ASeason 3Better Call Saul burns down one relationship and rebuilds anotherDonna Bowman6/19/17 11:11pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkIn the centerpiece of tonight’s finale, Chuck McGill rips out paneling, punches holes in kitchen tile, and leaves piles…
ASeason 3Everybody’s fighting for the wheel as Better Call Saul barrels toward its finaleDonna Bowman6/12/17 10:07pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkComedy psychiatrists get a lot of laughs by constantly distancing themselves from their own relationships through…
A-Season 3Slippin’ Jimmy is back as Better Call Saul hurtles toward rock bottomDonna Bowman6/05/17 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkUncle Bryn, on the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey, once described a colorful acquaintance with the memorable sentence: “He…
B+Season 3Jimmy can’t catch a break, as Better Call Saul sets up this season’s endgameNoel Murray5/22/17 10:14pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkJimmy McGill has worn a number of different guises over the course of two and half seasons of Better Call Saul—from…
BSeason 3Families fracture as Better Call Saul debuts its title characterDonna Bowman5/15/17 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkLast week’s episode was such a climactic moment for the series, so intense and elegantly delivered, that a return to …
ASeason 3Chuck takes the stand as Better Call Saul goes full courtroomDonna Bowman5/08/17 10:07pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkFiat justitia, ruat caelum. Let justice be done, though the heavens fall. Normally this phrase is cited in a positive…
A-Season 3On Better Call Saul, it’s time to get inside Gus Fring’s headDonna Bowman5/01/17 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkLet’s pause for a moment to remember how lucky we are to have Giancarlo Esposito on our television screens. What a…
B+Season 3Alliances form as Better Call Saul heads for a two-front warDonna Bowman4/24/17 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkIf characters on TV were good at walking away from investments of time and energy—from jobs, marriages, quixotic…
A-Season 3Better Call Saul orders up a Pollos Classic with extra salsaDonna Bowman4/17/17 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkLast week I began my review by talking about the pleasure of watching Mike Ehrmantraut at work. This week shows us…
A-Season 3Tapes, trackers, and approaching storms on Better Call Saul’s season premiereDonna Bowman4/10/17 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkI love procedurals. Police procedurals, sure—Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct books are my favorites. But really any kind of…
BGus Fring could either be the best or worst thing to happen to Better Call SaulErik Adams4/10/17 12:00amEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkLike its predecessor, the story of Better Call Saul is the story of a process: This time, the transformation of…
ASeason 2Better Call Saul caps a near-perfect season with a chilling finaleDonna Bowman4/18/16 10:05pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkIn talent competition shows, like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, producers make decisions about the…
ASeason 2Pride goeth before a fall for the schemers of Better Call SaulDonna Bowman4/11/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkI still hear some people say that nothing ever happens on Better Call Saul, or that the story moves too slowly. It’s…
ASeason 2The McGill brothers raise the stakes in their professional cold warDonna Bowman4/04/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkChuck, man. Wow.
A-Season 2Kim and Jimmy make their separate moves togetherDonna Bowman3/28/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkThis week’s episode is mostly about moving pieces into place. But as is always the case with Better Call Saul, the…
ASeason 2Two islands whisper to Kim: “Come away, come away”Donna Bowman3/21/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkWhen Better Call Saul introduced the character of Kim Wexler, hardworking fourth-year associate at Hamlin, Hamlin &…
ASeason 2Kim Wexler gets her star turn on a devastating Better Call SaulDonna Bowman3/14/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkBreaking Bad showed us early and often the power of transforming a sidekick into a three-dimensional character. First…
B+Season 2Halfway is the most uncomfortable place in Gilligan’s New MexicoDonna Bowman3/07/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkThis week Jimmy’s story pauses for an update on his relationship with his brother, while Mike’s story takes center…
A-Season 2Better Call Saul’s showmanship has one simple secretDonna Bowman2/29/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkAlmost every time someone praises a prestige cable drama, the word “complex” appears in an admiring context. To rise…
A-Season 2Better Call Saul asks what it means for Jimmy to be “morally flexible”Donna Bowman2/22/16 10:00pmEditSend to EditorsPromoteGo to permalinkSome friendly advice for BCS (and BB) viewers: Every time the creative team gives you a set piece that delivers exactly…
