by Josh Sewell
Book Review: Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul
by Alan Sepinwall
(Now available.)
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone magazine’s television critic, has long been one of my favorite pop culture writers. I’ve kept up with his stuff for nearly two decades, starting way back when he was publishing on his own primitive blog. When I watched classic shows like The Wire and Friday Night Lights, reading his weekly recaps/analysis of each episode afterward were a mandatory part of the process.
He ultimately made the jump from blog posts and newspaper articles to writing lengthy books that tackled popular series like Mad Men, Lost, The Sopranos, The O.C. and Breaking Bad. Now he adds the latter show’s critically beloved prequel Better Call Saul to his list of published accomplishments.
Just in time for the show’s 10th anniversary, Sepinwall’s Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill takes old fans and new viewers through the gripping drama’s six seasons in meticulous detail. The book features insightful essays on all 63 episodes, as well as engaging interviews with creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. There are also welcome contributions from stars Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seahorn and Michael McKean.
When Better Call Saul was announced, critics and fans alike were both curious and hesitant. Breaking Bad was essentially perfect. Shouldn’t the cast and crew quit while they were ahead? Why run the risk of making another AfterMASH or Joey?
Turns out we had nothing to worry about. The show ended up being more like Frasier: a follow-up that was just as good as the original, and maybe even better in some respects. Better Call Saul surprised viewers while subverting their expectations.
Sepinwall chronicles the drama’s evolution as it took on narrative complexities that even its creators and stars didn’t expect. Odenkirk reprised his role as morally compromised attorney Jimmy McGill, whose eventual transformation into Saul Goodman is just as tragic as the journey of the meth kingpin he ultimately ends up working with. Jonathan Banks also comes along for the ride, once again playing hangdog enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut.
In addition, Sepinwall dives deep into the fascinating new characters on the show, including Seahorn’s iconic work as attorney Kim Wexler; McKean as Jimmy’s mentally ill brother Chuck; and Tony Dalton as the charismatic, terrifying Lalo Salamanca.
Still, despite Sepinwall’s journalistic talent, there are a couple of questions even he can’t answer. First, how did one of the greatest shows in television history never win a single Emmy? And why didn’t it turn Seahorn and Dalton into giant movie stars? The excellence recounted in Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill makes those oversights even more baffling.
Grade: B+
Flight Risk
(Rated R for violence and language. Now playing in theaters.)
In this cheesy thriller – which probably would’ve gone straight to streaming/VOD if such famous names weren’t involved – Mark Wahlberg plays a pilot transporting an air marshal (Michelle Dockery) and a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions rise and stakes escalate when it’s revealed that not everyone is who they seem.
At least that’s the official synopsis from the movie’s website. Anyone who saw the trailer for Flight Risk knows the not-so-secret twist: Wahlberg isn’t a yokel pilot at all. Instead, he plays an assassin sent to take out Grace’s mob snitch before he can testify about the boss’ many crimes.
Which leads us to the first of the movie’s many ridiculous story points. Why go through the trouble of flying these clueless people to the middle of nowhere? Wouldn’t it be easier to take them out at the tiny, deserted airport?
The answer, of course, is Flight Risk ain’t that kind of movie. Start pulling at loose threads and the entire crappy sweater falls apart. That doesn’t mean the flick isn’t watchable, though.
Wahlberg is fully committed here after years of sleepwalking through roles for a paycheck. Granted, almost every choice he makes is the wrong one (especially the bizarre decision to shave his head into a Homer Simpson-style cut), but at least he’s invested.
Grace – best known for his years on That ’70s Show – is the surprising MVP. His sardonic attitude and propensity for quick one-liners haven’t diminished since his sitcoms days and he seems to be the only actor who understands the cheesy movie he’s in. Dockery’s a talented actress, but the Brit’s spotty American accent and her character’s traumatized, no-nonsense demeanor don’t blend well. She feels miscast despite her best efforts.
All those issues aside, the weirdest aspect of Flight Risk is the fact that it’s directed by Mel Gibson. Yep, the guy who made hits like Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto and Hacksaw Ridge inexplicably signed on to helm this substandard thriller.
Granted, the guy’s notorious private life most likely isn’t making him new friends in the industry. Plus, based on his acting output in recent years he’s probably taking any work he can get. (The claustrophobic set and tiny cast screams “Covid movie,” although I don’t know the specifics of when it was made.)
Nevertheless, Flight Risk is a modest box office hit, so who knows what it’ll do for Gibson and Wahlberg’s careers. The movie industry, like the rest of America, is in a weird place right now. For all I know, they could be A-listers again in a couple of years.
