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May 16, 2017 · We have finally arrived at the unexpected birth of Saul Goodman, as we explore in our Better Call Saul Off Brand review.
- 's all good, man.
- Better Call Saul: "Off Brand" Photos
- Verdict
By Terri Schwartz
Posted: May 16, 2017 3:00 am
Full spoilers for Better Call Saul continue below.
Two and a half seasons in, Better Call Saul audiences finally got their introduction to the origins of Saul Goodman, the man of the hour.
Coming off the excellent "Chicanery," Better Call Saul dove back into the many characters' storylines running throughout Season 3. We checked back in with Nacho, caught up with Mike and his daughter, saw Gus and a very familiar associate finding a new base (more on that in a bit) and even saw Chuck trying to adjust to the knowledge his illness is mental, not physical.
But the real mic drop moment in this episode is Jimmy McGill taking on the identity of Saul for the first time. With any prequel series like Better Call Saul, we know this reveal is inevitable, and it's fun how showrunners Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan managed to tie the reveal back to previously established scenarios. But what's more interesting than how they incorporated the birth of Saul Goodman into the show is when he was introduced: notably, it's after Jimmy's big showdown with Chuck in last week's episode.
We know going into this show that Saul Goodman is eventually the persona Jimmy adopts, though the hows and whys of that will be revealed at a later date. So it's really impactful that this notable event came halfway through this season, and after Jimmy -- whether he realized it or not -- snapped his connection to Chuck that was somewhat keeping him in check. With his being suspended from practicing law for a year, I wouldn't be surprised to see him lean into this alternate persona more and more until it eventually takes over entirely. It's a shift I think it's fair to say we've all been waiting for for a while, and are interested to see begin.
That ties back to the theme of this episode: things being "Off Brand." Jimmy goes "off brand" when he becomes Saul, and the other main thrust of this episode -- Hector and Gus escalating their conflict -- was about them both being pushed by their cartel rivalry to go beyond their current business practices. This storyline was mostly explored through Nacho's perspective, and Michael Mando did an incredible job showcasing how much Hector and Gus's conflict is weighing on him. Though we didn't spend as much time with Gus, seeing him with Lydia was such an awesome moment and hopefully we will get more time with her in future episodes this season.
It's tough to follow up a standout episode like "Chicanery," and "Off Brand" was a great outing for Better Call Saul even if it didn't reach the same heights as its predecessor. It was a welcome catch up with all of the core characters on this show without suffering from major balance issues, even if all the different storylines didn't carry the sa...
May 16, 2017 · Saul Goodman is born as our characters face the fallout of last week's hearing in a resetting episode of Better Call Saul. This Better Call Saul review contains spoilers.
May 15, 2017 · ‘Better Call Saul’ Review: Watch Out, World, Because Saul Goodman is Coming Season 3 Episode 6, "Off Brand," unveils a new persona for Jimmy — but a very familiar one. By Liz Shannon...
May 15, 2017 · “Off Brand” actually lays the groundwork for a lot of the transformation from Jimmy McGill — dutiful brother, happy eldercare lawyer, a man who tries to do things the right way as much as he ...
- Alan Sepinwall
May 16, 2017 · Better Call Saul recap: 'Off Brand' What's a crooked lawyer on suspension to do? By. Kat Rosenfield. Published on May 15, 2017 11:05PM EDT. Photo: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television.
May 16, 2017 · But Off Brand takes us back out into the world of the show for a welcome check-in with some of the other characters. Yet there's still room for some major developments in Jimmy's life.
