Sticking the landing on a series is a rarity, and difficult enough as it is. Sticking the landing on TWO series is a major feat. Other writers and show runners should take note, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould are absolute masters.
The Breaking Bad ending is decent though I do think there was room for it to be better. Ending a series like BB and have it be satisfying is a feet in of it's self, so I don't think there's really much to criticize there, but the Better Call Saul ending is fantastic. Seeing Gould and Gilligan grow as writers as the years went on was a treat.
@@Revealingstorm. Explain how you think BB’s ending could be better? It wrapped up all loose ends and gave Walt simultaneously a comeuppance for the horrible things he did as well as a victory.
@@erikstrickland96 I guess it more comes down to the nazi gang not being as a interesting threat as gus. I also think it ending with him simply just showing up and killing of them instantly with that machine gun was a bit anticlimactic after how thrilling some of the struggles walt and Jesse had with Tuco and Gus. I almost kind of wish the last season had been more just walt vs Hank and Jesse but I feel that Gilligan learned from that as the final season BCS was more Saul vs himself more than anything.
The fact that the writers of this show were able to elevate Breaking Bad, one of the greatest shows of all time, to be even better in retrospect because of Better Call Saul, is a ridiculous achievement that we might not see again anytime soon.
Yeah. That's the main thing I always loved about BCS. That it manage to enrich it's source material instead diluting it like so many other sequels/prequels do.
One thing I loved about this show is that it understood patience. It understood that to make moments more impactful, it had to wait a couple of seasons. We had to wait a couple of seasons before Jimmy started wearing colorful suits and calling himself Saul but when he did it felt earned. We had to wait until the last season to see what would happen to Kim and it felt so much more impactful since we did. The Gene Takovic story has been building up since 2015. People have been wanting to see Walt and Jesse since 2015, and they made us wait until 2022 and it was perfect. Too many shows rush into things too quickly. I’m glad this one took it’s time.
Not to mention, at first, everyone was waiting for him to become Saul. But when it did happen, several people said, "Nevermind. Please give us back Jimmy."
Audiences these days are so impatient. I have to wonder if a show with the pacing of Better Call Saul that didn’t have the pre existing fanbase of Breaking Bad could survive. It really is like 2.5 seasons of setup and the big payoffs and explosive moments really only start happening in season 3. I saw people hating on the very first episode of House of the Dragon because “not enough happened.” It’s the first episode people! I really fear for the future of serialized TV with the way audience expectations are currently.
There are shows I like to binge and others I like to grow with, so to speak. BCS was one of those that I appreciate more because of the long journey that really started in 2008. Feels strange that there may never be another season in this universe.
Well said. I would also say that the storytelling by showing and not telling added to this idea, when we watched the actions unfold: the way Mike patiently did his work, the way the actions for the cons were laid out by Kim and Jimmy or the way Lalo laid his own plans against Gustavo.
@@tranquero They let the audience soak in the scenes where there's no dialogue. I could watch Mike paint a fence and be intrigued. The focus of so much character development really worked in its favor.
I tried getting into the series - but law stuff genuinely boggles my mind - it’s even part of my course and even then I find it complicated sometimes.. so I haven’t fully dedicated myself to it.. think I might tho - given all the hype
I was watching an interview with Vince and his initial idea was to make the show a 30 min comedy with different clients as the stories. He also said he's getting back into sci-fi which is cool
Rhea Seehorn better win her goddamn Emmy for this last season. She’s deserved it for being the MVP of TV’s most oddly underrated show for the last seven years. Now who wants Cinnabon?
@@veralynn8334 Yeah but I don’t think it got the same level of mass discussion in pop culture as BB. More like an even quieter accumulation of good will and reception over the years.
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul complement each other in a way we'll never see again. What the writers achieved with both shows cannot be put into words. Just incredible
The thing that impressed me the most is how this show adds a shit load of context to breaking bad. Walt truly was a big nobody. He ruined everything. Gus had the Salamancas under control, Mike was making bank. Walt comes in and just shits all over it because he cannot stand being number two. And it's all because of Jimmy. He's the kingmaker really.
I firmly believe the most emotionally powerful episode of the entire Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe is the one in season 1 where we learn about Mike's backstory with his son. Better Call Saul had an incredible way of building perfectly crafted backstories for characters who were - while not minor - side characters to the main ones in Breaking Bad. That is so rare to see nowadays in a prequel series.
I LOVE THAT EPISODE, I'm stil mad that Jonathan Banks didn't win the emmy. While Peter Dinklage got an emmy for growing a beard. Episodes Five-0 and Chicanery are stand outs, little movies that can be seen on their own. Amazing!
As a screen writing student, I would like to point out that Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are currently shows studied and analized during script writing classes for the entire vision of the shows start with the development of engaging characters, full of moral dylemas, emotional traumas and the hurt they bring unto themselves and those around them. Then the directors bring that vision to life leaving the last piece of the puzzle to the actors. What an amazing run! Thanks for the video but i think you didnt shout out the writers. That would have made your video perfect.
@@TheSundayShooter really? I thought they were pretty restrained. They didn’t have Jimmy fight Lalo in a fist fight or kill off Kim or anything extreme like Breaking Bad.
@BK MMA Hello there, thank you for taking a break from making videos to answer to my comment. I apologize for not being completely clear on what I have learned from my school classes have taught me using both shows. We (as a class), have learned both screen writing techniques and editing techniques from watching both shows. The biggest thing we focus on is story-telling. Is there any confusion still?
I love how in Breaking Bad, the scene of "IT WASN'T ME, IT WAS IGNACIO!" Scene is a comedy scene and Saul mentioned Lalo's name is so random. Meanwhile, in Better Call Saul, the scene is actually intense because we see in Saul's POV. Jimmy / Saul is still haunted of Lalo and still has no idea that he's dead for good even for many years. Also, the fact that Howard and Lalo are buried under Superlab and then in Breaking Bad, we see Walt and Jesse work at Superlab and then blow it up is so messed up. What if The Fly in The Fly Episode is telling Walt that there are 2 dead bodies under the lab? Or maybe it's the spirit of Lalo tried to disturb Walt while working at the lab?
I gotta give mad props to Michael Mando's Nacho. Everyone else was amazing but Nachos story got me the most invested and that ending was absolutely breathtaking.
The reason the last 4 episodes were more "nostalgic" and lent more on BB is because the last 4 episodes or so changed from being a prequel of Jimmy/Saul to a sequel of Gene. So the last few episodes had a big shift
I would also say that those episodes are "the ending" of a whole story that is Breaking Bad, El Camino and Better Call Saul. So it is the story getting really emotional towards its end.
Excellent point. The last 4 episodes were less about plot and more about character development and morality. Instead of BB serving as just another plot element for BCS, characters like Walt & Jesse acted as a reference point for Kim & Jimmy.
Also they properly included nostalgia here better than most because it’s literally only in the last few eps of the entire series and not prior. Most projects would shoehorn in nostalgia from the getgo to draw audience into the show for that juicy viewership spike, but not here. They confidently immersed us in Jimmy’s world complete with brand new stories and characters that had little to do with BB for most of the show and they succeded at it, only later could they do whatever they wanted with more BB tie-ins. The only blatant nostalgia that was present early in the show that I can think of was Tuco but even he had actual purpose in the story
I love that the writers for She-Hulk said that they had a hard time writing a MULTI EPISODE TRIAL in a show called SHE-HULK ATTORNEY AT LAW. When like Better Call Saul is right there. And Daredevil. Like....Literally right there.
The most nostalgia I felt was in the last episode with Saul asking everyone about the time machine. With Mike, it was comforting. With Walt, it made me hate Walt again. With Chuck, it was just sad as hell. Ive heard the whole Scrooge thing and thats amazing as well (with him visiting 3 ghosts)
I remember when this show was first announced as a Breaking Bad spin off. I was legitimately worried it would leave an ugly stain on the Breaking Bad story. Im sure I wasn't the only one that thought this. We all know how well spin off shows do 🥴. I have never been happier to be wrong. Sad its over but ecstatic they finished the Breaking Bad/El Camino/Better Call Saul story archs with a neat little bow. Now its time to binge the entire universe all over again.
@@codytrotman Writing in early Ozark Season 4 was embarrassingly bad. It did pick up by the end and I was satisfied with the very, very, very last scene. I'm glad I watched it.
One of the great things about Howard's character is that he remains pretty static throughout the show. However, our viewpoint on him changes as we learn things about his character. We find out that he actually liked and saw potential in Jimmy, however was forced to remain as Chuck's lackey due to their history. As a result, Jimmy hates him despite his attempts to compensate for it. He's a tragically written character that emphasizes perspective, which is one of the prominent themes the show builds on.
