In its second season, Better Call Saul became as good as Breaking Bad, the series it spun off from in the first place. It achieved this by finding a unique voice to call its own, refusing to feel just like its predecessor. In place of Walter White, a monster hiding in an everyman’s clothing, the series put us on the side of Jimmy McGill, the kind-hearted schemer whose every step toward “Saul Goodman” was like a jab to the soul. It’s a remarkable show, even if its very different tone hasn’t won over every member of Breaking Bad fandom.
So it’s not surprising that much of the marketing for Better Call Saul season 3 focuses on the character of Gustavo Fring, the popular Breaking Bad villain. What better way to convince those who fell off this (great) show (you fools!) to come back than to lean hard on something familiar? That brings us to this new promo, a training video for Los Pollos Hermanos where Fring teaches you, his future fast food employee, about communication.
The video makes great use of actor Giancarlo Esposito‘s comic timing – this is the Gus Fring we only saw in his earliest appearances, the good-natured businessman who runs his establishments with a pleasant smile and a friendly demeanor. However, the video does take things a step further and include a few gags about the not-so-little side business Fring is running through his chicken restaurants. It’s pretty amusing.
While it’s hard to say no to more Gus Fring (and who could say no to an actor as fun to watch as Esposito?), I certainly hope that the inclusion of a major Breaking Bad character doesn’t indicate a shift in tone for Better Call Saul. The show has been so careful with its direct connections to its parent series – it exists by itself and doesn’t require you to have watched every chapter of Walter White’s story to appreciate what’s going on. However, I trust showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould implicitly at this point. I fully expect Gus Fring to be gently worked into Better Call Saul‘s unique texture. Like with Jonathan Banks’ Mike, this series’ milder tone could allow for completely different angles of this character to be explored.
Better Call Saul season 3 premieres on April 10, 2017.
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