Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Better Call Saul: Season 5

 

The ten-episode fifth season of Better Call Saul aired in the winter and spring of 2020. All the main cast members returned for the fifth season, and Tony Dalton, introduced as Lalo Salamanca at the end of season four, was promoted to a series regular. This season also continues to include characters from Breaking Bad as the show gets closer to the events of that series. This season, the notable appearances include Dean Norris and Steven Quezada, reprising their roles as Hank and Gomez. Robert Forester also makes an appearance (which would be his final appearance before passing away) in the first episode when Saul's cover as "Gene" is compromised in Nebraska. This season's other notable guest and recurring stars include Javier Grajeda, Steven Bauer, Steven Ogg, Ed Begley Jr., Norbert Weisser, Laura Fraser, and Roy Wood Jr.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set and, like the prior seasons, includes extras on all three discs. There are commentary tracks on each episode, deleted scenes for select episodes, and some episode-specific behind-the-scenes material (all of which are accessed off the individual episode pages from the menu). Then, there is a series of legal ethics training videos (presented as a CLE course) led by Rhea Seehorn in character as Kim, a gag reel, and some making-of material. Since much of the commentaries and behind-the-scenes material was recorded during the pandemic, they were done via web chats. That was fine for the most part, but the commentary tracks did not flow as well as in past seasons since the people recording the commentaries were not in the same room, and the audio quality of the commentaries was not as good as in prior seasons. As with the prior season's commentaries, they are all led by Peter Gould and include various cast and crew members. Vince Gilligan does participate in the commentary for the episode he directed, which is the most pivotal episode of the season, if not the entire series. 

The show continues to be extremely well-written and acted. Without giving too much from this season away, we see all of the main characters continue to evolve, and those who will be around in Breaking Bad get closer to those versions of their characters. Jimmy has fully embraced his Saul Goodman persona but is not yet the person we will see in Breaking Bad. Interestingly, the writers made Hank see right through Jimmy's bullshit, immediately recognizing the name as a take on "s'all good man." The writers also gave Jimmy an out that would have avoided everything that came later had he taken it and a warning of what life would be like if he got involved in the drug business, even tangentially. Of course, those who have watched Breaking Bad know the path Jimmy will take, but this season reveals why he took it. We also see how Mike becomes Gus' fixer despite walking away after killing the construction manager at the end of season four. And we see Kim being influenced even more by Jimmy'Saul's dark side. Ultimately, this is probably the best season of the show so far and is absolutely worth watching.