IS BETTER CALL SAUL'S, SAUL GOODMAN ON HIS OWN ROAD TO DAMASCUS?

Better Call Saul, An Overview of This Season So Far & Reviewing Episode 8 “RICO”

Let me just start by saying I think AMC's Better Call Saul is a brilliant show and everything I write about moving forward could be totally wrong in reference to the progression of this series. Nonetheless, that is sort of the point, reviews through the lens of my personal, biblical perspective, so, I digress. I remember reading an article in the October 2013 issue of The Hollywood Reporter about how show creator, Vince Gilligan was terrified over the current success of Breaking Bad and as that season in his life was coming to an end there was a looming terror about what was going to happen next. He holds a certain child-like anxiety about being able to succeed more than once in life, especially in doing something well. This is something I’m sure many, including myself can relate to. With that is a twofold idea that may be even more common to others, which is being able to succeed at all and to do that without becoming morally bankrupt. For Christians, the battle is not to go through life devoid of Christ…

Ironically this is what Better Call Saul sort of feels like for James “Jimmy” McGill aka Saul Goodman; making him a very relatable protagonist or dare I coin a new characterization phrase – a la “anti-hero-lite”. This seems to be where Saul lands for me as a character, FYI I will refer to Jimmy as Saul throughout this review. As the possibility of flashing forward past Cinnabon paranoia from the pilot episode is almost certainly imminent; I’m quite convinced that at some point in the near future Saul’s name should be changed once more to Paul – likened precisely to the same name with a biblical origin. Even if it is my very own personal/spiritual assessment, I’m almost certain that Saul is on his own televised version of the ‘road to Damascus’, oh to be blind, then finally see. And when the scales fall off, even if his moniker change isn’t exactly a literal one and is more practical in a figurative sense it is really incidental in the interim as we are witnesses to this moral transition happening in the earlier years of Saul’s life.

I’m unequivocally convinced that if Breaking Bad’s Mr. White was, as Vince Gilligan once eloquently put it as ‘Mr. White was always a bad person’ and that his cancer was just a trigger -- giving Mr. White a reason to act on who he truly was – Saul GOODMAN is and has always been a “good man” Mr. White’s exact opposite. As Mr. White was faced with a challenge, no matter what, he for the most part successfully reacted to the circumstance with the worst behavior possible. Saul, on the other hand, may instigate a bad situation and because of that bad choice he is put in an even worse situation or circumstance. The difference with Saul is that he seems to always be overridden in his decision making by his conscience and will decide in the end, whatever end that may be for him – it is the opportunity to make a choice towards doing the right thing. Now for clarity, I am by no means saying Saul is a “good person” but I believe, in theory, this is how he’s being crafted in the writer’s room.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.” - Mark 10:18, a very powerful verse.

Reviewing Episode 8 of Better Call Saul “RICO”

Episode 8 enters highlighting that child-like anxiety I mentioned earlier via a flashback, Young Saul working in the HHM mailroom has passed the bar and is congratulated with a big smooch from a young Kim. Sure he did it via community college with a transfer to University of America Samoa Law School, “Go Land Crabs” Saul spouts as he reservedly seeks his older brother Chuck’s approval and a job at the firm. It is pointed out by Chuck that Saul has possibly labored in the mailroom for years while attending law school in secret. FYI that child-like anxiety also includes seeking the approval of elders, Saul does get a lukewarm, but hardy “You’re a regular Charlie Hustle” from Chuck and a younger Hamlin, but, in short, Saul is unsuccessful in gaining anything more, specifically a gig at the firm. Flash forward as Saul continues to MC Bingo games and solicit the resident blue haired clients at the Sandpiper Retirement Home, in what seems to be his attempt to corner the market in elder law. He’s is hit with a bit of good conscience once again as an elderly woman seems to be short on cash in paying his steep attorney fee of around $120 bucks. The woman mentions once she receives her “allowance” from Sandpiper she will pay up. The thing about Saul is you can’t hustle a hustler and he instantly smells a scam. Here’s where I drop some word.

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27

James 1:27 is for those out there who like to use the term “I’m not religious.” Uh-hum (clearing my throat) this scripture can also be applied to the paragraph below in regards to Mike and his daughter-in-law.

