the relationship with Kim. That’s why she’s gone.
2. Mike has a silent, professional and more respectable demeanor while Jimmy has a reckless clown persona who won’t gain respect from anyone.
3. Mike was good to Jesse. Meanwhile, Jimmy (albeit reluctantly) teamed up with Walter in poisoning Brock and even tried to suggest Walt to kill Jesse.
4. Mike’s family members LOVE him. Stacey was always there for him and supported him a lot. Meanwhile, Jimmy’s family member HATES him. Chuck always antagonized Jimmy so even his own family doesn’t love Jimmy, why should we sympathize with Jimmy?
5. Speaking of Chuck, Mike did a lot of morally reprehensible stuffs. He killed Werner Ziegler and watched Nacho die while doing nothing only to get Gus out of trouble, and he also became a cold blooded murderer over time but his actions are more acceptable morally than Jimmy because he kept it to himself. He didn’t have any character to chastise him for his actions. Meanwhile, Jimmy constantly got insulted by everyone. Sometimes for a crime he didn’t even commit. Chuck viewed him as a screw up. Suzanne called him a scumbag. Bill hated him for helping Lalo (something that MIKE told him to do). Jimmy got insulted 24/7. That shaped our perception that “If everyone thinks that he’s bad, then he must be actually bad.”
6. Continue from the last part, just look at Walter’s perception of Mike and Jimmy. Walter MURDERED Mike yet he still had a huge respect for Mike even after that. Meanwhile, Walter constantly looked down on Jimmy, telling Jimmy as “unethical” and threatened to kill Jimmy all the time. Since we look mainly from Walter’s eyes, we would have more respect for Mike than Jimmy because Walter thought that way.
7. We saw the backstory of Jimmy’s victims. Irene Landry is one innocent woman who got scammed so hard that it destroyed her emotionally. What Jimmy did to her was a pure scumbag move. The Kettlemans are not innocent but they are weirdly likable characters. Meanwhile, we barely knew about the backstory of Mike’s victims or once we knew, most of them were bad guys. Werner Ziegler wasn’t as innocent as Irene so when Mike killed him, it feels more “acceptable” and easier to victim blame Werner for being “stupid”. The rest of the people Mike killed were cartel goons without backstory so we were fine with it.
8. Jimmy barely showed his emotions compared to Mike. So it’s harder to sympathize to an emotionless person than an emotional one. Just look at the episode “Winner”, Mike killed Werner Ziegler yet the thing that infuriated fans the most was that Jimmy lied to get his job back. Because Mike turned out to be sad for some time while Jimmy pissed us off because we expected him to show a genuine emotion yet he managed to scam us with his fake ones so lying about his own emotions seem more morally reprehensible than killing a guy in our eyes.
9. About Fred Whalen, Mike was the one who set up his death (albeit unintentionally) from the start. He was even the one who told Jimmy to help bail Lalo out. Mike got a free pass for this because he didn’t have to look into the eyes of Fred’s family. Jimmy, on the other hand, was the man of action who saw Fred’s mother crying personally so the weight of the situation was on his back. Plus, the whole law community hates him for it so it shaped us into thinking that Jimmy was the only one at fault here, while Mike didn’t have to take responsibility for this at all.
i find really interesting that both these characters are defyned by grief and how they deal with it. they both ''betrayed'' a moral family member leading to his death. mike accepts all the responsibility while jimmy avoids to do so. also the people they let down are not accidental, mike lost his his son, and jimmy his ''father figure''. so these two are more than mirror images of themselves, each other represent an immoral version of the person they let down. i hope they will give closure to this theme of grief and the relation between mike and jimmy.
@@nikolaskerameus It’s also interesting that both of them got their downfall because they became more and more like Chuck over time.
Jimmy being spiteful to Howard (just like how Chuck was spiteful to him) caused the chain of events that will destroy his marriage with Kim and his own morality, which led to the Gene timeline.
Mike’s distrust towards Jimmy (just like Chuck who saw Jimmy as a loose cannon) made him hire another lawyer to take care of his money which caused chain of events that ultimately led to his “trip to Belize” without giving his family a single penny.
Great analysis. I love how this really puts into word how Better Call Saul is a masterpiece of a show and a great prequel to Breaking Bad.
Breaking Bad tells about how one man can change the world.
Better Call Saul tells about how the world can change one man.
and they hate each other becuse they remind each other the person they let down. saul could be like a son to mike, but he feels disappointed by his corrupt nature, and vise versa for jimmy
Mike doesnt enjoy killing people, he does it as a job to earn money. He knows he is a bad person and he aknowledge it and accepts it because he wants to make his dead sons daughters life better. And being a hitman is the only thing he is good at. The irony of course is that it ultimately leads to his death, and he lost the last years to be with his grand daughter. Jimmy on the other hand loves to conn people and even does it for fun without making money. Jimmy doesnt kill people, like Mike, but he comes across less sympathetic because he takes advantage of honest people to get what he wants. He is so good at it, but of course Chuck uses this to tear down Jimmy and ridicule him for wanting to be a lawyer, when he doesnt even follow the law. Its important to note that Jimmy didnt kill Chuck. Chuck Killed himself when he realized that he couldnt work for HHM anymore and that Jimmy would never come back after he told him that he never really meant that much to him. Jimmy was very flawed, but in the end, Chuck was too jealous of his charme and wit to make amends.. Even when Jimmy came to HIM. Its very sad when you think about it, that these two brothers could have been pillars of support and trust for each other, but instead tore each other down. Imagine if Chuck had supported Jimmy as a lawyer and genuinly believed in the good in him. Saul Goodman wouldve likely never existed and Chuck wouldnt have killed himself.
