Better Call Saul is a crime and legal drama series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. The show is both a prequal and sequel to the series Breaking Bad. The show follows Jimmy McGill lawyer and con artist as he transforms into the sleezy lawyer Saul Goodman. The show also follows former police officer Mike Ermentrout as he goes form former police officer to a volent fixer for drug traffickers to support his granddaughter and her widowed mother. I would like to start of this review by stating that I love Breaking Bad, its one of my favourite shows of all time. So, believe me when I tell you that I love Better Call Saul just as much and would also consider it one of my favourite TV shows.
The direction in the show is brilliant. All the actors in the show have a great chemistry with one another. All the interactions feel completely natural and bounce off each other perfectly everything in the show is interesting and way all their lives interact and come together is fascinating to watch. The mood of the show is very interesting as well. Although the show is first and foremost a drama the show has genially funny moments. Saul being one of the funnier characters in braking bad is really shown in this show with genially hilarious moments. The series is a drama as well. The tone is dark, gritty, and serious when in needs to be however there is a lot of comedy to counterbalance this. The shows style perfectly balances these two elements creating a perfect balance of series and light-hearted moments that nether makes the show a comedy but will throw in a light-hearted moment here and there.
All the acting in the show is great. Bob Odenkirk does a fantastic job as Jimmy and Saul. We follow him as he starts of as a former scam artist turned lawyer who is a bit dodgy but not a terrible person and means well as he slowly descends into the corrupt lawyer Saul Goodman. Like with Breaking Bad it is fascinating watch this transformation from a somewhat dodgy but well-meaning guy to everyone’s favourite sleezy lawyer. Jonathan Banks does an amazing job as Mike. In this series his transformation as well from a gruff but normal parking lot attendant to hitman is just as fascinating as Saul’s seeing this good guy slowly descend into the criminal lifestyle and becoming the Mike in Breaking Bad. Rhea Seehorn does a great job as Kim Wexler. She plays a straight lawyer who worked though the ranks to become more successful as well as being jimmy’s friends and college and later love interest. Her professionalism slowly being corrupted by Jimmy slowly throughout the later half of the series is fascinating to watch as well as acting a sort of moral achar for Jimmy early in the show. Patrick Fabian does a great job as Howard Hamlin. He plays a character that starts of as a supposed villain until morel layers are revealed and he is acting on behalf of Chuck. It is fascinating to see this mostly good man being destroyed by Jimmy and Kim in the latter half of the series. Michael Mando does a great job as Nacho Varga. He plays a somewhat small but ambitious and intelligent member of hector Salamanca’s drug ring who has a heart as he ultimately wants his father to not be involved in his life as a criminal. Michael McKean does a great job as Chuck McGill. He is jimmy’s older brother and founding partner of the main company in which the Jimmy, Kim, and Howard work at in the show who is confined go his house due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity and expresses a distance for his brother. Chuck is not evil is the show as legally and technically speaking he is right about a lot of points about his brother however he is still somewhat in the wrong. His overly moral outlook seems to stem form a disdain for Jimmy having more likability and charm than Chuck despite all that he has achieved growing resentment for him. Giancarlo Esposito does a fantastic job as Gus Fring. We see him build up his criminal empire which was established in Breaking Bad. His grudge against the cartel leads him to create his own meth empire so he can be free of the cartels grip on him and have more power. He is just as cold and calculating as in Breaking Bad, however we also see a more human side go Gus as he is still climbing the ranks to become the head of a criminal empire. Tony Dalton does a great job as Lalo Salamanca. He plays a charming but psychopathic member of the cartel that can seem almost friendly but becoming psychopathic whenever his true nature is revealed.
The writing in the show is brilliant. The plot itself is slow paced but it grips your attention throughout. The slow deterioration of the characters into the life of crime and the rise of their criminal empires is fascinating to watch and keeps you invested throughout the series. The interplay between the characters is also brilliant showcasing how all their lives intersect and are affected by one another in one way, shape or form as the plot takes its time to reveal its hand, but the payoff is amazing. All the characters are well written and the interplay between them in great creating a deep and fascinating cast of characters throughout the show.
The cinematography in the show is great the show doesn’t usually do anything overly fancy with the cinematography, but everything is presented in a clear directing style that fits well with the show. Although the show might not be the most stylised there is defiantly some great creative uses of camera positions and editing that add a certain style to the scenes. As well as this the use of Black and White to tell the post Breaking Bad is a good artistic choice and acts as a subversion against black and White usually being shown for past events.
The Special Effects in the show are great. All the blood squibs and gun shots feel realistic. The show pays attention to the little details and the effects help to ground the show in a sense of reality.
Better Call Saul is just as good as Breaking Bad. The direction, acting, writing, cinematography and effects all come together to create one of the greatest TV shows ever made.