Better Call Saul 5/01 - Magic Man SPOILERS

JoshuaHeter

Directed by Brownen Hughes
Written by Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould


Cold open: 10/10

johnnytruant

Better hear some Heart.

johnnytruant

The problem with these premieres is that I desperately want more Gene and the show kind of downshifts out of those scenes. I wonder if they'll start to incorporate it more, or if we've just got the final season premiere and whatever denouement they give him left.

Nonetheless, a decent premiere. I'm convinced Mike is going to be the one to take down Lalo, so it'll be cool to see how they get there. Early-stage Saul is interesting but it's weird to see him with Kim. I hope he gets to do some lawyering and is not entirely scam based.

ray_x03

Alan Sepinwall's review really dives into the identities of Jimmy/Saul/Gene. A very interesting read
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/better-call-saul-recap-season-5-episode-1-magic-man-954059/

Teresa from Concord

ray_x03 said:

Alan Sepinwall's review really dives into the identities of Jimmy/Saul/Gene. A very interesting read
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/better-call-saul-recap-season-5-episode-1-magic-man-954059/

Thanks for sharing. Good insight. And I agree with most of it. Sepinwall is a great reviewer. 

Dummy

I missed Rhea Seehorn as Kim. She is so good it hurts.

Teresa from Concord

Dummy said:

I missed Rhea Seehorn as Kim. She is so good it hurts.

She already has my 2020 Baldie vote!

tom_g

How Gene handles the taxi driver interests me, but, I think I'm gonna have to wait a long, long, time to find out what that is.

ray_x03

tom_g said:

How many more times do we get with Gene, and how will he 'fix it himself'?

I can really see myself hating Saul / Gene if something bad happens to Kim.

The Gene stuff is fascinating, but I doubt we get another one this season. That said, I would not mind more time with Gene at all.

adobo1148

I wasn't looking forward to this season, but the first 5 mins of Jimmy transforming into Saul was delightful. 

mft9186

Best show on TV 

Chinaski

damn! quite possibly one of the best cold opens ever! let's go!

Hatorian

Don’t forget we get 2 episodes this week. Second episode just released 

jleav382

Do we know when Jim's Podcast will be out? I don't see it on this week's schedule. 

iMatty94

jleav382 said:

Do we know when Jim's Podcast will be out? I don't see it on this week's schedule. 

I see a written review and I’m confused 

Schlupp

iMatty94 said:

jleav382 said:

Do we know when Jim's Podcast will be out? I don't see it on this week's schedule. 

I see a written review and I’m confused 

Yeah, I really don't need written reviews only at bald move, it's more confusing than helpful since I expected a podcast and felt kind of let down.

Jim

We're recording the podcast today. The written reviews are in addition to podcasts.

Aww_PHuuCk

Not that I don't miss Aron but Alexis is slipping right into the cast real real well. Thanks Jim and Alexis! A fun listen.

BourbonQueen

Like what’s with the change to the podcast?  I don’t get it. Does not feel the same at all. 

Chinaski

did anyone notice the audio when Bolsa and Lalo were speaking Spanish after meeting with Gus? it was def re-recorded. i can a do a mean Mexican dub actors voice so i noticed right away

Chinaski

oh and BTW - loving the Jim and Alexis change up. i think it will allow @A_Ron_Hubbard to watch the show as a viewer (as oppose to a podcaster) which will add a great perspective if and when he makes 'guest appearances'. just my 2 cents.

Schlupp

Your german pronunciation is actually pretty good which is a solid foundation for the podcast, I am sure Werner would have agreed. :-)

Great podast especially explaining the finer levels of the plot concerning the underground lab. I got the general sentiment but kind of forgot about who knew what exactly since I didn't do a rewatch before the season.

kojiattwood

BourbonQueen said:

Like what’s with the change to the podcast?  I don’t get it. Does not feel the same at all. 

Agreed.

FOERSTER99@YAHOO.COM

Did Jim and Aron break up?  How can those two not be together commenting bcs

awookiee

What a great episode to throw you back into the Better Call Saul world.  Definitely looking forward to more Gene scenes.  Anybody else cringe when Kim followed through with Saul's plan of playing it off like he was the DA and they were taking the deal off the table?  I'll be curious to see what the big downfall of their relationship is and I feel like it's going to involve her getting busted for these kinds of shenanigans that Saul pushes.  

