Better Call Saul Season 6 Review

Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
Season 6 - 13 episodes (2022)

Buy Better Call Saul Season 6 on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Giancarlo Esposito, Tony Dalton
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
Jimmy McGill is a former grifter who is now a lawyer. He wants to do the right thing, but at the same time, becoming a lawyer hasn't been the dream he imagined.

Verdict
It's the final season to a series that has been absolutely great from the start. This show and this season are a master class in narrative story telling. From the tension and anticipation to the payoffs and reveals, this story is excellent. Each character's plight is completely gripping, and  the acting is top notch. Each shot and every scene has a distinct artistry to it. This show doesn't waste anything. Being the final season there are a few cameos, but the show never goes too far. What a journey this season, and the show as  a whole, has been.
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Review
It's the final season of this acclaimed series. Breaking Bad is a great series, and I was apprehensive about a spin-off. This quickly proved that Gilligan took what he learned and incorporated it into this show. This show has been Jimmy's (Bob Odenkirk) fall into Saul Goodman. It's a very different show, more focused on narrative, but it's better because of it. This show is so refined. Each scene has a purpose, and the final season is a wonderful conclusion to this show.

Bob Odenkirk plays Jimmy "Saul Goodman" McGill

After season five, the series had yet to fully cement Jimmy as Saul, Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) is at war with the Salamancas, Nacho (Michael Mando) is flapping in the breeze, the wildcard Lalo (Tony Dalton) remains in play, and Jimmy and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) plan to sabotage Howard (Patrick Fabian). That's what you need to know going into this season.

Each episode starts with asynchronous scene, sometimes it's a current look at Jimmy as he lives in hiding as a Cinnabon manager. This entire series takes place prior to his downfall and escape in Breaking Bad. Other scenes foreshadow events to come, acting as a mini vignette.

Michael Mando plays Nacho

Kim pushes hard to take Howard down. Jimmy seems reluctant as their plan has huge repercussions. I get their plight to a degree, but revenge never brings closure. We see small pranks, but when we see the full extent, this a level beyond anything they've done. I felt bad for Howard. No one believes him because no one believes Jimmy would go to such lengths to sabotage someone. Jimmy is doing this for Kim, that and he's great at scamming. I'd guess the root of it is that Howard is the stereotypical rich lawyer. At one point this season Howard confronts them and guesses as much. Kim and Jimmy have always felt this need to prove themselves. Taking Howard down is a way to lift themselves up. It's a chance to seize power from the powerful. They got him, but this doesn't go the way they expected, and it ends up having repercussions for the season and series.

Nacho is on the run in Mexico, and I really like his story line this season. It's impressive this season has so many characters and manages to make all of the stories meaningful. If this season was just about Nacho I think I'd be completely entertained. Mike (Jonathan Banks) pushes Gus to help Nacho as Mike is about loyalty and protecting his guys. It's clear Gus doesn't care about anyone else, and that creates a rift. We never quite know what Gus is thinking or will do, but his plans are often violent and specific.

Rhea Seehorn plays Kim Wexler

This show is amazing in how every scene, shot, and the framing bolsters the story. Everything has a purpose, and the way this ties Nacho's call from episode three back into episode two is masterful story telling. Without any exposition, we feel sympathy for both Nacho and Mike. Mike wants to help but is constrained. Nacho is fighting for his life. You feel that without the showing having to tell us or hit us over the head with it.

One of the things about this show taking place prior to Breaking Bad is that we know the end for many of these characters. Instead of wondering if they make it, I'm wondering how, and that makes some scenes more exciting because I know it's going to take something crazy. The timeline adds a layer of tension and expectation that most shows don't have. This entire series I've wondered how or why Jimmy and Kim split and when he becomes the Saul Goodman we know. This season answers that, and that split drives him to seek contentment through stuff and money and that desire fuels his downfall. That's why Saul has the opulent house, and why he was willing to take huge risks for money. He lost his remaining humanity when she left, becoming an indifferent shell of who he was. Throughout the series we've seen Kim take larger risks with Jimmy. She finally reaches her limit and has to leave.

Bob Odenkirk plays Jimmy "Saul Goodman" McGill

Throughout this season I was in awe of the narrative. Later in the season Cinnabon Jimmy starts a hustle, and I was wondering why he'd risk his safety for that, but of course it's a trap for someone else. Through the series Jimmy's scams always blow back.

This season does include two highly anticipated cameos, and I thought that was done well. Fans wanted a direct connection, and the show delivered. This show from the beginning has crafted an amazing narrative that is built on characters. That's similar to Breaking Bad, but this builds on multiple characters while being more nuanced. In Breaking Bad the drugs brought violence and violence drove the plot. Walter White (Bryan Cranston) wasn't subtle. He needed money and became greedy. In this show, Jimmy's character flaws drive the show as he brings everyone down with him. This show has always been about relationships, between Jimmy and his brother and Kim. This show always had a set ending, it was just a matter of when.  Jimmy can only run for so long. Either he'd return to his con man ways or someone would identify him. He's a performer, and his final act goes all out.