It has been over a year since the Season Four finale, so it was a long layoff, but even at that, I didn't know how much I missed BETTER CALL SAUL until it came back with a two night premier for Season Five. The BREAKING BAD sequel has established its own distinct identity, expanding on the world that gave us Walter White, and through the journey of two bit attorney Jimmy McGill to the persona of "criminal" lawyer Saul Goodman we get some of the best written television out there today. The full credit goes to Vince Gilligan and his writers for creating one of the most fascinating pieces of world building ever.
The first episode, titled "Magic Man," starts off with Gene in Omaha, still working at Cinnebon, but what we have long been anticipating finally occurs, he's been recognized as Saul Goodman, This turn of a events allows for a cameo from the great Robert Forster, returning for the last time as Ed, the man who arranges for people to disappear and start a new life - for a steep price. These B/W flash forwards are so palpably filled with dread, and the payoff, which hints at drastic changes for Gene, really leaves us with a sense of anticipation. Then the show shifts gears back to Albuquerque, and picks up with Jimmy returning to the bar as Saul Goodman, who hits the ground running, drumming up business among his old skivvy cell phone clientele. Kim Wexler is still with him, but she is clearly becoming wary, coming to understand that her relationship with Jimmy/Saul is turning toxic for her. Contrast the scene at the courthouse at the end of "Magic Man," where Jimmy involves her in an on the spot scam to get one of her clients to take a plea deal, with the sequence in the second episode, "50% Off," where she and Jimmy look at a very pricy house for sale, and the their relationship is made plain. It is ultimately untenable, but how it ends is what we don't know. Mike Ehrmantrout pays off the German construction crew in the wake of Werner's unfortunate fate, as Gus Fring is forced to pull in his horns with Lalo Salamanca breathing down his neck. Nobody will ever be able express simple disdain and indifference without saying a word better than Jonathan Banks, yet we see the toll all this dirty work is taking on Mike, especially in a poignant scene with his granddaughter in the second episode, where Mike's anger and disgust gets the better of him. One of my favorite characters, Nacho, gets a lot of screen time in both episodes, as he is put on the spot by Gus to start informing on Lalo, who is shaping up as the Big Bad of Season Five. Tony Dalton is pitch perfect as Lalo, a real charmer who will cut your throat the minute he thinks it necessary.
To me, the real stars are the writers, who concoct enthralling story lines that never quite go where you think they are headed. Instead they go somewhere better. A good example comes in "50% Off," when we are introduced to a pair of druggie skells who snag one of Saul Goodman's half off cards, and we immediately think this story arc will double back to Saul when they get into trouble in the episode's second act. This it does, but not before involving Nacho, Lalo, and Crazy 8, and providing Nacho an opportunity to get in very good with Lalo, something Gus ordered him to do in the opening five minutes. It ends with Nacho enlisting the services on Saul, and thus tying three story lines together.
Lots of shows try to build a series around an anti heroic character, and most of them fail, but in Bob Odenkirks' Saul Goodman they have left the others in the dust. This supporting character from one of the greatest of all TV shows stepped out of its processor's shadow long ago. I can't wait to see where this journey goes next.
The first episode, titled "Magic Man," starts off with Gene in Omaha, still working at Cinnebon, but what we have long been anticipating finally occurs, he's been recognized as Saul Goodman, This turn of a events allows for a cameo from the great Robert Forster, returning for the last time as Ed, the man who arranges for people to disappear and start a new life - for a steep price. These B/W flash forwards are so palpably filled with dread, and the payoff, which hints at drastic changes for Gene, really leaves us with a sense of anticipation. Then the show shifts gears back to Albuquerque, and picks up with Jimmy returning to the bar as Saul Goodman, who hits the ground running, drumming up business among his old skivvy cell phone clientele. Kim Wexler is still with him, but she is clearly becoming wary, coming to understand that her relationship with Jimmy/Saul is turning toxic for her. Contrast the scene at the courthouse at the end of "Magic Man," where Jimmy involves her in an on the spot scam to get one of her clients to take a plea deal, with the sequence in the second episode, "50% Off," where she and Jimmy look at a very pricy house for sale, and the their relationship is made plain. It is ultimately untenable, but how it ends is what we don't know. Mike Ehrmantrout pays off the German construction crew in the wake of Werner's unfortunate fate, as Gus Fring is forced to pull in his horns with Lalo Salamanca breathing down his neck. Nobody will ever be able express simple disdain and indifference without saying a word better than Jonathan Banks, yet we see the toll all this dirty work is taking on Mike, especially in a poignant scene with his granddaughter in the second episode, where Mike's anger and disgust gets the better of him. One of my favorite characters, Nacho, gets a lot of screen time in both episodes, as he is put on the spot by Gus to start informing on Lalo, who is shaping up as the Big Bad of Season Five. Tony Dalton is pitch perfect as Lalo, a real charmer who will cut your throat the minute he thinks it necessary.
To me, the real stars are the writers, who concoct enthralling story lines that never quite go where you think they are headed. Instead they go somewhere better. A good example comes in "50% Off," when we are introduced to a pair of druggie skells who snag one of Saul Goodman's half off cards, and we immediately think this story arc will double back to Saul when they get into trouble in the episode's second act. This it does, but not before involving Nacho, Lalo, and Crazy 8, and providing Nacho an opportunity to get in very good with Lalo, something Gus ordered him to do in the opening five minutes. It ends with Nacho enlisting the services on Saul, and thus tying three story lines together.
Lots of shows try to build a series around an anti heroic character, and most of them fail, but in Bob Odenkirks' Saul Goodman they have left the others in the dust. This supporting character from one of the greatest of all TV shows stepped out of its processor's shadow long ago. I can't wait to see where this journey goes next.
