We are, at the time of writing, little over a month away from welcoming Bob Odenkirk’s fast-talking criminal lawyer, Jimmy McGill, back onto our screens in the form of Better Call Saul season 3.
If you’ve been keeping pace with the show’s production cycle – and if you’re a fan of Vince Gilligan’s brooding material, chances are you haven’t missed a beat – you’ll know all too well that the third season of AMC’s prequel series heralds the arrival of a menacing, downright iconic drug kingpin. And no, we’re not referring to Bryan Cranston’s scenery-chewing Walter White. Ol’ Heisenberg has been name-dropped in the past – along with literal partner in crime, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) – but it would appear the Gilligan and writing partner Peter Gould are keeping their more prominent chess pieces in the wings for the time being.
Instead, Better Call Saul season 3 (re)introduces Giancarlo Esposito’s glowering Gustavo Fring, the amicable Los Pollos Hermanos manager who moonlights as a power-mongering maniac – box cutter included. It’s a major step forward in tying the two universes together, and in anticipation of Better Call Saul returning to the airwaves, Odenkirk himself noted that this latest season offers our first peek at Saul Goodman – but not as you know him.
“For the first time, we get to see Saul Goodman. But not the way you think. You’ll get to see Saul Goodman, but he is not what you saw in Breaking Bad. That character will appear but in a slightly different form than you’ve seen it.”
The key art, embedded above, teases that transition in question, as Bob Odenkirk’s budding criminal lawyer looks on helplessly, his attire smothered in bright white paint. Indeed, the stripes look awfully similar to a prison jumpsuit, again reminding us of the fine line Jimmy walks between upstanding lawyer and seedy criminal. Jonathan Banks, Michael McKean, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian and Michael Mando are among the ensemble cast for the show’s third season, which is comprised of ten episodes in total.
Better Call Saul season 3 airs via AMC on April 10th.
