MovieChat Forums > Better Call Saul (2015) Discussion > The First Scene of the Premiere. (Future...

The First Scene of the Premiere. (Future Saul)

posted 8 years ago by PeteyandJia (300)
37 replies | jump to latest

I look forward to the Future Saul scenes more than just about anything. We only get one per year, just a few minutes. It's like a shooting star. All that waiting, but if you look in the right spot, when it comes around, then you get to see something truly special, if only just for a precious few moments.

This one, Part 3, did not disappoint. It actually surprised me quite a bit, in two ways.

First, I was kind of expecting Saul to see himself in that young shoplifter, and then to do the kid a solid, by pointing the cop off in the wrong direction. Instead, he fingers the kid, like a snitch. Perhaps he did see himself in the kid after all - and this was an act of extreme self-loathing. Broken-down Saul -- or 'Gene', as he is now, on his 3rd name -- is worn down to just a nub, a bitter shell of who he once was, many iterations ago, and the only emotions he can seem to act out in these days are cowardice & spite, towards his younger self.

But then, something quells in him, the strong person he once was, the fighter he once was, still somewhere deep down inside there -- and it bursts out. And as all buried things do under intense suppression, it doesn't emerge in a proud roar, but with a sudden, awkward eruption, as he blurts out to the kid that he should tell the system to go fuck itself, rather than just be a little cog run through it. Again, talking more to himself, the kid being merely a reflection of the inner fire he once had.

Only problem is, now, he can't get it out of his head. He goes back to work, but the mundane banality of the Cinnabon is amplified now, untenable. This isn't who he is. The repeated caking of frosting spirals on little buns, are now like little omens to him -- taunting him, reminding him of the endless downward spiral loop he has permanently thrown himself into, with no real identity, day after day, to toil here forever in this circle of hell, appropriately set in a mall food court.

And in that moment... he snaps. The strain of the reality of his real self, matched against the fakeness of the life he's pretending to lead now, is just too much to bear - and the realization finally overwhelms him. His cup runneth over... and he collapses.

Which means ... Gene / Saul / Jimmy, is about to face his worst nightmare: The Light.

The 1st season opener was about the sheer sadness of his new identity, simply depicting his new, banal, miserable existence. The 2nd season opener, was about the fear of the past catching up with him; remember, when he accidentally locks himself in the trash room, he is too afraid to go out the emergency door, for fear of setting off the alarm - because that would lead to police, questions, showing of IDs, his face possibly popping up on a computer somewhere - so he would rather risk sitting in that trash room all night, like a scared rat. And now, here in this 3rd season opener, we see the fake life he has set up for himself to hide inside, finally come crashing down all at once. Literally, & figuratively. Collapsing at work? That means 911, that means ambulances, that means police... That means the one thing a person in hiding can't have happen: Being noticed.

Or, at least, that's the implication I took from it...

Like I said, I look forward to these Future Saul vignettes quite a lot; about as much as I look forward to the entire rest of the season, in fact. But this time, the show did the one thing I didn't even consider... Motherfuckers left us with a cliffhanger, one which won't be resolved for a whole 'nother year, in the very first scene of the first episode of the goddamn season. Now that's genius.

http://i.onionstatic.com/avclub/6279/08/16x9/1200.jpg

[–] Volley (3433) 8 years ago

Yep, 365 days until we find out what happened to Saul... I wish there was more per season because post-Breaking Bad material is probably my favorite.

[–] PeteyandJia (300) 8 years ago

Agreed! I look forward to it so much, and rewatch them a bunch.

I also love the artistic choice of making the future black & white. It's so bleak

[–] Veloxydiedora (131) 8 years ago

present Saul?

[–] PeteyandJia (300) 8 years ago

X-Lawyers: Days of Future Saul

[–] Kawada_Kira (7282) 8 years ago

Brilliant analysis. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end of future Saul.

[–] ernieball5150 (49) 8 years ago

My expectation is that this is just a step in maneuvering Saul into a different ending than managing the Cinnabon as Gene for the rest of his life. Now that we've been introduced to Jimmy, the writers have more motivation to perhaps give Saul a redemption story, which may or may not involve a reunion with Kim.

Getting tagged by the cops might not necessarily mean life behind bars for Saul. While Saul has been cavalier about people's lives, and has been an accessory to a lot of ugly things, there's no smoking gun with his fingerprints. And he might have enough valuable information to make some kind of deal.

If Anakin Skywalker can turn his life back around however late (sorry, spoilers), maybe Saul can too.

[–] PeteyandJia (300) 8 years ago

This could all end with Future Saul reuniting with Kim somehow, or it could end with him putting a gun in his mouth. Or anywhere in between. I wouldn't put anything past the mind of Vince Gilligan.

