Fans of the popular Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul, need not wait until early 2016 to get another look at Saul Goodman (aka James McGill). AMC has just released a pair of photos to help whet our appetites for season 2.
Only one of the two shots is actually from the show, while the other features creators and executive producers Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould looking on at the action. The single image of action isn’t much, but it’s enough to get the wheels turning for fans: McGill, played by the brilliant Bob Odenkirk, is standing with two men facing him, clearly in a heated discussion about something. Is he being confronted? Is he doing the confronting? Might these be two potential clients? Enemies? With Jimmy McGill, you never know, and it could well be all of the above.
Related: Deflategate inspires Breaking Bad spoof showing Tom Brady destroying his cell phone
When we left McGill at the end of the first season, (spoiler alert) he had finally discovered in the second-last episode that it had been his brother all along that had no faith in him, and not the supposed evil enemy Howard Hamlin. He returns to his hometown, clearly distraught and defeated, where he meets with his former partner in crime (literally) and they conduct a few of their signature scams, for old time’s sake. Sadly, before McGill heads back home, his friend passes on. This is clearly a pivotal moment for the character, and one that sparks his spiral into the transformation of Saul Goodman.
A prequel of sorts to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul chronicles the life of mob lawyer Saul Goodman, who tended to steal every scene in the partner show. And clearly, Odenkirk has managed to keep viewers’ attention: the show broke records as 6.9 million people tuned in to the debut episode, making it the highest-rated cable premiere ever. And it managed to keep the momentum going through the season, ranking in an average of 5.9 million viewers, 3.7 million of which fell into the critical 18-49 demographic.
Better Call Saul is getting some industry kudos, too, having received seven Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Odenkirk, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Jonathan Banks, who plays Mike Ehrmantraut (a role he also played in Breaking Bad), and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Gordon Smith.)
What makes the show so great is that, while it’s heavily tied to Breaking Bad with tons of storyline overlaps and “Easter Eggs,” it also stands well on its own: anyone who hasn’t watched Breaking Bad could still easily tune in and “get it.” But for fans of both shows, it’s especially fun to catch some of the references, and get re-introduced to characters like Mike and Tuco.
The photos hail from the Television Critics Association summer press tour for the series, as shooting for season 2 is well underway in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The second season of Better Call Saul is set to debut some time in early 2016.
