By Ned Bradshaw

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Better Call Saul, a law and crime-based TV series on AMC that serves as a prequel to the award-winning series Breaking Bad, follows the legal and criminal journey of an unethical lawyer, Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk). McGill is a charismatic and outgoing lawyer who manipulates the people around him. His brother Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) is an acclaimed lawyer who co-founded his law firm, Hamlin-Hamlin-McGill (HHM). Jimmy follows in Chuck’s footsteps by becoming a lawyer by taking cheap shortcuts, such as taking a quick online course to get his license. Jimmy’s alternative way of achieving his license to practice law creates conflict between him and Chuck. In the words of Chuck, “[Jimmy] gets to be a lawyer? What a sick joke. I should have stopped him when I had the chance.”

Eventually, Jimmy changes his name to Saul Goodman to appeal to his niche clientele and not be associated with Chuck. The name Saul Goodman comes from the phrase, “S’all good, man,” which symbolizes Goodman’s carefree personality. After the events of Better Call Saul, Goodman represents an ex-teacher and drug kingpin Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad. Goodman launders White’s money and protects him from the DEA while White cooks and sells methamphetamine with his former high school student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).

Image courtesy of AMC.

Goodman’s partner-in-law and eventual wife, Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), assists him with his legal career and sometimes unethical behavior. Wexler is a rule-following lawyer who went through law school with funding from HHM. Goodman and Wexler became casual friends in the mailroom at HHM. Wexler’s morals contrast Goodman’s questionable methods, which causes conflicts throughout the show. Goodman is a defense attorney, and the majority of his clients are criminals. He continuously drags Wexler through scandalous crimes for his benefit, which slowly pulls her away from her goal of becoming a successful lawyer.  

Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) initially works at a parking booth at the Albuquerque courthouse, where he meets Goodman, but then gets pulled into a life of drug trafficking and criminal business. He is motivated to stay involved in illegal businesses to provide for his daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Ehrmantraut’s boss is Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), the owner of a fried chicken restaurant chain called Los Pollos Hermanos, which is a front for the underground transportation of illegal drugs. 

Ignacio “Nacho” Varga (Michael Mando) works for the Mexican Cartel, a grueling and menacing drug-trafficking business. Varga does everything he can to protect his father from the vicious cartel. Earlier in the show, Varga needs help with a conflict relating to the cartel, so he uses Goodman as a defense attorney. Varga’s association with Goodman keeps him permanently involved in the cartel business, while Varga pushes himself deeper within the cartel’s ranks.

Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring (left) and Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman. Photo credit: Daniel Benavides.

The different characters and storylines intertwine at some point in the show, but they all return to Goodman. There is an equilibrium between ethical and unethical law practice that Goodman has to balance. To appeal to Wexler, he must have somewhat ethical ways of providing for his clients. Yet Goodman takes cheap shots and dirty tricks to get his way. Although he tries to balance the two, his illegal side takes over as the show progresses.

Better Call Saul fan Braden Felts (‘24) states, “I like watching Saul Goodman, rather than Jimmy McGill, solely for the purpose of entertainment.” Goodman is a free-thinking maniac with a law license, which is entertaining to watch, while McGill practices law obediently to satisfy Wexler and Chuck’s expectations.

The entire show presents the reality of corruption within the legal system. For entertainment purposes, almost all law shows exaggerate the intensity of legal conflicts. Upper School economics and government and politics teacher Rob Wedge says, “The one area where [Better Call Saul] breaks new ground is that it rips the band-aid off of credentials in matters of the law.” Goodman has the same level of practice as any other lawyer, despite the methods he used to get it. His specific demographic of clients don’t care about what law school he attended; they care about whether he can defend them in court or reduce their sentences.

Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn. Photo credit: Gage Skidmore.

Critics have praised Better Call Saul for its gritty portrayal of Goodman. For its first season, Rotten Tomatoes describes it as “a quirky, dark character study.” Season one gives the viewer a taste of where Goodman’s priorities lie and his initial feelings for those around him. As the show progresses, Goodman shows his true colors, as greed and desire for quick results affect his mindset. Odenkirk and Seehorn’s performances in the final season, which concluded August 15, astounded critics, as critic and historian Boyd Hilton claims that “Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk are in a league of their own.” Better Call Saul has an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%.

For the entirety of the show, Better Call Saul has received 46 Emmy nominations. During the 2022 Emmies, Better Call Saul received seven nominations, none of which they won. Odenkirk received the nomination for best lead actor in a drama series and lost to South Korean actor Lee Jung-Jae for the South Korean drama series Squid Game. This outcome infuriated BCS fans, as they believed that Odenkirk fought for and put his life into his role. I think that Odenkirk deserved to win the award because of his nearly perfect adaptation of his character and the influence he has on the TV industry.