Every season, I think Bob Odenkirk can't possibly top his previous performances on "Better Call Saul." And every season, he further cements his status as a national treasure.
In the dual roles of Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman, Odenkirk climbs in, digs in, rolls around, has fun, and explores every depth. In season 5, he channels drama, gravitas, comedy, romance, and spy thriller in a genre free-for-all that features him at his absolute best.
His effort is complemented by the work of Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler, the conflicted amalgam of competing personality types and career aspirations. This season revealed a bit more of her origin story and what drives her seemingly disastrous decision-making, which both humanizes her and reinforces the reasons why it's difficult not to fall even more in love with her.
This season created space for Jimmy and Kim to share more intimate moments. As a fan, it was good to see that relationship extend beyond the transactional, business-partner nature of years past. While major questions have been raised about whether either is "good" for the other, their dynamic more firmly served as the backbone of this most recent season.
Of course, no review of "Better Call Saul" is complete without mention of Mike Ehrmantraut. Portrayed by the incomparable Jonathan Banks, Mike's basset hound face reveals and hides so much emotion. The depth of his story was explored much more intensely in this season, to great effect, and Banks represents reason #408 why the casting of this show is unparalleled.
In terms of the season's arc itself, the intensity and drama is dialing up in a big way. While the finale required a bit of suspension of disbelief, the eighth episode, "Bagman," is an all-time great episode that represents probably the best hour of television I've seen in 2020.
Of course, the brilliance of the fifth season is not without a sense of impending melancholy. There is a bittersweet feeling involved when you know the chronology of "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad" are getting closer and closer to one another. And while you know the former has a finite end date for that reason, I can't wait to see how the two eventually meet up -- and how "Better Call Saul" plants its flag as one of the iconic dramas in the history of television.
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