The last two seasons of Better Call Saul have been every bit as good as Breaking Bad was. But with this spectacular finale, the show has become arguably even better than its predecessor.
Better Call Saul might lack the explosions, shootouts, and head- crushing ATMs of Breaking Bad, but its far better at creating deep, complex characters that audiences can genuinely care about. While Breaking Bad introduced us to Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Gustavo Fring, three of the best characters on television, it also featured outrageously cartoon-ish figures, from the Salamanca cousins to the original portrayal of Saul Goodman himself, initially sketched out as a seedy caricature of a lawyer with little to no nuance.
But by this point in Better Call Saul, every single character, even the minor players like Francesca and Irene, is capable of tugging at the heartstrings of viewers. And in the finale, Vince Gilligan and co. masterfully cash in all those built-up emotions for what's one of the most devastating episodes of television I've ever witnessed.
Every scene here is simply perfect. The painfully long montage of Chuck destroying his house. Nacho anxiously watching Hector size up his father. Jimmy coming clean to his clients at the nursing home and utterly destroying his career in the process. Jimmy and Chuck's icy confrontation. Gus desperately performing CPR on a stroke-crippled Hector. Chuck burning himself to death. And the one which tore me up the most, Jimmy and a battered-up Kim standing in their soon-to-be sold office, making a promise to rebuild that we all know won't be kept.
Some people are already complaining that the episode is slow, as they have been since Better Call Saul began. Are these people watching the same show? So much happens this episode that it's truly amazing how natural the pacing feels.
Oh well. Better Call Saul isn't for everyone. It's a different show from Breaking Bad - it's tone is different, its speed is different, its themes are different, and it's great for entirely different reasons. Don't watch it as some sort of misguided Breaking Bad nostalgia. Watch it to get invested in some of the most compelling characters to ever appear on screen, from Jimmy to Mike to Kim to Chuck (RIP). I for one am eagerly waiting to discover what they get up to next.
Better Call Saul might lack the explosions, shootouts, and head- crushing ATMs of Breaking Bad, but its far better at creating deep, complex characters that audiences can genuinely care about. While Breaking Bad introduced us to Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Gustavo Fring, three of the best characters on television, it also featured outrageously cartoon-ish figures, from the Salamanca cousins to the original portrayal of Saul Goodman himself, initially sketched out as a seedy caricature of a lawyer with little to no nuance.
But by this point in Better Call Saul, every single character, even the minor players like Francesca and Irene, is capable of tugging at the heartstrings of viewers. And in the finale, Vince Gilligan and co. masterfully cash in all those built-up emotions for what's one of the most devastating episodes of television I've ever witnessed.
Every scene here is simply perfect. The painfully long montage of Chuck destroying his house. Nacho anxiously watching Hector size up his father. Jimmy coming clean to his clients at the nursing home and utterly destroying his career in the process. Jimmy and Chuck's icy confrontation. Gus desperately performing CPR on a stroke-crippled Hector. Chuck burning himself to death. And the one which tore me up the most, Jimmy and a battered-up Kim standing in their soon-to-be sold office, making a promise to rebuild that we all know won't be kept.
Some people are already complaining that the episode is slow, as they have been since Better Call Saul began. Are these people watching the same show? So much happens this episode that it's truly amazing how natural the pacing feels.
Oh well. Better Call Saul isn't for everyone. It's a different show from Breaking Bad - it's tone is different, its speed is different, its themes are different, and it's great for entirely different reasons. Don't watch it as some sort of misguided Breaking Bad nostalgia. Watch it to get invested in some of the most compelling characters to ever appear on screen, from Jimmy to Mike to Kim to Chuck (RIP). I for one am eagerly waiting to discover what they get up to next.
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