Either way it's quite an interesting phenomenon to have a cliffhanger that we have to wait until next year to find out more about, happen at the beginning of a season. Ha.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

Playing devil's advocate, is Saul's present existence really so terrible? What is so much better about getting scumbags out of prison when he's making people happy everyday serving them delicious food. He works in an air conditioned mall... always gets to see cute woman everyday... the only thing really sadder is his hairline. I'm not saying people shouldn't try to follow their true ambitions in life, but it seems elitist to look at Saul as such a pathetic figure. He eats, he has a roof over his head... nothing's keeping him from going to the gym, getting in shape and at least having some hookups. The majority of Americans live like Saul does... and that doesn't make them seem sad to me. His miserable attitude is mostly self inflicted and I see no reason why he can't fix a lot of it.

[–] PeteyandJia (300) 8 years ago

It's not that working in a mall is so bad, it's that it's so bad for *him*. His passion is the law, and he can't go anywhere near it anymore. It's his own kind of torture.

And it's not an elitist thing; there are millionaires in this world stuck in similar hells, prisons of their own devising. It's less about the status of a particular job/life, and more about how out of place a person is, or how much they feel they belong or don't belong where they are. In Jimmy's case, he feels so wrong where he is, and who he is trying to pretend to be, that he literally collapsed from not being able to bear it any longer.

I totally agree that a different person could have a happy life in that job. Which would likely be more telling about their good sense of appreciation & balance in their own life outside the job.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

Unlike Mike and Harvey in Suits, I'm not so sure Jimmy/Saul loves the law... I think he likes the power he gets from his ability to manipulate the system and how it gets under the skin of his self righteous brother... but if he truly respected it, he wouldn't be in the position he's in right now.

I think the primary source of much of the unhappiness in the world is most people's inability to appreciate the basic things in life and truly embrace the ability to eat a good meal, to take a shit or breathe without pain, to have a good conversation. They, especially the rich, constantly obsess over how they fall short of their goals instead of enjoying what they have. However, as much as I love Gilligan and Co., they do seem to be poking fun at Saul's current predicament just as Alan Ball did with Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty rather than truly finding any value in a simpler life. That, imho is slightly elitist.

[–] ernieball5150 (49) 8 years ago

I think Gene's shouted pro bono advice to the kid at the mall was a glimpse of young Jimmy's idealism sneaking to the surface again. Even though he eventually grew into a scumbag as Saul, I think we've seen from young Jimmy an authentic desire to "stand up for the little guy". Even if Jimmy's moral compass may be wonky at times, I think it's the lack of opportunity to exercise it that's really at the root of his unhappiness. His handling of the Kettlemans and Sandpiper in season one suggested that the desire to "do the right thing" was a major factor in his decisionmaking. Gene knows he has the capability to make a bigger difference in the world -- potentially for the better -- than what he's currently doing.

And his life as Gene has given him a lot of time to reflect on how he got to where he is now.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

The law much like religion often has its original tenets perverted by institutions which are often mirrors of their respective societies. I agree Jimmy has a heart and he stands up for the little guy, which is why we as an audience identify with and generally like the character in spite of his weaknesses. However, he can be as morally fluid as early Tony Soprano (I say early, because I don't think Saul will develop the cruel streak that Tony did) and I don't think he considers the law as much more than a tool to use against an inherently corrupt system. I think the ultimate point of the show will be more along the lines of No Country for Old Men where man finds himself alone in lawless, chaotic universe and common law becomes as obsolete as Newtonian physics in a quantum world.

[–] ernieball5150 (49) 8 years ago

I agree with your interpretation of how Jimmy views the law. We'll have to see where it goes...

[–] Tyalt (304) 8 years ago

Mike loves helping people and may love the law. Harvey loves winning and the law is his tool to do so.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

Harvey acts like an arrogant prick, but deep down he's a decent person. Helping Mike is probably the worst thing he's done with respect to the law.

[–] Tyalt (304) 8 years ago

Yeah he's not a bad guy, but I'm not sure he loves the law itself. At least not any more than Saul does.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

Saul's a deeper show, but you could argue that Harvey's issues all stem from his mother's infidelity and his father's cuckoldry while Saul's comes from his relationship with his brother.

[–] ernieball5150 (49) 8 years ago

It amazes me that Harvey can pull all this off when Elwood is the only one who can see him.

[–] The LA Baker (971) 8 years ago

Sentient Meat said: "I think the primary source of much of the unhappiness in the world is most people's inability to appreciate the basic things in life and truly embrace the ability to eat a good meal, to take a shit or breathe without pain, to have a good conversation. They, especially the rich, constantly obsess over how they fall short of their goals instead of enjoying what they have."

I could not agree more. People take their station in life for granted because their dreams didn't come true(and some people still do despite achieving their dreams). I think our current form of capitalism(I am not anti capitalist) has a lot to do with that mentality running rampant. The false idea of endless growth and "if you aren't growing you are dying" feeds into a greedy and selfish attitude that is so far removed from reality I find it truly disturbing.