Mike reconnects with his daughter-in-law as a babysitter. He loves his granddaughter and his widowed daughter-in-law expresses being overwhelmed by bills along with guilt over an envelope of dirty money. Mike encourages her to spend it doing what needs to be done; meanwhile he is led back to the vet who tended to his gunshot wound. Now Mike is looking for work, “Tell me what the job is and I’ll tell you if I can do it or not.” Mike quips.

Back to Saul as he is off to the races to find out what’s happening at Sandpiper and he’s onto something, unfortunately, Sandpiper knows it. Saul visits with Chuck just long enough to peek his interest once again, this, after intentionally leaving a ton of paperwork behind in episode 7 in hopes that it would spark Chuck’s interest. Chick McGill is a stickler for details but unfortunately not always the bigger picture, this interestingly enough is why he needs Saul. Chuck has now completed the workload but not without assuring Saul he is uninterested in being a Tom Sawyer type pawn, to be fooled into painting the proverbial fence. Saul brushes over Chuck’s idle complaint by letting him in on the news/evidence that Sandpiper is more than likely scamming its residents, Chuck duly notes his discovery by asking “You found this in work I completed?” He gains his brother’s approval at that moment and Saul, of course, downplays the moment. Nonetheless, Saul is a gifted scammer and so as scripture notes in…

Proverbs 18:16, “A man’s gift makes room for him and leads him before important people.

Upon his return to Sandpiper, Saul is kept out and in the process witnessed Sandpiper doing an obscene amount of paper shredding. After doing some unnecessary dumpster diving, Saul hits the shredded paper jackpot, then he’s back at Chuck’s for “room to work” as he sorts out the millions of fine colorful paper strips from half a dozen trash bags. The next scene is an Argo-esque plot right from the Ben Affleck Oscar Award winning film a couple years back where middle-eastern, child laborers are enlisted to rebuild images of shredded paper that hold wanted American faces.

Get ready for another God moment to appear once again, wait for it, it’s a hallelujah moment… Saul is exhausted and so his brother gets him a pillow and of course Chuck begins the trying task of piecing together shredded paper in hopes to find some form of evidence. When Saul awakens Chuck has virtually completed piecing together four bags or more of documents and he announces a smoking gun and what could be the makings of a possible class action lawsuit. Saul is blown away and Chuck wants to partner with Saul. This is the hallelujah moment… !

Genesis 2:18 “The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Genesis 2:21 “So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.”

Between those two verses, Adam has God given work to do, which is naming animals along with his own agenda, seeking help in Kim. He’s tired and unfortunately Saul has found no suitable helper in working alone... In the Bible, Adam falls asleep and while sleeping God gets the job done by giving Adam a helper suited for him! Hallelujah!

This is a similar moment for Saul who while resting finds Chuck, so to speak, at the very least the Chuck of old who’s engaged and excited. Of course Chuck is not a woman, nor is he a wife but he is Saul’s suited helper and after Saul has tried on his own for a helpmate i.e., he was given the best one while he slept. Oh, come on and shout you know that’s good stuff. Okay, back to the episode, Chuck later sits with an opened mouth dumbfounded look as he and Saul are in a face to face meeting with Sandpiper’s shady lawyers. The lead lawyer acknowledges Chuck and his past legal courtroom dominance and a presumed destiny into greatness. The lawyer offers a faltered attempt to honor Chuck’s failed greatness by offering a mere 100k settlement for clerical errors and glitches with no admission of wrongdoing. Chuck’s look instantly becomes stoic as he demands an unapologetic $20 million dollar settlement. This in Chuck’s mind is based on the lawyer letting out information about multiple Sandpiper locations with clerical errors. And so begins the makings of something greater than a class action suit, a RICO case.

Later Chuck is so excited about working on the case that he leaves the house to grab paperwork from Saul, with no regard for his “disease.” When Chuck realizes what he’s done, he stands in total shock and awe. Is Chuck completely healed? Saul watches in amazement as Chuck drops the box of paperwork and FADE OUT until next Monday.

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

I’m hoping in episode 9, Chuck doesn’t faint.

Watch a preview of episode 9 below: Chuck's New Job.

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