How ‘Better Call Saul’ Makes Us Better

One cannot heap enough praise on “Breaking Bad,” a television show that was so perfectly executed that it will forever remain one of the highest points in American television. Love Walter White or hate him (and by the end, he’s was highly hateable), the show was brilliant.

But now we have “Better Call Saul.” While not as flashy or suspenseful as its predecessor, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould of Breaking Bad fame are drawing striking parallels between the central characters of each show.

This is instructional not only for those who appreciate great television, but for what these characters teach us about the perpetual moral and ethical challenges we all face throughout life. At their core, both characters — Saul and Walter — demonstrate how deeply imprinted the need for self-respect is in the human psyche.

For Walter, his fatal flaw was a compulsion to prove to other people that he deserved respect — a compulsion driven by the fact that he utterly lacked any self-respect. Everything he does is ostensibly for the long-term care of his family. In truth, it is about tearing through everyone he comes across until they are either subjugated — or dead.

“Say my name,” he demanded, in one famous episode. There, in the simplest way, was his demand for respect. By then, however, he was no longer even Walter White. He was alter ego Werner Heisenberg, consumed by his own dark persona.

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Like “Breaking Bad,” we are witnessing another slow descent into moral decay with Jimmy McGill aka Saul Goodman. There are slight nuances to differentiate the two men, but at the core, Jimmy is no different. Jimmy has the capacity to achieve great things, yet he is in such a rush to gain the respect of his brother and lawyer colleagues that he shoots himself in the foot time and again.

We’ve not heard the complete story of Jimmy’s childhood, and older brother Chuck’s revelation that Jimmy was skimming from their father’s corner store cash box doesn’t seem entirely complete. We are meant to believe it, since the Jimmy we’ve seen so far has indeed been a petty criminal, decided to go to the best law school he could manage, and appears to have spent his entire adult life trying to earn his Chuck’s approval. He would readily admit he wasn’t the most upstanding young man, but he’s making a real effort to turn things around.

At best, it’s likely that there was severe sibling jealousy and rivalry for fatherly affection between these two men. At worst, Chuck reversed the truth – that he stole the money and pinned it on Jimmy, and their father bought the story. Chuck became successful and pompous, and Jimmy has spent the rest of his life trying to make up for something he didn’t do. Jimmy has internalized the lack of Chuck’s respect, thus turning him into (or keeping him) the lowlife Chuck believes him to be. Chuck’s electrophobia is the manifestation of his guilt.

As with anyone lacking in self-respect, Jimmy is determined to find approval from others, especially his brother. So he overcompensates. He falls over himself to take care of Chuck, to fight for Chuck’s position at the firm, and to be protective of him when necessary. He realizes at the end of Season One that this will never happen. So he decides to do things his way. If that means cutting a few corners, then — just like Walter White — so be it.

Walter was driven by his bitterness and resentment at his partners, who agreed to buy him out of their start-up for a small amount, only to see it explode into a successful business. Jimmy is driven by bitterness and resentment towards his brother. After all he has done for his brother, nothing will earn his respect.

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For both men, it becomes, “I’ll show them.” It can only go downhill from there. Not only does Jimmy rely on unethical actions, he sabotages himself by taking smart and creative actions but not following proper channels for doing so. For both men, the means do not matter. They totally justify the ends.

Thus there are not one, but two outstanding journeys of moral decay, and the reason both shows have found loyal audiences is they are directly reflective of the human experience. Both shows are deeply rooted in character psychology — psychology that is common to all humans.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs is a pyramid that shows what all individuals need in life. The base of the pyramid is basic physiological functions, followed by safety at the next level, and then love and belonging. Above that are esteem, and self-actualization at the top of the pyramid.

These are things we all need, and so audiences can identify with the characters seeking these things. This is why the shows are both critically important to our culture. They are cautionary tales of what happens when these fundamental human needs are not met, when we do not have parents and families and faith to support our development, when the culture places too much emphasis on material gain rather than self-actualization, and when firm moral values are replaced by “whatever feels right.”

It should be noted that with both Walter and Jimmy, the top two tiers of the pyramid literally crumble before our eyes, and in the end, collapse the tiers below. We know Walter ends up dead. We know Jimmy ends up in a kind of purgatory, or possibly worse.

Where will we end up?