I recently read an article about the man who founded and owns Baker's fast food(So-Cal only chain). When asked why he never expanded past regional he replied with something along the lines of, "Why? I started a business, it was successful and still is, it makes me more money than I can ever spend. I see no reason to keep growing".

Damn I wish that mentality was more prevalent in society. He knows how good he has it and is satisfied. My wealth and comfort is far less than his, yet compared to the vast majority of the human population of the planet I have it really good. I am thankful for that and soak it up, savoring the flavor.

[–] ernieball5150 (49) 8 years ago

This topic reminds me of a Bill Hicks joke that plays up the cultural elitism angle.

Hicks talks about people in some backwoods part of the southern USA gathering for a UFO sighting, some bringing shotguns:
Hicks: "Why'd you bring a gun to a UFO sighting?"
Answer: "I don't want to get abducted."
Hicks: "Really? 'Cause if I lived here, I'd be on my knees praying for alien abduction every f---ing day."

[–] Kawada_Kira (7282) 8 years ago

It's not that working in a mall is, in and of itself, a bad thing; it's that Saul has lost everything he built up over his life and he can't even be himself anymore, he can't do what he loves and does best. Working in a mall is fine, but how would you feel if you built up a life for yourself for decades and then had it all taken from you? That's what's really sad about Saul's life in the mall. It's not that it's a mall, it's that it's exile.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

Except for his current partnership with Kim, it seems as though his businesses aren't much more than jerry rigged offices in crummy strip malls. You're right in that the final incarnation of his office is at least an expression of himself as opposed to a corporate template... but let's not glorify what is essentially an inflated version of his nail salon office, only difference being Huell, Francesca, a trap door and some pillars. "Built up a life for yourself for decades"? His life seems more like a constant cycle of Sisyphean frustration, scamming himself a step forward then sliding two steps back. But I guess you're right in that it's his life rather than a programmed loop. Sometimes the key to happiness is to realize that your own loops aren't all that different even though we like to categorize them or file them under "dreams".

Agree with the exile part though... except it's not exile from the law that's killing him but probably what happened with Kim.

[–] Tyalt (304) 8 years ago

Having to live life as someone else is the issue. That drains a person in a way that you may not understand.

[–] Sentient Meat (1509) 8 years ago

I get that part... but if that was the point they could just have put him in some anonymous witness protection like environment like Henry Hill or a desk job like Vic Mackey. The use of Cinnabon and a mall seemed like a very specific version of hell they wanted to create for Saul.

[–] ADBruno1985 (3483) 8 years ago

Wow, very well-written and thought out.

Don't lose hope though, you never know when a show sets a mold just to break it, we could always end up with more.

I have a suspicion/more a hope that the show will run for five seasons, and the Season 3 finale will be an hour of the events of Breaking Bad from Saul's POV, and then everything else will be after.

[–] flanaria (112) 8 years ago

Brilliant analysis. Thank you. The show is also catching up with brba in general regarding visuals, intelligence etc

@ADBruno1985 - that will happen more likely in a possible season 4 finale, if the pace will stay slow like now, which i prefer.

[–] Shooter1973 (22) 8 years ago

It reminds me a bit of when Vic Mackey in The Shield got transferred to a desk.

[–] jasonbourne (1027) 8 years ago

>>Which means ... Gene / Saul / Jimmy, is about to face his worst nightmare: The Light.<<

My first thought was his receding hairline. In BB, Saul had more hair.

This is confusing enough. It's Jimmy/Saul/Gene in the timeline.

And it's not snitching unless you're a bad guy or you know the person and there's betrayal. What's telling is what Gene yells after he's being taken away.

[–] The LA Baker (971) 8 years ago

"it's not snitching unless you're a bad guy or you know the person and there's betrayal."

I must disagree. A snitch is just an informant of some type.

[Circa 1700, “snitch” had progressed from meaning “flick to the nose” to serving as slang for the nose itself (“As the … egg … broke on the ‘snitch’ of the Socialist candidate,” 1902), and this was the key development in the evolution of “snitch” as slang for “informer.” The nose has long been used as a symbol of intrusion into others’ business (e.g., a busybody is described as being “nosy”), and the image of a police dog or bloodhound “sniffing out” crime or tracking criminals has been a staple of popular culture for centuries.]

A person sitting in their house who witnesses, for example, a gang or mob hit, who then chooses to tell the authorities is a snitch. No affiliation or betrayal required.

[–] jasonbourne (1027) 8 years ago

This is what I mean. To the police, you're an informant. To the bad guys, you're a snitch who belongs in ditches or one who gets stitches. Second, if you're a bad guy and rat out, then you're a snitch, too. The same if you're a good guy and rat out on our friends. Bottom line. If you're a bad guy, then don't snitch, period. If you're a good guy, then don't snitch on your friends. It's okay to be an informant.