In season 5, second to last for the whole series, Better Call Saul manages to keep up the same momentum it had in season 4. During these two years the show has reached the must-watch status that ‘Breaking Bad’ became known for, presenting the level of acting, directing and thrilling story that it showed promises of early on. Helped by possibly the most unpredictable baddie in the franchise, the collection of rich characters led by Saul Goodman /Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) are a pleasure to follow.
The acting in Better Call Saul is something that’s really hard to find on television. Odenkirk as Saul has throughout the show’s run been the main man and continues to be as his painfully long monologues are spectacularly performed. Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler has continuously improved season after season, now showing her best work to fight for the spot at the top. New drug kingpin Lalo (Tony Dalton) rivals Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) as the most ruthless villain because Dalton brings an insane level of menace every time he’s in a scene. These three collide in the best episode of the season, episode nine, and it’s the most nail-biting thing to watch; just superb acting.
Writing is still as good as ever, saying as much in between the words than it does with them. Despite the ninth being the most thrilling, episode three is full of great back and forth and it manages to bring back some familiar faces also. Cinematography is still lush as ever, check out episode ten for some of the best of the series. Directing and editing of the episodes are overall executed so well that the show is also very easy to binge-watch since there’s always something compelling happening on the screen. However you’d almost wish that the season had concluded with nine episodes as the finale isn’t quite as smooth as the rest, it sadly has some plot inconveniences that Better Call Saul usually avoids.
Smileys: Performance by a cast, writing, cinematography, editing, directing
Frowneys: Minor flaws with ending
Better watch it now or you’ll never hear the end of it. Well, you’ll hear about the end since people will be talking about it.
