A lesson, from Better Call Saul
At this point it is safe to say that Breaking Bad is one of the most known and recognised TV series in the recent time, if not ever. Let’s just take this fact into account: this article from The New York Times shows that a recent study made by Netflix itself revealed that Breaking Bad is [still] one of the most binge watched shows in the streaming platform. That’s huge.
And just ask around, I bet most of people will tell you that they have watched it whether they liked it or not. It’s a big phenomenon. And that is important to highlight because this is not a conventional show, it’s one that raised the bar in storytelling by presenting a story in a way that only a few do and that can be seen as boring by many. Among the multiple effective things Breaking Bad did, is the fact that they were really worried about telling the characters’ arcs in the most complete sense, specially the main one, and do it in a way in which it felt like real life.
But all this success and uniqueness that Breaking Bad brought, made me think that Better Call Saul was going to be just a copy of it for the sake of making more money out of the world Breaking Bad had created.
After watching Season 1 of Better Call Saul last year, I was thankful to know that they were not copying Breaking Bad or relaying on its stories to make this a good one. And now, after finishing Season 2, I confirmed that storytelling can be done with inspiration and even imitation at some levels, as long as it’s not a copy but a source to make a good job and tell a story.
Nothing is original, at least not entirely. But that doesn’t mean copying, literally, is right. Better Call Saul treats its characters the way Breaking Bad did, as elements of the story that have to be developed as much as they need and no matter how long it takes. The main plot and subplots are explored in a way that most of shows don’t do, because they are too rushed, but not here. And the good thing is that Better Call Saul, even though it makes use of some characters from Breaking Bad, doesn’t sort this only as a way for people to remember them and the previous show, but to tell their story and guide the plot the way it’s intended.
Aesthetically, both in the photography and art department, you know this is Breaking Bad’s universe but with some added features, with some changes; long shots are common, wide angle ones tell more than we imagine, and the care in composition is impressive to the level in which is obvious that every single shot is thought carefully.
To me, this is a true lesson and eye opening experience as a viewer and someone who also tells stories through audiovisual products, because society might teach us that we need to be original, and that’s true, as long as you recognise that originality isn’t being completely unique (because it is impossible) but being inspired about things and “adapt” them to your objectives and way of living, or in this case on what you want to tell and how you want to tell it.
