Like my fellow Chapter House columnist Ken Craycraft, I am a fan of the TV show Better Call Saul, and of its parent series, Breaking Bad, about which I wrote in the July edition of the magazine – although I must confess I have not read Ken’s recent Chapter House post in full to avoid spoilers for the finale.
When I first mentioned that I was going to watch Breaking Bad, a friend of mine on Twitter described it as “incredibly moral”. I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant, but having now watched it, and having watched almost half of Better Call Saul, I think I understand. Both programmes – which take place in the same universe, and were written by the same team, led by Vince Gilligan – portray evil realistically, with bad actions having grim and inescapable repercussions. Crucially, these repercussions are often long-term and unforeseeable or controllable; you may think, as Breaking Bad’s Walter White does, that you can enter the criminal underworld on your own terms and keep your hands clean, but you will soon be disabused of this notion. After just three episodes of Breaking Bad, White has already killed two men, and his moral trajectory doesn’t get any better, despite him starting the show as a mild-mannered teacher. Once you forsake the law and the norms of civilised society, the only way to resolve disputes is through the ability and willingness to apply violence.
Another way in which the shows are situated within a strong ethical framework is that they portray the misery associated with crime and sin. Few of the criminal characters seem to be enjoying themselves very much, nor are they making much use of their ill-gotten gains. The paranoia, mistrust and endless scheming inherent to their chosen way of life prevents them from relaxing, or partaking of the normal joys of life, for any sustained period of time, however much money they might have accumulated. The former cop Mike Ehrmantraut, for example, gains little from his many years of taking bribes from criminals, in terms of either material wealth or life satisfaction. The minor character Don Eladio, an organised crime boss, is a partial exception – he is usually seen relaxing by his swimming pool, drinking and carousing – but even he ends up being murdered.
In Vince Gilligan’s creations, as in real life, wrongdoing carries its own penalties. Those who live by the sword tend to die by it. And it is not just the individuals themselves who pay – families are destroyed too, reflecting the truth that our sins and failures are not just our own concern, but affect those closest to us. Walter White’s descent into violent criminality shatters his own immediate family, as well as that of his sister-in-law and her husband. Jesse Pinkman’s involvement in the drug trade results in the death of a friend, two of his girlfriends, and eventually the irreparable severing of his relationship with his parents and brother. Saul Goodman, the main character of Better Call Saul, has lost his wife Kim by the time we meet him in Breaking Bad, presumably due to his deepening criminality. In Better Call Saul his lifetime of scams, grifts, and outright thieving contributes to the premature deaths of both his father and his brother.
The moral stance of the two shows could perhaps be summed up by the old Spanish proverb: “Take what you want, says God, and pay for it”.
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