Summary: Tuco calls Gonzo, No Doze and Nacho about the skateboard kids. He holds Jimmy at gunpoint and Jimmy attempts to talk himself out of it but the skateboarders turn him over. Jimmy is taken to the desert and threatened by Tuco, but Nacho saves him. Jimmy saves the lives of the skateboarders and they get away with only a broken leg each. Jimmy returns to life at the courthouse, having given up on scheming. He's met by Nacho again who plans to rob the Kettlemans, but Jimmy refuses to help him.
The Good: This was much better than the pilot episode. The pilot introduced everything, but things were still kind of shaky. This episode continued to establish what "Uno" started and also gave the show some excitement and identity to really make it stand out. Almost everything about this worked and I could not have asked for a better follow-up episode. The biggest thing in this episode was definitely Tuco. Introducing Tuco early on was a very smart move in a lot of ways. In the last episode I was excited to see what happened, but it felt like Tuco's inclusion was to keep the show feeling more like Breaking Bad. And I was very wrong. If anything this confrontation as meant t mirror the episode "Grilled" but to show how this show would differ from Breaking Bad. We get to see not action, but lots of tense dialogue that helped reveal a lot about the characters we get to see. The way the scene concluded highlights that Better Call Saul will be more about morals and character over the epic look at the drug world from Breaking Bad. Something great about this approach is how it also showed how different Jimmy McGill is from Saul Goodman. Saul would have let those kids die to save himself, but Jimmy still has a soul. He wants to save lives and feel uncomfortable seeing the kids legs broken by the vile Tuco. He is a completely different man trying to find his place in the world. And it should be a very intriguing journey to see Jimmy become the sleazy Saul Goodman we all "love". Back to Tuco though for a bit, he was excellent as always. We are all familiar with Tuco so it was a joy to see his unpredictability and insanity once more. The opening sequence was a fantastic and subtle use of dramatic irony as the audience can easily pinpoint the exact moment that Tuco snapped, whereas the skaters are jus so horribly oblivious to it al. It creates a nice sense of foreboding and even plays into a nice joke when Tuco says "biznatch" after taking care of the 2. Tuco was also great in his scenes with Jimmy. There was a genuine tension and even though we know Jimmy will survive, we are still unsure what Tuco may do next. And that adds another exciting layer to this episode and to the wonderful conversations between Jimmy and Tuco. Additionally, the conversations are a good way to get us to understand just how powerful Jimmy can be when he talks. It's absolutely his biggest weapon and I'm curious to see how his charming personality will factor into the rest of the series. I think that the episode really did nail Jimmy's character in this episode. Afterwards, I was invested in his story in a way I wasn't after "Uno" and I'm genuinely excited to see where the story goes now. This episode improved a lot on the previous one. The Jimmy and Chuck scene got more time to breathe this episode and I was more interested in Chuck afterwards. Nacho is another interesting character and he has quickly made an impact by showing his calm thought process compared to Tuco's insanity. This episode also gave me more of a Breaking Bad vibe in terms of the writing. Like in Breaking Bad, the writing is damn impressive and there are so many little details that just wow me and make me appreciate the story being told so much more. For example, I love that scenes get time to breathe so we can really get invested. In other shows we wouldn't see scenes of Jimmy feeling bad about what happened to the boys, and we wouldn't get an extended conversation between Chuck and Jimmy to showcase the mannerisms and contrasting behaviour of both characters. Another small thing I liked was the lingering shot between Jimmy and Kim, the girl lawyer. It lets us know she will be important and that there is a relationship there to look out for with just a single wordless shot. It would take too long to go into detail about every little thing I liked about this episode, but I'll quickly list off the small things that I thought were amazing in this episode. The montages were things of beauty, letting us get invested into the characters and the world by going on for a while and condensing loads of information into tons of quick 3 second scenes. The cinematography seems to have actually improved after Breaking Bad, making Better Call Saul possibly the most beautifully shot television show I have seen. The acting is splendid too as there are always tons of details to look for in the performances as all of the actors beautifully display what is going through the characters heads in just a single shot. The decision to include these shots of characters telling a story with just their faces is also brilliant as it leaves the show with excess amounts of restraint, detail and subtlety. The Breaking Bad nods with Tuco cooking and Tuco threatening No Doze were great. Lastly, this show is absolutely killing it in the humour department too. Each of the jokes are built up brilliantly and always catch you with a sense of sudden surprise making them all the more hilarious. The montage with Jimmy working at the courthouse in particular was brilliant with showing these jokes and it also did a superb job of balancing the humour with the struggles of Jimmy's life. The Bad: Tuco does seem a bit cartoonish though. While I still love his character, he feels a little more 2 dimensional than before and just seems to be ridiculously over the top to please the fans. I suppose the only thing wrong with this episode is that it doesn't engage your emotions. It's near flawless when it comes to writing, cinematography, acting and other small details but if it doesn't engage my emotions aside from feelings of tension it can't be something next-level special. The Unknown: What is the relationship between Jimmy and Kim? Will Jimmy eventually join with Nacho? How long will he keep his morality before turning into Saul Goodman? Best Moment: The montage was superbly shot and hilarious, but Jimmy talking down Tuco from a death sentence to broken legs was too spectacular to pass up. It was genuinely tense and did a great job of showing how talented Jimmy is at using his mouth to convince other people to do things. Character of the Episode: Jimmy. Conclusion: A great episode of television that vastly improved upon the last one. I'm definitely on board with this show now and I would be more than happy to just see this story play out the same way it played out here even if there aren't many plot developments happening. Score: 73
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Summary: Monica and Ross' Nana dies in the hospital. The friends all attend her funeral. Monica gets to talk with her mom regarding her extreme criticism. Ross hurts himself and takes pills and acts very flamboyantly. Chandler deals with the fact that lots of people think he's gay.
