It’s almost unfair to compare ‘Better Call Saul’ to ‘Breaking Bad’. The show came out of nowhere, changed the face of television, and provided one of the biggest changes in TV history with Walter White. However, ‘Better Call Saul’ did something more difficult. It took characters we already knew and somehow made their stories even more devastating.
Jimmy McGill’s Tragedy Is More Personal Than Walter White’s
‘Better Call Saul‘s magic is that it knows that tragedy doesn’t necessarily have to be one big mistake. It’s sometimes tons of small decisions that ultimately leave a person with no place to go. What’s interesting about Walter White’s transformation is that he becomes Heisenberg.
Jimmy McGill’s story is that he’s not Jimmy. He is always looking to be respected. He really wanted to be a real lawyer, particularly after starting his legal career from scratch and receiving his law degree. However, his relationship with Chuck proves to be the driving force of the entire series.
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The courtroom scene following Chuck’s death is a prime example. Jimmy gives an emotional speech about his brother and appears genuinely devastated. Then, almost immediately, he turns the situation into an opportunity to regain his law license. It’s uncomfortable because we see both sides of Jimmy at once: the grieving brother and the man who can’t help but manipulate a situation.
Then there’s Kim Wexler. Kim is more than just Jimmy’s love interest. She is the one who knows him best, and their ultimate failure is devastating. Their scams can be funny and thrilling, but ‘Better Call Saul’ keeps reminding us that every little game has consequences.
The show gets quite real in the Howard Hamlin storyline. Jimmy and Kim convince themselves that it’s okay to mess with Howard. They don’t directly intend for him to die, but their actions create the circumstances that lead to his murder. The tragedy isn’t only that Howard dies. It is that Jimmy and Kim have spent so long treating people’s lives like pieces on a chessboard that they finally discover the cost.
‘Better Call Saul’ Makes You Feel The Consequences
‘Breaking Bad’ was all about the escalation. Each season showcased how far Walter could go. ‘Better Call Saul’ is more concerned about what’s left behind. That’s why the scenes in Omaha by Gene Takavic are so significant. Jimmy has managed to break away from the criminal element, but he’s not escaped himself.
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His life is empty, and instead of accepting that emptiness, he returns to conning people. The final confrontation with Kim is especially powerful because there are no explosions or gunfights. Jimmy reveals the truth about Chuck and Howard and confesses what he has become. Then there’s the last prison scene.
Jimmy could have taken the seven-year contract and left as Saul Goodman. Instead, he speaks the truth. He says that Walter White was not the only one who brought him down. He takes responsibility for his own decisions. That moment completes something Walter White never could.
Walter’s final words are that he did it because he liked it. Jimmy survives by finally admitting that he hurt people because he kept choosing the easier, uglier version of himself. That’s why it’s easy to feel ‘Better Call Saul’ is the better installment.
‘Breaking Bad’ presented us with a man turning into a monster. ‘Better Call Saul‘ taught us that a normal, hilarious, very flawed person can slowly transform into a person who can ruin everything he loves. And after six seasons, it still gives him a chance to be Jimmy McGill again.
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