History Characters / BetterCallSaul

* AmbiguousDisorder: Suffers from a weird electromagnetism sensitivity that may or may not actually exist (and Jimmy seems to think it doesn't).
* HeadInTheSandManagement: And, there are hints that this goes beyond attempts to manage his illness and change in circumstances. He may push the ethical side of practice, but the other partners of his firm don't seem to quite share his ethos and are quite willing to use his strong beliefs on a number of topics for their own ends. May have been an unwitting [[TheFace Face]], if not TheHeart.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Faces down [[spoiler: ''[[AxCrazy Tuco Salamanca]]'']] and persuades him to spare the lives of his two accomplices, convincing him to merely break one of their legs each instead of torturing and killing them. Keep in mind said accomplices had sold ''him'' out to Tuco the ''very second'' it became a viable option. Saul payed for their hospital bill even after they proved themselves to be [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful bastards]]. [[NiceGuy Saul's a class act, man.]]

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* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Faces down [[spoiler: ''[[AxCrazy Tuco Salamanca]]'']] and persuades him to spare the lives his two accomplices, convincing him to merely break one of their legs each instead of torturing and killing them. Keep in mind said accomplices had sold ''him'' out to Tuco the ''very second'' it became a viable option. Saul payed for their hospital bill even after they proved themselves to be [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful bastards]]. [[NiceGuy Saul's a class act, man.]]

* HiddenDepths: Despite his lovable coward persona, Saul can be pretty hardcore when he wants to be.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Faces down [[spoiler: ''[[AxCrazy Tuco Salamanca]]'']] and persuades him to spare the lives his two accomplices, convincing him to merely break one of their legs each instead of torturing and killing them. Keep in mind said accomplices had sold ''him'' out to Tuco the ''very second'' it became a viable option. Saul even payed for their hospital bill even after they proved themselves to be [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful bastards]]. [[NiceGuy Saul's a class act, man.]]

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Faces down [[spoiler: ''[[AxCrazy Tuco Salamanca]]'']] and persuades him to spare the lives his two accomplices, convincing him to merely break one of their legs each instead of torturing and killing them. Keep in mind said accompices had sold ''him'' out to Tuco the ''very second'' it became a viable option. Saul even payed for their hospital bill even after they proved themselves to be [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful bastards]]. [[NiceGuy Saul's a class act, man.]]

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Faces down [[spoiler: ''[[AxCrazy Tuco Salamanca]]'']] and persuades him to spare the lives his two accomplices, convincing him to merely break one of their legs each instead of torturing and killing them. Keep in mind said accompices had sold ''him'' out to Tuco the ''very second'' it became a viable option. Saul even payed for their hospital bill even after they proved themselves to be [[UngratfulBastard ungrateful bastards]]. [[NiceGuy Saul's a class act, man.]]

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Faces down [[spoiler: ''[[AxCrazy Tuco Salamanca]]'']] and persuades him to spare the lives his two accomplices, merely breaking one of their legs each instead of torturing and killing them. Keep in mind said accompices had sold ''him'' out to Tuco the ''very second'' it became a viable option.

A smart and hardworking lawyer with an ambitious two-year plan, Kim Wexler has worked her way up from humble beginnings to become one of the go-to litigators at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill. Kim's history with Jimmy complicates their working relationship, and may ultimately compromise her career goals.

Sun-kissed and patrician, Howard Hamlin is one of life's winners. Chuck's law partner in the wildly successful firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, Howard's good looks, charm and success are only part of the reason Jimmy can't stand him.

Before he became Saul Goodman - Albuquerque's notorious criminal lawyer - he was Jimmy McGill, a hardworking attorney struggling to make ends meet. He may not have a Cadillac or a degree from an Ivy League university, but Jimmy's buoyant optimism and quick wit make him a forceful champion for his downmarket clients. Jimmy's a legitimate lawyer, an underdog fighting to make a name for himself, but his moral compass and his ambition are often at war with each other.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: His first onscreen second shows him [[DeadpanSnarker rolling his eyes.]]

