Better Call Saul

Starring: Bob Odenkirk (63 episodes), Jonathan Banks (61 episodes), Rhea Seehorn (61 episodes), Patrick Fabian (59 episodes), Michael Mando (59 episodes), Giancarlo Esposito (38 episodes), Michael McKean (33 episodes), Tony Dalton (22 episodes), Mark Margolis (21 episodes), Kerry Condon (18 episodes), Ray Campbell (17 episodes), Jeremiah Bitsui (17 episodes), Cara Pifko (16 episodes), Dennis Boutsikaris (15 episodes), Ed Begley Jr. (14 episodes), Josh Fadem (14 episodes), Tina Parker (14 episodes), Julian Bonfiglio (14 episodes), Rex Linn (13 episodes), Peter Diseth (12 episodes), Javier Grajeda (11 episodes), John Christian Love (11 episodes), Juan Carlos Cantu (11 episodes), Jesse Ennis (10 episodes), Eileen Fogarty (10 episodes), Luis Moncada (10 episodes), Daniel Moncada (10 episodes), Hayley Holmes (10 episodes), Eric Steinig (10 episodes), Audrey Moore (9 episodes), Howard Ferguson Jr. (9 episodes), Abigail Zoe Lewis (8 episodes), Max Arciniega (7 episodes), Joe DeRosa (7 episodes), Omar Maskati (7 episodes), Rainer Bock (6 episodes), Lavell Crawford (6 episodes), Keiko Agena (6 episodes), Julie Pearl (6 episodes), Sarah Minnich (6 episodes), Stefan Kapicic (6 episodes), Julie Ann Emery (5 episodes), Jeremy Shamos (5 episodes), Ann Cusack (5 episodes), Jean Effron (5 episodes), Harrison Thomas (5 episodes), Ben Bela Bohm (5 episodes), Katerina Tannenbaum (5 episodes), Luis Bordonada (5 episodes), Ammie Masterson (5 episodes), David DeLao (5 episodes), Hans Obma (5 episodes), Jilon VanOver (5 episodes), Mark Proksch (4 episodes), Carol Burnett (4 episodes), Carol Herman (4 episodes), Clea DuVall (3 episodes), Raymond Cruz (3 episodes), Omid Abtahi (3 episodes), Bryan Cranston (2 episodes), Aaron Paul (2 episodes), Dean Norris (2 episodes), Robert Forster (1 episode), Betsy Brandt (1 episode),
Directed by: Vince Gilligan (9 episodes), Thomas Schnauz (7 episodes), Peter Gould (5 episodes), Michael Morris (5 episodes), Adam Bernstein (4 episodes), Michelle MacLaren (3 episodes), Daniel Sackheim (2 episodes), Deborah Chow (1 episode), Andrew Stanton (1 episode), Giancarlo Esposito (1 episode), Rea Seehorn (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Crime, Drama
2015-2022

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Summary: Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) struggles to get out of his brother's shadow while teeters between legal and illegal activity.

Review:
Tim: When Better Call Saul first came out, I had mixed feelings. I was excited to learn more about Saul Goodman and interested to see what Vince Gilligan could do, continuing to play in the same world he established in Breaking Bad. I was uncertain as well- did we really need a prequel series about Saul? Prequels are tough because we usually know big aspects of how the story will end. So, while I felt a range of emotions, I was absolutely going to watch. It's hard to describe how much I hated the show when it was first released. It was so slow, so boring. It felt so offputting, having to learn about Jimmy McGill and a whole host of characters that had nothing to do with Walter, Jesse, and the world Gilligan established that I so loved. I suffered through the first season, constantly contemplating just giving up.

And then, something amazing happened. At the end of the first season, the various disconnected threads that I suffered through starting to get weaved together. There were some shocking developments. My interest increased exponentially. By the time the first season ended, I couldn't believe it. I was interested in Better Call Saul. I actually enjoyed it and I was looking forward to the second season. It's funny to reflect on that now, because Gilligan would do something amazing here- over the six seasons, he would guide Better Call Saul to its own level of greatness. While it was never as effective as Breaking Bad, it was stunning how good this show became. It emerged not just as a "spinoff" series, but a companion series that stood on its own. You could easily watch Better Call Saul without any experience with Walter and Jesse and (while the beginning would be rough), it would emerge as a series that you could love purely on its own merits. I honestly struggle to explain how this was done.

