Season: 2
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2016
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorne, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Michael McKeen, Ed Begley Jr.
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: Looking back at last season’s ending, Jimmy’s in the courthouse parking garage. Inside are Kim Wexler and Howard Hamlin, who are waiting to introduce Jimmy to his upcoming new boss of the Santa Fe law firm Davis & Main. Jimmy meets senior partner Clifford Main and his two associates, but takes Kim aside. He asks her if anything would change between them if he takes the job. To which a surprised Kim reacts that one has nothing to do with the other. Jimmy accepts the answer and returns to the rest of the group, informing them he kindly declines the job offer. Later, Kim confronts Jimmy, now relaxing in a hotel pool, with his choice to miss the chance of his lifetime.
The first season of the “Breaking Bad” spin-off turned out to be a big success, which clearly showed that it good hold up the sky-high expectations everyone had about it. The second season picks up exactly where we were left off. “Better Call Saul” has a unique way of telling the story of Jimmy, from before he became the Saul Goodman we all know from “Breaking Bad” and even how he became who he is in “Better Call Saul”. It has a cautious pace, the storylines develop slowly, but the whole season is full of character and plot development. It’s a well-considered but also risky choice to stretch a season to ten episodes. However, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould once again created a great atmosphere in a real-life rhythm, with an amazing sense of detail.
In this season Jimmy and Kim, with whom he maintains a personal and professional relationship, are within reach of the top of their careers. Jimmy is about to sign a contract with law firm Davis & Main, and Kim works for HHM. Yet neither of them are convinced that this is the right destination at this stage of their lives. Meanwhile Mike becomes increasingly involved in the dangerous drug world, when he comes into conflict with Hector Salamanca. This last storyline is a great addition to “Better Call Saul” and I’m glad Mike is a big part of season 2 as well. That’s a strength of the series, every character has his or her share and always influences the storyline in one way or another.
Bob Odenkirk is the most important person in the series, but it’s mainly Rhea Seehorn who brings the most depth to this season. Jimmy and Kim are two different individuals, and even though they both don’t quite want to believe this yet, Kim is constantly at odds with her morals.
Chuck also has a big role in the second season. Where in the first season we saw Chuck mainly as Jimmy’s envious brother and particularly hating Jimmy’s shady methods, this season he has turned out to be somewhat of a villain. Chuck is not much to blame, but because of the cleverly written storylines you automatically have the most sympathy for Jimmy. Even if I’s Jimmy who is bending the rules and the real crook, while Chuck is the one doing things by the book. And for this reason you can see that both Michael McKean and Bob Odenkirk really shine in their roles. And it’s the brother’s feud that left us with a cliffhanger, that probably sets the direct tone for the third season.