Grade: D+
(Now available.)
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone magazine’s television critic, has long been one of my favorite pop culture writers. I’ve kept up with his stuff for nearly two decades, starting way back when he was publishing on his own primitive blog. When I watched classic shows like The Wire and Friday Night Lights, reading his weekly recaps/analysis of each episode afterward were a mandatory part of the process.
He ultimately made the jump from blog posts and newspaper articles to writing lengthy books that tackled popular series like Mad Men, Lost, The Sopranos, The O.C. and Breaking Bad. Now he adds the latter show’s critically beloved prequel Better Call Saul to his list of published accomplishments.
Just in time for the show’s 10th anniversary, Sepinwall’s Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill takes old fans and new viewers through the gripping drama’s six seasons in meticulous detail. The book features insightful essays on all 63 episodes, as well as engaging interviews with creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. There are also welcome contributions from stars Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seahorn and Michael McKean.
When Better Call Saul was announced, critics and fans alike were both curious and hesitant. Breaking Bad was essentially perfect. Shouldn’t the cast and crew quit while they were ahead? Why run the risk of making another AfterMASH or Joey?
Turns out we had nothing to worry about. The show ended up being more like Frasier: a follow-up that was just as good as the original, and maybe even better in some respects. Better Call Saul surprised viewers while subverting their expectations.
Sepinwall chronicles the drama’s evolution as it took on narrative complexities that even its creators and stars didn’t expect. Odenkirk reprised his role as morally compromised attorney Jimmy McGill, whose eventual transformation into Saul Goodman is just as tragic as the journey of the meth kingpin he ultimately ends up working with. Jonathan Banks also comes along for the ride, once again playing hangdog enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut.
In addition, Sepinwall dives deep into the fascinating new characters on the show, including Seahorn’s iconic work as attorney Kim Wexler; McKean as Jimmy’s mentally ill brother Chuck; and Tony Dalton as the charismatic, terrifying Lalo Salamanca.
Still, despite Sepinwall’s journalistic talent, there are a couple of questions even he can’t answer. First, how did one of the greatest shows in television history never win a single Emmy? And why didn’t it turn Seahorn and Dalton into giant movie stars? The excellence recounted in Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill makes those oversights even more baffling.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for violence and language. Now playing in theaters.)
In this cheesy thriller – which probably would’ve gone straight to streaming/VOD if such famous names weren’t involved – Mark Wahlberg plays a pilot transporting an air marshal (Michelle Dockery) and a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions rise and stakes escalate when it’s revealed that not everyone is who they seem.
At least that’s the official synopsis from the movie’s website. Anyone who saw the trailer for Flight Risk knows the not-so-secret twist: Wahlberg isn’t a yokel pilot at all. Instead, he plays an assassin sent to take out Grace’s mob snitch before he can testify about the boss’ many crimes.
Which leads us to the first of the movie’s many ridiculous story points. Why go through the trouble of flying these clueless people to the middle of nowhere? Wouldn’t it be easier to take them out at the tiny, deserted airport?
The answer, of course, is Flight Risk ain’t that kind of movie. Start pulling at loose threads and the entire crappy sweater falls apart. That doesn’t mean the flick isn’t watchable, though.
Wahlberg is fully committed here after years of sleepwalking through roles for a paycheck. Granted, almost every choice he makes is the wrong one (especially the bizarre decision to shave his head into a Homer Simpson-style cut), but at least he’s invested.
Grace – best known for his years on That ’70s Show – is the surprising MVP. His sardonic attitude and propensity for quick one-liners haven’t diminished since his sitcoms days and he seems to be the only actor who understands the cheesy movie he’s in. Dockery’s a talented actress, but the Brit’s spotty American accent and her character’s traumatized, no-nonsense demeanor don’t blend well. She feels miscast despite her best efforts.
All those issues aside, the weirdest aspect of Flight Risk is the fact that it’s directed by Mel Gibson. Yep, the guy who made hits like Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto and Hacksaw Ridge inexplicably signed on to helm this substandard thriller.
Granted, the guy’s notorious private life most likely isn’t making him new friends in the industry. Plus, based on his acting output in recent years he’s probably taking any work he can get. (The claustrophobic set and tiny cast screams “Covid movie,” although I don’t know the specifics of when it was made.)
Nevertheless, Flight Risk is a modest box office hit, so who knows what it’ll do for Gibson and Wahlberg’s careers. The movie industry, like the rest of America, is in a weird place right now. For all I know, they could be A-listers again in a couple of years.
Grade: D+
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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