Damn Fine TV/Film
Well, we’ve reached the end of Season 4, and as usual it feels like it flew by. The 10-episode season structure of Better Call Saul is both a blessing and a curse. I hate that it goes by so quickly, as I would happily watch more, but limiting each season to 10 episodes keeps things …
The penultimate episode of Season 4 started out fun but quickly became one of the most tension-filled episodes of the series to date. “Wiedersehen” (written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Vince Gilligan) was a difficult journey for both the characters and the viewer. I had to pause several times to pull myself together—especially when …
Last week I wrote about that familiar Jimmy No™ feeling, but this week’s “Coushatta” (written by Gordon Smith and directed by Jim McKay) flipped the script on me. For me, this was initially a Kim No™ episode, but by the end it forced me to look deeper at the character of Kim Wexler. In trying …
Any Better Call Saul fan is familiar with that Jimmy No™ feeling: when Jimmy is doing something so incredibly dumb and/or unnecessary that you end up either internally screaming or (if you’re like me) literally yelling “JIMMY NO” at your TV. The aptly titled “Something Stupid” (written by Alison Tatlock and directed by Deborah Chow) …
Continue reading "Better Call Saul: “Something Stupid” (S4E7)"
This week's "Piñata" (written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Andrew Stanton) opens by showing us the way things were—where it all started, at least in terms of Jimmy and Kim's relationship as we know it—and then proceeds to tear it all down to the studs. Over the course of this dark, tense installment of …
I have been eagerly anticipating the return of Saul Goodman since I saw Michael McKean’s tweet back in March. For a Breaking Bad obsessive like myself, this look was instantly recognizable: the purple shirt, the bandaged nose—this was undeniably “Granite State” Saul. I knew from this set photo that we would get a glimpse of …
In “Talk” (written by Heather Marion and directed by John Shiban) the main characters do anything but. When they are talking, they are talking around their problems and not addressing them directly. This season has been characterized by the inability of our main characters (most notably Jimmy) to give voice to their emotions. Kim, too, …
In “Something Beautiful” (written by Gordon Smith and directed by Daniel Sackheim—the duo that brought us the masterpiece that was “Chicanery”), there’s a lot of ugliness to be had. We see the bloody aftermath of Nacho being discovered, Jimmy getting his hands dirty, and cracks starting to form in Jimmy and Kim’s relationship. I knew …
Continue reading "Better Call Saul S4E3: “Something Beautiful”"
This week’s episode had almost everything I love about Better Call Saul: Jimmy up to his usual nonsense, exceptional Kim content, Mike being Mike, and Gus Fring getting his hands dirty. “Breathe” (written by Thomas Schnauz and directed by Michelle MacLaren) opens in a dark hospital room. The doctor Gus has on his payroll is …
We three, we’re all alone Living in a memory My echo, my shadow, and me - The Ink Spots, “We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)" This sad refrain ushers us into Season 4 of Better Call Saul. As with all previous season premieres, "Smoke" (written by Peter Gould and directed by Minkie Spiro) …
Continue reading "Better Call Saul Episode Review: S4E1 (“Smoke”)"