Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… lying about his name, his ethnicity, and just about everything else. This makes it difficult to know much about his life, except that he probably grew up somewhere in the U.S.A. in the ‘60s. A diploma in his office says he graduated from the law school of University of American Samoa with an M.A. in political science. Your guess is as good as ours whether the degree is legit.
Living… in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Don’t bother asking where.
Profession… criminal defense attorney at Saul Goodman & Associates. It’s unclear who his “associates” are, other than Francesca, his secretary, and Huell, his gargantuan bodyguard. Though his low-budget local ads don’t do much for his image, Saul Goodman is a shrewd and skilful lawyer. He maintains connections with the Albuquerque underworld, allowing him to provide services other (more ethical) attorneys can’t, like the moving of bodies and dispatching of pesky witnesses. As he tells his client Walter White, “I’m not in the shakedown racket. I’m a lawyer. Even drug dealers need lawyers, right? Especially drug dealers.”
Interests… making money, which may well happen if he keeps providing legal advice to his new associates in the meth manufacturing business, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. When Walter asks Saul if he’s helping them out of the kindness of his heart, Saul replies, “C’mon, have you seen my hourly rate?”
Relationship Status… no longer married. He probably had something going on with his secretary, Francesca, but who knows the status of that.
Challenge… staying alive, staying out of jail, and making money – though not necessarily in that order. His new clients/associates, Walter and Jesse, make the third goal easier to achieve but the first two are much more difficult.
Personality… sleazy and overbearing, yet quick-witted and knowledgeable about legal loopholes. He’s underhanded, dirty, and lies about nearly everything. He pretends to be Jewish for “business” reasons, and claims to have once successfully impersonated Kevin Costner at a party. Still, he can be pretty entertaining company.
Get to Know him in...
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Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White, a teacher by day, drug kingpin by night. After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, the J.P. Wynne High School chemistry teacher turned to the production and sale of methamphetamine to ensure his family's future financial security. Walt's knowledge of chemistry allows him to cook astoundingly pure meth, leading to a rapid—albeit tumultuous—rise in the criminal drug world.
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Better Call Saul is set six years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White. We meet him when the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and, often, against Jimmy, is "fixer" Mike Erhmantraut.
