Better Call Saul echoed a lot of Breaking Bad themes, and Jimmy McGill’s story mirrored Walter White’s in many ways. Despite being marketed as a Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul was also a sequel to the critically acclaimed series. Better Call Saul covered several portions of Jimmy McGill’s life, revealing that Saul Goodman was more similar to Walter White than what many could have imagined during Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul avoided simply recreating Breaking Bad’s story beats. Instead, the similarities between Jimmy and Walt worked on a narrative level, adding to the experience of watching Better Call Saul after Breaking Bad. Here’s how Jimmy’s Better Call Saul Story is similar to Walter White in Breaking Bad.
10 Neither Jimmy McGill Nor Walter White Fulfilled Their Career Potential
Before being criminals, both Jimmy and Walter were very good at their job. However, neither of them ever fulfilled their career potential. Walter White founded a company with his college friends but ended up walking away from it before it was successful. As such, by the time viewers are introduced to Walt in Breaking Bad, he has already abandoned any dreams of working directly with Chemistry research. Walter White could have been behind dozens of inventions and made a fortune out of his intelligence without getting into crime, which never happened. Jimmy’s journey was similar, as he always had a natural talent for practicing law.
Jimmy’s education was not as glamorous as Chuck’s, but the younger brother graduated and passed the bar to become a lawyer just like the older one did. However, Chuck never trusted “Slippin’ Jimmy” with a law degree, believing that the law was too sacred for someone like Jimmy to work with it. Chuck actively worked against Jimmy’s career, which is why Jimmy was never welcomed by HHM. Had Chuck not plotted against Jimmy at HHM, the younger McGill brother would likely have become a partner at the firm at some point. Just like Walter White, Jimmy McGill never achieved his true potential when it comes to a regular career.
9 Jimmy Felt Like He Deserved More Than He Had (Like Walter White)
Walter White’s professional frustrations led to a sense of entitlement that defined the character for five seasons of Breaking Bad. Walter believed that he deserved more than he had, which is why Heisenberg was always willing to cross lines to achieve what he wanted. Walter projected all of his life frustrations onto others, and the Heisenberg persona summarized it. The same can be said about Jimmy McGill, especially after he discovered the truth about Chuck. Jimmy felt robbed of many lifetime opportunities, which is he always wanted more. By the time Breaking Bad’s Saul Goodman came to be, there was nothing Jimmy would not do for money and power.
8 Jimmy & Kim’s Partnership Mirrored Walt & Jesse’s
Saul Goodman never had his own Jesse Pinkman, but the relationship between Jimmy and Kim mirrored Walt and Jesse’s in many ways. Kim was never Jimmy’s sidekick, but there was a sense of partnership at the chore of their relationship that felt quite like what Walter and Jesse achieved in Breaking Bad. Of course, Jimmy and Kim’s relationship was also romantic, but they always felt more like “partners in crime” than lovers. Jimmy and Kim were together right until the very end, even though their relationship had major ups and down. This is exactly what happened to Walter and Jesse, whose partnership defined Breaking Bad.
7 Jimmy Joined The Cartel Through Tuco Salamanca (So Did Walt & Jesse)
As much as Slippin’ Jimmy was always looking for trouble, Jimmy only became a friend of the cartel by accident. After the skateboarders followed the wrong car, Jimmy McGill ended up knocking on the door of Tuco Salamanca’s house, a moment that would change his life forever. Jimmy’s brief interaction with Tuco Salamanca in Better Call Saul’s “UNO” set off a chain of events that eventually led to Saul Goodman becoming Lalo Salamanca’s lawyer and a friend of the cartel. In Breaking Bad, Walter and Jesse only truly entered the game after they started working for Tuco, who escalated their operation.
6 Jimmy’s “Lightning Bolts” Scene Was Better Call Saul’s “I Am The Danger”
Breaking Bad’s “I am the danger” scene is one of the show’s most memorable moments, as it summarized what Walter White had become. The thought of Skyler being afraid that something could happen to Walter was insulting to him, which led to Walter’s monologue about how he was the danger. Walt enjoyed being a criminal, not necessarily because of the money, but because of the power. Despite all the horrible things he had done, Walter White was proud of being a criminal. While the “I am the danger” scene may sound like a “cool Walter White moment,” it showed just how pathetic Walt had become.
