AMC’s “Better Call Saul” returned for its second season on Sunday Feb. 15. The “Breaking Bad” spinoff received favorable reviews from critics in its first season, while also being very well-liked by fans.
“Better Call Saul” managed to avoid the spinoff crutch of limping along beside the popularity and success of its mother show. For this reason, new and old audiences (“Breaking Bad” fans) alike can get excited about the show.
The first episode of season two takes a very similar approach to the premiere of season one.
Both seasons start with a black and white flash-forward to a time after the events of “Breaking Bad.” The remainder of the show goes back to the time before those events, allowing the characters, plot and drama of “Better Call Saul” to operate completely independently of “Breaking Bad.” Nevertheless, the show achieves some amount of connection to “Breaking Bad” through a small number of familiar characters and subtle allusions.
The second season’s opening episode picks up right where season one left off. Saul, known then as “Jimmy,” has brought a class action law suit to a major Albuquerque law firm where his brother is working, thus legitimizing his own law degree, acquired in a less than traditional fashion. Jimmy is torn about whether or not to continue down this straight and narrow path, or fall to the temptation and thrill of the hijinks he used to run years before. As Jimmy ponders his future, the episode demonstrates his knack for tricking people—even those who are incredibly smart and successful—in a number of ways.
This character development is exciting, fun and yet novel enough to bring the audience closer to a character many of us already know very well.
While providing further insight into Saul’s backstory, the show entertains with its plot. It may seem juvenile to think of a lawyer conning civilians, but it provides a beautiful paradox. Jimmy’s aversion to joining the corporate law firm has roots both in sincerity and selfishness. This is a strong draw for TV viewers who are intrigued by characters we love to hate.
Jimmy truly wants the best for his clients, while also despising the culture and rigidity of the big law firms. This internal conflict leaves him resorting to cheap cons and tricks as a method for killing time and earning some money.
Jimmy’s cons keep him busy while also allowing the audience to understand how someone as talented and clever as Jimmy could resort to the type of work we have come to know from his character in “Breaking Bad.”
The future of the show will certainly provide further insight into how Jimmy becomes the shady criminal defense lawyer who goes by Saul Goodman. Based on the small sample size of only the premiere, expect season two to demonstrate the transition from Jimmy to Saul by continuing in the style of the first season and revolving primarily around character development.
