Written by John Edward Betancourt Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season six premiere of ‘Better Call Saul’. To revisit the season five finale, click here. Over the course of five, illustrious seasons… fans of the AMC series, Breaking Bad, and fans of good storytelling in general… have been treated to quite the stunning ride by way of the show, Better Call Saul. For this series has been nothing short of a masterclass in tragic storytelling, since we’ve all watched with bated breath, the slow corruption of the soul of one James ‘Jimmy’ McGill. One that has brought him closer and closer to a transformation of sorts, into the beloved slippery lawyer named Saul Goodman… who captured our hearts and minds with his endearing brand of smugness and scumbaggery in that aforementioned iconic series, and much like the drug kingpin he helped out in that tale, his transformation has left us pondering upon one giant question. Specifically, what it will take, to finally motivate Jimmy McGill to abandon the last vestiges of the good man we’ve spent time with, and embrace the wonder and horror of Saul Goodman, and the unfortunate fate that awaits him by way of his tragic relationship/partnership with Walter ‘Heisenberg’ White. And thus far, the series has toyed with the possibility that his brother’s death or spending a year in legal exile might have been the root causes of that change. But even those tough moments haven’t quite pushed Jimmy over the edge just yet, but now that we are in the endgame of his powerful journey… the truth and that powerful moment will indeed be revealed to us and one could say, that the groundwork of what might finally motivate Jimmy to break from the norm and be bad was laid down during last night’s two-hour season six premiere of the show. For ‘Wine and Roses’ and ‘Carrot and Stick’ presented us with a fascinating possibility as to what could motivate a man to transform in such an incredible manner… but before we dig too deeply into those possibilities, we need to take a moment and discuss some other important moments in this epic and sweeping story. Specifically… how these two tales set the stage for heartbreak and sorrow when it comes to Nacho and his quest to be out of the life and the game. Since these two episodes focused upon him and his plight as well and sadly, Nacho was put through the wringer in this tale. For when we catch up with him, here, he has indeed escaped the assault upon Lalo’s compound, but he wasn’t safe in the slightest. Because Lalo of course, survived and wanted revenge for whomever wronged him and of course, dark forces led by Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring kept life interesting for Nacho as well, since Gus was playing both sides to build his empire. To the point where Nacho was basically stuck between a rock and a hard place in this tale. Wherein he was hunted and afraid and watching his back at every turn and while his vigilance kept him ahead of some surprises involving those who wished to do him harm, it wasn’t enough to stop the Twins from finding him and eventually capturing him in a sequence that undoubtedly put everyone on the edge of their seats as they impatiently and nervously waited to see if by chance, Nacho would escape. But while it was both wonderful and harrowing to see that Nacho is alive at the moment, the time has come to discuss the important moments that took place in this story regarding Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler and the potential groundwork that was laid down for Saul’s official birth. For when we catch up with this dynamic duo in these tales, they are going full bore into bringing down Howard Hamlin. In fact, they’re so eager to force the Sandpiper settlement and ruin Howard in the process, that they are playing as dirty as they can. Even going so far as to get into Howard’s country club in order to plant what looks like cocaine in his locker, so that Clifford Main can see it. In order to build doubt in the union that these two law firms have put together and when that doesn’t give them the exact result they want, they take their machinations one step further, by way of a blast from the past. Since Jimmy took the time to reunite with Betsy and Craig Kettleman, to also sow doubt in their minds that Howard did them dirty by being high throughout his defense of them, and that he could in fact, overturn the conviction because of this and get them their life back. But of course, they harbored zero trust for Jimmy’s and instead, the Kettleman’s spoke with Clifford about such matters and when they don’t hear what they wanted from him, they went after Jimmy hard and threatened to take the lie public, and that brought about… one powerful moment. Wherein Kim unleashed her own brand of darkness to keep them quiet, the kind that put Betsy in tears and left Jimmy shocked at what Kim had to say and well, while doubt was once again sown in Howard’s ability, and Jimmy was safe from any blowback on this matter… Kim’s brutal behavior was troubling for certain. For it not only spoke to the reality that she is indulging in the darkness further, but that her desire to harness it… might be the catalyst for the truth birth of Saul Goodman. In fact, she even spoke to what kind of car Saul should drive and the excess of success he should project and those thoughts, and her actions and Jimmy’s response could infer that Kim’s journey into darkness is what will be the final straw for Jimmy McGill. For he has always admired Kim for her honesty and her honor and her desire to always flirt with the darkness but never fully embrace it. But if she does so because of Jimmy and his actions… well Mister McGill might never recover from that. For that would inform him that his brother was right about him and that his actions and influence have corrupted the one thing he saw as pure in this world. Which would be all the reason he would need to abandon any sense of good and embrace Saul Goodman and all that he stands for and that was a fascinating epiphany/possibility to come up in this tale. One that is as tragic as it gets. But alas, only time will tell if that is indeed the deciding factor in such matters or if there is another surprise awaiting us regarding Saul’s genesis. But one way or another, the truth as to how he transformed into that man will be revealed and it will be sobering and tragic in nature, and it will undoubtedly lead to one powerful ending to this incredible series… one that will stick with us for a long time and leave us in awe. But before we arrive at the conclusion of Jimmy’s harrowing journey, we have a lot of big moments waiting for us and it will be both stunning and heartbreaking to watch them play out as the final season of Better Call Saul continues along. Until next time.
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