In Breaking Bad, you follow Walter White, an overqualified high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque. When his wife is unexpectedly pregnant with their second child, Walter's world comes crashing down. The doctor has determined that he is terminally ill. Walter has lung cancer and doesn't seem to have long to live. To ensure that his family does not end up in a financial crisis after his death and also to pay for his own treatments, Walter decides to switch to a life as a criminal. With the help of Jesse Pinkman, a dropout student he taught chemistry, he makes and sells the drug crystal meth. As he continues to teach, the importance of chemistry in modern society comes to the fore in his lessons. His product is more than 99% pure and this fact is a recurring topic throughout the series.
Let's assume that the main characters are phenomenally portrayed by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. That said, during the second season a shady lawyer pops up at some point, his name is Saul Goodman. The character is made for and played by Bob Odenkirk. Towards the end of the second season, he has a very minor appearance, but the creators probably soon realized that they have struck gold. From the third season, Saul Goodman is a permanent cast member and that is one of the best decisions they have ever made.
Saul Goodman is almost indescribable. He is a shadowy lawyer who represents Walter and Jesse. His office can be located in all kinds of places, depending on the financial situation he is in at the time. In Breaking Bad he can mainly be found at a kind of shopping center along the road. Saul is a self-centered and unscrupulous lawyer who embraces his tactics as a former con artist and becomes involved in the city's criminal underworld. Ultimately, with his actions, he contributes to the development of the drug empire that Walter and Jesse are building. His dialogues are inimitable, phenomenal and a joy to watch. Always dressed in the most eccentric and colorful suits you've ever seen.
Bob Odenkirk says he was inspired by film producer Robert Evans for the portrayal of Saul Goodman. “I thought of Robert Evans because I listened to The Kid Stays in the Picture on CD. He constantly changes his cadence and his delivery. He highlights interesting words. He has a lot of attitude in almost every line he utters. So when I rehearse the scenes, I do my Robert Evans imitation to evoke those moments and twists in myself. Then I go to the set and do my interpretation of the character Saul Goodman.”
It's not often that an originally intended guest appearance turns out to be one of the most brilliantly written characters ever. It is therefore not surprising that the makers wanted to discover more with this character. They succeeded with the prequel series Better Call Saul. The main storyline in this series depicts Saul's origins as the serious lawyer Jimmy McGill and his moral decline in the six years before the events of Breaking Bad. It also features a sequel storyline where Saul lives under the assumed name of Gene Takavic, exploring the consequences of his actions in Breaking Bad.
The character of Saul Goodman and Bob Odenkirk's acting performances have received critical acclaim. He is often regarded as one of the greatest television characters of all time. Bob Odenkirk was nominated five times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in Better Call Saul. I don't think I'm saying too much that he can justifiably call himself a fan-favorite.