This is truly such great content writing from you to present such great ideas so lucidly and in a clear cut structure which makes this video essay easy to follow. Absolutely love the work that you are doing. You have elevated my experience of watching better call Saul to a degree where I can figure out the why question about characters and their actions after the filmmakers have shown us the what and how.
OMG this is my favorite BCS analysis post! STILL top tier. This is what made me fall in love with BCS YT posts, thank you One Take 🙏🏼
What a great video for a great universe. Enyoing your saulcasts, keep it up!
Thank you! 🙏
Great video essay! Keep up the good work
Thanks Phil!
Even the side characters are great. I could name a dozen side characters I'd watch in a spinoff series if they chose to.
That was incredibly good Gil! You could be writing think pieces like this for a pub like Rolling Stone or something. Excellent job (making me more forgiving in my nitpicking in your Axe+Grind review with Adam) 😏
Spice girls always get me going when i hear that name. Automatically think of '97 in the boston garden. Had my wig & hair extensions blowing in the win- o wait, spice curls? O yea. Ofcourse thats what i mean.. Ya.
You’ve described so well what has me addicted and so emotionally invested in this show. Stellar ❤️
I love the analysis you do in these videos.
Thanks MegaDan!
Babe wake up, new OneTake video essay dropped
😂
I counted four times you used the finger-guns clip of Kim. No shade, it's probably one of the best character-centric shots in the entire series 😄 great video
well it makes sense now
What does finger gun meand when kim does it
not to give you a big head but your voice is like hot butter poured into the ears
I mean the flash back scene in the interrogation room was kinda a straightforward when explaining Chucks and Jimmys relationship
Tbh that’s one scene I never liked from this show and ironically it literally starts with one of those “It’s been what five years since we spoke?” lines. But I’d say that’s a rare miss from this show and 9.8 times out of 10 it strikes a home run
11:00 its "humor in a toilet" not - "toilet humor" ... HUGE difference. Ask Mr Hankey about "toilet humor" :p
I just noticed from this vid how the writers got people so deeply invested in Jimmy over Chuck that Jimmy's ends justify his means. Jimmy had he been caught would surely have been disbarred for what he did to those docs and for any number of things he did in the pre Saul era of the prequels. The second he was sworn in as an atty he became an officer of the court and his conduct should conform as such. But for the longest time fans sided with him. That's pretty Hitchcockian level work ala Psycho.
Fantastic video essay! Out of curiosity, have you seen Mad Men? That's another amazing character driven show that's in GOAT territory. Donald Draper is as iconic as Walter White. Yet this show is so underappreciated.
Thank you! And yes, I loved Mad Men! Watched it when it was originally airing
@@OneTakeVids Same! It's another excellent show that stuck its landing. I was in tears!
The beauty of better call Saul is that there is no simply good or bad person. At one time you hate that person but the other time you like them
Excellent video. Watched this on my lunch break. Great job!
The fact that the actions of the characters will surprise you more than the plot be it Walt poisoning Brock or Jimmy's acting in the court saying shit like being worthy of the name McGill and the second he is free he changes his name to Saul Goodman....these twists and changes(feels sudden but were planted throughout the show) simply betray us or surprise us as if I know Walt and he surprised me and betrayed we felt cheated that's how brilliant the writing of these shows is it's truly peak tv and when bcs final season ends we'll be saying goodbye to one of the greatest stories/universe that ever graced the small screens 🙏🙏🔥
Found this channel on some high shït but subbed immediately because this video stimulated my brain! I swear this video was good to listen to after a hard days work.
Amazing! Thanks for the kind words 🙏
'They have to be recognisable as human, acting in a way we can understand'. Damn, there’s my 'Mingus: Feral Monkey Coroner' idea down the drain
Love when a show has so many great characters you can't even pick a favorite or least favorite
Loved this analysis. I was watching it while I was doing work for work because I had anxiety and it was really interesting.
The acting and writing work hand in hand brilliantly. When we feel anything towards the characters in BB or BCS, we know the why and we can see ourselves in their reasoning and their raw emotion, rather than their choices. That's what grounds a viewer to the characters. It never forces the actors to be the characters but rather feel what the characters are feeling. Bad writing would have the actors artificially making up emotions because the choices the characters make aren't always based in what a real person would do or feel. It's based on what the plot demands, so we only really see their characters through their choices which doesn't work if we don't agree with them. We can't see ourselves in something so inhuman. BCS and BB excel as theatric experiences because they're not afraid of looking into unpleasant parts of being human and give us a full range of complexities and quirks. We're simply left to contemplate the potential for darkness within us because we're able to see ourselves within dark characters.
