I think perhaps that the reason why we don't see Kim in Breaking Bad is because she actually IS in Breaking Bad but she became Wendy. I have no idea how Kim became Wendy. Perhaps we will find out in Season 6.
Season Five, Episode one is perfect in every way. Brilliant writing, amazing acting, noirish cinematography, etc. Every shot and every cut is intelligent and meaningful.
The opposite is true in Episode 2.
Sorry to see that BCS is heading toward BB territory. I hated Episode 2.
I already miss Better Call Saul.
1
Such a great review, thank you!
4
The problem isn't 'stepped on meth.' They're selling cocaine now, not meth. Gus said he added methamphetamine to the cocaine because 'some cocaine was stolen.' Also if you look at the bags, they're clearly cocaine, not meth.
They're not selling meth yet. If you remember a flashback scene there was a disagreement between Gus and the Cartel whether to sell Methamphetamine or not. The Cartel wanted no part as they considered it 'poor man's cocaine'. Gus added meth to their cocaine because he has some type of plan that we don't know of yet. Perhaps to get cocaine users addicted to methamphetamine.
10
I have a running argument with a friend: Are Lalo or Nacho ever referenced in the world of Breaking Bad? I don't recall either one but my friend says they are.
6
@Jerry M They are mentioned but they are never on screen.
4
@Jerry M
BB Season Two Episode 8 when the ski-masked Walt and Jessie take Saul Goodman (whom Walt had first met in a previous scene) out to the desert and try to scare him into cooperating with them re Badger. Believing they are from the cartel, Saul pleads with them...
"Oh No! Oh, no, no, no! It wasn't me; it was Ignacio (Nacho); he's the one."
Then, as he begins to realize they are not from the cartel...
"Lalo didn't send you? No Lalo?....Oh thank God!"
When the dialogue was written, the writers, of course, had no idea that future writers in a yet unimagined series would reach back and put flesh on what, for them, were just two names.
It's the attention to such detail that makes the writing of BCS so brilliant...and singular. And compelling. And fun!
24
@Jack McCullough thank ya.
At this point in the story, Gus and the Cartel are selling cocaine from South America, not meth. Gus obviously knows meth is the future for him, but the Cartel is not on board yet and forbids Gus from working with producers north of the border. I'm sure we will learn why some of the product was cut in future episodes.
1
I almost wish Gene got his own show, or at least his own movie, like « El Camino ». That storyline is fascinating. And it was very moving to see the late, great, Robert Forster. When Gene says « I’ll take care of it », you know that Slippin’ Jimmy has come up with a plan, although I do get the feeling this one is more sinister than selling fake Rolexes.
Kudos to the series creators for including Lee Morgan’s « The Sidewinder » in one of the best scenes!
3
@Michel Forest: I suspect Season 6 (the final season) will spend a lot more time with Gene, with a final resolution of Jimmy/Saul/Gene's fate. And I doubt that it will be Alaska with Kim :(
3
@CFXK
I think pretty much the same thing… Jimmy's/Saul's/Gene's fate will be sealed by the end of season 6.
I just hope Kim will still be alive by the end of the show.
4
What happened in Santiago may refer to Gustavo's time as part of the Pinochet regime.
4
Was that Jesse Pinkman in the hoodie milling around in the crowd at the end of Saul's carnival/cell phone giveaway? I'm unclear on the timeline, but he was certainly a juvenile delinquent (or well on his way to becoming one) at the very least at that point in the Saul Goodman timeline.
@East of Cicero No, but I thought it was too. Watch the second episode.
2
Oh, and the UNM film students are back! That weird little trio provides such great comic relief. Without even trying, they fluster Jimmy/Saul in ways that no one else seems able to achieve on purpose. I just love them.
17
1) I really enjoy the Gene story arc so far, and it was brilliant filming it in B&W... it really helps convey the misery, despair and life turned upside down of the once flamboyant, energetic Saul.
I just wish we got more than 10-15 minutes of one episode per season of him. Maybe by the time Sauls story is wrapped up in season 6, the finale will be almost exclusively center around Gene.
2) Did Kim finally get in over her head, and will she end up getting burned for manipulating her client and his wife?
Given Jimmy/Sauls new high visibility, one of them is going to see one of his commercials, or Saul will be visiting another client in jail and the husband will recognize him...
'Hey, that guy isn't from the prosecutors office. I want to speak with a lawyer about this'.
10
Great review David. Totally agree that episode was the best - it hit on all cylinders.
(1) Opening with Gene & the story line that he is done being afraid & plans to fight....YAY!!
