• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Better Call Saul Season 1 Episode 1 Review – ‘Uno’

February 11, 2015 by Jackson Ball

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

Filed Under: Jackson Ball, Television Tagged With: Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

What If? Five Marvel Movies That Were Almost Made

10 Great Val Kilmer Performances

All This Has Happened Before: Remembering Battlestar Galactica

The Essential Tony Scott Movies

Ranking Video Game Movie Sequels From Worst to Best

Great Cyberpunk Movies You Need To See

The Essential Joe Dante Movies

From Hated to Loved: Did These Movies Deserve Reappraisal?

The Contemporary Queens of Action Cinema

10 Crazy Cult Horror Movies You Need To See

Top Stories:

8 Great Recent Films You Really Need To See

Marisa Abela joins Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe in Highlander remake

Can Edgar Wright conquer America with The Running Man?

6 Great Australian Crime Movies of the 1980s

7 Underrated World War II Romance Movies

Great Tarantino-esque Movies You Need To See

Whatever Happened to the Horror Icon?

The Rise of Paul Thomas Anderson: A Living Legend

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

The Most Disturbing Horror Movies of the 1980s

Back to the Future at 40: The Story Behind the Pop Culture Touchstone

What Will Amazon Do with James Bond?

The Must-See Horror Movies From Every Decade

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket