The show Better Call Saul (Final episode date: August 15, 2022), directed by Vince Gilligan, takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it follows the story of a man named Jimmy McGill. Jimmy, a former con artist, known by many throughout the show by the nickname of "Slippin' Jimmy," was someone who would exploit people's kindness and naivete just to make a quick buck, getting his nickname from taking falls by slipping on ice in front of stores for a payout. Eventually, he cleans up his act and begins to work for his older brother, Chuck, a very well-respected lawyer, until he is inspired by his brother and wants to become a lawyer just like him. He becomes a lawyer to his brother's disapproval and continues his scheming conman lifestyle into his lawyer career. Jimmy starts as a public defender, then moves to elder law, where he finds a gem of a case, a class-action suit. He takes it to Chuck, which eventually causes a falling out between the two. Afterward, Jimmy decides to take on the persona of "Saul Goodman," a play on the words, it's all good man. Saul takes on criminal law and is flamboyant, confident, and an "on your side" kind of guy, making sure his clients see that through his brightly colored suits and ties. He takes all the cases he can get because he wants to make as much money as possible to get a new office to feel like a legitimate lawyer like his brother. However, one of the cases Saul picks up leads him down a path connected with the Mexican drug cartel and launches him into a new criminal world with boundless opportunities for the "Slippin' Jimmy" within him.
Throughout the series, several scenes are in black and white, representing the bleak and grim future of Jimmy, known as Gene, within the scenes. These scenes are after the events of his lawyer career and his escapades in Albuquerque. In the scenes, Gene is hiding and using a fake name to hide from the law after being involved with the drug empire and having been the lawyer for a highly notorious criminal mastermind known as Heisenberg or Walter White. Gene now works as a manager for Cinnabon and lives a drab and depressing lifestyle, having to live in secrecy without any outside contact and constantly fearing that the police could catch him at any moment. Every night, he would routinely watch his old lawyer commercials on repeat to reminisce about his old days as Saul Goodman and the "fun" and excitement that came with being a corrupt lawyer. The black and white scenes completely contrast with the show's central portion and setting, contrasting with the brightly colored suits and set pieces.
After watching the scenes in Better Call Saul that were shot in black and white, it reminded me of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb because Dr. Strangelove is also shot in black and white, albeit though not just some scenes but rather the whole movie, still, both uses of the technique of using black and white for the scenes made me feel similar things for both works. Both made use of black and white to represent something dark and depressing. Better Call Saul's use of the technique was having Jimmy go into hiding and change his name to Gene. Unhappy, bleak, and a monotonous lifestyle, the complete opposite of all the "fun" he was having getting to play the persona of Saul Goodman and being a shady lawyer. In Dr. Strangelove, the use of black and white is similar because the outcome of the movie is bleak and destructive, like the life and outcome of Jimmy McGill. Also, in Dr. Strangelove, in particular scenes, the black and white help convey a feeling to the viewer, usually that of fear of paranoia, which is relative to some moments within Better Call Saul. In some black and white scenes, Gene has to worry about being caught and recognized for his past and subsequently sent to prison. For example, he gets out of a taxi mid-ride because he thinks the driver is a cop and walks away, with the use of black and white only accentuating on this suspenseful feeling onto the viewer of whether or not the law will catch him.
Works Cited
Gilligan, Vince. Creator. Better Call Saul. AMC Plus, Sony Pictures Television. Final Airdate 2022.
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