Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11 Review: Breaking Bad
Yet again, the transformation to Saul Goodman has everything to do with Kim Wexler. Only this time, on Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11, “Breaking Bad,” it’s Gene falling back into his old habits.
The title of this episode has some obvious meaning, with the much-anticipated return of Bryan Cranston as Walter White and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman. We don’t see them much, but if we’re being honest, we shouldn’t.
The actors are older, mostly noticeable with Aaron Paul, so to have them play too big a part would really seem like more of a stretch. Also, this series just isn’t about them, and having them featured too heavily would take away from the story that’s being told on Better Call Saul.
So this smaller bit, where we’re getting them now from Saul’s perspective as he puts together who they are and that they’ve been doing this whole operation on their own, is the right way to approach it.
It’s fun and nostalgic to see Walt and Jesse’s dynamic again, so that’s a real treat, even down to the engine not starting. There’s also that detail of Saul referencing Nacho and Jesse asking who Lalo is.
But it’s more important to get the other side of the story. That includes the information Mike brings to him later, plus Mike’s insistence that he leave these too alone.
Always listen to Mike. We know how that story plays out.
The most important parts of this episode, though, are taking place in the Gene timeline. He’s managed to schedule a phone call with Francesca, via pay phones, of course, to find out how much trouble he might still be in and learn what’s happened to everyone else involved with the story of Breaking Bad.
Then he learns the most important detail. Francesca heard from Kim, and Kim asked about Saul/Jimmy.
The symbolism is heavy throughout this episode, and just one of those examples is Gene arriving, very literally, at a crossroads. He pauses and thinks, then the next thing we see, he’s trying to call Kim.
We don’t know what happens in that phone booth, but we do see how upset he is on the phone and then how angry he is after that call ends. Whatever it is, it’s a pivotal moment. He’s now fully ready to embrace the kind of life he was leading as Saul Goodman.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t see this ending well.
It’s definitely a dangerous move to go back to Jeff and his friend, and let’s not forget that what we learn during that conversation with Francesca is that the Feds are still looking for Saul.
He’s playing with fire just a little too closely this time. Is it a means to get to Kim? Is it a reaction to news about her or to a conversation with her? Either way, it feels like we need to be worried here.
The transformation itself is tragic and fun to watch, much like it was to see him start to return to all of this on Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 10. He’s as skilled at this stuff as he ever was, and it does seem to bring some life to Gene that wasn’t there before.
Still, this time, he’s lonelier and more broken, it all seeming less fulfilling than it seemed when he was Saul on Breaking Bad.
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What did you think of this episode of Better Call Saul? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 9/8c on AMC.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.