Better Call Saul chronicles how attorney Saul Goodman became what he is on the cult series Breaking Bad. The offshoot is also well on its way to the series Olympus.
Saul Goodman is well known to fans of “Breaking Bad” – and there are many of them. The shady lawyer specializes in finding legal loopholes for gangsters and crooks by any means necessary. Saul Goodman (pronounced like “It’s all good, man”) originally wanted to serve justice. The Netflix series “Better Call Saul” shows what went wrong.
The series follows the attorney’s backstory, beginning several years before the action of “Breaking Bad” and also produced by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. It shows how Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) gradually slips into criminal realms and the drug milieu in which Walter White later operates emerges. “Breaking Bad” is considered by many to be one of the best series in the world – but “Better Call Saul” is not far behind.
In the final, sixth season – clearly the strongest so far – the fate of the lawyer comes to a head. If you haven’t watched “Better Call Saul” yet, you should do so as soon as possible. Worth it. Some patience is required in the first few seasons, as the plot needs to get rolling. But now the offshoot itself is well on the way to the series Olympus.
“Better Call Saul”: The story of the shady lawyer from “Breaking Bad”
Saul Goodman’s real name is Jimmy McGill and he dreams of becoming a successful, respected lawyer. Just like his older brother Chuck, who is a partner in the law firm HHM and in whose shadow stands Jimmy. In the meantime, Chuck, who has gotten on in years, suffers from a strange electrosensitivity, Jimmy takes care of him and otherwise leads a rather sobering existence as a maximum average lawyer.
Rather by accident, he stumbles upon a lucrative case, but Chuck and his partner Howard Hamlin still refuse to give him a job – the beginning of a long enmity with HHM and its protagonists. Jimmy also changes his name to Saul Goodman, which is sort of a stage name. Under this alias, he becomes the contact for petty criminals who are in legal difficulties, as well as for members of the drug cartel.
The story of the Mexican drug cartel surrounding the Salamanca family is told in parallel. The Mexicans are rivals with Gus Fring, owner of the chicken restaurant “Los Pollos Hermanos”, who also has few scruples with his henchman Mike Ehrmanntraut.
“Breaking Bad” fans are thrilled
And that’s what makes “Better Call Saul” so fascinating: little by little the characters give up their reservations, they are willing to do anything to reach their goal. Those who come across as sensitive, loving family people are at the same time willing to go to extremes for their business or personal interests. So does the secret star of the series, Saul Goodman’s girlfriend and later wife Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn): Actually, she would have better chances of a legal career than her partner, but she always agrees to support him in his revenge campaign.
And so the viewers not only encounter many characters from the “Breaking Bad” universe, the motifs are also similar. Walter White and Jesse Pinkman haven’t even made an appearance yet – as lead actor Bob Odenkirk announced, the two will get an appearance in the season. When that is due is still a secret. After all, “Better Call Saul” isn’t material to be taken away, it only appears – you hardly know it anymore – one new episode per week. And it works. Also because some fans need some time after the credits to let what they see sink in.
Anyone who was enthusiastic about “Breaking Bad” should not only meet many old acquaintances again with “Better Call Saul”, but also feel well entertained. With great aesthetic effort, anyone who wants to can lose themselves in the many small allusions and cross-references. But the offshoot is also more than recommended for everyone who doesn’t know the series around Walter White. The first part of the last season has just ended, all episodes can be seen on Netflix. The last six episodes of the series will follow on July 12th. If you start now, you have a chance of being up to date by then.
