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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Road trip: New England’s maple syrup season
Feature New England is serving up maple syrup in delicious and unexpected ways
By The Week US Published
-
Music Reviews: Mdou Moctar, Panda Bear, and Tate McRae
Feature “Tears of Injustice,” “Sinister Grift,” and “So Close to What”
By The Week US Published
-
What's at stake in the Mahmoud Khalil deportation fight?
Talking Points Vague accusations and First Amendment concerns
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Meghan Markle's new Netflix show and the media backlash
Talking Point With Love, Megan offers fresh insights into her 'mind-bogglingly exclusive lifestyle' in California
By The Week UK Published
-
Is method acting falling out of fashion?
Talking Points The divisive technique has its detractors, though it has also wrought quite a few Oscar-winning performances
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
The pressure of South Korea's celebrity culture
In The Spotlight South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron was laid to rest on Wednesday after an apparent suicide
By Abby Wilson Published
-
TV to watch in February, including 'The White Lotus' and 'Apple Cider Vinegar'
The Week Recommends An HBO fan favorite, the true story of a wellness scam and a 'Planet Earth' survey of America
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
The best TV series with multiple timelines right now
The Week Recommends Narratives that spend significant time in two or more stories can be especially rewarding
By David Faris Published
-
TV to watch in January, including 'Severance' and 'The Night Agent'
The Week Recommends Two hit series are back this month for much-anticipated second seasons
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
TV to watch in December, from 'Squid Game' to 'Paris & Nicole'
The Week Recommends A pulpy spy thriller, the reunion of Paris and Nicole and a new season of 'Squid Game'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Gregg Wallace: a man out of time?
Talking Point MasterChef presenter's downfall shines spotlight on how mistreatment of junior staff has all too often been ignored
By The Week UK Published