SPOILERS AHEAD FOR BREAKING BAD AND BETTER CALL SAULBreaking Bad and Better Call Saul have been praised as some of the best contemporary TV out today, with the former exploring Walter White's demise as the drug kingpin Heisenberg and the latter detailing Jimmy McGill's corruption and descent into the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. Indeed, to really understand the beauty of their stories, it's important to treat Breaking Bad's Walter White and Heisenberg, as well as Better Call Saul's Jimmy McGill and Saul Goodman, as separate characters.
Metaphorically speaking, Heisenberg buries Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Saul Goodman buries Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk). The worst of them come out, and these dual identities break down into two important aspects of the shows: lies and love.
Breaking Bad: Heisenberg - The Lies We Tell Ourselves
There's no reason not to believe Walter White doesn't love his family, and some part of him believed his path to Heisenberg was paved for them. However, by the time White takes on the name Heisenberg and he and Pinkman grow beyond the RV, that's no longer the truth. He'll tell Skyler, he'll tell everyone that he is cooking meth to provide for his family once he's dead and gone, but that's not true. Somewhere along the way, the man who was devoted father and chemistry teacher Walter White was buried by the drug kingpin Heisenberg. As he admits in the finale of Breaking Bad, he didn't do it for his family--he did it for himself. He was genuinely the best at something, and as he once told Pinkman, waiting for that to happen in life is a crime. The entire time, he is lying to himself, using his children and the love of Walter White for his children to justify his actions.
But Heisenberg is a selfish murderer and kingpin. Perhaps it can be argued that, at the end, he was Walter White again, but that's not really true either. He may have set up a contingency so that his children would get his money, but he went after his legacy knowing he would die. He saves Jesse Pinkman because of their partnership, this is true, but it's also to save his recipe. The blue meth will ensure that Heisenberg/Walter White is a name never forgotten. Somewhere along the way, it's clear that Heisenberg didn't just bury Walter White, he killed him. He killed the love he had in his life, and he lied to justify his actions. Heisenberg was beyond redemption, but he's a name no one would ever forget.
Better Call Saul: Saul Goodman - The Things We Do for Love
And, when Better Call Saul was announced, many expected to see how this worked out the same for Saul Goodman, except it doesn't. Better Call Saul is both prequel and sequel, and it introduces viewers to Jimmy McGill, a name never heard once in Breaking Bad. Where Heisenberg had love but never appreciated it, it's what McGill sought. He had a bad past as Slippin' Jimmy, but when he redeemed himself, it wasn't about the money, nor was it about the law. It was about earning the love and respect of his brother, Chuck. He was prone to cutting corners, taking shortcuts, and undermining the "right" way to do things, but he was never a bad person. His early dedication to the law is proof of that, but it was never enough for Chuck.
It was when the court and everyone pushed Jimmy into facing Chuck and Chuck's name, after everything Chuck did, that he adopted Saul Goodman. It was running from that name, and even as Saul Goodman, he had the love of Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn). This was true even when she discovered he was a "friend of the Cartel," and after what he did for Lalo Salamanca, he substituted his brother's love for the love and respect of crooks he was able to get off of hard sentences. Still, in all of this, Jimmy and Saul fought back and forth for control of their public image. But when his worst scam gets out of hand, Lalo kills Howard Hamlin (a man who both Jimmy and Saul were jealous of because he had Chucks respect). This crossed a line for Kim, who told Saul that they were bad for each other. This reaction made sense, but it wasn't true. Kim Wexler was good for Jimmy McGill, but she was better for Saul Goodman.
Kim Wexler was very much Saul Goodman's conscience, and when she leaves his life, Jimmy McGill is buried semi-permanently. This is revealed when Heisenberg and Saul Goodman discuss their regrets. Heisenberg's, of course, revolves around money, while Saul Goodman lies and says he doesn't have any. He couldn't face the life of Jimmy McGill.
The Lies and Love of Heisenberg and Saul Goodman
The years that followed, Jimmy McGill was never a thought. It was money; all Saul Goodman cared about was money, because all the love in his life had been denied or taken away. It was all a lie. Jimmy, as Saul, only cared for money, and that's the lie he told himself. What he truly wanted was the approval, respect, and love of those he cared about. During the Better Call Saul season finale, it shows how Saul Goodman had these things as the criminals on the bus chanted his catchphrase. But it wasn't real, and he had to face this. Realizing his real love, Kim, was endangered because of Hamlin's death, he reveals and admits to so much in court that, hopefully, Kim's actions are small in comparison. He reclaims the name Jimmy McGill, because that was the name Kim loved and cherished and respected. His cigarette with her was worth more to Jimmy McGill than the bus of criminals chanting the name of Saul Goodman.
Heisenberg was the opposite. Saul lied to himself, claiming it was all about money, when he wanted love and respect. Heisenberg lied to himself, claiming it was about love, respect, and a little pride when it was all about his money. Both went out on their own terms. Jimmy McGill may never leave prison because of the crimes of Saul Goodman, but the love and respect of Kim Wexler will never leave him again. Heisenberg may be dead, but his legacy will live on forever.
Better Call Saul's season finale aired earlier this year.