Saul is more of a Don Draper than a Walter White

It's hard to believe that it's been well over a year since Breaking Bad left a Walter White and Jesse Pinkman-shaped hole in our TV-loving hearts. Thankfully, the powers that be at AMC have blessed us all with the upcoming spin-off series Better Call Saul. Saul, or as the 2002-based drama calls him "Jimmy McGill" is a cutthroat and wholly corrupt lawyer who, as the new Better Call Saul trailer suggests, is after nothing but money. The showrunners have hinted at the return of Walter and Jesse in minor appearances and have promised that the series will be more comedic than its violent and heart-stopping predecessor. If the series is anything like Breaking Bad, we know that there are more twists than any of us could ever see coming. I can't. Freakin'. Wait.

Like all of AMC's best dramas, Better Call Saul will be an in-depth character study of someone who, despite their deviant and at times heartless behavior, is just so watchable. Though you might expect to see hints of Walter White in Saul, the trailer suggests otherwise. In fact, there's more of another certain AMC leading character who is as deplorable as he is lovable: Don Draper. The subject of the corrupt legal system in a New Mexico drug town is a lot like the subject of New York's golden age of advertising. Take a look:

Double-Identities

Don Draper isn't actually Don Draper. He's actually Dick Whitman — a poor, fatherless child who grew up in a brothel. Don Draper is the identity of a man Dick Whitman stole during the Korean War. As for Saul Goodman, everyone in the trailer calls him Jimmy McGill. So when and how did he become Saul? I guess we'll find out. We all knew how Walter became Heisenberg, Dick Whitman and Saul are more of a mystery.

All About the Benjamins

Living a life of luxury is a top priority to both of these leading men. Having money and flaunting it is at the core of their complexities. In fact, it makes both of them throw out their better judgement. At least Walter seemed to have his wife and kids in mind while he was doing all that meth cookin'.

Preach!

If I tried to count how many times Don Draper went on a diatribe about what people believe in and what's "religion" to consumers... and on the other hand we've got Saul shouting, "You will atone!"

Desperate Times Call for... Saul

We know that Don Draper, at any given moment is holding on to the very last fiber of his robe. In this short clip for Better Call Saul, we already see Saul fighting tooth and nail (by any means necessary) to not just hang on, but to win.

Manipulation Is the Name of the Game

It's not just money and power that get Draper and Goodman to the top — it's strategic game-playing of emotions, rhetoric, and charm (be it smarmy, or otherwise).

See the trailer here:

Images: AMC (5), AMC/YouTube