Since the late 90s, I've spent my entire relationship with Bob Odenkirk's professional career in a state of shock. At first, I was shocked that a sketch comedy show like Mr. Show was not only allowed to exist but that it was also genuinely funny at the same time. I was under the impression that all sketch comedy shows functioned like SNL in that they were intended to be humorous but felt about as funny as a field trip to the morgue. Later, in my teen years, I was shocked that Odenkirk was the executive producer of the offbeat Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job. Making one generation-defining sketch show that captured the zeitgeist is challenging enough, but doing it back to back takes true vision.
After slotting Odenkirk as a purely comedic talent, he up and shocks me again by showcasing his dramatic chops during his critically acclaimed turn as the seedy yet lovable Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, respectively. I figured that there were no further surprises beyond that one, but last year when I read that Odenkirk suffered a heart attack on the set of Saul, I was shocked once again. Luckily, Odenkirk has seemingly made a full recovery, but the prospect of losing him forced me to reevaluate his career in retrospect.
As we get closer to the impending release of the final season of Better Call Saul, I feel like we should take some time to appreciate Bob Odenkirk's brilliance. In the video linked above, Odenkirk describes how fortunate he was to land the role of Saul Goodman, but all I can hear is how fortunate we all are to have experienced his extraordinary career.