(2) Gus 'bad' meth batch had to be Gene. We haven't been shown who is the current cook; but doubtful Gus would use his regular cook to do it.
(3) Jimmy became Saul before his DBA change. The slow process began when he passed the bar & found out what Chuck thought about it. It was completed when Chuck killed himself after telling Jimmy he didn't matter to him and all the in between of trying to do the right thing & being knocked down.
Jimmy accepted (wrongly) that he was not good enough (lawyer & person). That is who he is now 24 / 7. Kim usually found the occasional 'scam' exhilarating. Last night her reaction was opposite. She understands now that Jimmy is gone.
(4) Am I the only one who didn't know Gus was gay? I didn't know until last night that Max was his boyfriend. And the reference to Santiago is clearly a stay tuned situation.
So glad Netflix allowed viewing of past seasons. Was it worth the wait - you betcha! Love this show.
4
@Neelie For #2 - I believe Gus buys from Salamanca, and doesn't cook for himself yet. That happens in the future.. Gale was a one-off, and Gus said he bought to replace what was stolen by the German. And Gus is hiding his meth lab construction from Lalo. I haven't rewatched Season four since it came out, so I might be hazy on the details!
1
@rael
Thanks......totally got my facts mixed up.
OOPS - I meant "Gale" made a special bad batch, not Gene.
4
"El Chileno" is not actually from Chile. Fring probably grew up in Guyana, maybe Suriname, both English-speaking nations. His Spanish is grammatically correct, but he speaks it haltingly and with a strong non-Spanish accent. In the beginning, I thought this was something the show-runners chose to overlook so they could snag the brilliant Giancarlo Esposito to play the role, but that was too sloppy a compromise. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould don't do ANYTHING that isn't purposeful, let alone sloppy.
We don't know how or why Fring ended up in Chile, literally on the other side of the South American continent, but my guess is that he started out walking and left a trail of corpses in his wake. (He was only a child when he tortured and killed that poor little animal. He'd have no more pity for a human being, as we've seen.)
Fring's murdered lover was very likely from Chile. His appearance and accent were the biggest clues to his origins.
Eladio knows the story. We don't know it. Yet.
Maybe Hector knows it, too. I seem to recall a scene by Don Eladio's pool where Hector called Fring "El Chileno" in a sneering, vicious, sarcastic tone.
17
Kim's compass is tilting Saul-ward, not "titling". Yes? But then that compass needle has frequently vibrated between magnetic and true north.
Try your local public library DVD section for recent "Saul" seasons. A free resource hidden in plain view!
2
Will Kim SURVIVE? Never a word about her in Breaking Bad. My bet is that she won’t be allowed to live, and Gus Fring probably will have her executed.
Jimmy previously lost a partner in his grifting, he lost his brother Chuck—and we onlookers will tremble if I’m right. Terror and Pity (for Kim).
Saul Goodman should be so severely punished that eventually nothing of him is left.
3
@Donald Dal Maso
I doubt this. Jimmy / Saul would not recover from that. She might get out via the vaccuum repair.
1
@Donald Dal Maso For the last couple seasons it appears, to me, that Gene has essentially morphed into Chuck . All the fear, paranoia, dark lighting etc
1
I am furious. I had YouTube TV which carrys AMC. Now I use Hulu which does not. What to so?
3
@Ernest Lamonica Cyberflix TV
@Ernest Lamonica You can watch last night's season premiere on the AMC website for free.
1
@Sandy b
Thanks
1
Lalo is one of the most terrifying characters I’ve ever seen, close to Bardem in “No Country for Old Men.” One of the smarmiest-scariest smiles ever. My stomach turned every time he appears. Never heard of the actor, but he’s great.
30
@Alex Kent
Thought the same thing. In every scene he appeared, Lalo brought so much apprehension. Completely reminiscent of Bardem in NCFOM. Brilliant casting.
6
Great plaudit.
Have you thought of the amusing use of the name Bolsa ( Bank of London and South America) a bank unfortunately linked with money washing during and after ww2.
2
@Ben Beaumont - I've always found it funny. One literal translation of "Juan Bolsa" is "John Bag" (John the Bag Man?) :)
4
@Cynthia Vince Gilligan has said he's called Juan Bolsa as a reference to Johnny Sack (John Sacramoni) in The Sopranos. Juan Bolsa holds the same rank in the cartel as Johnny Sack held in the New York Mafia.
5
"Kim has her moral compass 'tilted' Saul-ward" not titled. Also, I think it's telling that the first time we meet Lalo he is waltzing around in the kitchen of that taqueria playing some kind of a hip hispanic foodie. (sniffer)
3
I can’t wait.
