Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad)

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"Better Call Saul"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 8
Directed byTerry McDonough
Written byPeter Gould
Featured music
Cinematography byMichael Slovis
Editing bySkip Macdonald
Original air dateApril 26, 2009 (2009-04-26)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Negro y Azul"
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Breaking Bad (season 2)
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"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.

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

Brandon "Badger" Mayhew 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 and has found that the DEA
is hoping that Badger will lead them to "Heisenberg." Walt poses as Badger's uncle and goes to Saul's office, where he learns that Saul will advise Badger to flip to avoid prison. 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",[a] and referring to himself as an "amigo del cartel". However, after composing himself, Saul sees through their scare tactics and instead 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.

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

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.

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.

External links