A spoiler-free talk about that ‘Better Call Saul’ finale
The ‘Breaking Bad’ universe comes to a close and ‘sall good, man.
Note: This discussion is spoiler-free when it comes to details of the Better Call Saul finale, but there are some vague hints throughout, but nothing that should ruin the experience for those who haven’t seen it yet.
Was Better Call Saul better than Breaking Bad?
That question would have been unthinkable prior to the show’s premiere in February 2015. After all, the original AMC series was heralded as one of television’s all-time great dramas. How could the spin-off about his sleazy lawyer hope to compete?
But seven years later, that question is, of course, a very common topic of debate among fans of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s Albuquerque-set programs. As we stand on the other side of Better Call Saul’s series finale, which aired Monday night, there’s the very real sense among many viewers that the prequel is actually the superior show.
It’s a fun debate, if a bit pointless. Both shows are great; neither takes anything away from the other. Both were known for meticulous, methodical storytelling. Both were fronted by actors giving iconic, career-defining performances, and supported by all-time great ensembles. And both expertly balanced tension, drama and humor as they explored weighty concepts of morality and human nature.
But if pressed, I’d give the edge very slightly to Better Call Saul. While Breaking Bad is one of the most expertly assembled and highly entertaining shows ever made, its pulp foundations gave it a propulsive nature that made it easy to binge, and despite the deeply unlikable monster at its center, its morality was always very cut-and-dried.
Better Call Saul had a higher degree of difficulty. It didn’t have the fireworks of Breaking Bad, nor did its seasons end in breathless, panic attack-inducing rushes. Its characters operated in shades of gray as opposed to its predecessor’s black and whites. It demanded patience, and the miracle it pulled off over six seasons was that it maintained an audience willing to give it.
And oh, how that patience always paid off, season after season. The show was novelistic, sometimes letting an arc build over the course of several seasons before giving us any payoff. It was a show that covered so much narrative ground; in six seasons, Jimmy McGill — the real name of the titular lawyer played by Bob Odenkirk — navigated a troubled history with his brother (a never-better Michael McKean), attempted a career as a legitimate lawyer before succumbing to the belief that he was destined for crookedness, pulled off a variety of con jobs and schemes, and engaged in one of television’s most fascinating, tender and heartbreaking relationships with his friend and future wife, Kim Wexler.
The show also managed to shade in Breaking Bad’s cartel universe, giving us a more detailed look at the frustrations that eventually caused Chicken Man Gus Fring to take out those who slighted him and providing a tragic origin story for Jonathan Banks’ gruff muscleman Mike Ehrmantraut. And even with all that plot, it still found time to give us memorable characters like Ignacio Varga (Michael Mando), who went from villain to tragic antihero throughout the course of the series, and Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton), who might have been the smartest, scariest and most charismatic character between these two shows (I would have loved to see Walter White match wits with Lalo).
Despite balancing the very different legal/relationship worlds of Jimmy and the cartel drama, both of which remained fairly separate until halfway through this final season, Better Call Saul never felt formless or overstuffed. It was one of the most focused shows on television, and it never lost sight of its characters. And even though the show wasn’t above tossing in an Easter egg to link back to its predecessor, the show was rarely susceptible to fan service for its own sake. Gould and Gilligan were extremely judicious about when to bring in Breaking Bad characters, and didn’t do it often. I’m sure they were tempted to bring in Brian Cranston and Aaron Paul earlier, but wisely held them off until the final episodes of this season, and even then Walt and Jesse showed up in flashbacks that largely served to flesh out the Saul Goodman character and search for questions about how much the more likable Jimmy might still remain in those flashy suits and bad combover.
I won’t spoil Monday night’s finale for those who still haven’t gotten around to the show (and to those who ask: yes, I recommend watching Breaking Bad first, as I think a familiarity with the original show helps set context early on and becomes essential in the final season). But I will say that it’s one of the most satisfying send-offs I’ve seen for a show. Unlike Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul didn’t have a ton of loose ends to tie up or questions to answer. The final four episodes served more or less as an epilogue to the main story, and most characters’ fates were answered several weeks back.
What remained, then, were some of the show’s deeper, more probing questions about Jimmy McGill and his nature. The show has long wrestled with the question of whether Jimmy/Saul/Gene is fated to constantly break bad, whether change is possible, and the lines between man and monster. I appreciate that this finale had parallels to Breaking Bad’s, and that it used those similarities to have a conversation about the shows’ philosophical and moral differences.
