Breaking Bad is considered by some to be one of the best series to ever air on television. During its five-year run, Bob Odenkirk brought “criminal” lawyer Saul Goodman to life. The character was so popular he eventually got his own series called Better Call Saul, set five years before Walter White built his drug empire.
The spinoff follows Jimmy McGill before beginning a life of crime under the alias Saul Goodman. While the show touches on the seedier aspects of the Albuquerque criminal underworld, it has generally remained a much lighter show than its predecessor up to this point. Headed into season 3, though, it sound as if that is about to change.
In an interview with Variety, Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan revealed that the story ahead would become darker and begin to resemble its predecessor. Gilligan said:
“Things get quite a bit darker in season three, more ‘Breaking Bad’-like. We didn’t set out for that to happen, it came to us organically.”
Odenkirk added that this next season would see his character move away from Jimmy and finally introduce himself as Saul Goodman.
Both Walter White and Jimmy McGill are tragic characters and both series track their rise and fall. In the past two seasons of Better Call Saul, Jimmy has done some questionable things but he is no where near as amoral as Saul Goodman was in Breaking Bad. At least, not yet.
“There’s a big movement into the character of Saul Goodman. This is the first time he presents himself as Saul Goodman, which is actually kind of fun. There’s more of an internal movement of this really sweet character, Jimmy McGill, who kind of shuts himself down and does some very callous things that are very Saul Goodman-like. It’s just sad. It made me feel bad.”
The season 3 premiere is just around the corner and will also bring back another Breaking Bad character with Giancarlo Esposito reprising his role as drug kingpin and fried chicken mogul Gus Fring. Unlike the original series, Saul is really taking its time building up its main character, with the past two seasons serving almost as prologue. From the sound of it it seems like the show’s creators have nearly set up all of the pieces that will create the perfect storm which turns Jimmy into Saul. Whether the character drops the McGill name entirely at the end of this season, however, remains to be seen.
Next: Better Call Saul Season 3 Poster: Jimmy Gets His Stripes
Better Call Saul season 3 premieres Monday, April 10 on AMC.
Source: Variety
