I have seen the Walking Dead and am familiar with some of AMC, but I did not watch Breaking Bad before starting this series, so if I get some things wrong, please do not spoil it for me and let me find out on my own, thank you! Recently, I have begun to watch the sister series and a partial prequel to the series, “Better Call Saul”, and I would like to give my honest thoughts here now that I have watched the first ten episodes of the first season and am preparing to watch Season 2.

So, my unofficial introduction to Breaking Bad was rather nonstandard, all the way back in 2013, I watched some Youtube Poops of Breaking Bad-“OH MY GOD BREAKING BAD IS THE BEST SHOW ON TV” being one of them, and the most noteworthy, “Better Call Sauce.” I had a hard time not snickering as I watched the first couple of episodes because I remembered those jokes here. I know, it’s a rather awkward introduction, but also I hear Gus Fring is more than just a meme, he’s actually a threatening character.

So anyway, my curiosity was piqued as I was finishing the 100, a show I both love and hate. The final season was quite frustrating and I was ambivalent about its ending: I felt its ending was rather forced, rushed and frustrating. (But more on that in my NEXT post.) I had known AMC had these other two shows and people would not shut the hell up about them. At first, I rolled my eyes and was like “so what”, because I’m not easily influenced by people when it comes to watching shows.

But after seeing that the YTP I’d watched actually had a good cast, a good premise and seeing it enough times on Netflix, I reluctantly added it to my watchlist, and thought, “I’ll give it a go…sometime…eventually…” Time passed, a year went by and then another.

I was close to being done with The 100, I needed another show to watch. As I scrolled down Netflix, my eye caught “Better Call Saul,” I read over the description again and thought, huh, maybe I’ll actually give this a watch now.

Two months ago, in October, I began to watch. I watched one episode, and then two. Then three. I didn’t return back to it until November, but once I started watching, I couldn’t stop, it was addicting. It was great to have a show that’s so goddamned normal-no more aliens, no more time travel-just a goofy lawyer character who’s got depth trying to prove himself.

On Friday, I officially finished the first season and am poised to jump into the next season with open arms. I eagerly stand here, excited to see and know more about this great show.

What’s it about?

That’s an interesting question. On the surface, it appears to be nothing more than your average quirky lawyer show, with some snarky humor, gags and a clearly likeable, charming main character. It appears to be-and almost succeeds-at being an average lawyer and courtroom drama show.

This, however, is a lie. This show is both a comedy and a drama, so more like a dramedy, really. This much I can gather from watching just one season. It’s the beginning of a story that I’m just beginning to know the foundation of.

Saul is a lawyer, to be fair, he’s a lawyer that no one else seems to approve of, no matter how hard he tries. He lives with his brother, Chuck, in a desert town in New Mexico. There seem to be gangs, corrupt police, and other weirdness around every corner. For every decent lawyer, there’s a douchey one who’s all in it for the money, and there’s one who’s selfish.

Saul has some kind of past he’s fighting to escape, which we’ll inevitably learn about as the series progresses. Anyway, his brother Chuck seems to have some kind of psychosomatic illness at first and seems to hold back on doing things, so he takes over for his brother in the law business, solving cases and trying to help people where he can.

Along the way, we encounter the grumpy guy, Mike, who has a dark past and a darker personality buried beneath the sullen face of his, Tuco, a criminal who has a soft spot for his abuela, and many others.

The first thing you should know about this show is that it is a dark comedy of sorts, meaning that Saul often gets into absurd situations just to have money given to him. This is implied to be some type of coping mechanism from the bad stuff in his past, but either way it’s kind of sad to see him slipping back into his old ways by the end of the first season.

Who are the characters?

Of the cast of characters, easily the strongest are Chuck, Kim, Saul and Mike. Mike especially stands out, being a corrupt cop who wants to do the right thing but is constantly haunted by his past and the choices he had to make. He has a ruthless side he’s not afraid to show, but has a soft spot for his family.

Easily the moment that made me like him even more was when he told his granddaughter why he killed those cops and looked at her and softly asks, “What happened?” He’s subtly asking her why he had to wind up making such a decision, not what happened. He’s wondering how it came to be that way.

He seems to have an enigmatic relationship to Jimmy, helping him out here and there whenever he needs it, but again he’s hiding something.

Kim is an intriguing but underdeveloped character so far.

Jimmy/Saul is an intriguing protagonist, running away from his past and what comes with it. I am eager to see where his character goes from here. It’s interesting seeing his swaggering and posturing being a cover for a deeply insecure man who has many demons to hide and fight against.

I for one wonder why he was in jail, why he was let out and what he did in Breaking Bad. I assume the answers are in future seasons and will wait and see.

Tuco is wonderfully intriguing and sadistic, I hope he crosses our paths again. It’s good to have a good antagonist. Chuck is a douchebag who I hope sees reason at some point.

But overall, I enjoy these characters and their messed up world and can’t wait to get into season 2 to write a review here next month.

What is the writing like?

The first piece of praise I have to give this (and there’s lots, by the way) goes to the writing. The writing is absolutely amazing and gripping so far. It doesn’t tell you too little or too much, it slowly invites you in with an initially over the top, schmaltzy intro only to reveal its inner layers later. You could’ve easily mistaken Saul for a Legally Blonde type of lawyer, the eccentric protagonist who’s like Monk, who gets things done in a weird way but means well.

This show, however is playing a different game. This show is playing for keeps and it’s playing off real life, so the end result is something much more realistic. The writing slowly takes its time building up the characters, episode by episode. Mike is easily an example of the strongest writing so far.

You always want to know more about these characters, even though they’re so twisted and morally askew. They invite you back in every time to see what happens next. The writing isn’t forced, it isn’t overly judgy, it just wants you to see what they go through and understand them.

You see, with this show, the cop and the bad guys aren’t just bad guys, they’re human beings. In classic AMC style, this show gets that humans don’t always have all of the answers, even though they pretend they do. It gets that characters make mistakes, and it does a good job of setting up things for the next season.

Plot: 7/10

Characters: 8 /10

Soundtrack/music: 9/10

Acting: 8.9/10

I am absolutely enthralled by the spell that Better Call Saul casts, and I am absolutely dying to see Season 2 and see what happens next. I love Saul and the characters in this little screwed up drama. I highly recommend this show to anyone who wants a good story and even a few messed up jokes here and there to laugh at.