Jim

Here's the deal with A.Ron not being on the show anymore...

People complain when we don't cover the shows they like. People also complain when we're not as hyped as they are about a show we are covering. And I complain when I'm recording 8 podcasts in a week and they're all mediocre to bad as a result.

The change in hosts on BCS and The New Pope were designed to address all of those problems. Having more hosts means covering more shows. Having more hosts also means producing the same number of podcasts as a network, while having to produce fewer shows individually. Producing fewer shows individually means less stress and more fun covering the shows we're going to cover.

Bottom line is, Bald Move has to work for us as human beings for it to continue existing. For the past 3 years, it has absolutely not worked. We're making the changes required to fix that. Yes, it will upset some people - no one likes change - but the alternative is we stop making the podcasts you love and go get far less stressful day jobs. I hope people can understand that.

Michelle

Companies - all companies - need to experience change of some sort in order to grow (personally and professionally).  Nothing stays the same forever - it's a recipe for a slow death.  Bald Move is no exception.  Yes, it started out as just Jim and A.Ron - but it's grown since then, as it should.  While there is always a period of adjustment, it's also a time when you give that change a chance.  I think Alexis and Cecily are doing a great job so far. 

awookiee

I said something similar on the Bald Move page on Facebook because I saw a lot of negativity on there.  A.Ron will certainly be missed in the podcast but Alexis is killing it. It's obviously going to be slightly different coverage from before because nobody can immediately come in and replicate the chemistry and content that A.Ron and Jim provide but just because it's different doesn't make it a bad thing.  Adding in Cecily and Alexis is keeping everybody from going mental because of the workload or having to talk about a show they are less than enthused about.  This allows A.Ron to back off a bit on Better Call Saul and focus more on some of the other content Bald Move is putting out.  I'm happy that our two main hosts see the potential in their significant others in a podcasting sense.  Cecily and Alexis did amazing with His Dark Materials and although I don't watch AHS I know Cecily has put in good work there too.  I applaud the guys for making the changes they need to stay sane in regards to the workload and shows they podcast about and I'm happy to see Bald Move take another big step in the right direction.

Garthgou81

Yeah, change throws everyone. Because everyone loves their security blanket. I was worried initially, because I love my Aron shaped security blanket. But after listening to the preview cast for Season 5, I knew I was in good hands. Awesome job Alexis and Jim. Its sort of a bummer to think we are already 20% of the way through this season.

TBINKANSAS

Can I take it to mean A.Ron is perhaps less enthused about Better Call Saul than Jim is?

Here's my deal, and it's probably an unpopular one. I've barely hung onto this show. I've never found it anywhere near as compelling as Breaking Bad. The writing quality is there, Saul is there, and Mike is there, but bottom line, the story of how Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman is just nowhere near as interesting as the story of how Walter White became Heisenberg.

The opening scenes of "Gene" made me realize how much more I would have preferred a sequel showing Saul's after life than a prequel. I suspect a prequel was preferred because it allowed them to include Mike and other characters that had died. Which means on some level they knew that Jimmy/Saul alone wouldn't be enough for the viewers. 

I do enjoy seeing the transformation of Jimmy into Saul, but I have zero interest in Gus, Nacho, Hector and the drug trade. Zero. I'm struggling to resist fast forwarding those scenes, just because I worry there will eventually be some overlap I'll need to understand. But it feels like a completely disconnected story (even though I know what it will mean to Breaking Bad) and I just don't care about it.

Kyle

Jim. I've been a long time BM fan (back before you guys were doing this full time.) Ive got to say that what you're saying would make sense if it wasn't for the fact that y'all are starting another podcasting network with multiple shows. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed swizzbowl, I'm glad y'all are doing it. But it's hard to accept "we're doing too many podcasts and are miserable" and "we're starting a new network with more podcasts". I think this is why folks are frustrated. Y'all have been covering the Breaking Bad universe for over a decade, and all of a sudden Aron isnt on the BCS show. That's a major bummer.