I agree in part but I think that he does grow as a character as the show goes on. At first he accepts being Chuck's lackey although he thinks it's wrong, but then he goes on to regret that and acts with more integrity. The big change is in season 5 where he becomes more of a hippie with the "namaste" license plate and tries to make amends with Jimmy. Like he literally tries to offer Jimmy a job because he wants to correct the mistake he made when he was younger.
@@Carlos-ln8fd Also true, but I also feel that these changes were more influenced by change in environment (e.g Chuck's death) rather than an actual change in character. I can see him hiring Jimmy if Chuck wasn't around before.
One of the most gut wrenching moments to me is when Cheryl tells Kim that Howard called her "a great lawyer". He probably should have told Kim that, but the fact that he praised her to his wife shows he really was on her side. He wasn't vindictive. Besides Flynn, probably the purest character in the BB universe.
I just realized something... The moment he removes Chuck's hand outta his ass and be independent is the moment that also got Chuck to commit suicide bcs he insist on Chuck retiring. Which lead to the struggles that he faced such as deppression, debt, failing marriage, and the eventual death. Tragic!
Best series I’ve ever seen. People calling parts of the last episodes “fan service” is just instinct. It was done with a purpose to serve the story and explain why things are the way they are. I can’t elaborate here, but I think it works well. Plus they’ve shown incredible restraint in that regard all throughout the show.
agreed with your 1st sentence, and the last 7 episodes seemed to me all a 10/10, that said, the cameos seemed to me A LITTLE fanservice (which is logical and not bad), especially the Jesse and Kim scene, the others I liked them.
The "fan service" was fine but not allowing his character to go full circle is stupid. Selfish criminal lawyer gives up everything for his ex who broke up with him... Lame af
@@Digger-Nickevery time he wanted to change everyone dispised him even his own brother except for Kim who believed in him. The only person that he would change for
No doubt they did a good job with characters that were still alive, but in the end they were still limited. All of the times “ya I know he’s not gonna die now” the real tension was with the characters not seen in breaking bad
Thanks to the excellent Kim Wexler, I will always think of Better Call Saul as essentially a love story… The Saulshank Redemption. And after ten years of good behavior beloved by his inmates and guards like Andy Dufresne, Jimmy was released as Covid spread unchecked in 2020 and is now enjoying Coronas on the beach with Kim in Zhihuatanejo.
Every character was perfectly cast. Ed Begely Jr didn’t get a lot of love as Clifford Main, but he was perfect in that role. He was so believable as a real lawyer, you wouldn’t even notice he was an actor doing a scene.
I rewatched seasons 1-5 again during the break in between season 6. My brother was watching the show for the first time so I watched it with him. I have to say, seasons 1 & 2 are wayyy better on the rewatch. I actually like them more than season 3, which had “Chicanery” in it. The show really takes it’s time with the law drama and I love the drama between Jimmy and Chuck.
I agree, I saw the series 4 times, with each time I liked it much more and it seemed so much better. Seasons 1 & 2 may just be my 2 favorites haha, but I think all 1-5 are at the same level, I don't like the 6th THAT much yet but I only saw it once so the comparison is not fair, maybe when I rewatch it I'll like it more
@@veralynn8334 Well, you really aren’t in position to judge a newbie’s preference or experience. You can speculate how it feels like how I’m speculating but you can’t definitively say it’s better for someone to start with BB. You will never know what it’s like to watch BCS before BB. Your perspective will always be biased towards BB first.
Might be my favourite TV show of all time, the cinematography and writing were just at another level in basically every episode. The characters especially were just amazing, there's also not many TV shows if any where I can confidently say I love every single character.
Curiously, my only small complaint in terms of characters is Kim in season 6, she's my fav character of all time, but i don't like it that much the plan vs Howard, maybe IMO if it was a bit exaggerated that she has become SO evil, although well the love I have for her maybe weighs and I'm seeing it with wrong perspective
@@veralynn8334 I think that was perfect, honestly I didn't enjoy watching it happen, no one did because we'd grown so attached to her over the course of the show but you're supposed to resent Jimmy and Kim for what they did to Howard because it was horrible. I wouldn't go as far as to call Kim evil but she very clearly always had some terrible parts of herself that she tried to repress, not serial killer type stuff but still some bad motives. It was hinted at and built up through the previous seasons but we only see her fully embrace it in Season 6. Her and Jimmy both had problems like that and they enabled each other to act on them which was the whole reason they broke up in towards the end.
@@veralynn8334 the character development for Kim made no sense and there were no flashbacks in the first five seasons to hint she had an upbringing of doing cons with her mother. It was clearly thought of late in the series
@@billyobfas6962 Even though there weren't many childhood flashbacks of conning, she took an active part in jimmy's scams from as early as season 2. With every season the scams built up like a crescendo until it exploded on her. The writers may have thought of the season 6 arc late in the show, but it was in no way inorganically built up. Made perfect sense to me.
The brilliant level of writing to know that everyone is waiting for Jimmy McGill to become Saul Goodman, and then when it finally happens, how unrewarding and depressing it feels. The way they made the funny sleezy lawyer guy just a suit of armor for a man who doesn’t know how to process his trauma is just incredible. I love this show so much.
I remember this interview with the creators where they said that, when they started the show, they thought Saul was "a fun guy" but as they kept writing and thinking about it they realized how horrible he was.
@@Carlos-ln8fd it’s kinda genius. Cause he’s funny and pathetic and basically a sociopath in breaking bad…but like if you think about it how does somebody get to that point?
One of the ingenius things about Better Call Saul is how the opening credits become more and more deteriorated as Jimmy McGill becomes Saul Goodman and later Gene Takovic. The artistry and attention to detail is really something. Really it's a testament to the power of a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.
The last four episodes (I believe) were done to give us finality, conclusion and a sense of redemption for a lot of these broken/complex characters. It was dark, heartbreaking and yet somehow, optimistic. What a show. PS: Rhea Seehorn more than deserves an Emmy. Holy hell what a performance.
im still thinking about the finale. so so good. i'm considering it could be the single greatest TV show of all time. the way that the first season was so comedic and how the tone of the show changed slowly as it when on just shows how terrific the writing is for the entire thing.
What I thought about the whole time while watching most of the series was something Peter Gould said early on in the show, "Once it's over, you'll look at Breaking Bad differently" and the whole time I was wondering what that could be. Perhaps Kim is behind the scenes pulling Saul's strings the whole time? Before Lalo has a part to play? Maybe something with the superlab? But I think it was satisfying to conclude that in reality, the different perspective was this: Saul was behind it all. Every single aspect? No, of course not. But he was right in saying without Saul Goodman, there was no Walter White. Saul made him, whether Walt wants to admit that or not.
Better call Saul definitely had a slower start but at the halfway point of season 2 when Jimmy and chuck are just at each other’s throats it is so much fun to watch and then it starts getting even deeper into the cartel side with Gus and mike and then the throttle just keeps going while still giving a great story for Saul and the civilian side of things alongside the cartel stuff. Great show
The moment when Jimmy gets his bar status back and reveals to Kim that he was not genuine in his hearing was heartbreaking. He had become so good at conning that he fooled his con partner. Also, I loved how much they conned together. It was hilarious and I loved the detection of risk taking and cleverness. But Kim recognized it as a bad path and left, which is the right move. But it still somehow made me sad. What an excellent show.
I had to do a 4 minute presentation on a topic of my choice to colleagues at work. I chose Better Call Saul, cited all of / most of the reasons mentioned here. It is a modern masterpiece, and the epitome of prequel storytelling done extremely well.
Love your reviews Jeremiah Jahn-son. You never ruin the plot while still articulating why a show or movie is worth watching. So many UA-cam reviewers simply provide a synopsis.
The best thing Better Call Saul does (besides being a masterclass drama, arguably one of if not the best) is how it recontextualizes Breaking Bad. Also really puts into perspective how Walter White shows up and just obliterates everything.
Your explanation about Howard is so good, I felt the exact same way. They make you think he is an antagonist at the start, but soon you learn why he was acting so rudely and feel for him a bit more. Once Jimmy really starts going at him, you genuinely feel bad, it's an amazing dynamic to "frustrate" the audience, something I feel Breaking Bad did often, while Saul spends a lot of time investing you in the cast so that when the truly dramatic events happen you feel extremely shocked and invested. Such a great series, it starts off slow for sure, but the pacing is very deliberate, so if you adapt to that pace it's a really great binge.
I absolutely love how that show came back full circle and Chuck even though he hated jimmy he was absolutely right. He should have never been a lawyer... Some of the greatest characters in TV history imo. From Mike to nacho, Kim and Saul killed it. Sad day it's over. Actually Just started watching it from the beginning again this week...
