D-Day

So, that Better Call Saul midseason finale? Pretty astounding. [Spoilers obviously]

A longer appreciation will be in order after the show ends this summer, but an entertaining one-dimensional comic relief character being spun out into one of the greatest dramas in TV history is an amazing story that will hopefully be a great book one day. What’s particularly striking is the eye Gould and Gilligan have for talent. Seehorn, Fabian, Dalton, Mando, added to the Breaking Bad coup Banks and well-cast actors of greater ex ante renown Odenkirk, Esposito, and McKean — it’s just a treat to watch these actors execute nearly perfect scripts ambitiously directed. I’m just sad there are only six more episodes to go.

…excellent point by Abigail in comments:

It’s not that clear-cut, though. The whole point of Better Call Saul – which is only one of the things that elevates it above the comparatively one-note Breaking Bad – is that Jimmy and Kim are both right and wrong. They correctly identify the power structures that keep the downtrodden – poor people, racialized people, and people who aren’t the elite like Howard and Cliff Main – from ever really winning. But neither of them is a crusader for justice. Kim wants the money from the settlement so she can start a legal aid clinic, but like Walt in the first season of BB, she had a way of getting that money legitimately. Howard is right – she does it for fun, and on a deeper level, because she doesn’t want to become one of the people who crush the little guy.