The Good: This was another very strong and funny episode of television. The side-plot with Chandler was wonderful as usual, and it also had a very real feeling as people discuss how Chandler has a gay "quality". There were loads of laughs and funny lines which helped the episode have a lighter tone despite it focusing on the death of Nana. I think the character moments were woven beautifully throughout the episode as well. They were brilliantly laced with comedy and I thought that the progression of Monica's relationship with her mom, the continued hilarity of Jack Geller and Ross continuing to show his feelings were all very well done. Phoebe and Joey were in the background this episode, but their few lines were very funny. The Bad: There were a few scenes that I felt were played a little for emotion regarding Nana's death, but since we didn't know her at all the scenes kind of felt awkward and out of place. It also didn't help that they lacked humour. Best Moment: I'll go with Monica's interactions with her mom at the funeral. It was some great character development and also had lots of laughs interlaced with it. While it's not the funniest scene in the episode, but I think it was the most well done. Character of the Episode: I'll give it to Ross this time. Though Chandler was still hilarious, Ross got more focus and delivered in every scene so I have to give it to him. Conclusion: Friends continues to be must-watch comedy with another great episode, this time providing some quality character moments with the usual laughs. Score: 75 Summary: After relinquishing his ID as Saul Goodman, Gene is working a shell of his former life as a Cinnabon manager. In the past, Jimmy is a struggling lawyer living in Albuquerque. He is running out of money and is doing public defendant cases. His brother Chuck, an accomplished lawyer, has a weird condition preventing him from working and Jimmy wants him to cash out but he doesn't want to. Jimmy recruits some skateboarders to help him win over a client via some scheming, but the plan goes awry and Jimmy ends up captured by Tuco at gunpoint.
The Good: This was a very solid if unspectacular series premier. Following Breaking Bad's success, expectations are very high for this show, and this was totally fine. The thing that impressed me the most was the pacing of this episode. It was, surprisingly, deliberately slow and patient which is a very interesting way to start a show. It's unconventional and in most cases it wouldn't work at all, but in this case it fits seamlessly. I have an established faith in Gilligan and Gould after Breaking Bad, so seeing this slow pace end up becoming truly fascinating as I am confident that the series will be enjoyable. It's also executed brilliantly and is accompanied by strong writing and beautiful cinematography to make the show all the more mesmerizing. Another strong point was Jimmy in general. It was interesting to see a different version of Saul that seems to have some small morals compared to the eccentric and flamboyant Saul. Jimmy certainly seems interesting, but he definitely has the Saul Goodman qualities inside of him as we get to see in that final plan Jimmy hatches to get the business from Betsy Kettleman. But aside from those qualities, it was good to get more depth from Jimmy, including an interesting relationship with his brother Chuck and a conflict with Howard Hamlin of HHM. The Breaking Bad connections were great for true fans. I was beyond excited to see Mike and Tuco in small roles, and that cliffhanger was the perfect way to get me invested in the show. I'm definitely curious to find out what happens now with Tuco's involvement in the story. There were also several nice Saul tie-ins, including the reveal of Jimmy's car and the intro sequence showing Gene working in a Cinnabon, just like Saul said he would be back in "Granite State" from Breaking Bad. The humour was also a standout in this episode. There were plenty of comedic moments that I enjoyed throughout the episode with highlights being Jimmy and Mike, Jimmy busting the skateboarders on their con and that hilarious opening scene in the courtroom. The ending scheme was pretty enjoyable overall and had that Breaking Bad feeling to it, but it did have some flaws (see: The Bad). Overall I liked it though and I was glad to see the skateboarders who were introduced earlier come back to play a major part in the episode. It's some nice continuity. The Bad: The Chuck scene was good content and it was interesting to see his relationship with Jimmy, but the scene felt a little too on-the-nose for me. It didn't feel organic for some reason, I think it's just that the dialogue seemed to conveniently cover the exact information we needed. The scene didn't get the same time to breathe that the other scenes did. The ending scheme was flawed because it revolved a lot on coincidence to work. There just happened to be a car that looked exactly like Betsy's with the license plate starting with 4 at the exact time Betsy was supposed to show up? Really? That's just ridiculously coincidental. And it makes even less sense that the skateboarders were able to keep up with the car as well. Also how improbable is it that Jimmy would find the car? he received poor directions and had an entire neighbourhood to scour and yet he somehow found it. And that house just happened to be Tuco's too? This whole plot was driven by coincidence which is unusually poor from these writers. The Unknown: Why was Tuco in the house? What is he going to do with Jimmy and the skateboarders? How is he going to be different now than from Breaking Bad? Why was Mike in the parking booth? Is he not working for Gus yet? How will he factor into the story because that surely wasn't just a one-off cameo. What is