Over a year ago I wrote a retrospective on “Breaking Bad” and its impact on modern television. It is one of my favorite shows and holds up incredibly well all these years later, so much so that its influence can be seen all across modern television shows. This is especially true as it was the first hit on Netflix, which started a chain reaction that created the streaming service empire we see today.
Everyone was anticipating what would come next from writer and director Vince Gilligan.
What audiences got was something else entirely.
“Better Call Saul” premiered on AMC Feb. 8, 2015, and concluded Aug. 15, 2022. It is an American crime-drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. The series is a prequel to “Breaking Bad,” and follows Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) transformation into the egocentric, criminal-defense attorney Saul Goodman.
Going into “Better Call Saul” thinking it will be like “Breaking Bad” is futile as the two shows have very little in common. So much so that when the show first aired, people weren’t very pleased with it. It was a much slower show compared to “Breaking Bad.” More than that, there was no Walter White or Jessie Pinkman to be seen. Audiences were forced to follow the comic relief character, who didn’t seem very interesting to most.
However, looking back, “Better Call Saul” has seeped into me at a very deep level that few works of art have. I often reflect on the show – especially the characters, the interplay between them and the marvelous cinematography.
It’s All Good Man:
Even though “Better Call Saul” is a prequel, the show is designed to be watched after “Breaking Bad.” With this in mind, the viewer already knows who Saul Goodman is, or so they think.
This show is fascinating because it takes the loudest and most bombastic character from “Breaking Bad” and portrays him as a much quieter, nuanced and introspective character.
The viewer is introduced to Jimmy McGill, who is practically unrecognizable from his loudmouth counterpart, Saul Goodman. Seeing where he starts from in this series and knowing who he ends up in “Breaking Bad” is incentive enough to tune readers in.
However, Bob Odenkirk’s ability to present this character from many angles is fantastic. It is a crying shame that he didn’t win a single Emmy Award for his performance as he is that captivating.
Not to be outdone, the rest of the cast is just as captivating.
Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) is the other major returning character from “Breaking Bad.” Just like Jimmy, the context of this prequel allows him to be a much rounder character and gives audiences a newfound understanding of his future actions.
I always found Mike to be one of my favorite characters in “Breaking Bad” and that opinion has only been cemented deeper because of this show. That said, there are other equally compelling characters in this show.
Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) is a character that seems strange in the context of this world. Jimmy has a brother who is allergic to electricity? What were they thinking?! However, as the show progresses, he quickly becomes the most important character in the entire show. His introduction becomes vital to Jimmy’s transition into Saul, leading to nail-biting interactions between the two.
Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) is another character who seems strange in this world but quickly becomes vital to this story.
Kim is a lawyer just like Jimmy, but as the show progresses, she begins to slip down the same slope as Jimmy and even encourages his bad behavior. As a viewer, you think she will play a role similar to what Skylar White did in “Breaking Bad,” where she tries to get out of the situation Walter White put them in. Instead, she is the force that pushes them deeper into the criminal underworld.
There are so many other characters I could yap on and on about, but the chief element that contributes to “Better Call Saul’s” brilliance in storytelling is also what people most often criticize it for: its pacing.
One of the biggest faults in modern media is that writers are uncomfortable with letting emotions sit for too long. Marvel is the prime example of this, as soon as any scene starts to get too vulnerable or sincere, they have to resort to ‘witty’ quips and sarcasm so the action can keep rolling.
However, I think the biggest strength of “Better Call Saul” is that it’s not afraid to sit with a character and watch them process what just happened to them, or what’s going on in their life or consider the implications of what they’re about to do.
Visual Chicanery:
“Better Call Saul” has the best cinematography of any television show I have ever seen. The way the show experiments with camera angles and lighting keeps the viewer engaged alongside its excellent writing. A major aspect of this amazing cinematography is how it uses objects.
One of the most iconic scenes in the show takes place in the first episode, “Uno,” and involves a trash can. This trash can is a recurring object throughout the show, a physical manifestation of Jimmy’s frustration with the law firm HHM.
By attaching meaning to an object like this, the writers can bring it back later and remind the viewer of the character’s inner conflicts and thoughts without dialogue. It’s a common trick many cinematographers weave into their storytelling, but no other show does it as masterfully as this show does.
Alongside this, the show’s persistent use of visual storytelling elevates it to another level. Not only does it look nice, but it is also a vital use of storytelling to help put the audience in the shoes of each character.
The best example is the show’s constant use of wide shots. It’s a tactic that makes the characters and objects in the camera look small. However, it uses these shots to establish the setting in new and interesting ways even “Breaking Bad” didn’t do. Albuquerque feels much bigger and lived in, making it feel like the city could live on even if these characters didn’t exist.
On the flip side, the show has condensed, isolated shots that show how isolated or trapped they feel, a tactic that is continuously used in the latter half of this show as Jimmy’s life falls apart. Compared to the wide shots, it feels much more claustrophobic and keys the viewer into how the characters feel, without uttering a single word.
This is the genius of this show’s visual storytelling, it trusts the viewer to be smart enough to understand everything without it being explicitly stated. Instead, it emphasizes emotion and critical thinking through the art of cinematography. It’s an aspect that makes this show stand out and be even better than the show that came before it.
Conclusion:
When I wrote my review on “Breaking Bad” I hadn’t finished “Better Call Saul” yet, which is why I only mentioned the show in passing alongside the movie sequel “El Camino.” Looking back now, after watching all the media in the “Breaking Bad” universe (including the horrific “Slippin’ Jimmy”), I find myself thinking more and more about the goal of prequels.
Most prequels I’ve come across stink. Most prequels tend to be cheap cash grabs designed to lure in audiences because their favorite media is getting a new entry. On top of this, most prequels are created by people who have no idea what made the original so good, so you get a disconnected story that serves no purpose to the original.
However, once in a while, there comes a prequel that justifies its existence. My favorite examples include “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Red Dead Redemption II.” These prequels are amazing on their own, but the newfound context they bring to their narratives elevates the original work as well. If your prequel can do that, then you have succeeded.
“Better Call Saul” does exactly that. It’s not as action-packed or as focused as “Breaking Bad.” However, its patience allows the show to do more with less and forces audiences to focus more on these characters. There are so many layers to this show that I arrive at conclusions that are slightly and vastly different every time I watch it.
Vince Gilligan created a benchmark television show with “Breaking Bad” in 2008. Alongside Peter Gould, he did it again with “Better Call Saul,” creating one of the greatest television shows of the modern era.
