Better Call Saul, S6 (Netflix)
If there were any doubts about Vince Gilligan being the king of slow-burners, they are sure to be seldom in number after the first half of Better Call Saul’s final season.
Aside from the debatable ending to Breaking Bad (I didn’t like it - sue me), Gilligan has always preferred to let the events of his dramas move at the pace of a tortoise bearing the severed head of Danny Trejo.
And this latest chapter in the adventures of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) is no different. Sure, some big characters meet their maker but none, aside from one very shocking demise in the final throes of episode seven, come as a major surprise.
Generally, this series is concerned about Jimmy and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) trying to pull of their most elaborate ruse yet, to the detriment of their old colleague Howard (Patrick Fabrian). To say whether they manage it would be spoiling all the fun.
What is most intriguing about this plot is that it appears to finally (and firmly) establish McGill, better known as Saul Goodman, and his spouse as anti-heroes. For the first time in the show’s run, it is difficult to root for them as their motivations appear to be born out of malice rather than their previous modus operandi of trying to help those less fortunate than themselves.
Howard is definitely unbearable, but it’s questionable whether he deserves to have his livelihood ruined. Especially as the show ingeniously reveals that his seemingly perfect life isn’t quite as idyllic as it seems. That has always been one of the great strengths of Gilligan’s writing - the ability to make you feel empathy for even the most arduous of characters.
The eventual payoff of Jimmy and Kim’s scheme makes for a fascinating endgame for a series that has quietly been one of the best things on Netflix for some time. We know how things ultimately end up for some of the show’s other big players - such as Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) and Mike (Jonathan Banks) - but we do not know how things turn out for the star-crossed lovers that provide its beating heart.
Given the explosive scenes that saw out the seventh episode, it’s unlikely to be a happy ending. But this writer will certainly be there to see it.