As the final weeks aired, I had no clue where I wanted Jimmy to end up. Getting away with it all? Behind bars or dead? Remorseful and mourning, or laughing at pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes one last time? As the finale drew to a surprisingly tender close, perhaps the closest anyone in the Breaking Bad universe can come to some sort of redemption, I realized the writers had found the perfect ending for this character, one that took into account Jimmy/Saul’s best and worst sides, and that couldn’t be described as a happy or sad ending but rather the perfect place to leave this character. I was sad that we wouldn’t see any of these characters or this world again after 15 years of some of the best storytelling on TV; and yet, it felt like the right place to close the book.
It feels fitting to close the Better Call Saul discussion with an appreciation for what might be the best damn cast on TV. I’ve already talked about Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, Michael Mando and Tony Dalton. But every side character was also a joy. Patrick Fabian’s Howard Hamlin started the show as a bit of a preening douche, and yet as the seasons went on, Howard was the closest the show had to a true innocent, and his ultimate fate was one of the big emotional turning points of this final season. Michael McKean has been off the show for several seasons, and yet the gravitational pull he brought as Chuck McGill could still be felt in Jimmy’s life up until the end. The show’s bench was deep and reliable, with everyone from What We Do in the Shadows’ Mark Proksch to Breaking Bad’s own Mark Margolis showing up to do stellar work in small roles.
But the heart of the show lay in its romantic leads. Prior to this, I’d never seen Rhea Seehorn in anything, even though she’s had a robust career stretching back 25 years. But as Kim Wexler, she was the standout member of the entire ensemble, even the lead. Kim was poised, focused, meticulous and direct, but she was also a person nursing deep grudges with her own love of a good con, especially if it was perpetrated by her friend and lover, Jimmy. Seehorn was regularly magnificent, one of the most subtle and nuanced actors I’ve ever seen on TV, and I was so glad she finally earned an Emmy nomination this year. She earns every accolade, and I hope she gets a giant platform after Better Call Saul.
And then there’s Bob Odenkirk. I’m a big Mr. Show fan, and I always loved it when Odenkirk would pop up in my favorite comedies or movies over the years. I instantly perked up when he first appeared on Breaking Bad, and thought Saul Goodman brought a welcome dose of humor to the often grim proceedings. But when it was announced that he’d be headlining a spinoff, I was concerned. Odenkirk’s an enjoyable screen presence, but I wasn’t sure whether he could handle an hour-long drama, especially when he’d be stepping into a spotlight previously commanded by Brian Cranston in one of the all-time great American performances.
But Odenkirk shocked the hell out of me from the start. Yes, he was reliably funny as the show needed, and the show regularly leaned on Odenkirk’s comedic chops in its earliest episodes (one first season moment involving a talking toilet is still hands-down one of the things I’ve ever seen on TV, and Odenkirk heightens it by doing little more than reacting). Even when he’s not being overtly funny, Odenkirk knows how to dial up the charisma, a necessity in a show about a fast-talking lawyer.
But there was more to the character of Jimmy McGill than we ever sensed on Breaking Bad, and Odenkirk brought a great deal of vulnerability, anger, hurt and insecurity to the role. He created a complex character who could be capable of deeply unethical behavior but, up until he hit Saul Goodman mode, still had a moral compass he tried to follow. And against Seehorn, he was a very effective romantic lead. Odenkirk came from sketch comedy, and it’s no surprise he could handle the comedy or even the multiple characters he was asked to play as Jimmy/Saul/Gene. But he also completed his transformation into a talented actor here, and by the time we got to the end of season 1, I wasn’t surprised he could carry the drama as well as the comedy. And lest anyone think it was simply good behind-the-scenes work, let’s remember that Odenkirk has also delivered solid performances in recent years in Little Women and The Post, as well as turned in credible work as an action hero in Nobody.
And now, Better Call Saul is over and the Breaking Bad universe is complete. I’m happy with it. We got two all-time great television shows (and a solid movie in Netflix’s El Camino). I’m curious to revisit Breaking Bad in light of this final season of Saul. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould say they’re done with this universe, and I’m not really sure there are any stories left to be told here. The journey feels complete.
That said, I’m eager to see what the cast and crew go on to next. Vince Gilligan has earned everyone’s attention, as has Gould. The show’s cast looks like they’re gearing up for more work soon; Giancarlo Esposito seems to be having fun on The Mandalorian, and Odenkirk is set to headline a new AMC show (I’ve also heard that a Nobody sequel is underway, and I’d happily see that). I don’t know what Seehorn has coming up, but I will be first in line for it.
So, thank you to Better Call Saul for six years of great television and for Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for 15 years of fantastic storytelling from Albuquerque. In an age of great TV, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were two of the very best.
Coming Friday: I’m not getting back into Franchise Friday just yet. But come back at the end of the week and I’ll talk about some more TV I’m liking lately, as well as some assorted movie thoughts! Plus, there may be a new podcast episode in the coming days!