The Netflix Thread

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I watched Breaking Bad a few years ago. It's a slow burn but it's a great show. Once you finish the series you can watch the movie, 'El Camino'.

In case you're unaware, Better Call Saul was released after Breaking Bad ended and it's a prequel about the lawyer in the show. It too is a great show.

Great - I'll make a point of watching it next. Thanks!

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by ewalling

I recently started Breaking Bad - I imagine I'm a little late to the party with this one!

It's quite gripping but very bleak. It reminds me rather of Ozark.

Originally Posted by foxo

Only one episode of Better Call Saul left. Excited but sad it’s almost over.

"Breaking Bad" is my second favorite show of all-time, sandwiched between "The Sopranos" and "The Americans." But in many ways, I enjoy "Better Call Saul" as much, if not more than BB. The writing and directing is superb on both shows, but there is a more human element contained within BCS.

I just watched the penultimate episode of BCS last night and bittersweet to watch the series finale next week.

[Jobe]

Originally Posted by Horsehockey

Same here. Just finished watching Woodstock 99. I think it showed what a good barometer it was in revealing 30 years of cultural change since 1969. Woodstock 99 was all about corporate greed and nihilism. Stunning carnage. It’s fairly disturbing to hear some of the attendees say that they had “the time of their lives.” Really?

"Disturbing" is a fitting word here. "Trainwreck" is what the producers came up with. It just feels like a wake-up call. Documented. For all to see. A nightmare waiting to happen.

[Pura Vida]

Woodstock '99 happened just prior to the first Coachella festival. Talk about your opposites in how to manage a festival. I attended Coachella for 14 consecutive years (2004-2017), and with the exception of 2010 (their first year with wristbands, instead of tickets), it was extremely well run (venue, vendors, lineup, set times, parking, water availability, etc.).

BTW, I saw 10-17 artists (full or split sets; avg 14-15/day) during my 36 days spent in the desert. That's over 500 artists performing live music (inc. repeats). Some of the best weekends of my life.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

But in many ways, I enjoy "Better Call Saul" as much, if not more than BB. The writing and directing is superb on both shows, but there is a more human element contained within BCS.

I just watched the penultimate episode of BCS last night and bittersweet to watch the series finale next week.

The character of Saul appeared in Breaking Bad for the first time (I think!) for me last night when Jesse and White work at getting Badger out of jail. I have to say, the sassy, streetwise lawyer thing didn't bode too well for me in terms of watching a whole series with him at the center. He seemed okay as brief comic relief in an otherwise gripping drama, but much more and I think I would find him kinda irritating.

I have to say I'm not overly keen on lawyer-cop dramas in the first place, so this could well be a jaundiced reaction. What, for you, made 'Better Call Saul' compelling?

[boombox]

I am about halfway through 'The Sandman'. Very dark (well, it is Neil Gaiman!) and quite violent, but the cast list is phenomenal: it's like anyone who is anyone in British television has a part. Dream, played by Tom Sturridge, is very good and I am loving David Thewliss. Casting Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar is certainly interesting, especially as there was a chance that Tom Ellis (yes, Gary, of "Miranda" fame) might have been in the running to resurrect his "Lucifer" role.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by ewalling

The character of Saul appeared in Breaking Bad for the first time (I think!) for me last night when Jesse and White work at getting Badger out of jail. I have to say, the sassy, streetwise lawyer thing didn't bode too well for me in terms of watching a whole series with him at the center. He seemed okay as brief comic relief in an otherwise gripping drama, but much more and I think I would find him kinda irritating.

I have to say I'm not overly keen on lawyer-cop dramas in the first place, so this could well be a jaundiced reaction. What, for you, made 'Better Call Saul' compelling?

I understand your concern b/c BB shows Saul after he's become the sleazy TV lawyer without a moral compass. But BCS is written as a prequel, and without giving away too much info, he doesn't really become Saul until later in the show, where is character arcs much in the same way that Walt's character declines into becoming Heisenberg.

