Vince Gilligan hints in his Better Call Saul season 2 preview that once Jimmy McGill officially becomes Saul Goodman that they may have episodes that take place during ‘Breaking Bad’ or possibly flash forward to current day after ‘Breaking Bad’ was finished…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
The sad news about Monday night’s episode of ‘Better Call Saul’ is that it was the season finale for the first year delving into the life and times of attorney Saul Goodman aka Jimmy McGill.
The 10-episode first season was not only a brand new hit for AMC, but possibly the best new show on television in 2015. Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks both did their parts to secure at worst an Emmy nomination and the season was just outstanding from start to finish in everything from the writing to the acting to the directing. Fans of ‘Breaking Bad’ should love it and even those who never heard of Walter White or Blue Sky can absolutely appreciate this wonderfully done series.
The good news about ‘Better Call Saul’ actually came several months ago when AMC decided to green light the series for a two season order before the first season even began. Season one was given a shortened 10-episode order, but season two was already set in motion for 13-episodes set to debut in 2016.
So as some of the stories for season one came to an end on Monday (and you can read about everything that happened in our recap), show runner Peter Gould along with ‘Breaking Bad’ creator Vince Gilligan are beginning to break ground on plans for what will happen in season 2.
“Fans of ‘Better Call Saul’ can look forward to Jimmy McGill getting that much closer to Saul Goodman (in season 2)” Gilligan said. “That much closer to this character who we know from watching ‘Breaking Bad’ that he will eventually become.”
Odenkirk was already great when he played Saul Goodman on ‘Breaking Bad’ but with the spotlight shining down on him this season as the lead for ‘Better Call Saul’, he not only stepped up to the plate, but hit a grand slam with each and every episodes.
Odenkirk gave Saul Goodman depth and emotions that were never seen on ‘Breaking Bad’ and from the first heart wrenching episode where we caught up with him (briefly) in a post-Walter White world where he was managing a Cinnabon in Omaha, Nebraska to his attempts to get his very modest law firm off the ground, the series was at the top of its class all season long.
“In season 2, I’m hoping that he finds his footing as Saul Goodman,” Odenkirk said. “He finds some fun and some positive energy coming from discovering who he is and where he lies in the world of ethical relations.”
Producers on ‘Better Call Saul’ did confirm that all of the main characters from season one will be back in season two in some capacity or another including Jimmy’s brother Chuck (played by Michael McKean), Kim Wexler (played by Rhea Seehorn), Howard (played by Patrick Fabian), Nacho (played by Michael Mando) and of course everybody’s favorite fixer Mike Ehrmantraut (played by Jonathan Banks).
One additional note that Gilligan made while previewing ‘Better Call Saul’ was something he first teased when the show was announced. While ‘Better Call Saul’ was always mostly going to focus on Saul Goodman prior to his days where he had Walter White and Jesse Pinkman as clients, the plans for season two could splinter in a few different directions.
Gilligan hinted that some of the ‘Better Call Saul’ stories in season 2 could see cases and scenarios that take place at the same exact time that ‘Breaking Bad’ was happening, which means a possible return for either Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul. He also mentioned going to present day where Saul is no longer an attorney, but instead works as a dough roller at a mall in Nebraska.
“So in season 2, as with ‘Breaking Bad’ and its many seasons the question is how far do you go? How long is this journey,” Gilligan said. “Once Jimmy McGill is Saul Goodman, then what happens? We’ve got a lot of territory to mine.
“Do we play scenes that are concurrent with things that occurred on ‘Breaking Bad’ or that timeline? Or do we jump ahead to what’s going on in Omaha, Nebraska? The sky’s really the limit with this show.”
It’s a great hint to the things that are still to come on ‘Better Call Saul’ and anybody who missed this show should run to watch the first season before it returns next year. Maybe Walter White will be there to greet us in 2016.