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Worriedly taking his time in a court bathroom practicing his speech to the jury, pacing around anxiously and quietly talking to himself. He then enters the courtroom confidently and does a ''stellar'' job at defending his clients.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ehrmantraut_michael_2381.jpg]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Better call Saul!"'']]

->''"If you're committed enough, you can make any story work. I once told a woman I was Creator/KevinCostner, and it worked because I believed it."''

A former criminal lawyer and the former principal attorney of Saul Goodman & Associates. He operated out of a cheap strip mall office and ran over-the-top late night TV ads advising potential clients they'd "Better Call Saul" when in trouble with the law, promising "I fight for YOU, Albuquerque!"

Saul serves as the lawyer and consigliere for Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, getting them out of several difficult situations over the course of their drug business operations. Dressed in flashy suits, Saul maintains extensive connections within the criminal underworld, and serves as a go-between connecting drug distributors, evidence removers, impersonators, and other criminals-for-hire.

* AffablyEvil: Sure, he might be involved in a massive drug operation that involves extortion, intimidation, money laundering, theft and even murder...but he's also a jovial fellow who's hard to dislike, even if he is sleazy.
* AintTooProudToBeg: Saul certainly isn't too proud to beg, as evidenced several times in the series, such as when Walt and Jesse kidnap him and later when Mike threatens to beat him. [[spoiler:After Jesse figures out that Walt poisoned Brock, he beats a confession out of Saul at gunpoint. The entire time, Saul is begging for mercy and trying to say that he didn't know what Walt was planning.]]
* AmbulanceChaser: Oh, yes: on the surface, at least. But, his practice is also waaaay more complex than just using frivolous lawsuits and compensation claims as business streams, though. His image of simply being one of these is carefully cultivated. See ObfuscatingStupidity below.
* AmoralAttorney: "Going gets tough, you don't want a criminal lawyer. You want a ''criminal'' lawyer, know what I mean?"
* BreadEggsMilkSquick:
-->'''Saul:''' Is there a God? How could he let this happen? Who did this to me? Who can I sue?"
* BreakoutCharacter: Is [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular]] among fans despite not being a lead character, and Vince Gilligan is trying to get him his own SpinOff show.
** ContractualImmortality[=/=]SavedByCanon: For the sake of averting both, Vince Gilligan and Bob Odenkirk refused to divulge if said SpinOff would be a sequel or prequel until ''Breaking Bad'' itself was over. The pilot was later, before the show ended, confirmed to be a prequel [[spoiler:and a potential series will likely be as well, because by the end of the series Saul is alive but is a wanted criminal using an assumed identity.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Saul comes off like a sleazy, cheap, two-bit lawyer, but he's actually a sleazy, cheap, surprisingly competent one. His legitimate (not respectable) lawyer business has him deal with frivolous lawsuits and class-action suits, sure, but behind closed doors he's connected and savvy like no one's business. He's the one that basically allows Walt and Jesse take the first step into creating an actual drug empire instead of merely selling their product however they're able. When he first meets Skyler, Walter has to reassure her afterwards that Saul is a lot more competent than he seems to be.
* CatchPhrase: "Better call Saul!"
* CloudCuckoolander: "I once told a woman I was Creator/KevinCostner, and it worked because '''I believed it'''."
* TheConsigliere: Saul is more than just a lawyer. He acts as Walt and Jesse's advisor and handles all of their business arrangements. He even lampshades it:
-->''"What did Tom Hagen do for Vito Corleone?"''
* DeadlyEuphemism[=/=]NeverSayDie: As of "Buried", he now refers to killing people as sending them to Belize. In "Rabid Dog", he even refers his suggestion to [[spoiler:put down Jesse]] as "an Literature/OldYeller type situation".
--> '''Walt''': You're full of [[UnusualEuphemism colorful metaphors]], aren't you, Saul?
