Better Call Saul - "Uno" and "Mijo" reviews

I am generally skeptical about spin-off shows. There weren't that many of them that worked. Frasier is probably one of the most successful  ones that in certain aspects even surpassed show that was spun-off from (Cheers). I am also not a fan of prequels, this mostly has to the with the fact that I associate this word with new Star Wars movies. So when I've heard that they were making a Breaking Bad spin-off that will be set before events in Breaking Bad, I was immediately skeptical. Show focused on Saul seems like the best idea, since it can differentiate itself from Breaking Bad by being more humorous. Also the fact that most of the original writing cast worked on Better Call Saul gave me high hopes for it. I was a big fan of Bob Odenkirk ever since his sketch comedy show - Mr. Show.

First two episodes of Better call Saul were pretty good. I will now talk a little bit about first episode and then I will give my opinion on second episode. And just to be safe, there are going to be some spoilers so - SPOILER ALERT. 

First episode called "Uno" begins in a very cool black and white style. First couple of minutes that were done in black and white actually show what happened to Saul after the events that happened in Breaking Bad. He is actually working at Cinnabon in Omaha, Nebraska. It was really depressing to see what happened to Saul, he was just another victim of everything Walt did. After those first couple of minutes we are sent back to year 2002 (about six years before Saul meets Walter White) where Jimmy McGill (Saul's birth name) woks as public defender. At the beginning we were introduced to Saul's lawyer world. We get to see whit what he had to deal on a daily bases. Complaining about being payed too little for its work, dealing with a crotchety parking lot attendant (Mike Ehrmantraut), and his credit car being declined. 

He also has to deal with his brother Chuck (Michael McKean - another great comedian) who is forced to leave his job at his own law firm due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity as he describes it. Then he encounters two twins who are trying to put a scam on him, by "accidentally" getting hit by Jimmy's car.It is a good opening episode, that provided us with a good introduction to Jimmy McGil (Saul). Style and writing of the show is similar to that of Breaking Bad, which is a good thing. It is a good thing that they've kept almost all of the original writing stuff, which makes this show shine as much as Breaking Bad did writing wise. I also liked that this episode moved at a steady pace, there weren't that many drawn-out scenes that left me inpatient. In the first episode we weren't introduced to some interesting side characters (Saul's brother might be the one however). So far Mike has been reduced to a couple of lines, so I'm hoping that we are going to see more of him in the following episodes.

In the next episode called Mijo we get introduced to some new characters. We also got to see one familiar face. Although it seemed a bit convenient to see Saul stumbled upon Tuco's house, I still didn't mind it all that much. They managed to do some interesting stuff with Tuco and Saul. Although since we know that both Tuco and Saul will live, the scene between two of them wasn't that tense. Nevertheless the dialog in that opening scene and later in the desert was simply amazing. It was also cool to see Tuco go into another of his crazy episodes, screaming like crazy. We were introduced to Nacho Varga (played by Michael Mando - he voiced Vaas in Far Cry 3), who seems to be an interesting character. What I really like about him that in spite of being a criminal he seems exceptionally intelligent. And since he is listed as one of the main characters, I will be looking forward to seeing what he is up to.

I feel that the whole dynamic between Jimmy/Saul and his brother Chuck could have some interesting implications. I think that their relationship could really help humanize Saul and show us that he is not just a sleazy lawyer. One of the minor problems that I had with this episode was the long and drawn-out scene in the restaurant. Overall this was amazing episode that is setting a stage in a nice way for things to come.

Even though the show covers some familiar ground, it still manages to by having some unique stuff happening differentiate itself from Breaking Bad.

RATINGS

"UNO" - 8.5/10

"MIJO" - 8.7/10