'end of an era' .. until Vince comes up with a story for Holly White (in canon she's currently 13 its mental realising that) or he could go back and do a cop movie showing Mike's cop career, or even gus going from Chile to America. I recall they cast a younger actor for Giancarlo in the boys they can use him.
Spoiler Alert: All 3 main characters across this universe got different endings that they deserved. Walt died tying up all loose ends, Jesse got away from the lifestyle that ruined his, and Jimmy payed for what he did but redeemed himself. Everything about this universe is perfect.
@@billyobfas6962 Kim had to move to Florida to escape the trauma of (inadvertantly) murdering Howard. She ended up confessing everything to Howard's wife and the judicial side of things. She was voluntarily giving herself up to the law, because she felt she deserved whatever befell her. It's also likely that Howard's wife will destroy her in civil court. I think her willingness to go by the book redeems her and shows true repentance for what she did to Howard. It's not all bad though, the spark seems to have been reignited in her and Jimmy's relationship.
Death was Walt’s most deserved outcome part of it is because of his struggle with cancer. It would get to him soon enough but his own doings led to his getting it much early
Kim confessed and will be facing the consequences, and her confession inspired Jimmy to do the right thing too. In the end, both of them made the moral choice which is so refreshing even though it's bittersweet. I absolutely love the ending and the characters.
One of my biggest takeaways from this show was Finger himself, Mike. In BB I was just fine with the character, he’s an elderly badass and he doesn’t take shit from anyone. Here he was given so much attention and we get to see more of what makes him tick. The first few seasons did such a great job at making me sympathize with him prior to meeting Gus, from his Matty story to the way they show him care for Kaylee. Then after Gus we still get gems like Werner’s final moments with him which is in my top 10 moments of the show period. In hindsight, it makes me hate Walter even more for killing him off
The thing I love about Better Call Saul that I love about all great prequels is that the journey to the story you already know is so tragic that you feel gut wrenched once you get to the story you’re familiar with. Like we all started watching this show for Saul not Jimmy, but by the time he fully became Breaking Bad Saul, it was a devastating emotional journey and you wish that he was still living his life doing simple cons as Jimmy. Saul’s entire character in Breaking Bad is re-contextualized from comic relief to someone who is a shell of his former self and lost his heart along the way.
Vince Gilligan can really write a series where the characters are interesting and the story is riveting. I know many didn't like "El Camino" but I thought it was a great epilogue to the "Breaking Bad" series. I admit as a stand alone movie it didn't work though.
Unfortunately the original ending for El Camino would uave been better. That's what this show got instead. Jesse was supposed to end up in prison and have internal peace with his outcome of justice. Everything after Breaking Bad s4 starts tipping downhill. like season 5 is still amazing and has great moments, but even then it starts to dip a little. Season 3 and/or 4, that's the best Breaking Bad period of all time. still better than everything else on tv. But making Jesse roam free was a cowards answer. Literally Vince's original ending was prison/happiness, but the other writers told him to change it because they thought the ending wasn't cuddly enough.
@@spiritwolf448 He wouldn't be suffering, he'd be at peace. It would be him confronting his fate and finding spiritual fulfillment in that. He would realize that Walter and Saul tried so hard to escape their fates. But to be at home and at rest with justice would be a burden Jesse was responsible enough to bare.
Jesse had find the light of his life when he meets Andrea and even bonding with Brock. Also, the fact that he saw Brock's brother selling drugs in young age and think is not cool for kids selling drugs really show that there are some redemption in his character. Even he's very sad when Walt tried to poison Brock through a flower when he thought it was from Ricin. Then, Andrea died and his life is never be the same again. Such a shame because Andrea is the nicest female character in BB along with Gretchen until she and Elliot "backstab" Walt.
dont forget, the IMAGERY and Camera work are AMAZING. Some of the scenes in this series were so well shot. just little things, like walking in the desert or a montage, the art and MUSIC. the music was so amazing just like breaking bad. Vince Gilligan and his team are genius. I loved this show in every way
would LOVE to see a spoiler video for this for those of us that have watched BCS, but I appreciate this take too! I wish more Breaking Bad fans would give BCS a chance, it seriously holds up and changes the lens you see Breaking Bad through.
Mad respect to Vince and Peter for giving Steven Bauer and Mark Margolis (Scarface alumni) some new iconic roles. As well as bringing Tony Dalton to an English-speaking audience. Truly amazing work.
I think the age of the actors being out of order worked as well as it did because they cast Kim Wexler, a character who is ambiguously in their 30's - as Rhea Seehorn, an actor who is in her 50's. She and Odenkirk are not that far apart in age, creating a kind of consistency in the suspension of disbelief. Rhea is also a brilliant actor.
Too be fair, everyone in BCS look older than their characters age supposed to be eventhough it's a prequel to BB like Mike, Gus and even Saul himself. Even in flashback of younger Jimmy, they just give Bob Odenkirk a wig to make sure that is young Jimmy instead of finding an actor who resemble younger Bob Odenkirk or maybe deepfake his face.
Your explanation of how you wanted to see him do lawyer stuff right away and it being a slow burn is how I felt watching it when it first aired, but never continued. Gonna have to do a binge run through sometime soon
Thanks for making this review Jeremy! Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan are absolutely GOATed for deciding that they’re done with the BB universe for the foreseeable future. They clearly understand so well the notion that you should only tell stories worth telling, and this show once again proved that from the very first episode, to the last.
Spoiler: The switch that Chuck is the really bad one and Howard actually likes Jimmy is a great aspect off Howard character and show. Such a tragic ending for him :( he really was a good guy
I still need to watch this (and I will) but it’s incredible that Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul both got critical acclaim. Vince Gilligan is really a master at creating TV dramas.
@@rpandya97 No he gave us a show set in the same universe as Breaking Bad. He's not as good at Vince, and told one or 2 good stories at the cost of several good stories.
The word masterpiece is so over used right now, people call masterpiece to everything right away. But this time, no other word can describe this series, and it's not an exaggeration to say that BCS ending is an end of a TV era. It''s gonna be a long time for another universe to have two series with this level of quality. Better Call Saul, just like Breaking Bad, is a masterpiece.
To me, the finale made me feel like BB was a show about ‘Mr. Chip becoming Scarface’, aka Walter White becoming Heisenberg, but BCS was a show about Saul Goodman becoming Jimmy McGill
I’m of two minds on the finale. From a storytelling perspective, I love it. Jimmy owning up to his misdeeds, winning back Kim’s respect, and finally proving his brother wrong when he said Jimmy couldn’t change is a perfect character arc. On an emotional level, I can’t help but compare it unfavorably to the endings of Breaking Bad and especially El Camino. Those endings were just more satisfying to me. I was kind of hoping Jimmy would get away in the end. Ideally, I would have liked if he had taken the 7 years, gotten out, and then had a final smoke with Kim like in the actual ending. It would have had the same effect as the real ending but with Jimmy being able to put his personal growth to good use outside of prison. Still one of the best TV dramas ever made though.
I thought it was a very good decision to have him end up in prison. Jimmy fully accepted what he’s done and he’s prepared to spend the rest of his life there.
I watched Better Call Saul first, until the last 4 episodes of season 6, and BCS blew me away, then going to breaking bad, breaking bad blew me away even more, then the last 4 episodes I watched literally tonight and as a whole the BB Universe just ties up so satisfyingly for the characters and just the whole 2 shows. Best month and a bit of binge watching I'll probably ever have, these two shows are just next level.
I love it when a sequel or prequel can be good to watch despite whether or not if you have seen the original. It makes the experience better if you haven't seen it, but you can still love it and have a good time even if you have. That's a great balance to maintain.
While the writing (deservedly) gets the lion's share of the attention for this show, I have to say the cinematography is perhaps the most impressive aspect of BCS. Creative camera work, perfect framing, unorthodox visual choices, and turning what would otherwise be, under the direction of most TV producers, bland and static shots of mostly dull environments and benign situations is just absolutely incredible. Bringing beauty to the ordinary is truly extraordinary.
It’s incredible to me that the Breaking Bad team can create what is known as one of the best tv shows ever created and then immediately make another one that rivals it.
to be fair, better call saul wasn't immediately that good, it needed the first season to get things rolling just like breaking bad did, but in general you're right it is extremely impressive
@@randomt800kiddo2 oh trust me the show didn’t grow on me until really the third season. I’m just saying it’s crazy how the team went from Breaking Bad straight into Better Call Saul. Like the only year from 2008 to 2022 without Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul content was 2014. The consistency from them is crazy.
