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Next Monday, AMC will debut one of the most anticipated TV episodes of 2022: the series finale of “Better Call Saul,” co-creators Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan’s six-season spinoff of the hit drama “Breaking Bad.” At the Television Critics Association 2022 summer press tour, Gould and Gilligan said they did not want to overstate the universe of these shows, but did not rule out the possibility of a new installment entirely.
“Vegas metaphors are probably a mistake, but you just can’t keep putting all your money on red 21 over and over again,” Gilligan said. “We probably pushed it to do a spinoff of ‘Breaking Bad.'” I couldn’t be happier with the results, and then I did ‘El Camino’ [a ‘Breaking Bad’ sequel film]and I’m very proud of that, but … you should know when to leave the party.”
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“So I have no plans right now to do anything more in this universe,” he continued, before adding: “I know I was asked at the end of ‘Breaking Bad’ and I gave the same answer. I have to prove to myself that I’m not a pony. I love working with these people – I want to keep the band together no matter what, but with a different universe.”
Gould agreed, though he seemed a little more open to doing another project within the “Breaking Bad” world.
The total running time for both the series and the film is “a lot of time, a big investment to ask from the audience,” Gould said. “I couldn’t be happier and more proud of the work, but like Vince, I think there are a few other things I want to try. That said, I love Albuquerque. I love Bob [Odenkirk]. I love Rhea [Seehorn]. I love Vince [Gilligan]. So we want to keep as much of the band together and also never say never. Who knows how we will feel in a couple of years?”
Although fans will have to wait for Monday’s finale, titled “Saul Gone,” to have many of their questions answered, the penultimate episode, “Waterworks,” answered a big one: Kim Wexler (Seehorn) was indeed alive during the years that “Breaking Bad” took place.
“I don’t think we ever seriously [considered killing the character]. How are you going to kill America’s sweetheart? Do you remember ever talking about doing that?” Gilligan asked Gould.
“A lot of this show is about how you live with what you’ve done. How you live your life, as opposed to ending it,” Gould replied. “We knew that pretty early on.
Since Kim lives on, the episode also raises questions about how Kim feels about Jimmy (Odenkirk) after the events of “Breaking Bad.”
“I absolutely think she still has love for Jimmy,” Seehorn said during the panel. “Even in the heartbreaking episode where they broke up, it was never because she didn’t love him. That’s not how she came to the decision she made.”
Odenkirk shared the concerns he felt about how “Better Call Saul” would be received when it began.
“I completely split myself up and ignored those kinds of feelings and fears,” he said. “But the first time I was concerned about ruining the legacy of ‘Breaking Bad’ was when I saw that billboard go up after we finished the season. ‘Oh, shit, we’ve made a show that people are actually going to watch.’ is so used to being beaten down in Hollywood that you don’t even worry about people seeing it and judging it.”
“Critics and audiences, right away, were like, ‘Okay, they’re doing something interesting here.’ And I didn’t expect that. I give all the credit to audiences and critics for being sensitive and paying attention. But I also give credit to Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, who didn’t have ‘Breaking Bad’ runs until you were exhausted from it.”
And while Odenkirk is now much more confident about the show, when asked what he’s looking for in his own performance, he had one answer — he plans to rewatch the entire series in a few months.
“I think what I’m going to be most sensitive to is – Peter already knows this – I’ve become extremely sensitive to crying on screen. “I feel like real people don’t show emotion very often, and I’m worried that I’m going to see myself in tears too often,” Odenkirk said. “So I hope I haven’t. And I hope every time I’ve done it, it rings as true as Rhea Seehorn’s amazing scene. It turned out to be completely, soulfully true. So when I rewatch, I’m going to look for: Did I deliver the emotional moments that are really delicate? You have to be very truthful and honest about them.”
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