Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad)

Last updated

"Better Call Saul"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 8
Directed by Terry McDonough
Written by Peter Gould
Featured music
Cinematography by Michael Slovis
Editing by Skip Macdonald
Original air dateApril 26, 2009 (2009-04-26)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Negro y Azul"		Next →
"4 Days Out"
Breaking Bad season 2
List of episodes

"Better Call Saul" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad . It was written by Peter Gould and directed by Terry McDonough. The episode aired on AMC on April 26, 2009.

Contents

This episode marks Bob Odenkirk's first appearance as the fast-talking criminal lawyer Saul Goodman in the series. He was promoted to series regular in Season 3 and stayed with the series until the penultimate episode, later reprising the role in the prequel series Better Call Saul .

Plot

After Badger is arrested in a sting operation by the Albuquerque Police, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman look into hiring a shady, flamboyant lawyer named Saul Goodman. Saul has already offered to be Badger's legal counsel. Walt poses as Badger's uncle and goes to Saul's office. Walt offers Saul a bribe to keep Badger from confessing, but Saul refuses.

Walt and Jesse resort to kidnapping Saul, threatening to kill him if he does not keep Badger from informing on them. Initially, Saul pleads for mercy, believing they were sent by a man named "Lalo". He blames this apparent slight towards Lalo on a man named "Ignacio", [lower-alpha 1] and referring to himself as an "amigo del cartel". However, upon realizing that they are not cartel enforcers but are instead associates of Badger, Saul asks for payment so he can legally represent them and keep their talks confidential. Saul tells the duo about a man, Jimmy "In-'N-Out" Kilkelly, who makes a living being paid by other criminals to go to jail, and offers to have him stand in for Heisenberg. The DEA busts Kilkelly when Badger gives them a fake deal, but Hank Schrader is not completely convinced. Later, Saul visits Walt at his school, telling him that he is too easy to find. Saul offers to be Walt's full-time legal counsel and adviser in covering his tracks.

Skyler White goes to work on a Saturday, and Walt notices that she is dressing especially well for her job with Ted. Seeing that Hank has holed himself in his house, Walt gives him a motivational speech, talking about how he has not had any fear in his life since he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. This helps Hank leave the house, but he still has panic attacks. Meanwhile, Jesse has slept with Jane Margolis and learns she is in recovery from addiction. Later, after Jesse orders a mattress for his apartment, he and Jane have sex once again.

Production

The episode was written by Peter Gould, and directed by Terry McDonough. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on April 26, 2009.

Events of this episode are referenced in the sixth season Better Call Saul episode, "Breaking Bad". [1] The episode marks the first appearance of Saul Goodman. [2] Saul's dialog and interactions in "Better Call Saul" became essential elements in setting up characters and plotlines for the spinoff prequel series of the same name. When Walter and Jesse wear masks and try to coerce Saul at gunpoint to accept their case, Saul, having mistaken the two for cartel enforcers, tries to lay blame on a man known as "Ignacio" and asks if "Lalo" sent them. Within Better Call Saul, this was revealed to be Nacho Varga, a member of the Salamanca cartel, and Lalo Salamanca, nephew of Hector Salamanca. [3] Saul further begs to know if they are "friends of the cartel", a phrase that is shown to be something he learned from Lalo while being forced to work to defend him in court. [4] In Better Call Saul's "Point and Shoot", the origins of Saul's fear towards Lalo and what he was blaming Nacho for are revealed. [5]

Critical reception

Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A, and praised Jesse and Walt's evolving role in the drug world. [6]

In 2019 The Ringer ranked "Better Call Saul" as the twelfth best of the 62 Breaking Bad episodes. [7]

Notes

  1. ↑ This dialogue was the basis for the Better Call Saul characters Nacho Varga and Lalo Salamanca.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Schrader</span> Fictional character in the television crime drama series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul

Henry R. "Hank" Schrader ASAC is a fictional character in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad and a supporting character in its spin-off series Better Call Saul. He is portrayed by Dean Norris and was created by series creator Vince Gilligan. Hank's character development over the course of the series and Norris's performance have been critically acclaimed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saul Goodman</span> Fictional character in Breaking Bad series

James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a fictional character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise Breaking Bad. He appears as a major character in Breaking Bad (2009–2013) and as the titular protagonist of its spin-off Better Call Saul (2015–2022).

"Grilled" is the second episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad and the 9th episode overall. It was written by George Mastras and directed by Charles Haid. The episode aired on AMC on March 15, 2009.

<i>Better Call Saul</i> American legal crime drama television series (2015–2022)

Better Call Saul is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the Breaking Bad franchise, it is a spinoff of Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), to which it serves primarily as a prequel, with some scenes taking place during and after the events of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and ended on August 15, 2022, after six seasons consisting of 63 episodes.

