TV Corner: Better Call Saul S2 Review

Coming off a stellar first Season, Better Call Saul has cemented itself as not just a prequel, but it's own monster as it leads up to the events of Breaking Bad, and beyond. To compare this to films I'd say this is the Empire Strikes Back of BCS so far.

Season one introduced a lot of new characters, and gave us a wonderful look into all of their lives and they're dynamics, but season two elevates that and brings Jimmy closer and closer to the Saul we all know and love while dealing with his brother, his almost on-again off-again relationship with Kim, and a reinvention of slippin' Jimmy as he tries to make it in a corporate setting.

Before I get to the juices bits of this season I have to address the future glimpses. We got one in the first episode last season, but I was surprised that we stayed longer than I thought in Saul's new job. I absolutely love those scenes, and Odenkirk kills it in these heart wrenching glimpses of the future to come. I think in season three we're going to explore a little more than what we got in this season, and I just can't wait.

Season two really begins immediately after season one's finale, and uses that as a stepping stone to really set up this season. Jimmy is trying to figure out what's best for him, going it on his own, or joining a bigger firm to finalize his Sandpiper find. This whole season really seemed to show that no matter how much Jimmy tries to be the perfect lawyer who does everything by the book, he'll always be slippin' Jimmy. Chuck touches upon this last season, but this season really paints it to you that Jimmy can't change. He's tried over and over again, and this season was his breaking point.

Jimmy's brother Chuck has a more predominant role this season. Spurned by the ending of season one, Chuck pushes himself to his limit many times trying to thwart Jimmy's plans, and 'save' everyone around him. I thought Chuck was an interesting character in season one, but this time around he's fleshed out so much that I audibly gasped when I saw what happened in the second to last episode. Chuck is just a wonderful, unexpected, character that really brings conflict to Jimmy's life.

Other characters such as Kim, Howard, and side characters are all fleshed out too. Kim has many episodes this season that really make her question what she's doing with her life. We're starting to see her layers peel back as her trust in Jimmy is being broken one episode at a time. Actually, Kim is one of the strongest characters, which is surprising because every single character on this show is already strong enough. This season just elevated everybody.

Speaking of elevation, Mike is back and we're seeing him go farther and farther into the rabbit hole. I actually wasn't expecting Mike to turn quicker than Jimmy, but you can clearly see that at the beginning of the season he's still tied to his morals from season one, but after dealing with idiots, and in need of some serious cash, Mike is revving up his badassness this season by dealing with some of Breaking Bad's more terrifying villains. I was actually shocked with how many Breaking Bad alums joined for an episode or two, and their presence just intensifies every scene.

One of the things I was surprised with about season one, was that it was relatively bright. Jimmy had high hopes, he was finding a good niche to be successful in, and there were lots of scenes where he was outside in the nice sun. But this season, oh boy, I don't think anybody didn't notice how dark the sets were. Lots of scenes were dealt indoors, light shining through castes shadows on the actors, particularly Jimmy, and too often I kept thinking that something awful was going to happen this season, and sure enough Jimmy is another step closer to becoming the Saul we all know and love.

The only real negative I can give this season, is the same negative I gave season one, and that's the ending. Season one was so gripping, and amazing, that when it came to the last two episodes I felt dissapionted that they didn't carry what the rest of the season had. Season two stayed top notch all the way up to the finale for me. While I did like the finale, I did feel disappointed by it, and after comparing it to season one I think I finally figured out what was bugging me about it. The finale for both seasons felt more like set up for the next season, rather than an end to the whole season.

Other than that, I was on the edge of my seat for all nine episodes, gripped by how strong the characters are, and their development, and was shocked by what the writers did to interfere with their characters. This series is one of the best written, shot, and acted shows on TV right now, and if you haven't watched it yet it's not too late. With how this season went I'm expecting huge things to happen next season.

A