Better Call Saul: Season Five Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Better Call Saul: Season Five Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 10, 2020

Sony has released the fifth season of AMC's terrific 'Better Call Saul' to Blu-ray. The package is similar to previous season releases, featuring top-end video and audio qualities as well as an extensive collection of bonus content, which includes audio commentary tracks for every episode.

Below are review links to the first four seasons, which are essential viewing before digging into season five.

• Season One
• Season Two
• Season Three
• Season Four

“That name is burned,” Jimmy says of his old moniker Jimmy McGill. Season five sees him fully transition to "Saul Goodman" but he'll quickly realize that life's forward momentum, its peaks and valleys and everything in between, cannot be changed with the change of a name. In season five, Jimmy experiences two life-changing events. One will solidify his relationship with Kim Wexler. The other will nearly kill him and leave him scarred both mentally and physically alike. Through the ten episodes, Jimmy transitions from small-time lawyer eager to represent the lowest of the low -- at a discount no less -- to standing face to face with a notorious drug dealer and murderer and becoming involved in high stakes life-and-death dealings. It's a swift change and his life is a whirlwind through the season. Yet it plays beautifully slow and deliberate, gradually building to the final three episode climax which is as viscerally exciting as it is emotionally draining and narratively satisfying.

The season's undercurrent explores Kim's growing dissatisfaction with her job. She wants to go pro bono, and when she's forced to play a key part in evicting an elderly man from his home for Mesa Verde, it becomes a critical turning point in both her life and career. It also means she becomes more close entwined with Jimmy, for better or for worse. Season five subplots also include the birth of Gus Fring's superlab and further builds the Nacho and Lalo characters as the former hurtles towards Breaking Bad and the latter's fate is central to the season's climactic episodes. The season is as aesthetically superior as ever and performed with the depth and elegance audiences have come to expect from Vince Gilligan's masterful show.

The following episodes comprise season five. These terse summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• Magic Man: Jimmy unveils his new legal persona, "Saul Goodman."
• 50% Off: Jimmy's promotional stunt has unintended consequences.
• The Guy for This: Jimmy's business enters uncharted territory.

Disc Two:

• Namaste: Jimmy doubles down on "Saul," and Kim asks him for help.
• Dedicado a Max: Mike takes an impromptu trip out of town.
• Wexler v. Goodman: Kim tries to pump the brakes on Saul's latest scheme.
• JMM: Jimmy and Kim build a legal firewall.

Disc Three:

• Bagman: When an errand goes awry, Jimmy is pushed to the limit.
• Bad Choice Road: Jimmy tries to return to business as usual. Kim takes stock.
• Something Unforgivable: Jimmy and Kim make a sideways move that takes a turn.

Better Call Saul: Season Five Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Better Call Saul's fifth season Blu-ray is every bit as visually impeccable as its predecessors. The 1080p, 1.78:1-framed image delivers a healthy, practically perfect picture that comes sourced from a video shoot but exhibits only light noise in even the most challenging low light scenes and shows no additional source flaws. Compression yields no issues, either. The picture proper is as sharp as can be, presenting everything from everyday backgrounds to intimate facial features with resplendent definition. The picture thrives in close-up where skin details are precise and plainly visible across the entire spectrum of characters, from manicured lawyers to drugged-out felons. Clothes enjoy the same range of authenticity across these characters, too, with detailed threads and fabric density the norm. Law offices show every inch of high class furniture upholstery and polish while urban settings, dusty exteriors, and all variety of locations seen throughout the ten-episode run enjoy the same robust definition and fine-point attention to detail. Colors are lively and bold, perfectly saturated at all times and never displaying wonky contrast. Lighting can impact color temperature but there's no deliberate manipulation otherwise. Clothes are lively, locations enjoy fruitful color depth and nuance, skin tones are perfect, and black levels are flawless. Audiences couldn't have asked for a better Blu-ray.

