Better Call Saul (TV Series) Alpine Shepherd Boy (2015) User Reviews

Calm and Collective!

[tlfirth · 8/10 · 3 March 2015]

Just like Breaking Bad before it, Better Call Saul relishes in those calm moments of emotion, whether its Jesse rotating slowly on the turn-table, or Saul waiting for his latest client to reach the bottom of the stairs - every second counts. The first part of the season has been a mixture of this and some very clever ideas from all the writers.

Chuck's "condition" of electromagnetic hypersensitivity, is a clever way of bringing out the unique style of the series. If it wasn't for Jimmy's unusual tendencies as an attorney at law, this wouldn't be very interesting at all. But the writers making it interesting by dropping in completely absurd ideas that somehow work. Examples such as the talking toilet are self- explanatory.

A lot of mischief has happened already in this series, and we're starting to see stories parallel each other, such as Saul's suspicion that Chuck's condition could have something to do with "Slippin' Jimmy". We've had a lot of hints at conflict such as Tuco's return, Nacho's imprisonment, and Jimmy's unlawful attempts at ruining his brother's co-worker. These are all things that could be building up to something bigger. We've also had some flash-forwards and flashbacks which give us hints at what could be to come.

What is unclear, perhaps, is if there is a definite conclusion. There's no clear direction, whereas with Breaking Bad you had a slow build-up of stories, but you had a good idea of what overall theme would transpire. Take BB's first season for instance, where it is obvious that Walt and Jesse's actions at the beginning would have major consequences. Here, Jimmy hasn't had anything game-changing happen yet, other than make friends and enemies.

Here's hoping that the second half of the season can provide equal amounts of humor whilst also bringing us to a interesting close. The cliffhanger to this week's episode had great gravitas, and it's nice to see Mike get a thicker role than in the first few episodes. The question is, when will he and Jimmy join forces?

8.0/10

Mid-season, not one bad episode yet

[PulpPhiction · 9/10 · 3 March 2015]

Well, we are currently half way through the first ever season of one of the most anticipated television shows of the century so far, Better Call Saul. And I can say without a shadow of a doubt I've been completely satisfied with the first five episodes. In fact, my expectations have been blown out of the water.

This episode - entitled 'Alpine Shepherd Boy' - has been one of the best so far. So many ideas have been opened up in just one hour. Every character in this week's installment were there for a reason. There was no single minute of filler. Everything needed to be there, and everything was spot on.

One of the best things about this episode was the music. It just matched up so well with every scene. We went from Breaking Bad meth- cooking montages to Better Call Saul old women eating jello montages, but somehow it's just as good. Cinematography was, as always, really good as well.

Man, when the end of this season comes the wait for season two is going to be really painful. Time has flied so fast this past month because of this show. Can't wait till next week.

Get Your Will by James McGill!

[gab-14712 · 9/10 · 18 April 2020]

"Alpine Shepherd Boy" is the midpoint of Better Call Saul's first season. It's a calm, collected, and very informative episode. The pacing is slower from previous episodes, but that's okay because its essential for the viewers to see Jimmy McGill at practice. I also like the dynamic between Jimmy and his brother, Chuck. With Chuck in the hospital for the majority of the episode, its proven to us how much Jimmy cares for his elder brother. There are moments of hilarity, sweet lines of dialogue, great direction from Nicole Kassell, and an unsuspecting ending.

After the publicity stunt Jimmy pulled, he receives voicemails from potential clients. It turns out these clients are not useful. There's a psycho political client and there's an inventor who is trying to invent a toilet designed...with a purpose. His last client is an older lady who wants to create a will. Kim offhand suggests to Jimmy elder law is a thing, so Jimmy decides to pursue that line of law. Meanwhile, Chuck has the police called on him because he stole the newspaper from his neighbor. He is taken to the hospital because of his disorder where the audience still needs to figure out if the disorder is psychological or not. Finally, the episode ends when Mike's past comes to haunt him.

Despite the slower pace, Vince Gilligan created another engaging episode. The dynamic between the two brothers is on point. There are some moments of humor, especially when the police break down Chuck's door and used their tasers on him after he said please don't use them. Poor Chuck! Of course, I also thought Tony the Toilet is a crazy, amusing invention...in the worst way. On the whole, a very enjoyable episode!

My Grade: A-

😂 😂 😂 One of the funniest episodes of BCS

[kefakevin · 9/10 · 21 March 2021]

This episode is very funny. That's all I can say 😀😀

Fill me up with more episodes like this

[TheCorniestLemur · 10/10 · 30 July 2022]

Second best episode of the show so far if you ask me. And more than likely the funniest episode thus far too, that string of scenes of Jimmy meeting with crazy clients feels like something only Vince Gilligan could pull off without it feeling like filler.

It's nice to now care about what's happening with Chuck a little more, although I do think that having the entire potential issue of him being upset with Jimmy for pulling a con again seeming to have been resolved in a single conversation is a pretty big wasted opportunity.

And while I'm complaining, I did think some of the shots of Mike doing...whatever he was doing at the end of this episode were obnoxiously long and not really showing much worth showing.

But I am now interested in what they might do with Mike going forward, so it's nice they're not going to keep him stuffed in a box all season.

So while it doesn't quite reach the heights of the Tuco episode, it's still pretty bloody awesome.

Life Is Hard!

