Better Call Saul - "Catering for Breaking Bad fans" is AMC new tagline

I obviously watched Better Call Saul last night. I suppose every Breaking Bad fan watched the premiere of the anticipated return of Saul Goodman. They even made history with the ratings which probably means some people who were not familiar with Breaking Bad tuned in as well.

I don't think there was a better character to use for a spin off than this "colorful" lawyer. Obviously, he was an iconic member of the Breaking Bad family but he was also the funniest and most interesting character to share Walt's secret. He had everything to build a great spin off with. What's his story? And that's what we get in Better Call Saul. 

The show starts off in Nebraska, where Saul is now working in a Cinnabon, just like he predicted at the end of Breaking Bad. Remember this line? "If I'm lucky, three months from now, best case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha". And boy was he lucky! The question I am asking myself is whether this show can actually be picked up and enjoyed by non-Breaking Bad fans. Let's face it, when you see him in that cap and moustache in a Cinnabon at the beginning of the episode, it made your eyes water a little bit. Don't lie. It was so amazing to lead with that. But it obviously only had meaning if you watched Breaking Bad. There were a lot of references to it in this episode and a lot of meanings carried through for all of us but it must have been lost to everybody else. I cannot objectively judge this episode only for what it is, as a separate entity to Breaking Bad because right now, it is not. 

I don't know if I would have found this first episode appealing if I didn't know Saul before yesterday. I feel like these references will slowly disappear, they cannot keep up with so many, but still, I feel like this show is very much catered for one specific audience. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I mean, seeing Mike again was the highlight of this premiere for me. I screamed "Tucoooooo" at my TV and at my boyfriend at the end of the episode too. I loved every bit of it. As far as the quality of it goes, I thought the acting was, as usual, pretty exceptional. Bob Odenkirk is amazing and I would be happy if the show relied entirely on his genius this first season. The camera work was beautiful, especially for the first scene in Saul's condo. The writing was, and I am sure of it, always will be the highest quality possible. I already love this show but I know I do because I feel like I am watching the sequel to Breaking Bad. Unlike movie sequels however, I am pretty sure I won't be disappointed in this one.