To say that AMC’s “Better Call Saul”, which premiered last Sunday, has had a lot of hype surrounding it is an understatement. It is a sequel to “Breaking Bad,” a show which held universal critical acclaim throughout its five season run, ultimately culminating in a series finale that was watched by 10.28 million people and currently holds a 9.9/10 rating on IMDB. That is a lot of pressure to place on a new series, and as audiences got a glimpse of star Bob Odenkirk’s face on Sunday, the expectations could not have been higher.

Of course, there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic about “Better Call Saul”even before the premiere. While Vince Gilligan, “Bad’s” creator and showrunner, is taking the backseat this time around, he has remained an integral part of “Saul’s” development. Peter Gould, who could almost be considered Gilligan’s right-hand man during Walter White’s saga, is taking the driver’s wheel, which has left many fans of “Bad”confident that “Better Call Saul”is in more than capable hands. Not only that, but AMC is so confident in “Saul”that it has already renewed the show for a second season.

So the question is then, how does “Better Call Saul”hold up? Two episodes have aired, so audiences should have a rough idea of what to expect, and so far, “Saul”seems to be meeting most of those high expectations. It has not quite found its feet yet, but then again, neither had “Bad”in its first two episodes. Perhaps the best word that could be used to describe “Better Call Saul”is “bleak”. The show spends most of the first two episodes really preparing audiences for what to expect for the rest of the show. Odenkirk’s Jimmy McGill is not the Saul Goodman we meet during “Breaking Bad’s” second season, and it becomes very clear very quickly just how far McGill has to come. Yet, nobody could have predicted the insanity that became “Breaking Bad”from the first few episodes of that series, so it is hardly a point against “Saul.”

The highlights of these first two episodes are at the beginning and end of the first episode. Nothing will be spoiled here, but fans of “Breaking Bad” will spend a lot of time smiling to themselves. Moreover, gorgeous cinematic shots of New Mexico’s wilderness, which was a staple from “Bad,” are here in full force, lending the show the empty, atmospheric quality that helped make “Bad”what it was. All in all, there is not much negative to say about “Better Call Saul”so far. After only two episodes, it is not quite clear how itis going to shape up, but if audiences were optimistic prior to the airing of the pilot, they should be absolutely floored from here on out.

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