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| Bob Odenkirk |
Welcome to the new TV Recap series Better Recall Saul that chronicles the adventures of Better Call Saul and a young criminal lawyer as he cuts his teeth down in ABQ, and his Breaking Bad buddies might stop by to wish him luck. Feel free to join every Tuesday as the adventures unravel and the story behind one of the funniest and sleaziest lawyers in TV history begins to take form and remind us why he is such a great character in the first place. Is this spin-off meant for greatness, or is it the worst idea that AMC has ever done? You'll have to read on to find out the truth.
“Gee, that’s swell. Thanks for restoring
my faith in the judicial system.”
- Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk)
Plot:
After finding out where Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) ended up after the events of Breaking Bad (a manager at a Cinnabon in Nebraska), things flash back to a younger man. He is one who goes by a different name: Jimmy McGill. He is an honest lawyer who wishes to make a difference and strikes out at every turn whether it be in trial or with a local parking attendant (Jonathan Banks). With his sickly father Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) facing end times ahead, Jimmy must find a way to make ends meet. He decides to invest in two skating kids who will purposely injure themselves to gain a large payout. Things don't work out and soon Jimmy must save the boys from an old woman who performed a hit and run. When he finds them, he discovers that criminal Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz) has captured them.
Rating: 3 out of 5
MVP:
Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk)
It is hard to really judge anything about this episode as being necessarily grabbing. A lot of it feels like it exists with the notion that if you liked Breaking Bad, you'll at least watch this. I am not opposed to the conceit behind Better Call Saul, but there's very little to grab onto here. Saul, now Jimmy, is a little thin and not necessarily interesting. The story exists to establish a lot of plot and it's not always interesting. The reliably artistic camera angles have a dishonesty to them that doesn't contribute to the narrative as well. Jimmy is a coherent enough character at this point, but there isn't much draw to the charisma that becomes prevalent towards the end of the episode.
Best Scene
If there's any silver lining to this otherwise tepid episode, it is that things finally kick in during the last 20 minutes. After hitting rock bottom, Jimmy turns to the two skaters that hit his car earlier in the episode. From there, he begins to tell the story of "Slippy Jimmy" and shows the side of him that will hopefully be prominent for the rest of the series. He schemes as much as jokes while making a lot of sense. As primitive as his plan is, there's an energy to it and there's a feeling that the show will evolve into this bizarre, Coen Brothers-eque series that is just as weird as its predecessor, but more embracing of its nuanced weirdness.
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