Jackson Ball reviews the first episode of Better Call Saul …
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly two years since Breaking Bad left our screens, leaving us all with a Heisenberg-shaped hole in our hearts. After arguably one of the finest pieces of television ever, it was always going to be tough to move on. Well, Walter and Jessie maybe gone for now, but they’re bumbling lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) is back, along with a few other recognisable faces too…
Warning! Spoilers Ahead – You have been warned!
Right from the start, the show had a warm sense of familiarity about it; it didn’t necessarily feel like Breaking Bad, but it definitely felt like its kin, and I think that’s down to Vince Gilligan once again being at the helm.
We first find Saul in what we can presume is the ‘present day’, or at least in a time post-Breaking Bad. In a stroke of genius, Saul’s current predicament is exactly how he’d described it would be to Walter in their last meeting; “If I’m lucky, a month from now, best-case scenario, I’m managing a Cinnabon in Omaha”. Well, that’s exactly where we find a now moustachioed Goodman. It’s a particularly heart-wrenching opening segment in truth, as we see a much-loved character at his lowest ebb; lonely and depressed.
Things don’t get much better for him as we rewind to the past, pre-Heisenberg and pre-Saul Goodman, back when he was simply Jimmy McGill. He’s broke, struggling with his career, and working out of a backroom office in a Chinese nail salon. We do, at least, get a small glimmer of Jimmy’s courtroom razzle-dazzle to cheer us up, but it’s short-lived and fruitless, as he just happens to be defending three teenagers whose crime is so bizarrely grotesque it has to be seen to be believed.
One of the episodes most exciting moments came amongst Jimmy’s tough times. Feeling dejected, he finally snaps in a heated-but-humorous exchange with a stoic parking lot attendant. The attendant, we quickly realise, is none other than Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), Jimmy’s future private investigator. It’s a brilliantly worked cameo, and one that leaves us salivating for Mike’s future involvement in the series.
Towards the episode’s final third, there is a clear tonal shift. After being repeatedly held down by his difficult circumstances, ‘Slippin’ Jimmy’ finally has a chance to flourish, and we get an early glimpse of the character we’ve already come to know and love. Obviously though, with being him, the opportunity at hand isn’t an especially legal one, as Jimmy joins up with two up-and-coming scam artists in attempt to make some money and rustle up some business at the same time.
As you’d probably expect though, things don’t’ exactly go to plan, with a string of events resulting in Jimmy being held at gunpoint. Who’s holding the gun you ask; none other than Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz). That’s right, Walter and Jessie’s series 2-nemesis. There’s no denying it’s a great cliffhanger, even if it veers dangerously close to milking its association with its predecessor too much. It’s a move that only Breaking Bad fans will appreciate, but that is isn’t to say it’s necessarily a ‘cheap shot’. If you’re going to make a series exploding this character’s dealings in the Albuquerque underworld, it just makes perfect sense to include someone you’ve already introduced as a major player in that environment.
It’s a great end to the first episode and has got the series off to a flying start.
Jackson Ball – follow me on Twitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqtW2LRPtQY&feature=player_embedded&list=PL18yMRIfoszFJHnpNzqHh6gswQ0Srpi5E
Originally published February 11, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