Better Call Saul’s “lightning bolts shoot from my fingertips” scene was the show’s equivalent to Breaking Bad’s “I am the danger.” While Jimmy’s rampage about how working at HHM would be small for him played out as a comedic moment, it achieved the same thing as Walter White’s “I am the one who knocks” monologue. Just like Walter, Jimmy was insulted by those who thought he needed any help. Also like Walter, Jimmy was proud of being a criminal working with the cartel, which made him feel bigger and more important than Howard and HHM.
5 Howard’s Death Affected Jimmy Like Hank’s Death Impacted Walter White
“Ozymandias” is widely considered the best Breaking Bad episode and one of the best pieces of television ever made. Hank’s death in Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias” changed the show forever and made Walter White realize just how destructive he had been to his family. Before Hank’s death, the thought of giving up had never crossed Heisenberg’s mind. After Hank died, Walter tried to gather his family to run away, leading to the heartbreaking scene in which the family falls apart. No play or master plan could save Walter from the consequences of Hank’s death.
Howard Hamlin’s death was Better Call Saul’s equivalent to Breaking Bad killing off Hank. Howard had absolutely nothing to do with Jimmy and Kim’s schemes with Lalo Salamanca and the cartel. In addition, now that Chuck had died, Howard Hamlin was strangely the closest thing to a family Jimmy had left. Jimmy and Kim’s recklessness and power hunger directly led to Howard’s death, even though Lalo was the one who actually murdered Howard. Even the way Jimmy fell on the floor in "Point and Shoot" mirrored Walt’s reaction to Hank’s death.
4 Jimmy McGill & Walter White Got Worse Each Season
Breaking Bad lived up to its title by having Walter White get worse each season. Whereas Breaking Bad season 1’s Walter White would make a list of ethical reasons why killing was wrong, season 5’s Walt ordered the murder of dozens of people as it if was nothing. Whatever moral compass Walt had at the beginning of Breaking Bad was gone by the end of the series, which is exactly what happened to Jimmy McGill. For example, whereas Jimmy was a friend of the elderly in Better Call Saul season 1, Gene manipulated and threatened to murder Marion in Better Call Saul season 6.
3 Jimmy & Walt Were Both Secretly Motivated By More Than Money
On the surface, Walter White and Saul Goodman were both driven by money. However, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul made clear that money was never the most important thing for Walt and Jimmy, respectively. While money obviously played a huge role in their journeys, Jimmy and Walt were looking for power, respect, and a twisted sense of self-confidence. As Heisenberg, Walter could go after everything he believed he was entitled to. Likewise, if Jimmy McGill could never be as successful as Chuck McGill, Saul Goodman could at least make more money than his brother could ever imagine. Jimmy had fun pulling off cons and schemes, just like Walt “felt alive” as Heisenberg.
2 Both Jimmy McGill & Walter White Went Into Hiding & Came Back
In addition to all the parallels between Jimmy McGill and Walter White, their stories also concluded similarly. Of course, Jimmy and Walt’s stories intersect from Breaking Bad season 2 onward, although Better Call Sauls Gene scenes take place after Walter White’s death. After “Ozzymandias,” both Walt and Jimmy went into hiding with the help of the vacuum cleaner services. Walter’s new life did not last too long, as he returned to Albuquerque to save Jesse and meet his ultimate fate. Likewise, Jimmy only spent a few months as Gene before returning to Albuquerque for Saul Goodman’s trial.
1 Jimmy Came Clean In Better Call Saul’s Finale (Like Walter White In “Felina”)
Better Call Saul season 6’s ending saw Jimmy McGill’s redemption happen at the very end of Saul Goodman’s trial. Saul had put together the perfect defense strategy and was ready to walk out of the trial with just a seven-year sentence. However, Jimmy finally came clear after multiple years of hiding his feelings and confessed all of his crimes in front of a judge. Jimmy listed all of his regrets, including telling the insurance company about Chuck’s condition and enabling Walter White. Walt previously had a very similar moment in Breaking Bad’s “Felina,” during which he admitted to Skyler that he did it for himself and not for the family.