"Sunset" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 26th overall episode of the series. Written and directed by John Shiban, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on April 25, 2010. The episode introduces Gale Boetticher, played by David Costabile.

"Salud" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad and the 43rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on September 18, 2011.

Crawl Space (<i>Breaking Bad</i>) 11th episode of the 4th season of Breaking Bad

"Crawl Space" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 44th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on September 25, 2011. The episode introduces Barry Goodman, played by JB Blanc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus Fring</span> Fictional character in the Breaking Bad franchise

Gustavo Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the Breaking Bad franchise, serving as the main antagonist in the crime drama series Breaking Bad and a major character in its prequel Better Call Saul. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwestern United States who uses several legitimate businesses, including a chain of successful fast food restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos and an industrial laundry facility called Lavandería Brillante, as fronts used to launder money for a vast drug operation.

In comedy, a throwaway line is a joke delivered "in passing" without being the punch line to a comedy routine, part of the build up to another joke, or there to advance a story or develop a character. Throwaway lines are often one-liners, or in-jokes, and often delivered in a deadpan manner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nacho Varga</span> Fictional character in the television series Better Call Saul

Ignacio "Nacho" Varga is a fictional character who appears in the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a prequel spin-off of Breaking Bad. He is portrayed by Michael Mando and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Ehrmantraut</span> Fictional character from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul

Michael Ehrmantraut is a fictional character portrayed by Jonathan Banks in the television series Breaking Bad and its spinoff prequel Better Call Saul. Mike is a former Philadelphia police officer and United States Marine Corps veteran who works for Gus Fring—and, on occasion, Saul Goodman—as a private investigator, head of security, cleaner, and hitman. While an officer in Philadelphia, he engaged in corrupt activities that indirectly led to the death of his son Matt, leading Mike to move to Albuquerque to watch over and financially support his daughter-in-law Stacey and granddaughter Kaylee through jobs in the criminal underworld.

"Coushatta" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on September 24, 2018, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on the streaming service Netflix in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lalo Salamanca</span> Character from the TV series "Better Call Saul"

Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a prequel to Breaking Bad. He is portrayed by Tony Dalton, with the character being created by Peter Gould and screenwriter Gordon Smith. Lalo is introduced in the show's fourth season but was originally mentioned in dialogue from the Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul" that introduces Saul Goodman, though Lalo does not appear in the series.

<i>Better Call Saul</i> season 5 Fifth season of the AMC crime drama television series

The fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul premiered on February 23, 2020, in the United States, and concluded on April 20, 2020. The ten-episode season was broadcast on Mondays at 9:00 pm (Eastern) in the United States, except for the premiere which aired on a Sunday. Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, and Giancarlo Esposito reprise their roles from previous seasons and are joined by Tony Dalton, promoted to the main cast from his recurring role in the previous season. Better Call Saul is a spin-off prequel to Breaking Bad and was also created by Vince Gilligan; co-creator Peter Gould also worked on the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">50% Off</span> 2nd episode of the 5th season of Better Call Saul

"50% Off" is the second episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on February 24, 2020, on AMC, in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on the streaming service Netflix in several countries.

JMM (<i>Better Call Saul</i>) 7th episode of the 5th season of Better Call Saul

"JMM" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on March 30, 2020, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on the streaming service Netflix in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Guy for This</span> 3rd episode of the 5th season of Better Call Saul

"The Guy for This" is the third episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on March 2, 2020, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on the streaming service Netflix in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Something Unforgivable</span> 10th episode of the 5th season of Better Call Saul

"Something Unforgivable" is the tenth and final episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on April 20, 2020, on AMC in the United States and Canada. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock and Hard Place</span> 3rd episode of the 6th season of Better Call Saul

"Rock and Hard Place" is the third episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. It was written and directed by Gordon Smith. The episode aired on April 25, 2022, on AMC and AMC+. In several countries outside the United States and Canada, the episode premiered on Netflix the following day.

References

  1. ↑ Patten, Dominic (August 1, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Flashes To 'Breaking Bad' As Series Finale Looms; (SPOILER) Lives, In Florida". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ Gilad, Elon (October 2, 2013). "Top 12 Saul Goodman moments from 'Breaking Bad'". Haaretz . Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  3. ↑ Herzog, Kenny (June 12, 2017). "Better Call Saul's Michael Mando on Nacho's Self-Sacrifice". Vulture . Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  4. ↑ 'Saul's Marriages' Easter Eggs Ep. 507. AMC. March 30, 2020. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  5. ↑ Agar, Chris (July 13, 2022). "Better Call Saul FINALLY Explains Breaking Bad's Lalo/Ignacio Line". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  6. ↑ Bowman, Donna (April 26, 2009). "Breaking Bad: "Better Call Saul"". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ Samman, Shaker (September 30, 2019). "The Ringer's Definitive 'Breaking Bad' Episodes Ranking". The Ringer . Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.