Better Call Saul Series 1 - Slippin' Saul
During this quarantine I have had the pleasure to revisit one of the most exciting shows of the last few years: 'Better Call Saul' and it has been a delight. The show was dismissed originally by a lot of people for simply being a 'Breaking Bad' spinoff which is such a shame because it has grown into something so much more over its 5 seasons. I can confidently say the show is not only a worthy addition to this universe but in many ways, it has succeeded in quality over the original show, it is a very different beast but personally, I find it to be so compelling and mesmerising. I thought I would go through each season by season and cover my favourite areas and ideas that are explored throughout. There are obviously spoilers ahead just for the first series but if you have not watched this show I strongly recommend it for it is more than worth it, the show is an absolute masterpiece in direction and writing. It is a very slow and character-based show, often events will happen that seem inconsequential and trivial but each season functions as a magic trick as each idea comes together like a Rube Goldberg machine towards the end. Be patient and let 'Better Call Saul' work its magic, it requires attention and never treats its audience like idiots. Let's revisit one of my favourite shows of the last few years and it's very beginning, spoilers ahead.
The pilot episode of 'Better Call Saul' perfectly sets up everything you need to know without you even realising it. There is this feeling of expectation you cant help bring into 'Uno', it is a prequel to a fan favourite character in one of the most beloved shows of all time and one of my favourite things about this show is how it is almost essentially not what you expected. Saul Goodman is this absolute scumbag of a character, he is sleazy and has the backbone of a rubber chicken yet you love him due to Bob Odenkirk's' incredible charisma. However our two introductions to this character in 'Uno' are completely different from anything we expect, we first meet Gene who is a skittish, depressed and subdued post-Felina Saul who is a melancholy portrayal of a character we love so well. I love how this mere 10 minutes of post-'Breaking Bad' content is so inconsequential, Saul moved and now works in a Cinnabon where he lives life afraid and depressed as he spends his night reliving his glory days as Saul Goodman. We then transport back to meet that character and immediately the creators pull back the curtain on Saul as he is introduced practising his big speech in the toilets. It is such a small moment but such a succinct way to get us on board with this character, it is so humanising to see Saul as Jimmy McGill straight away. From there the pilot basically spends its time slowly introducing this world but in these lovely little vignettes that do so much with so little time. We immediately establish his struggling time working 'Pro Bono' clients through the opening case, his relationship with Hamlin Hamlin and McGill is established through their troubled exchange about Chuck, his relationship with Kim is established through a simple gesture such as borrowing a cigarette, Mike and Chuck are introduced and his past as 'Slippin' jimmy' is introduced all within an hour. It is such a brilliant introduction to this story without spelling out every detail about these characters, I love how this feels like a world that we are entering halfway through and the history is so influential to what we are seeing yet the series takes its time to unravel it.
Towards the end of a story about lawyer conflicts and low-level fraud we are out of nowhere left on this cliffhanger of the introduction to someone as terrifying as Tuco. I love how essentially you presume this is going to immediately be Jimmy's connections to this world yet instead it is used to develop and explore his skill at negotiation and the fact his morally grey actions have real-life consequences in this world. We move on from this and explore the 'Kettlemans' and our first track into Jimmy struggling with what exactly is 'the right thing'. The Kettlemans are a brilliant addition to Jimmy as a character, he goes through this arc of originally only caring about their case for monetary gain to caring about their case for this grasp on 'doing the right thing'. One thing I often forget about 'Better Call Saul' is that it is essentially a tragedy, it is about a man driven to the wrong side after repeatedly trying to be good. It manages to make him equal parts flawed as it does paint his circumstances to be constantly against him. Of course, he takes a bribe and immediately spends it on a billboard and fancy suit to mock Howard and gain a bit of publicity, but he eventually returns that money to help the Kettlemans avoid a lifetime in prison due to their self-destructive stubbornness. The Saul we know would have taken that money without thinking twice, but this is Jimmy McGill, a man who just wants to be a lawyer and do it the right way. There is this incredibly empathetic side to this character that is so well developed, he has every right to be angry and he has every motive to become Saul Goodman however he is still running from being Slippin' Jimmy and wants so desperately to be on the right side of life.
The episode 'Alpine Shepard Boy' ends with a passing of the torch to the character of Mike. He has been established as the character we know from 'Breaking Bad' but his appearances have been nothing but passing comedic moments. However, in this small moment, we stay with Mike for a bit after Jimmy drives off and it sets up the next episode which is up there as one of my favourites of the season. 'Five-O' is incredible, it is this impressive character piece that does so much with Mike as a character. It follows his past as a cop and the exploration of the death of his son Matty which has damaged him and made him into who he is now. The episode is really self-contained as it uses this brilliant non-linear narrative as we follow completely through Mike's thought process, his interrogation and events in the present trigger memories of the past that are shown to the audience. It creates this beautiful structure that is only used to get the audience to understand and side with Mike as a character more. This pain and guilt of being a dirty cop and putting your own son in danger because of your own actions accompanied by this anger and hopelessness as he is a part of a system that is inherently dirty and broken. It helps the audience understand why Mike would become a criminal with such a strict code, he is so hurt from his past and his actions that everything we see him do is always on code and level headed. Later on in the series, we unravel this thought process in Mike's speech about how being a criminal doesn't mean you're a bad guy which accompanies the idea that being a cop doesn't mean you are a good guy. There is this empathetic beauty to how much this episode explores Mike and Jonathan Banks pulls of the performance of his career in this 45-minute story about grief, anger and duty.
