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
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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