Four episodes into the first season of Better Call Saul, and you’d think that Vince Gillian and Peter Gould might let up a little on the amazing details and callbacks, but nope. Every episode, and every scene counts, and they continue to prove that they are not only the best showrunners on television, but really, the best filmmakers in any medium. Not only do they tell an exceptional story with engrossing, talented actors, but everything is layered, and no detail is too small.
Here’s nine very cool details you might have missed in this week’s episode of Better Call Saul, “Hero.”
1. I’m sure you all recognized this very familiar shot immediately from Breaking Bad.
2. What’s cool about the cold open is that it was written in afterwards because the episode had run short. If you’re wondering if it’s an homage to The Sting, you’re damn right it is. Check out the name on the driver’s license. Henry Gondorff is also the name of Paul Newman’s character in that movie.
3. This one is a cute detail you might have missed if you weren’t paying attention. Notice Saul’s middle finger:
4. Note that the Billboard guy was also in the courtroom montage from the second episode.
But he was ALSO on Breaking Bad (via Reddit)
5. I don’t think it’s the same salon (unless it changed a ton), but it’s amusing that — in Breaking Bad — Saul tried to convince Jesse to use a nail salon to launder their money (via Reddit).
6. This one is obvious, but it’s still worth pointing out that Jimmy looks lovingly at a loud ensemble Saul Goodman would later become known for:
A few people have also suggested that the yellow shirt ensemble up top is a subtle callback to Gus Fring. Maybe?
It’s actually an ensemble that Saul will wear later in Breaking Bad.
7. A stretch, but maybe?
8. The amount of detail that goes into this show is insane. They wrote an entire newspaper article that is absolutely perfect. Turns out, as you can see from the article, that Jimmy also got a woman to pose as the billboard guy’s mother and offered to host a celebration in Jimmy’s honor.
9. It’s also perhaps worth noting that Kevin Weisman, who played the mark in the cold open con and who is best known for his role on Alias, was also in an episode of The X-Files directed by Vince Gilligan.
