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April 14, 2010 1:18 PM   Subscribe

DUI? Dealing Drugs? Better Call Saul! Have you or someone you know been affected by the tragedy of Wayfarer Flight 515? SAUL CAN HELP! Also related: Check out Saul's philanthropic causes.

[Not in any sense a self-link.]
posted by saulgoodman (70 comments total) 28 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'd complain Breaking Blue but I'm too big a fan.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:23 PM on April 14, 2010


Did you notice that the donate button links to the National Cancer Coalition? Nice touch.
posted by craven_morhead at 1:24 PM on April 14, 2010


Hold on a second...you mean to tell me that there's unscrupulous lawyers out there?
posted by jonmc at 1:28 PM on April 14, 2010




The (Onion) A.V. Club interviewed Odenkirk -- “I want you to play a sleazy lawyer. His name’s Saul Goodman.” And I said, “Well… You know I’m not Jewish, right?” And he goes, “Oh, he’s not Jewish. He’s Irish. He just took a Jewish name to impress the homeboys and the drug dealers.”
posted by filthy light thief at 1:29 PM on April 14, 2010 [7 favorites]


Do you look like Gary Busey? I CAN GET YOU MONEY FOR THAT!
posted by The White Hat at 1:29 PM on April 14, 2010


I had no idea Flynn/Walter Jr. put so much text on that website.
posted by Beardman at 1:35 PM on April 14, 2010


Is this the thread where we get to say how awesome Bob Odenkirk is? Sweet.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:35 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Did you notice that the donate button links to the National Cancer Coalition? Nice touch.

Yeah, that was actually what kind of cinched it for me. Not usually a fan of viral stuff, but I figured hey, it's Bob Odenkirk! Plus, a good cause!

posted by saulgoodman at 1:36 PM on April 14, 2010


I guess I gotta start watching this show, just for the B.O.
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:41 PM on April 14, 2010


*ding*
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:44 PM on April 14, 2010 [3 favorites]


*ding ding ding ding ding*
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:45 PM on April 14, 2010 [6 favorites]


The fact that I thought that was a real ad...shows that I've been watching too much local TV.
posted by jonmc at 1:55 PM on April 14, 2010 [3 favorites]


Excellent touch with the video walk-in. I deal with a lot douchebag financial guys at work and they all have web sites where they do a video walk-in and start talking about douchey stuff.

Hey Cranston! It's Aaron Paul's turn to win an Emmy, so step aside.
posted by NoMich at 2:06 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Love Breaking Bad so much!!!
posted by contessa at 2:09 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Clearly, a call to Bob Loblaw is required in circumstances like this.
posted by kolding at 2:09 PM on April 14, 2010


He has an "office webcam." Heh.
posted by zarq at 2:13 PM on April 14, 2010


Great thing about Saul is that, while a total sleazebag, the guy knows the law.

His recent jag that ended with "How 'bout it, counselor? Do you concur?" is about as good as tv can get.
posted by aerotive at 2:15 PM on April 14, 2010 [2 favorites]


I love this show although I heard the ratings haven't been as good this year. Hope to see at least one more season.
posted by republican at 2:23 PM on April 14, 2010


Breaking Bad spoiler alert:
















Just when you think it can't get any worse for Walt White and his family, it gets worse. Much worse. So very very much worse. I love this show.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:30 PM on April 14, 2010 [2 favorites]


Am I the only one that was hoping this had something to do with Illuminatus!...?
posted by mikoroshi at 2:31 PM on April 14, 2010


Yes.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 2:32 PM on April 14, 2010


Breaking Bad spoiler alert:

Don't say anything. *lalalalalalala*
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:34 PM on April 14, 2010


I love this show although I heard the ratings haven't been as good this year. Hope to see at least one more season.

I was under the impression that it's only going for four seasons anyway in terms of Vince Gilligan wrapping up the story where he wants. Here's where I read that.
posted by greenland at 2:39 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Many Albuquerque locals think Saul Goodman's character may be loosely based on local injury attorney, Ron Bell.
posted by signalnine at 2:39 PM on April 14, 2010


I deal with a lot douchebag financial guys at work and they all have web sites where they do a video walk-in and start talking about douchey stuff.

