Better Call Saul - Season 2 Review
This review of Season 2 of Better Call Saul is spoiler-free, but contains spoilers for Season 1!
We're back again everyone! Now I know it's been quite a bit since I've touched either of the hit AMC shows and sure I have some good reasons. You can see that I've been absolutely flooding my life with different media to check out, so I took some time away from these shows. Allowing myself to breathe has got me to thinking back on Better Call Saul and just how good of a show it was. I know in my review I had a few problems, but I was so excited to get back into it. One last thing though with this season as I had a few concerns about where the show would take its story after Jimmy ran out on Davis and Maine, so let's get right into the story of Season 2!
This season starts us off with a flashback once again into the future of James McGill, working at Cinnabon. While I don't know the character yet at the point we find him in Breaking Bad, it's sad thinking this character who we grow to enjoy so much ends up falling so far. Perhaps he deserves it, we shall see as the series progresses. In the present day though, Jimmy has given up on doing things the right way. Immediately I was giddy with the possibilities of this, but it turns out that it is just a tease and a means to jumpstart the season's true story: Jimmy's mentality over working for someone else and how he is being forced to change to live the lives others want him to. Honestly, there's something unique about this season, as it explores more of Jimmy's psyche. Along with this, the story with Ehrmantraut is unique and manages to intersperse itself with Jimmy's story all on its own. I loved this season's story so much more than the original season and I think the casual viewer will too.
So we all know how many people in this show are acting far and beyond their normal skill level, but the two that I really want to take into account right now are Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks). Obviously, we know that Bob Odenkirk is still stellar as our main character, but right now I want to focus on those two supporting characters. Kim's story is very much at the front of Season 2, and Rhea Seehorn is up to the task. If Kim wasn't portrayed well, her character would be as cared for as she is. I am genuinely rooting for Kim but often times her goals cross with Jimmy in the wrong way. I fear for her future in the series as she becomes more involved with him, but I hope it goes against my beliefs.
As I mentioned, the other major character that I wanted to talk about is Ehrmantraut. The season for him starts off on a comedic note with that same guy who hired him to help him run pharmaceuticals with Nacho. It turns out that Nacho and Ehrmantraut have begun to have a rather mutual respect for one another and while they won't necessarily call each other friends, they have been looking out for one another. This results in the entrance of Hector Salamanca, a famous character from Breaking Bad. He runs the drug cartel that Nacho and his partner Tuco work for, and Ehrmantraut comes to blows with him. He's tempted with a return to the darker periods in his life of killing, and that storyline is one of the best of the season as a whole. I really am excited about his potential in the future and I'm certain that he and Jimmy will eventually come together permanently.
Season 2 of Better Call Saul managed to up the ante of this already great series and take it to a level that I didn't expect. Although I didn't expect it though, I'm so happy it managed to do this as it made for a great binge and overall great viewing experience. My hope moving forward though is that the show continues to focus in on the brother vs. brother conflict with the McGill family, and we see Kim begin to sway in a direction on how she feels about Jimmy. Truth be told though, I am starting to see a means to which all of these stories collide, and result in the end of Jimmy McGill. While I don't want that to happen soon as the slow burn is working excellent for Better Call Saul, I'm happy to see there's a strong overall arc that is going on behind the scenes. All in all, Better Call Saul Season 2 takes Jimmy McGill to a whole new level and I'm so happy I got to check it out.
