Better Call Saul: Season Four Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Better Call Saul: Season Four Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 6, 2019

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

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

• Season One
• Season Two
• Season Three

While the entirety of Better Call Saul has been by definition and largely by timeframe an origins story, season four sees the series more tangibly and familiarly draw closer to Breaking Bad. Of note is that the season sees Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) working with Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) in the construction of the meth super lab, built by German workers that Mike is charged with overseeing. It’s an impressive set and more impressive work from Esposito and Banks who command the screen and their characters with a familiar cadence yet subtle details that further build the characters, even with their directions already established. Meanwhile, Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) gets involved in petty schemes, swiping a valuable artifact from a copy store and hawking cell phones on street corners and, eventually, in the back of a familiar nail salon and to more important, if not still fraudulent, purpose. The show continues to build the surrounding world in a post-Chuck era, with Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), and Nacho Varga (Michael Mando) falling deeper into the story.

Like a copy machine is the beating heart of business, as Jimmy says when building one of his scams, so too is Bob Odenkirk Better Call Saul’s beating heart. The franchise veteran actor delivers another tour de force through the season, capturing the remarkably intricate character -- of great external deviousness and great internal strife and depth, exemplified nowhere better than in the season's final minutes -- with keen understanding of who Jimmy McGill is, who he was, and where he wants to be. Odenkirk capably builds upon the layers established in both Breaking Bad and previous seasons of Better Call Saul while shaping the character in the foreshadows and details leading him towards the Saul Goodman persona and a future with Walter White. Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring remains, arguably, the show’s most compelling character and its best acted, a monumental feat for an individual who emotes very little beyond a set and relatively slow and simple cadence in the show but who finds great internal range within his steady external stability.

As always, the show is beautifully photographed. Every shot is perfectly framed, every frame tells a story, and the angles are kept interesting without feeling forced. The show is art. The directors and cinematographers capture not a look or essence but a dynamic, tangible feel with every image. Shots convey immediacy, intimacy, distance, and emotion, sometimes individually, sometimes collectively. It’s a remarkable show to gaze upon, and add the incredible dramatic currents and narrative beats and exceptionally crafted and performed characters, and Saul is about as good as TV gets.

The following episodes comprise season four. Summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• Smoke: Jimmy struggles to cope with Chuck's tragic death. Mike ponders his role at Madrigal. Howard makes a startling confession.
• Breathe: Jimmy seeks new employment. Gus navigates the fallout from Hector's collapse. Kim endeavors to support Jimmy in the wake of Chuck's death.
• Something Beautiful: Jimmy puts a risky plan into motion. As alliances shift, Nacho finds himself in the crosshairs. Kim contemplates her future.

Disc Two:

• Talk: A restless Jimmy embarks on a new endeavor while Mike burns bridges. Kim pursues her bliss. Nacho tries to survive a turf war.
• Quite a Ride: Jimmy identifies a new market for his talents. Mike vets a potential partnership. Kim drives a hard bargain.
• Piñata: While Jimmy daydreams about reconstituting Wexler-McGill, Kim sets out to secure her own future. Mike puts a plan in motion for Gus.
• Something Stupid: Jimmy expands his business, but runs into a problem that only Kim can solve. Gus intervenes in Hector's medical care. Mike deals with a setback.

Disc Three:

• Coushatta: Jimmy goes to great lengths to right a wrong, as Kim pulls out all the stops for a case. Mike lets his team blow off steam. Nacho receives a visitor.
• Wiedersehen: Jimmy and Kim unburden themselves, risking their relationship in the process. Nacho is forced to make the rounds with Lalo. Mike has cause to worry.
• Winner: Jimmy turns the page on his reputation. Lalo tracks a loose end in Gus' operation. Mike is forced to make a difficult decision.

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

Better Call Saul: Season Four's 1080p Blu-ray presentation is uniformly excellent with only the rare, and minor, blemish, which includes light source noise and one or two instances of banding, such as at the 11:26 mark of "Something Beautiful" and 1:48 of "Piñata." The digitally sourced image appears complex and clear, with refined details across the spectrum, which includes highly defined skin, intricately revealing clothing materials and seams, and razor-sharp environmental textures, whether out on city streets, inside a cell phone store, law offices, a large empty warehouse, and other locations visited throughout the season. Clarity is maintained throughout with softness only appearing as the cinematographer composed and photographed the shot. Colors are well saturated and maintain a neutral contrast. Flesh tones may push ever-so-slightly warm at times but the palette is otherwise even and effortless. Black levels are strong and deep with no signs of crush. Fans expecting more 1080p goodness following the previous three season releases will not be disappointed.

