‘Breaking Bad’ spinoff ‘Better’ than original
Andrew Sandoval
Mesa Legend
It’s common practice now a days to get into a new TV show and then binge watch it until our eyes fall out of our heads. Yet even this type of obsessiveness is eclipsed by the amazingness and re-watch ability of Better Call Saul the best show on television ever, created. What Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould and their creative team have done with their follow up to the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad series is create an episodic tale of romance, character, maliciousness, suspense and intrigue all composed with so much artistic rhythm that it will deafen you, in the best possible way. The first episode of the new season dubbed “Switch” starts off similar to season one, where we get to take a look at the life of Saul now in the aftermath of Breaking Bad with a scene that translates to how trapped he truly is by his new identity and his old one.
Then the episode leaps off right where season one ended with good old slippin’ Jimmy making a comeback, leaving James McGill (Bob Odenkirk) the sleazy lawyer with the heart of gold in the dust, rolling out to the beat of smoke on the water. He begins by declining a job at a huge time law firm as well as finally letting the lady in his life know how he felt about her topping that all off with a relaxing dip in a hotel pool under someone else’s name. While Jimmy is gallivanting and enjoying the easy life under his false name his longtime friend and definite love interest Kim (Rhea Seehorn) is concerned with his rediscovered life style. They meet at the bar for some drinks to discuss the issue and by the end of the night they down a five hundred dollar bottle of Zafiro Añejo, through a con on the dime of a jerk banker.
On the other side of the spectrum, Mike (Jonathan Banks) our favorite handy man is also going through some changes as the man he was working for a pharmacy tech, “Daniel” starts to make a lot of waves and unwise decisions. Nacho (Michael Mando) the buyer and an antagonist from season one, notices Mike’s absence and takes advantage of the situation, managing to get Daniel’s address from his car registration. As slippin’ Jimmy was about to pounce on another fresh con this, he has a change of heart and packs up his game at the hotel pool. He then calls the offices of Davis & Main the big time law firm he blew off earlier.
A mixture of carefully crafted words and a cast of masterful actors coupled with an outstanding production team from the costumes to cinematography too soundtrack, this show is similar to its predecessor in that the quality from every single aspect is so high it’s like watching a movie. Film quality television is a trend any binge watcher can get behind. Make sure to catch Better Call Saul Mondays at 9 p.m. on AMC.
