A vintage take on “Better Call Saul”
“Better Call Saul” was always going to be somewhat of a risk: taking a relatively minor character from one of America’s most-loved television shows and giving him centre-stage in his very own prequel. The end of “Breaking Bad” left behind some rather gigantic shoes to fill, with the show having entered the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed of all time. For those of us suffering withdrawal symptoms after the 2013 finale, the return of Saul Goodman to our screens came highly anticipated. In the UK, ‘”Better Call Saul” completed its first season this week – time to take stock, and recreate some of the most memorable scenes with images from our very own archive!

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View through car windscreen, Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA.
© akg-images / picture-alliance
In a sense, “Better Call Saul” presents us with a mirror-image of Walter White’s story. Instead of introducing the viewer to a likeable character who metamorphoses before our very eyes into a hardened egomaniac, ‘Better Call Saul’ uncovers the humanity behind the show’s most outrageous attorney-at-law. By peering into Saul Goodman’s past, we can begin to unravel the reasons behind his mistaken decisions, and can empathise with a character who started his days with all odds truly stacked against him. We can begin to admire his ambition and drive, ingenuity and resourcefulness, yet we are only too aware of the downward spiral of events that awaits him. Throughout, there is a bitter-sweet sense of great potential and inevitable demise.
To venture with us on this journey, and revisit our highlights from Season One, click here for the full image selection inspired by the heat of the Albuquerque desert. You’ll find a nod to the Kettleman’s backyard camping trip, Chucks’ electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and of course Slippin’ Jimmy’s incurable con-artistry. Can you spot any other of your favourite scenes?
Below are only a few of the gems unearthed along the way:

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Car park attendant, France, c. 1962.
© akg-images / Paul Almasy

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Public telephones in Harlem, New York, 1999.
© akg-images / Africa Media Online

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A man on a scaffold scraping a billboard, 1940s.
© ClassicStock / akg-images / H. Armstrong Roberts

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Mail boxes of lettuce workers, outskirts of Salinas, California, USA, 1939.
© IAM / akg-images

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A geologist reading by candlelight, 1966.
© akg-images / RIA Novosti

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Powerlines and clouds, photographed against the sun, 1989.
© akg-images / Patricia Sigerist

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An elderly woman in the lobby of the Hilton in New York, USA, 1958.
© akg-images / Paul Almasy
View the rest of our Saul-inspired selection here. Happy browsing!