Something Stupid

As usual, this is another exceptional episode of Better Call Saul. But I just have to mention that montage at the start. It's absolutely fantastic.

Genius way of telling us where Jimmy and Kim are in their lives and in their heads. Plus, showing us how much time has passed. Editing and cinematography was flawless as well. And the song of course.

One of my favorite moments in the entire show.

As Jimmy and Kim's relationship slowly crumbles, his work with gangs, selling phones takes an ugly turn. We can see he is filled with jealousy from being disbarred and seeing Kim's successes and awards. Meanwhile, whatever those guys are building is beginning to hit snags. Eventually, Mike is going to find a way to deal with that ne'er do well German guy. The next episode will answer some questions that we've been leading up to.

Given the premise set by Jimmy's suspension from practicing law, one of the most important aspects of this season is shifting the story time forward through this period. This episode does it sensibly and with the use of some great visual storytelling. I particularly like the opening montage focusing on Jimmy and Kim.

The state of their relationship is effectively portrayed in several scenes. How far apart they appear is quite jarring, particularly in the moment one goes to the other for help.

Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn deliver great performances as always. They both do simmering, underlying emotion and moments of passive aggression brilliantly. Odenkirk's dialogue at a very awkward party sequence is excellent, plus his exchange with Colby French. Seehorn is especially good in dialogue with Odenkirk and also Julie Pearl.

For me the backstory involving Mike and the German construction crew is well made and interesting due to Breaking Bad, but less compelling due to the known outcome.

Likewise the torment of Hector offers strong insight into the nature and motivation of the character Gus Fring, but the established fate of both characters lessens the intrigue. I am much more hooked by the story of Nacho, who does not appear in this one.

Not going to go into too much detail but I thought the cold open montage was excellent (one of the best of the series so far) and set the tone for the episode perfectly. On another note, I'm getting really sick of seeing the same 1/10 reviews saying 'boring' episode after episode. I'll be the first to admit that the pacing of the show has been a bit too slow at times but things are definitely picking up now and if you can't see that then you're probably not trying hard enough to engage with the show (sorry). I know a lot of people expected this to be like Breaking Bad but if you're still seeking that kind of action I'm afraid you simply won't find it here.

I can't understand people who are still watching the fourth season and complaining about how boring the show is. In my opinion the show's tempo of the narrative is perfect. I like the way Gilligan and Gould treat me as a viewer - they trust me. Creators are not spoon-feeding audience letting them decide themselves how to feel about character's development and their actions. And I, in turn, trust them. This is what distinguishes BCS from the other TV shows - smart plot with high attention to details, complex characters with realistic motives which are not obvious and always multifaceted.