Better Call Saul is the prequel series to the hugely acclaimed drama Breaking Bad, following the exploits of defense attorney Jimmy McGill as he falls deeper and deeper into the world of crime and soils his reputation as a lawyer. It’s a brilliant series that takes everything fans loved about Breaking Bad and transforms it into a more lighthearted, character-driven series that simultaneously ties up loose ends from Breaking Bad and reframes the series in a new light. The ending of Better Call Saul is a perfect homage to the original show while staying totally true and original to itself.
One of the most exciting parts of Better Call Saul is how neatly it ties into the world of Breaking Bad and answers questions that have seemingly been hanging over audiences’ heads for over a decade. The series accomplished what any good prequel should: instead of feeling like a cheap nostalgia trip to capitalize on the original show’s success, it felt like it was always the intention of the Breaking Bad creators for Better Call Saul to come eventually. There are several Breaking Bad characters who could have led a spin-off, but this feels like the most natural.
Saul Goodman Wasn’t Supposed To Stay Around For Too Long In Breaking Bad
The Character Was Only Supposed To Appear Briefly
Although he quickly became the most beloved character in the entire show, Saul Goodman wasn’t always supposed to be a major character in Vince Gilligan’s hit drama. The character was initially introduced as a way of helping Walter White avoid the legal repercussions of his criminal empire, but Goodman quickly took on a life of his own and developed his own subplots that were just as interesting as White’s. On an episode of The Tonight Show, Odenkirk revealed that his character was initially only supposed to appear in a handful of episodes of Breaking Bad.
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“I was only supposed to do three or four episodes,” Odenkirk admitted, “then it turned into my whole life.” The reason for Saul Goodman’s increased involvement in the show is primarily because of Odenkirk’s charming performance and his brilliant on-screen chemistry with Bryan Cranston, which opened a whole new set of doors for this developing narrative. It quickly became clear that Goodman was a necessary tool for the show to succeed, as his legal expertise could keep Walter White out of trouble while complicating matters with the other criminals in the story.
A Saul Goodman Spinoff Was Joked About During His Introduction In Breaking Bad
The Idea Was Always Floating Around
The idea of a Saul Goodman spinoff wasn’t completely new by the time Better Call Saul rolled around, as Breaking Bad’s crew had joked about the concept when Bob Odenkirk first came on board for the original show. While nobody could have actually expected that Better Call Saul would run for six seasons, the idea of having a project where Odenkirk’s side character was the protagonist seemed like such a natural fit that people weren’t too surprised when it actually happened.
Although later seasons leaned more heavily into the show’s connection with Breaking Bad, those early episodes of Better Call Saul really adopted the episodic storytelling that fans envisioned Saul’s previous life would look like.
Saul’s subplots in Better Call Saul made him a natural fit for a Breaking Bad spinoff, as there’s so much to explore in his character that’s not related to Walter White’s story at all. His backstory is so interesting and filled with brilliant characters that it was easy to imagine what Better Call Saul would look like from the beginning. Although later seasons leaned more heavily into the show’s connection with Breaking Bad, those early episodes of Better Call Saul really adopted the episodic storytelling that fans envisioned Saul’s previous life would look like.
Saul Goodman’s Character Was Not Written With A Full Backstory In Mind
The Character’s History Was Written Exclusively For The Spinoff Show
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Better Call Saul is how much the show fleshed out the character’s backstory in a way that wasn’t always possible with Breaking Bad. The original series was clearly focused on the dynamic between Walter and Jesse, and Odenkirk’s character only existed to make their story run more smoothly. As mentioned, Saul was only supposed to be a side character at first, which is why there was never any mention of his previous life.
What’s so brilliant about Better Call Saul is that it retroactively explains why Saul doesn’t have a rich backstory, revealing that he was forced to leave his true identity behind in order to become the sleazy attorney that we know him as from Breaking Bad.
What’s so brilliant about Better Call Saul is that it retroactively explains why Saul doesn’t have a rich backstory, revealing that he was forced to leave his true identity behind in order to become the sleazy attorney that we know him as from Breaking Bad. The writers took a character flaw (lack of backstory) and made it seem like an intentional choice by writing an arc where Jimmy was forced to leave his true self behind.
Better Call Saul Recontextualized A Lot Of Things About Saul Goodman From Breaking Bad
The Character Became A Much More Important Part Of The Story
This recontextualization of Breaking Bad is perhaps the most impressive aspect of Better Call Saul, as it makes the whole thing seem intentional. The final season of the spin-off show does an excellent job of explaining how Jimmy McGill transformed into Saul Goodman, using his relationship with Kim Wexler to display his loss of humanity and innocence in the process. Watching Better Call Saul alongside Breaking Bad gives a whole new meaning to the character, which is genius writing since it was never even planned.
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There are tons of small references in Better Call Saul that change how audiences view certain scenes in Breaking Bad. One small example is the line in the original show where Saul mentions Lalo and Ignacio when he’s kidnapped by Walter and Jesse – a throwaway line originally, but one that sparked the creation of two whole characters in the spinoff show.
Better Call Saul Cleverly Retconned Important Elements Of Breaking Bad
The Prequel Was Never Afraid To Reference The Original Show
The final season of Better Call Saul leads directly into Breaking Bad, but it also includes some major reveals that explicitly change certain aspects of the original show. The most obvious example of this is the black-and-white scenes in Better Call Saul, which take place after Saul’s escape to Nebraska at the end of Breaking Bad. With the extra knowledge that Saul is recaptured in Omaha and ultimately faces prison time for his actions, watching his scenes in the original show takes on a much darker meaning.
Knowing that the entire lab is metaphorically founded on the consequences of Saul’s lawlessness gives him a newfound purpose in the story, and arguably makes him Breaking Bad’s most subtly important character.
Additionally, Better Call Saul plot threads such as the creation of Gus Fring’s laboratory and the burial of Howard Hamlin alongside Lalo Salamanca beneath its foundations cleverly add a new dimension to the scenes that take place there in Breaking Bad. Knowing that the entire lab is metaphorically founded on the consequences of Saul’s lawlessness gives him a newfound purpose in the story, and arguably makes him Breaking Bad’s most subtly important character.
Better Call Saul
10/10
- Release Date
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2015 – 2021
- Showrunner
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Peter Gould
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