After a painfully long wait, Breaking Bad fans were forced to wait until episode 11 before reuniting with these Gordon Ramsays of the meth world. Walt and Jesse finally arrive in the appropriately titled "Breaking Bad."
Set during the events of Breaking Bad season 2, Bob Odenkirk's exchange with Cranston and Paul shows the famous desert kidnap incident from a brand new perspective - almost like a deleted scene, but where the actors have strangely aged between takes. In theory, however, this Breaking Bad flashback could've happened at any point during the last five-and-a-half seasons. Nothing demanded Better Call Saul wait until its third-to-last episode before filling this particular narrative gap... so why are these Breaking Bad cameos coming now?!
Walt and Jesse's cameo scenes are interlaced with Better Call Saul's Gene storyline, set in the months immediately following Breaking Bad's finale. Gene tries to Kim Wexler, but is tempted back into old habits, and it's this comparison between past and present that makes Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's appearances relevant to Better Call Saul's ending.
Saul & Gene Mastermind Their Downfalls In Each Timeline
Breaking Bad season 2's RV scene finds Saul Goodman at arguably the most important crossroads of his life. Despite Mike Ehrmantraut telling him to avoid Walter White harder than the IRS, the ambitious Saul Goodman sees potential in Walt and Jesse - a raw, malleable talent with good product that simply needs guiding through the New Mexico underworld. Against his better judgement, Saul approaches his new client at work and the partnership becomes official. Needless to say, this decision does not serve Saul well.
Fast-forward two years, and Gene Takavic is making exactly the same error. In Jeff and Buddy, he has two willing cohorts, inconspicuous, raw, and ready to mold. One of them is even a taxi driver - a con artist's dream accomplice. Gene sees opportunity where most others would see red flags, and pushes foolishly ahead with his own ambitions just as he did with Walt and Jesse in Breaking Bad. Unfortunately for Gene, Jeff isn't exactly Heisenberg, and the operation already looks primed to backfire when Better Call Saul season 6, episode 11 ends with Bob Odenkirk's character breaking into the house of a cancer patient (who's probably already awake) by not-so-subtly smashing a window.
Placing these past and present scenarios side-by-side proves Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene Takavic never knows when enough is enough.
Walt's Cancer Explains Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 11's Ending
Better Call Saul uses Bryan Cranston's cameo to look closer at how Saul Goodman reacted when learning about Walter White's lung cancer. Saul first noted the heavy cough of "Mr. Mayhew" in his office, but hears it more prominently in the RV. A later Better Call Saul scene then shows the moment Mike explains Walt's diagnosis in full. Saul has a (mostly) human response and either sympathizes with Walt's illness, or takes him lightly because of it. Needless to say, this decision does not serve Saul well.
Fast-forward two years, and Gene Takavic discovers the bar drinker he's scamming is also a cancer patient. Wrestling with the revelation for a few seconds, Gene decides to push forward, even getting angry when his accomplices refuse. Gene chides, "A guy with cancer can't be an asshole? Believe me. I speak from experience."
Walter White's cameo in Better Call Saul season 6 exposes the huge difference between Saul's initial attitude to cancer patients, and Gene's outlook after learning the hard way that Walt didn't deserve his sympathy, and certainly shouldn't have been taken lightly. In his pre-Walt days, Gene might've cancelled the con after hearing about his mark's illness. After Walt, that mercy has vanished.
Walt & Jesse's Better Call Saul Cameos Make Saul Goodman Fully able
Watching Breaking Bad season 2 for the first time, anyone would be forgiven for thinking Saul Goodman wasn't given much choice with regards to ing Walter White and Jesse Pinkman's enterprise. The pair did, after all, kidnap the lawyer and drive him to the edge of a desert grave. At the very least, Saul sympathizers could argue that Bob Odenkirk's character didn't fully appreciate the mess he was getting into until far too late.
Better Call Saul season 6's "Breaking Bad" episode nixes those theories completely. Walt and Jesse had Saul's curiosity, but exploring the meth lab setup inside their RV, the duo catch their lawyer's attention. Saul sniffs out the unmistakable stink of possibility among the methamphetamine fumes, asking questions about their production rate with a twinkle in his eye. As mentioned earlier, he then receives a stark warning from Mike Ehrmantraut, but willfully ignores it. Walt & Jesse's Better Call Saul cameos prove beyond doubt that Saul Goodman wasn't a victim of Heisenberg in the slightest - he chose this path and, needless to say, the decision did not serve Saul well.
Fast-forward two years, and Gene Takavic hears from sca how her life was ruined, Jesse Pinkman escaped, and the other accomplices either went missing or got freed. All the DEA's resources are now pointing towards Saul Goodman, but that's not even where the bad news ends. Although the conversation is deliberately hidden, Gene's phone call to Kim goes spectacularly wrong. It's easy to feel sorry for Odenkirk's fallen lawyer, but Better Call Saul's Breaking Bad scenes hammer home how every choice was Saul Goodman's.
Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.