Breaking Saul

Before you watch Better Call Saul you must watch the ‘Better Call Saul’ episode of Breaking Bad (S02E08). A minor character of Breaking Bad and later central character of Better Call Saul, Saul Goodman, is first introduced in this episode.

The Breaking Bad episode begins developing Saul’s prior to his first appearance on screen with dialogue between main characters Walter and Jesse presenting him as a renowned criminal lawyer.

When Walter and Jesse find themselves in a sticky situation that has the potential to unveil their illegal drug operation, they turn to Saul for help.

While at first reluctant to work with Saul, Walter eventually agrees which in turn sets the stage for Saul as a recurring character.

Jesse says to Walter “Seriously, when the going gets tough, you don’t want a criminal lawyer. Alright? You want a ‘criminal’ lawyer” implying that the lawyer literally needed to be a criminal.

Saul later proves himself to be a criminal when he agrees to assist the pair – not before requesting a dollar from each of them to initiate attorney-client confidentiality.

Also in the episode, Saul develops a reputation with the audience as a no-nonsense lawyer, not afraid to talk down to police officers – something which is regularly seen throughout the remainder of the series.

In a perfect world, viewers of the spin-off Better Call Saul series will have watched the entire Breaking Bad series.

A quick look at the Better Call Saul episode at minimum should however be just enough to give viewers a background of the character prior to watching the spin-off series.

Those who have watched Breaking Bad in its entirety will know Saul having his own series is completely justifiable.

Saul proved to be one of the most interesting characters in the series but, as only a recurring character, was not granted the character development that no doubt many would have liked to see.

The spin-off series follows Saul’s beginnings when his name was Jimmy McGill. Bob Odenkirk, the actor who portrays Jimmy in the series, says that different sides to his character are revealed to those shown in Breaking Bad.

Met with positive reviews so far, Better Call Saul will no doubt provide fans of the original series with an entertaining look at the rise of Saul Goodman – the best criminal lawyer in all of Albuquerque.