Better Call Saul season 6

[Smid]

Seems as by plumbing the timelines of American football teams, we can now say the events of the last episode took place in September-October 2010, and there’s a planned phone call with Francesca in roughly a months time, referred back to in an episode of Season 4.

[Munch]

I thought it was around 2009 because of the talk of merging with the Big 10 (Nebraska began talk of merging late 2009, and applied and was approved June 2010), but that’s much more accurate per the Texas game.

I hadn’t remembered the Francesca call, and definitely wouldn’t have guessed Gene had only been around 6 months or so. Thanks for posting that article. (Though they’re incorrect about where Kim is from - she’s from Omaha, but wore a lot of Royals stuff throughout BCS.)

[Tamerlane]

@Stanislaus

Is he only capable of genuine introspection in the context of manipulating other people?

Maybe not necessarily just while manipulating, but perhaps only under stress/distress. When he mentioned his brother to the guard his demeanor visibly changed and for a second he wasn’t acting, he was in genuine pain. But he used that pain, as a good actor should, to better his performance. Saul/Slippin’ Jimmy doesn’t seem to do quiet reflection well. If he did he probably wouldn’t be him - it’s mostly deflection and justification. Jimmy McGill really tried his hand at it, but ultimately couldn’t make it work.

I did like this episode and it was certainly necessary to tie up that loose end, whether it goes forward in the plot or not.

But I’ve never had a Cinnabon. And now I sorta want one, even though I suspect I might be disappointed .

[Chefguy]

@Tamerlane

But I’ve never had a Cinnabon. And now I sorta want one, even though I suspect I might be disappointed

They are (or at least used to be) really good. Super sweet and nicely spiced with cinnamon and whatnot.

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

@Chefguy

They are (or at least used to be) really good. Super sweet and nicely spiced with cinnamon and whatnot.

They’re gustatorily engineered to taste too good to be true. Said practice by the fast/convenience food industry has certainly wreaked havoc on my waistline.

[Marvin_the_Martian]

Good thing that episode was in black-and white. Multiple scenes of eating Cinnabons in color and I would have taken a bite out of the television.

I heard a bit of a Fresh Air interview with Odenkirk and Gould. Apparently the Cinnabon company has been into the tie-in since they were first mentioned. Apparently when the BB episode where Saul mentions his future in Omaha first aired Cinnabon reacted by putting a fake ad out (on Twitter) for a store manager opening in Omaha. Not only were the BCS Gene scenes filmed at an actual Cinnabon (although in ABQ and not Omaha), Odenkirk spent a day training to learn how to make CInnabons, and every time he is shown making them on screen a Cinnabon representative monitors to make sure he is doing it right.

[iamatractorboy]

Away from delicious baked treats, it was interesting seeing Jimmy in a conversation where he was the dominant player for once (when talking to Jeff and his mate), him saying “we’re done” felt very final. So often he has been the one on the other end of that power/authority dynamic, such as when up against Chuck, Howard, Walter, various court judges, Tuco, Lalo etc.

[Riemann]

@Marvin_the_Martian

Apparently the Cinnabon company has been into the tie-in since they were first mentioned.

Somebody just casually going into a store or using a product is commonplace in movies. But is there some level of prominence at which you need permission from a company to make their brand name part of the plot in fiction? There are obviously many scenarios in which a corporation would be less enthusiastic - people being murdered in their store, for example.

[ZipperJJ]

Anyone who wants more Cinnabon food porn, look on the History Channel for the show “Adam Eats the 80s”, episode 3 “Food Court Firsts”.

I’ve never had a Cinnabon myself (no idea why) and neither has my boyfriend. After watching this show we both resolved to find one and split it.

[Yookeroo]

@Snarky_Kong

Did we need a whole episode dedicated to getting rid of the cab driver?

I don’t mind that, but the heist was ridiculous. Pushed my suspension of disbelief way too far. There’s no way 3 minutes was enough time for several trips on multiple floors (which was confirmed on the podcast, took the actor 11+ minutes). Getting Jeff involved was way too easy. No store that sells shoes puts full pairs on display. The security guard sits with his back to the screens while eating? When your plan depends on the dept. store night manager letting you leave your giant box sitting there all night, you’re way beyond plausibility.

@Snarky_Kong

IMO, one of the weakest episodes in all of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.

My least favorite of either series.

And unless Carol Burnett turns up in further episodes, she was completely unnecessary,.

[needscoffee]

From this week’s recap in the NYTimes, there’s a section on an interview they did with Cinnabon’s marketing department (gift link):

In May, Your Faithful Recapper called the Cinnabon headquarters in Atlanta and talked with Michael Alberici, the company’s head of marketing, to learn more about its relationship with “Better Call Saul.” Now that the show has aired an episode that all but co-stars one Cinnabon after another, it’s time to excerpt that discussion.

Toward the end of “Breaking Bad,” Saul says that his best case scenario is winding up as a manager as a Cinnabon in Omaha. What did you guys think when you heard that line?

Our phones blew up. People were calling to say, “Did you see that?” And our social media team swung into action and they sent a tweet to Bob Odenkirk with a cheeky message, something like: “We hear you’re looking for a job. Here’s how to apply,” with a link to our careers page.