This thing lulled me to sleep during the Obama administration; sounds like it’s finally getting on track.
I'd like to know more about the individual episode directors and crew, such as Bronwen Hughes. Such stunning work. Tremendous. Thank you.
4
@InAZ Try the "Better Call Saul Insider" Podcast where Vince Gilligan and a several other producers, writers and editors weekly talk about the the director, crew and particular production challenges of each episode. They pull back the curtain, and it is fascinating. A new podcast episode posted within a two days of each episode of BCS.
2
@InAZ @CFXK We have a film and television arts program at our university, and I was able to bring BCS writer Heather Marion to campus to talk to students and give a public event three years ago. Heather had just written her first solo episode (hers will be #5 this season). She was so fantastic and she packed the house! Great stories about production and the cast and crew and their relationships and so much more. The podcast sounds great and I'm going to check it out.
The stolen "stepped on" meth was nothing more then a set-up Alibi by Gus to explain why he and Michael were frantically searching for Werner.
27
@Rick Yes, I completely agree. Always three moves ahead.
6
The Santiago comment is an unrevealed issue involving Gus Fring, before he came to the US. The Salamanca cartel has mentioned it before, which is one of the reasons why Fring is tolerated but not accepted into the cartel.
It is not referencing the killing of Fring's lover and partner, done in Mexico at the hands of the cartel.
12
Things are not looking good for Nacho and Lalo. My guess is Lalo figures out Nacho is in with Fring and takes him out. Gus must then dispose of Lalo in a crafty way to protect his interests against the cartel.
1
@cyberjoe
Thing is, in BB, when Walter and Jesse take Saul into the desert, Saul thinks they may have been sent by Lalo and/or Nacho.
13
@cyberjoe I thought that Walter White kills Nacho in season 1 of BB?
1
@Steve Nacho was never in BB. He's referenced once when Walt and Jesse first meet Saul by Saul. But that doesn't mean he isn't dead already. As I recall, Lalo was just a whispered name once but no background given.
5
FINALLY!
The past few weeks have been nothing short of nightmare filled headlines after headlines with anxiety, uncertainly, sadness and a host of other emotions about political insanity or the coronavirus or even the passing of a legend.
Thank goodness for "Better Call Saul" because that one hour+ show certainly provided a much needed oasis of sitting back, enjoying the story line, the actors, and the music.
It's good to have something positive to look forward to which also helps keep the negatives at bay, even for just an hour.
47
Very well said. Even the trailer that teased the season, set to “Welcome to my World” was incredibly well done.
12
@Chris Kelsch
Thanks so much for your very kind words.
I even look forward to the various "villains" each week because they make me smile, laugh, wonder what their plans and intentions are all the while I am enjoying the plots and players.
Really good TV. "All's good, man".
4
@Marge Keller " 'S all good, man" (as in, "It's all good, man").
!) Fring himself diluted the product, as part of his elaborate ruse to explain Werner - the inferior product supports his story that Werner stole two bricks. Remember, Fring leaves no detail unaddressed.
2) We don't know what happened in Santiago. This as a running theme through Breaking Bad - that Fring was in some dirty business in Chile under Pinochet. Remember, Hank tried to pursue this and ran into a dead end. And Hector referred to it a couple times in BB. Gilligan et al have been dropping hints to this throughout both series. But we may never know. Or we may be treated to a great reveal!
Just a note on Kim, there has always been speculation about when and how she and Jimmy have their final break. In fact, we don't know for sure that a final break took place. We never saw Saul's personal life in Breaking Bad, so it's quite possible that that she was with him until until it came time for Saul to get that adaptor for the Hoover Max Extract Pressure-Pro, Model 60 - though I tend not to subscribe to that theory myself.
Also, although it was always implicit, Lalo' reference to Fring's mentee as Fring's "boyfriend" is the first explicit reference to the relationship being more than mentor-mentee and business partners.
38
@CFXK Exactly right about Fring diluting his product to set up the deception for Lalo. Mike caught up to Werner when he was on the phone with Lalo and conveyed that discussion to Gus.
13
@CFXK I find it odd that almost no one picked up on that throw-away line by Lalo about Gus's "boyfriend" being killed by Don Eladio.
3
Love this show! I'm as fascinated by the post Breaking Bad Saul narrative shown in the beginnings as I am in the Saul origin story. Maybe when the show hits the breaking bad storyline it will flip and the future Saul on the run will be the main storyline? I'd love to see that as he's such a great character. Really great show!
11
Not mentioned yet is the great scene where Mike slips Lalo's tail by gumming up the works in the parking lot ticket machine. Classic Mike, cool and deliberate under pressure.
