The Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul Universe is fucking awesome. It's by far my favorite fictional universe from any film/show. I love the characters, the stories, and of course how beautifully shot both shows are.
Vince Gilligan and crew executed one of the most thrilling fictional worlds I've ever seen. I love how it feels that characters who do wrong have actual consequences. Unfortunately innocent people get killed in the process, i.e. Howard Hamlin. I think the world is well developed and fascinating.
I also love the setting of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The desert scenery adds a wild west like vibe to the show that really works. I think it's a brilliant choice for the main setting of both shows.
There are so many insane moments in both shows that I can write a whole piece on it. If I had to name some of my favorite moments I'd go with:
Howard's death by Lalo Salamanca
Gus poisoning the entire cartel
Jesse killing Gale
The ending of Breaking Bad
Chuck's suicide
Nacho's demise after he tells off the Salamancas
Gus killing Lalo
Kim leaving Jimmy
Walt running over the drug dealers
Kim crying on the public bus
I know most of those are violent and disturbing scenes but the way they were executed shocked me. It's damn good writing!
I don't want this piece to be a battle against both shows. I love them both and they shouldn't have to face off against each other. If I had to pick my favorite of the two, I'd go with Better Call Saul. Still, Breaking Bad is perfect.
I prefer Better Call Saul because of the characters. Yes I know that a lot of characters from Breaking Bad are in Better Call Saul. I love how certain characters: Saul, Mike, and Gus, are more of the focus. The show revolves around two worlds, the lawyer side (Jimmy's story) and the crime side (Mike's story). I love how the show balances both and the eventual collide with Howard's murder by Lalo Salamanca.
I'm not saying I don't like the main characters from Breaking Bad. I like Walt's family and their storyline. My problem is Walk gets so unlikable (I know that's the point) that I would rather watch Jimmy McGill and Mike Ehrmantraut.
When it comes to what show has the better episode and season, that's tough. I think Breaking Bad wins when it comes to seasons because season 4 is goddamn perfect. The last half of that season is some of the best television I've ever seen. However, the first half of Better Call Saul season 6 is on that level in my opinion. It's insane.
I think Breaking Bad has the weakest of the seasons. Season 5A of Breaking Bad is good don't get me wrong but I'd rather watch Better Call Saul season 2 (my least favorite season of BCS) over BB season 5A.
Below I'm going to state which season I prefer from each show:
Breaking Bad Better Call Saul
Season 1 < Season 1
Season 2 > Season 2
Season 3 < Season 3
Season 4 > Season 4
Season 5 < Season 5
Season 6 of Better Call Saul is on its own.
Now the ranking of the seasons from both shows:
BCS Season 6
BB Season 4
BCS Season 5
BB Season 5B
BCS Season 3
BB Season 3
BB Season 2
BCS Season 1
BCS Season 4
BCS Season 2
BB Season 1
BB Season 5A
Here are my top 10 favorite characters from both shows:
Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman
Gus Fring
Kim Wexler
Mike Ehrmantraut
Jesse Pinkman
Nacho Varga
Lalo Salamanca
Chuck McGill
Hank Schrader
Walter White
My Top 10 Episodes from each show:
Fun and Games - BCS
Salud - BB
Chicanery- BCS
Crawl Space - BB
Point and Shoot - BCS
Face Off - BB
Five-O - BCS
Full Measure - BB
Plan and Execution - BCS
Half Measure - BB
Insane group of TV episodes. Some of the best ever.
I should mention El Camino is an awesome addition to this universe. I love that we get to see Jesse get away.
I could go on but I don't want to make this too long. Both shows are perfect and I love the world Vince Gilligan and crew created!
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