It is finally over. Better Call Saul, the spinoff series happening in the breaking bad universe can hardly go anywhere near the greatness of breaking bad, probably because it is about everything and everyone else but the titular character Saul Goodman.
As the final episode came to an end, only two things remained in my mind. The brilliant camerawork and camera placements throughout this entire series, and the phenomenal portrayal of Kim Wexler by Rhea Seahorn. Nothing else will leave a lasting positive impact.
BCS tells the backstory of Saul Goodman, the flamboyant and charismatic lawyer from the breaking bad universe. It happens mostly in the 6-years before the events of Breaking Bad, which thankfully meant, they could not spin the yarn beyond 6 seasons. It starts well, largely thanks to the commanding presence of Michael McKean playing Chuck McGill. After the events of season 3, he does not return and the show goes all over the place. Parallel storylines spin up which, while being true to the breaking bad universe regarding drugs and cartels, are hardly related to Saul at that point; people take decisions out of character, and the show just goes downhill from there. The creators forcefully merge the two stories with a surprising shocking incident which keeps a sour taste till the very end of the series.
It was unfortunate that I lost touch with Saul. I was rooting for him in the early seasons. It was not easy to stand toe to toe against the towering personality of Chuck. So I let many of the slippin' Jimmy acts slide and continued to root for him. Saul's image from the Breaking Bad universe was always of a person who could bend the law and use it to his advantage. It was brilliant to watch him on screen. As soon as he started breaking the law directly, it started hitting the foundations of the character. After the Irene scam, he was a lost cause for me. I stopped caring about him entirely.
Some characters are outright bad. Yet, they have some code of their own. Till the very end of the show, I didn't understand Jimmy/Saul. It's my shortcoming or the creators were unsure about him too. Probably why the show veers deep into the cartel storyline, which at that point at least, is not strongly linked to Saul's arc.
After Chuck moves out of the series, it largely remained as a fan service. I know Gus Fring, Hector Salamanca and Mike Ehrmantraut from Breaking Bad. They were amazing and fans loved them. A large part of BCS is about these guys because the creators are unsure about what to do with Saul.
The only exception is Ignacio (Nacho) Varga. His arc is fabulous. He is a man of conscience. I felt his pain, I feel for him. His arc is a real tragedy of initial bad choices leading to life completely out of his control. Michael Mando does a tremendous job. His monologue near the end gave me goosebumps, and that was one of the highest points of the series for me. It's the arc they have done well and so they did not have to resort to flimsy chance encounters or surprises to add shock value. It simmers steadily until it reaches the boiling point and ends with him taking back control.
Chuck McGill, Kim Wexler, and Nacho are the heroes of Better Call Saul. While others waltzed onto the stage with their breaking bad clout, these guys made a place for themselves in my mind and that is what I take away from the show.
Review by SolBlockedParent2023-08-20T07:33:15Z
It is finally over. Better Call Saul, the spinoff series happening in the breaking bad universe can hardly go anywhere near the greatness of breaking bad, probably because it is about everything and everyone else but the titular character Saul Goodman.
As the final episode came to an end, only two things remained in my mind. The brilliant camerawork and camera placements throughout this entire series, and the phenomenal portrayal of Kim Wexler by Rhea Seahorn. Nothing else will leave a lasting positive impact.
BCS tells the backstory of Saul Goodman, the flamboyant and charismatic lawyer from the breaking bad universe. It happens mostly in the 6-years before the events of Breaking Bad, which thankfully meant, they could not spin the yarn beyond 6 seasons. It starts well, largely thanks to the commanding presence of Michael McKean playing Chuck McGill. After the events of season 3, he does not return and the show goes all over the place. Parallel storylines spin up which, while being true to the breaking bad universe regarding drugs and cartels, are hardly related to Saul at that point; people take decisions out of character, and the show just goes downhill from there. The creators forcefully merge the two stories with a surprising shocking incident which keeps a sour taste till the very end of the series.
It was unfortunate that I lost touch with Saul. I was rooting for him in the early seasons. It was not easy to stand toe to toe against the towering personality of Chuck. So I let many of the slippin' Jimmy acts slide and continued to root for him. Saul's image from the Breaking Bad universe was always of a person who could bend the law and use it to his advantage. It was brilliant to watch him on screen. As soon as he started breaking the law directly, it started hitting the foundations of the character. After the Irene scam, he was a lost cause for me. I stopped caring about him entirely.
Some characters are outright bad. Yet, they have some code of their own. Till the very end of the show, I didn't understand Jimmy/Saul. It's my shortcoming or the creators were unsure about him too. Probably why the show veers deep into the cartel storyline, which at that point at least, is not strongly linked to Saul's arc.
After Chuck moves out of the series, it largely remained as a fan service. I know Gus Fring, Hector Salamanca and Mike Ehrmantraut from Breaking Bad. They were amazing and fans loved them. A large part of BCS is about these guys because the creators are unsure about what to do with Saul.
The only exception is Ignacio (Nacho) Varga. His arc is fabulous. He is a man of conscience. I felt his pain, I feel for him. His arc is a real tragedy of initial bad choices leading to life completely out of his control. Michael Mando does a tremendous job. His monologue near the end gave me goosebumps, and that was one of the highest points of the series for me. It's the arc they have done well and so they did not have to resort to flimsy chance encounters or surprises to add shock value. It simmers steadily until it reaches the boiling point and ends with him taking back control.
Chuck McGill, Kim Wexler, and Nacho are the heroes of Better Call Saul. While others waltzed onto the stage with their breaking bad clout, these guys made a place for themselves in my mind and that is what I take away from the show.