It's a rare W for social media in that the ending for BCS was never spoiled for me, so long as I didn't go out of my way looking for it. And then I made the fatal flaw of talking about BCS with my mother *before* I had delved into the final season, and she spills the beans on what happens to Kim. This is why I'm never inviting her to Pub Quiz, lest she say the answer out loud and we get thrown out 🙃
I LOVE all of the visual storytelling and metaphors throughout the whole show. Also some of the scenes towards the end of the series that were kinda sprinkled in added more complexity to the characters and their motives.
I think so many franchises in entertainment have made nostalgia and fan service such a crutch to lean on when their story-telling isn't fulfilling that it's painted them as a bad thing - when in reality, when executed well - can be good. Star Wars, Marvel, Jurassic World, etc. have done this so poorly that we just can't help but to roll our eyes at it now. They threw in some random call-back in the form of a long-dead character, musical score, or reused footage from earlier films without adding any real substance. And it's been done so poorly that when a piece of entertainment does it fairly well, it already carries a negative connotation. Better Call Saul, I'd argue, did fan service as well as it could have without relying on it to carry the show and telling you "See? See? We're adding this character here just cause". {{{SPOILER}}} The scenes with Kim and Jesse or Jimmy and Walt served a purpose and gave some pre-existing characters' decisions and dialogue more weight to them.
And the Kim and Jesse scene is impactful because both are the second most important characters of their respective stories. Kim’s story is just about done and is suffering the guilt and consequences of what happened, while Jesse’s story of tragedy hasn’t even begun yet. It’s a nice passing of the torch of sorts.
I was actually amazed by how this show was able to make a courtroom scene (“Chicanery” episode) as compelling as Walter White fighting for his life. The stakes in this show were much lower than Breaking Bad’s but there was just as much tension.
I originally thought this show was unnecessary and I couldn’t be more wrong by the time the finale aired. I’m happy I got to watch this in real time. It was amazing and the finale was arguably better than Breaking Bad’s because it added more depth and emotion to the characters. Absolutely astonishing series!
If Jeremy likes this show to this extent, it looks like I'll have to start watching Breaking Bad Edit: thanks for the suggestions y'all, now I'm more excited to start the shows :)
Do Better Call Saul first and watch up to 6x9. Then watch all of Breaking Bad, then watch El Camino, and the finish season 6 of Better Call Saul episodes 10-13
@@nunka34ify no no no, a lot of BCS does not work without watching breaking. He would not understand any of the black and white scenes that is a terrible way to watch!
What are your top ten shows? For me it’s 1. The wire 2. Game of thrones 3. Mr robot 4. Dark 5. The boys 6. Breaking bad 7. Succession 8. Stranger things 9. Sopranos 10. Better call Saul/mad men
Seasons 4-5 were my favorite in the first watch, but in my rewatch I’ve enjoyed seasons 1-3 SO MUCH more than I did the first time. It’s my favorite show, and definitely Top 3 show ever made.
*I’ve been watching the series* “Snowfall” and it amazes me how fanbases of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul understand these characters are awful - but the fan bases of Snowfall believe everything is justified (including R*pe) even tho the writers go out of their way to show that these characters are evil.
Season 1 & 2 were one in the same they should have picked one or the other. Season 3-6 you get the breaking bad experience and I loved it! Sad it’s over. I wish it never ended
Some people say Jimmy redeemed himself at the end, but did he really? he admitted to the things he did, but did he actually do anything to right his wrongs?
I think at least to me he's on the path to redemption because I love Jimmy he's one of my favorite characters of all time but he did so much bad even though he has a good heart and I think by him doing this he starts his path to redemption and it's his actions going forward that will decide if he gets it or not and I think that's totally up for interpretation that's one of the beautiful things about the show
Been trying to get my parents (in their 70s) to watch Breaking Bad for YEARS. They finally broke last month, binged the entire show in weeks. My mother even called off work to stay home and watch. El Camino is today, and then they get to start BCS. Those incredibly lucky bastards. I’d give anything to see these again for the first time.
The Breaking Bad universe is the single greatest series in TV or film history. 11 total seasons, over 100 hours of content. All top notch, well acted, well written, tense, humor perfectly placed. And somehow managed to make a prequel just as nail biting as the original. You can go through history of all television and movies and you won't find any series that lasted this long and was that consistently great that was better than this one. Vince Gilligan is the GOAT.
Funny enough that the actual recast they did of Jeff did get a bit of backlash, even though there wasn't much they could do about it. I could only imagine the response had they decided to recast the parts. In the end it was the most satisfied I've ever been with a series. Solid from beginning to end.
I am looking forward to this final season to come to Netflix. This show and Breaking Bad really have been some of the all-time best shows I have ever watched on TV. I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to be an actor on these shows. What a great opportunity for actors.
Sticking the landing on a series is a rarity, and difficult enough as it is. Sticking the landing on TWO series is a major feat. Other writers and show runners should take note, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould are absolute masters.
The Breaking Bad ending is decent though I do think there was room for it to be better. Ending a series like BB and have it be satisfying is a feet in of it's self, so I don't think there's really much to criticize there, but the Better Call Saul ending is fantastic. Seeing Gould and Gilligan grow as writers as the years went on was a treat.
Bravo Vince
@@Revealingstorm. Explain how you think BB’s ending could be better? It wrapped up all loose ends and gave Walt simultaneously a comeuppance for the horrible things he did as well as a victory.
AND sticking the landing on a MOVIE is an even major feat, yes I love el Camino, whoever doesn’t doesn’t understand what the movie even is😐
@@erikstrickland96 I guess it more comes down to the nazi gang not being as a interesting threat as gus. I also think it ending with him simply just showing up and killing of them instantly with that machine gun was a bit anticlimactic after how thrilling some of the struggles walt and Jesse had with Tuco and Gus. I almost kind of wish the last season had been more just walt vs Hank and Jesse but I feel that Gilligan learned from that as the final season BCS was more Saul vs himself more than anything.
The fact that the writers of this show were able to elevate Breaking Bad, one of the greatest shows of all time, to be even better in retrospect because of Better Call Saul, is a ridiculous achievement that we might not see again anytime soon.
Sons of anarchy did with Mayans mc , until fx stupidity fired Kurt sitter. So it will obviously not stick the landing like bcs/ bb now.
Yeah. That's the main thing I always loved about BCS. That it manage to enrich it's source material instead diluting it like so many other sequels/prequels do.
Red Dead Redemption 2
@@robertlawrence4719 please never ever compare those shows to BB/ BCS again💀
@@DenseEpiphany they are all great shows. They are all different and I like that .
One thing I loved about this show is that it understood patience. It understood that to make moments more impactful, it had to wait a couple of seasons. We had to wait a couple of seasons before Jimmy started wearing colorful suits and calling himself Saul but when he did it felt earned. We had to wait until the last season to see what would happen to Kim and it felt so much more impactful since we did. The Gene Takovic story has been building up since 2015. People have been wanting to see Walt and Jesse since 2015, and they made us wait until 2022 and it was perfect. Too many shows rush into things too quickly. I’m glad this one took it’s time.
Not to mention, at first, everyone was waiting for him to become Saul. But when it did happen, several people said, "Nevermind. Please give us back Jimmy."
Audiences these days are so impatient. I have to wonder if a show with the pacing of Better Call Saul that didn’t have the pre existing fanbase of Breaking Bad could survive. It really is like 2.5 seasons of setup and the big payoffs and explosive moments really only start happening in season 3. I saw people hating on the very first episode of House of the Dragon because “not enough happened.” It’s the first episode people! I really fear for the future of serialized TV with the way audience expectations are currently.
There are shows I like to binge and others I like to grow with, so to speak. BCS was one of those that I appreciate more because of the long journey that really started in 2008. Feels strange that there may never be another season in this universe.
Well said. I would also say that the storytelling by showing and not telling added to this idea, when we watched the actions unfold: the way Mike patiently did his work, the way the actions for the cons were laid out by Kim and Jimmy or the way Lalo laid his own plans against Gustavo.
@@tranquero They let the audience soak in the scenes where there's no dialogue. I could watch Mike paint a fence and be intrigued. The focus of so much character development really worked in its favor.
They managed to turn a mostly comic relief side player into one of the most complex TV characters of all time.
Jimmy is probably the most layered and complex character in the entire Breaking Bad universe.
the only TV characters better than Saul are Elliot alderson, bojack, Don draper and Tony soprano but he washes everyone else
I tried getting into the series - but law stuff genuinely boggles my mind - it’s even part of my course and even then I find it complicated sometimes.. so I haven’t fully dedicated myself to it.. think I might tho - given all the hype
I was watching an interview with Vince and his initial idea was to make the show a 30 min comedy with different clients as the stories. He also said he's getting back into sci-fi which is cool
@@firstlast9846 Won't try to hype it up to much, but I'll say it's not just some boring legal drama. The legal stuff does have relevance to the plot.
