Better Call Saul S5 Ep6-10 Short (not really) Reviews - A year long look back Pt. 2

We are back again, couldn't leave it waiting too long. A few days ago I sent in 5 reviews of the keep-you-guessing study of mischievous, swindler Saul Goodman in Vince Gilligan's 'Better Call Saul'. I did episode 1-5 but now here are 6-10. Enjoy

Better Call Saul: Wexler v. Goodman (2020)
Season 5, Episode 6
SENSORY OVERLOAD
Warning: Spoilers

I mean wow, this episode from start to finish is one of the most beautifully crafted BCS eps there is.

Starting with Kim’s flashback. One of the best opening scenes of the show. On par with Cinnabon intros. It sets an unbelievable precedent about her bravery and courage to stick to the law and keep herself out of trouble. Even her own mother couldn’t sway her as she always had to take care of herself.

Love when Saul is giving acting advice as Vince Gilligan does a classic technique of his, the dialogue montage. It highlights his skill in Law. He cares so much about conviction and presentation in what is said, how its said, what they look like. he gives so much advice beyond legal as he knows how to cook the books in his favour and what looks best for his argument/crime/trick, still slippin’ Jimmy.

NACHO, Michael Mando. VAAS. Still in the loop with Gustavo and you can tell he knows so much and will go into S6 and i’m scared to see later on about how he ends up NOT IN BB. His chemistry with Mike and Gus is beautiful and sets up amazing groundwork for the remainder of the season picking at Lalo and how to finally get to him.

Private investigator Mike doing some classic BB vigilante work, whether at the police station as sly as hell or at the library. His cool, calm and collected nature is just a joy to watch.

Gus looks unrelenting as always but then…….JIMMY STRIKES HOWARD AGAIN.

Wow, every scene in this ep is so important. Jimmy clearly still not over the situation at hand and embarrasses Howard publicly destroying something Howard holds so dearly, his image and reputation.

THEN, THE BIG BOMB. WEXLER V GOODMAN. INSANITY, juxtaposing the intro already, SAUL NEVER LISTENS the same way KIM NEVER DID. They learn so much from each other and it all rubs off on camera when they commit to their amazing strategies and SAUL THIS TIME WENT FOR A BARRAGE. All the stops, all the moves, scams, hoodwinks, flimflams, ends with the copyright photo and walks out of the room whistling “we’re in the money”. MASTERFUL, hats off to Gilligan.

But it’s not done. He gives the speech to Kevin, showing he truly does fight for the little guys and stomps on the Big corps until Kim comes home. The dialogue is raw, the lack of trust is one with Kim and she can’t handle the slipping Jimmy. and then Saul says my fav line of the whole EP: “I kept things from you to protect you…If i got caught, and God forbid, you’re questioned under oath, you have plausible deniability.”, these two words not only sum up what her relationship with Jimmy has become, but also links back to her mum yet again. both Saul and her mum keep the truth away from her to “protect her” yet they always end up getting played and have to deal with it alone. And then they end with an amazing question? One of the great BCS eps, chicanery level and never looked away once.

Rating 9.8/10

Better Call Saul: JMM (2020)
Season 5, Episode 7
JMM.....OMG
Warning: Spoilers

Well it's hard to come up after Wexler v Goodman but was still fantastic.

Smart marriages, Expert heists, Good bedtime reading, this ep had it all. Kim and Jimmy finally tying the know for legal purposes was excellent and Huell was some classic comedic relief.

Lalo, Nacho, Mike and Fring excellent as per, Lalo's plan to destroy Los Pollos and Fring executing to keep Nacho in trust with Lalo is so evil and masterful, it makes u respect how good Walter was cos he somehow beat him at his own game. Its like a vicious cycle of tyrants from Lalo --> Fring --> Walt --> DEA and everyone else. And the music played as Fring and Nacho burn it up is so perfect, Dave Porter every time doing the best of the best. Also Lydia and Madrigal, great to see it all starting to come full circle

The trial at the end was fantastic to watch and a scene that may go by as not important and over a few heads but I thought was unbelievable is near the end where Jimmy is looking around the corner at the victim's family crying and his face is lining up with the mirror that highlights his dual personality. On one side, his face he looks sad, has compassion for the family, he's scared and remorseful, he's the Elder Law Jimmy. But on the side, the side on the wall, he looks demented, angry, unchallenged and unstoppable, Just Make Money Saul Goodman. Idk thats how I saw it and it gave me shivers.

Speaking of shivers, WOW the ending, SAUL ABSOLUTELY TEARING HOWARD A NEW ONE. Was a sight to see, THE GOD IN HUMAN CLOTHING finally eclipsed HHM, playing the god card and that he's never ever gonna shoot for anything less than the best and be better than Jimmy McGill ever was gonna be.

Can't wait to see what Lalo gets up to and basically what happens with Kim.......I mean somethings gotta happen.......right?

Rating: 9.4/10

Better Call Saul: Bagman (2020)
Season 5, Episode 8
Not 4 days out but wow this was intense
Warning: Spoilers

This ep was unreal. The roll of the last 3 eps has been as good as this show gets. From the salamanca brothers to the final shot, unreal. It was insane, This is the first true showing of Jimmy's exposure to the violence other than with Tuco in S1. But this was another level on top of that.

Lalo and Kim's conversation was great to see. Kim showing her true feelings for Jimmy and Mike saying "she's in" highlighting the connection from her to the cartel and maybe a possible future scenario involving her and her becoming a dust in the future (Breaking Bad I mean).