Didn't the revamped RNC website feature Michael Steele doing a video walk-in? Just sayin...
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:44 PM on April 14, 2010


gotta love his office with the US Constitution wallpaper.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 3:02 PM on April 14, 2010


From the Salon interview linked above:

I look forward to making another feature, and I think I’ll be able to if I can just avoid cancer, but I don’t want to just make a movie because someone will let me.

I hope that cancer reference was just weird/funny. Because Odenkirk is the best. And he sounds like a good dad, too.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 3:07 PM on April 14, 2010


Just when you think it can't get any worse for Walt White and his family, it gets worse.

I love this show, but this season my stomach has been tied in knots from every opening sequence to the credit rolls. I just don't see how this story arc can end without something very sad happening to the White clan.
Good news! Free tortoise rides for everyone!
Bad news? Well....
posted by biddeford at 3:12 PM on April 14, 2010


Hey Cranston! It's Aaron Paul's turn to win an Emmy, so step aside.

I think this may be Jesse "I'm the bad guy" Pinkman's year. On the other hand, the way Cranston is immanentizing the eschaton of Walt's disintegration, all bets are off.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:15 PM on April 14, 2010


I would like to read this thread but I have only seen the first 2 seasons of Breaking Bad and so I do not trust y'all not to COMPLETELY RUIN IT FOR ME.

I do love how the show doesn't necessarily explain things to you. Case in point: The one episode in season 2 where the whole pre-credits teaser is a Mexican music video, in Spanish, with no subtitles. A lot of people will see that as a bit of a non-sequitur and wonder why some Mexican band is singing about Heisenberg. Because the show doesn't explain that there is a whole subgenre of Mexican music called Narcocorrido which are "drug ballads" about the exploits and crimes of drug lords. So it's wonderfully done and makes perfect sense but I have no idea how much of the audience is aware of narcocorrido.
posted by Justinian at 3:18 PM on April 14, 2010 [2 favorites]


Best show on television! It's like a great movie that never ends.

Potential spoilers
This season is getting good. I love the parallels between the crazy cousins crawling on their knees to Santa Muerte in the first episode and Walt crawling through the crawlspace when he is breaking into his house in the second episode. The show has great drama, but it is really well constructed. Another example is in season 2 there were lots of shots of Walt's chemo dripping down the tube and him thinking he's lost everything and in a recent episode there was a shot of him and the sink dripping, and he realizes he has lost everything except what he expected to lose in season two. It's like a Nabokov novel the way things are so formally executed. I haven't liked a show this much in years.

Can't wait for Heisenberg to make a full fledged appearance this this season. He started to come back a bit when Walt realized Jesse was taking his formula (which triggers his anger because Elliott and Gretchen stole his work years ago). The green light at the end of Sunday's episode hopefully indicates things moving forward in this way.
posted by milarepa at 3:28 PM on April 14, 2010 [3 favorites]


Bob Odenkirk was on WTF with Marc Maron, recently. I love WTF with Marc Maron. Also.
posted by Siberian Mist at 3:39 PM on April 14, 2010


I read somewhere (was it Odenkirk's interview in The Onion?) that the Constitution wallpaper is something Vince Gilligan actually saw in a real lawyer's office. And yeah, I'm glad they're using Odenkirk more this season. I'm digging it bigtime.

pollos.
posted by Tacodog at 3:40 PM on April 14, 2010


The BF and I have a bit of a disagreement as to what Walt White's motives are. He thinks it's just about the money but I think he crossed a line somewhere, and also he has this whole ethos about pure chemistry and I think part of him hates the thought of the existence of anything but perfectly synthesized meth out there, even though he himself has never tried the drug. I think he gets off on being a master meth-maker and to him it's a big accomplishment even with all the entanglements. If it were only for the money he would have cashed out long ago.
posted by contessa at 3:43 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Bob Odenkirk was recently on stand-up comedian Marc Maron's podcast and talked a bit about getting the Breaking Bad job and what it's like to do actual acting (rather than the sketch acting he's done before). It's a pretty interesting interview if you're a Breaking Bad/ Odenkirk / Mr. Show fan. Link to the specific podcast episode.
posted by sharkfu at 3:44 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Ah nuts. Sibermian Mist posted the interview while I found the link. Oops.
posted by sharkfu at 3:45 PM on April 14, 2010


