‘ Saul’ debate: Will it be ‘ Bad’ to the bone?
As Season 3 exits, some fans waiting for the tipping point
With the third- season finale of AMC’s Better Call Saul arriving Monday ( 10 ET/ PT), one question hovers: Where in the world is Walter White? OK, not really. But many fans of the
Breaking Bad prequel series have been eagerly waiting for more signs of the Emmywinning classic to emerge. We’ve had Saul Goodman— that is, Jimmy McGill ( Bob Odenkirk)— and Mike Ehrmantraut ( Jonathan Banks) from the start, but where are Walter, Jesse, Skyler, Hank and Marie? And how important is it that we meet them soon?
Some fans are impatient; others, not really. USA TODAY’s Jenny Cohen and Bill Keveney offer their perspectives.
BILL: First, a mortifying confession. I got to the great Bad late in the game and haven’t seen every episode. That said, while I love Bad bread crumbs,
Saul is telling its own wonderful story, and I can wait a while to enter Walter’s world of crystal meth. Jimmy, the morally compromised predecessor of Saul, is a fascinating character, and his brother, Chuck McGill ( Michael McKean), sometime lover/ legal colleague Kim Wexler ( Rhea Seehorn) and befuddled former boss Howard Hamlin ( Patrick Fabian) have created their own delightful universe.
JENNY: I have to agree with you about the new characters, who are a welcome addition to the Breaking Bad/ Better Call Saul universe. Jimmy’s interactions with Chuck add a unique and unexpected aspect. I’ve also enjoyed watching Jimmy’s relationship with Kim. She’s a lawyer who takes him seriously, which is very different from the joke Jimmy’s brother believes him to be. But we have had three seasons of character development. We know Chuck will be proved right and his brother will become a legal joke. So when does Saul Goodman show up?
BILL: Attorney Saul hasn’t shown up, but now we know where he came up with his name, a play on the colloquial “S’all good, man” that he has put to use as an undercover TV pitchman. I love learning the little origin stories that explain details about the Breaking Bad characters. We see Mike, one of Saul’s standouts, begin his criminal partnership with Bad heavy Gus Fring ( Giancarlo Esposito) as a short- sleeved fastfood executive. And I’m guessing the season finale may reveal how Breaking Bad alum Hector “Tio” Salamanca ( Mark Margolis) became disabled. Besides Saul hanging out his shady shingle, which Bad characters or story lines are you hoping to see soon?
JENNY: That’s just it: The Breaking Bad element I want to see the most is Saul’s unsavory law practice. The thing I loved about Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad was his wonderful way of bringing much- needed comic relief. He was the gregarious lawyer with the badly produced ads. His shirts were as ridiculous as the decorating in his office. He was fun in a sleazy lawyer kind of way. Meanwhile, we’re three seasons deep into Better Call Saul, and there’s no Saul.
I do enjoy the story that’s being told, and I understand the creators’ desire for a slow burn, but this is more like a river of molasses. I feel like we’re finally being led to a place where Jimmy gets so desperate and depressed with his life that he responds by creating Saul Goodman, but it’s a tough slog right now, and we’ve reached the season finale. So now what? I guess we just have to wait another year before we get an interesting little glimpse of a Cinnabon in Omaha to start next season.
BILL: That’s one thing we can agree on. In the meantime, I have a sudden urge to head to a mall food court.