Better Call Saul: Season Five Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The primary DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is excellent in every way. It's full and satisfying, precisely engineered to audibly match the visual aesthetics, folding in both prominent audio content and subtle cues alike. Music enjoys superior stage presence, excellent spatial balance, and of course flawless lifelike detail. A number of high energy effects come into play in most every episode, notably some car scenes. The track delivers some intense engine revving as a car goes around a dirt track in episode three with all of the movement and clarity to the growl one could want. A car chase towards the end of the season's fourth episode offers additional goodness for engine amplification and tires on asphalt (even a tiny electric car heard at the beginning of episode five bears plenty of sonic fruit within its own audio signature). A shootout in episode eight delivers heathy depth to pistol fire and suppressed rifle fire with equal detail and clarity, as does another in the season's closing minutes. The track is perhaps at its finest in its delivery of the aforementioned subtleties. Listen to a scene in episode one, halfway through, during Gustavo Fring's first scene. The buzzing fluorescent lights, the light dialogue reverb, and a few minutes later the busy sounds of construction around the lab – hammering off to the side, a saw buzzing somewhere in the distance – create a full and perfect sound picture. When Mike is on the mend in episode five, environmental fill is precise and immersive. The track hits on all cylinders at all times, including faultless dialogue reproduction.

Better Call Saul: Season Five Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Better Call Saul: Season Five contains audio commentaries and various additional extras spread across all three discs. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Magic Man:" Peter Gould, Jennifer L. Bryan, Larry Benjamin, Thomas Golubic, and Chris McCaleb. For "50% Off:" Peter Gould, Norberto Barba, Alison Tatlock, Rhea Seehorn, Michael Mando, and Mark Freeborn. For "The Guy for This:" Michael Morris, Ann Cherkis, Bob Odenkirk, Tony Dalton, and Dean Norris.
• Deleted Scene (1080p): From "Magic Man:" The Must Love Your Work (2:48).
• Ethics Training with Kim Wexler (1080p, 28:04 total runtime): A "10 part legal education course" with Kim Wexler, filmed by Jimmy McGill. Included are Marketing, Communication, Civility, Self-Care, Strategic Alliances, Conflicts of Interest, Marital Privilege, Money, Client Privilege, and Decision Making.

Disc Two:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Namaste:" Peter Gould, Gordon Smith, Mark Johnson, Diane Mercer, and Skip Macdonald. For "Dedicado a Max:" Peter Gould, Jim McKay, Trina Siopy, Paula Dal Santo, and Jonathan Banks. For "Wexler v. Godman:" Peter Gould, Thomas Schnauz, Michael Morris, Patrick Fabian, and Phillip W. Palmer. For "JMM:" Peter Gould, Melissa Bernstein, Alison Tatlock, Rhea Seehorn, and Giancarlo Esposito.
• Deleted Scene (1080p): From "Namaste:" Better Call Pat (1:14). From "Dedicado a Max:" Farewell, Fringtown (0:55). From "Wexler v. Goodman:" Damage Control (0:34).
• Vintage Mesa Verde Commercial (1080p, 1:10): The full vintage ad as partially seen in season five.
• What Is Mesa Verde Hiding? (1080p, 2:17 total runtime): The accusatory ads Jimmy makes in the season, in full. Included are Wrongfully Evicted!, Black Mold?!?!, Bare Genitals!, and My $ = Terrorism!???.

Disc Three:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Bagman:" Peter Gould, Vince Gilligan, Gordon Smith, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, and Dave Porter. For "Bad Choice Road:" Peter Gould, Thomas Schnauz, Melissa Bernstein, Diane Mercer, Marshall Adams, and Cheri Montesanto. For "Something Unforgivable:" Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Mark Freeborn, Steve Brown, Al Goto, and Valerie Chu.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "Bagman:" Go Easy on That (1:59). From "Something Unforgiveable:" A Little Extra (2:24).
• The Good, The Bags and the Ugly (1080p, 13:22): Crafting "the most grueling episode" in series history: "Bagman."
• The Ambush (1080p, 29:52): Vince Gilligan comments on top of part of the episode, speaking on the special effects, makeup, and cinematography required to make the most intense parts of "Bagman."
• The Cannon Roll (1080p, 0:59): One of the key stunts from "Bagman" seen from six different perspectives.
• Tell Me Again (1080p, 10:09): Crafting a key scene from "Bad Choice Road."
• Gag Reel (1080p, 5:48): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Crystal Balls (1080p, 8:59): Predicting the fate for characters who do no appear in Breaking Bad.
• The Effects for This! (1080p, 1:57): Before and after VFX comparisons.

Better Call Saul: Season Five Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Better Call Saul's fifth season is a little slower moving than its predecessors, at least until the final three episodes, but it's still a narratively rich, aesthetically adept, and wonderfully scripted and performed show. As the show moves into its sixth, and final, season, it can reflect on five seasons of excellence that few of its contemporaries have matched. Sony's Blu-ray set is as wonderful as previous releases, offering near flawless video and audio and a terrific supplementary package. Very highly recommended.