The Real Meaning Of Better Call Saul’s Opening Credits Makes The Show Even More Tragic
There is a deeper meaning to the opening credits of Better Call Saul that makes the show even more tragic. The Breaking Bad prequel tells the story of lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), going back to when he was known as Jimmy McGill. Even though Saul was often a source of comic relief in Breaking Bad, many of Better Call Saul‘s best episodes are dramatic and tragic, and are sometimes even more emotional than iconic moments from Breaking Bad.
While Better Call Saul was mostly a prequel to the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), the spinoff also serves as a sequel to the original series. Each season begins with Jimmy now using the name Gene Takovic and working as the manager of a Cinnabon in Omaha, Nebraska. The sequel story, which is shown in black and white, becomes the focus in Better Call Saul‘s final episodes, and brings new context to the opening credits that play before every episode throughout the series.
Better Call Saul’s Opening Credits Were Meant To Emulate A Typical Saul Goodman Commercial
The Commercials Are First Shown In Breaking Bad
The Better Call Saul opening credits are meant to be reminiscent of the over-the-top Saul Goodman commercials seen in the prequel series and in Breaking Bad. The Saul Goodman persona and reputation largely develops and becomes more recognizable through these commercials. From the inflatable Statue of Liberty outside his office to a bus stop bench with an advertisement on it that shows Saul pointing, the imagery in the credits connects back to the commercials and the public image he created.
In every Better Call Saul season, the credits get glitchier and more distorted than in the previous season. This is because as Gene, Jimmy keeps watching the commercials, and these repeated viewings lead to the VHS tapes getting worn out and diminishing in quality. The first episode sets this up by showing Gene taking out one of the VHS tapes, putting it into a VCR, and watching the commercials, as he sadly observes the person he used to be. The commercials gradually losing color also tease how the final episodes will fully move into the black-and-white timeline.
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The idea of Jimmy repeatedly watching his old commercials to the point that they get worn out makes his time as Gene even sadder than it already is. He is still alive and is not imprisoned, but it is not much of a life as he remains obsessed with the past and unwilling to confront his mistakes. Part of why the Better Call Saul series finale is so effective is because he finally confronts his mistakes and takes accountability for them, which allows him to move forward instead of rewatching the tapes that contributed to him hiding from the truth.
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- Release Date
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2015 – 2022-00-00
- Showrunner
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Peter Gould
- Directors
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Vince Gilligan, Thomas Schnauz, Peter Gould, Michael Morris, Adam Bernstein, Colin Bucksey, John Shiban, Michelle MacLaren, Melissa Bernstein, Larysa Kondracki, Terry McDonough, Gordon Smith, Minkie Spiro, Jim McKay, Daniel Sackheim, Andrew Stanton, Norberto Barba, Rhea Seehorn, Scott Winant, Michael Slovis, Keith Gordon, Deborah Chow, Giancarlo Esposito, Bronwen Hughes
- Writers
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Ann Cherkis, Marion Dayre, Ariel Levine, Jonathan Glatzer
