The universe Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould built with Breaking Bad and its phenomenal prequel, Better Call Saul, is a television miracle. These shows share the same dusty Albuquerque landscapes and are so deeply intertwined that they form one sprawling, epic story. For years, Better Call Saul gave us more than the backstory of slippery lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) and his tragic slide into the Saul Goodman persona. It actively reshaped how we view the characters and critical moments from Breaking Bad, adding stunning layers of depth and often heartbreaking context. As a result, following the prequel is like watching a magic trick where the prestige changes everything you thought you saw the first time in the original series.
Better Call Saul explore the weight of history, the old grudges, and the hidden motivations already in play long before Walter White (Bryan Cranston) ever thought about cooking meth in Breaking Bad. So, we’re zeroing in on seven of those major narrative threads that Better Call Saul expertly wove, permanently altering our understanding of the entire saga.
1) The True Terror Behind Saul’s Famous Lalo Line
One of Saul Goodman’s most memorable early moments in Breaking Bad happens when Walt and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) kidnap him. Dragged out to the desert, a terrified Saul blurts out, “It wasn’t me, it was Ignacio! Did Lalo send you?” For years, that was a throwaway line, hinting at a dangerous past fans could only guess. Better Call Saul transforms this into a chilling cornerstone of Jimmy’s trauma.
Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) arrives in Better Call Saul as a charming, yet utterly psychopathic cartel player who becomes a personal demon for Jimmy and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn). His intense scrutiny, the cold-blooded murder of Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) in their apartment, and his relentless pursuit ingrain a profound terror in Jimmy that would remain with him years after their fateful encounter. In addition, the “Ignacio” in question is Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), whose betrayal of Lalo is a central storyline in Better Call Saul. Nacho’s actions, partly orchestrated by Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), directly lead to Lalo’s unhinged quest for revenge, a storm that Jimmy and Kim barely survive. So, when Saul utters those lines in Breaking Bad, he’s relieving the life-altering horror connected to a man who invaded his home and shattered his world.
2) Hector Salamanca’s Bell
In Breaking Bad, Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) is a fearsome cartel elder who communicates his rage and demands solely through a distinctive brass bell attached to his wheelchair. The bell is an iconic part of his character, a symbol of the fury trapped inside a body that can no longer speak or walk freely. In Better Call Saul, we see Hector in his prime as a brutal enforcer for Don Eladio (Steven Bauer). That immediately raises the question of how Hector became bound to his wheelchair and where the bell comes from.
The prequel reveals that the bell was originally a gift from his nephew, Lalo. This seemingly innocuous object becomes sinister when we learn Hector once used a similar hotel concierge bell to taunt and terrorize a victim.
Better Call Saul reveals that Nacho Varga, desperate to protect his father from the Salamanca organization, secretly tampers with Hector’s heart medication, which directly leads to Hector suffering a debilitating stroke. It is only after this stroke, as Hector is severely incapacitated, that Lalo Salamanca gifts him the bell. Gus Fring later ensures Hector receives medical care that keeps him alive but trapped in his condition, making the bell his only method of communication and a constant reminder of his lost power.
3) The Mike and Gus Alliance
Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) operates as Gustavo Fring’s unwavering right-hand man throughout Breaking Bad. He’s the epitome of cool professionalism and deadly efficiency, executing Gus’s orders without question. Their bond is so tight it seems almost unbreakable, built on a foundation of unspoken trust. This leaves viewers wondering how such a loyal and dangerous alliance was first forged.
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Better Call Saul shows Mike, a guilt-ridden ex-cop, taking increasingly risky jobs in Albuquerque’s criminal underworld to support his family. His meticulous nature and lethal skills eventually put him on a collision course with the Salamanca family, particularly Hector. After Mike’s attempt to assassinate Hector is subtly thwarted by Gus, who also despises Hector, Gus recognizes Mike’s value. He offers Mike consistent, high-paying work and, more importantly, a path to launder his earnings and find a measure of stability. This professional arrangement, born out of shared animosity towards the Salamancas and mutual respect for competence, solidifies into the formidable partnership seen in Breaking Bad.
