Better Call Saul final season mesmerizing so far

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

All great things must come to an end, and the final season of Better Call Saul is here.

It’s a sad time for fans of the Breaking Bad universe as the latest chapter is closer to the end than it is the beginning. And while I am sad to see one of the best shows on TV finish, it’s not a bad thing to go out on top. It’s following in the footsteps of Breaking Bad in that regard.

And the first four episodes of the sixth and final season have been enthralling so far. I won’t be diving into any major spoilers here, as I’m sure many are waiting to binge watch the final season in its entirety later this year. Those who have yet to start it — what are you waiting for? I’m not alone in my belief this in one of the best shows on TV. Everything from the writing, the acting, the cinematography, directing, sets — you name it, — is perfect.

As a spin-off to the best TV show of all-time, I was skeptical how they would make a prequel this exciting, but they’ve done more than that. They’ve expanded greatly on characters the audience already knows and have introduced plenty of deep, meaningful characters that were not a part of the original Breaking Bad run.

In particular, Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler, Michael Mando as Nacho Varga, Michael McKean as Chuck McGill, and Tony Dalton as Lalo Salamanca have not only etched themselves as great characters in the universe, but have arguably cemented themselves as some of the best characters in TV — seriously, they’re that good.

While those actors and characters have to be singled out, the show’s carryover characters/actors have carried this show to the next level. Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Espositio, and Mark Margolis are just as great, if not better, than they were on Breaking Bad. Odenkirk in particular is a treat to watch every week and I’ll be truly sad when we don’t get to see him as Jimmy/Saul anymore.

As a prequel and a sequel to the original show, there’s plenty that we know and plenty that is still up in the air with only a handful of episodes remaining. After the first four episodes, we’re extremely close to when Saul is introduced in Season 2 of Breaking Bad. We’ve gotten glimpses of several established locations and characters that are around during Breaking Bad, but we’re not there just yet.

It’s already been announced that both Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul will be in this season in some capacity, and while many were disappointed it was announced rather than a surprise, I’m honestly fine with it. Walter White and Jesse Pinkman were always going to turn up in Better Call Saul — it was just a matter of when and not if. Despite knowing they will pop up at some point, we still don’t know in what capacity, or what timeline. Better Call Saul is obviously set pre-Breaking Bad for the vast majority of the show, but we also get plenty of glimpses of post-Breaking Bad, and even some during the two years Walt and Jesse were operating.

Now, Walt obviously won’t show up post-Breaking Bad, so it will either be new scenes set during the original show, or maybe he pops up before he was Heisenberg. My money is on new scenes set druing Breaking Bad though. Walt was a milktoast, boring teacher before he broke bad, and I highly doubt he would be interacting with any characters breaking the law. And with Jesse making his getaway to Alaska at the end of El Camino, I think it’s fair to assume his appearance will also come pre or during Breaking Bad. Maybe all three will be in the scene, who knows!

While that’s all fascinating to talk about, I’m honestly more excited to see how everything else wraps up. Better Call Saul has proven it can more than stand on its own legs as a show. While some plot and characters have seen conclusions, the show still has plenty of things to address before things wrap in August.

I do have one minor gripe with this season though — and it has nothing to do with the show itself. The gripe comes with the fact they’re splitting the release dates and there will be a several week break between episodes 7 and 8. I get it has to do with awards and whatever, but it’s still super annoying. The season is ready to be released, so just release it weekly! I don’t understand why this has been common practice for final season — Breaking Bad was guilty of this too. Oh well, I’m positive the wait will be worth it.