How Better Call Saul perfected the art of the montage


Better Call Saul didn't waste any time confirming it would extend the Breaking Bad universe's legacy of spectacularly-crafted montages. Part-baking tutorial, part-existential crisis, a monochromatic flash-forward depicting the criminal lawyer's new life as a brow-beaten Cinnabon boss in all its tedium kicks off the very first episode. And Vince Gilligan & Co. have continued to master, and subvert, the art form throughout the Breaking Bad prequel, which finally returns for its sixth and final season on April 18.
Indeed, whereas its predecessor largely worked overtime in the editing suite to document the dangerous lab-to-street journey of Walter White's crystal meth, Better Call Saul often does so to captivate viewers with more humdrum matters. In what proves to be the catalyst for his brother's tragic downfall, the second season's most memorable sequence revolves around Jimmy fastidiously forging a number on a legal document. Another finds permanently sullen heavy Mike dismantling a car in its entirety to find a tracking device he eventually discovers in the first place he'd looked, just one of several glorious payoffs the series' show-not-tell approach delivers.
The AMC drama's penchant for the narrative tool occasionally hinges on incredibly tense life-or-death consequences. See Nacho's painstaking preparation to substitute Hector's angina medication with placebos, for example. But it also allows the show to embrace a sense of fun. With its stylized neon visuals, motormouth quips and burst of Henry Mancini, Marco and Slippin' Jimmy's dive bar hustles play out like a scene from The Big Lebowski. Then there's the inspired "Inflatable" sequence in which Jimmy pushes the boundaries of acceptable workplace behavior to its bagpipe playing, sink-defecating limits and the Planet Earth-esque cold open where a hive of ants feast on a tossed-aside ice cream.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of course, its true masterpiece shows Up no longer has the monopoly on condensing relationships into emotionally-devastating six-minute montages. Soundtracked by a specially commissioned cover of the classic Sinatra duet, the eight-month-spanning "Something Stupid" fast-tracks both Jimmy's suspension from the legal profession and Kim's recovery from a car accident. More importantly, it also documents how a couple once so in sync — in a prime example of the show's clever visual trickery they regularly cross over into each other's split screens — can drift apart without even realizing.
Indeed, Better Call Saul regularly says more in a single wordless sequence than many scriptwriters manage across an entire season. But even when a lack of context leaves you baffled — Mike repeatedly throwing a pair of trainers onto a power line, Jimmy paying a busload of passengers to write postcards — the madness to the method always makes for sublime viewing.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon O'Brien is a freelance entertainment writer from North West England. He's written for Billboard, Vulture, Paste, i-D, New Scientist, Esquire, Grammy Awards, The Guardian and Decider.
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
5 high-concept animated science fiction shows for grown-ups
The Week Recommends How filmmakers are using a different medium to bring visionary science fiction to life
-
How far does religious freedom go in prison? The Supreme Court will decide.
The Explainer The plaintiff was allegedly forced to cut his hair, which he kept long for religious reasons
-
5 high-concept animated science fiction shows for grown-ups
The Week Recommends How filmmakers are using a different medium to bring visionary science fiction to life
-
Disney is still shielding Americans from an episode of 'Bluey'
Talking Points The US culture war collides with a lucrative children's show
-
Is Hollywood losing its luster?
Today's Big Question Television and film production is moving, leaving Hollywood to ponder its place in pop culture
-
Here comes the end of 'Squid Game'! Plus more great TV shows to see this June.
the week recommends The next great sports comedy, a young Marvel heroine and the conclusion of 'Squid Game'
-
Jony Ive's iPhone design changed the world. Can he do it again with OpenAI?
Talking Points Ive is joining OpenAI, hoping to create another transformative piece of personal technology. Can lightning strike twice?
-
'Forever': Judy Blume's controversial novel gets a modern adaptation
The Explainer The Netflix series gives the 1975 novel all the trappings of modern teen life
-
TV to watch in May, including 'The Four Seasons' and 'Duster'
The Week Recommends A comedy from Tina Fey, a '70s crime thriller from J.J. Abrams and an adaptation from the pages of Judy Blume
-
5 'slow TV' shows for overstimulated kids
The Week Recommends In an era of fast-paced content and short attention spans, the slow TV movement can be a boon to parents