Vince Gilligan, creator of what is easily the greatest TV
series of all time (don’t even argue), took what could have been just a Breaking Bad-spin-off and turned
it into a stand-alone series with room to grow and develop a huge fan base with as much momentum as Tuco Salamanca on speed.
Comedian Bob Odenkirk reprises his role as seedy lawyer Saul
Goodman in this prequel to “Breaking Bad,” though under a different name –
Jimmy McGill, a local lawyer in Albuquerque struggling to take on cases that don’t involve
hooligans streaking or shoplifting. Jimmy’s past isn't a jarring revelation to "Breaking Bad" fans – given his dealings in the series, his former life as con man Slippin’Jimmy is no surprise.
But despite his unethical past, Jimmy isn’t a villain or a
suburban dad/high school chemistry teacher/evil genius high on his own power
and success (*ahem* Walter White). From his interactions with fellow lawyer and
closest friend, Kim Wexler, to his unceasing love and patience for his unsupportive and mentally unstable brother, Chuck, Jimmy is the lovable underdog viewers are rooting for, which makes his
impending demise into the greedy Saul Goodman more difficult to swallow. But due
to the pitfalls of his personal life and career as an inexperienced lawyer in
elder law, Scott Meslow of The Week
called “Better Call Saul” not a “show about a good guy breaking bad; it’s a
show about a bad world breaking a good guy.”
The first season brought a lot of heartbreak to at least one viewer, and given the direction Jimmy is inevitably headed in, viewers can expect the seasons to come to be as emotionally charged as "Breaking Bad," as the characters (including Mike Ehrmantraut, Gustavo Fring's right-hand man in his meth operation) evolve and Jimmy encounters more tricky and dangerous situations. It'll be sad to see sweet Slippin' Jimmy get sucked into an ethical black hole, but with the way Gilligan writes his characters (as morally ambiguous as possible), viewers will be on Team Jimmy until the very end.
Until the next season premieres in 2016, though, a re-watch (or second or third re-watch) of "Breaking Bad," followed by a "Better Call Saul" marathon, should help viewers get their fix. All they need is full faith in Gilligan to deliver the goods.