One of the keys to the series is undoubtedly standing up its own characters separate from the larger universe. This took a lot of time in the first season, but it paid off in spades. As I reflect on the series, yes, I loved seeing Gus Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut again- it was a true delight. But they aren't why I loved this series. I loved Jimmy, and Kim Wexler, Howard Hamlin, Nacho Varga, and Lalo Salamanca. That Gilligan and the team were able to create totally new, absolutely compelling characters that drew us in and became unforgettable is a monumental achievement. By the time (SPOILER ALERT, I GUESS) Walter and Jesse show up in the final season, it was a little awkward- I was happy to see them, but they weren't part of this new group. They were able to create enough distance that I didn't want to spend too much time with them, because I wanted to see how the main characters' stories wrapped up. That is an incredible achievement.

Bob Odenkirk is one of the all-time great television actors, I said it. After scene stealing through his 43 episodes of Breaking Bad, he steps into the spotlight and absolutely carries the 63 episodes here. Jimmy McGill is a fascinating character, one with significantly more depth and complexity than Saul Goodman. I loved the journey of Jimmy to Saul, from its prequel status, to showing what happened after the conclusion of the events of Breaking Bad. Odenkirk gave continually excellent performances throughout this series. His work was masterful.

I didn't expect to care about any new character as much as I cared about Kim Wexler. This is due to the showstopping performance of Rhea Seehorn. She was absolutely the perfect partner for Odenkirk and she brings Kim to life. We get to know her so well throughout the course of the series, it feels like it's as much her story as Jimmy's. I was never sorry to see Seehorn on screen, every second of her screen time was compelling. I don't know what she will do after this, but she is a true talent. I loved her work on this series. Michael McKean was outstanding as Chuck McGill. His character was odd and difficult to watch, but he provided such drama in the early seasons. McKean is so talented and the work he does here might be easy to overlook, but it was absolutely vital in the early seasons. He sets the stage for everything that comes after it and he was a joy to behold. Patrick Fabian delivered an excellent performance as Howard Hamlin. His character was so fascinating to me. I just feel like Fabian perfectly brought out every mannerism, tick, movement in the perfect way to paint the picture of this successful, fascinating character. He acts as an unwilling and unwitting antagonist for much of the series and I can't explain how much this meant to the series. You didn't like Howard, but similar to Jimmy, you didn't really have good reasons for this. As much as I wanted to see Howard crushed and as much as I didn't like him, I also loved his character. I know that doesn't make sense. He mattered so much to this series.

The supporting cast in this series was outstanding as well. Michael Mando gave the performance of a lifetime as Nacho Vaga. That might not be apparent upon first seeing the series, but I loved Nacho as the series went on. He should have been a forgettable side character, but Mando pours so much into the character that you can't help but feel emotionally invested in him. Giancarlo Esposito is always going to be terrific and of course, he is, reprising the iconic role of Gus Fring. His presence doesn't loom over this show like it did Breaking Bad, but of course, he makes it better. Jonathan Banks somehow gives an even more incredible performance as Mike here. His role is vastly larger and he's involved in several of the series' best moments. I struggle to verbalize how much he meant to this series and how much I loved getting to see him reprise this role. Tony Dalton was excellent as Lalo Salamanca. In addition to just being fun to say his name, Dalton brings manic energy to everything he does. Mark Margolis doesn't get to say much, but he makes a lasting impression as Hector. Ed Begley Jr. and Dennis Boutsikaris both make outsized contributions to the series. The cast of this series is massive and I could go on, but it would just be continuing to sing its praise.

Now, while I loved Better Call Saul, I have to admit the pacing could often be frustrating. I know Gilligan loves letting the camera linger for extended periods at the beginning (especially) or at various points in the episodes. That's fine, but when you couple that with a very talky show, there were many, many episodes that dragged out. Sometimes it was beautiful and poignant, but many times I wanted more to happen. When I think back on the best episodes, they were all the ones were things happened, the tension was ratcheted up to a 10 and you're sitting on the edge of your seat. For most of the series, it's character development. That was absolutely important and a reason the series is a success, but it was too much. More needed to happen over the course of the 6 seasons here. That's one of the differentiators with Breaking Bad (which suffered similar issues at times)- that series had more forward movement. In this series, the first season suffers the most from it, but there were multiple episodes in every season where my attention would wander or I'd be desperate for something to actually happen.

This is a complaint I have with many series, so I don't want to dwell on it too much. In the end, I want to say that the deck felt stacked against Better Call Saul. It felt like a spinoff, a cash grab, an inability to let go of a successful thing. The danger was if this show failed, to some extent, it sullies the reputation of Breaking Bad. The opposite happened. This show was so exceptional and connected to the original series so brilliantly (and in a limited manner) that it emerged not as a lesser-than, but an equal series that has the ability to stand on its own. However, having them both together paints this incredible picture of astounding storytelling. Better Call Saul is brilliant television.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Breaking Bad, Aquarius, We Own This City