Well, It sure feels good to have the Breaking Bad universe back.
I actually was under the impression pro or to starting writing this review that I wouldn't be saying that at all and instead judging the show on its own merits from the start, but after tonight's extended series premiere, I experienced an overwhelming sense of nostalgia back to late September to Mid-October 2013, when I finally swallowed my dumb pride and checked out (and subsequently got addicted to) Breaking Bad. It did take a while to experience that feeling though- in the opening scene, we are treated to a black and white montage of a post-Breaking Bad Saul Goodman (known here as Jimmy McGill), stuck in a dead-end job at a Nebraska Cinnabon, rolling dough, spreading cinnamon powder and slathering said mixture with frosting before slicing it into several different buns for the masses to eat. However, after that, things quickly pick up: we skip to some years later in Albuquerque, where Saul, now a lawyer, practicing his speech to a tired and overheated courtroom where three nineteen-year-olds are being prosecuted for defiling a dead body and also performing sex acts on its severed head That may seem like an odd way for a network television series to start, but do remember what show it's attached to and all the graphic violence it got away with, and there you'll realize just why we've been needing another opportunity to escape to the Breaking Bad-verse again. In fact, it doesn't take long for our beloved Saul Goodman to return to form. He's his usually sassy and clever self, from calling out two twin skateboarding scam artists and attempting to blackmail him and his brother for damaging his car, to angrily bitching out a parking lot attendant, to even going back to said skateboarders and attempting to help them, the Saul-isms we know and love are here. Yet at the same time, Gilligan is able to achieve the drama he is known to master- in fact, Saul's characterization is where a lot of the drama falls into place, and the brief insight we get into his life- including living with his seemingly mentally ill brother
In terms of its technical aspects, Better Call Saul is certainly no slouch either. In fact, the show is visually stunning, as any show shot in New Mexico ought to be. The shots of the Albuquerque desert are as beautiful as ever, and the high-def look is absolutely eye-catching- the colours of the skate park that Jimmy visits near the beginning of the psiode pop out, and the show is as well scored as ever too. But in terms of suspense is where the how really nails it. The final 5 minutes where the Twins mentioned earlier attempt to blackmail an unsuspecting elderly Hispanic lady are intense enough, but your jaw is guaranteed to drop when you find out who she is connected to
To be honest, all my expectations were met, and I look forward to Monday nights if subsequent weeks keep this pattern up. Vince Gilligan doesn't need to make a first impression, as he has already done so, but this is a great first impression for Jimmy McGill and I cannot wait to spend more time in the Breaking Bad verse
I actually was under the impression pro or to starting writing this review that I wouldn't be saying that at all and instead judging the show on its own merits from the start, but after tonight's extended series premiere, I experienced an overwhelming sense of nostalgia back to late September to Mid-October 2013, when I finally swallowed my dumb pride and checked out (and subsequently got addicted to) Breaking Bad. It did take a while to experience that feeling though- in the opening scene, we are treated to a black and white montage of a post-Breaking Bad Saul Goodman (known here as Jimmy McGill), stuck in a dead-end job at a Nebraska Cinnabon, rolling dough, spreading cinnamon powder and slathering said mixture with frosting before slicing it into several different buns for the masses to eat. However, after that, things quickly pick up: we skip to some years later in Albuquerque, where Saul, now a lawyer, practicing his speech to a tired and overheated courtroom where three nineteen-year-olds are being prosecuted for defiling a dead body and also performing sex acts on its severed head That may seem like an odd way for a network television series to start, but do remember what show it's attached to and all the graphic violence it got away with, and there you'll realize just why we've been needing another opportunity to escape to the Breaking Bad-verse again. In fact, it doesn't take long for our beloved Saul Goodman to return to form. He's his usually sassy and clever self, from calling out two twin skateboarding scam artists and attempting to blackmail him and his brother for damaging his car, to angrily bitching out a parking lot attendant, to even going back to said skateboarders and attempting to help them, the Saul-isms we know and love are here. Yet at the same time, Gilligan is able to achieve the drama he is known to master- in fact, Saul's characterization is where a lot of the drama falls into place, and the brief insight we get into his life- including living with his seemingly mentally ill brother
In terms of its technical aspects, Better Call Saul is certainly no slouch either. In fact, the show is visually stunning, as any show shot in New Mexico ought to be. The shots of the Albuquerque desert are as beautiful as ever, and the high-def look is absolutely eye-catching- the colours of the skate park that Jimmy visits near the beginning of the psiode pop out, and the show is as well scored as ever too. But in terms of suspense is where the how really nails it. The final 5 minutes where the Twins mentioned earlier attempt to blackmail an unsuspecting elderly Hispanic lady are intense enough, but your jaw is guaranteed to drop when you find out who she is connected to
To be honest, all my expectations were met, and I look forward to Monday nights if subsequent weeks keep this pattern up. Vince Gilligan doesn't need to make a first impression, as he has already done so, but this is a great first impression for Jimmy McGill and I cannot wait to spend more time in the Breaking Bad verse