Better Call Saul Season 1 (2015) Review

Better Call Saul Season 1 (2015) Review 

 In preparation for the 5th season of Better Call Saul coming out next month I have decided to start watching the Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul and this is my review of the first season of the show. The premise of the season sees the origin of eccentric lawyer Saul Goodman as he goes by the name Jimmy McGill and tries to win cases and grow his reputation. 

Main Character

Now I loved Bob Odenkirk's perfromance as Saul Goodman throughout Breaking Bad and with more of the spotlight on him in this show he delivers once again. What is so great about his performance on this show is that he isn't the same character as he was on that show, you can tell he is in a much earlier more innocent place and more of a good hearted character focusing on law instead of the more criminal route he had on Breaking Bad. He is still very charismatic on this show and you do care about him because of how strong his performance is and how likeable he is on this show.

Supporting Characters

Jonathan Banks reprises his role as Mike from Breaking Bad and I just really enjoy watching his character on this show, similar to Odenkirk he is in a different place then he is on Breaking Bad and it is nice to see an evolution of his character over the season. Rhea Seehorn as Kim is a decent character on this show, she has good chemistry with Odenkirk and I thought their characters worked well together. The only thing really lacking for her this season is a major story as she doesn't have that much to do this season but I liked her in the role she has. Patrick Fabian plays Howard on the show and he is just really unlikeable, he comes across as the sleezy suit wearing douchebag that makes it really easy to not like him and root for Jimmy against him. Michael Mckean plays Jimmy's brother Chuck on the show and he is probably the most interesting character on the show as you don't really know much about his motivations and I thought him and Odenkirk had some really dramatic scenes together. 

Story

The story of seeing Jimmy McGill's journey thtoughout the season is really interesting, he really grows and changes as he deals with more and more different challenges throughout the season. However, one criticism of the season is that it lacks an overall story, it sees McGill deal with a few different cases but it never truly focuses on one which would have made it more of a structured season, this is also not helped by what I thought was a pretty weak finale to the season. 

Script

The script is important for this show because Jimmy McGill is a fast talking salesman aswell as a lawyer and it is really good, Odenkirk is so charismatic that he nails the one liners and adds a lot of humour to the show. But also the drama is delivered very well on the show that makes you care about the characters and the plight that they are in. 

Style 

I really liked the style of showing Jimmy attempt to grow his buisness and when the scenes in the courtroom happen I am invested as I really like shows that have a large amount of courtroom scenes as I find it interesting and when this show does it, it is interesting. However, it doesn't do it enough, and I wish this show had more scenes in the courtroom as it teases them but fails to deliver, the show also leaves a few stories unfinished and not referenced which makes some of the cases feel underdeveloped.

Overall

Overall, a first season of a show is very important as it sets the tone of the show and this show has a great first season that lets you know what you are in for and is definitley worth a watch.

Rating - 8/10