The Best of ‘Better Call Saul’ – Season 5

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘Better Call Saul’ Episode 308: ‘Bagman’
Original Air Date: April 6, 2020

​‘No, listen, it’s just little old me in my little old Suzuki Esteem. And there has never been more than fifty bucks in an Esteem in the history of Esteems. So, no one’s gonna look at me twice.’
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- Jimmy McGill

​If one were to try and pull forth a central theme from the majestic AMC series that is Better Call Saul, one would fail. Because the great American tragedy cannot feature just one theme or one concept to tell its tear-jerking story. It requires a collection of tough moments and heartbreak and deep exploration into how those concepts shatter the human psyche and drive it toward darkness. For tragedies are complex and harrowing tales and that’s why Saul will be regarded as of the finest of them to ever grace the world of storytelling. For its grand and sweeping journey through the rise and fall of Saul Goodman, held nothing back in its exploration of what makes a decent man abandon any hope of staying that way for the remainder of his days.
 
For we came to learn that family trauma and emotional abuse lays the groundwork for this kind of downfall. Since Charles McGill’s constant berating of Jimmy and outright belief that he was a failure and a stain upon the legal system… truly gave Jimmy cause to adapt his own brand of justice to the law in order to thumb his nose at a system that would not accept him in the slightest. Plus, in recent weeks we also came to learn that being rejected by the one person that truly loved and accepted him in this life… only contributed to the downward spiral that brought forth the sleazy and morally ambiguous lawyer that we met in Breaking Bad. But while all of those moments are powerful contributors to the creation of a broken man… over the course of this farewell retrospective, we haven’t talked all that much about the most critical reason as to why men like Jimmy McGill become men like Saul Goodman, and with good reason.
 
Simply because, we were saving the best for last if you will. For this is our final chapter in said retrospective and well… what better time to really explore what it is that made Jimmy break bad so to speak. Which was… specifically… choice. Because Jimmy had every opportunity to make himself a better man. He could have risen above Chuck’s berating and abuse and made a fine career in Elder Law or even general practice since the skills to be a great lawyer were always there. And of course, he could have forged a path in defending the needy a la Kim without all the bombastic nature of one Saul Goodman. But in the end, he chose this road, he chose to be angry and vengeful, and shady, and in true fashion for this series, the episode we spotlight today... features the moment that Jimmy McGill chose to embrace the kind of life that Saul Goodman was going to live.

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​For ‘Bagman’ is a masterful story that goes beyond the patented tension and violence that this universe is known for. Because while all of that was impactful and at times, outright terrifying… everything that happened after Jimmy and Mike Ehrmantraut survived the onslaught of bullets from waves of assassins, is what matters more. Because all the suffering that Jimmy endured, and it was great (after all, being forced to drink one’s urine… is about as ugly and low as it gets), should have been enough to turn Jimmy off of ever representing a client such as Lalo Salamanca ever again. For he really did face potential death out there in the desert, and the thought of not seeing his beloved wife ever again was also a fine scare.  But regardless of the pain and the suffering he endured in that heat with Mike… Jimmy found himself able to go on, with a little support of course.
 
In fact, Mike’s advice to him here about why he lives the life he does and why he pushes so hard to finish the mission… could have helped Jimmy to understand what he would obtain if he applied himself with the same drive and effort as Mike. But regardless of whatever it was that flipped the light switch in his mind, it flipped none the less, and his decision to help Mike take down their last target and push ahead with that money to make his cut and keep the Salamanca family happy, spoke volumes to a decision on Jimmy’s part. One where he came to realize that he really could make it as a lawyer that invited the wrong people into his practice. Because if a drug lord was cool with just dropping a hundred grand into his lap, imagine what others might pay. Which in turn, pushed Jimmy to just embrace the possibilities and be this man. Because the payoff and the security… would be worth the strife that he could easily reconcile. 
 
Which of course, he figured out how to do, by shutting off any moral center in his heart and his mind. Making this, a truly pivotal moment in the formation and future of Saul Goodman and truly, season five’s finest episode. Because this was a true Breaking Bad Universe story through and through. One that took us into the heart of the underbelly and one that also featured more stunning performances from the cast. With Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks leading the way with their tortured approach to being stuck in the desert for a few days and well… that is it nerds and geeks. We’ve reached the end of this farewell retrospective. For it is too early to declare which episode from the sixth and final season is the best, not with the finale awaiting us. So, we merely hope you enjoyed our selections for the best that this series has to offer, and we cannot wait to see how Better Call Saul comes to a close, when the series finale arrives on AMC… tomorrow. Until next time.

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