by Robbie Jones
It’s been well over a year since Breaking Bad left our screens, and many of us still aren’t over it. We can re-watch it and debate about it as much as we want, but the days of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are over. However, it’s not quite over for Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk’s fast talking lawyer who acted as the comic relief for the show. We finally get to see his spin off show, Better Call Saul, a series that acts as both a prequel and sequel to Breaking Bad, with apparently some parts even taking place during the show. The show aired its first two episodes at the start of this week, but were they any good?
It’s been well over a year since Breaking Bad left our screens, and many of us still aren’t over it. We can re-watch it and debate about it as much as we want, but the days of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are over. However, it’s not quite over for Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk’s fast talking lawyer who acted as the comic relief for the show. We finally get to see his spin off show, Better Call Saul, a series that acts as both a prequel and sequel to Breaking Bad, with apparently some parts even taking place during the show. The show aired its first two episodes at the start of this week, but were they any good?
Following a brief glimpse into Saul’s life after Breaking Bad, we head back in time to seven years before the show started. Jimmy McGill (Odenkirk), Saul’s real name, is a small time lawyer taking on shitty cases for shitty money, and he’s relying on an important case to get him publicity. Unfortunately, things aren’t going well for him there, so he sets up a scam, only for things to go horribly wrong.
Two episodes in and we’ve already been reacquainted with two characters from Breaking Bad: Mike Ermhantraut, a fan favourite who we already knew would be a main character in the show, and a surprise appearance from Tuco Salamanca, the psychotic drug dealer who gave Walt and Jesse grief in Seasons one and two. Jimmy scams the wrong person, leading him and his accomplices to Tuco’s house where they’re held hostage and taken out into the desert. Once again, we get a glimpse at Tuco’s childish nature, which is almost laughable but it’s nice to see that he doesn’t actually mature or change in the seven years leading up to Breaking Bad. He’s still crazy as fuck. It’s a nice guest appearance and a shocking twist for Breaking Bad fans, but the scene in which Saul bargains with Tuco for the lives of his accomplices has to be one of his best moments to date. Bear in mind, this only happened in episode two; we still have a entire season for Saul to be awesome and he’s already given us something brilliant in episode two.
Two episodes in and we’ve already been reacquainted with two characters from Breaking Bad: Mike Ermhantraut, a fan favourite who we already knew would be a main character in the show, and a surprise appearance from Tuco Salamanca, the psychotic drug dealer who gave Walt and Jesse grief in Seasons one and two. Jimmy scams the wrong person, leading him and his accomplices to Tuco’s house where they’re held hostage and taken out into the desert. Once again, we get a glimpse at Tuco’s childish nature, which is almost laughable but it’s nice to see that he doesn’t actually mature or change in the seven years leading up to Breaking Bad. He’s still crazy as fuck. It’s a nice guest appearance and a shocking twist for Breaking Bad fans, but the scene in which Saul bargains with Tuco for the lives of his accomplices has to be one of his best moments to date. Bear in mind, this only happened in episode two; we still have a entire season for Saul to be awesome and he’s already given us something brilliant in episode two.
Saul was the obvious choice for a spin off; his comedic chops were very much needed in Breaking Bad, a heavy show that required lighter moments, and Saul was perfect at it. Bob Odenkirk has turned Saul into a legendary character, and it’s so fantastic to see him pull it all off again. But does the show live up to the performance? Well, episode two certainly does, but let’s talk about episode one. There was certainly interesting content, and exceptional writing, but the episode moved at an excruciatingly slow pace. It’s a shame because the balance of comedy and drama was perfect, and all the comedic moments were perfectly timed. But the episode felt far longer than it was. The last ten minutes sped things up luckily, and straight into episode two. Mijo was really great; it was extremely tense and gave us a bit more insight into Saul’s character, plus opened up new doors in terms of plot.
Whilst these first two episodes have been impressive in certain ways, there’s a worrying possibility that the show will mainly rely on Bob Odenkirk to keep it entertaining. No doubt he will, but if the show just isn’t great beyond the performance, then we’ve got a problem.
Still, its early days and we shouldn’t judge too soon. Better Call Saul is here and it’ll hopefully fill the void that Breaking Bad has left.
Whilst these first two episodes have been impressive in certain ways, there’s a worrying possibility that the show will mainly rely on Bob Odenkirk to keep it entertaining. No doubt he will, but if the show just isn’t great beyond the performance, then we’ve got a problem.
Still, its early days and we shouldn’t judge too soon. Better Call Saul is here and it’ll hopefully fill the void that Breaking Bad has left.
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