‘Better Call Saul’ shows that a prequel can be as good as—or even better than—the original

“Better Call Saul” shows that a prequel can be as good as—or even better than—the original

Lesson summary

Hi there, thanks for joining us for Plain English. This is Lesson number 277, which means you can find the full lesson at PlainEnglish.com/277. JR is the producer of Plain English and I’m Jeff and today is all about one of my favorite shows on TV right now, “Better Call Saul.”

We’ve been stuck inside, many of us, discovering new TV shows, new things to stream, so I thought today we’d talk about one of my favorites. It’s a prequel to the Netflix show “Breaking Bad,” so if you liked that one, I think you’ll also like “Better Call Saul.” We’ve done some movie reviews before, so here’s my rule. I won’t give any major spoilers, but I am going to talk in general terms about the characters and what happens. I had to include some details that aren’t revealed until the second or third seasons, but I don’t think this lesson would ruin too many surprises. But I thought I’d give you that disclaimer before we start.

We have an expression, like always. Today it’s to live in someone’s shadow. You might be wondering if there’s a video lesson as well. The answer is yes! At PlainEnglish.com/277, we have the video that describes how to clarify the meaning of what you’re saying. That’s a good one, at PlainEnglish.com/277.

‘Better Call Saul’: a prequel as good as the original

It’s almost a truism in Hollywood that a movie’s sequel can never be better than the original. Sure, it can be more successful at the box office—but lightning doesn’t strike twice, as they say.

The television series “Better Call Saul” is an exception to that rule. It’s a spinoff of the hit Netflix series “Breaking Bad” and it tells the story of Saul Goodman, a slick-talking attorney to the criminal underworld of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It turns out, he wasn’t always the shady lawyer that he portrays in “Breaking Bad.”

For the uninitiated, “Breaking Bad” was about Walter White, a chemistry teacher in the American state of New Mexico. Diagnosed with cancer and without a valuable estate to leave his family, he begins manufacturing drugs in a homemade laboratory. His problems escalate and he eventually joins forces with the criminal world’s favorite lawyer, Saul Goodman. He is the stereotype of a sleazy, unethical lawyer. He was one of the most popular characters of “Breaking Bad.”

The series “Better Call Saul” is a prequel, the opposite of a sequel. It tells the story of Saul Goodman before he became the unethical lawyer in “Breaking Bad.” The spinoff was created by Vince Gilligan, who also created “Breaking Bad.” Some cast members are the same. Bob Odenkirk plays Saul in both series; Jonathan Banks plays Mike Ehrmantraut; and Giancarlo Esposito plays the drug kingpin Gus Fring.

“Breaking Bad” was good because it was full of action; you always wanted to know what was going to happen next. But “Better Call Saul” is different. It’s not so much about the action as about the character. The whole series is a character study of the main character—at the beginning, he’s known by his real name, Jimmy McGill. He was a small-time crook and con man, who always lived in the shadow of his older brother, Chuck, a successful lawyer at a prominent New Mexico law firm.

Jimmy eventually gets a job in the mailroom of his brother’s law office and earns a law degree from the University of American Samoa, an online law school. He studies hard and passes the bar exam, meaning he is officially licensed to practice law. But he doesn’t ever quite fit in; he isn’t ever fully satisfied with his new life as a lawyer. He seems most himself when he’s playing some kind of a trick; when he sees the line between right and wrong, and finds himself straddling it, or falling just on the other side of an ethical line. He later changes his name to Saul Goodman—a pneumonic for, “it’s all good, man”—and starts building a less-than-savory clientele.

Jimmy gets involved romantically and professionally with a partner, Kim Wexler. I love Kim Wexler: she’s a sharp lawyer, a hard worker, a striver. But she falls for Jimmy and alternates between feeling excitement for and revulsion at his extralegal activities. She clearly wants to use the law for good, but is not under any illusions that the profession is pure and fully ethical. She takes jobs and clients that pay well, but leave her unsatisfied.

My other favorite character is Mike. If you saw “Breaking Bad,” you probably remember Mike: he’s one of Gus’s enforcers. He’s an older guy, an ex-cop. He’s patient; he speaks slowly; he’s methodical; and he acts with authority. You usually see him in a beat-up old car. He carries a gun but doesn’t use it often.

There have been five seasons of “Better Call Saul,” and a sixth and final season has been ordered; it is scheduled to air next year, in 2021. The first three, maybe four, are on Netflix. I don’t like to give spoilers, but I’ll tell you this: we have not, to date, seen Walter White. Fans of “Better Call Saul” are salivating in anticipation of a crossover in the final season—where we see some events from “Breaking Bad” take place, but from a different point of view in “Better Call Saul.” Producers have been teasing fans with that, but we still don’t know if it will happen.

“Better Call Saul” is a prequel that is equal to the original. Critics love it. It has won lots of awards and nominations, and has always been highly-rated on the cable television network that airs original episodes.

Popular shows in the forums

We had a nice discussion in the Plain English Plus+ forums about our favorite TV shows during the quarantine. And there were a lot that came up. Here are some of them: Osarks, Monarca, Never Have I Ever, The Last Dance (the one about Michael Jordan), Money Heist, 90 Day Fiancé, Anne with an E (that one was popular), Unorthodox, Big Mouth, Kingdom, How to Get Away With Murder, My Hero Academia, The Sinner…there were more, those are just a few. It was a huge variety that you guys are watching.

Anyway, every week in the forums, JR posts a Question of the Week. It’s always a different topic. And it’s a great way to share ideas with others, get to know your fellow members, and practice writing about a new topic. That’s a benefit included in Plain English Plus+ , and if you are not yet a member, then I’d love for you to come join us at PlainEnglish.com/Plus