snoozejonc

I love the Truman show for many reasons.

The concept is brilliant and translated to the screen wonderfully by the writers and filmmakers. Everything from the multiple surveillance camera perspective to the old fashioned fakery of everything we are presented with in Seahaven.

For me its lasting impact is being so memorable. Nobody who saw The Truman Show back on its release will forget the notion of Truman Burkbank's life. I still hear the words "I feel like I'm in the Truman Show" on a regular basis from people who feel trapped in a life of conformity or feel generally unfulfilled by their own existence.

Additionally, I love a good media satire and this is one of the best examples. It was released before the horrific phenomenon reality TV was mass produced. It is arguably even more relevant today than ever with the advent of social media.

Jim Carrey gives one of his best performances, appropriately reigning in most of his goofball antics for what is fairly serious story done in a darkly humorous style. That being said, I suspect Carrey was picked due to him being one of the most famous faces in the world at the time of its release, so does that still resonate 27 years later? Would they have been better selecting a stronger dramatic performer such as Robin Williams or Gary Oldman for the lasting power of the movie?

Ed Harris is a brilliant as ever and dominates the screen whenever he appears.

There are plot-holes and patterns of behaviour that help to serve the story, but overall it is a great production.

For me it is a 9.5/10, but I round upwards.

This is the most like Breaking Bad that Better Call Saul has felt so far based on the consequences of some of the behaviour taken by the central characters.

Similar to BB, the writing is suitably manipulative around certain character actions. How Jimmy handles the machinations of a certain antagonistic character has shades of Walter White. The clever part of the writing is in the development of said antagonist, prompting you to cheer Jimmy on for the majority of the episode. However, it ends with a pretty brutal wakeup to the potential outcomes of certain actions.

Likewise the Mike plot includes those trademark scenes of visual storytelling that brilliantly show a character enacting a plan. Again you have to cheer him on given how he has been developed as a cool character doing everything out of love for his granddaughter. However, the consequence again is unexpected and sobering.

Additionally the position this episode leaves Jimmy's relationship with Kim is very compelling. The great dialogue between Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn and Michael McKean is fantastically delivered by all three.

Nailed is an excellent all around episode that makes you eager to find out what comes next. It is a shame the cliffhanger dictates that you have to wait until the next one to find out the full outcome.

For me it is a 9.5/10 for me, but I round upwards.

Fifi is another very strong chapter of Better Call Saul.

The opening one-take Orson Wells tribute is brilliant and sets the scene for a good balance of entertainment and intrigue.

I find the central plot featuring a fight for a lucrative client to be very compelling and has a mixture of strong scenes. I like the dialogue involving all characters relating to this conflict. Generally there are a lot of great scenes involving characters selling various concepts to each other with convincing speeches. Jimmy's involvement is worked well into the story and his larger character arc. At this stage we are only teased about what he is up to, but it all becomes very clear further down the line.

Additionally Jimmy is used fantastically well for humour yet again. The scenes involving the titular aircraft are hilarious, with Bob Odenkirk on fantastic form as always.

Mike's scenes are intriguing and also serve his likability well. Who would not want a granddad like Mike?

Visually it is another classic of storytelling using effective cinematography and editing.