saul for the character thingy
i’ll never pass up an opportunity to talk about my husband
SAUL GOODMAN AKA JAMES MCGILL AKA RACHAEL’S LOVING HUSBAND
WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE okay but seriously, saul is such a fascinating character. like everyone written in this universe, he’s got complexities and personality traits that clash with each other, but what makes saul especially stunning is the way those complexities present themselves. i think i can make the argument that most characters slowly and sequentially reveal their different flaws and strengths and what have you, but saul’s erratic. our first exposure to him is this bloviating loudmouth on a billboard, a middle-aged man in pastel pinks and sea foam greens trying to pry cash from anyone he can, but it’s also this calm, rational, borderline compassionate individual trying to help “uncle mayhew” bail his nephew out of a bad spot. he’s got a foot in the sleazy lawyer world and a foot in the world of righteous law and he’s not good at walking that way so sometimes he’s all or nothing-
and when you combine that with better call saul IT IS SO SATISFYING to see the character work bob odenkirk has done retroactively to create a man truly unsure of who he is, stumbling between two very real, very authentic personas
(and i mean c’mon look at the little shit with his comb-over and borderline irrelevant pop culture references and expired dojo membership, he’s a precious sack of shit)
what i dislike about them:
SAUL IS COMPLACENT TO JESSE’S SUFFERING and that’s hard to take. confessions is a brilliant episode but it’s also my big example of this: out there in the desert, when jesse gives that “stop working me” speech? saul should have realized in that moment that the fiction walt spun about stealing the cigarette being a savior for jesse was just that: fiction. the emotional turmoil jesse feels in that moment is more than evident, but saul doesn’t say a word. rather, he allows jesse to discover it himself which results in a pretty solid smackdown from young mister pinkman so i guess all’s well that ends well lol
every interaction saul has with skyler is the best thing to come from breaking bad ok no but seriously um, i always cry laughing when saul’s “massage therapist” calls him on his fly being down and he just matter of factly repeats her, “barn door.” it’s just something about his tone i dunno
wen jessi hit da babi law man in the babi law face :’(
a situation with this character that i want to see explored more:
*pounds fist on table* WHERE IS FRANCESCA’S STORY? WHEN SAUL SAYS HE’LL SEND HER BACK TO THE DMV IS THAT WHERE THEY MET? DID SHE DO SOME SHADY SHIT FOR HIM? TELL ME HOW THEY ENDED UP HERE
an interesting au for this character:
jack kerouac on the road au starring saul and badger, who travel the southwest discussing star trek, soylent green, and cash settlements.
am i joking or not you be the judge
law and order crossover, do i even need to say anything else? do i even need to narrate what kind of immaculate shit show that would be?
skyler/saul is burning in my heart and smoke is always in my eyes, i weep for it. also rly terribly into saul/jesse, so there’s that
this extends outside brba, but i really love kim and jim. maybe not even as a romantic ship, but as a friendship and as two people working and communicating, A+
hank/saul OKAY JUST HEAR ME OUT i know they have their shitty man banter and i know saul has probably mucked up hank’s job on more than one occasion but i don’t know they’re just like??? so smug with each other??? it’s endearing??
i don’t know if anyone ships walt/saul, if you’re out there, i’m happy you’re doing you but i don’t get it
an assortment of headcanons:
saul once burned his man part on a lava lamp on a party, drunkenly mistaking it for a groovy urinal and proceeding to relieve himself on it. sometimes clients’ children will leave their toys and trinkets behind in the waiting room, and francesca and saul divide the toys between themselves for amusement when the rare speck of free time arises. they’ve both got a full deck of yugioh cards now, and early in the morning before the doors open they throw down
