Top 10 Best Better Call Saul Moments

One of the strengths of “Breaking Bad” was its incredible cast of characters. Although Mike and Gus weren’t introduced until late into the second season, both became instant fan favourites. “Better Call Saul” took its sweet time getting to their fated meetup, but the wait was well worth it. After dismantling his station wagon and finding a tracker - which was itself a brilliant scene - Mike turns the tables and finds his way to Gus, who meets him on a beautiful stretch of open road. It’s mostly just business, but it was amazing to see these classic characters come face-to-face for the first time.

By the end of season three, Kim had worked herself into overdrive, and it came at a major cost. While driving to a meeting with Gatwood, Kim loses focus and crashes her car into a boulder. Car crashes are nothing new on TV, but the way in which this scene was filmed was original and horrifying. It’s very well-edited, and it gives viewers a realistic and distressing sense of what being in a serious car crash looks, sounds, and feels like. It’s fitting that the episode ends with Kim watching her hard work scattered by the roadside. Maybe she should take a break.

It’s not all drama on “Better Call Saul.” It can also be the funniest show on TV, evidenced by the brilliant montage in season 2’s Inflatable. Wishing to quit Davis & Main but unwilling to fork over his signing bonus, Jimmy does everything in his power to get himself fired. This includes blending fruit in the office, playing the bagpipes, and wearing those classic, gaudy Saul Goodman suits. Both “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” have the greatest montages in television history, each subsequent one somehow finding a way to top the last. This is yet another example, and plus, it has poop jokes! You just can’t go wrong.

We all knew it was coming, but it was still scary to witness. After relapsing back into this supposed electromagnetic hypersensitivity, Chuck has a full-on meltdown and literally destroys his house to find out what’s still using electricity. This is shot in yet another fantastic montage and scored to some truly eerie music, which perfectly conveys Chuck’s deteriorating mental state. And then the episode ends with the show’s most gruesome scene as Chuck rhythmically kicks a table until the lantern falls, engulfing his house in flames. It was a far darker demise than anyone could have expected, and while not many people liked Chuck, no one deserves to go out like this.

Only “Better Call Saul” can make a five-minute scene feel like an hour - in a good way. When it comes time to swap Hector’s pills, Nacho enacts a rather intricate plan – sabotage the air conditioning so Hector takes his jacket off, pretend that something is wrong with the money, have Hector inspect it, then purloin the pills from the pocket of his discarded jacket while he’s distracted. The scene is unbearably tense, because we know full well that is a literal life or death situation for Nacho. And while his plan is successful, we must say, throwing the pill bottle back into the jacket pocket was a pretty ballsy move.

After Werner breaks out of Gus’s secret living quarters, Mike is tasked with tracking him down. And when Werner accidentally unveils information about the superlab to rival Lalo Salamanca, Mike has little choice except to execute him, “Of Mice and Men” style. Not only is the scene heartbreaking and the cinematography gorgeous, but it serves as a fantastic character moment for Mike. Gone is the relatively peaceful, nonviolent Mike of old. He is now officially a thug working for a psychotic drug lord, and Werner’s murder serves an important transitional moment to bridge the divide between “Better Call Saul” Mike and “Breaking Bad” Mike. No more half measures, indeed.

Poor Ken. If his car isn’t being blown up, he’s getting swindled. Granted, he kind of asks for it. In the season two premiere, Jimmy and Kim pose as financially-ignorant siblings interested in Ken’s investment skills. They get drunk on expensive tequila, and Ken is left only with an exorbitant bill. It’s a fun scene, and also serves a deeper purpose. Jimmy and Kim clearly have a blast, but while Jimmy would love for this lifestyle to continue, Kim sees it as a fun night and nothing more. Although the two have chemistry, their personal relationship and business practices are not sustainable, no matter how much we may wish they were.

Remember when we said that not a lot of people liked Chuck? It’s not exactly hard to see why. First he breaks Jimmy’s heart by telling him he’s not a real lawyer. And then, when Jimmy comes around to make amends, Chuck tells him that he can’t stop himself from hurting others, and that he never truly cared about him. They’re horrible final words to hear from a brother, and it seems to be the catalyst that finally pushes Jimmy towards irreputable legal practices and the Saul Goodman moniker. He tried living an honest life for Chuck, but if none of it ever mattered, then what’s the point?

While we all hate Chuck, there’s no denying that Jimmy can be a slimeball as well. This is probably most evident in the season four finale, when Jimmy utilizes his dead brother’s memory and legacy to worm his way into back into law. Jimmy visibly moves the court with a touching speech about living up to the esteemed McGill name. However, he later reveals his true self, boasting that it was all a ploy. And Kim is equal parts baffled and devastated. The man she respected and loved is now gone, replaced by an imposter practicing under a different name. We’ve finally witnessed the birth of Saul Goodman.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“I Broke My Boy.”

Kim Scolds Howard

Mike Is Beaten Up by Tuco

“Chicanery” is often considered the show’s greatest episode, with most of the praise aimed at the famous court scene. During the cross-examination, Jimmy pulls one over on Chuck by revealing that he slipped a phone battery into his jacket pocket to disprove his EHS. Chuck completely loses his cool, scaring everyone in attendance into shocked silence. The way the camera slowly creeps onto his face, combined with Michael McKean’s brilliant performance, told us that this was the beginning of the end for Chuck. Jimmy’s face says it all – as much as it hurt him, he had to destroy his brother’s reputation to advance his own. It’s heartbreaking drama and amazing television.