Marc Andreessen and Chis Nicholson join me to discuss the final episode of Better Call Saul and reflect on the Breaking Bad universe.
In the course of our conversation, it becomes apparent that I had a unique and much darker take on the final episode than apparently anyone else who watched it. Marc and Chris wear me down a little bit, but I still want to believe in my theory. Looks like they were right though.
We reflect on what made Walter White special. Marc mentions how the show takes him being a scientist extremely seriously, similar to the ways in which Better Call Saul pays homage to the legal profession. I call these examples of “men being really into stuff,” a recurring theme of the Breaking Bad universe. I note the distance between Walter as a scientist and the modern role of the “scientist” in our era of political polarization and liberal cultural hegemony.
We also get into Marc’s idea of the Breaking Bad universe as being riven with both Christian and Nietzschean themes. He argues that in our contemporary culture we can’t have either story in an undiluted form, and Better Call Saul is no exception to that rule.
See here for the Wikipedia page on the ADX Florence prison, called ADX Montrose on the show.
Listen to the podcast or watch the video here.
For previous conversations on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, see
Better Call Saul: S6E7, Plan and Execution
Better Call Saul: S6E8, Point and Shoot
Better Call Saul: S6E9, Fun and Games
Nietzschean or Christian? Marc Andreessen on Breaking Bad and Saul
Better Call Saul: S6E10, Nippy
Redemption...or Not? Marc Andreessen and Chris Nicholson on Better Call Saul