YES, I love this. I love that they are not explicit at every step. I absolutely despise narration in the movies and I feel like someone is slapping me in the face with their lazy horrible writing. I love that this universe is created around logic. Not around the "message", politics, stupid romance etc. It's logical and poetic at the same time.
BCS currently the best show on Tv … love it! Thanks
It's clear now that Kim isn't going to break bad, she always was bad, thanks to her mother. But Jimmy refused to see it. And by extension, we, the audience, also refused to see it.
Yeah we refused to see it big time. That’s why whenever she made a bold and badass decisions, it’s all her own merits. And whenever she made bad decisions, it’s all because of Jimmy’s manipulated her.
@@nont18411 nah its because she is seeking love or approval from jimmy/ her mom. Kimmy isn't doing anything because someone else manipulated her." I save me"
i spent so long avoiding videos that explained nacho's fate in season 6 and season 6 spoilers in general but i forgot to check when this vid released and BAM. sad for me tbh.
have you not gotten caught up to season 6 episode 6?
Werner, nice job man! I mean, for someone who marries that far up, respect bro
The first minute and a half of this video is half of my explanation for why I never really liked breaking bad, but find better call Saul to be amazing.
I'm in awe
I cant help it but I heard Spice Girls instead of Spice Curls and now I can not unhear it
Hahaha I knew that was a risk but I went for it
@@OneTakeVids yeah, gus sure loves those spice girls!!
I want to say something about characters feeling real they are harder to describe than one that doesn’t to me anyway because it feels natural it’s like that you know but you can’t put your finger on why they just do
100% spot on!
If only this video could’ve come out one week later so you could’ve explored the mid-season finale. Great video nonetheless
butter coleslaw
7:36 Small nitpick, with this exact wording I would have prefered the confrentation between the Joker and Harvey, showcasing both the coin and the Joker in the same cut and combining audio with a visual beyond the formulaic character introduction.
Watch me harpoon onto something even stupider by the end of the video
Can you do video about Barry on HBO?
No.
If you write good characters they will drive the story for you
Thanks for the spoiler warning, i haven't watched the 6th season yet
Great Vid. I hope you'll make a video on Kim's downfall
Hmm yes lore
My top 5 list
*The Wire*
*Better Call Saul*
*True Detective* (Season 1)
*Star Gate SG1/Atlantis*
*Breaking Bad*
The Sopranos?
8:10 i disagree
It starts with the *kicking the dog moment* and you are meant to sympathize with him
everyone gets kicked for no reason and has to get up again... and yes he commits murder BUT - those were jerks treating him unfairly... so it feels just
even when he shoots the host its "justified" in the sense that this guy just wanted to make fun of him in front of millions, so he can have a good show. nice isnt it?
is he a good man? nope. do WE often want to shoot a guy to show it to them? oh hell yea
3:24 I can’t be the only mf who thought he said Spice Girls
Although it was the early 2000s and Gus is gay 💁♂️
The seven Great Characters:
Walt
Jesse
Hank
Jimmy
Kim
Mike
Nacho
99% of screen time in this universe has these seven as the protagonists.
gus????
Nacho??? Bro... Skyler, Gus, Chuck, Howard
@@veralynn8334 I don't think they're quite protagonists. Also, I think Jimmy and Mike are only capital-G Great on Better Call Saul
@@johnrains2339 but they have much more screentime than Nacho
Explain 'NPC' please...
Non playable character, kind of like somebody not important, can easily be forgotten, barely has impact or exist not strongly
Its a game term but i guess it was used for the reasons i said above
While I do appreciate the spoiler warnings, don't think there is such a thing since we're gonna watch this shit no matter what lol
luring BCS fans to hear about some Joker that does not exists in the BB universe... Shameful
*A SPOILER IN A VIDEO ABOUT THAT THING WE WATCH* !!!
Seriously, what princess goes online and watches videos about a show they "want to watch sooo bad" but dont- instead watch those videos on yt Oo???
Too dark to see details.
fronst
Sorry but Saul/Kim/Howard have become parodies of themselves. The show has jumped the shark. It's just not believable anymore. They have Game of Thrones it.
In what way? When did they jump they shark?
How Sway?? Parodies? nah, Howard hasn't changed. our view of him has based upon his choices, but he has remained the same. Kim's internal feelings have been released, opened, Jimmy gave her permission to act how she has always wanted to. She has been holding back, like Elsa in Frozen. Jimmy has always been and always will be Slipping Jimmy. His reasoning might have changed, he had times were he tried to make different choices, different roads. But it never worked, the cup wouldn't fit!
biggest L of a take i’ve ever heard holy shit
Check out the channel " Courtney's Reviews"