Yahoo News Critic’s Appreciation: Carol Burnett in ‘Better Call Saul’ Shouldn’t Be a Dark Horse Contender
When is one of the most decorated and generally beloved actresses of all time an awards dark horse? Perhaps when her latest hope for recognition is as part of possibly the greatest Emmys dark horse of all time.
In the upcoming months, expect to hear a lot about Better Call Saul and the statistical aberration that has placed the exceptional AMC drama sufficiently on the Emmy radar to receive 46 nominations and yet zero wins.
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For a while, it looked like the solution to this bizarre drought was going to be Carol Burnett. With six Primetime Emmy wins to her credit and in a year in which a 90th birthday tribute to the iconic star is likely to compete for Emmys of its own, Burnett seemed to be lined up for an easy nomination and probable win for her pivotal turn as Marion in the second half of the sixth season of Better Call Saul. Then, Emmy math stepped in, and suddenly Burnett’s four-episode Saul run moved her out of a guest acting field highlighted by worthy contenders like Melanie Lynskey for The Last of Us and Harriet Walter from Succession and into a much more crowded supporting actress category with everybody from The White Lotus to half the casts of Yellowjackets and The Crown. That’s how Burnett, whose lifetime haul also includes a Tony, a Grammy and so many lifetime achievement awards that the Golden Globe for television achievement is even named after her, finds herself in the unlikely position of being an Emmy dark horse this year.
Categorization should not matter, mind you. Burnett’s performance, whether it’s more “guest” or “supporting” in your mind, is a subtle symphony of world-weary nuance, a characterization that simultaneously matches the spirit-draining black-and-white texture of the series’ Omaha interludes and ties in perfectly with one of the most colorful chapters in the life of Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman.
As a central figure in the crucial Sandpiper Crossing class-action suit, Jimmy built a reputation and client base as a Pied Piper for the geriatric set, a master manipulator capable of ingratiating himself to and steering senior citizens, of becoming the son or grandson most of them craved.
In Marion, Jimmy — or “Gene Takavic,” if we’re being technical — saw another easy mark, a scooter-prone homebody accustomed to being disappointed by the manners and aspirations of her own son (Pat Healy’s Jeff). The genius of Burnett’s performance is that she manages to fool both Gene and the audience at the same time. We’re supposed to think she’s being duped, supposed to laugh at this slow older woman capable of being easily distracted by access to online cat videos, but at every turn she’s smarter and more determined than we or Gene give her credit for being.
She may not have been Saul Goodman’s main adversary through the duration of the series, but when it comes time for him to reach the end of his scamming journey, Marion is a tremendously satisfying bête noire. And when it comes to finding an adversary for Odenkirk, a sketch comedy genius redefining his career in dramatic terms, who better than titan of sketch comedy Burnett? Hopefully, she will not go overlooked in the tsunami of HBO ensembles.
This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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