Why You Better Watch Better Call Saul

Mattheus Yang explains to you the reasons why Better Call Saul is one of the best shows on Netflix currently.

Jimmy McGill (Centre), played by Bob Odenkirk, torn between a life of crime and law in the main promotional poster for Better Call Saul Season 5. PHOTO CREDIT | JAMES MINCHIN

Better Call Saul is a show filled with courtroom drama, action-packed set pieces, comedic schemes and heartbreaking drama, all while being filled with amazing characters. There is nothing more you can ask for from a show.

Created and produced by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, Better Call Saul is a spin-off from the critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad. It revolves around the world of law and crime within the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It mainly focuses on Jimmy McGill, a reformed con man turned lawyer, as he transforms into the greedy and corrupt lawyer Saul Goodman.

Although the show’s genre is ostensibly crime drama, it does not confine itself to the limits of one genre like other crime dramas such as Mindhunter. It is a comedy, legal drama, action show and crime drama, all at the same time. A good example of this is the episode ‘50% off’, where it combines all four genres masterfully.

“It's kind of the signature of Better Call Saul, it's all fun and games but then the guns come out," Robert Weinert-Kendt, editor of American Theatre magazine, says over a video call.

Many crime dramas such as Narcos keep their viewers invested mainly through violent action scenes and big set pieces at the cost of other aspects of the show. Not Better Call Saul, as it can keep viewers heavily invested in things as small as Jimmy creating a commercial promoting his business, like in the episode ‘Nailed’.

“It can take the humdrum and make gripping and compelling television from it,” says Jonah Sng, a fan of the show, in an email.

Shao Hao Cher, another fan of the show, says in an phone interview: “There are some shows that I will watch where I will not be looking forward to that part of the plot, but for this show I do not find myself feeling that way and every scene was really captivating to me.”

One of the greatest aspects of the show is the engaging writing of its characters. The show’s main character, Jimmy, is an engaging and tragic anti-hero. Unlike Breaking Bad’s own anti-hero Walter White, Jimmy is more sympathetic as his downfall is far more out of his control than Walter’s descent into villainy. Seeing the good-natured Jimmy turn into the cunning and unscrupulous Saul Goodman through his numerous self-serving and immoral schemes is both heartbreaking and entertaining.

“Watching a scam artist, even when you know they are bilking some out of money and they shouldn’t do it, there is a certain thrill to it in watching them do it, like watching a magician,” says Mr Weinert-Kendt.

Rhea Seehorn plays Kim Wexler (centre), whose story arc with Jimmy is one of the most riveting story arcs of the show. PHOTO CREDIT | WARRICK PAGE

Other characters also steal the show, such as Kim Wexler, a well-intentioned small-time lawyer and Jimmy’s romantic interest who constantly gets involved in Jimmy’s schemes. As her character constantly gets deeper and deeper into Jimmy’s immoral schemes, one gets the sense she will never get out of them.

Mr Sng wrote: “There’s this sense of impending doom, as the life they build together feels like a house of cards.”

It is not just limited to Jimmy and Kim, as all the characters in the show, from side characters like Huell Babineux to the main cast like Howard Hamlin and Mike Ehrmantraut, are all not only fantastically written but acted as well.

“Every character really feels like a fully formed person,” Mr Weinert-Kendt says: “I don’t feel like anybody is showboating, like showing off their acting too much... It's really some of the finest acting on TV.”

The show does have flaws, mainly you have to watch Breaking Bad to understand it completely. Unlike Narcos: Mexico, another crime drama spin-off, Better Call Saul is not a show you can watch as a standalone. Mr Weinert-Kendt says that unless you have watched Breaking Bad, entire episodes like ‘Dedicado A Max’ would not make sense.

“It doesn’t stand on its own without Breaking Bad, some of those bits,” he says.

Overall, you should absolutely watch Better Call Saul, there are very few shows out there that match its level of quality. All five seasons are available on Netflix Singapore.