A Twisty, Tense Return [Tribeca]

Unsurprisingly, “Higher Name Saul” delivers. It delivers in shocks, in action-packed scenes, in quiet moments of self-disgust and remorse, in impeccably carried out scenes that can have you ever bemoaning the truth that the forged of “Higher Name Saul” continues to be snubbed by the Emmys. And it delivers in scenes that can have you ever very fearful for Rhea Seehorn’s Kim Wexler, but what’s new?

Written by Gordon Smith (in his final episode of the collection) and directed by Vince Gilligan, the midseason finale of “Higher Name Saul” options a number of intelligent rug-pulls and stunning resolutions which are the fruits of what we have seen being laid out over the previous season. Tony Dalton takes middle stage for a lot of this episode, in an hour that sees Lalo Salamanca totally advanced into that terrifying crime-lord boogeyman that we have solely seen in glimpses all through the season, whilst he loomed over the minds of each character — particularly that of Gus Fring (an all the time terrific Giancarlo Esposito), whose again stays in opposition to the wall.

Characters join and conflict in methods each satisfying and terrifying, whereas our two leads — and let’s be sincere, emotional core — Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk, managing to eke out just a few moments of levity in an unbearably tense episode) and Kim Wexler stay clearly out of their depths. The opposite standout of the episode can also be, unsurprisingly, Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut, whose cautious planning and safety measures over the previous season are examined — as is his persistence and his regret over his ever-degenerating ethical code. However the episode has fairly just a few characters furiously treading water because the tides which have come of their actions threaten to drown all of them.

Now that I’ve bought the water metaphors out of the way in which (once more, that is all I can do to keep away from spoilers), I’ll reiterate once more, “Higher Name Saul” doesn’t disappoint. And it stays probably the most cinematically satisfying reveals on TV, with Gilligan even throwing in just a few visible methods and flairs that serve to ramp up the stress much more. However with a midseason finale this intense, I can solely think about that issues are going to get darker and extra troubling from right here.