About halfway through the series we begin to establish the essential core of the whole show which is the relationship between Jimmy and Charles McGill. Chuck is such a difficult character to establish, his illness to electromagnetic fields feels like such a surreal idea but that is almost exactly the point and what his character hinges on. As an audience, we can't help but be sceptical of Chuck, yet we stay with Jimmy and learn to understand he is a genuinely ill man who has a strong relationship with his brother and stays true to him. However, in the incredible 'Pimento' we finally realise that perhaps our initial perspective was correct and Chuck is a damaged, angry and unwell man who is essentially at the core of every problem Jimmy has faced. One major detail about this show I really appreciate is the little out of context flashbacks that are sprinkled throughout that add so much to Jimmy as a character through his past. We essential establish that Jimmy is at a crossroads in his life, he is slowly trying to move away from this 'Slippin Jimmy' character yet is constantly facing the temptation of becoming Saul Goodman. He is rescued from this life by Chuck who saves him from prison and his entire lawyer career stems from his want to impress and payback Chuck for this, yet he seems to consistently be brought down by Howard when all he wants to do is to make Chuck proud. It is truly heartbreaking to watch Jimmy strike gold on a case that could genuinely help those in need and that he could work on with his brother yet to find out Chuck always looked down at Jimmy and sabotaged everything he did. 'Pimento' is incredible and moves me to tears to watch Jimmy face this awful betrayal from the one person that he did so much for, it adds so much to Jimmy's struggle and I love it.
The finale is something very different, we shift perspective and pace to something I didn't expect. It revisits a character from a flashback that I remember thinking was only there to establish 'Slippin Jimmy'. Yet 'Marco' manages to perfectly encapsulate that struggle with growing from your past and that very human ability to look back when faced with trauma. Jimmy revisits his home town and his old best friend and immediately falls back into the patterns of 'Slippin Jimmy' for a beautiful bit of escapist bliss. Marco stands as this reminder of who Jimmy could easily become if he isn't careful and I love how the events of this episode almost serve as a reminder for him to be good for good's sake and not for Chuck's sake. His small reunion with his criminal past may be fleeting fun but it costs him his closest friend that he basically abandoned. I love this episode and think there is so much going on in such a simple incredibly different story. There's no big hook for a second season or dramatic finale that you would expect, but there is a beautiful conclusion to Jimmy's arc and the series' thematic discussion of morality. I really appreciate his very simple idea that Jimmy is faced with an impossible situation, when he does good to impress Chuck he fails, when he does bad for his own good he fails yet when he does good for the sake of good he still fails. His impassioned break of anger to Mike in the end where he desperately questions why he did that 'good deed' is something so human and well developed, that signature moral greyness makes sense for Jimmy as a character due to this series' incredible writing.
As a whole, the show is not only one of the best-written things on television it is one of the best-produced shows on television. I can not get over how beautiful this show looks, there are so many talented people working on this show and it does not go unnoticed. It never feels like it uses 'pretty' shots for the sake of 'pretty' shots there is always so much going on behind every decision. The way two-shots have this ability to show connection even when no words are being said, I love how Jimmy and Kim's first interaction is framed in this dark car park with the two seeming small and insignificant in this world. My favourite shot might be in the finale where Jimmy decides not to go in and speak to Davis and Main, it is framed with this low angle shot of Jimmy's head next to a building, it is this small moment but I really love how it looks and how quickly it portrays a momentary decision being made. The cast is beyond incredible, Bob Odenkirk is front and centre and he does not disappoint, it's weird seeing his dramatic skill after seeing him in the 'Mr Show' days but my god does he do an amazing job at this character. He portrays this struggle and veneer of charisma wonderfully, his constant charm is juxtaposed with these moments of reflection that can be absolutely heartbreaking. Rhea Seehorn manages to really impress this series, she doesn't have as much to do here when compared to later seasons but her performance is amazing. I love how their relationship is built on friendship and conversation rather than intimacy, she genuinely cares for him and I completely understand why due to Seehorn's incredible performance. I've already mentioned Jonathon Banks but he deserves recognition for being a surprisingly versatile performer in a role I'd never expect to need so much versatility. Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando and Julie Ann Emery all fill out this fantastic cast and they commit beautifully to these roles. Michael McKean is probably my favourite performance due to how much it demands of him, he constantly wavers the line of arrogance and sympathy with wonderful attention to detail.
The first series is an absolute delight to revisit. I think it does such an excellent job at creating empathetic and cohesive characters and themes in such little time. Yet it still manages to be full of brilliant set pieces and also absolutely hilarious in places. I love this show and I am so excited to work my way through the other series.
Thanks for Reading!