BETTER CALL SAUL: AN EQUAL TO BREAKING BAD

Of all of the TV shows released within the last 20 years, few have reached the level of success and critical acclaim that “Breaking Bad” has. However, Baking Bad may no longer be alone in this achievement.

With “Better Call Saul” having just completed its penultimate season (Season 5), series creator Vince Gilligan continues to impress. While everyone loved the character of Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, due to the massive success and the finality of that show’s final season, many fans felt like any attempt at a spin off series would be futile. But after five seasons of consistently incredible television, even the most hardcore Breaking Bad fans now agree that Better Call Saul is a prime candidate for the title of greatest TV show of the decade just ended.

Picking up immediately after the Season 4 finale, Season 5 sees Jimmy McGill embrace his Saul Goodman persona in full force, now officially reinstated as a lawyer and with his name legally changed. However, in taking this new direction, his business associate and eventual wife, Kim, must deal with the repercussions of Jimmy’s decisions to pursue his career as a dirty lawyer and decide what his choices will mean for their relationship going forward.

While Jimmy settles into starting his new practice, Kim deals with Mesa Verde (Bank and Trust) and Gus, Mike, Nacho, and a new fan favorite, Lalo, spend this season conspiring against each other, vying for control over the fate of the Salamanca cartel and its drug empire through the use of increasingly violent tactics… of course, with a little help from a certain criminal lawyer when the need arises.

Though not every season of Better Call Saul has met the levels of drama and deadly consequence that its parent series has, the slow pace and tireless character building of the last four seasons has finally culminated for a spectacular penultimate season. Now that Saul has the free reign to pursue his worst instincts, the stakes have never been higher and the conflict is constant.

Not only does this make for some of the series’s most intense character moments, but it means that the pace of this season won’t let up. Additionally, Bob Odenkirk and Reah Seehorn – as Saul and Kim – put in some of their finest performances yet, along with the rest of the cast, especially Tony Dalton, who chews scenery as Lalo every time he’s on screen.

The show also continues its trend of creative and stunning cinematography, making for yet another gorgeously directed and executed season.

If you haven’t already seen it, and especially if you’re a fan of Breaking Bad, now is the perfect time to catch up with everyone’s favorite criminal lawyer. The twists and turns of this modern Greek tragedy will have you glued to your TV and begging for more.

Better Call Saul, Season 5, gets a 4.5/5.