Better Call Saul: Saul Gone

 "So you were always like this..."

And here we are. It's over... and it ends like this. Wow.

That was an hour of television that will haunt me for a long time.

Of course, there's no suspense about whether or not "Gene" is going to be caught: there's no escape for him, and we know that this is the last act of Saul's... no, Jimmy's tragedy. There can be no hope for him... but, unexpectedly, there's redemption. And, for that redemption to be genuine, there must be real catharsis, full confession and harsh consequences... eighty-six years in a prison Saul had earlier described as a "hellhole".

The episode is punctuated by flashbacks- with Mike, with Chuck, both better and wiser men than him, as he asaks them what they'd do with a time machine, all the answers being revealing. But it's Walter White who, with his typical arrogance, calls him out: this is really about regrets. And Saul, of all people, certainly should have had a few, as attested by the dizzying number of charges he's presented with.

And he seems to play his hand with very Saul Goodman cunning, getting a very lenient plea deal of only seven years in a not-too-bad prison. And it seems even that isn't enough. Kim has acted with integrity, leaving herself open to being sued by Howard's widow as atonement... but Saul, it seems, right up until the moment he steps into the courtroom, seems set to throw Kim under the bus, which would be far from surprising.

But... he doesn't. Instead, he admits all and takes the brutal consequences. Almost certain life in a hellhole prison... but he has Kim's respect again. And, through suffering, redemption. weirdly, Jimmy (not Saul) is probably happier than if he'd taken the seven years. He is, at last, doing the right thing. Even Jimmy McGill is not beyond redemption,

Wow. The script, the acting, everything. This in no way ended as I was expecting, but it feels perfect.

Better Call Saul: Waterworks

 "Anyways, this guy, any good?"

"When I knew him, he was."

Observation number one: Jimmy/Saul/Gene... let's say "Saul" because that's who he's reverted to... is no Debbie Harry. Observation number two: wow. This Vince Gilligan-written-and-directed episode is tense, thematic, and beautifully structured.

Surprisingly, the first twenty-seven minutes are spend with Kim, in her humdrum, monochrome present. Dull job selling sprinklers. Dull social life. Dull husband. Dull sex life ("Yep, Yep. Yep. Yep."). And we spend twenty-seven minutes seeing this, at a slow pace- a brave but inspired choice. The thrill of the scamming is long behind her.

Any we end up seeing her side of the conversation with Jimmy. Leading to her full confession, firstly to Howard's widow and secondly to the law. She's willing to calmly face the consequences of her actions, unlike a certain con man of our and her acquaintance.

There are some flashbacks of the moment the divorce papers are signed, with Kim, inevitably, acting with integrity. It's weird seeing her in that office... and quite the surprise to see her interacting with a very sharp and on-the-ball Jesse.

But, inevitably, we return to Saul, following him during the ill-fated burglary... and again the tension is allowed to fester and fester. We know Saul is about to face his downfall, it's just a question of how. And, when the denouement comes, it does not disappoint. All throughout, Saul has relied on his charm... and especially, in his Sandpiper days, on his ability to get old ladies to look fondly on him. So it's delicious to find all his tricks failing utterly with Marion, leaving him exposed, desperate and on the run...

Again, wow.

Better Call Saul: Breaking Bad

 "It's a simple up and down motion, like you're used to..."

Yes, I know: we get THAT scene with cameos from admittedly slightly older looking Bryan Cranston And Aaron Paul, as we see further details of Saul's first meeting with them. And their appearance matters. Because "Gene's" identity is now starting to dissolve into Saul and, ultimately, Slippin' Jimmy. Because Jimmy could never stand his dull, monochrome, Nebraska life, especially after last episode's heist shenanigans. He has to scam. It's who and what he is. And he will, inevitably, ultimately get caught and, I'm sure, face his downfall. The person who is "breaking bad" is him, not our guest star. And yes, there's a parallel between the two that's made very obvious here.

The beginning is fascinating as Saul, in the present day, has a call with Francesca. Yet she's living a very straight life, first being seen showing disdain to some druggie tenants and very much having the upper hand with Jimmy.

And then there's the mention of Kim, whom he's lost forever, hardening his heart. The past is gone. So he relives it, with the biggest scams yet, with massive and life-destroying identity thefts. And all this is contrasted by little vignettes from the Breaking Bad days, as Saul makes what we in hindsight know to be bad decision after bad decision.

And the bad decisions continue until what, surely, has to be the moment where hubris finds the genesis of its nemesis- the latest mark has cancer, Jimmy's accomplices have cold feet, but he decides to steam ahead. It's morally reprehensible of him. Almost as if the writers want us to remember just how much of a terrible person he is as he faces his downfall...

Truly gripping stuff.

Better Call Saul: Nippy

 "You want in the game?"

So this is an excellent heist episode. Perfectly executed, scripted, shot. The suspense is exquisite, as is the characterisation. Plus there's a hilarious scene showing how to masterfully join in a conversation about sports for those of us who find such things a total mystery.  

But... yeah, the elephant in the room.

It's quite a while, of course, before it dawns that the entire episode is going to be in monochrome, in Omaha, in the "present", and to star "Gene"... or is it Saul? Or is it Jimmy? The episode deliberately and deliberately blurs the lines. The scheme is so very Slippin' Jimmy, but with the scale of a Saul Goodman. And in the final, desperate distraction, "Gene" refers to his dead brother and the absence of his wife. Too many identities. 

No wonder he is drawn to those awful Saul Goodman clothes at the end. Oh, his scheme may have worked with the "mutually assured destruction". Jeffie may have money, now, but "Gene" will ensure he goes to jail if he spills the beans. "Gene" is safe, from that quarter, at least.

And yet... we end the episode full of foreboding. The very fact that this episode exists makes it clear that the finale will include closure in the "present" too. The story of "Gene" is coming to some sort of resolution, and I think it's strongly foreshadowed that his own inability to give up Saul Goodman will lead to his final comeuppance... one perhaps less soul destroying than the humdrum, monochrome existence which he now endures.