by Robbie Jones
It’s time again for Better Call Saul, although it seems no one called him since he’s barely in this week’s episode. Last week, the Breaking Bad spin off finally picked up the pace and offered us our first truly excellent episode, and the streak continues as we get an episode dedicated to the back story of BrBa favourite Mike.
It’s time again for Better Call Saul, although it seems no one called him since he’s barely in this week’s episode. Last week, the Breaking Bad spin off finally picked up the pace and offered us our first truly excellent episode, and the streak continues as we get an episode dedicated to the back story of BrBa favourite Mike.
In Breaking Bad, Mike was a cold, calculated killer, loyal to those he served. So far in Better Call Saul, he’s sat at a booth and demanded stickers. But this week, we took a look at Mike’s dark past, and what a terrific episode it was. Jonathan Banks was absolutely exceptional; just when you thought you couldn’t love Mike anymore than you already do, he breaks your fucking heart and you love him even more. Mike has done some bad things, but we understand why he did them and, in a way, support him and root for him in that sense. It’s actually quite similar to how we felt towards Walter White, only Mike has yet to become a genuinely terrible human being. Banks’ monologue during the last five minutes of the episode was breathtaking, performed with such depth and emotion, and incredibly impactful.
This episode moves quite slowly, but for once, that’s a good thing. It hasn’t returned to its pacing problem and the episode takes it time to convey the story at hand. Before, the episode was moving slowly despite everything within the episode moving fast, but as the show moves as at the same pace as the episode, it becomes easier to enjoy and become absorbed into its embrace.
This episode moves quite slowly, but for once, that’s a good thing. It hasn’t returned to its pacing problem and the episode takes it time to convey the story at hand. Before, the episode was moving slowly despite everything within the episode moving fast, but as the show moves as at the same pace as the episode, it becomes easier to enjoy and become absorbed into its embrace.
Aesthetically, this has to be the best episode yet. Sound, direction, lighting, everything is just perfect, most notably the first scene with Mike standing alone in the bathroom, replacing his bandage with a tampon in the dark. There’s something eerie about it; it gives it that shroud of mystery that surrounds Mike when we’re minutes away from having that mystery uncovered. Then it’s the sounds; the sound of him ripping his bandage off and the sound of him grunting in pain. It makes you cringe, almost feel it, and it’s extremely effective. The dark lighting is a constant throughout the episode, and it creates a great atmosphere. Director Adam Bernstein did such an excellent job with this episode, and it’d be great to see him direct some more.
This show is really picking up. It had its issues, but these past two episodes, those issues seem to have disappeared. The only thing to say about this episode was how strange it was for Jimmy to only appear in one scene, but at the same time it was refreshing, as it shows that we’re not going to be getting the same thing over and over again. This episode, with its diverse plot and more dramatic tone than usual, very much echoed Breaking Bad which will hopefully make give fans even more faith, and we may even get more episodes like it. Sure, it’s not the same without gags, but at the same time, it’s exactly what we needed.
Overall, Better Call Saul has seriously knocked it out of the park this week, with a stunning lead performance and beautiful aesthetics. Two weeks lucky, let’s hope this quality carries on.
This show is really picking up. It had its issues, but these past two episodes, those issues seem to have disappeared. The only thing to say about this episode was how strange it was for Jimmy to only appear in one scene, but at the same time it was refreshing, as it shows that we’re not going to be getting the same thing over and over again. This episode, with its diverse plot and more dramatic tone than usual, very much echoed Breaking Bad which will hopefully make give fans even more faith, and we may even get more episodes like it. Sure, it’s not the same without gags, but at the same time, it’s exactly what we needed.
Overall, Better Call Saul has seriously knocked it out of the park this week, with a stunning lead performance and beautiful aesthetics. Two weeks lucky, let’s hope this quality carries on.
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