Rhea Seehorn better win her goddamn Emmy for this last season. She’s deserved it for being the MVP of TV’s most oddly underrated show for the last seven years. Now who wants Cinnabon?
underrated? it's my fav show but i dont think it's underrated
@@veralynn8334 Yeah but I don’t think it got the same level of mass discussion in pop culture as BB. More like an even quieter accumulation of good will and reception over the years.
Her breaking down in the bus was her ace in the hole, great stuff. Wish her luck at the emmys
Yep
@@benwasserman8223 I think TV has just changed alot since then. The things that get popular now are VERY different
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul complement each other in a way we'll never see again. What the writers achieved with both shows cannot be put into words. Just incredible
What are the odds of both shows being awesome?
@@billyobfas6962 that's the point, and that's why we'll never see something like this ever again
The thing that impressed me the most is how this show adds a shit load of context to breaking bad. Walt truly was a big nobody. He ruined everything. Gus had the Salamancas under control, Mike was making bank. Walt comes in and just shits all over it because he cannot stand being number two. And it's all because of Jimmy. He's the kingmaker really.
I firmly believe the most emotionally powerful episode of the entire Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe is the one in season 1 where we learn about Mike's backstory with his son. Better Call Saul had an incredible way of building perfectly crafted backstories for characters who were - while not minor - side characters to the main ones in Breaking Bad. That is so rare to see nowadays in a prequel series.
Jesus, what a performance
I LOVE THAT EPISODE, I'm stil mad that Jonathan Banks didn't win the emmy. While Peter Dinklage got an emmy for growing a beard.
Episodes Five-0 and Chicanery are stand outs, little movies that can be seen on their own. Amazing!
Five-o is definitely on my top 5 favourite BCS episode. The last monologue from Mike is one of the best scene in any tv show ever
As a screen writing student, I would like to point out that Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are currently shows studied and analized during script writing classes for the entire vision of the shows start with the development of engaging characters, full of moral dylemas, emotional traumas and the hurt they bring unto themselves and those around them. Then the directors bring that vision to life leaving the last piece of the puzzle to the actors. What an amazing run! Thanks for the video but i think you didnt shout out the writers. That would have made your video perfect.
The writers jumped the shark in Season 6A
@@TheSundayShooter jumped high
@@TheSundayShooter really? I thought they were pretty restrained. They didn’t have Jimmy fight Lalo in a fist fight or kill off Kim or anything extreme like Breaking Bad.
@BK MMA Hello there, thank you for taking a break from making videos to answer to my comment. I apologize for not being completely clear on what I have learned from my school classes have taught me using both shows. We (as a class), have learned both screen writing techniques and editing techniques from watching both shows. The biggest thing we focus on is story-telling. Is there any confusion still?
I love how in Breaking Bad, the scene of "IT WASN'T ME, IT WAS IGNACIO!" Scene is a comedy scene and Saul mentioned Lalo's name is so random.
Meanwhile, in Better Call Saul, the scene is actually intense because we see in Saul's POV.
Jimmy / Saul is still haunted of Lalo and still has no idea that he's dead for good even for many years.
Also, the fact that Howard and Lalo are buried under Superlab and then in Breaking Bad, we see Walt and Jesse work at Superlab and then blow it up is so messed up. What if The Fly in The Fly Episode is telling Walt that there are 2 dead bodies under the lab? Or maybe it's the spirit of Lalo tried to disturb Walt while working at the lab?
How was that a comedy scene? In breaking bad that was not a comedy scene…
@@Roadruuner Probably through Saul's reaction especially he randomly speaks Broken Spanish and Jesse said: "Shut up, we speak English!"
I gotta give mad props to Michael Mando's Nacho.
Everyone else was amazing but Nachos story got me the most invested and that ending was absolutely breathtaking.
Hard to believe that the show was so good that Nacho’s story, the b, c, or even d plot,, could have had its own show and been a damn good one.
I yelled at the screen when that gun went off. I no-shit-yelled, “NO!”
Jeremy, I speak for everyone when I say we’d love a spoiler filled discussion about the series
Truth
The reason the last 4 episodes were more "nostalgic" and lent more on BB is because the last 4 episodes or so changed from being a prequel of Jimmy/Saul to a sequel of Gene. So the last few episodes had a big shift
I would also say that those episodes are "the ending" of a whole story that is Breaking Bad, El Camino and Better Call Saul. So it is the story getting really emotional towards its end.
It was a sequel to breaking bad, showing events after walter’s demise with a new open mind for sauls personal life
Excellent point. The last 4 episodes were less about plot and more about character development and morality. Instead of BB serving as just another plot element for BCS, characters like Walt & Jesse acted as a reference point for Kim & Jimmy.
Also they properly included nostalgia here better than most because it’s literally only in the last few eps of the entire series and not prior. Most projects would shoehorn in nostalgia from the getgo to draw audience into the show for that juicy viewership spike, but not here. They confidently immersed us in Jimmy’s world complete with brand new stories and characters that had little to do with BB for most of the show and they succeded at it, only later could they do whatever they wanted with more BB tie-ins. The only blatant nostalgia that was present early in the show that I can think of was Tuco but even he had actual purpose in the story
While it had its fair share of nostalgia, I think all of those moments served important purposes to the main story.
I love that the writers for She-Hulk said that they had a hard time writing a MULTI EPISODE TRIAL in a show called SHE-HULK ATTORNEY AT LAW.
When like Better Call Saul is right there. And Daredevil. Like....Literally right there.
To be fair, She-Hulk is a courtroom comedy. Daredevil and Better Call Saul were partly courtroom dramas.
Now I want Saul Goodman vs Matt Murdock in a court room.
Bad idea releasing She-Hulk straight after BCS finished, highlights even more how bad it is
@@DuelaDent52 To be fair, She-Hulk's writers are incompetent
@@mjwgames9812 Easy Saul W
The most nostalgia I felt was in the last episode with Saul asking everyone about the time machine. With Mike, it was comforting. With Walt, it made me hate Walt again. With Chuck, it was just sad as hell. Ive heard the whole Scrooge thing and thats amazing as well (with him visiting 3 ghosts)
That's a great way to put it honestly, havent looked at it that way.
May I ask why it made you "hate" Walt? Is it wrong for him to resent the people that did him wrong?
@@sideskroll no, it was his tone and manner of talking to jimmy before he even mentioned those two
I remember when this show was first announced as a Breaking Bad spin off. I was legitimately worried it would leave an ugly stain on the Breaking Bad story. Im sure I wasn't the only one that thought this. We all know how well spin off shows do 🥴. I have never been happier to be wrong. Sad its over but ecstatic they finished the Breaking Bad/El Camino/Better Call Saul story archs with a neat little bow. Now its time to binge the entire universe all over again.
I’ll miss the universe a lot, but I hope they never touch it again. It’s perfect as it is.
Two of my favorite shows were Ozark and Better Call Saul. One of them severely disappointed while the other one left me emotionally satisfied.
I couldn't agree more. Ozark shit the bed in the end sadly.
Ozarks biggest problem was Wendy and dumb ass characters doing stupid shit but being portrayed as smart and cool.
I was so disappointed with Ozark. Idk how they did it
Agreed. Loved Ozark, but the ending left me so confused. Felt like a cliffhanger rather than a resolution.
@@codytrotman Writing in early Ozark Season 4 was embarrassingly bad. It did pick up by the end and I was satisfied with the very, very, very last scene. I'm glad I watched it.
One of the great things about Howard's character is that he remains pretty static throughout the show. However, our viewpoint on him changes as we learn things about his character. We find out that he actually liked and saw potential in Jimmy, however was forced to remain as Chuck's lackey due to their history. As a result, Jimmy hates him despite his attempts to compensate for it. He's a tragically written character that emphasizes perspective, which is one of the prominent themes the show builds on.
I agree in part but I think that he does grow as a character as the show goes on. At first he accepts being Chuck's lackey although he thinks it's wrong, but then he goes on to regret that and acts with more integrity. The big change is in season 5 where he becomes more of a hippie with the "namaste" license plate and tries to make amends with Jimmy. Like he literally tries to offer Jimmy a job because he wants to correct the mistake he made when he was younger.
@@Carlos-ln8fd Also true, but I also feel that these changes were more influenced by change in environment (e.g Chuck's death) rather than an actual change in character. I can see him hiring Jimmy if Chuck wasn't around before.
One of the most gut wrenching moments to me is when Cheryl tells Kim that Howard called her "a great lawyer".
He probably should have told Kim that, but the fact that he praised her to his wife shows he really was on her side. He wasn't vindictive.
Besides Flynn, probably the purest character in the BB universe.
