By their very nature, spinoffs don’t tend to occur unless the series that spawned them has itself become very popular, or in some cases outright iconic. Such was the case with Better Call Saul, AMC’s prequel spinoff to Breaking Bad. Considered by many to be one of the greatest serialized TV dramas of all-time, Breaking Bad left enormous shoes for Saul to try and fill, but so far, the spinoff seems to have pleased the majority of those who’ve opted to give it a shot.
Saul arguably succeeds due to the fact that it doesn’t try to be Breaking Bad, instead opting for a much more comedic tone, albeit with the ability to ramp up the drama when necessary. Shining the spotlight on “criminal lawyer” Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) early years as a practicing attorney – under his birth name Jimmy McGill – Better Call Saul takes place a number of years prior to the rise of Gus Fring to the top of the drug trade, and the titular character’s metamorphosis from two-bit conman into the go-to lawyer for members of the New Mexican underworld.
That said, two complete seasons of Better Call Saul have now gone by, yet fans have still not seen the emergence of Jimmy’s Saul persona. Well, that’s all about to change, per star Odenkirk. As reported by THR, Odenkirk revealed today that Saul season 3 will provide viewers with their first look at the hilariously sleazy Saul Goodman identity that Breaking Bad fans came to know and love. Fittingly though, Odenkirk says that the Saul identity won’t just emerge from Jimmy fully formed.
What Odenkirk did not reveal is how far into season 3 fans will have to wait to see Saul, or just how complete the persona will become before the end of the season. When Better Call Saul last left Jimmy, his brother Chuck had secretly recorded him admitting to committing a felony that could very well get Jimmy disbarred, if not imprisoned. Perhaps this will be the catalyst event for the beginning of Jimmy’s transformation into Saul.
“For the first time, we get to see Saul Goodman. But not the way you think. You’ll get to see Saul Goodman, but he is not what you saw in Breaking Bad. That character will appear but in a slightly different form than you’ve seen it.”
Additionally, Odenkirk says that the return of Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) during Saul season 3 will not just be a cameo, and that the future cold-blooded meth kingpin’s growing empire will play a large part in season 3’s overall story. Breaking Bad provided few windows into Gus’ past, so it’ll be interesting to see the ruthless drug lord back when he wasn’t so in control of things.
Next: Bryan Cranston Would Return as Walter White for Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul season 3 premieres Monday, April 10 on AMC.
Source: THR