4) Gus Fring’s Superlab
When Walter White and Jesse Pinkman step into Gus Fring’s state-of-the-art underground superlab in Breaking Bad, it’s presented as a marvel of clandestine engineering. Clean, efficient, and built for mass production, Gus secret laboratory is the perfect meth palace. The show doesn’t delve into its construction, leaving the audience to accept it as a testament to Gus’ power and resources. Better Call Saul, however, dedicates a major storyline to its secret and perilous creation.
Gus hires a team of German engineers, led by Werner Ziegler (Rainer Bock), for the complex and dangerous underground build, with Mike Ehrmantraut overseeing the tight security. The project is plagued by delays and the constant threat of discovery, particularly by the keenly observant Lalo Salamanca. Werner’s eventual security breach forces Mike to kill him, a grim necessity to protect the operation. Later, the bodies of Howard Hamlin and Lalo Salamanca himself are buried within the lab’s unfinished structure, meaning this high-tech facility in Breaking Bad stands on a hidden foundation of secrets, bloodshed, and tragedy.
5) Krazy-8’s Informant Status
In the early episodes of Breaking Bad, Domingo “Krazy-8” Molina (Max Arciniega) becomes Walter White’s first kill, a pivotal moment that solidifies Walt’s entry into the violent drug trade. A crucial detail leading to this act is Walt’s discovery that Krazy-8, his captive, is a DEA informant. This raises the question of how this dealer ended up secretly working for the Feds while still active in the Salamanca organization.
Better Call Saul fills in this critical piece of backstory. We see Krazy-8 as an ambitious but often nervous dealer under Nacho Varga and later Lalo Salamanca. Eventually, Krazy-8 is arrested during a DEA sting operation led by Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and Steven Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada). With Saul Goodman (then still primarily Jimmy McGill) providing legal counsel, Krazy-8 is pressured into becoming a confidential informant for the DEA to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. This directly explains his compromised position when he later encounters Walt and Jesse, turning a plot point in Breaking Bad into a fully realized consequence of earlier events.
6) Gale Boetticher’s Tragic History
Gale Boetticher (David Costabile) is the brilliant, good-natured chemist handpicked by Gus Fring to set up and run the superlab in Breaking Bad. His cheerful demeanor and passion for chemistry make him a standout character, and his murder by Jesse Pinkman is one of the show’s most gut-wrenching moments. Breaking Bad shows his professional relationship with Gus as already established, but Better Call Saul reveals their initial interactions.
Years before the superlab is operational, Gus Fring, ever the meticulous planner, seeks out Gale, then a graduate student and research chemist. Gus, impressed by Gale’s knowledge and almost innocent zeal for creating a high-purity meth product, begins to cultivate him. Gale’s expresses libertarian ideals and seems genuinely thrilled by the prospect of working with cutting-edge equipment to produce the best possible “product,” largely naive or willfully blind to the violent implications. This context from Better Call Saul makes his later role and demise in Breaking Bad even more tragic, portraying him as a gifted soul whose passion was tragically exploited.
7) Francesca’s Weary Cynicism
Saul Goodman’s receptionist in Breaking Bad, Francesca Liddy (Tina Parker), is a memorable minor character, known for her cynical attitude, sharp tongue, and weary tolerance of Saul’s chaotic legal practice. She seems perpetually unimpressed and utterly jaded by the criminal underworld she facilitates. One might wonder if she was always this way, or if the job made her so.
Better Call Saul answers this by introducing Francesca when Jimmy McGill first hires her for his and Kim Wexler’s legitimate law office. At this point, Francesca is more hopeful and professional. However, throughout Better Call Saul, as Jimmy fully transforms into the morally bankrupt Saul Goodman, Francesca witnesses firsthand his descent. She fields increasingly bizarre calls, deals with dangerous clients, and becomes privy to his shady dealings. Her transformation into the hardened, world-weary assistant seen in Breaking Bad is a direct result of her years of service to Saul, a subtle testament to the corrosive effect of his criminal enterprise on everyone around him.
Which of these character connections between Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul do you like the most? Let us know in the comments!
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