BETTER CALL SAUL the Fifth Season on Bluray

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is another of AMC’s hit series with BETTER CALL SAUL the Fifth Season.

Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) finally tells Kim (Rhea Seehorn) about the name Saul Goodman, the cellphones and how it gave him business. Offering to help her run a con on a client, Kim declines – at least while he is in the room. Nacho (Michael Mando) discovers that Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) is dealing with bad cocaine and Lalo (Tony Dalton) helps him prove it.

One problem is that Lalo is up to something and Gus wants to know what it is by asking Nacho. The tables quickly turn when Nacho sneaks into the Salamanca house and rescues Lalo’s cocaine that Domingo dropped right as the cops show up. Mike (Jonathan Banks) is reeling from Werner’s death and decides to drown his sorrows and then turns on Kaylee for asking to many questions. Jimmy wants to settle things with Kim and ends up in the elevator with the DA and works on more plea bargains. Leaving the courthouse, he is met by Nacho and they get in a car.

They end up going to see Lalo who makes a demand of him, to get Domingo out of prison. After a bit of legal Saul shuffling, Jimmy realizes that this will not be the last time Lalo uses him. Wanting his father to get out of drugs and live a safer life, Nacho wants to sell his fathers’ shop and dad is not happy. Kim pushes for a Mr. Acker to leave his home to make way for another business, wanting to help him, he makes it clear her help is not wanted.

So, she asks the developer to use another site for the build and leave Mr. Acker his home, to no avail. That is when she turns to Saul to do more than she can. Stacey (Kerry Condon) makes it clear she is not thrilled to have Mike watching Kaylee and later that night, what happens to Mike confirms her fears. Jimmy thinks the only way to help Kim and Mr. Acker is to find something incriminating to use on the developer.

Once they find something useful, Jimmy takes on the meeting to make sure that the developer knows they are in for serious money. Kim gets a little upset about it demanding that she and Jimmy need to get married or she is gone. Nacho tells Mike that Lalo intends to rat out dealers to the police and that brings the cops out.

Now that each other’s secrets are safe, Jimmy and Kim seal it with a kiss. No time for anything else as Lalo wants Saul to get bail. That does not mean the chaos is finished as Nacho is asked to take out something that belongs to Gus. In the meantime, Saul gets Lao bail and Jimmy has to deal with Howard.

In Mexico is Lalo’s bail money and Jimmy is told to pick it up with a pay out for himself. Kim hates the idea feeling it puts him in a bad position. He should have listened as a shoot out occurs from an unexpected Mike and the two men now must walk home. When Kim asks Lalo where he and does not get an answer. Finally, back home, Jimmy pays Lalo’s bail and is told Lalo is going back to Mexico. He does not tell Lalo or Kim what really happened.

However, Lalo is a little itchy about the story and asks Jimmy to repeat it, but Kim is angry that her husband even has to and makes that clear. Moving on with business, Lalo and Nacho go on to another business proposal that leads to a set up on Lalo. He is not going down without a fight and information about who is trying to end him.

Odenkirk as Jimmy/Saul is such an amazing actor to pull off the craziness of these two roles meshed into one. He is surrounded by an awesome cast which does make him shine but lets not, for one moment, not shine the spotlight on Odenkirk. I have although thought he has the amazing ability to choose such interesting roles and Jimmy/Saul is perfection.

Seehorn as Wexler is a woman who wants to be seen as straight forward but that’s hard to do when the man you love is Jimmy/Saul. Giving the ultimatum this season is probably the only thing keeping them both safe from the secrets of their lives. Banks as Mike is an actor who I have been watching for so many years and it is not surprising that he just slides into this role with such ease.  

Dalton as Lalo is makes it all look so smooth and easy. Jimmy/Saul certainly does get the short end with him and it is difficult not to realize this is a character that runs deep and secretive. Esposito as Gus is a man who is in one hell of a mess from different sides. Using legitimate fronts for his dealings, keeping the cartel happy is not going to be easy. Mando as Nacho is playing what ever side is going to save his life and that is not a bad way to go in this environment.

Esposito as Gus is the character I am always fascinated by and it is quite possible due to the fact that I’m fascinate with Esposito as an actor. He always brings something unique to the roles he plays and as Gus he does the same thing but I think with a touch more.

Other cast includes Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin, Juan Carlos Cantu as Manuel Varga, Dennis Boutsikaris as Rich Schweikart, Rex Linn as Kevin Wachtell, Javier Grajeda as Juan Bolsa and Jeremiah Bitsui as Victor.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

The Bluray includes the Bluray Exclusive of Deleted Scenes, Tell Me Again, The Good, The Bags and The Ugly, Bagman – The Ambush, Bagman – The Cannon Roll and Effects for This! Also included is Cast & Crew Commentaries on Every Episode, Gag Reel, Commercials & Training Videos and Crystal Balls.

The Episodes include Magic Man, 50% Off, The Guy for This, Namaste, Dedicado a Max, Wexler v. Goodman, JMM, Bagman, Bad Choice Road, and Something Unforgivable.

BETTER CALL SAUL has seven Prime Time Emmy Nominations in 2020 including Outstanding Drama Series.

The series brings AMC another feather to its cap as its programming getting better and more amazing with every how it creates. Each series brings such a diversity of storytelling that is unique, unusual, intense, and unexpected. There is something to be said for the platinum age of television and BETTER CALL SAUL shines in it.

Just when I think I have the next move figured out – I do not and I completely okay with being proven wrong. These characters and the actors who portray them give so much that I am riveted from start to finish.

With so much down time, catching up to the fifth season of BETTER CALL SAUL is a fantastic way to spend some couch time! Coming in on three bluray discs, there is 522 minutes of catching up and getting a look at the inside world of Jimmy/Saul.