by Robbie Jones
Nobody was expecting Better Call Saul to be better than or even as good as Breaking Bad; we knew a bar had been set and that it wasn’t trying to be reached, so you’d think that, with this mindset, disappointment wouldn’t be too large a factor when watching the show. Disappointment shouldn’t be a factor full stop really because Better Call Saul is far from bad, but much like last week, this week’s episode is problematic for one reason and one reason alone: Pacing.
Nobody was expecting Better Call Saul to be better than or even as good as Breaking Bad; we knew a bar had been set and that it wasn’t trying to be reached, so you’d think that, with this mindset, disappointment wouldn’t be too large a factor when watching the show. Disappointment shouldn’t be a factor full stop really because Better Call Saul is far from bad, but much like last week, this week’s episode is problematic for one reason and one reason alone: Pacing.
The first episode of Better Call Saul was tremendously slow, but it was forgivable because episode two picked up the pace, plus it was the very start of the program, you couldn’t be too harsh. But the past two weeks, ESPECIALLY this week’s moved like a snail. Breaking Bad at times wasn’t the fastest of programs, but it was paced well. The show required slow episodes, but Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill is a fast paced character, and it just feels like he’s moving faster than the actual episode which really messes things up. What’s most annoying about this is that this is Better Call Saul’s ONLY problem.
This review would be a lot easier if the show was genuinely bad, but it’s not. All the components for excellent TV are there: The casting is perfect. Bob Odenkirk is an excellent lead on top form, and Rhea Seehorn is fairly good too, and offers a great female lead to the show. It’s all shot very well, not really a step wrong there and the writing is superb. Essentially, we’re getting everything we could have hoped to get from the show, but we can’t appreciate it cause the pacing is off completely. That’s why this review is more difficult, because it’s only one thing in a 47 minute program to moan about and it’s hard to say just how it ruins the episode specifically because it lasts for the entire thing, and it’s a recurring trend no less. The show NEEDS to move faster to accommodate these excellent features which are all crafted for a much different pace than this. Now it’s easy to see where the pace needs to be slow, such as the scenes with Chuck, but because everything else is so slow, these scenes feel even slower because of that when in fact, if the other parts of the episode were appropriately paced, the speed wouldn’t be an issue. It just makes Better Call Saul harder to watch and be excited for, which we should, because it’s actually fantastic. Normally it could be pinned on a lack of big events but the show has it’s big moments, it’s not boring in that sense.
This review would be a lot easier if the show was genuinely bad, but it’s not. All the components for excellent TV are there: The casting is perfect. Bob Odenkirk is an excellent lead on top form, and Rhea Seehorn is fairly good too, and offers a great female lead to the show. It’s all shot very well, not really a step wrong there and the writing is superb. Essentially, we’re getting everything we could have hoped to get from the show, but we can’t appreciate it cause the pacing is off completely. That’s why this review is more difficult, because it’s only one thing in a 47 minute program to moan about and it’s hard to say just how it ruins the episode specifically because it lasts for the entire thing, and it’s a recurring trend no less. The show NEEDS to move faster to accommodate these excellent features which are all crafted for a much different pace than this. Now it’s easy to see where the pace needs to be slow, such as the scenes with Chuck, but because everything else is so slow, these scenes feel even slower because of that when in fact, if the other parts of the episode were appropriately paced, the speed wouldn’t be an issue. It just makes Better Call Saul harder to watch and be excited for, which we should, because it’s actually fantastic. Normally it could be pinned on a lack of big events but the show has it’s big moments, it’s not boring in that sense.
The only other problem aside from pacing is the way it’s edited. Seriously, this episode cuts away on some really boring images, and ends on one as well. It doesn't need to end on a cliffhanger every week but so far they’ve left little reason to be excited for the next one, and whilst what happened at the end of this week could be major at some point, it was a very dull ending. If this plot point is going to be expanded on, it needs to be more exciting.
Despite all this, the show definitely has merit. A highlight these past couple of weeks is more scenes from Breaking Bad favourite Jonathan Banks as Mike, who bring's his excellent grumpy and sultry tones to the show, and his chemistry with Odenkirk is perfect.
Better Call Saul is on a slippery slope and it needs to pick itself up fast, otherwise its good content will go to waste.
Despite all this, the show definitely has merit. A highlight these past couple of weeks is more scenes from Breaking Bad favourite Jonathan Banks as Mike, who bring's his excellent grumpy and sultry tones to the show, and his chemistry with Odenkirk is perfect.
Better Call Saul is on a slippery slope and it needs to pick itself up fast, otherwise its good content will go to waste.
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