As Saul Goodman was introduced in the episode of Breaking Bad titled “Better Call Saul,” it’s appropriate that the two main Breaking Bad characters are introduced in Better Call Saul in an episode titled “Breaking Bad.” This latest episode intersperses the stark black-and-white of the Gene Takovic era with the color of the Goodman era, showing a sort of sideways perspective of how Saul interacted with Walt and Jesse.
As it turns out, Saul had a lot to do with Walter White’s ascent to the top of the Albuquerque meth trade and his descent and death. Mike characteristically warns Saul away from Walter but Saul pursues him anyway. Of course, Walt was always going to do whatever he wanted to do, but it’s a revelation to see how much Saul pushed him in this direction. It’s also implied that Saul knew early on about Walt’s lung cancer. It was a treat to see Bryan Cranston (looking pretty much the same) and Aaron Paul in the bullet-riddled RV, bickering about flooding the engine.
In the present day of the Better Call Saul timeline, we get a few more answers from Francesca on what’s going on following Saul’s escape to Omaha. Francesca tells him the money’s gone, the feds having dismantled his shell companies and overseas accounts. Gene has still left loyal Francesca a little bit of money in a drainpipe, which she could use, as the landlady of two underemployed stoners. (This show has been a nice little character study of how Francesca went from eager to embittered by working with Saul.) Skyler got an immunity deal after using Walt’s lottery ticket to reveal the location of the bodies of Hank and Steve. Huell escaped to New Orleans, and isn’t eternally waiting in the safehouse.
Most importantly, Gene finds out Kim had asked for him after she heard about the chaos in Albuquerque. She’s working at some sprinkler business in Florida, which he apparently already knew. We don’t hear his conversation with his estranged wife, but it’s enraging enough that he smashes the glass panel of the phone booth. I don’t think he talked to her (there’s no reason to immediately start screaming at the person who asked about his safety) but that instead she refused to come to the phone and Gene was yelling at whoever gave him that message. Kim was a lawyer for years and is much too smart to speak to someone on the run from the feds.
Gene is back at scamming the residents of Omaha (drinking Moscow mules as Victor, minus his Giselle), but this time it’s darker than stealing from a department store. Last week, his scheme was for self-preservation. This time, he wants to replace his lost drug profits and wants the thrill of the scam again. The last guy he tries to scam turns out to have cancer but instead of Gene giving the guy a break, he steals the guy’s identity himself after his minion backs out.
What will happen once Gene breaks in the guy’s house? Is the guy still passed out from the mickey Gene slipped him, or will he retaliate? Either way, this return to crime confirms what Chuck said about his brother: He can’t help himself. Gene or Victor or Saul or Jimmy or whoever he is, he’s an addict.
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