If you are living under a rock, ‘Better Call Saul’ (BCS) is a series on AMC created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Set in 2002, it is a spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad. Critics, namely me, consider it the best writing and directing on TV right now – or ever.
BCS follows the story of small-time lawyer James Morgan “Jimmy” McGill played brilliantly by Bob Odenkirk, six years before his appearance on Breaking Bad as Saul Goodman.
During the season one cold opening of BCS we find Jimmy playing the part of a sad sack manger of a Midwestern Cinnabon Franchise as he predicted in one of the closing episodes of Breaking Bad. HOW does he get from “jimmy McGill” to “Saul Goodman” to this sad sack? I guess we’ll see. But for catch up purposes, I will not go into the plot, but look at the characters and chat about plot from now on.
First up, James Morgan “Jimmy” McGill, a small-time scam artist (Slippin’ Jimmy) who becomes a lawyer, then becomes a criminal lawyer. McGill is caught between being his authentic self and trying to please his UN-please-able older brother Charles “Chuck” McGill played by Michael McKean.
“Chuck” McGill, Jimmy’s brother, so far appears ot be a complete dick. His raison d’etre appears to be fucking with Jimmy, but since this is a Vince Gilligan jam, there is probably something more going on here. All we know for sure is that Chuck was forced to leave his job at his law firm, Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill due to the sudden onset of “electromagnetic hypersensitivity”.
Contending with whatever is the opposite of electromagnetic hypersensitivity is Mike Ehrmantraut, a former police officer working independently as a parking lot attendant, who becomes an enforcer, private investigator and “cleaner” for criminal lawyers. Mike has his own demons having been a crooked cop in… where else? Philadelphia, of course.
Kim Wexler, a lawyer working at the Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill law firm who is Jimmy’s close friend and love interest. What’s her deal? Did anyone notice that she is from where Jimmy is hiding out as a sad sack Cinnabon manager? Interesting…
Howard Hamlin, the co-founder of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill is Jimmy’s other nemesis. I happen to think that Howard is going to turn out to be alright and is just being a complete dick to Jimmy because of some division of labor worked out with Chuck, but who knows. I’ve been as adept a predicting BCS plot twists as I’ve been at predicting the 2016 primary races.
Ignacio “Nacho” Varga, is a chop shop worker who is one of my favorites so far. He is an intelligent, ambitious member of Tuco’s gang. Right now I’m trying to forget how it ends for Nacho, and I pretty much have, so no spoilers!!
