An Itch To Scratch

Peacemaker is probably not everyone's cup of tea…but it must be seen at least once
to appreciate the opening credits dance number. Brilliant!

When Vince Gilligan was co-creating the idea for the Better Call Saul spinoff, he said that one of the challenges he and Peter Gould and their writers had to overcome was giving Saul 'an itch to scratch' as a character.

Like I said last week, Saul was one of those "professional" characters, the 'CRIMINAL lawyer' that helped facilitate many things for the main characters. Saul was also the comic relief character, once things began getting darker for the main characters.

But to make him the lead of his own show, there had to be more to him than what he'd shown us in Breaking Bad.

They gave Saul - Jimmy is real name - a conflicted back story, a brother he had a complex relationship with, and set up various other pieces on the chess board when the new series began. Jimmy - Saul - has real pain and real humanity at his core.



I don't really know how much of the show's future was mapped out ahead of time - from what I understand, there wasn't a lot! Many seeds for future events ended up changing later on, and we now have a show with some of the most interesting, layered characters ever on TV in my opinion.

All the better to be invested in them now that the tension and danger are ramping up!

The show "Peacemaker" is kind of similar, featuring a character from the "The Suicide Squad" movie. The guy was interesting in the movie, and ended up being



(spoiler alert!)




…ended up being the turncoat who betrayed the rest of the squad in a serious way.
Not an easy character to make a relatable or likable lead in his own show - not an easy character
to root for! Being funny, super violent and crass, and wearing tighty-whities can be fun…but it will only take you so far.

But in the show, Chris (his real name) is given a painful back story and a lot of pain to deal with involving his family and childhood. They actually make him a sympathetic character, without sacrificing the guy
he was established as in the movie. The show doesn't shy away from the horrible stuff he did in The Suicide Squad, but it gives us, like Saul, the pain, conflict and humanity at the core of the guy without losing the qualities that defined him in his first appearance. It's not my favorite thing ever, but I appreciate the show quite a bit on multiple levels…and I'll watch season two for sure.

Apparently James Gunn was inspired by Better Call Saul when developing his Peacemaker show.


Does your Protagonist have "an itch to scratch" that gives them an inner conflict or contradiction?


Take Care, see you next week!

-Banes