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This article contains spoilers for Better Call Saul.TV legal dramas typically have one goal in mind: showcase criminals brought to justice; show defense teams and police officials track down and persecute bad guys brings joy to countless viewers. Why else have shows such as Law & Order or NCIS lasted so long? From the early days of television, this has been the case. However, there is one recently concluded legal drama that turns the genre on its head. Not only does it not take pride in showing criminals brought to justice, it celebrates them when they come out on top. Better Call Saul is so much more than a simple TV spin-off series. It is a character study that exposes the gray area between right and wrong.
Lawyers are often shown in pop culture as slimy and sleazy. They are also shown as heroic and willing to fight for justice. It really just depends on the product. This show not only shows both sides of this coin, but these traits are usually shown within the same person. Better Call Saul makes it clear that there are rarely just 'good' people. And when there are, they are punished for their good deeds. There are plenty of reasons to sing the praises of this series, but the fact it turns the idea of a legal drama inside out is chief among them. Here is how Better Call Saul redefined the legal drama.
The Gray Ethics of Better Call Saul
Typically with shows that fall under the umbrella of legal drama, the lead is bound and determined to bring justice to those that deserve it. They will defend the law to the best of their ability and ensure the criminals of the world get what they deserve. Jimmy McGill aka Saul Goodman isn’t exactly the same kind of protagonist. Jimmy became a lawyer, not because of his fierce love for the law, but because he wanted to be viewed as his brother’s equal.
In fact, before pursuing a career in law, he was a con man. A person leaving behind a life of crime to become a lawyer seems like a noble cause, but Jimmy didn’t leave the life behind. This isn’t due to a lack of trying; crime is simply in Jimmy’s blood. Many of Jimmy’s clients were good people he helped get off. However, there were more than a few times that Jimmy didn’t go through the most legal means to ensure this happens. Jimmy McGill did, to an extent, care for his clients. Saul Goodman, on the other hand only had one thing in mind.
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When practicing law as Saul Goodman, Jimmy wanted to do whatever it took to get rich. While he was still a good lawyer, any good morals he had were out the window. He helped the cartel, handed out burner phones, and would lend a hand laundering money. Despite all the bad that Saul does, fans still love him. This is where Better Call Saul shines. While it does showcase criminal activities at its forefront, it also punishes them. Most of the main characters are guilty of some wrongdoing, from Kim helping Jimmy con others to Mike performing hits for Gus.
Does this make most of these characters bad people? Not necessarily. This is where the murky gray ethics come from. In the world of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, there really isn’t good and bad; rather, there are bad ethics just waiting for the chance to jump out. Most legal dramas show the side of good always prevailing. Not only does Better Call Saul not do this, it is impossible in its context. This is because, in this world, there really isn’t any good, not in the traditional sense anyway. Again, Kim Wexler could certainly be viewed as a good person, but she helps Jimmy in his cons on more than one occasion.
Sanctity of the Courtroom
Another element of most legal dramas is the sanctity of the courtroom. The courtroom is the place where the guilty are punished and the innocent are rewarded. With only the truth allowed within its confines, this is supposedly the place where justice is served. In Better Call Saul however, it is but a playground for Saul to play in.
As shown in the very first episode, Jimmy views the courtroom as a stage to put on his best show and receive a paycheck. Truth or lie, guilty or innocent, Jimmy enters the courtroom with one goal in mind: win. One of the best examples is in the episode Chicanery. Jimmy’s brother Chuck is bound and determined to bring out the truth and take Jimmy down. Jimmy, on the other hand, uses the opportunity to humiliate Chuck. He ruins his reputation and exploits his mental illness to ensure others lose their faith in him. He does this all with lies pouring out and a smile on his face.
Most legal dramas would never do this in such a way. Guilty people may walk free on occasion, but rarely will their lawyer, the protagonist of the show, willingly help them go free for their own gain. Even in the series finale, Jimmy manages some redemption but only on his turf, the courtroom. The odds are stacked against him, and it looks like he will finally face punishment for his crimes. Instead, he manages to free Kim of her charges, get put in a prison of his choosing, and once more emerge victorious. He may have been put in jail for the rest of his life, but he did so on his terms. This is all because he was put on his home turf, a courtroom.
Saul Was More Than a TV Spin-off
While Better Call Saul is far from the only legal drama that is a spin-off, it is one of the few that truly stands on its own legs. When a spin-off to Breaking Bad was announced, fans were understandably skeptical. The show blew everyone away by just how different it was, though. As the show went on, there were more and more elements that carried over from the original show, but at first, it was truly a twisted legal drama. Better Call Saul is more of a slow burn in comparison to Breaking Bad. The show is sure to go down in history as one of the greatest series of all time, and it is easy to see why.
It not only twists what makes a legal drama successful, it warps the viewer’s own perception of what is right and wrong. If Saul Goodman was to be placed in any other legal show, he would merely be a criminal of the week. He would be a corrupt lawyer the protagonist helps put behind bars never to be seen again. He would not be able to be as successful outside the Breaking Bad universe. Only here can he not only get away with his crimes, but he can also be successful. Only when his own greed and inability to put his past away emerges does he get caught.
If anybody has yet to see this show or Breaking Bad, they owe it to themselves to. Ask any fan, and they will likely express how much envy they have for you, being able to witness it for the first time.