Better Call Saul Series 3- A Slip and a Fall
After two formidable seasons, there is a certain worry a show like this will run out of steam, but season 3 is an incredible achievement, it is perfectly paced and manages to be beautifully compelling and incredibly focused whilst maintaining a dedication to these characters. It is the culmination of what I see as Act 1 of Jimmy's story, it's the big finale and the passing of the reigns onto something new. Jimmy and Chuck's rivalry is the first act, season 4 - 6 is Jimmy turning into Saul and Act 2, Breaking Bad is Saul's act 3 and the flashforwards to post- Breaking Bad is his epilogue. There's something really quite explosive about this particular season, everything starts turning and unravelling, the pieces unveil themselves and it goes off beautifully. The pace is a lot quicker, there's a real sense of action and consequence to what is happening, this is when all the elements that were set up in the first two series start to make sense and reveal their purpose. At the forefront of it all is the relationship between Chuck and Jimmy, it's the core of the show and it meets its conclusion here, it will always be my favourite part of the show and the way everything unveils itself this series is incredible.
We begin in the post 'Breaking Bad' timeline with Gene, he witnesses a crime and for the first time we see him help the police catch a criminal yet he still has to shout out to the shoplifter telling him to get a lawyer. I really love these Gene segments because they are small inconsequential sequences that are all about the themes and ideas that the season revolves around. Here we see Gene struggling with that essential idea of morality, we see how quickly he is to play with the cops but also how he can not help himself help the criminal, he screams 'Get a lawyer' because he's always believed in being a lawyer to help people, however, Chuck seemed to be the obstacle to him all his life. We then cut to moments after the cliffhanger of Season 2, the whole season revolves around the consequence of Jimmy's actions from 'Klick' and it becomes this tragic story of arrogance and stubbornness. I really love how this tape plot is paced, as an audience you are expecting immediate payoff to this, I remember being convinced this is what is going to destroy Jimmy but it slowly pays off through the first five episodes. We get some time exploring Chuck in that position of power, he has his own smoking gun and there's something enticing about watching him at the top of his game only to be brought to completely nothing immediately. The genuine tragedy of Jimmy finding out what Chuck did is so well done and utterly heartbreaking, it begins this fascinating arc of Jimmy slipping further and further thanks to his brother's actions.
On the other side of this, we have Mike's plot and the long-awaited return of Gustavo Fring and my god does it not disappoint. Giancarlo Esposito's performance in 'Breaking Bad' is one of my favourite performances in television history so I was more than excited when the 'FRING'S BACK' anagram was originally worked out, it is such a pleasure to see him back and get to see the power struggle he went through to get to his position of power. What I love about this plot is seeing how Mike and Nacho are equally stuck in the middle of this fascinating power struggle between two extremely dangerous men, the Salamanca's dangerous unpredictability against Gus' methodical genius places them in such an interesting place this season. Mike doesn't have as much to do this season, he is essentially there to reintroduce the audience to the world of Los Pollos Hermanos but the first few episodes where we see him slowly work his way into this world are some of the most compelling Mike scenes so far. I'll never get bored of watching him methodically doing something and foaming at the mouth to find out the payoff, it's always a joy and seeing him come up against Gus and Lydia is brilliant.
It is absolutely insane to me that we got 'Better Call Saul's' version of 'Ozymandius' in its 25th episode 'Chicanery', which is undeniably one of the tensest and most action-packed episodes of any show to take place almost completely in a courtroom. It begins with a flashback to Chuck reuniting with his ex-wife Rebeccas, something I love about this show is the sparing use of when we visit these character's pasts, I love how events will be mentioned and only shown when completely relevant to the plot and themes in that episode. Here this is all about Chuck holding onto his reputation, it is this tragic sequence of Chuck fighting his illness to maintain appearance with Rebecca, it really makes you feel for the guy only to twist that on its head and have him desperately try and prove his illness is real to a court and Rebecca. Everything these two characters have said to each other comes to fruition here, I love how Jimmy's case is to prove that his brother hates him and is mentally ill and he does just that, which is incredibly upsetting. Michael McKean is incredible, the breakdown he has in court later on still absolutely breaks my heart. It puts a definitive end to these character's arcs, that isn't as cosy as we think, Chuck was mentally ill and his illness stems from hatred and embarrassment of Jimmy who spent his life devoted to proving himself only to be dismissed repeatedly by Chuck. Jimmy wins the case by admitting a depressing truth about his brother that is absolutely heartbreaking.
