1. The pity of "Better Call Saul"
When the 2022 Emmy Awards announced the winner of Best Actor as Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, the live camera swept to the lead actor of "Better Call Saul", Bob Odenkirk, whose hair and beard are all white in the shot, smiling bitterly as he stood up and applauded for Lee Jung-jae.
In the previous five seasons, "Better Call Saul" was nominated 39 times for the Emmy Awards, and Bob himself was nominated five times for best actor with the role of Saul, but he was nominated every year but failed every year, becoming a tragedy that has lasted for years in the European and American film and television circles.
"Better Call Saul" is a spin-off of "Breaking Bad", which is known as the best American drama in history. It tells the story of how Jimmy, a good-natured, smart-alecky lawyer, turns into Saul Goodman before he meets Walter White.
In the final season of this year's "Better Call Saul", since its launch, it has continued to enjoy a good reputation and rating, which even exceeds that of "Breaking Bad". However, compared with the popularity of "Breaking Bad", which has dominated the Emmy Awards for many years in a row, "Better Call Saul" is not lucky in winning prizes, and this time it still fails to end this regret.
After the award ceremony, Bob shared a photo of himself and the lead actress Rhea Seehorn on social media with the following caption.
It turns out that during the filming of the sixth season, Bob suffered a heart attack on set and at one point suffered a cardiac arrest and was in a coma for eight full days. "Better Call Saul" almost became a story without an ending. And because of this, fans of this TV series are especially eager for this year's Emmy Awards to give Bob and the crew a well-deserved commendation, but the result may be the fate of "Better Call Saul".
SPOILER ALERT!
Since "Breaking Bad" in 2008, it has been 14 years since Mr. White appeared in a panic in the desert outside Albuquerque in a green shirt and white underwear. At the end of "Breaking Bad", after completing his revenge, Mr. White fell into his beloved laboratory and died forever. Jesse regained his freedom, stepped on the accelerator, and drove to the cold north. At that time, the whole story left only one suspense, where did Saul go?
And "Better Call Saul" is an extension and answer to this question. Finally, Saul changed back to his real name Jimmy and received a well-deserved 86-year sentence in a remote prison.
At this point, a divine TV series officially comes to an end, by the cancer-stricken high school chemistry teacher and the glib-tongued gang lawyer that strings together the âBreaking Badâ universe, completing the last piece of the puzzle.
2. The unique charm of the "Breaking Bad" universe
In terms of theme, the âBreaking Badâ series chooses to tell the story of those old topics about life and human nature. The fate of all people is based on their own situations and choices, to be or not to be, the hopelessness of daily life, the endless desire, the endless struggle between good and evil, and the eternal paradox of sin and punishment.
Not only the main line characters shine but also the branch line characters. A similar fate has been repeated. In such a way of characterization, a different temperament of the "Breaking Bad" series is created. There are many Kafka-like clips in the TV series. Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" is even the key to the collapse of the building of "Breaking Bad". The main creative team absorbs a lot of nutrients from Western literature to carry forward. They use a lot of metaphor, imagery, irony, contrast, foreshadowing, pun, and other creative techniques, coupled with photography and editing techniques, to make almost every episode a short story with an exquisite structure and an exciting plot.
Since "Breaking Bad", similar imagery has been used repeatedly, such as the pants flying in the air, the pink teddy bear with an eyeball blown off, the lily of the valley in the corner of the garden, and the fly in the laboratory, and have determined the direction of the story and the fate of the characters at critical moments.
When it comes to "Better Call Saul", the familiar recipe still excites fans of the TV series. The bottle stopper in the drawer, the ice cream covered with ants, the "second best lawyer in the world" mug, and the two cigarettes shared by Jimmy and Kim at the beginning and end of the story.
What fills the âBreaking Badâ universe, in addition to the distinctive characters, is an abundance of details and metaphors that inspire the audience to observe details. For example, with the death of Nacho in the TV series, a freeze shot appears. Under the scorching sun in the vast desert, a beautiful California bluebell blooms alone. Fans quickly find the language of the flower to be a symbol of apology. Something Nacho and his father could never say would die with the wind in the swaying of this flower.
It's safe to say that over the past 14 years, the production team led by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould has created and established a new narrative model where TV series can also be poetic, philosophical, and profound.