How much do you participate in the show?

The show is very secretive about the scripts, which is fine, of course. They just call us and ask us to set up the store, which is actually in a mall in Albuquerque, a former Cinnabon that’s now closed. So each time, we recreate the bakery — the ovens, the mixers, the hot plates and everything else are in a storage facility — and we send thousands of fresh rolls. We train the actors as if they’re real team members, so they know how to interact with extras. The actors at the cash register know all the mannerisms, they know what to do.

Do you have any agreement with the producers, any guardrails about the way the company is represented?

We just have to trust that they have the brand’s best interests in mind. And if there were to be some crazy story line in which the store blows up, we’ll handle it. We monitor social media and the press daily, and right now there’s a lot of talk about whether Cinnabon will show up again in “Better Call Saul.” It keeps our brand top of mind for consumers around the world. We’d be crazy to put stipulations around this opportunity.

Saul Goodman looks like he would rather be doing anything other than working at a Cinnabon. What does the company make of the way it’s portrayed on the show?

We definitely don’t take it as a ding on the brand. I mean, he might not like his job, but that has no impact on the company. They always make that store look like a well-oiled machine. The bakery looks great. He’s miserable, but hey, the rolls are hot.

[zbuzz]

@Riemann

But is there some level of prominence at which you need permission from a company to make their brand name part of the plot in fiction? There are obviously many scenarios in which a corporation would be less enthusiastic - people being murdered in their store, for example.

It can be a messy area, but in the US, as a general rule, you can use any product in your fiction. There isn’t any level at which you have to get permission. It’s just a question of being prepared for a lawsuit if that company doesn’t like how you portrayed their product. And the important thing to remember there is — even if you win the lawsuit, you’ve still lost money and making money is the entire point of the entrainment business. So that’s why there is motivation to hammer out a deal beforehand.

As an example of how far you can go without permission, check out the storyline line on the show Mad Men when they tried landing Jaguar as a client. The show did not get permission to use Jaguar at all. No spoilers, but Jaguar at first enjoyed being portrayed on a such a hit show (for free). It would not turn out to be an appealing portrayal of Jaguar.

[Joey_P]

@Munch

But let’s say Special Investigator Kim Wexler interviews the manager. “Walk me through your typical close out routine. Can you think of anything unusual that happened around October 2009 (or whenever it was)?” As mentioned upthread, the manager seems savvy enough to register the odd delivery as something to mention. That gives our intrepid investigator a small bite to go on.

And then the manager remembers she still has the number for the dispatcher at the shipping company. She gives the number to Special Investigator Wexler. Back at the office we see Kim dial the number.
The camera is on Kim as we hear the phone ring once, then a second time.
-The credits roll.

@Riemann

I’m just hoping that this episode was deliberately designed to manage our expectations downward, so that the last three will blow us away.

Or one of the throw away lines was actually kicking off the major plot line that takes us through the remaining episodes.

@Staggerlee

as it was surely primarily to demonstrate that Gene has got some of his Slippin’ Jimmy mojo back.

We he practically begged Marion to let him help, I just assumed he was going to (purposely) slip on the ice so he could sue either her, the owner of the house he was in front of or the city (or all of them).

[needscoffee]

@Joey_P

I just assumed he was going to (purposely) slip on the ice so he could sue either her, the owner of the house he was in front of or the city (or all of them).

But the last thing he wants is to be noticed by the establishment, especially in a legal setting.

[Joey_P]

@needscoffee

But the last thing he wants is to be noticed by the establishment, especially in a legal setting.

True. I didn’t really give it all that much thought. My focus switched within a few seconds when I was trying to figure out why he was unplugging the battery.

[Staggerlee]

@Joey_P

My focus switched within a few seconds when I was trying to figure out why he was unplugging the battery.

I thought the ease with which he popped that mobility scooter into Neutral and back was a subtle call-back to his Sandpiper dealings.

[Smid]

Next episode is apparently named Breaking bad and thus the potential implications of such a title…

[Stanislaus]

One thing I realised was that if we’re going to be all Gene all the time, the scope for a Walter White cameo is somewhat limited…

[Horatius]

Jimmy/Saul/Gene/Saul2.0 dies of a heart attack. Things fade to a cloudy white. Everyone who has died over the course of both series greet him as he enters the afterlife. He smiles broadly as he sees all the smiling faces greeting him, but his smile fades as he sees the baseball bats. Fade to black, with the muffled bat sounds marking time for the closing theme music. Something ironic, I’m guessing, but I’m not a music guy.

[Shoeless]

@Munch

I hadn’t remembered the Francesca call, and definitely wouldn’t have guessed Gene had only been around 6 months or so. Thanks for posting that article. (Though they’re incorrect about where Kim is from - she’s from Omaha, but wore a lot of Royals stuff throughout BCS.)

I noticed when Gene was casing the department store, he was carrying a little fanny pack/man purse kind of thing with a big “KC” on the side. Omaha is only 3 hours from Kansas City so it would not surprise me that there are a lot of Royals/Chiefs fans in Omaha.