As ‘Better Call Saul’ is approaching its end, we discuss the ways the series could end, and if it will be able to surpass the ‘Breaking Bad’ finale in terms of quality? Let’s take a look.
When AMC’S ‘Breaking Bad’ ended in 2013, it left a massive void in the hearts of the show’s fans. However, little did we know that the creator Vince Gilligan was prepared to gift us a spin-off that can very well be touted as the best spin-off series ever produced in television history. And he chose a character from the original series, which was not even too important seemingly.
But when ‘Better Call Saul’ premiered in 2015, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the most colourful character in ‘Breaking Bad’ carried many shades and emotional complexities, more than what meets the eyes. And just like that, we were introduced to the character of James ‘Jimmy’ McGill, before he became Saul Goodman, a greedy lawyer with grey shades, who was hard, or shall we say impossible to trust. As ‘Better Call Saul’ is approaching its final season, we will take a look at how important the ending is going to be for it to be a milestone series akin to ‘Breaking Bad’.
Highlights —
- ‘Better Call Saul’: An equally and a worthy ‘Breaking Bad’ spin-off
- ‘Better Call Saul’: Why the ending would matter?
Creator Vince Gilligan announced ‘Better Call Saul’ almost immediately after ‘Breaking Bad’ ended, and was touted as a series set a few years before the events of its parent series. The series is based around the character of Jimmy McGill, a former con-artist who wants to earn respect and money while living as a white-collar worker, a good citizen of the United States of America. He is inspired by his elder brother Chuck, a renowned lawyer, and wants to earn as much respect as his brother. But fate has other plans for him.
As they say, once a crook, always a crook! We are also introduced to Mike Ehrmantraut, an ageing police officer, who gets involved with a Mexican drug cartel and is struggling to keep himself afloat. Both the stories run parallel until they converge together and we fully get on with the ‘Breaking Bad’ vibe.
‘Better Call Saul’ is a worthy addition to the ‘Breaking Bad’ universe
Now, the cast is practically the same, with Bob Odenkirk reprising his role as Saul Goodman, aka Jimmy McGill, and Jonathan Banks as Mike. The characters that make a comeback from the parent series are Gus Fring, the suave Chilean drug dealer cum entrepreneur, and a few members of the notorious Salamanca family, primarily Tuco and Hector. There is not a single weak link in the ‘Better Call Saul’ ensemble and all the actors are menacing on-screen and provide wholesome entertainment. Perhaps the new addition to the cast would be Michael McKean as Chuck McGill, Jimmie’s estranged older brother and a famous lawyer.
Now, when ‘Better Call Saul’ premiered, the fans of ‘Breaking Bad’ were largely clueless about what to expect from the series. But as the series progressed, it set its own niche and garnered great ratings, getting universally hailed as an engaging drama that stands on its own, away from the shadow of its parent series. Some reviewers and fans even went so far as to say that it is better than ‘Breaking Bad’. Now, this sounds like blasphemy. What could ever top ‘Breaking Bad’, let alone its spin-off series about a supporting character, right?
Well, the tables could really turn in the sixth and final season, which has already been announced. If Vince Gilligan outdoes himself in writing this final season, ‘Better Call Saul’ can surely surpass ‘Breaking Bad’. That is not to say that ‘Breaking Bad’ lacked a great ending, in fact, the final episode of ‘Breaking Bad’ is hailed as one of the greatest finales in television history.
Will the ‘Better Call Saul’ finale surpass “Felina”?
That said, ‘Better Call Saul’ has been a little low on intensity and while “Felina”, the ‘Breaking Bad’ finale, got the ending almost perfect, with the right mix of action and emotion, we doubt that BCS finale will ever meet the same acclaim. For that to happen, it needs to up its game right from the starting of the final season and the action and emotion need to have the right balance. The writers have a mammoth task to achieve.
Plus, the writers have another giant challenge, to connect the BCS ending to that of the events in ‘Breaking Bad’ in order to synchronize the two interconnected series. Now that would be a fun sight to watch!
All in all, ‘Better Call Saul’ has ‘Breaking Bad’ to compete with, the gold standard of television finales and we seriously doubt our expectations can ever be surpassed. But in case that happens, who else would be happier, but us, the life-long fans of ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’!
Write in the comments whether you think ‘Better Call Saul’ finale will surpass the ending of ‘Breaking Bad’. We’d also like to know your reasons for thinking so!
