In my years to trans versing various forms of content, I have come to realize that the best stories with the most compelling characters are ones that focus on the human condition.
Sometimes, we are treated to a story that comes out well for the protagonist, though most often, we discover the flaws of the human condition serve to be the undoing of a character that at the conclusion offers life as we often see and experience it.
For Saul Goodman, we already know that his story meets a sad end, as evidenced by the very first scene in season one of Better Call Saul, where we are shown a brief glimpse into the future existence of Jimmy McGill, as a result of his final undoing based on the events that transpire at the end of Breaking Bad.
Knowing this, I wondered how compelling a story could Vince and Co. make Jimmy/Saul, knowing that he is ruined eventually by his behavior and actions as evidenced by serving at the pleasure of Walter White.
Well, after 4 full seasons, I am surprised and pleased to admit that storytelling is in Vince Gilligan's DNA, as Saul is every bit as good as its predecessor, though in a very different and unique way.
Rather than offer a compare and contrast of the 2 shows, suffice it to say that building on the story that is known ( if one were a fan of Breaking Bad) I have come to have a deeper appreciation for a story and characters that stand separate and apart as a fully contained universe. Saul not only fills in the blanks of Jimmy's previous life, it introduces a whole now suite of characters to love and despise.
As a sentimentalist, I do wish there were more overt references to events from BB, but at the same time, I am thankful that I am not tuning in anymore just to get a BB reference. Instead, I am watching this show for its own merits and becoming emotionally involved in the stories and outcomes of characters that never existed until Saul become its own story.
I do have one complaint - I wish for lots more screen time of the Lydia Rodarte-Quayle character, who is compelling, beautiful and way underused in this show as well as BB. Next to Jennifer Carpenter in Dexter, she is my favorite female character in the past 25 years
Sometimes, we are treated to a story that comes out well for the protagonist, though most often, we discover the flaws of the human condition serve to be the undoing of a character that at the conclusion offers life as we often see and experience it.
For Saul Goodman, we already know that his story meets a sad end, as evidenced by the very first scene in season one of Better Call Saul, where we are shown a brief glimpse into the future existence of Jimmy McGill, as a result of his final undoing based on the events that transpire at the end of Breaking Bad.
Knowing this, I wondered how compelling a story could Vince and Co. make Jimmy/Saul, knowing that he is ruined eventually by his behavior and actions as evidenced by serving at the pleasure of Walter White.
Well, after 4 full seasons, I am surprised and pleased to admit that storytelling is in Vince Gilligan's DNA, as Saul is every bit as good as its predecessor, though in a very different and unique way.
Rather than offer a compare and contrast of the 2 shows, suffice it to say that building on the story that is known ( if one were a fan of Breaking Bad) I have come to have a deeper appreciation for a story and characters that stand separate and apart as a fully contained universe. Saul not only fills in the blanks of Jimmy's previous life, it introduces a whole now suite of characters to love and despise.
As a sentimentalist, I do wish there were more overt references to events from BB, but at the same time, I am thankful that I am not tuning in anymore just to get a BB reference. Instead, I am watching this show for its own merits and becoming emotionally involved in the stories and outcomes of characters that never existed until Saul become its own story.
I do have one complaint - I wish for lots more screen time of the Lydia Rodarte-Quayle character, who is compelling, beautiful and way underused in this show as well as BB. Next to Jennifer Carpenter in Dexter, she is my favorite female character in the past 25 years
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