Vince Gilligan’s newest dark comedy on AMC, Better Call Saul, is the network’s biggest hit after the finale of last year’s Breaking Bad, with record numbers of viewers tuning in each week to watch the lovable snide character of Saul Goodman being born from Jimmy McGill. A large majority of the audience are no doubt former Breaking Bad fans, as well as casual viewers, and, like myself, mega-fans of the original who suffered TV-PTSD after the final season ended. These same viewers, however, are the ones with whom myself, Vince Gilligan, and Anna Gunn, the actor who played Skyler White, had problems. The overwhelming misogyny toward Skyler in seasons 3–5 astonished not only me, but the creator and writer of the character. Vince was shocked at the unprecedented backlash toward Anna, when all the other characters were lauded and praised; he had never intended for Walter’s wife to be seen the way the audience reacted toward her.
The first six episodes of Better Call Saul have been a Breaking Bad diehard’s dream, with subtle and not so subtle homages to Breaking Bad: Tuco Salamnac’s “return,” Mike’s backstory finally emerging, and seeing Jimmy McGill transform from a charismatic guppy to the confident Saul Goodman we know and love. In addition to this, the female characters of the show, whose back stories and importance to Jimmy are becoming clearer, are maybe the most important homage to Breaking Bad yet. Besty Kettleman, played by Julia Ann Emery, is named after Betsy Brandt, the actor who played Marie Schrader on Breaking Bad. Kim Wexler, played by Rhea Seehorn, is increasingly showing how much influence she has over Jimmy, who is a lone animal but takes her advice instantly over anyone else in his universe. When Kim simply mentions Jimmy entering elder law practice, not a moment later he is seen acquiring a suit a la Matlock, and beginning his business at the local senior center. She has an immense influence over him; they share a mutual respect that is non-judgmental, and in which Jimmy looks up to Kim and highly respects her advice and constructive criticism.
Vince’s intention was never to provoke hate toward Skyler, he expected viewers to sympathize with her situation and understand her ordeal, but instead, fans cyber-bullied Anna Gunn and were disapproving of her during conventions because of who she played and how she “stood in Walt’s way.” Vince called these people out as clear as day, saying, “With the risk of painting with too broad a brush, I think the people who have these issues with the wives being too bitchy on Breaking Bad are misogynist, plain and simple.” Anna Gunn had to go so far as to write a piece for the New York Times in which she asks the viewers and those who posted on online forums title “I hate Skyler White” to ask themselves why they have a distorted perception of wives and women, rather than continuing the hate of Walt’s wife.
The first season of Better Call Saul has been impeccable. Saul has always been shown in Breaking Bad as the solitary lawyer, who has some help from his criminal assistants, but otherwise keeps to himself, to his most protiftable clients, and his practice. However, Better Call Saul has introduced a plethora of characters who have played important roles getting Jimmy off the ground as a public defender and into a sustainable career as a lawyer with influential late-night commericals. The most recent episode, Bingo, focuses on Jimmy expanding his elder law practice while dealing with the return of the Kettlemans wanting his representation. This episode was beautifully directed by Gennifer Hutchinson, who worked on Breaking Bad but had not yet directed an episode. It was written by Head Writer… In this episode we see Kim Wexler, played by Rhea Seehorn as an extremely intelligent, quick, and well-mastered lawyer working diligently to give the Kettlemans the best offer they can get for their situation. It’s shown that Kim took these clients head-on and produced a very crucial deal with the DA, one that was difficult to get but could only be achieved by her. The Kettlemans, or rather, only Betsy Kettleman, refuses this deal, and they return to Jimmy McGill, where Betsy explains to Jimmy why they need him to represent her husband, Craig. Craig Kettleman has only spoken a few lines in this season; his timidness shows that Betsy has mastered this scandal, from the embezzlement, to the “camping trip,” to the discussion on how to remain innocent. Betsy and Kim carry this episode as opposites, but as by far, the strongest characters yet encountered by Jimmy.
So, is Vince making up for the backlash toward Skyler by handing the reigns over to these power women who write and direct the show, and create these strong female characters that no one would ever dare call shrew, or “henpecking”? It’s easy to see that Vince has a lot of respect for the women in Breaking Bad, going as far as naming Betsy Kettleman after one of the actresses from Breaking Bad, so it’s not a stretch to say he is amending any backlash toward Skyler, women, and wives in TV by introducing these strong female characters and giving them a significant role in rounding out the dynamic Saul Goodman. For someone who hides Easter Eggs in each episode, who meticulously goes over each color, angle, and minute detail of each scene, these facts are far too big to be a coincidence. I’ve been a huge fan of Vince Gilligan already for creating a masterful universe, even more when he stood up for Skyler, and now, he is the hero in the world of anti-heroes.
Originally published at elainembenes.wordpress.com on March 23, 2015.
