zzzskizzzMost shows I know do not start slow.
Most shows go fast from the off, because that's how you keep the attention of the ADHD generation. An interesting comparison can be drawn between the opening 'speed' of Gilligan's recent work, most tv shows, and average-pace cinema. Most tv starts extremely quickly - there'll be a significant moment within the first five minutes, this is virtually guaranteed. Of two shows I started watching recently: White Collar (I must say this is one of the most fun shows I've watched on netflix) opens with a prison break, Homeland opens with a reverse prison break in Iraq. Little time is given to learn about the protagonist, this waits for later. The pace stays pretty much constant through every episode.
Film is a massive category that can go to extremes, so this is quite a bad category to blanket. Saying a general statement about 'films' in general is a bit like driving a Yaris and saying all cars are slow. But if we take the most average of the average drama films, my mind has gone blank on me and I'm can't think of any examples, the plot picks up a direction after a few minutes, and this builds up slowly.
Gilligan's work starts much slower than either of these. Disregarding the opening sequences, the first 20 minutes largely consists of non-events. We simply observe the characters in motion, these non-events may have significant repercussions (Saul's first encounter with the skaters), but in general all Gilligan is interested in is showing us the characters. With BTS, plot-wise there is almost nothing that BB fans will immediately grab hold of (Mike's cameos the exception*). What we're seeing is the start of a long running character arc.
It's also worth noting that Breaking Bad was never a fast paced show. Even at the end it was still, at most, averagely paced. It felt fast though, and this is because of the way the story gathered momentum. Never did it feel the need to race through significant amounts of story. In the finale, amidst the chaos Walt still found time to visit Skyler, say goodbye to his baby. Season 3 built itself to a climax, reached during snail paced, yet fantastic,
fly.
What is clear is that this show stands on it's own alongside Breaking Bad. This is not a show to be simply cast aside as a 'spin-off', this is an independent show in the established Breaking Bad universe. Saul is on a character arc that will leave him broken, working minimum wage at cinnabon, longing to return to his old life. Unlike with Walter, we know the ending. Hell, it was the first five minutes of episode one, but I'm super interested in how we get there.
*Tuco is not an exception here. Everything you need to know about Tuco in Better Call Saul is in there, it doesn't rely on the viewer having seen Breaking Bad. Mike's cameos do. That said, if I had never watched breaking bad I could examine the relationship between Saul and Mike in BTS and come to an entirely different conclusion from what we know is the truth.