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

Better Call Saul: Season Four's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is a joy of balance and detail. The track is perfectly audible at reference volume, requiring no upward adjustment to fully enjoy. The season is certainly most defined by dialogue, which presents every component in perfect working order: prioritization, center-front placement, and verbal clarity. Music is engaged with the fronts, presenting with excellent width and instrumental detail, even over the opening titles which occasionally sound a little scratchy by design. Ambient effects are perfectly integrated and detailed, which include everything from the sound of a car traveling down the road to partygoer and restaurant patron din. One of the more interesting and intense moments comes in episode six when Jimmy steps away for a moment from Kim while the two are dining. The sounds throughout the restaurant amplify significantly in his head, creating a bustling and chaotic, but very detailed, one-off sound moment. There are several high-yield action effects, such as rims scraping against pavement in episode three. Numerous rounds of gunfire pop with very impressive depth and detail moments later. Gunfire emanates from a distance, front and back depending on camera persecutive in episode four, and the scene again eventually gains prominence as the character being followed gets into the middle of the action. The track is precise and enjoyable at every level and in every episode.

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

Better Call Saul: Season Four contains audio commentaries and various additional extras spread across all three discs. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Smoke:" Peter Gould, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks and Minkie Spiro. For "Breathe:" Peter Gould, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Mark Johnson, Thomas Schnauz and Michelle MacLaren. For "Something Beautiful:" Peter Gould, Luis Moncada, Daniel Moncada and Gordon Smith.
• Storyboard Comparison (1080p, 6:37): Hand-drawn storyboards appear below the finished footage. With Introduction by Peter Gould. This supplement is accessible under the episode selection tabs for "Something Beautiful."
• Madrigal Security Training Videos (1080p, 18:36): Mike Ehrmantraut hosts a ten-week security refresher course. Included are Employee Accountability, Hiring Practices, Perimeter Security, Social Intelligence, Information Security, Professionalism, Workplace Safety, Confidentiality, Morale, and Chain of Command.
• Short Film: No Picnic (1080p, 2:53): A family settles in for a picnic on the side of a dirty highway...with an ulterior motive.

Disc Two:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Talk:" Peter Gould, Michael Mando and Heather Marion. Also for "Talk:" Mark Hansen, Christian Diaz de Bedoya and Dennis W. Milliken. For "Quite a Ride:" Peter Gould, Skip Macdonald, Ann Cherkis and Michael Morris. For "Piñata:" Peter Gould, Patrick Fabian, Jennifer Hutchison and Andrew Stanton. For "Something Stupid:" Peter Gould, Bob Odenkirk, Melissa Bernstein and Alison Tatlock.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): For "Talk:" CC Mobile (0:51). For "Quite a Ride:" Kim Saves the Day...Again (1:20). For "Something Stupid:" Another Day, Another Euro (1:28).
• Storyboard Comparison (1080p, 3:34): Hand-drawn storyboards appear below the finished footage. With Introduction by Peter Gould. This supplement is accessible under the episode selection tabs for "Piñata."
• Camera Rehearsal with Introduction by Peter Gould (1080p, 2:38): Preparing for a complex shot from "Something Stupid." This supplement is accessible under the episode selection tabs for "Something Stupid."

Disc Three:

• Audio Commentaries: For "Coushatta:" Peter Gould, Melissa Bernstein, Gordon Smith, Jim McKay and Russell Scott. For "Wiedersehen:" Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Jenn Carroll and Judy Rhee. For "Winner:" Peter Gould, Thomas Schnauz, Melissa Bernstein, Thomas Golubic, Chris McCaleb and Larry Benjamin.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): For "Coushatta:" The Shells Taste Better (1:02). For "Wiedersehen:" The Getaway (0:44). For "Winner:" Destroying the Evidence (0:18) and Clean Up (0:45).
• Storyboard Comparison (1080p, 3:58): Hand-drawn storyboards appear below the finished footage. With Introduction by Peter Gould. This supplement is accessible under the episode selection tabs for "Winner."
• Gag Reel (1080p, 6:37): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Flashing Forward, Looking Back (1080p, 11:15): Cast and crew discuss the dramatic place and thematic value of scenes that explore the past and also flash to the future.
• Constructing the Superlab (1080p, 9:52): A closer look at the lab's role in the season and series and its meticulous design.
• Slippin' Kimmy (10:01): An examination of the Kim Wexler character and her role in the season and series.

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

With season four drawing closer to Breaking Bad, it's likely that the finish line is in sight, which is good for the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe and bad for fans. Hopefully the show runners and writers can squeeze a few more seasons out of the material. A recent news item indicates that only two more seasons are planned, which feels about right given where season four ends and Breaking Bad begins. Two more seasons or ten, fans have been, and undoubtedly will continue to be, given an absolutely tremendous show that is one of the most well-rounded in television history. Story, characters, acting, and technical construction are flawless. Better Call Saul: Season Four's Blu-ray is nearly as flawless, delivering high-end video and audio and plenty of extra content. Season four earns my highest recommendation.