* DeadpanSnarker: If there's a sarcastic line said, there's a ninety-seven percent chance Saul is the one saying it.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Saul was unwilling to give up Walt and Jesse to Gus, only doing so when Mike threatened to break his legs. Even then, he feeds Mike fake information, protecting his clients. In late Season 4, he puts himself in harm's way and agrees to tip off the DEA to the threat on Hank's life. In the Season 5 premiere "Live Free or Die", he is upset when he finds out that his participation in Walt's schemes led to [[spoiler:a child being hospitalized.]] He's dealt with a lot of criminal clients and has done a lot of amoral things for them, but it seems he [[spoiler:draws the line at children. In his final appearance in the series, he attempts to convince Walt to give himself up to the DEA because otherwise, they'll use Skyler as [[TheScapegoat their scapegoat.]]]]
* FriendToAllChildren: Seems to like kids and gets along well with Brock.
* GenreSavvy: In his first appearance, when Walt and Jesse kidnap him, he initially begs for his life. But once he realizes that they're not the drug dealers he thinks they are, he starts calmly talking shop. He even asks them why they don't just kill Badger.
* GildedCage: [[spoiler:With his law firm up in smoke, the extractor gives him a new identity and dumps him somewhere in Nebraska. Saul bitterly notes that the best employment he can hope for is managing a Cinnabon in Omaha.]]
* HonestAdvisor: Part of what makes him so effective as a lawyer is his willingness to tell hard truths.
-->'''Saul:''' Look, let's start with some tough love, alright? Ready for this? Here it goes: you two suck at peddling meth. Period.
** In "Granite State", he tells Walt that [[spoiler:it's probably better for everyone if he doesn't disappear]].
* HonestJohnsDealership: If [[{{Literature/Discworld}} CMOT Dibbler]] ''ever'' chose to go into law, he'd basically ''be'' Saul Goodman. From the frivolous injury claims taken up on behalf of those who really should know better to tide him over to helping a promising little meth business get off the ground so he can jump on the bonanza bandwagon... Saul is Dibbler all over. Including in his sense of what is appropriate advertising. He might mitigate the careers of crooks (and be very good at that), but Saul manages to not take a direct part in anything truly heinous himself -- which just saves him from being the lawyer equivalent of the FriendInTheBlackMarket. Just, though: he's ''very'' good at what he does and gives you value for (a lot of) money. He ''can'' hook you up with a guy who is that guy, though -- and, may nudge you in that direction, off the record, like. For a percentage.
* IFightForTheStrongestSide: After negotiations with Walt over how much of a cut he'll get from Walt's 3 million deal with Gus...
--> '''Jesse:''' What in the hell just happened? You're MY lawyer, not his!
--> '''Saul:''' It's the way of the world, kid. Go with the winner.
* IronicName: Goodman. And it's not even his real name.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Saul may be a sleaze and a boor but he really does care about Jesse underneath his layers of sarcasm and greed. He also tries hard to get through to Walt and stop him from going too far, even though it usually falls on deaf ears.
* KnowsAGuyWhoKnowsAGuy: ... Who knows another guy.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Knows when to beg and plead, knows when to seemingly give in and compromise (and often, how to without actually giving core ground), [[spoiler:knows when to get out of Dodge.]] Admit it, you probably thought he'd be the most likely one to jump ship once it started sinking the ''moment'' you first saw him on screen. [[spoiler:Although, he never turns out to do it in the way you'd might've expected, does our Saul, what with not being your common or garden rat.]]
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:While he survives the series, his fame in New Mexico comes back to bite him in 'Granite State' due to having to pay extra to pay for a new identity, even though Walt's technically the bigger target. This also means he can't practice law anywhere again, rendering his skills useless. A millionaire from assisting in Walt's drug empire, he expects to spend his remaining days destitute and anonymous.]]
** KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:On the other hand, Saul is the one character in the series to make it out in the end with his life and ''not'' emotionally damaged from the events that happened. His big consequence is having to now live a low-key life. Compared to the suffering of all the other characters, Saul makes it out good.]]
* LampshadedDoubleEntendre: "You don't want a criminal lawyer[[note]]a lawyer who defends criminals[[/note]]. You want a ''criminal'' lawyer[[note]]a lawyer who ''is'' a criminal[[/note]], you know what I'm sayin'?"