3. Saul, who has never enjoyed his life
Back to âBetter Call Saulâ, when it comes to the outcome of the characters, Jimmy and Mr. White of course are very different. What drives the rest of Mr. White's life is his strong ego and anger at fate, his unquenchable desire to achieve a career to prove that he has really "lived", and this thought is so strong that he can easily abandon morality, take advantage of others again and again, and be downright selfish and cold. He can destroy the whole world to achieve his own goals.
But Jimmy has never had such ambition. He only looks forward to his brother's acceptance and his wife's companionship. To those small emotional connections between people, he is glib-tongued but never vicious. Mr. White can watch Jesse's girlfriend die innocently, thus causing a terrible plane crash without guilt. But what about Jimmy? He will be anxious because he took advantage of the feelings of the elderly and will voluntarily bear a bad name for telling the truth.
Viewers who like the fast rhythm of "Breaking Bad" may be not too comfortable with the rhythm of "Better Call Saul" at first. The tone of Mr. White's life is a heroic end, but most of Jimmy's life is a dilemma, tangled and hesitant.
For Mr. White, finally lying dead in his beloved laboratory is satisfying. He always enjoys the excitement of playing Heisenberg. But Jimmy never enjoys a moment, he just shuts off all his senses, isolates the past he does not have the courage to face, and carries out his exile from himself exaggeratively and futilely.
4. Kim, the exorcist in Saul's life
Especially worth mentioning is Kim. In Jimmy's world, she plays the role of the exorcist. She is determined and decisive, not afraid of danger, and more responsible than Jimmy. And the director of one episode is Rhea Seehorn who plays Kim.
Kim, in the TV series, is the key force that stops Jimmy from falling into darkness, but within her, there is a darkness of her own. She comes from the bottom and has an irresponsible mother. And she is never able to be a successful person with peace of mind even if she joins the elite with her own efforts. And the thrill brought by Jimmy's tricks to tease the elite is just what she needs.
Kim and Jimmy's relationship is mutual understanding and complicit in the evil, and they are each other's accomplices. In Kim's world, Jimmy's existence gives her the opportunity to let her inner darkness out and "Breaking Bad" without restraint.
This complicity ends with the mischievous completion of the social strangulation of Howard and indirectly causing his death, which becomes a consequence neither of them can afford. Kim sadly realizes that as long as they are together, it is poison, so she chooses to leave.
The cruelest part of "Better Call Saul" should be the penultimate episode. The timeline comes after the story of "Breaking Bad". Jimmy begins his life on the run. Far away from home, Kim changes her hairstyle and endures a boring life with a boring man. She stops making decisions and becomes cautious and timid. She leads a completely different life.
But Jimmy's heart always retains a soft place because of Kimâs existence and ultimately contributes to the end of the story. In the final court, Jimmy confesses all his crimes and voluntarily accepts 86 years in prison, in exchange for his name. It really seems a little sad.
SPOILER ALERT!
5. A sad ending of the "Breaking Bad" universe
The last episode of "Better Call Saul" is titled "Saul Gone". Saul disappears, Jimmy rebirths, and Kim comes to the prison to visit him. The sun shines diagonally through the window, and the two share a cigarette side by side as they did many years ago. Just as they had seen Mr. White go away many years ago, melancholy and content at the same time. And probably no one could think of a more fitting ending than this, could they?
Peter Gould has summarized the connection between the two TV series. "Better Call Saul" allows people to see "Breaking Bad" in a different light. "As you watch Saul slowly enter Walt's life, you no longer just see Saul from Walt's point of view, but now you see Walt from Saul's point of view as well."
The story that has continued for 14 years has rewritten the lives of many people. When Bob Odenkirk got the role of Saul, he had just gone through bankruptcy and was a disillusioned comedian. Vince and Peter told him he was going to play a hilarious role, with those fancy suits, and exaggerated action design, many of which were inspired by the funny behavior of Trump in a reality show.
In fourteen years, the world has undergone tremendous changes. There is a bluffing inflatable statue of liberty outside Saul's law firm. 14 years later, when we look at the same inflatable doll in black and white, as if the whole world has become more and more empty and weak. The only thing that remains the same is that the people who love this story have always been enthusiastic.
6. We will always remember the characters
When Peter Gould talks about his time with the whole story over 14 years, he says, âIn a perfect world, these characters will all still be alive. After the TV series is over, the characters live in the hearts of the audience, and that's what we strive for.â As the creator, he believes it is difficult to separate his life from the story. "I will miss Walt, Jesse, Saul, Kim, Mike, Gus, and Nacho. These people will be with me for the rest of my life."
Well, leave a message to tell me which character you like best in "Better Call Saul"?
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