Along with the great storytelling and the revolutionizing structure that "Breaking Bad" brought to the game, it also introduced the audience to a slew of fascinating characters that would find a home in pop culture until the end of days. We've already seen a bunch of them pop up in this show, besides the show's lead characters, like Tuco and the entire Salamanca clan, and I assume it's only a question of time before we're properly introduced to that part of Alburquerque that played a huge part in the show's predecessor. A character that we all fell in love with almost immediately was Gus Fring, the ruthless drug lord masquerading as a kind-hearted restaurant owner. He ultimately met his match in that show, but it was shown that he had yet to meet someone who could outsmart him in his many years in the game, which made a lot of people speculate that he was going to show up in "Better Call Saul" at some point. The show never needed the boost of having him appear, but after it was announced that the character was going to see his return, everyone got excited to see how he would interact with this new cast of characters. And his introduction was nothing short of perfection, in an episode that bears all the glorious details of a great "Better Call Saul" episode and continues the deliberate pace of the show, still keeping Gus' world as an arm's length for now, which is sure to change in future episodes.
After having waited a while to see who was behind that ominous message to Mike, no time is wasted here and we get reintroduced to Los Pollos Hermanos immediately. Not only does it bring back fond memories of "Breaking Bad," but it sets up a lot of intrigue for its potential in the world of "Better Call Saul." And the introduction does seem to mirror the events of the former show a lot, as the first time we meet Gus is through an interaction he has with the show's main character. A great way of providing the bridge between shows.
And Giancarlo Esposito doesn't seem like he's missed a day of working as this character. He slips into the front of the nice businessman with pure ease and joy on his lips, but as always, he can change that in the blink of an eye. They don't give us a lot of him in this episode, but they provide plenty of promise, and he doesn't seem like he's a character that'll go away anytime soon. This world is about to explode and it's about to bring the darker sides of this town to "Better Call Saul" and it'll be glorious.
With that aside, the episode also did a lot to further the main conflict between Jimmy and Chuck. The ending of the episode finally set the two brothers on the warpath that has been teased throughout the entire show, and now it's going to get ugly. (Even uglier than Howard looks trying to climb those fences.) The show continues to provide great parallels with its characters and imagery, this time in the form of the tape that Jimmy takes off the wall. He's so close to doing things the right way, but he always slips and takes the easy way.
It feels redundant to keep talking about how great Bob Odenkirk is in this show, but it's worth noting because he was seen as a comedic actor for so long. He's the beating heart of this show, and he keeps expanding his own personal arsenal as well. The final scene is a great example of his progression, both as an actor and with the character. It's the lowest that Jimmy has been so far, and Odenkirk uses all his attributes to show that. The crushed expression on his face, the wild tantrum, all goes into another show-best performance from him.
"Witness" was an exceptional episode that finally gave us answers, but not at the cost of the show's deliberately slow (and absolutely awesome) pace. The reintroduction to certain characters that we've missed was done with finesse and respect for the show that they're now in, and the stage is set for a really explosive future.
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