wrong with Chuck? How did this electricity disease affect him? Is it even real? Will the show be overshadowed by Breaking Bad in the end? This premiere felt like a continuation of Breaking Bad more than its own show. This needs to have its own identity or it risks the possibility of failure. Best Moment: I really enjoyed the opening courtroom scene. It was top-notch comedy and let us know to expect a very patient show from the get-go. Character of the Episode: Jimmy. Conclusion: This was a solid premiere, albeit a very flawed one. I still look forward to the show but it definitely seems like it's not going to be on the level of Breaking Bad even if it does borrow some elements from the universe of Breaking Bad. Score: 65 Summary: New York City has a black out and all the friends except Chandler are stranded in their apartment. Chandler is trapped in an ATM vestibule with hot model Jill Goodacre and tries to impress her. Meanwhile at the apartment after a conversation with Joey, Ross tries to make a move with Rachel but is blocked when Rachel meets Paolo, an Italian man who she is instantly infatuated with.
The Good: Now this is more like it! After last episode was rather ordinary, this was a spectacular return to form and delivered a really special episode. Where to begin? First of all, my complaints about Joey in the previous episode were rectified here. Joey is put back in the background and is much better there and delivers several hilarious lines to Ross especially. Joey's charm definitely won me over here. Monica had less of a role in this episode, but she was great in her scenes and managed to help progress the plot with her lines too, specifically with getting over how dreamy Paolo is. Ross and Rachel were excellent as always. David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston are so good in the roles and really bring these characters to life. It was nice to get a full episode to explore Ross' affections on Rachel which have seemed to be a bit clumsily on and off throughout the show so far. Here there seems to be a dedicated direction given to the storyline with the introduction of Paolo, which really works and makes the entire story more engaging. I'm excited to see what Ross will do in the future to try to get Rachel back, which is very good. Chandler in the ATM vestibule was amazing too (see: Best Moment) and almost every line had me laughing out loud involving that storyline. Another thing that really worked about this episode was how well written it as. All the dialogue was witty and humourous and each of the characters played a role in the story and had their memorable moments. The Bad: Nothing really. This was excellent. Best Moment: We really are spoiled for choice here with so many hilarious moments. In the end I will have to go with Chandler phoning Joey about Jill Goodacre, as that had me laughing more than anything else. The other Chandler scenes were also spectacular and almost took this section. His character was used to brilliantly to pull all the possible humour out of the situation. Character of the Episode: Chandler again. Conclusion: This was stellar television and I was laughing almost the entire time. Great comedy makes full use of all characters and has regular laughs that floor you, and this did all of that in such a brilliantly organic fashion. Fantastic television. Score: 86 Summary: Chandler meets and asks out a pretty girl named Aurora at one of Joey’s plays but is surprised to find out that she has many ongoing relationships. Chandler is overjoyed to Elaine that she wants this relationships to be mostly sexual, but faces moral problems after some time. Joey is finally hired for a budget movie after getting a new agent but the role is to play Al Pacino’s butt. Rachel cleans Monica’s apartment and Monica tries to fight against the fact that she’s a total clean freak.
The Good: Most characters are consistently funny and their stories are enjoyable, but not all of them reach their full potential (see: The Bad). Chandler remains one of the show’s best and had quite a few good moments in his storyline this week, though I don’t think the storyline lived up to previous ones. Still it was unique, well-written and let us learn more about Chandler as a character. Joey’s storyline was decent too and gave me a few laughs at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Lastly, Monica’s story was pretty fun too and we got to learn something new about her too which will presumably be used for more laughs in the future. The Bad: Joey and Monica were funny but they seem to have a certain blandness to them that the other friends don’t have. Perhaps it’s because of the acting involved, or maybe the characters just aren’t well-defined enough for us to enjoy an episode where they both feature quite prominently. Without Ross or Rachel taking centre-stage and with Chandler’s story lacking, this episode felt notably worse than the previous 2 episodes which were very well done. The characters of Joey and Monica need to get more of a spark to them if they are to carry an episode. As the previous episodes have proven, they are excellent as background characters but they certainly can’t carry an entire episode on their shoulders. Not to say this was bad, but it was a notable step down in quality. Best Moment: The best moment for me was probably Joey revealing his role as a Butt and getting ridiculed by all of his friends. That part was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Chandler for continuing to be the funniest character. Conclusion: A solid episode of comedy that is enjoyable, but some character issues are detracting from the experience. Score: 65 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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