User Reviews

Mike's healing dominates "Dedicato a Max." As benefactor and warrior, Gus provides therapy to his valuable asset.

I vaguely remember in Breaking Bad when Hector executes Gus's partner Max Arciniega with a shot to the head (season 4, episode 8 titled "Hermanos"). The murder occurs next to Don Eladio's swimming pool, and the Salamancas hold Gus down to make him stare at Max's shocked and lifeless face.

Rumors among fans still speculate that Gus and Max were actually lovers. It remains a big part of Gus's untold story.

In "Dedicato a Max," we see that Gus built an elaborate memorial: a secluded adobe compound in Mexico where Gus is invisible benefactor. School, hospital, and modern fountain honor Max, along with benevolent cook Señora Cortazar who lives there and kindly feeds visitors like Mike.

Such humanity and peacefulness help heal Mike. More than that, it teaches him Gus's revenge.

The familiar Dr. Barry Goodman (played by JB Blanc) patches up Mike's wounds. He'll do it again in Breaking Bad after the shootout when Gus poisons Don Eladio (season 4, episode 10 titled "Salud").

Max's character is named after the actor who plays Domingo Gallardo Molina, a.k.a. Krazy-8. Obviously the franchise owes him much for making those first episodes of Breaking Bad so compelling.

The other plot shows Kim at the crossroads. Earlier, she deceived a pro bono client for his own good. Now, is she helping her client Kevin Wachtell or swindling him?

With a Grinch-like grin, she claims to discover how she will take Kevin down. Snapshots secretly taken inside his house reveal some kind of trademark infringement with the Mesa Verde cowboy symbol.

Her boss Richard Schweikert reads the situation well and knows such schemes might lead to Kim being disbarred. Kim loudly confronts Schweikert in front of the other employees at the law firm. What a bombshell it will be when she finally realizes that he's probably right.

As calmly and slowly "Dedicato a Max" unfolds, symphonies of relationships, symbols, and plot points keep unpredictably changing this now humungous Breaking Bad universe. There are more characters and situations than a Tolstoy novel, and we are still enjoying, not straining ourselves keeping track of it all.

Every time I think one of these episodes will misstep or disappoint me, I allow the material to do its magic and find myself even more amazed.

For those who forgot or don't remember, Dedicado a Max means "Dedicated to Max" who was Gus' close friend and associate. He was killed by Hector in the "Hermanos" episode of Breaking Bad where Hector and Don Eladio spared Gus Fring's life. Now Gus wants revenge and he wants Mike to be his soldier. Fantastic Plot!

Although not quite as exciting as the previous two episodes, this was another good instalment to what is shaping up to be one of the best seasons so far. Unlike most people here it seems, I actually thought the Mike plot was the weakest link in this episode because of the largely slow pacing and I can't quite grasp his situation with Gus. On the other hand, I thought Kim's storyline was excellent and it disheartens me to see so many people dismiss her character. I, for one, am eagerly anticipating her future and can 100% relate to feeling trapped in a situation that everyone around you thinks you should be grateful for. Her relationship with Jimmy is, for me, one of the best parts of the show and to see her give in to the dark side (or rather, break bad) makes me wonder if her future is bleak considering that she is no longer present in Jimmy's life by the time Breaking Bad begins.

I urge the low-rating-givers to switch to something else. Please leave us alone with BCS. BCS can't be a thriller every episode. Thank you.

So excited about where the relations between Mike and Saul goes, and will Mike and Sobchak face together? as we remember they have met each other in season one, Pimento. How will Saul put Howard out of the way? Or it has ended here? Years ago I wondered how much I care about Kim, but now even Mesa Verde becomes so important and dramatic to me. dedicated to MAX... Now I start to think that this show had been written by details before they made Breaking Bad! thank you mr Gilligan. you are a genius!

A lot of viewers watching Better Call Saul were brought here from Breaking Bad. Some of those viewers enjoyed Breaking Bad because Breaking Bad showed the cool and hip side of being bad and many liked to live vicariously through that show.

Those same viewers also expected Better Call Saul to be cool and hip like Breaking Bad. However, they were disappointed because the show does not have any cool young handsome lead doing bad things. Instead, they are just ordinary uncool people doing bad things.

Those of us who enjoy Better Call Saul for what it is will know that it is a well written story that tugs at your heart strings. It also has clever plot twists that keeps us on the edge of our seats wanting more. It's one of the best shows on television.

