The second season of the American television series Better Call Saul premiered on February 15, 2016, and concluded on April 18, 2016. The ten-episode season was broadcast on Monday nights in the United States on AMC. Better Call Saul is a spin-off-prequel of Breaking Bad, which is also created by Vince Gilligan.
The second season, like the first one, mainly takes place in 2002, with Bob Odenkirk reprising his role as James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill, a lawyer who has a sibling-feud with his brother Chuck (Michael McKean), which drags Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) out of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill after she starts her own practice and agreed to share office space with Jimmy. Jonathan Banks also reprises his role as Mike Ehrmantraut, who is engaged in a feud with the Mexican drug-cartel after an altercation with Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz) which draws Hector (Mark Margolis) on him.
Video Better Call Saul (season 2)
Production
Casting
Mark Margolis and Daniel and Luis Moncada reprise their Breaking Bad roles as Hector Salamanca and Leonel and Marco Salamanca, respectively, playing Tuco's uncle and cousins, who are high-ranking member of the Mexican drug cartel.
All of the main cast returned for this season. Bob Odenkirk returns as James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill. Jonathan Banks returns as Mike Ehrmantraut. Rhea Seehorn returns as Kimberly "Kim" Wexler. Michael McKean returns as Charles L. "Chuck" McGill, Jr., Jimmy's elder brother. Patrick Fabian returns as Howard Hamlin and Michael Mando as Ignacio "Nacho" Varga.
Filming
Production for the second season of Better Call Saul began in June 2015, two months after the first season finished airing. Better Call Saul is set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the same location as its predecessor.
In the first scene from the first episode of this season, Saul is at his workplace in a Nebraska Cinnabon. This scene in the first three season premieres are all set in Omaha, but all three scenes were filmed in Albuquerque at the Cottonwood mall.
Maps Better Call Saul (season 2)
Cast and characters
Main
- Bob Odenkirk as James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill, a lawyer, who is involved in a sibling-feud with his brother Chuck.
- Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut, who is engaged in a feud with the Mexican drug-cartel after an altercation with Tuco Salamanca, which draws Hector on him.
- Rhea Seehorn as Kimberly "Kim" Wexler, Jimmy's close friend and lover who sets up a law firm with him.
- Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin, a partner of Chuck's at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill and Jimmy's rival.
- Michael Mando as Ignacio "Nacho" Varga, a member of Tuco Salamanca's gang, who secretly works with Mike in taking down Tuco.
- Michael McKean as Charles L. "Chuck" McGill, Jr., Jimmy's elder brother, who allegedly suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
Recurring
- Ed Begley Jr. as Clifford Main, co-owner of Davis & Main.
- Mark Margolis as Hector Salamanca, Tuco's uncle.
- Kerry Condon as Stacey Ehrmantraut, Mike's widowed daughter-in-law and the mother of Kaylee Ehrmantraut.
- Mark Proksch as Daniel "Pryce" Wormald, a small-time drug dealer who hires Mike as security.
- Omar Maskati as Omar, Jimmy's assistant at Davis & Main.
- Jessie Ennis as Erin Brill, a lawyer at Davis & Main who is ordered to shadow Jimmy.
- Brandon K. Hampton as Ernesto, Chuck's assistant who works at HHM.
- Vincent Fuentes as Arturo, a criminal working for Hector Salamanca.
- Rex Linn as Kevin Wachtell, the CEO of Mesa Verde Bank and Trust.
- Cara Pifko as Paige Novick, the senior counsel for Mesa Verde Bank and Trust.
- Manuel Uriza as Ximenez Lecerda, a truck driver for Hector Salamanca.
- Eileen Fogarty as Mrs. Nguyen, owner of a nail salon which houses Jimmy's law office (and home) in its back room.
- Josh Fadem as Camera Guy, a film student.
- Hayley Holmes as Drama Girl, a film student.
Guest
- Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca, a psychotic drug distributor who works with Nacho.
- Jim Beaver as Lawson, an arms dealer.
- Kyle Bornheimer as Ken ("Ken Wins"), a stockbroker.
- Daniel and Luis Moncada as Leonel and Marco Salamanca, Tuco's cousins and Hector's nephews.
- Maximino Arciniega as Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina
- Ann Cusack as Rebecca Bois, Chuck's ex-wife.
- Clea DuVall as Dr. Cruz, a doctor who treats Chuck and suspects that his condition is psychosomatic.
- Brendan Fehr as Bauer, a military captain.
- Joe DeRosa as Dr. Caldera, a veterinarian who serves as Mike Ehrmantraut's liaison to the criminal underworld.
- Stoney Westmoreland as Officer Saxton, who previously appeared in the Breaking Bad episode "I.F.T."
- Debrianna Mansini as Fran, a waitress, who previously appeared in the Breaking Bad episode "Madigral".
- Jennifer Hasty as Stephanie Doswell, a real estate agent, who previously appeared in the Breaking Bad episode "Open House".
Episodes
Talking Saul
These episodes discuss season two of Better Call Saul.
Reception
Critical response
The second season of Better Call Saul, much like the previous, received critical acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a score of 97%, based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Better Call Saul continues to tighten its hold on viewers with a batch of episodes that inject a surge of dramatic energy while showcasing the charms of its talented lead." On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the second season has a score of 85 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Terri Schwartz of IGN gave the season as a whole 8.7/10, praising the acting performances and cinematography, but criticizing the lack of focus, stating, "There's a lot to love in Season 2 of Better Call Saul, but still some elements to improve upon." Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine gave it a perfect four star review and wrote, "the show's writing is as economic and poetically parred [as its visual aesthetic]. Each moment is compact, leading to the next with unpredictable, behaviorally astute precision." Daniel D'Addario of Time praised the show and wrote, "in its second season, Better Call Saul allows us into a new world of complexity by deepening one of the show's pivotal relationships. It's the best-case scenario for a spin-off: a show that occupies a familiar world but opens up entirely new themes."
Ratings
^1 Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.
Accolades
Comics
AMC released a digital comic books for Better Call Saul titled Better Call Saul: Saul Goodman and the Justice Consortium in the Clutches of the Judgernaut! in February 2016, prior to the second-season premiere.
References
External links
- Official website
- List of Better Call Saul episodes on IMDb
Source of article : Wikipedia
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