‘Better Call Saul’ Season 6: How Saul Planned the Call With Francesca
In Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11, Gene makes a call to Francesca via payphone. He pays her to update him on the state of things in Albuquerque since he disappeared. The call was planned out far in advance to avoid detection by the police. Here’s how Saul pulled it off.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead regarding the Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 11 “Breaking Bad.”]
Gene calls Francesca in ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 6
The most recent episode of Better Call Saul Season 6, titled “Breaking Bad,” bounces back and forth between the Gene Takovic and Saul Goodman timelines. In the Gene timeline, Francesca drives to a payphone next to a run-down gas station. There she answers a call from Gene.
Francesca updates Gene on the state of things in Albuquerque, but not before receiving payment. Gene instructs her to turn right and walk until she finds a piece of concrete shaped like New Jersey. Underneath the piece of concrete is a soda can tab attached to a piece of the fishing line The string leads to a water line, inside of which Gene previously stuffed a bag of cash.
A flash forward from ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 4 shows Saul planning the call
Better Call Saul fans may have forgotten that this phone call between Gene and Francesca was set up in a scene from season 4. A flash forward in season 4, episode 5, shows Francesca and Saul destroying the last of their evidence before Saul heads into hiding.
Before he leaves, Saul tells Francesca, “And where are you gonna be November 12 at 3:00 p.m.?” Francesca responds, “I’ll be there, but if it doesn’t ring at 3 on the dot, I’m gone.” True to her word, Francesca shows up. When the clock changes to 3:01 p.m., she prepares to drive away, then the phone rings.
Thomas Schnauz explains how Saul planted the money
During an episode of the Better Call Saul Insider podcast, former Better Call Saul editor Kelley Dixon asked writer Thomas Schnauz when Saul put the money in the pipe. “It’s been less than a year since the episode ‘Quite a Ride,’ where we did our first flash forward to the Saul years, and he makes Francesca promise to call him on a certain day,” Schnauz said.
“He puts this money in place with the phone — he knows where the phone is — he hides the money, so it’s been there for eight months or however long it’s been.” Dixon also asked how Saul managed to shove the cash so far up the pipe. “A very large stick,” Schnauz joked. “Just took a big broom handle and pushed and pushed and pushed.”
Watch the final episodes of Better Call Saul airing on AMC Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
