Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2017
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorne, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Michael McKeen, Giancarlo Esposito, Mark Margolis
Description: The trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) in the time before he established his strip-mall law office in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Review: I don’t know if everyone thought it was a good idea to create a prequel to one of the best series ever made: “Breaking Bad”. Yet Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould dared to create a series about one of the supporting roles Saul Goodman, here still Jimmy McGill. The somewhat shady lawyer entered the “Breaking Bad” universe in season 2 and with his role he added a lot of comedic elements to the series.
“Better Call Saul” was also originally intended as a light-hearted comedy, Gilligan and Gould soon decided that it had to be a drama series, combined with the comedy we know Saul Goodman for. Because “Better Call Saul” is set a few years before “Breaking Bad”, the makers were able to allow some other iconic character from that show to resume their roles. And we get an exciting ‘new’ one in the third season.
In the third season, Jimmy McGill has developed a lot from season one. But he is still not Saul Goodman as we know him so well from “Breaking Bad”. He is still trying to be a successful lawyer by trial and error. At the start of the season, Jimmy still shares a law firm in Albuquerque with Kim Wexler, who is also his girlfriend. In addition, tension between him and his brother Chuck is increasing, especially when it turns out that Chuck has incriminating evidence about Jimmy that could seriously ruin him.
Parallel to these storylines, we follow the story of Mike. At the end of the second season, Mike wanted to deal once and for all with the Mexican cartel boss Hector Salamanca who threatened him and his granddaughter. At the moment of truth however, he was stopped by a stranger. And it is the return of the iconic, brilliant fast-food magnate Gustavo Fring. Many fans, including myself, looked forward to his possible return. And finally, in the third season, one of the best villains in television history actually returns. The way Fring is introduced is brilliant and, despite virtually nothing happening in it, the scene in which he first appeared is a nail-biter.
The main focus of this season is the feud between the McGill brothers, which seems to be working towards a climax. I won’t spoil it for you, but the fifth episode is so incredibly good that you can let go of any doubts you’ve had about “Better Call Saul”. It’s the best episode of the season. Great acting by Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn and especially Michael McKean. McKean as Chuck turned out to be more of a villainous character in season 2, but is even given more layers in the third season. He is at the top of his game here.
The same goes for Odenkirk, who has given Jimmy so much depth in all three season. And Rhea Seehorn is also formidable, her character Kim Wexler functions as the moral compass of the series. Jonathan Banks and Giancarlo Esposito (Mike and Fring) only have smaller roles, but shine every moment they get.
As we already know from previous seasons and “Breaking Bad”, the camera work is beautiful. It’s so beautifully portrayed. And this combined with strong direction and a good screenplay, makes “Better Call Saul” in its third season again one of the best TV shows of the moment. It’s still not better than “Breaking Bad”, but often manages to come very close.
Some people mind the slow pace of the show, but I see it as the show’s strength. They take their time with the story, so that all the loose ends will be tied together in the end. And all the character’s choice and developments make sense.
The only downside of the show is that I believe Mike and Fring should have been given more screentime.
“Better Call Saul” is a series that can stand on its own, although you sometimes still make comparisons to “Breaking Bad”. I don’t think that will ever be different. But with a rock solid third season, it is as consistent as “Breaking Bad”. Again the season ends with a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to be dragged into the sunny and dark world of Albuquerque.
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