I just realized something... The moment he removes Chuck's hand outta his ass and be independent is the moment that also got Chuck to commit suicide bcs he insist on Chuck retiring. Which lead to the struggles that he faced such as deppression, debt, failing marriage, and the eventual death. Tragic!
Best series I’ve ever seen. People calling parts of the last episodes “fan service” is just instinct. It was done with a purpose to serve the story and explain why things are the way they are. I can’t elaborate here, but I think it works well. Plus they’ve shown incredible restraint in that regard all throughout the show.
agreed with your 1st sentence, and the last 7 episodes seemed to me all a 10/10, that said, the cameos seemed to me A LITTLE fanservice (which is logical and not bad), especially the Jesse and Kim scene, the others I liked them.
The "fan service" was fine but not allowing his character to go full circle is stupid. Selfish criminal lawyer gives up everything for his ex who broke up with him...
Lame af
@@Digger-Nick I think BCS might be a little too advanced for your peanut brain.
@@Digger-Nickevery time he wanted to change everyone dispised him even his own brother except for Kim who believed in him.
The only person that he would change for
@@Digger-Nick Fitting words to come out of a huge ass.
I’d love to hear a no holds bar spoiler talk about your favorite moments in the show man. I think this show deserves it.
agreed
They managed to put so much tension into scenes involving characters that we know live into Breaking Bad. Just beautiful writing
No doubt they did a good job with characters that were still alive, but in the end they were still limited. All of the times “ya I know he’s not gonna die now” the real tension was with the characters not seen in breaking bad
Point and shoot was almost horror for having só much tension.
Thanks to the excellent Kim Wexler, I will always think of Better Call Saul as essentially a love story…
The Saulshank Redemption.
And after ten years of good behavior beloved by his inmates and guards like Andy Dufresne, Jimmy was released as Covid spread unchecked in 2020 and is now enjoying Coronas on the beach with Kim in Zhihuatanejo.
I like this head canon!
Every character was perfectly cast. Ed Begely Jr didn’t get a lot of love as Clifford Main, but he was perfect in that role. He was so believable as a real lawyer, you wouldn’t even notice he was an actor doing a scene.
I’ve worked with guys that talk and look exactly like him, he nailed that role.
I rewatched seasons 1-5 again during the break in between season 6. My brother was watching the show for the first time so I watched it with him. I have to say, seasons 1 & 2 are wayyy better on the rewatch. I actually like them more than season 3, which had “Chicanery” in it. The show really takes it’s time with the law drama and I love the drama between Jimmy and Chuck.
I agree, I saw the series 4 times, with each time I liked it much more and it seemed so much better. Seasons 1 & 2 may just be my 2 favorites haha, but I think all 1-5 are at the same level, I don't like the 6th THAT much yet but I only saw it once so the comparison is not fair, maybe when I rewatch it I'll like it more
People who never watched Breaking Bad are so lucky they get to watch Better Call Saul first.
@@blue-phoenix115 no they arent, BCS is created to have seen BrBa first, if you didnt watched BrBa, BCS miss A LOT
@@veralynn8334 Well, you really aren’t in position to judge a newbie’s preference or experience.
You can speculate how it feels like how I’m speculating but you can’t definitively say it’s better for someone to start with BB.
You will never know what it’s like to watch BCS before BB. Your perspective will always be biased towards BB first.
@@blue-phoenix115 It has nothing to do with perspective. If you watch BCS first, it spoils BB.
Might be my favourite TV show of all time, the cinematography and writing were just at another level in basically every episode. The characters especially were just amazing, there's also not many TV shows if any where I can confidently say I love every single character.
Even the twenty versions of kaylee ermentrout? Also, that assistant at Davis and main?
Curiously, my only small complaint in terms of characters is Kim in season 6, she's my fav character of all time, but i don't like it that much the plan vs Howard, maybe IMO if it was a bit exaggerated that she has become SO evil, although well the love I have for her maybe weighs and I'm seeing it with wrong perspective
@@veralynn8334 I think that was perfect, honestly I didn't enjoy watching it happen, no one did because we'd grown so attached to her over the course of the show but you're supposed to resent Jimmy and Kim for what they did to Howard because it was horrible. I wouldn't go as far as to call Kim evil but she very clearly always had some terrible parts of herself that she tried to repress, not serial killer type stuff but still some bad motives. It was hinted at and built up through the previous seasons but we only see her fully embrace it in Season 6.
Her and Jimmy both had problems like that and they enabled each other to act on them which was the whole reason they broke up in towards the end.
@@veralynn8334 the character development for Kim made no sense and there were no flashbacks in the first five seasons to hint she had an upbringing of doing cons with her mother. It was clearly thought of late in the series
@@billyobfas6962 Even though there weren't many childhood flashbacks of conning, she took an active part in jimmy's scams from as early as season 2. With every season the scams built up like a crescendo until it exploded on her. The writers may have thought of the season 6 arc late in the show, but it was in no way inorganically built up. Made perfect sense to me.
The brilliant level of writing to know that everyone is waiting for Jimmy McGill to become Saul Goodman, and then when it finally happens, how unrewarding and depressing it feels. The way they made the funny sleezy lawyer guy just a suit of armor for a man who doesn’t know how to process his trauma is just incredible. I love this show so much.
I remember this interview with the creators where they said that, when they started the show, they thought Saul was "a fun guy" but as they kept writing and thinking about it they realized how horrible he was.
@@Carlos-ln8fd it’s kinda genius. Cause he’s funny and pathetic and basically a sociopath in breaking bad…but like if you think about it how does somebody get to that point?
The circle is complete. A bittersweet ending, just perfect. I am going to miss the show
One of the ingenius things about Better Call Saul is how the opening credits become more and more deteriorated as Jimmy McGill becomes Saul Goodman and later Gene Takovic. The artistry and attention to detail is really something. Really it's a testament to the power of a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.
The last four episodes (I believe) were done to give us finality, conclusion and a sense of redemption for a lot of these broken/complex characters. It was dark, heartbreaking and yet somehow, optimistic. What a show. PS: Rhea Seehorn more than deserves an Emmy. Holy hell what a performance.
im still thinking about the finale. so so good. i'm considering it could be the single greatest TV show of all time. the way that the first season was so comedic and how the tone of the show changed slowly as it when on just shows how terrific the writing is for the entire thing.
I love this channel.
I seem to have spotted a C***!!!
Hey Brandon!!! 👋 😁
What I thought about the whole time while watching most of the series was something Peter Gould said early on in the show, "Once it's over, you'll look at Breaking Bad differently" and the whole time I was wondering what that could be. Perhaps Kim is behind the scenes pulling Saul's strings the whole time? Before Lalo has a part to play? Maybe something with the superlab? But I think it was satisfying to conclude that in reality, the different perspective was this: Saul was behind it all. Every single aspect? No, of course not. But he was right in saying without Saul Goodman, there was no Walter White. Saul made him, whether Walt wants to admit that or not.
Better call Saul definitely had a slower start but at the halfway point of season 2 when Jimmy and chuck are just at each other’s throats it is so much fun to watch and then it starts getting even deeper into the cartel side with Gus and mike and then the throttle just keeps going while still giving a great story for Saul and the civilian side of things alongside the cartel stuff. Great show
The moment when Jimmy gets his bar status back and reveals to Kim that he was not genuine in his hearing was heartbreaking. He had become so good at conning that he fooled his con partner.
Also, I loved how much they conned together. It was hilarious and I loved the detection of risk taking and cleverness. But Kim recognized it as a bad path and left, which is the right move. But it still somehow made me sad.
What an excellent show.
I had to do a 4 minute presentation on a topic of my choice to colleagues at work. I chose Better Call Saul, cited all of / most of the reasons mentioned here. It is a modern masterpiece, and the epitome of prequel storytelling done extremely well.
Love your reviews Jeremiah Jahn-son. You never ruin the plot while still articulating why a show or movie is worth watching. So many UA-cam reviewers simply provide a synopsis.
The best thing Better Call Saul does (besides being a masterclass drama, arguably one of if not the best) is how it recontextualizes Breaking Bad. Also really puts into perspective how Walter White shows up and just obliterates everything.
Your explanation about Howard is so good, I felt the exact same way. They make you think he is an antagonist at the start, but soon you learn why he was acting so rudely and feel for him a bit more. Once Jimmy really starts going at him, you genuinely feel bad, it's an amazing dynamic to "frustrate" the audience, something I feel Breaking Bad did often, while Saul spends a lot of time investing you in the cast so that when the truly dramatic events happen you feel extremely shocked and invested. Such a great series, it starts off slow for sure, but the pacing is very deliberate, so if you adapt to that pace it's a really great binge.
I absolutely love how that show came back full circle and Chuck even though he hated jimmy he was absolutely right. He should have never been a lawyer... Some of the greatest characters in TV history imo. From Mike to nacho, Kim and Saul killed it. Sad day it's over. Actually Just started watching it from the beginning again this week...
