Better Call Saul. Where We Are & Where We Want to End.

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 Graham Craycraft

 Better Call Saul. Where We are, and Where We Want to End.
Better Call Saul (BCS) is the spin off of hit AMC television series Breaking Bad (BB). Showrunner and creator of Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan, teams up with Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk, to create one of the most critically popular spin offs yet. BCS is in the fourth season paired with AMC in the United States and Netflix in the rest of the world. The show holds all the anticipation left over from Breaking Bad, but does not use it as a crutch. Gilligan knows that in order to create another successful show, he must make something fresh.


The episodes follow James or Jimmy McGill in his struggles and hustle to become a respectable lawyer. Gilligan peppers episodes with scenes that take place after BB where Saul Goodman is kicked out into the world in the aftermath of Heisenberg’s wake. In the present of BCS Jimmy battles his own next-to-worthless law degree, his brother’s expectations, and Jimmy’s own fitful want to get back to the past days of Slippin’ Jimmy. Many things happened in the third season that leave the audience clinging to the idea of BCS. The storyline with Gustavo Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut continues to evolve and fill about half of each episode in season four. The audience follows both sides and start to pick up on the past of BB and how the character connections were forged.


Season four barrels on with all the Gilligan flare audiences loved from BB. The camera shots on objects, the tracking shots, the shots from underneath the feet of the characters all lend to that same vibe as BB. The storyline is also getting much closer to the gritty, criminality we loved. Because this show exists in the same world and a similar time to BB, it is hard not to immediately compare the two. There is nothing wrong with the comparison, but it is also important to note that these are two independent and independently successful creations that benefit each other, but can stand alone.


Next comes the question everyone has been wondering while watching BCS. How is the show going to end? Unlike most shows, BCS is on a fixed timeline. It must end around the time BB begins. At least around the time Walter White meets Saul Goodman. So, how will Gilligan and other writers end BCS? I have my theories, but would love to know what you think. Will Saul meet Walt in Better Call Saul? Will it end with the creation of Saul Goodman, Criminal Lawyer? Let me know what you think.

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