Better Call Saul 3.1 FAQ
What’s it called?
“Mabel.”
Why?
It’s from a book Chuck McGill used to read to his baby brother.
Who’s responsible?
Vince Gilligan directs from a teleplay by series masterminds Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould.
Is it any good?
Oh yes.
What says AMC?
“Jimmy helps Chuck regain his confidence, but Chuck makes clear to his brother that he hasn’t forgiven Jimmy for his trespasses. After discovering an ominous note, Mike obsesses over the identity of a mysterious stranger who has been surveilling him. Kim and Jimmy clash over the boundaries of their shared workspace.”
So do we get any scenes set subsequent to the events of “Breaking Bad”?
We do!
Does it start at the Omaha Cinnebon?
Yes, there’s a five-minute-plus black-and-white prologue. Nancy Sinatra’s “Sugar Town” is on the soundtrack. Gene/Saul/Jimmy has a run-in with the cops! There’s an arrest!
How long must we wait before Gus Fring joins the fray?
I am not permitted to say.
What about flashbacks?
If I’m not mistaken, the first scene after the Cinnebon flashforward takes place before the end of last season.
Any sign of Saul’s massive bodyguard Huell?
No. Huell still seems far in Saul’s future. He’s not in tonight’s episode or next week’s.
Does Mike Ehrmantraut get only two scenes this week?
Mike gets a lot more screen time in the third-season premiere than he did in the second-season premiere, but he doesn’t show up until about a third of the way into tonight’s installment. His story also starts a tiny bit before it ended last season.
The big news?
“Roswell” star Brendan Fehr returns.
What else is AMC not telling us?
One wonders if Jonathan Banks would agree to do all that he does in this episode if Gilligan wasn’t the director.
What’s good?
Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill. Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut. Rhea Seahorn as Kim Wexler. Michael McKean as Chuck. The present-day prologue. The mystery of Chuck McGill’s plan. Kim’s punctuation. Jimmy reopening the paint can. The scene that melts together two Gene Hackman movies. “Make me.”
What’s not so good?
Michael Mando’s name is in the opening titles, but Nacho sits the week out.
How does it end, spoiler boy?
A bald man begins his pursuit.
10 p.m. Monday. AMC.
