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Sunday, January 12, 2025

Breaking Dangerous Sequence Finale Virtually Killed Off Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman






One factor in regards to the brutal world of meth dealing on “Breaking Dangerous” is that there was by no means any assure a personality would survive. Sequence creator/showrunner Vince Gilligan and the writing staff considered killing off main characters fairly recurrently, like famously initially planning on killing Jesse (Aaron Paul) on the finish of season 1 or considering killing Sklyer (Anna Gunn) in season 5. The present would have been very totally different with out Jesse, who’s the true coronary heart and soul of the sequence, so killing him would have been an enormous mistake, and killing Skyler would have simply been pointless. Fortunately, the writing staff made the proper alternative in the long run and saved each characters from the chopping block.

Whereas engaged on the ultimate season and getting the large finale all found out, there was one other character that nearly ended up six ft underneath: Saul Goodman, performed by Bob Odenkirk. Saul is without doubt one of the present’s finest characters and even bought his personal prequel sequence, “Higher Name Saul,” so killing him off would have had main repercussions. It actually would have upset loads of the fandom on high of impacting “Higher Name Saul,” so it is nice that he was saved, however why did Gilligan even take into consideration killing him within the first place?

In a 2014 interview with Leisure Weekly, Gilligan defined why he virtually killed Saul and determined to pivot to simply killing Walt (Bryan Cranston) as a substitute, and it is fascinating to consider simply how totally different “Breaking Dangerous” and “Higher Name Saul” may need been.

The Breaking Dangerous finale virtually killed Saul

The “Breaking Dangerous” writing staff went forwards and backwards on whether or not or not they wished to exit in a “massacre” or do one thing a bit of extra restrained. Gilligan even stated that at one level, “we talked about killing off each main character” in a “‘Wild Bunch’ massacre of an ending.” They ultimately determined to again off a bit as a result of they realized that despite the fact that that ending can be dramatic, it would not essentially serve the story. And with Saul, they realized that it would not actually make sense for his character. As Gilligan defined:

“Saul Goodman is sort of like a cockroach, within the sense that he is most likely going to outlive all nuclear wars and he’ll nonetheless be on the market someplace after mankind has grow to be extinct. He is a survivor and subsequently it might be bizarre if he did not survive. Walter White, then again, bought a demise sentence within the first act of the very first episode. It might be lower than satisfying maybe if he did not die on the finish of the entire thing.”

It was completely very important that Walt died on the finish of the sequence to finish Walt’s arc, even when the chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-kingpin’s demise was the one second that made Gilligan cry. However when it got here to Saul, there have been some fairly large elements apart from his cockroach-like means to outlive practically something. 

No good cause to kill Saul Goodman

Gilligan admitted that whereas the impression killing Saul would have on “Higher Name Saul” was “most likely an element” of their choice to maintain him alive, the larger downside was that they simply could not give you a very good cause or strategy to kill him. There simply wasn’t that magical second once they all felt like they’d settled on the right strategy to take out Saul that will have which means and be narratively satisfying, so he figured, “Why trouble?”

He additionally identified that their involvement in “Higher Name Saul” did not imply a personality would survive “Breaking Dangerous,” after all, as Mike (Jonathan Banks) had a significant function within the prequel sequence regardless of being killed off “despatched to Belize” within the killer season 5 episode “Say My Title.” Characters weave all through “Breaking Dangerous,” “Higher Name Saul,” and the sequel movie “El Camino,” with fairly just a few dying onscreen in “Breaking Dangerous” lengthy earlier than showing in “Higher Name Saul.” (For those who’re confused on the timelines, don’t fret, we have got a primer on that.)

I am glad that they did not kill off Saul as a result of it might have forged a gloom over “Higher Name Saul” that will have been exhausting to disregard, and that sequence is actually unimaginable. And like Gilligan stated, Saul’s a survivor, a cockroach, the sort of man that simply would not go down due to Walter White.


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