But yes lets talk about 4 days out with Bryan Cranston replaced by Jonny Banks and Aaron Paul replaced by Bob Odenkirk. Jesus that was incredible, Mike's confession explaining basically everything he does in BB for the true motives all the way up to the point where Walt shoots him, even then he was still doing everything to protect the people who he loves. Saul was incredible as the bagman, the simplest job becoming a herculean task in the desert (looking like To'hajiilee). Idk if the joint smoker that Saul was talking about to Kim was referring to Jesse but I'd take it as a Jesse reference but still a bit thin for me. What wasn't thin was were 3 other symbols. Firstly, I mean Saul dragging the bag is so eerily similar to Walt dragging the barrel of money in the shows most esteemed episode 'Ozymandias'. Its too similar. Secondly, Foreshadowing the events the use of song by bless his soul Dave Porter using the instrumental of I got the.... by Labi Saffre with the walk through the desert as Saul has got a lot on his mind (Kim, the money, survival, etc.), it may only be the instrumental but the lyrics to the song are very applicable to Sauls situation.

"Mornin' come, sun don't shine I'll get by without you I was lost, but now I'm found Tell me love it was you" ......CHILLS

And also the foil.....I mean space blanket. Mike puts on the blanket and it has to be a connection to Saul's late brother Chuck who constantly wore the blanket due to his allergy to technology and dismissed, ridiculed and ultimately hated. he also gave Jimmy a lot of advice which is what mike does in the desert for Jimmy to keep him going in order to survive the extreme conditions, not just the weather but the cartel situation as well. The season is holding its high calibre episodes and is arguably at this point probably the best season of BCS (obvs BB is supreme) but we still got two more. Getting nervous for the next few but you gotta remember, It S'aul Good man

Rating: 9.75/10

Better Call Saul: Bad Choice Road (2020)
Season 5, Episode 9
Well played Kim. Welcome to the game
Warning: Spoilers

Wow, from start to finish. This just was class. As good as any BCS ep.

Intro was great with the juxtaposition of Kim and Saul and was beautiful to watch. It was a bit of a lighter dialogue heavy ep about rest and relaxation but the dialogue was very violent.

Saul giving in the money at the office was classic BCS comedy and gave me some classic BB nostalgia to Huell lying on the pile of cash. Saul really shows this ep whats keeping him going in the cartel madness and Kim realising she wants more out of life than a big client for a big firm. She wants to enjoy it and it showed really strongly at the end (talk about that later).

Gus and Juan Bolsa about to lock heads and good to see Bolsa again, v interesting character in BB and definitely want to know more. Lalo was great, "Tell me again" BOYYYYYY that was intense, really thought Mike was gonna hit him there but Kim saved the day. She's in the game now, saved jimmy's life there. Well played. Scared for her now, but definitely well played for now

Rating 9.4/10

Better Call Saul: Something Unforgivable (2020)
Season 5, Episode 10
New meaning to Crawl Space
Warning: Spoilers

WOOOOOOOOW. Season 6 gonna be unreal what an unbelievable episode. Definitely up there with the best (chicanery, Winner, Wexler v Goodman, Five-O, etc.). I know I say it every episode but it just gets better and better.

Let's start with Saul and Kim, Wow the set up for S6 with them two is fantastic. They now have a goal in mind for their legal practices that are combined and not alone. Unbelievable chemistry between the two which has been good throughout the show and this season but defo this ep was a highlight. I loved seeing Mike work with Saul, Saul is not the Saul from BB yet but the phone call he had with Mike was as close to BB Saul we have seen so far. It was soooooooo nice to see him demanding and quick like the old school Saul and was a mad flashback. Kim going rebel, bit of a Ned Kelly style character, Jimmy changing her morals to fight for the little guy no matter what even if u have to break the rules is so good.

Hamlin was great this ep. Honestly, the call saying chuck knew Jimmy hit me hard. Its so true, the slippin' jimmy character is something Kim doesn't know too well and chuck was good friends with Hamlin so I'm guessing Hamlin knows more than he's leading on. Good to see what is unveiled in S6 for him.

DONNNNNNNN ELLLADDIO. Oh it was good to be back poolside with the salamanca's. So good to see the sight of Frings greatest triumph and fall and Bolsa and everyone else but obviously how have I gone this far without mentioning the best part of s5. LALO SALAMANCA. UNBELIEVABLE ROLE HE HAS HAD THIS SEASON AND OH MY LORDY does he do the ending of this season justice. Survived his whole way through the assassination attempt, it looked like a remastering of scarface and was executed as if Lalo was a new age tony montana. The scene where he reveals the "crawl space" and crawls through Andy Dufresne style all the way to take them all out from behind kinda sums up what he has being doing to Fring. And just when u think he's gonna lose his temper on the last guy and keep no prisoners in a classic Salamanca behaviour we have seen in Tuco and Hector or the cousins, he keeps him alive and stays smart and tells the guy to say he's dead. WOW. I was speechless. One of the best scenes and as he walks past the camera in the last shot with this almost demonic expression as if he is going to destroy everyone in his path clearly proves that while this gun show was supreme. Its only gonna get bigger and better from here.

Rating: 9.7/10

Thanks all for reading if you get this far. TOOO EXCITED for S6, can only be bigger and better, the finale to the spin-off of an 11 season masterpiece that is all in honour of the study of Chemistry. "Technically Chemistry is the study of matter...but I prefer to see it as the study of Change" - Some high school teacher ;)