'end of an era' .. until Vince comes up with a story for Holly White (in canon she's currently 13 its mental realising that) or he could go back and do a cop movie showing Mike's cop career, or even gus going from Chile to America. I recall they cast a younger actor for Giancarlo in the boys they can use him.
Spoiler Alert:
All 3 main characters across this universe got different endings that they deserved. Walt died tying up all loose ends, Jesse got away from the lifestyle that ruined his, and Jimmy payed for what he did but redeemed himself. Everything about this universe is perfect.
Except for Kim who got out Scott-free
@@billyobfas6962 no she didn’t, Howard’s wife is suing her in civil court at the end
@@billyobfas6962 Kim had to move to Florida to escape the trauma of (inadvertantly) murdering Howard. She ended up confessing everything to Howard's wife and the judicial side of things. She was voluntarily giving herself up to the law, because she felt she deserved whatever befell her. It's also likely that Howard's wife will destroy her in civil court. I think her willingness to go by the book redeems her and shows true repentance for what she did to Howard. It's not all bad though, the spark seems to have been reignited in her and Jimmy's relationship.
Death was Walt’s most deserved outcome part of it is because of his struggle with cancer. It would get to him soon enough but his own doings led to his getting it much early
Kim confessed and will be facing the consequences, and her confession inspired Jimmy to do the right thing too. In the end, both of them made the moral choice which is so refreshing even though it's bittersweet. I absolutely love the ending and the characters.
How I love watching you talk about things you truly enjoy. That is worth the price of admission.
One of my biggest takeaways from this show was Finger himself, Mike. In BB I was just fine with the character, he’s an elderly badass and he doesn’t take shit from anyone. Here he was given so much attention and we get to see more of what makes him tick. The first few seasons did such a great job at making me sympathize with him prior to meeting Gus, from his Matty story to the way they show him care for Kaylee. Then after Gus we still get gems like Werner’s final moments with him which is in my top 10 moments of the show period. In hindsight, it makes me hate Walter even more for killing him off
The thing I love about Better Call Saul that I love about all great prequels is that the journey to the story you already know is so tragic that you feel gut wrenched once you get to the story you’re familiar with. Like we all started watching this show for Saul not Jimmy, but by the time he fully became Breaking Bad Saul, it was a devastating emotional journey and you wish that he was still living his life doing simple cons as Jimmy. Saul’s entire character in Breaking Bad is re-contextualized from comic relief to someone who is a shell of his former self and lost his heart along the way.
Vince Gilligan can really write a series where the characters are interesting and the story is riveting. I know many didn't like "El Camino" but I thought it was a great epilogue to the "Breaking Bad" series. I admit as a stand alone movie it didn't work though.
Unfortunately the original ending for El Camino would uave been better. That's what this show got instead. Jesse was supposed to end up in prison and have internal peace with his outcome of justice. Everything after Breaking Bad s4 starts tipping downhill. like season 5 is still amazing and has great moments, but even then it starts to dip a little. Season 3 and/or 4, that's the best Breaking Bad period of all time. still better than everything else on tv. But making Jesse roam free was a cowards answer. Literally Vince's original ending was prison/happiness, but the other writers told him to change it because they thought the ending wasn't cuddly enough.
@@a.KniteOwl Jesse already suffered enough. He deserved to go free.
@@spiritwolf448 He wouldn't be suffering, he'd be at peace. It would be him confronting his fate and finding spiritual fulfillment in that. He would realize that Walter and Saul tried so hard to escape their fates. But to be at home and at rest with justice would be a burden Jesse was responsible enough to bare.
Jesse had find the light of his life when he meets Andrea and even bonding with Brock. Also, the fact that he saw Brock's brother selling drugs in young age and think is not cool for kids selling drugs really show that there are some redemption in his character. Even he's very sad when Walt tried to poison Brock through a flower when he thought it was from Ricin. Then, Andrea died and his life is never be the same again. Such a shame because Andrea is the nicest female character in BB along with Gretchen until she and Elliot "backstab" Walt.
@@margarethmichelina5146 Yep. So jail.
dont forget, the IMAGERY and Camera work are AMAZING. Some of the scenes in this series were so well shot. just little things, like walking in the desert or a montage, the art and MUSIC. the music was so amazing just like breaking bad. Vince Gilligan and his team are genius. I loved this show in every way
would LOVE to see a spoiler video for this for those of us that have watched BCS, but I appreciate this take too! I wish more Breaking Bad fans would give BCS a chance, it seriously holds up and changes the lens you see Breaking Bad through.
Mad respect to Vince and Peter for giving Steven Bauer and Mark Margolis (Scarface alumni) some new iconic roles. As well as bringing Tony Dalton to an English-speaking audience. Truly amazing work.
I think the age of the actors being out of order worked as well as it did because they cast Kim Wexler, a character who is ambiguously in their 30's - as Rhea Seehorn, an actor who is in her 50's. She and Odenkirk are not that far apart in age, creating a kind of consistency in the suspension of disbelief. Rhea is also a brilliant actor.
Too be fair, everyone in BCS look older than their characters age supposed to be eventhough it's a prequel to BB like Mike, Gus and even Saul himself. Even in flashback of younger Jimmy, they just give Bob Odenkirk a wig to make sure that is young Jimmy instead of finding an actor who resemble younger Bob Odenkirk or maybe deepfake his face.
Your explanation of how you wanted to see him do lawyer stuff right away and it being a slow burn is how I felt watching it when it first aired, but never continued. Gonna have to do a binge run through sometime soon
Thanks for making this review Jeremy! Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan are absolutely GOATed for deciding that they’re done with the BB universe for the foreseeable future. They clearly understand so well the notion that you should only tell stories worth telling, and this show once again proved that from the very first episode, to the last.
That Better Call Saul poster in the thumbnail is one of the best poster ever. So simple yet stylish and meaningful.
Spoiler:
The switch that Chuck is the really bad one and Howard actually likes Jimmy is a great aspect off Howard character and show. Such a tragic ending for him :( he really was a good guy
He got no justice
@@billyobfas6962 didn’t even get a proper burial
No Spoiled for other people please! "tragic ending and WAS a good guy"
Everything was so good here... writing, film art, acting. So glad I gave it a chance.
I still need to watch this (and I will) but it’s incredible that Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul both got critical acclaim. Vince Gilligan is really a master at creating TV dramas.
Peter Gould actually ran this show unfortunately, Vince had less and less to do with it
@@a.KniteOwl nothing unfortunate about it since Gould gave us a show on the same level as Breaking Bad
@@rpandya97 No he gave us a show set in the same universe as Breaking Bad. He's not as good at Vince, and told one or 2 good stories at the cost of several good stories.
The best part is in a flash back, Mr White says so... you have always been like this!!!!!!!!!! loved that scene
The word masterpiece is so over used right now, people call masterpiece to everything right away.
But this time, no other word can describe this series, and it's not an exaggeration to say that BCS ending is an end of a TV era. It''s gonna be a long time for another universe to have two series with this level of quality. Better Call Saul, just like Breaking Bad, is a masterpiece.
To me, the finale made me feel like BB was a show about ‘Mr. Chip becoming Scarface’, aka Walter White becoming Heisenberg, but BCS was a show about Saul Goodman becoming Jimmy McGill
Out of respect for this AMAZING show, I'm taking the wife and kids out for Cinnabon's after dinner!
Love that you laugh as you try to find words to describe their relationship… they are so weird together yet it works!
Lalo is one of the best tv villains i’ve ever seen
He’s good but I wouldn’t go that far
I can’t believe I just noticed this video. Nice review/analysis. BCS is one of my favorite shows and I’m glad it’s getting recognition.
I’m of two minds on the finale. From a storytelling perspective, I love it. Jimmy owning up to his misdeeds, winning back Kim’s respect, and finally proving his brother wrong when he said Jimmy couldn’t change is a perfect character arc. On an emotional level, I can’t help but compare it unfavorably to the endings of Breaking Bad and especially El Camino. Those endings were just more satisfying to me. I was kind of hoping Jimmy would get away in the end. Ideally, I would have liked if he had taken the 7 years, gotten out, and then had a final smoke with Kim like in the actual ending. It would have had the same effect as the real ending but with Jimmy being able to put his personal growth to good use outside of prison. Still one of the best TV dramas ever made though.
I thought it was a very good decision to have him end up in prison. Jimmy fully accepted what he’s done and he’s prepared to spend the rest of his life there.
