It's less than 24 hours away from the season 5 premiere of Better Call Saul, so what can we expect during the 5th season? Well, we know from the season 4 finale that Jimmy got his law license back and will be practicing under the name Saul Goodman. Yet, Warner, the contractor that Gus hired to build the superlab had betrayed Gus's trust by leaving the compound to see his wife for a few days. So Mike tracked him down and picked him up at the hot springs where Warner was going to meet his wife. Mike took Warner to an empty field where he called Gus and told him don't send anyone he would handle it. At first, Warner didn't understand what was happening. He just thought he was going to get into a little trouble but Mike would eventually understand because he remembers being married. Mike told Warner, no, "nothing you can do will make anyone trust you again." That's when Warner knew he was a dead man, and there was no turning back. He was worried about his wife and wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to her. Mike assured him that his wife and men would be fine. Warner took a walk out into the empty field to look at the stars with Mike following behind him. Mike shot Warner in the head, which made this Mike's first cold-blooded kill. So how will Mike handle this emotionally? Will he drink himself into another hole like he did when his son died or will he bury it deep down and pretend it never happened?
Mike’s an interesting one. He’s perceived as the stoic, no-nonsense, no-emotion type, but we saw even in Breaking Bad that he isn’t just a soulless gun-for-hire. He might not have shown the depth of feeling that he does in “Five-0” from season one here, but we see in his relationship with Walt and Jesse, his family, even the way he reacts to the horrible things that happen in his line of work — Mike has always cared. He made it look easy shooting Werner, but it was clearly something he didn’t want to do. His professionalism is simply always going to win out. We know from Breaking Bad that he remains working for Gus, so I don’t think that Werner’s death is going to affect him hugely. But Stacey and Kaylee are the most important things in the world to him, and given that he had Werner protect his wife before murdering him, I suspect the “love the ones you’re with while you can” angle may be played this season.
What about Kim? How is she going to handle her boyfriend being this "colorful" lawyer in season 5? Could they grow closer or will they end up growing apart? We know that she is not in Breaking Bad but that doesn't mean she isn't in Saul's life. We never go home with Saul Goodman we only see him at the office and with Walt and Jesse. Yes, Saul Goodman is a jackass but so can Jimmy and Kim when they are putting on one of their cons. We just don't know what the future brings when it comes down to Kim.
This is the most fascinating part of this season, and this show in general. Yes, the cartel stuff is always fun, but we’ve spent four seasons getting to know and love Kim Wexler and Jimmy McGill, and their relationship. That’s been a real point of strength in establishing the history behind Saul Goodman, and there is a huge part of me that’s deeply sad we have to lose Jimmy in order for the transition. The look of horror Kim gave him at the end of last season, as though she no longer knew the man she loved, was both metaphorical and literal. The lies and deceit of Jimmy to get his bar license back were the work of a soul she doesn’t recognize, but his insistence that he’s taking a new name is the more tangible illustration of her horror. Whatever trials and tribulations they’ve been through before in their relationship, it’s been knowing their bond is built on firm ground. How can that possibly be the case now? It would be a major surprise if they were still together come to the end of the season. Kim is far too moral, far too good to let Jimmy do this to himself — but she’s also smart enough to realize that when he won’t change, she needs to get out.
So who can we expect to see from Breaking Bad this season? Well, Hank and Gomez for sure. But who else? Anyone from the DEA, oh yea! The best bet would be the whole office could be popping in and out. Also Ed the "disappearer" has been confirmed. Also where's Hank, so is Marie, only a guess mind you.
You’ve got to expect that anyone from Breaking Bad is on the table, save for Walt and Jesse. Better Call Saul was smart in the early days to only include a handful — Saul/Jimmy, Mike and his family, Tuco and his crew — while it became its own thing, but by the time Gus arrived in season three, this show really capitalized on its roots. Better Call Saul is absolutely its own show, and you could watch without having seen its predecessor and still appreciate it, but using characters fans have seen before is an effective way of tying the two shows together. Let’s not forget that by the time Better Call Saul ends, we should, in theory, be at the exact moment Jesse and Walt need a colorfully dressed ‘criminal’ lawyer. Hank and Gomey might be the only “main” characters we see this year, but I’d expect to see plenty of the fringe characters.
Better Call Saul season 5 starts Feb 23 with a 2-night event. Starting with Magic Man written by Peter Gould and directed by Bronwen Hughes. Followed by the second night 50% off written by Alison Tatlock and directed by Norberto Barba.