Here's that narco corriodo
posted by warbaby at 3:49 PM on April 14, 2010


Whoa, what? "Negro y Azul" had no subtitles in the original broadcast? Well, that IS some cryptic shit. Unless, y'know, you speak Spanish, I guess. (I saw the first season on rented discs, then IMMEDIATELY downloaded season two from iTunes, where the subtitles were intact -- but the first two seasons are both on disc now, and you can catch up with the third season episodes pretty easily between on-demand cable and iTunes/Amazon and, well, whatever, but point being, you have gotta watch this fucker if you don't already.)

Saul kinda makes me wish I had studied law. Which means, I guess, it's good that I didn't.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:00 PM on April 14, 2010


The BF and I have a bit of a disagreement as to what Walt White's motives are.

His motivation was initially money, and moved into power in season two as he felt powerful for the first time in his life. However, now I think his motivation is becoming his attachment to, and wish to protect, what he sees as intellectual property, i.e., blue sky meth. He does not what he created stolen from him again. All that anger we saw when he told Gretchen to fuck off in season 2 is coming out.
posted by milarepa at 4:20 PM on April 14, 2010 [3 favorites]


He does not *want* what...
posted by milarepa at 4:21 PM on April 14, 2010


In the commentary on the season 1 DVD set, Vince Gilligan said something about Walt's big problem is that he always thinks he can totally control things and he's always wrong about that. Heisenburg (who is explicitly addressed as a persona distinct from Walt ala Dr Jeckyll and Mr Heisenburg) is totally out to control his environment. As seen towards the end of season 2 when Heisenburg reemerges in the home improvement store and tells the tweakers to get out of his territory.

I haven't seen Season 3 yet, but as of the end of Season 2, Walt's family has never seen Heisenburg. I'm thinking they will... and it will be bad.
posted by warbaby at 4:29 PM on April 14, 2010


So is this a comedy?
posted by dunkadunc at 4:45 PM on April 14, 2010


I was under the impression that it's only going for four seasons anyway in terms of Vince Gilligan wrapping up the story where he wants. Here's where I read that.

That's a great read, thanks for posting that.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:49 PM on April 14, 2010


So is this a comedy?

In much the same way that Audition is a love story, yes.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:50 PM on April 14, 2010


So is this a comedy?

I'm a fan of Breaking Bad, and I'm fan of Bob Odenkirk, but I have to admit when he first appeared in the show it put a big dent in my suspension of disbelief. I guess I always saw him as stronger as a writer on Mr. Show, and figured that David Cross was carrying most of the acting side of things. Recently the Saul Goodman character has become more believable to me though.

Anyway, great links here - thanks for posting.
posted by viborg at 5:03 PM on April 14, 2010


Whoa, what? "Negro y Azul" had no subtitles in the original broadcast?

Now that you mention it I only saw it on the Season 2 DVDs, where it was unsubtitled by default. I don't actually know if subtitles were present on broadcast; I was just assuming that the broadcast was the same as the default settings on the DVD.
posted by Justinian at 5:09 PM on April 14, 2010


>: In much the same way that Audition is a love story, yes.

Crap. I was hoping this would be something new in the vein of Arrested Development.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:14 PM on April 14, 2010


Yes, this is something you need a television to know about. ;)

Speaking of which, I need to have some quality time with my TiVo, as I haven't watched the last few episodes yet...
posted by wierdo at 5:30 PM on April 14, 2010


Not a comedy but definitely full of hilarious moments -- as long as you like a metric ton of grim, bleak, disturbing, creepy, squalid, and uncomfortable mixed in with your yuks. Which I do. The gallows humor is absolutely necessary if only to allow you to vent some squirmy tension with nervous laughter.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:31 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Whoa, what? "Negro y Azul" had no subtitles in the original broadcast?