@Jase Saul is a legend in prison. Possibly more enjoyable life than his life as Gene
I watched Better Call Saul first, until the last 4 episodes of season 6, and BCS blew me away, then going to breaking bad, breaking bad blew me away even more, then the last 4 episodes I watched literally tonight and as a whole the BB Universe just ties up so satisfyingly for the characters and just the whole 2 shows. Best month and a bit of binge watching I'll probably ever have, these two shows are just next level.
I love it when a sequel or prequel can be good to watch despite whether or not if you have seen the original. It makes the experience better if you haven't seen it, but you can still love it and have a good time even if you have. That's a great balance to maintain.
While the writing (deservedly) gets the lion's share of the attention for this show, I have to say the cinematography is perhaps the most impressive aspect of BCS. Creative camera work, perfect framing, unorthodox visual choices, and turning what would otherwise be, under the direction of most TV producers, bland and static shots of mostly dull environments and benign situations is just absolutely incredible. Bringing beauty to the ordinary is truly extraordinary.
It’s incredible to me that the Breaking Bad team can create what is known as one of the best tv shows ever created and then immediately make another one that rivals it.
to be fair, better call saul wasn't immediately that good, it needed the first season to get things rolling just like breaking bad did, but in general you're right it is extremely impressive
@@randomt800kiddo2 breaking bad didn't get good till late season 2 anyway. A lot of good shows need a season of exposition
@@xxstealerxx Yeah thats just shows in general first season usually sucks cause its set up for later.
@@randomt800kiddo2 oh trust me the show didn’t grow on me until really the third season. I’m just saying it’s crazy how the team went from Breaking Bad straight into Better Call Saul. Like the only year from 2008 to 2022 without Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul content was 2014. The consistency from them is crazy.
@@ZacV47 definitely true, the shows only improved with time which is an extremely rare trend
It's a rare W for social media in that the ending for BCS was never spoiled for me, so long as I didn't go out of my way looking for it. And then I made the fatal flaw of talking about BCS with my mother *before* I had delved into the final season, and she spills the beans on what happens to Kim. This is why I'm never inviting her to Pub Quiz, lest she say the answer out loud and we get thrown out 🙃
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould: "Want to see us make one of the best TV shows ever?"
*A few years later*
"Want to see us do it again?"
Facts
I LOVE all of the visual storytelling and metaphors throughout the whole show. Also some of the scenes towards the end of the series that were kinda sprinkled in added more complexity to the characters and their motives.
I think so many franchises in entertainment have made nostalgia and fan service such a crutch to lean on when their story-telling isn't fulfilling that it's painted them as a bad thing - when in reality, when executed well - can be good. Star Wars, Marvel, Jurassic World, etc. have done this so poorly that we just can't help but to roll our eyes at it now. They threw in some random call-back in the form of a long-dead character, musical score, or reused footage from earlier films without adding any real substance. And it's been done so poorly that when a piece of entertainment does it fairly well, it already carries a negative connotation.
Better Call Saul, I'd argue, did fan service as well as it could have without relying on it to carry the show and telling you "See? See? We're adding this character here just cause".
{{{SPOILER}}}
The scenes with Kim and Jesse or Jimmy and Walt served a purpose and gave some pre-existing characters' decisions and dialogue more weight to them.
And the Kim and Jesse scene is impactful because both are the second most important characters of their respective stories. Kim’s story is just about done and is suffering the guilt and consequences of what happened, while Jesse’s story of tragedy hasn’t even begun yet. It’s a nice passing of the torch of sorts.
I was actually amazed by how this show was able to make a courtroom scene (“Chicanery” episode) as compelling as Walter White fighting for his life. The stakes in this show were much lower than Breaking Bad’s but there was just as much tension.
I originally thought this show was unnecessary and I couldn’t be more wrong by the time the finale aired. I’m happy I got to watch this in real time. It was amazing and the finale was arguably better than Breaking Bad’s because it added more depth and emotion to the characters. Absolutely astonishing series!
No other series can keep me entertained with such a slow burn, the quality and writing, camera usage and dialogue. Recommend
If Jeremy likes this show to this extent, it looks like I'll have to start watching Breaking Bad
Edit: thanks for the suggestions y'all, now I'm more excited to start the shows :)
Do it then watch this immediately after they are both so good but go into both as blind as possible
Do the Breaking Bad, El Camino, Better Call Saul full ride. Worth every second.
Do Better Call Saul first and watch up to 6x9. Then watch all of Breaking Bad, then watch El Camino, and the finish season 6 of Better Call Saul episodes 10-13
@@nunka34ify no no no, a lot of BCS does not work without watching breaking. He would not understand any of the black and white scenes that is a terrible way to watch!
Trust me, prepare yourself for one the greatest television experiences in your life
For everyone involved in this project:
For you to create a hit series from a side character from ANOTHER hit series is truly remarkable…🌹🌹🌹
One of the best shows ever made, and gone too soon. The ending still haunts me.
What are your top ten shows? For me it’s
1. The wire
2. Game of thrones
3. Mr robot
4. Dark
5. The boys
6. Breaking bad
7. Succession
8. Stranger things
9. Sopranos
10. Better call Saul/mad men
Seasons 4-5 were my favorite in the first watch, but in my rewatch I’ve enjoyed seasons 1-3 SO MUCH more than I did the first time.
It’s my favorite show, and definitely Top 3 show ever made.
*I’ve been watching the series* “Snowfall” and it amazes me how fanbases of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul understand these characters are awful - but the fan bases of Snowfall believe everything is justified (including R*pe) even tho the writers go out of their way to show that these characters are evil.
you're the best movie/tv show reviewer on UA-cam. hands down. keep doing your thing man
Season 1 & 2 were one in the same they should have picked one or the other. Season 3-6 you get the breaking bad experience and I loved it! Sad it’s over. I wish it never ended
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould are legends now - Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are easily historic achievements
Some people say Jimmy redeemed himself at the end, but did he really? he admitted to the things he did, but did he actually do anything to right his wrongs?
I think at least to me he's on the path to redemption because I love Jimmy he's one of my favorite characters of all time but he did so much bad even though he has a good heart and I think by him doing this he starts his path to redemption and it's his actions going forward that will decide if he gets it or not and I think that's totally up for interpretation that's one of the beautiful things about the show
Yes. He is in jail serving time and paying back his debt to society.
@@Isaac-kl6zg no I agree all of that is true but that's part of it
@@Isaac-kl6zg I agree. I'm not saying it was a redemption story. Just from reading some ppl's comments on here, they were saying he redeemed himself
I was thinking everything you said. Well done friend
One of the best Tv shows ever. If Bob doesnt win an Emmy now, I'll riot
I think that the character arc for Kim was really amazing.
The way her character flips a switch, and becomes kind of psychotic .
in fact, this is definitely an actual masterpiece of modern tv age, 10/10
Love seeing such a big love for this series. And nothing but positive comments. You really can stick a landing and everyone else should take note.
Damn straight. Better Call Saul is the gold standard on how to tell a story, period. You don't get better than this.
Been trying to get my parents (in their 70s) to watch Breaking Bad for YEARS. They finally broke last month, binged the entire show in weeks. My mother even called off work to stay home and watch. El Camino is today, and then they get to start BCS. Those incredibly lucky bastards. I’d give anything to see these again for the first time.
Finally, the only show that comes close to breaking bad
And arguably surpasses it
It’s better than breaking bad tbh
And if someone says it is better than breaking bad I genuinely would not disagree
Naw it's better and more layered than breaking bad. No cry baby ass Walt Jr or annoying ass Marie!
It surpasses Breaking bad
I binged four seasons in one week. I plan to be done by the end of this weekend. Good timing. Can't wait to sees how everything unfolds ;)
The Breaking Bad universe is the single greatest series in TV or film history. 11 total seasons, over 100 hours of content. All top notch, well acted, well written, tense, humor perfectly placed. And somehow managed to make a prequel just as nail biting as the original. You can go through history of all television and movies and you won't find any series that lasted this long and was that consistently great that was better than this one. Vince Gilligan is the GOAT.
Also Peter Gould. He wrote most episode of BCS I believe and also wrote for BB
Funny enough that the actual recast they did of Jeff did get a bit of backlash, even though there wasn't much they could do about it. I could only imagine the response had they decided to recast the parts. In the end it was the most satisfied I've ever been with a series. Solid from beginning to end.
Been waiting on your review for this. That finale was poetic.
Love seeing you give your opinons on Better Call Saul 👍
I am looking forward to this final season to come to Netflix. This show and Breaking Bad really have been some of the all-time best shows I have ever watched on TV. I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to be an actor on these shows. What a great opportunity for actors.
I'm still in the 4th season, I love it!
Also, Jeremy your buttons on point!
I found your channel because of breaking bad. I tried watching Saul and it was a great show but never got to season 3. Now I will.
I can't wait to watch both series in order!!