When Mike opens the back of the truck carrying the German construction workers to their exit point in the desert, the workers hesitate to get out. Mike says, "If you were going to die, you'd be dead already. Now step out of the truck, we've got things to do." This calls to mind Virgil Sollozzo telling a Tom Hagen, who is reluctant to get in Sollozzo's car, "What are you worried about, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."
Kim's progression is the most riveting, but Mike's confrontation with Gustavo vaults his progression into a close second place. It's sort of too bad we know that later in BB days, Kim is not around and Mike is Gus' most trusted fixer.
For the first time I realized the underground excavation the Germans are building is at the chicken plant, not the laundry where the super lab was located in BB. Did I miss something?
10
@Woodsterama
I suspect the idea is that once the lab is built, the laundry operation will move there.
4
The other possibility is that the first, failed, effort is abandoned, and later shifted to the laundry facility.
4
@Woodsterama The construction at the chicken plant was just a cover for what he was using the German crew for. The lab is being built underground at the laundry. Gus just created a cover story of a different construction project to explain their presence.
24
I hated Breaking Bad but I really love BETTER CALL SAUL.
It's the best show on TV.
Beautiful film noir lighting, shot compositions to die for, breathtaking cinematography and superb characterization. It is a masterpiece of direction and misdirection.
I get a little bored when it starts to dovetail back to Breaking Bad territory, but I guess that is where it is headed.
I hope Kim sticks around as long as possible, because without Kim, I don't know how long I want to be on this ride.
But still, Mike is great, so well acted! These actors are just dynamite.
The show has something special in it's use of the desert lighting for spareness, depth, cruelty, warmth and many other feelings.
It's a breathtaking show; more like an independent film that comes in sections than a television show.
34
@Rax
Gosh, Rax, just the opposite for me. Loved Breaking Bad, not so crazy re Saul, despite the fine acting, desert scenes, etc. Different strokes, I guess!
3
The flash-forward was unnerving for sure, made all the more poignant by the very last appearance of the Disappearer, Robert Forster (a quick scan of his IMDb shows what a true working career in Hollywood is). Jimmy/Gene's safety, after everything he's survived, may be undone by that emergency hospital visit and the cab ride home.
Gus's oblique reference to Pinochet during his "interview" with the DEA ("Breaking Bad" Ep 408, "Hermanos") where Hank challenges him with circumstantial evidence from Gale's apartment that he's the kingpin meth dealer, combined with his commanding demeanor, has always suggested to me that Gus was one of the generals in that murderous dictatorship, and that his identity was scrubbed clean before he moved to Mexico, and then New Mexico. The cartel, especially Don Eladio, knows that story, and have used it as blackmail/leverage multiple times, including the murder of Gus's partner Max Arciniega in the very same episode.
Finally, one last connection: it's always good to see the real-life Max Arciniega once again playing Domingo (later, Crazy-8) collecting the cash. The character of Gus's partner in BB 408 was named after the actor, after his amazing but sadly brief performance as Walter's second murder victim in the early episodes of BB season 1.
11
The Santiago reference is interesting as it goes back to B.B. days. Hank could find no record of Gus Fring pre-1989 when he investigated him in Season 4 of B.B. Fring told Hank it was Pinochet's gov't that kept poor records. It is implied the Fring was a gov't official in Pinochet's authoritarian Chilean gov't, which killed tens of thousands of individuals. Gus's past might be tied to that gov't. Always an interesting point in B.B. that was never explored and left to the view.
26
Love the series, but it appears to be descending into graphic violence, if this first episode is an example ... but I guess that's the "American way".
@dave There has been intense violence on this show before and I'm sure there will be again, but what "graphic" violence did I miss in this first episode?
10
@David D. Nothing but a tub full of guts that falls through the ceiling. Disney stuff.
1
@CDooge Yep. That turned out to be the worst gore of Breaking Bad. I almost didn't continue after that, but was too intrigued so had to keep going. Had it turned out to be that kind of series (blood and guts from violence) I would have stopped.
I can't recall if there has anything approaching that in BCS.
1
"either a massive cooling warehouse for fouls or a Potemkin chiller"
*fowls
34
@MockingbirdGirl The plural of fowl is... fowl.
4
@MockingbirdGirl
I dunno. Fouls kinda works.
5
@Charles G. "When fowls have no feathers and fish have no fin" - William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors ;)
10
The opening with Jeff confronting Jimmy in the shopping mall was really intense. I could feel Jimmy's inner terror. How is he going "to take care of it" himself, other than killing Jeff and his friend ?
