I’m spoiled; I truly am. I’ve gotten two episodes in two nights from Better Call Saul, and man am I grateful. I think it’s a brilliant decision to do a two-night premiere for this show; this is about to get pop culture Bill Simmons-y psychology, so if you don’t like those sorts of things (or Bill Simmons, which, if that’s the case, you suck), then whatever, dog. I think it’s brilliant because it mimics the Netflix-ian binge-watch in the smallest and most important way: it gave us a hit and let us indulge, but made us wait just long enough to color our vision. But that spoiling, while keeping the past episode fresh, kept it so fresh that I can’t help but see them so differently.
This episode of Better Call Saul, unlike the pilot, suffered from its parent show affiliation. I didn’t think “Uno” had any problem making its own way, but this one definitely did. It was directed by Michelle Maclaren, who is one of the best directors alive and usually a 100% crowd pleaser, but this episode felt too much like her previous work. The montage, the desert scene; all of these things, while brilliant, felt like things I’d seen before. They were still exceptional things, of course, but they were too familiar, too easy to slip into.
Having got this out of the way:
Better Call Saul is amazing. It is so, so good. Its faults are not the faults of a regular television show; its mistakes are not the kind of plot, pacing, and characters that others worry about. It’s on a whole different level. The character work on this show is so stunning, so subtle, so gripping, that you both don’t notice and can’t help but drown in it.
Chuck in that space blanket and Jimmy continuously telling him to take it off really hit home for me. I read a review in which that space blanket and Jimmy’s insistence was read as a guilt trip, but I see it as Jimmy pushing his brother, giving him some modicum of control, even if it doesn’t last. Jimmy knows his brother is sinking under the weight of his disease and feels powerless in the face of it, and by getting him to take off his space blanket, he managed to give his brother some power back.
Jimmy talking down Tuco from murdering those two skateboarding kids was really incredible too, because why? Why is he sticking his neck out for these kids, who both before and after, don’t give a single crap about him? The review I mentioned before (AV Club, I think) made this same point, and I agree with its interpretation: the difference between Walter White and Jimmy McGill is that Jimmy actually wants to be what he said he wants to be, whereas Walt only wanted power.
This show is also really, really funny too; the interactions between Mike and Jimmy about the validation stickers are perfect, especially as Jimmy won’t just pay the five dollars and just keeps going back. I’m really fascinated about Mike right now because of how much of an unknown he is. We know that he was once a cop and that he eventually became the Mike we know and love, but how does he get from courthouse parking lot security guard to trained killer?
Also, I’d like to single out Michael Mando as Nacho (better known as Vic from Orphan Black) for his work in this episode. He doesn’t show up in Breaking Bad, which makes me think that he is killed in this series, but he’s obviously a powerhouse; he backed Tuco down and is basically the Tom Hagen of this universe, but with more spine. Nacho is out for power and control and a heck of a lot of money, and that makes him a very scary villain. Anyone ballsy enough to step in front of the craziness that is Tuco is a force to be reckoned with.
Stray Thoughts
– Apparently, this is the last episode that suffers from any sort of Breaking Bad hangover. The sooner the show gets away from that, the better.
– Bob Odenkirk is a really fascinating individual. His version of Jimmy, who constantly licks his lips and holds his hands up like he’s trying to hypnotize you, is so wonderful.
– Tuco has a weird sweet side when it comes to his older relatives. He took care of both Tio and his abuelita, with no bitterness. Such a strange character.
– Odenkirk made a comment on the Andy Greenwald podcast today about his belief that the show might lose some viewers early, but it’ll regain them towards the back end as the show really starts rolling and their friends start to encourage them to come back. I hope that’s true, because this show is already one of the best things on television.
– AMC has found its new flagship show for the next five to seven years. Just wait until The Walking Dead spin-off hits; they’ll have three shows hitting absurd cable numbers, and they’ll be cruising. I don’t know how this channel keep pulling back from the brink of disaster, but they do.
[Photo via AMC]
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