I finished the most recent Better Call Saul season (5) a few days after it premiered. It's been a rare show I keep up with instead of waiting and binging. Since the season wrapped weeks ago I need to do this now if at all. I think more than anything I respect the show and question my ability to break it down. Here's my best shot.
If you don't know, Better Call Saul is a spin off from possibly (arguably? probably?) the greatest drama series of all time, Breaking Bad. BB takes you into the criminal drug world of Albuquerque, New Mexico as high school chemistry teacher Walter White gets cancer and starts making meth to cover his medical bills. He gets deeper and deeper and the world spins in and out of his control. You will root against Walt eventually as his actions thoroughly change, or reveal, his character. Better Call Saul, on the other hand, is a lawyer drama centered on Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman. In BB he's Walt's lawyer and more, laundering money and giving advice on moves in the underworld. BCS is mostly a prequel, showing the years prior to meeting Walt, with Jimmy building his business and slowly completing his own transformation into 'Saul.'
Watching all season, I wondered if it should've made my top 5 post. That question led to others. Is this show good without its connections to Breaking Bad? Can we try to view it that way? Would we still want to watch? Will there be a singular moment where Jimmy becomes Saul? What's going to happen with the events taking place after BB?
The first question honestly can't be answered. As gaps in the Breaking Bad universe continue to be filled in, no, we can't view it on its own. The other questions require us to watch.
Better Call Saul starts long before Breaking Bad. We always have two known points: what BCS is showing you now and when Saul meets Walt. You're left to wait, wonder and see how that bridge is crossed. Will Walt's face just flash like some horrible dream, skipping the events from the other show? Or will their meeting be the culmination of BCS (making you want to watch BB all over again)? Gah, more questions.
The most impressive part of the show is its pacing. Man does it start slow. Interesting enough, but slow. We meet Jimmy, or 'Slippin Jimmy' and clearly he's a bit of a shyster. He pulls off little scams and is a pain in the side of his brother, a respected lawyer dealing with problems of his own. Each season the pace picks up ever so slightly and you start see more of Saul and his impact on those around him. Drip, drip, drip. I've heard from lawyers (on Twitter) the remarkable accuracy of life in law. There's loads of paperwork, tedious meetings with clients, politics within a firm and the larger community, and more.
The longer the show goes on, and there will be only one more season, the more I'm convinced there won't be a single transformative moment. Parts of Saul were always there. He's exceptionally creative, ingenious really, in his operations and somehow knows the legal system well enough to constantly game it. He readily uses the tools in his possession, an array of connections with people, little or no scruples, and a penchant for work. The last one always gets me as he's certainly not lazy. Other pieces have developed through the show, sure, but I need to stop thinking something is going to happen all of a sudden. 'Saul' has always been there.
It's not just Jimmy that makes BCS fascinating, because we know where he's going. Others are the most engaging. We get to see how Mike Ehermantraut slowly becomes the man for Gus Fring, both big side characters in BB and main cast here. Everything is so personal for Gus in his attempts to separate from the cartel and defeat the Salamancas in particular. It really puts his demise on BB in perspective and honestly, makes me a little sad for him.
More than anything, I want to know what happens to Kim Wexler. She's the most important character we have no history with from BB and is the single biggest wild card as a result. She's been friends with Jimmy forever and that friendship morphed into a relationship. Unlike him, she wants to be extremely professional in her climb through the legal world. Also unlike him, she actually cares about people even though it often brings her pain. I think this is why she's with Jimmy, he's an outlet. Together they pull a small con every once in a while and it keeps her from breaking down. Still though, they're a surprising couple as she's nearly always sympathetic and he never is. She has tremendous legal instincts and reads people and situations so well and yet lives with this guy Saul Goodman. You spend a lot of time wondering how she doesn't see his true nature, but I think she does. She utilizes Jimmy's best skills and defends him with her actions. What's most crazy is that Jimmy clearly cares for her as well, and he worries more about how his actions will impact her than even himself. In this way he surprises me, telling her (most of) the truth when you really don't think he will. Then she flips the script at the end of the season, shocking Jimmy and the viewers. How many downfalls will we see here?
In a show where we know the result, it contains an impressive amount of intrigue. Howard and Chuck at HHM. Lalo showing up and tormenting everyone, especially Nacho. Mike and Gus, Jimmy and Kim. It's quite a web that's been spun and it all complements BB. It doesn't matter how it would be received on its own. The shows fit together and keep their own style. Going back to pacing, I still can't believe how this season ended. The last few episodes accelerated dramatically and had me leaning forward in my seat. Next season will be a treat.
If I were to watch Breaking Bad again, it would look pretty different. The first time I rooted for Walt until learning about the poison. This time he'd always be the enemy and Hank the hero. Gus would get some pity. And I'd wish Mike had never gotten tied up in all this. He's the best. I still don't really want to rewatch but here I am already thinking about it. Damn.
Comments