{"id":1079,"date":"2023-10-17T13:26:17","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nancyepton.co.uk\/?p=1079"},"modified":"2024-01-04T10:53:59","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T10:53:59","slug":"minimalist-moments-better-call-saul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancyepton.co.uk\/?p=1079","title":{"rendered":"Minimalist Moments: Better Call Saul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are montages, and then there are Breaking Bad<\/em> and Better Call Saul<\/em> montages. They\u2019re not style over substance, they\u2019re meaningful, and every image makes an impression. It\u2019s tough to whittle down the many genius examples in Better Call<\/em> Saul to just one standout, but one of my absolute favourites has to be the depiction of Jimmy and Kim\u2019s slowly diminishing relationship in Season 4\u2019s \u2018Something Stupid\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

With the camera in split screen mode, the right side of the screen begins in pitch black as we see Saul\u2019s hand picking up his toothbrush and toothpaste, whule the image glides up to see both Jimmy and Kim about to brush their teeth. The right half then comes into life to reveal Kim\u2019s viewpoint. It\u2019s a fairly simple establishing shot, but an undeniably elegant one with the neatly aligned bathroom mirrors on each screen. The couple\u2019s mundane daily routine is shown on both sides before depicting their separate days, contrasting Kim\u2019s burgeoning Mesa Verde partnership as she designs her new office with Jimmy and Huel\u2019s more shady activities, as they set up the burner phone business, all appropriately to the tune of \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 \u2018Something Stupid\u2019. Every minute detail of Kim\u2019s professional setup is neatly set against Jimmy\u2019s seedy dealings in every image, from his flimsy paper card to Kim\u2019s shining name embossed on the gold frame of her office door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrasts and intimacies are shown in subtle and unconventional ways that you\u2019d just never get in your standard TV series. Besides the pair sitting close together in bed, there\u2019s a sly editing wink as both sit at different edges of their apartment dining table, at first initially suggesting they\u2019re apart with the split screen black line separating the two. However, Jimmy then picks up the bottle of wine, which passes through the black line as he tops up Kim\u2019s drink, confirming that they\u2019re in the same space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disparity starts to be implied as they brush their teeth separately, and the camera again switches to their workdays, with powerful shots of Kim helping her under advantaged pro bono clients set against Jimmy and Huel hiding in their van to avoid rain and eating after a dishonest day\u2019s work. Heck, even the subtle differences in lighting as the pair sit in separate spaces at home is enough to create a sense of drifting apart without needing to single word to articulate the fact. Repeated images emphasise separation as they again complete bathroom routines and dinner separately, with the repeated refrains of \u2018Something Stupid\u2019s \u2018I love you\u2019 very much working at odds with the images on screen. The song finally fades away as the scenes transform back into diegetic sound, with the final images of Jimmy and Kim lying directly opposite each other confirming the lukewarm state of their relationship as Kim\u2019s split screen sharply cuts to black, followed shortly by Jimmy\u2019s own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My descriptions probably aren\u2019t doing justice to how great this scene is, so make sure you watch the scene on YouTube (WordPress helpfully won\u2019t let me post the link). Also, shout out to Rhea Seehorn, who\u2019s genuinely of the finest women acting today. If you fancy looking at the various other pieces I\u2019ve written about Better Call Saul<\/em>, check \u2018em out below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Better Call Saul Season 3 Review<\/a><\/blockquote>