From then on, the series explores the aftermath of 'Chicanery' and the real aftermath of these events, there was no winners that walked out of that courtroom and it really shows. Kim's accusations of Mesa Verde was an essential move for her character, she has that independence she craved for but it comes at the price of her own well being. You can tell she is still reeling after what she did to Chuck and her craving for doing things the proper way almost cost her everything, the car crash scene in 'Fall' is one of the most harrowing things the show has ever done and blew me away by how sudden and gut-wrenching it is. Jimmy takes not being a lawyer in his stride, he is dealt a bad hand and learns to deal with it, Jimmy becomes a lot stronger, his weaknesses become less and less obvious and I love how they seem to slowly phase out his sincerity. His real arc comes to place when he revisits Sandpiper Crossing and tries to pull a scheme in order to get Irene to settle and earn his payday. It's honestly one of the most heartbreaking things the show has done, I'm not joking, seeing Jimmy completely ruin Irene's life for his own benefit is just tragic to see this character go this route. However he learns and manages to redeem himself in the last second, he sacrifices his own reputation to make an old lady happy which is something Jimmy would always do and why he could never be a lawyer. He isn't Saul Goodman yet, but he is so close to being that and the finale is arguably what tips him over that iceberg.
You can chuck around words like 'fanservice' all you want but the Gus Fring plot in Series 3 is such a delight and the perfect thing for people wanting that 'Breaking Bad' fix. It is slower and much more methodical, this is about Gus' slow climb to power and the fall of Hector Salamanca. I really love how this becomes much more political, Gus' techniques of subtle humiliation and appearance are so well implemented when contrasted with Hector's brute force techniques. The return of Don Eladio was fantastic and seeing the transition from Salamanca to Fring is so compelling, especially as the tension keeps ramping up due to Hector's condition. Nacho's arc is absolutely heartbreaking, he risks everything by attempting to kill a genuine mob boss all to protect his father, who is angry and disappointed at him for joining this line of work. Hector's heart attack pays off all the setup wonderfully, the scene is incredibly paced and seeing Gus trying to save him is incredible. I like how this world compliments Jimmy's, they both share this 'high risk, high reward' lifestyle that is all about appearances and methodical planning.
Finally, we get to the thing that makes Series 3 so impressive, which is the decision to kill Chuck and put an end to the most fascinating part of the show. It will always be my favourite thing about the show, I never expected when going into 'Better Call Saul' that this would be what keeps me so invested but there's something so tragic to the story behind these two brothers. Chuck's constant patronising treatment of Jimmy is basically why Jimmy is the way he is, Chuck was jealous of his ability to be 'Charlie Hustle' and every time Jimmy tried to distance himself from that Chuck tried to bat him down. Jimmy became a lawyer for Chuck, he became a lawyer to be a partner with his brother and all Chuck saw in him was 'Slippin Jimmy'. It's about how the paths we walk are often out of our control, how Jimmy tried to change his path only to be forced out of it time and time again and in season 3 we see him come to terms that Chuck was the reason behind this. After 'Chicanery' the audience is left with this satisfying idea that Chuck was mentally ill and it stemmed from a hatred of Jimmy. And then he begins to get better, he slowly begins to get back on his feet and you know where that leaves him? Fighting against his reputation, just like Jimmy did from day one, Chuck is in an HMM boardroom trying to persuade people that he is no longer the person they know. The scene in which he simply says to Jimmy that 'he never really cared that much' for him is like a punch to the gut, Chuck goes out of his way to prove to Jimmy that he is better and cuts all ties and kills himself, his last words and actions are to demean him and it is heartbreaking. Seeing him in that space blanket, in his destroyed living room kicking at the lantern that will cause his death is haunting and the feeling of horror that drowns the audience in 'Lantern' is unlike anything I have ever seen before.
This is my favourite season of the show, it is just so satisfying and a brilliant combination of so many arcs. That isn't to say that from this point onwards the show goes down in quality, it just becomes something different and the lasting impact of this Series stays with the audience through what is to come. The way they handle Chuck and Jimmy's relationship is downright perfect, the way they handle the reintroduction of Gus Fring is perfect and the slow beginnings of Saul Goodman are perfect. And on top of this, the show is still beautifully produced and edited, the rare glimpses of action are done creatively and enthusiastically, the pacing never wavers and the dedication to respecting the audience's intelligence is so rewarding. An absolute treat of a season.
Thanks for reading!