Vince Gilligan and co. do a spin-off the right way
Do you miss your favorite sleazy criminal lawyer from Breaking Bad? Then you’d better watch Better Call Saul.
It’s four episodes deep, and already the show has brought the tension so often provided by director Vince Gilligan and his creative team. This story is held together by Bob Odenkirk – who reprises his role as James McGill, originally known as Saul Goodman in the Breaking Bad series. The framework of the story is told as a prequel to the events in Breaking Bad, but the series also shows glimpses of life after Breaking Bad and before the beginning of Better Call Saul. This allows for multiple plot lines, all revolving around McGill, but at different times in his life.
Throughout Breaking Bad, Saul provided so much shady information without addressing where he gained his unconventional skills. The character Jesse Pinkman, from Breaking Bad, once spoke regarding Saul and his methodology very succinctly: “You don’t need a criminal lawyer. You need a criminal lawyer.” This is the now-famous quote that was used to convince Walter White to hire Saul Goodman.
The nature of the screenplay, and the writers’ love of non-linear story telling, allows McGill to really be explored as a character. The show shines light on his life growing up, his introduction to law, and the post-Walter White era. The writing team seemingly began at the farthest end of the timeline, which shows what happened when Saul Goodman had to leave town.
The time after Breaking Bad is shown in the first scene of the pilot. A fearful, sad, and skittish Saul Goodman is shown working at a Cinnabon in Omaha. This was previously joked about in reference to Saul’s contingency if things went sour in Breaking Bad. Well, as anyone who watched the series to the end knows, things got the sourest, and Saul had to leave town. This knowledge really leaves a spot of tragedy on the whole story – no matter what victories he makes, he will still end up fearing for his life working at a mall in Omaha.
Actor Jonathon Banks has returned to his role as Mike Ehrmantraut. In Better Call Saul, Mike was first shown as a hardcore parking official who reined lawful good in his parking booth approving validation. The contrast between intense private investigator, which he played in Breaking Bad, and parking official really stays true to the dark comedy which Better Call Saul aspires to. Banks also plays Buzz Hickey in the TV comedy Community, which adds to the humour factor.
Considering that actor Bob Odenkirk was once a writer and actor for Saturday Night Live, he often flexes his comedic muscles throughout the show. Every time he gives a speech, it’s laced with comedic undertones. Working as a defence attorney, Odenkirk’s character has to represent the worst people for little pay. Watching him try to defend three young corpse defilers is tragically hilarious. He was never set to win the case, and his legal defense was “Boys will be boys.” Eventually, the prosecution showed the video to the jury, and it all went downhill.
Spoilers ahead
Amongst all the character development and change from honest lawyer to the Saul we know and love, there has been one key development. Tuco Salamanca, from Breaking Bad, is back, and he’s got some new friends. Through his juvenile and fraudulent actions McGill, has managed to cross paths with some of the most dangerous gangsters in town. It would not be surprising to see a partnership formed here, but you never know – with what we know about the Salamanca family, the relationship might just go bad.