As Breaking Bad season 2 and Gene's sequel timeline. From the DEA thinking Jesse Pinkman is in Mexico to Kim Wexler selling sprinkler systems in Florida, the episode reveals what destiny had in store for characters from both shows, also touching upon sca, Huell, Skyler, and Daniel.
Peter Diseth's Bill Oakley is the unsung hero of Better Call Saul. Appearing in all six seasons of the Breaking Bad spinoff, Bill hasn't exactly enjoyed seismic character development, but he has provided a constant legal foil to Jimmy McGill. As a more ordinary, every-man lawyer representing the prosecution, Bill is simply grinding out a paycheck. He hasn't the patience for Jimmy's meddling, he's envious when Jimmy lands a prestigious gig at Davis & Main, and he shuns Jimmy after Lalo Salamanca is released under false pretenses. Bill Oakley is the perfect barometer for Jimmy McGill's progression through Better Call Saul.
Given his constant presence, Better Call Saul viewers would be forgiven for pondering Bill Oakley's fate during Breaking Bad and beyond. Better Call Saul season 6, episode 11 duly answers that question when sca Liddy makes a phone call to Gene Takavic, updating him on events in Albuquerque. Rapidly running out of topics to cover (not to mention running out of patience), sca tells Gene that Bill Oakley "switched sides" from a prosecution lawyer to a defense attorney, just like Saul Goodman. A bus bench ment then shows "William Oakley & Associates," and the website is totally genuine.
Why Bill Oakley Switched Sides (Can He Return?)
Since Gene Takavic didn't know about Bill's new job until sca told him, we can assume this is a recent development, and William Oakley & Associates sprang up after Saul Goodman left town. It's hard not to suspect that Bill has deliberately jumped into Saul's spot. Better Call Saul season 2 revealed Bill's innermost desire for a cushy job that paid well for less work and came with all the perks, and he's probably aware of Saul Goodman's Cadillac, luxurious mansion, and lavish lifestyle during Breaking Bad too. When Saul is forced on the run, he leaves behind a huge gap in the criminal defense game - potentially hundreds of clients who need representation in court, and are no longer able to "call Saul." Enter Bill Oakley.
Not only does the company name sound suspiciously familiar, but the William Oakley & Associates website rattles through a list of misdemeanors Saul Goodman once specialized in. The branding isn't as tacky, sure, but Bill is clearly moving into the vacuum created by Saul's disappearance. It's a fitting end for a character who has lived in Jimmy McGill's shadow ever since Better Call Saul began. In charisma, popularity, romance and prestige, Saul would reliably eclipse his courtroom opponent. Even in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 11, Bill Oakley remains the poor man's Saul Goodman.
Revealing Bill Oakley's fate may be nothing more than a Better Call Saul Easter egg, but could there be a deeper reason sca mentions this particular detail? Gene is up to his old tricks once by the end of "Breaking Bad," and also seemingly hoping he can return to Albuquerque once the heat dies down. If Better Call Saul has time for one more con to make Saul's crimes disappear, Gene hiring Bill Oakley as his defense lawyer - a beautifully ironic turn of events - could be part of his plan. Gene knows Bill's weak spots, and he'd be perfect to manipulate for some wicked, audacious plot.
Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.