Better Call Saul: Better than Breaking Bad

When I hear "prequel", I think cash grab. A studios cheap attempt to capitalize on the success of a hit show or film. Why tarnish Breaking Bads legacy with a show about the silly lawyer? What more story could there be to tell? Turns out a lot. A lot of really freaking good stories. Holy shit Better Call Saul is good, and it totally stands on its own.

Better Call Saul takes its time. There's no bodies dissolving in acid baths, or makeshift meth-bombs. It's heart pounding moments are often times just conversations. Season one ends with an argument between Jimmy and Chuck, an argument that changes their relationship forever. But the beauty is that two characters talking feels as tense as any Breaking Bads action scenes.

There's two storylines: Jimmy McGill's transformation into Saul Goodman and Mike Ehrmantrauts rise in the drug empire. The early seasons especially are so exclusively character focused. We are fed tiny crumbs of information. And in some ways, the prequel aspect makes it more intense. At every corner we are left wondering what's going to flip the switch in Jimmy's brain. And this downfall is the core of the show.

Better Call Saul also introduces the best characters between the two franchises. First off, I love Kim Wexler. She is such a powerful female lead. As I got more invested in the show, I found myself caring more about Kim than anyone else. Nacho Varga takes a similar role as Jesse Pinkman, being the guy who's "in the game" but wants out more than anything. His heart of gold, and his love for his father, makes him uniquely compelling. And of course, Lalo Salamenca is the best villain from the two shows. This guy is Gus Fring levels of smart, and near Tuco levels of crazy. His silver tongue steals every scene he is in. Honestly, you gotta watch this show just for Lalo.

I'm gonna get heavy into spoilers now, but if you enjoyed Breaking Bad, you will enjoy Better Call Saul. It'll seem slow at first, but the show values your invested time. Everything is masterfully crafted. And I'd say season three and beyond it doesn't let off the gas. The final stretch of episodes in particular paints everything in a new light. Skip to the last paragraph for the conclusion.

Spoilers Ahead

Season three is the turning point, the culmination of Jimmy vs Chuck. Chuck's untimely death is a thorn in Jimmy's side that poisons his soul. Without Chuck around, Jimmy never could reconcile their turmoiled past. And so Jimmy turned towards the Saul Goodman lawyer persona, a final 'fuck you' to Chuck and himself.

Jimmy's new schemes put him on a collision course with the cartel. Starting off with selling phones, then representing criminals. It wasn't much longer until Jimmy met Lalo and became an "Amigo del Cartel". At this point all of us viewers knew Jimmy was cooked. There was no coming back from this. Then Mike's world and Jimmy's world finally collide, exploding the show into it's masterful ending.

I see Better Call Saul as a love story. A tragic tale between Kim and Jimmy, where they love each other more than anything but complement each other in the worst ways. They're both sick, and traumatized, and they both have terrible coping mechanisms. Season six we see the full extent of their destruction. It's such a gut wrenching feeling that Jimmy and Kim probably could have worked out, but neither of them could change. Kim leaves Jimmy, sending him on the same downwards spiral that Chuck did. Chuck dying created Saul Goodman the lawyer, Kim leaving created Saul Goodman the person.

I love Better Call Saul, honestly a lot more than Breaking Bad. The descent into madness is more convincing, it introduces characters that I adore, and it's so expertly crafted. I haven't even talked at all about the the masterful writing, directing, cinematography etc. Or the performances from the actors, everyone is at the top of their game. It's all perfect, 10/10, masterpiece level stuff. Every scene feels like it reaches its full potential in every way. Breaking Bad was a show that comes once in a lifetime, but somehow Better Call Saul came and outshined it.