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 14 May 2018]

There are two major strains here. The major focus of the episode has to do with a couple of bullheaded police who break a man's door down because he took a fifty cent newspaper belonging to the nosy lady down the street. Of course he has all kinds of issues--a fear that magnetic and electric fields are going to destroy him. He is afraid of light and technology and the outdoors. He has such a panic attack that he ends up hospitalized. Saul is faced with the possibility of committing him, but he is his brother and, nutty as he seems, he love him. Saul also has an interesting series of potential clients: a man who wants to secede from the union and prints money with his own picture on it; a man who has invented a toilet that talks to potty training children, and a woman who has a Hummel collection who needs a will. Finally, we are taken into the life of the man who runs the parking lot at the courthouse. He is played by the guy who was the ever-present MIke in "Breaking Bad." There is an intriguing scene at the conclusion of this episode.

After Uno, Mijo, Nacho, Hero comes "Alpine Shepherd Boy"

[seshasai-tris · 8/10 · 5 March 2015]

Saul tries to ride on his fame obtained by staging a rescue scene sets up the episode.

With still camera movement, Retro look Vince Gilligan's marks his style of making which is sometimes depressing. The unique thing about this is each episode has a well set pace unlike many TV series' episodes are often altering from fast to slow.

Ebullient, Vivacious, Garrulous Babby Saul is played amazingly well by Bob Odenkirk, and a tacit ticket collector turned x-cop's character is brought to perfection by Jonathan Banks.

This episode is a teaser to the less tended side of Mike.

Can't wait for the next one.

Fine

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 5 June 2021]

Still a fine episode, perhaps not quite as good as those preceding it, but with plenty going on. The hospital interlude is different and the presence of Mike at the climax a real pleasure to see.

An Explanation To Chuck

[CineNerd70 · 9/10 · 27 July 2022]

Even though this served mostly as an explaining, it's one of the funniest episodes and raises lots of questions to be answered in later episodes and even seasons.

Prophetic in Retrospect

[liammc-73274 · 9/10 · 15 December 2023]

While this episode is the most deliberate thus far in its illustration of the results of our central characters' decisions and their dynamics (yielding a bit of a duller viewing experience), on rewatch its made remarkably clear how much foreshadowing was packed in here. Dr. Cruz's analysis of Chuck's condition is practically faultless, with both his and Jimmy's insecurities being its root cause. From the moment Jimmy decided to look past the danger Chuck and his lifestyle posed to himself and others, the writing was on the wall. We can sympathize with him and understand his thought process however, as it's apparent he desperately craves the approval of his older brother: a paragon of justice and in essence his savior (see S1E3).

The tedious consultations serve to illustrate the closing of a vicious loop that plagues Jimmy throughout the series. He utilizes underhanded methods to compensate for the universe's slights against him (as he sees it). This way he can prove to Chuck that he can be a legitimate lawyer and dutiful citizen, thus repaying the debt he owes Chuck for giving him a second lease on life. Unfortunately, this "chicanery" always yields unintended consequences, and never gives Jimmy the satisfaction he impatiently yearns for. It's as if the mistakes of his past life bleed into his new one in the form of karmic retribution. This premonition is almost palpable for Chuck, manifesting in his condition and his compulsion to insulate himself within his "space blanket".

Kim's role as a mediator in Jimmy's relationships with Chuck and Howard is also made more apparent. She urges him towards more noble pursuits where she believes he can thrive and satisfy his brother's aspirations for him (ie. Elder law), and makes an effort to defend his honor when Chuck and Howard antagonize him. While her initial intentions are certainly respectable, she sees herself become an enabler of Jimmy's self-destructive tendencies while also being corrupted by them herself (symbolized elegantly in their smoking scenes). Their relationship is one of the more beautifully tragic I've seen in television, and this episode explores an interesting aspect of it.

We also see hints at the depth of Mike's character. For unknown reasons (as he said, "Nobody wants to leave home,") he was forced to abandon his life as a Philadelphia cop, and now lives a modest life as a parking booth operator while keeping careful watch over his estranged daughter-in-law and granddaughter. At the episode's conclusion his past literally comes knocking at his door, and it seems like his connection with Jimmy might come in handy.

While not the most riveting first watch, it becomes much more engaging with subsequent viewings. 8.5-9/10.

Not as good as previous episodes. But Still Fun..

[brightestar-34645 · 10/10 · 19 June 2022]

This episode starts with pure Comedy. From Chucks Freaking out over Police to Jimmy's interaction with wired clients was pure fun. It was Kind of a light hearted Comedic episode. But There wasn't any remarkable moment in this episode. The Weakest episode till now.

As per as the story goes On the Chuck Side, Those Conversation between the Doctor and Chuck was interesting and Also We know from a scene that Chuck's Condition is not entirely true.

After all of this we can understand that Jimmy Still tries to be out of Slippin Jimmy and Abide every rule. Whatever It is, he still respect his brother. Probably That's Why He choose to be a elder law, at least went to that route.

The episode ends with an interesting way, showing us the perspective of Mike Ehrmantraut. We are watching him for five episode just working on that parking booth. But Finally the show seems to move on to his Side of the life. The episode ends with a mysterious question who is this guy at this moment, This is not that guy who we've seen in Breaking Bad. Let's Find Out..

Alpine Shepherd boy is a purely Comedic episode with some funny moment. This episode is not as great as those previous ones but quite enjoyable.

9.1/10, Amazing

[dcdude-26988 · 9/10 · 2 September 2023]

I keep asking myself every single day, "How many underrated episodes of television are there in the world?". I think there are just countless, because this was just another one of them. I love the connection between Jimmy and Chuck. I love their dynamic alot so far, and I am starting to prefer them over Walter and Jesse. Anyways, my favorite characters in this episode were Saul, Chuck, and Kim, which Saul and Chuck were obvious. My favorite things about this episode were the storyline, the pacing, and the Cinematography. This was honestly my favorite episode of the entire series so far, and I am starting to think that the next one will be one of the greatest I will ever watch.