Sa’ll Good: BCS Round-Up

Better Call Saul left our screens four weeks ago; enough time to take in the final glimpses of the Breaking Bad universe and one of TV’s most quick-witted, ambitious, and arguably, fashion-savvy characters of all time.

Offensively sharp suits, hilarious charisma, and the best criminal defense that money can buy is how we were first acquainted with Saul, way back in season 2 of Breaking Bad, 2009. Who would’ve thought amongst the plethora of incredible characters both series gave us, Saul Goodman would ultimately be what many are agreeing as the central character of the Breaking Bad universe. While Walter and Jesse reflect some of the finest depth and overall character arcs, Saul is the connecting source between all central characters, and a driving force in the main story of Breaking Bad. It is through Saul, knowing ‘a guy who knows a guy’, that Walt and Gustavo Fring are introduced. ‘Fact is: Walter White couldn’t have done it without me’, Saul concludes in the series finale, positioning himself as an ‘indispensable’ and integral part of Walt’s success.

With the most screen time and a character development through three identities, Saul has my vote on stealing the show. A one-of-a-kind, outstanding pay-off together with a great insight into occurrences both before and after the events of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul was incredibly executed from start-finish, and a type of show I’m doubtful we’ll see again.

With all of this in mind, a quick overview is necessary.

Pay-off

Breaking Bad, being an extremely successful and influential cultural phenomenon, led to some fans viewing Better Call Saul as a ‘slow burner’, or merely not as good in its early seasons.

A highly strategic character, we witnessed Saul always playing the long game to achieve his pay-off, and it’s only right that the show follows suit. Even in his Slippin’ Jimmy days, our protagonist would entertain and deceive hapless victims all night at the bar to finally score his reward. Given the widespread popularity and intensifying action of Breaking Bad, it was a good call to play the long game and slowly ease fans back into the action of a cartel and crime-fuelled world, allowing for the slow progression of the Jimmy McGill character into full-blown Saul.

Familiar cartel favorites, such as Tuco Salamanca, appear incredibly early in the series; however, the beginning focus is very much on the law, Mike’s backstory, and the Chuck storyline — all significant elements leading to a fully developed and enhanced pay-off.

Ozymandias moment & turning point

Ozymandias is, at present, the only episode on IMDB to achieve a perfect 10/10 rating, and for good reason. We as viewers experienced five seasons of routing for, excusing, and favoring Walter White, and while his integrity was already on a steep decline, everything bad you thought could happen all unfolds in one climatic episode.

“You’re the smartest guy I ever met… And you’re too stupid to see… He made up his mind 10 minutes ago”. The consequences of Walt’s actions reach their absolute peak, and his act is dropped. For the first time we see a truly vulnerable version of himself, as everything he’s been working towards falls apart. This is where most viewers thought the results of Walter’s actions finally reached their darkest point. Presumably, the same thought had by fun-loving Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul’s Episode 8, Season 6, ‘Point and Shoot’.

Howard’s death at the hands of Lalo Salamanca represents a dark turning that ultimately brings the narrative of Jimmy McGill to a close. A dramatic shift ensues, with Kim submitting to a black-and-white Florida existence as form of self-punishment — easily some of the most depressing and bleak scenes of the entire show. An entirely contrasting means of coping, Jimmy masks the trauma by fully embracing the Saul character, later becoming Walter’s most important ally, as well as the sleazy, legal-loophole expert that gained our attention in the first place. Ultimately, Jimmy McGill died in that scene along with Howard. We later see a redeemed James McGill in the series finale, as a final plea to win back Kim’s good favour. However, much like Walter in Ozymandias, everything shatters all in an instant for Jimmy in this episode — most tragically, his relationship with Kim — and the show begins its process of tying up loose ends.