Season 3

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, mistakes happen...but never make the same mistake twice.”

Better Call Saul season 3 picks up where Series 2 left off and continues the messy life for one unfortunate lawyer. Much darker and more serious this time around with a little sprinkle of humor. Despite being a prequel and knowing some of the fates from certain characters, yet the consequences are there and makes for one gripping show.

You soon realize this season is not about Jimmy becoming Saul Goodman, but a deeper look into a toxic relationship on two brothers trying to poison each others careers - What started off lovable suddenly turns savage, and that alone is tragic enough. The show kicks in gears and pushes aside Mike for some real drama.

Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn are both terrific this season. The chemistry between them is complicated, but sweet and you really want things to work for them. Odenkirk calculated charm and Seehorn gorgeous dedication makes their characters complex. Not once are there outshine with everything going.

You love to hate Chuck, but love actor Michael McKean. He was fantastic this season and gives some of the best acting I've seen in awhile. Especially in the episode ‘Chicanery’ where it finally showcases his acting abilities and became a personal highlight for me. What makes his performance so compelling is how he manages to switch back and forward from sympathy to ruthless. There are moments where you pity him, but quickly reminded he’s one son of a b***h. Some of it through facial expressions and the deafening silence. Without spoiling anything, but the payoff to his character arc makes me more excited for season four.

Jonathan Banks is brilliant once again as Mike. Making his side story thrilling to watch. Just the small details when getting things done makes him fascinating and also dangerous. He can switch personalities as well, but mostly pretend as to trick people than anything psychical like Chuck. Also having the most interactions with returned characters from ‘Breaking Bad’.

Speaking of which...

In this season, Gus Fring makes a welcome return and oh boy, they didn't waste his screen time. He’s exactly the same as he was in ‘Breaking Bad’. Cold and sinister, but also got the brains which that alone is a dangerous tool for any psychopath. Giancarlo Esposito is excellent and really commands the screen whenever he’s on. Even in episodes where Gus isn't present, his presence is still felt. There’s a scene in where he takes out the trash and suspects someone is watching him in a far distance. Rather than turn around or show some worry, he freezes in place, back still turned to them, and has the blankest facial expression ever. He’s not the prey, but the predator.

Of course let’s not forget the impressive camera work and the excellent dialogue which kept things afloat. Crafted with care and love, you can tell a lot of people behind the scenes are giving 100%. The show plays on your patiences, but if you stuck around from the beginning and your still here, you will know this by now. However your patience is always rewarded.

My biggest complaint from season two is the endless amounts of cameos and feeling a little on the nose. While it’s understandable that Mike or Jimmy will get themselves into so much trouble, they end up meeting familiar characters, since it takes place in the state. I think it’s the presentation and their introductions are the real problem. Gladly those complaints don’t apply with this season, as each and every individual of returned characters get plenty of memorable moments and felt purposeful this time around, like story wise.

Overall Rating: Season three was pretty solid. Each season is slowly stepping in the shoes of ‘Breaking Bad’. While not flawless or re-watchable (after thinking back), yet never forgettable, as you only have to see this once for it to stay with you.

BCS wants things to take time, wants things to fester, so much so that it sometimes feels a little too slow for what's happening, and that's how this season starts for me.
Chuck has a plan to indict Jimmy on practically irrefutable evidence, and Jimmy has no clue what to do about it... but with his faltering ethics and Kim's questionable show of support and the return of a fan favorite (that i can't help but feels a little too fanservicey at first - it gets better), chuck and jinmy face off. Only one can win... and that win surprisingly happens right in the middle of the season.
Season 3 of BCS is when things finally start forming into s sort of place... for a second. It's a good place, but I want more from it! With the best episode of the show so far, 'Chicanery,' being an honest to god courtroom drama and happening right in the middle, the show is confident that it has shown the rise of Jimmy McGill... or was it really his fall the entire time?

Michael McKean delivers his all as a man who's been pushed to his limit by himself, and places the blame on others, and he absolute steals every scene (Chicanery ends in a fucking emmy-level monologue preceded by an Emmy-level episode by McKean), and he's supported by the utter brilliance of Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn in the legal side of things.
Jonathan Banks also steals the show, albeit in a less grandiose but all the same impressive way: having to carry his own storylines with silence, stealth, and playing up the facade who looks to have nothing to lose but really is toeing the line of losing everything is just brilliant. With the introduction of the one and only Gustavo Fring portrayed in a generation-defining performance by Giancarlo Esposito, the criminal underbelly of Albuquerque has never felt so flashy, and so human. A step up from the previous seasons, but only because of Chicanery and the last episode. I'm still excited to see more!

This is the best season of the show so far on my first watch through. It feels a little less focused in the second half compared to the first, but the character work is in full swing and everyone has so much depth and complexity, and watching these arcs play out makes for a fantastic watch. Aside from Jimmy, Chuck is probably the standout of this season, he ends up being such a tragic character. The great thing about this show is that we love Jimmy, but he is so flawed and those around him inevitably suffer. Chuck knew Jimmy better than anyone, and as good as Slippin' Jimmy is at what he does, he can't fool Chuck. He's right about Jimmy at every turn but Jimmy is so good at fooling others that Chuck's intellect and awareness comes off as insanity. The one thing Chuck could never do, though, is respect Jimmy as a lawyer or take him seriously, and we see it right up to the moment Jimmy beats him in court. I love the complexity in that moment because Jimmy doesn't want to do this to his brother, he still has an admiration and love for him, but he has to do it to save himself and in the process sends Chuck down a path he can't recover from. There's just so much complexity wrapped up in their relationship and how it all plays out this season is equally satisfying as it is devastating. An amazing season of TV.

9.3 // Excellent