I distinctly recall that the song was subtitled. I think I saw it air 3 times - once the original broadcast and then 2 re-runs.
posted by contessa at 5:44 PM on April 14, 2010


For more fun, call the number on the website.
posted by milarepa at 5:47 PM on April 14, 2010


The phone number on the website works: (505) 503-4455
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 5:55 PM on April 14, 2010


The phone number on the website works: (505) 503-4455

Delightful! Also, from now on, whenever anyone accuses me of something I want to deny, my standard reply will be, "That's not my tiger!"
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:53 PM on April 14, 2010


Wow, so many great comments here. Thanks for all the great observations and insights into the show! I consider Breaking Bad one of the best series ever made for TV; nice to see it getting some love here on MeFi. Same for Odenkirk, in fact.
posted by saulgoodman at 7:11 PM on April 14, 2010


No doubt someone will still be along shortly to tell us that television is a vast wasteland with nothing worthwhile to someone of discerning taste, though.
posted by Justinian at 7:36 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Am I the only one who plays "Name That Element" to the opening credits?
posted by lexicakes at 8:00 PM on April 14, 2010


Am I the only one who plays "Name That Element" to the opening credits?

Nope!
posted by ubersturm at 8:34 PM on April 14, 2010


best show on the air right now.
posted by saul wright at 8:46 PM on April 14, 2010


i'm with viborg, i love the way they brought Bob O in, pushed the show right to the edge of the shark-jumping platform for anyone who's familiar with him, then *whack* all of a sudden his character isn't a gimmick, it's perfect.
posted by Señor Pantalones at 10:03 PM on April 14, 2010


Odenkirk is awesome. However much love must go to Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Gus in such an exquisite manner.
posted by waraw at 5:03 AM on April 15, 2010 [1 favorite]




Yeah Mr White! Yeah Science!


And the best line in TV history, (which was an ad lib!):

"A robot?"
posted by CunningLinguist at 1:15 PM on April 15, 2010 [4 favorites]


"You made poison of of beans, yo!"
posted by contessa at 1:30 PM on April 15, 2010 [1 favorite]


"ricin beans?"
posted by CunningLinguist at 1:36 PM on April 15, 2010


Sense of Smell (annoying ad first)

Because no, I can NOT get enough Bryan Cranston.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:03 PM on April 15, 2010


(speaking of poison made of beans)
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:05 PM on April 15, 2010


It took me a while to love [Br]eaking [Ba]d, because I have an allergic reaction to Americans shouting at each other on screen for prolonged periods of time, but it won me over because it is just sooo well constructed. Another example is some of the titles of season two:

ROT13 for spoilers for season 2:
Gur gvgyrf bs gur fubjf gung fgneg jvgu gur synfusbejneq jvgu ovgf orvat pyrnarq bhg bs gur cbby ol thlf va unmzng fhvgf nr, va beqre:

frira guevgl frira (737)
Qbja
Bire
NOD (Nyordhredhr)

Plus, of course, all the terrific acting and cinematography and all that stuff. I think Anna Gunn is kicking some serious boy chops this year, but there you go.

There's some 'minisodes' made between season 2 and 3 (I think) but set at various times on youtube
1 2 3 4 5

And just because I'm in a linky mood, here's Kelly and Erin's 'viral' site subtlesexuality.com from The Office (US), because it is quite funny and it has Ellie Kemper in it.
posted by Sparx at 2:08 PM on April 15, 2010


AMC actually has a tremendous trove of minisodes, sneak peaks and all manner of other videos (as well as podcasts and QandAs and even iPhone apps) here. Hank's blog is fun. And the podcast is fascinating if you are kind of obsessed.
This show probably has the most extensive array of online extras I've ever seen.
posted by CunningLinguist at 2:59 PM on April 15, 2010


ROT13 for spoilers for season 2...

Thanks Sparx, I don't think I ever would have noticed that. Very cool. Such a good show.
posted by Sibrax at 3:15 PM on April 15, 2010


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