And there's a much more human side in the characters, and they brilliantly weave in several characters and backstories that happen in BB. I wouldn't classify it as a cop show, and although several of the characters are lawyers, there are very few scenes that are actually in a courtroom. It's much more about the characters than courtroom drama. I will say confidently that if you're watching BB and enjoy it, then you will absolutely love BCS (but be sure to finish BB first).

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

I understand your concern b/c BB shows Saul after he's become the sleazy TV lawyer without a moral compass. But BCS is written as a prequel, and without giving away too much info, he doesn't really become Saul until later in the show, where is character arcs much in the same way that Walt's character declines into becoming Heisenberg.

And there's a much more human side in the characters, and they brilliantly weave in several characters and backstories that happen in BB. I wouldn't classify it as a cop show, and although several of the characters are lawyers, there are very few scenes that are actually in a courtroom. It's much more about the characters than courtroom drama. I will say confidently that if you're watching BB and enjoy it, then you will absolutely love BCS (but be sure to finish BB first).

Sounds good! I'll definitely give it a go.

[Riverwolf]

Watched "Day Shift" last night.
Surprisingly good vampire movie.

[Dirk Hofman]

I think Breaking Bad is one of, if not the best show ever on television. That said, I could not get into Better Call Saul. I watched the first couple seasons with mild interest, but tried to restart and can't get into it. I am CLEARLY the outlier on this, most folks plus my wife think I'm crazy.

[619TF]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

I think Breaking Bad is one of, if not the best show ever on television. That said, I could not get into Better Call Saul. I watched the first couple seasons with mild interest, but tried to restart and can't get into it. I am CLEARLY the outlier on this, most folks plus my wife think I'm crazy.

Well I've been called that as I couldn't get into either show. I really struggled with most of Season 1 of BB and then removed it completely from my list. Most people told me you really needed to watch BB to really understand BCS but not worth it to me to force myself through one show I clearly didn't like to see if I might, possibly enjoy its' spinoff. Different strokes I suppose.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

I think Breaking Bad is one of, if not the best show ever on television. ...

For someone with a literature background like me, it's interesting to see Walt in Breaking Bad as something of a Shakespearean tragic hero with a 'fatal flaw.' A fundamentally intelligent and good man who loves his family and lives according to principles of duty and hard work, he nonetheless has a capacity for self-deception to justify his anger and retaliation against an unjust society that has dealt him a life of relative drudgery and want. There was a superb moment in the episode I watched last night in which he attempts to play down, before the whole school, the tragedy of the mid-air plane collision that he has inadvertently caused.

He really is a compelling and credible character.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by ewalling

For someone with a literature background like me, it's interesting to see Walt in Breaking Bad as something of a Shakespearean tragic hero with a 'fatal flaw.' A fundamentally intelligent and good man who loves his family and lives according to principles of duty and hard work, he nonetheless has a capacity for self-deception to justify his anger and retaliation against an unjust society that has dealt him a life of relative drudgery and want. There was a superb moment in the episode I watched last night in which he attempts to play down, before the whole school, the tragedy of the mid-air plane collision that he has inadvertently caused.

He really is a compelling and credible character.

Totally agree. BCS has that same Shakespearean tragic element to it. I can't discuss the finale, but now that I watched it, I am compelled to re-watch BCS with a different perspective and appreciation.

[Slothead56]

Just started Peaky Blinders last night. Three episodes in and I am both impressed and hooked.

[tinnitus]

If you're prone to pay close attention self-help guides and commit/attend to "working the program," this author makes all the sense in the world as he explains how to understand the structure of habits (good and bad), and how to begin "stacking" tiny good habits in order to achieve big results.

Best quote, taken in the context of this fine book:
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

Not nearly as "mechanical" as that might sound, it's actually very intuitive and re-assuring. I've listened to the audiobook twice, and I'll continue to do so and refine the big takeaways that work for me. It applies to relationships, business, investing, fitness, learning music, and taming unconscious bad habits that bring us down (including procrastination). On this second go-through, I framed it all within the perspective of advancing my music. Pretty much everything he says relates in some way to getting better at playing guitar.