After months of speculation, AMC announced today that Bob Odenkirk will reprise his role in a spinoff of Breaking Bad, and that said spinoff will be airing on AMC. The series will involve Saul Goodman doing Saul Goodman-y things, like telling young, unsuspecting idiots to not drink and drive, but call him if they do. The series will be one hour, and will presumably consist of 20 minutes of “Better Call Saul” ads, 20 minutes of “Better Call Saul” ads, and 20 minutes of “Better Call Saul” ads.
Vince Gilligan will be involved in the creative process, and the series will most likely air sometime next year. That gives us enough time to finish screaming at the top of our lungs in reaction to Breaking Bad, and will give our families and friends enough time to look at us strangely, then move out of the country. By the time we have digested the series finale and have gone through withdrawal from the show, most of us will probably be a melted puddle of human, almost as if Walt himself dissolved us in a vat of acid.
Those of us that survive will be able to see Saul’s origins, as the series will trace his route from sleazy lawyer to sleazy lawyer of Heisenberg. Hank and Marie will probably guest star so Hank can throw in a “Jesus Christ, Marie!”, and Jesus Christ will probably descend from the skies in the form of Huell. Walt Jr. will also spend the whole series gaping idiotically at Saul.
Credit to AMC and Breaking Bad for all pictures. I own nothing.
Walter White is a despicable person. He’s cheated, lied, and manipulated his way to the top, and in order to keep his position, he has to do so to a greater extent. In fact, he’s not just lying now; he’s manipulating the truth. In the wonderfully directed confession scene, some of what he says is actually what has transpired. However, it’s also an absolutely brilliant act of fiction. It’s the only way to get Hank to back down, and we feel the wrenching effects of the message in Dean Norris’ face. Strangely fitting, isn’t it, that Walt exudes the most power through a TV screen? He’s become a caricature of himself, the Heisenberg persona permeating every single aspect of his life. The dinner scene beforehand shows us, however, that Hank will never forgive Walter. Unlike last week, he pushes Skyler away right off the bat. He’s only hell-bent on taking Walt down, but he has one flaw: he’s smart.
It’s a strange thing to say, I know, but consider Walt’s personality for a second. He’s cold, calculating, and manipulative in ways that Hank has never anticipated. In fact, he was able to outsmart Gus Fring, the previous cold, calculating, and manipulative mastermind. He should be able to outsmart Hank, and he does. Now, what Walt doesn’t expect, though, is unpredictability. This comes in the form of Jesse Pinkman. He has no friends, no family, and no restraints, and it’s a dangerous situation for Walt because Jesse just doesn’t care. Walt realizes this, though, but he deals with it in the same manner he would for someone like Skyler. He hugs Jesse, trying to strengthen that father-son bond he wants to believe is still existent, much like he hugged Skyler back in “Live Free or Die.” However, Jesse breaks down because he just can’t take it anymore; we can see he wants to acquiesce to Walt, but it’s much too difficult.
Then comes the explosion. All that pent-up anger, fear, and sadness manifests itself in a beautiful, yet frightening, sequence of events in which Jesse beats up and threatens Saul, realizes Walt’s role in the ricin poisoning, and rushes to Walt’s house to douse it in gasoline. It’s an abrupt ending, but that’s kind of the point.
Grade: A
Other thoughts:
-The cold open is interesting to analyze. We have Todd exaggerating the details of the train robbery, then leaving a message for Walt. I find it interesting how in the same episode Jesse completely turns on Walt, Todd’s still sucking up to him. He’s like the former Jesse.
-I also liked the tarantula that appears later on, especially given that Todd leaves the murder part out of his story.
-I loved the shot of Walt racing to the car wash all in a panic, then composing himself outside of the door. It’s, once again, some great direction by the crew.
-Walt and Flynn’s scene is, once again, a prime example of Walt continuing to use his family to hold over Hank and Marie’s heads. Of course, the dinner scene reflects the failure of that plan.
-The dinner scene is wonderful. I love the juxtaposition of the cheery exterior, complete with Trent and his guacamole-making ways, with the tension at the table. It’s a fantastically-acted scene.
-Saul just standing in the background of Jesse and Walt’s desert scene was amazing.
-The episode really made me nervous for the characters. I’d imagine the next few episodes will once again have that “anyone can go down” mentality. It’s going to be a ride.
-I hope Walt Jr. wasn’t home at the end.
Credit to AMC and Breaking Bad for all pictures. I own nothing.
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