“Breaking Bad” spin off proves exciting

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Adam Staudinger, Assistant Web Editor-in-Chief

  With season 3 of AMC’s Better Call Saul coming to an end this last June, fans are anxious to know how Jimmy McGill becomes the infamous Saul Goodman.

  The exciting, new prequel to AMC’s Breaking Bad has received stellar reviews. The show’s stories are gripping, and it really stands on its own from the original.

  The biggest things that need to happen before the show enters the Breaking Bad timeline is the removal of Better Call Saul original characters. These characters include Jimmy’s love interest Kim Wexler, Jimmy’s eccentric brother Chuck, long time work rival Howard Hamlin, and New Mexico gangster Nacho Vagra.

  None of these characters appear in the critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad, which is set after the events of Better Call Saul.

  The season 3 finale of Better Call Saul leaves fans with the image of Chuck about to light his home on fire. No one is sure what this means for the character, or if it will result in his death.

  If the fire does in fact kill Chuck, it will explain his absence in the later continuity.

  As far as Kim Wexler, it is unknown what will happen to her. She does not appear in Breaking Bad, and it is clear that her and Jimmy are no longer a couple during the show.

  Whether or not she is dead or alive during the later show is unclear. In season 3, episode 4 of Breaking Bad, we learn that Saul/Jimmy had been married to a woman (who he calls his second wife) and that she had an affair with his stepfather.

  This might be a crazy fib told by Saul to convince and one up Walter, but if he is telling the truth this could be insight to Saul’s past.

  In Better Call Saul, it is unclear if Jimmy was previously married. Kim and Jimmy are not married in the show.

  If Kim does become Jimmy’s second wife and does in fact become romantically involved with Jimmy’s stepfather, this will be a crazy twist and an unusual act for Kim’s character.

  Anything is possible though, and the writers have around 7-10 years time within the shows to figure out what they want to do with their characters.

  Some others things that need to happen are the change in established characters, like Mike Ehrmantraut, Héctor Salamanca, Huell Babanix, and Francesca Liddy.

  We see Mike starting to gain connections to Gus Fring, working for him more frequently in Better Call Saul. He works for him full time in Breaking Bad, so as the audience we will see the transition in upcoming seasons.

  Perhaps the most baffling change is Hector Salamanca’s. In Better Call Saul, Salamanca is a normal, functioning human being. In Breaking Bad, he is confined to a wheelchair, using a service bell to communicate.

  In the season 3 finale of Better Call Saul, we see Salamanca suffer a drug induced heart attack. Perhaps this is what cripples him and takes away his ability to function.

  Finally we have the people who work under Saul, Juel and Francesca. We’ve met both in the prequel series, and both have started working with Jimmy. The show should expand on their loyalty to Jimmy and how they continue to work for him after many years.