AMC has officially kicked off Season 4 of Better Call Saul, and as we've been led to expect, the premiere episode was ripe with nods and characters from the Breaking Bad days. Vince Gilligan and the cast have been teasing more Breaking Bad integration with the series for a while, and Bob Odenkirk recently confirmed things are only going to jump further into Breaking Bad as Season 4 continues:
The Breaking Bad world within our world is growing. It's going to swallow us, and that's okay with me. There's a scene that takes place during the time period of Breaking Bad. And that's the first time we've done that. It was so much fun. And Jimmy's story is really its own thing. But the truth is, for Breaking Bad fans, when this fourth season comes on -- and I'm not talking about Saul now, I'm talking about the bad guys -- it's almost like, if you want to claim you've watched all of Breaking Bad, now you have to watch all of Better Call Saul. Because that's how much of Breaking Bad's story is in Better Call Saul. Obviously, I'm thrilled about the notion that there's just so many Breaking Bad fans that will really want to watch the show who haven't tried it yet because it's really overlapped. And learning about who these guys were that you met in Breaking Bad and what happened to them and how they became kingpins or not. It's so much fun. We're talking about Gus's story. How Gus [Giancarlo Esposito] became the Gus you see in Breaking Bad.
Bob Odenkirk said a large chunk of Season 4's story will be dedicated to the villains previously introduced in Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul has been providing the backstory to key characters like Hector Salamanca for a while now, and now it appears the series will dive even deeper into the twisted mind of Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring. Of course, there will also be Jimmy's ongoing transformation into the skeevy lawyer Saul Goodman, but Odenkirk's quote to EW gives the vibe that most of the Breaking Bad mythos that's happening this season will be happening through Mike and Nacho's storylines.
That much has already been seen in Better Call Saul's Season 4 premiere, which seemed to introduce the tale behind how Hector Salamanca went from right-hand man to Don Eladio to the state he's in when Breaking Bad introduces him. Odenkirk mentioned the event, and teased that Season 4 will show how Gus becomes the cold-blooded mastermind Breaking Bad made him out to be:
It's still Better Call Saul, but it's maybe half Breaking Bad world -- stuff that I don't have anything to do [with]. But if you love Breaking Bad and you want to know who Gus is, and what happened to Hector [Mark Margolis], we're doing it this year. It's amazing. Some real intense, dark stuff. And then there's me, being a clown.
Bob Odenkirk also alluded to a Better Call Saul scene that takes place in the Breaking Bad timeline this season, which was teased by creator Vince Gilligan not that long ago. The scene, which Gilligan had teased will put the series on the path "toward the world of Walter White," was not expounded on by Odenkirk. The actor did mention that Saul's bodyguard Huell will make his debut, so it's possible the character may have a part to play in the upcoming Breaking Bad timeline scene.
Odenkirk furthermore mentioned Season 4 of Better Call Saul will feature Lalo, who could have a role to fill in the Breaking Bad timeline. In Season 2 of Breaking Bad, Saul rattles off a confession when he is captured by Walt and Jesse, mistaking them as enforcers for Lalo. Saul blames Ignacio, which is the real name of Better Call Saul's Nacho, for whatever happened that would make Lalo mad enough to send assassins after Saul. Fans will likely see that event in Better Call Saul, although it's possible the show might jump to the Breaking Bad timeline to catch up with Lalo and whatever bone he'd have to pick with Saul or Nacho. That is, provided Lalo didn't already get some sort of revenge on Nacho as the Better Call Saul character has never been seen in Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul is back on AMC and is airing new episodes Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what other television shows are premiering or returning in the coming months, visit our summer and fall premiere guides.