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Along with being Walt's Lawyer and Consigliere, Saul also tends to serve as the guy Walt vents to about his operations. Walt is ironically more honest with Saul than he is with [[KickTheMoralityPet Jesse or Skyler.]]
* LovableCoward: In the Season 3 finale, he insists he won't give Jesse's whereabouts to Mike and stands his ground... for about five seconds. Of course, there was never any question that Mike couldn't beat the information out of him eventually. Though, to his credit, the address he gave Mike was fake.
* MeanBoss: For a lawyer, Saul is surprisingly fearless of sexual harassment charges, probably because his secretary is too wrapped up in his criminal schemes.
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: [[spoiler:Saul never technically betrays Walt, but after Walt's Cancer returns and he loses his intimidation factor, Saul is no longer scared into being loyal to him.]]
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Saul is not above this when it involves being put at risk of being arrested.
** He casually mentions to Walt and Jesse that they should just have Badger killed when he's arrested.
** When Jesse threatens to give up Heisenberg if he ever gets caught, Saul tells Walt that they might need to go over options.
** He mentions if Walt has given any thought to sending [[spoiler:Hank]] on a trip to Belize.
** In "Rabid Dog", he recommends this for [[spoiler:Jesse]], describing it as "an Old Yeller type situation".
* NoodleIncident: When he is initially kidnapped by Walt and Jesse he begins screaming something about "No! It was Ignacio! He's the one you want!" before realizing they aren't the guys he thought were after him. Ignacio and whatever he did were never referenced again.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: His outrageously crooked lawyer persona belies his extreme intelligence. This is lampshaded in Season Five, where Walt finds that Saul wears a bulletproof vest under his flashy pink attorney shirt.
** It's played up almost from the moment of his introduction -- comments peppered throughout the series strongly suggest that the BunnyEarsLawyer aspect to his character is entirely a sham, to get people to underestimate him instantly. Notably, he's the biggest name in the cast never threatened with arrest.
* OnlySaneMan: A rare beast for this show: he's this played as straight as a die. It might sound zany, but whatever he suggests? Has common (if twisty and criminal) sense behind it.
* PetTheDog: As corrupt as he is, in the penultimate episode, [[spoiler: Saul attempts to convince Walt to face the music if only so Skyler doesn't get used as TheScapegoat.]]
* PhonyDegree: His law degree is from "The University of American Samoa".
* PluckyComicRelief: Despite being a surprisingly skilled lawyer, pretty much every other word out of Saul's mouth is hilarious. Invoked by the writers. Vince Gilligan explained that part of the reason why Saul was introduced was because they knew the series would continue to get darker and they wanted to still have some levity.
* ProperlyParanoid: When things get tense at the send of Season 4 and midpoint of Season 5 he cracks down on security at his office and really wants Walt and Jesse out of his hair. Considering [[spoiler:Walt had a lawyer killed in jail]] this isn't a bad idea.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: Literally, to Nebraska, as of "Granite State."]]
* SarcasticDevotee: Towards Walter.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: By "Granite State", Saul has finally [[spoiler:had it with Heisenberg]], and [[spoiler:heads to Nebraska using his identity eraser guy. It's not clear if he was also trying to avoid prosecution for his involvement with Walt's drug empire]].
* ShooOutTheClowns: [[spoiler: Escapes ABQ with the help of his coveted vacuum cleaner repairman before the series finale.]]
* ShootTheDog: Makes this suggestion a few times when he suggests doing it to [[spoiler:Jesse]], he even refers to it as an ''Literature/OldYeller'' type situation.
* VanityLicensePlate: LWYR UP
* VillainousBreakdown: He goes through this in 5B. [[spoiler: Jesse assaults him having found out about Brock, his bodyguard goes missing, and Walter is exposed. Deciding it is too much of a risk, he opts out for a new identity in Nebraska.]]
* YouHaveToHaveJews: Subverted; he's actually an Irish-American named [=James McGill=] who uses the name "Saul Goodman" professionally because he believes criminals will be more likely to hire a Jewish defense attorney.