Better Call Saul Season 6 Updates: Better Call Saul outperformed plans, but the critically praised spin-off series must stop being too similar to Breaking Bad.
To be compared to Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece would be a badge of honor for any other film, but Better Call Saul is the unique prequel that threatens to overshadow the original thanks to its subtle characterization, excellent acting, and slow-burn storyline.
Better Call Saul season 6 must remain faithful to what makes the show special in order for the series to end solid.
Critics were cynical when Better Call Saul premiered on AMC in 2015. Breaking Bad was such a hard-hitting, one-of-a-kind smash that many felt making a prequel based on lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), whose previous involvement offered comic relief to balance out Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) tragic antihero, was an error.
The detractors were proven wrong: the Better Call Saul scriptwriters gave the character of Goodman, aka Jimmy McGill, a new gravitas and complexity, and Odenkirk’s stellar performance gave the former shark in a suit a moral conscience, morality, and new-found depth that he had previously lacked in Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul’s gradual transformation of the positive and breezy Jimmy McGill into the pessimistic and hard-bitten Saul Goodman is a masterclass in character growth.
While Breaking Bad is propelled by a quick and furious storyline that sees the lead, Walter White, hurtling from high-school chemistry teacher to big-time drug dealer, Better Call Saul’s slow transformation of the optimistic and breezy Jimmy McGill into the cynical and hard-bitten Saul Goodman White is a survivor of circumstance, but McGill is the mastermind behind his own downfall.
The Show distinguished itself by focusing on character dynamics rather than story, but parts of season 5 were too similar to Breaking Bad. The pace had moved, and as a result, Best Call Saul season 5 was less of a character study, stripping itself of the veracity of its predecessors.
How Better Call Saul & Breaking Bad Alike?
Washington News PostAs a prequel, must walk a fine line between becoming its own thing and taking its place in the Breaking Bad universe. The show’s surprising popularity was due not only to its cinematic-like craftsmanship and meticulous execution but also to its ability to spend time with its characters.
Breaking Bad was an entertaining film, and while its characters were well-developed, it was the high-stakes action and excitement that kept viewers coming back for more.
Best Call Saul took a different approach, encouraging character inspiration to propel the plot and plots to evolve steadily and organically.
As Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) has a more three-dimensional secondary character than Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), Jimmy is immediately more related than Walter White, and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) has a much more fascinating depth than Breaking Bad, where he is mostly one-note creepy.
Better Call Saul’s final season is hard to tie any of its loose ends to Breaking Bad’s activities. During the final season, Bob Odenkirk has already promised plenty of “fireworks” and Vince Gilligan has already promised a little bit of Breaking Bad style.
That is not bad in itself, but it would be a pity if it compromised the mood and style of the show. Better Call Saul has been one of the best premises of the moment, yet to be one of the best shows in the history of TV, The Show can attempt to preserve his identity and finish with a high note, to remain alongside Breaking Bad.