And how many others have they told ? I really want to see this plot line continued - soon.
I love the reference to Fellini in the description of Saul's menagerie of new would be clients. Fellini's freaks interacted directly with the camera, were more crippled and disabled, and, most of all, lascivious.
Vince Gilligan's freaks had an astonishing variety of fashion statements. No couturier ever had a such an impressive "line".
I could imagine Anna Wintour and Sarah Jessica Parker sitting in the front row, being blown away by the haute couture.
No opening in Paris or Milan could ever outdo the "House" or "Atelier" of Gilligan.
I forget. Does Gus Fring really "know" about Nacho and his altering Hector's pills, or just suspect ?
18
@Matt Gus knows that Nacho switched Hector's pills (and he is aware the Salamancas do not know this) - so, Gus is blackmailing Nacho into working with him against the Salamancas.
7
the stepped on meth was probably the batch that Gus had Gale test. Gus used it deliberately to test Lalo.
29
@v That was my thought too. V from NM.
2
@v I also thought that maybe it was a batch that Gale cooked up for Gus.
2
Season 5 ? I just finished watching Season 4 and now learn a Season 5 exists? This is the best series playing on Netflix now. Not fair to let me know I could learn more about Jimmy, Kim, etc and yet have no way to access it. Bob Odenkirk is an amazing actor, so much so that I was taken aback when you described his character as “unethical “. Yes, a lawyer for drug king pins definitely is but I find myself routing for Jimmy every step of his way. Hurry up, Netflix. Bring on Season 5.
23
@fishoutawater with you all the way on this- including Netflix, which is where I'm watching it- and just finished 4 last night!
1
@fishoutawater
You will have to wait at least a year to see season 5 on Netflix. You can buy this season on Amazon for $25, and see the episodes a few hours after they are broadcast on TV. You can probably buy them from I Tunes too, but I'm not sure about that.
5
@fishoutawater:
You can watch BCS "live" on AMC. Last night's episode (season 5, episode 1) was on at 10 p.m.
10
1. The stepped on product was probably just some random weak meth that Nacho slipped into the distribution stream, at Gus' orders. Nacho was obviously involved in the whole plan to get Lalo to "investigate", which would in turn lead to the meeting with Gus and Bolsa. Nacho had no reason to tell Lalo anything when they were in the restaurant. Lalo is extremely smart in his own right, so the question is whether he realizes how far back the setup goes and will realize Nacho is actually working with Fring.
2. I dont think the Santiago incident refers to anything that has been revealed in Breaking Bad. But we do know that Don Eladio would not kill Gus because he "knew who he was", which implies that Gus (or his family, or something he did) was a big deal in Chile.
9
When will this episode and the rest of Season 5 be on Netflix? Season 4 took forever to get there!
2
@SD
Netflix typically drops a season of BCS shortly before AMC begins airing the NEXT season. So it's a good bet that Season 5 will reach Netflix in advance of AMC broadcasting season 6. Frustrating wait for sure.
7
@D Price It's a long, frustrating wait between seasons on AMC as it is, but the quality of the show demands it. What I do is PVR the current season on AMC and keep it until Netflix picks it up. That way I can get all the BCS I want. ;-)
1
@SD You can watch the Season 5 premiere for free, no login required https://www.amc.com/shows/better-call-saul/season-5/episode-01-magic-man
The interesting this about the meth is that Lalo says 'this isn't our product' rather than this product has been tampered with which makes me think that perhaps Nacho is selling product on the side to earn money to move his dad. Or it could just be Fring giving Lalo a different bone to chase sp he's not chasing his other business interests.
The Santiago reference is interesting in that during Breaking Bad we were under the impression that the murder or Fring's partner was personally motivated but Lalo's call out suggests that the murder may be a business move related to Fring's credibility.
To answer your first question, I think Gus purposefully made his locally sourced meth weaker, to boost the credibility of his cover story. I don’t think anyone is actually tampering with the product. He likely knew that customers would complain, Lalo would look into it and then set up a meeting, where Gus could spin his tale.
The problem for Gus, of course, is that Lalo knows he’s lying. He spoke with Werner before Mike got to his hotel, and told Lalo that he left behind construction instructions and that he’d be back in a few days. Gus does not know that.
Excellent premiere.
25
Not sure why they call him a plaintiff's attorney. When his whole business plan is criminal defense. But I sure did love this season premiere.
12
Answer to question #1: The product wasn't really "stepped on". Some customers assumed it was diluted because it was weaker, but as Gus explained it was weaker because he bought some of it "locally" to replace the amount that was stolen, and the local stuff didn't measure up to the original stronger version.
4