Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad!
Better Call Saul season 6 is starting to feel like Breaking Bad, leaving some to wonder if that is a good thing. While the show takes place before the events of Breaking Bad, narratively it follows a very similar arc and deals with equally similar themes. This has been true for every season so far, but as tensions continue to escalate heading into the AMC series' final episodes, season 6 is the closest Better Call Saul has ever been to matching multiple aspects of its award-winning predecessor.
In the Breaking Bad timeline, Better Call Saul season 1 was set roughly six years prior to Walter White first discovering his cancer diagnosis, and the show has been slowly closing that gap ever since. In addition to Saul Goodman, the show explores other characters in the Breaking Bad universe, such as Gustavo Fring, Hector Salamanca, and Mike Ehrmantraut, in addition to other members of the drug trade. Throughout the course of the series, Saul has broken bad himself, hurting those around him, creating malicious schemes, and has even become a friend of the cartel. Better Call Saul begins to wrap things up as Saul and his wife Kim Wexler are in greater trouble than ever, with Gus' side of the cartel gaining power, and all the pieces are falling into place in order for the events of Breaking Bad to happen.
Better Call Saul's Breaking Bad DNA is really starting to show in season 6. Saul has followed a very similar character arc to Walter White, and soon the world will be crashing down around him. While these similarities could hurt Better Call Saul, making the show seem derivative, it actually helps it significantly. For many reasons, Better Call Saul being more like Breaking Bad is a good thing.
Better Call Saul Season 6, Ep 3 Is More Like Breaking Bad Than Ever
Better Call Saul season 6, episode 3, "Rock and a Hard Place" is the closest that the show has ever come to emulating Breaking Bad. While this episode is similar to Breaking Bad in terms of tension and technical choices, the big reason that the shows feel similar is thematic. Breaking Bad's final season is all about the characters facing the consequences of their actions, something that Better Call Saul season 6 is paralleling. While Saul's inevitable downfall is slowly starting, it is Nacho that tragically sees his story finished in this episode.
Ignacio "Nacho" Varga's character arc is concluded, with him choosing to shoot himself in order to escape the cartel. Nacho basically mirrors Breaking Bad's Jesse Pinkman, serving as the archetype of a young character who got mixed up too early and just wants to escape. However, while Jesse's El Camino ending is relatively happy, Nacho is forced to make a much sadder choice. Nacho and Jesse have a similar dynamic in the way that Saul and Walt do, and nowhere is that tragic arc more clear than in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 3.
Why Better Call Saul Has Gradually Become More Like Breaking Bad
One of the main reasons that Better Call Saul has become more like Breaking Bad involves Saul's relationship with the cartel. Early in the show's run, Saul's storyline and the cartel's storyline were relatively separate. Saul did occasionally cross paths with Mike, but for the most part, his conflict involved his brother and the Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill law firm. The cartel side of the show mostly focused on Nacho and his involvement with the cartel and the Salamancas, with Nacho and Saul rarely interacting. Starting with Better Call Saul season 5, however, the two storylines were frequently interwoven. The show mainly focused on Saul becoming a cartel lawyer and trying to handle the pressure put on him by Lalo Salamanca. Season 5 and the beginning of season 6 have seen Saul slowly realizing that he is in too deep, something Walter White struggled with at the end of Breaking Bad. The encroaching presence of the drug cartel is making Saul risk everything he has, and much like Walt, Saul must perform a delicate balancing act in Better Call Saul season 6 or it will all fall.
Another major reason the show has become more like Breaking Bad has to do with the shifting relationship between Saul and those he loves. Much like Skylar White in Breaking Bad, Kim Wexler has started to catch onto Saul's schemes. Now in Better Call Saul season 6, Kim is encouraging Saul, with the duo planning a scheme to bring down rival lawyer Howard Hamlin. Other characters, however, are taking the opposite stance. Huell, for example, has started to question Saul and Kim, disapproving of the actions they are taking against Howard. Much like Walt's secret in Breaking Bad, Saul's mischievous side is starting to become apparent to those around him, making a stressful balance even more difficult.
Is Better Call Saul Becoming More Like Breaking Bad A Good Thing?
The fact that Better Call Saul is becoming more like Breaking Bad is definitely a good thing. Many consider Breaking Bad to be one of the greatest television shows ever made, so on its face making Better Call Saul more like it is a good thing. While Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad are different storywise, they both handle similar themes, have similar tones, and use similar techniques that make the shows stand out. Having the two shows feel so similar also makes them feel like a shared story, rather than two separate ones. Some spin-offs that share the same characters are made by different creatives and feel different overall, making them feel separate from the original shows that spawned them. However, Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad could be presented as one long series, as the creative forces behind them have weaved them in a way where the two go hand in hand. The two shows have equal levels of quality and storytelling, linking the two together in a way that ensures one won't stand above the other in the future.
Why Better Call Saul's Ending Will Still Be Different To Breaking Bad's
As was mentioned earlier, Saul's character mirrors Walt, and Nacho's character mirrors Jesse. This would be a problem if both characters ended their arc in the same way as their Breaking Bad counterparts. However, Saul and Nacho's arcs are on opposite trajectories. Much like Jesse, Nacho wants to get out of the criminal underworld he has become a part of. However, instead of successfully escaping in the way that Jesse does, Nacho ends up killing himself, knowing that there is no path for him to be free. The dynamic between Saul and Walt functions in a similar way. Whereas Walt decides he wants to go all in and build an empire, Saul maintains that he wants to become a good person. However, whether it be due to his greed or the influence of Kim, Saul always slips up and falls back into his Slippin' Jimmy ways. Furthermore, Walt eventually gains redemption, sacrificing himself to save Jesse. Since Better Call Saul is a prequel, though, it is known that Saul will not escape his fate, with him eventually becoming a shady criminal lawyer and losing everyone he loves.
There is one other way Better Call Saul will end differently, though. Throughout the series, the show has presented small glimpses of the events in Saul's life that take place after Breaking Bad. At the end of the series, Saul gets relocated to Nebraska where he manages a Cinnabon under the alias Gene Takavic. These snippets of Better Call Saul's Gene timeline have shown Saul's ever-growing anxiety as he attempts to start his life anew. Presumably, the show will give resolution to these flash-forwards at the end of Better Call Saul season 6, which could have Saul receive punishments for his crimes, forever live a guilt-ridden life on the lam, or have a shot at redemption. In the end, Better Call Saul season 6 is not a copy of Breaking Bad, but an alternate look at the show's themes and style, something that makes both shows even better.
Better Call Saul releases new episodes Mondays on AMC.