‘Better Call Saul’: Saul Echoes a Line From Lalo in ‘Breaking Bad’
Better Call Saul showed Jimmy McGill’s slow transformation into Saul Goodman. Jimmy got tangled up with the cartel when he agreed to help Lalo Salamanca escape prison. Although Jimmy is terrified of Lalo in Breaking Bad, one of his lines mirrors something Lalo previously said to him.
Lalo tells Saul that Kim is out of his league in ‘Better Call Saul’
In Better Call Saul Season 5, Nacho calls on Saul Goodman to represent Lalo in court. He manages to get Lalo’s bail set at $7 million. Jimmy is then tasked with picking the money up, which ends in him being stranded in the desert with Mike Ehrmantraut.
While Saul is stranded in the desert, Kim arranges a meeting with Lalo to try to locate him. Later, after Lalo is released on bail, he reveals that Kim visited him. Lalo also refers to Kim as “a looker” and implies that Jimmy married someone quite out of his league.
In the episode “Point and Shoot” in season 6, Lalo sends Kim to kill Gus Fring while he waits with Jimmy at his apartment. While Lalo watches Kim leave, he muses out loud, wondering how Jimmy landed “a girl like that.”
Saul implies the same thing to Walt about Skyler in ‘Breaking Bad’
Interestingly, in Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman takes a page out of Lalo’s book. In season 3, Saul meets Walt’s wife, Skyler, to discuss their plans for money laundering. He immediately comments on her appearance, stating, “You grow more gorgeous by the minute,” when Walt tells him she came up with the gambling winnings story.
When Skyler states that using laser tag as a front makes no sense, Saul responds, “Makes more sense than you two being together. I’m still trying to figure out how that happened.” Although this seems like typical sleazy Saul Goodman behavior, it’s interesting that Saul’s behavior toward Walt and his wife is very similar to Lalo’s behavior toward Jimmy and Kim.
Jimmy McGill fully embraces the Saul Goodman persona after Kim leaves him in “Fun and Games.” Perhaps Lalo’s comments about his wife were something Saul drew from while dealing with Walt.
Saul Goodman says things that are out of character for Jimmy McGill
Some fans have speculated that the Saul Goodman persona is Jimmy’s way of coping with Kim leaving. He spends the night with prostitutes, works constantly, and essentially becomes another person so he won’t have to deal with the pain of losing Kim. Saul’s comments about Skyler seem out of character for Jimmy. He makes another comment in Breaking Bad that is a part of the act.
In one scene, Saul leaves his office with his assistant Francesca. He then calls, “Hey Francesca, how about I follow you home?” After Francesca walks away, he says, “God, you are killing me with that booty.” Even Bob Odenkirk has admitted to Variety that he doesn’t understand why Saul would hit on Francesca. Perhaps it’s all part of the mask he created to avoid thinking about Kim.
Watch the final episodes of Better Call Saul airing on AMC Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
