Warning: the following article contains spoilers for all six seasons of Better Call Saul
After two years of waiting, the long-awaited final season to AMC’s Better Call Saul has finally premiered. Airing on AMC+, the series dropped the first two episodes of its sixth season last Monday. Picking up where season 5 left off, the show gives a continuation to Nacho Varga’s (played by Michael Mando) and Jimmy’s (played by Bob Odenkirk) plotlines.
The season’s first episode “Wine and Roses”, starts off with a cryptic sequence of Jimmy’s (also known as Saul Goodman) mansion being rummaged presumably after the events of Breaking Bad. Compared to Breaking Bad and the previous seasons of Better Call Saul, this scene’s cinematography is extravagant and artistic.
Throughout “Wine and Roses”, there’s a clear film noir feel. Shots have a strange, alienating feel that distances the audience from the main characters. Viewers who watched these characters struggle and overcome obstacles in the early seasons now watch as almost all the major characters either destroy their own lives or the lives of others.
While leading man Bob Odenkirk continues to give a great performance as Jimmy McGill, Michael Mando’s acting was undoubtedly the standout of “Wine and Roses”. The calm, collected gangster from season 1 has turned into a tragic anti-hero, and Mando captures the paranoia, anger, and fear of this character perfectly.
“Wine and Roses” is quite possibly the show’s most story-dense episode. In contrast to the slower pace of the show’s earlier episodes, “Wine and Roses” has plot progression in every scene and even off-screen. The tone is tense despite the bits of comedy, and the writing is as precise and tight as ever.
Season 6 continues with its second episode “Carrot and Stick”. “Carrot and Stick” brings back the Kettleman couple (played by Jeremy Shamos and Julie Ann Emery) and cranks up the action. In the episode’s standout scene, the Salamanca twins (played by Daniel Moncada and Luis Moncada) have a western-style showdown with Nacho.
The episode also gives us a look at Kim Wexler’s (played by Rhea Seehorn) fall into darkness. While Kim started off as the moral compass to contrast with Jimmy’s scheming, she’s begun to grow as ruthless as some of the show’s villains. Although subtle, Kim’s character development has been on-par with the show’s other characters.
As Better Call Saul comes nearer to its end, the line between the show’s legal drama plot and cartel plot are beginning to converge. The final season is off to a strong start, and it’s clear that the showrunners have far more to reveal. Recently, AMC revealed on Twitter that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) from Breaking Bad will appear in Better Call Saul.
While some fans criticized the announcement for spoiling such an important reveal, it’ll be interesting to see how Walt and Jesse will fit into such a distinct story. If the showrunners plan to bring back any more Breaking Bad characters, hopefully Bill Burr’s character Patrick Kuby will also make a comeback.
So far, Better Call Saul Season 6 has lived up to the hype. Despite being the prequel to a show that premiered 14 years ago, the story is as fresh as ever. Better Call Saul’s premiere is promising, and hopefully the rest of the final season follows suit.
About Post Author
