Season two of ‘Better Call Saul’ premieres Monday, February 15 10/9c on AMC.
If you’re a rabid Breaking Bad fan, it’s impossible to watch Better Call Saul and not pick up on its various nods to the show. Sure, there are some familiar faces, but the show is also full of everything from inside jokes to well-known Breaking Bad locations and camera shots that conjure up a feeling of déjà vu. While creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould will surely inject even more Easter Eggs — just as Breaking Bad had X-Files connections — into the new season of BCS, here are our favorites from season one that had us thinking, “Hey, I’ve seen that before.”
The Cinnabon in Omaha.
Better Call Saul wasted zero time calling back to Breaking Bad, using the very first scene as a reference to the show. You might remember Saul telling Walt in the episode “Granite State” about how the best he can hope for is getting a job running a Cinnabon in Omaha. With the opening scene of BCS, we see that things worked out exactly as Saul had hoped for with him managing an Omaha Cinnabon under the alias “Gene.” It’s a sad life, but it did work out exactly as he hoped for.
Those bad knees.
Being thrown to one’s knees just comes with the territory in the line of work that Jimmy has chosen, but that doesn’t mean the guy is impervious to knee pain. It’s a minor detail and incredibly easy to overlook, but we first learn about those bad knees in Breaking Bad when Saul is nearly sent on a trip to Belize by Walt and Jesse in the episode “Better Call Saul.” Cut to episode three of BCS and Jimmy throws out the bad knee line when being tackled by the cops. We haven’t learned yet why Jimmy has bad knees, but it’s obvious the guy needs more vitamin D in his diet.
Everybody’s eating at Loyola’s.
Nobody ever seems to comment on the food quality of this Albuquerque diner, but it’s gotta have something going for it, because it’s the go-to spot for shady luncheons. In the BCS pilot episode, Jimmy invites the Kettlemans to Loyola’s because his office is in the back of a nail salon and, well… Breaking Bad fans first became acquainted with the restaurant in the episode “Cornered,” when Mike and Jesse enjoy a meal in silence while waiting for Gus to drop in.
Jimmy has a thing for nail salons.
Speaking of nail salons, while Jimmy chooses to set up shop/live in the back of a nail salon, that’s precisely the kind of money-laundering business he suggests Walt and Skyler open in Breaking Bad. While they eventually choose a car wash, Saul makes his plea for the nail salon in the episode titled “Open House.” The guy definitely has a thing for trimmed cuticles and the smell of nail polish remover.
Mike’s love of pimento cheese sandwiches.
Mike is the kinda guy who finds a solid sandwich and then proceeds to only eat that sandwich. Pimento cheese might not be everyone’s go-to stakeout sandwich, but it’s his snack of choice in the Breaking Bad episode “Cornered” and weapon of choice in the BCS episode appropriately titled “Pimento.” Pimento cheese isn’t exactly an impressive sandwich or ideal substitute for a gun in a drug deal, but it works for Mike just fine.
That retirement home looked awfully familiar.
If the retirement home where Jimmy dropped his Chicago sunroof story on unsuspecting bingo players looked familiar, it would be because it played a pretty significant role in Breaking Bad. In Breaking Bad, it happened to be the residence of Hector Salamanca, uncle to the psychotic Tuco. Now, while Hector might not be there when Jimmy was fishing for new clients, he did end up there after Hank kills Tuco, who had kidnapped Walt and Jesse. Of course, those retirement home bingo games eventually came to an end when Walt used Hector as a human bomb to kill Gus.
“You are not Kevin Costner.”
As our own Josh Kurp pointed out last season, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould had Jimmy dupe a woman into sleeping with him based on a lie that he was Kevin Costner while on his trip to Chicago in the “Marco” episode. Cue up the “Abiquiu” episode of Breaking Bad and you’ll see Saul telling Walter White about his story of sexual deception. Hey, if you’re trying to give a meth kingpin a pep talk on committing to a lie, it helps to have a successful example as a backup.
Are those Heisenberg’s duds on the coat rack?
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, or maybe it’s some Breaking Bad foreshadowing, but that hat and jacket on the coat rack as Jimmy leaves the court house look very familiar. Considering all of the Breaking Bad Easter eggs that Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have hidden throughout BCS, it’s probably safe to say those clothes are a definite nod to Jimmy’s future client.