Great episode. Very cohesive and holds up very nicely to set up the next ep. While the lack of nacho and lalo again made me sad, the Acker story is taking new ground with Saul as his attorney allowing him to pull his classic stunts. It also gives light to his "assortment of guys who know guys" that just do things for him and help him get his way which is very funny to watch and seeing Kim doing this is clearly a site to behold and I can't wait how a wexler v Goodman trial turns out

Mikes portion of this ep is slow and very similar to when the Hound in GOT got chopped down and then became a lumberjack as he recovered. Anywho, always good to see Jonathan Banks and Giancarlo Esposito in the same scene setting up for a BIG next ep and obviously the small area with Frings doctor from BB dedicated to Max his associate is just perfect linking to BB that clearly Vince had planned for years. Just legendary really

Rating: 8.4

This episode was a bit slower pace than than previous episodes, and a little les action and drama packed. But damn, is it funny! The return of doctor "tsstsstss", Jimmy's shenanigans, the PI, etcetera. Absolutely amazing epsiode which gives a great change of pace from the previous episodes

Good episode. The Mike storyline was slow this ep, but the closing scene was brilliant and really left an impression. Gus Fring is just one of the goat villains and this prequel continues to bring more and more depth to his character, and I can't get enough of the interactions between him and Mike, two endlessly wise characters who are still very very different. Saul had some fun scenes but they were tied up with Kim's storyline for this episode which I'm just not feeling nearly as much as the drug plot. The Mesa Verde plot is still incredibly slow and just not on the level of the drug plot. It was nice to see Steven Ogg back, and I'm still interested to see how this Kevin thread develops, but overall a good but slow episode

High 7

People behave irrationally all the time, but to see Kim wanting to screw her best client for no reason whatsoever, except playing games is puzzling and not very endearing.

I used to like Kim, but in the past few episodes her actions are completely erratic ... maybe she's a closet user of some chemicals. After having half-grifted her way into a good job, she is now sabotaging her employer... for what exactly?

An old, stubborn geezer in the middle of nowhere, who is allegedly a cause worth loosing Kim's professional credibility. Also hard to believe that Saul would invent all those silly gimmicks and waste a truckload of time just to go on playing games.

It's more kindergarten time than a series for grown-ups, Also, Mike is doing some DIY in the middle of nowhere and having cryptic conversations with Gus.

I start to get suspicious with all those 10 this show is getting from the "reviewers". I liked BB and fully understand this is a different show, but seriously, the characters are not engaging, not well developed and nothing short of schizophrenic.

This one was like watching paint dry. What is Vince doing to us?? I'm not following the Mesa Verde sequences. All this nonsense should have hit the cutting room floor. I hope this doesn't mean the decline of the very excellent Better Call Saul and I'm hoping for better to come!

While I concede that this is one of the weaker episodes so far, it's still very good. Im in the minority, but I actually like Kim's plot with Mesa Verde as she slowly descends down Saul's path and loses herself and her acting these past 3 episodes have been amazing. Mike's plot I also liked, though it feels like the writers don't know what to do with him or Gus now that they have been shut down, but I guess that's what the back half of the series is for. The only two things I didn't really like about this episode was how little Howard was in it again, and the fact that Kim didn't manage to meet Mike.

Didn't know what to expect with this one but it wowed me. Mike's sub-plot could have been a bit cheesy but it comes together thanks to Gus's masterful presence. Jimmy versus the property developers is the comedic highlight and will be hard to top.

Definitly this show has different story line than other shows maybe it is slow but fits to the whole series.

Almost anything Mike does will be great, but this is just...not somehow. With only a few episodes left in the entire series why they are wasting so much time on this nonsense that moves nothing forward is beyond me.

Okay, I'm a huge fan of this universe aside from el camino, everything was going perfect, this last two episodes are starting to look very pretentious, this was not the interesting part of bcs and brba, I liked more when plots where playing with us, making us thing the series was going one way when in the background a more profound and plot twisting matter was about, here it seems they know we know the formula and therefore loosing that deep and intellectual storytelling making this and the past episode boring, but not because of the pace, but because I feel they are underestimating their audience, despite they all saying otherwise. Hope the last 5 episodes of this season show the contrary and play true to the universe they created and stop that cheap formula they tried in el camino, please Vince and Peter, don't underestimate your audience for the last season (6). We know what you are capable of.

The side plots of Kim and Jimmy gaslighting people were overboard on this episode. The writers give Kim and Jimmy the moral high ground, but this particular ruse was insulting to the viewers intelligence.

The writers have turned Kim into more of a shyster than Saul. It's a pity because the earlier episodes where it's clear she's struggling with whether she should be with Jimmy or not are gold.

Yes the writing is excellent, the acting is great , but I hate to say it, the show has become to smug for its own good. You just need to listen to the official podcasts to know that they seem to think that they are writing Shakespeare. Breaking Bad is probably the greatest show ever written but this show just seems to feel as if the writers know it and can do no wrong and due to this the show just feels too contrived and self absorbed.