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"Better Call Saul" is an episode of the American crime drama television series Breaking Bad (2008–2013). Aired on April 26, 2009, it is the eighth episode of Breaking Bad second season and the fifteenth episode overall. "Better Call Saul", written by Peter Gould and directed by Terry McDonough, introduces the unscrupulous criminal attorney Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk). Its story sees Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) hiring Saul to represent Badger Mayhew (Matt Jones) after he is arrested for selling Walt's methamphetamine.

Plot
Badger Mayhew (Matt Jones) is arrested in a sting operation while attempting to sell Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman's (Aaron Paul) methamphetamine. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) hopes Badger will identify Heisenberg, Walt's drug-dealing alias. A flamboyant lawyer, Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), offers to be Badger's legal counsel. Walt poses as Badger's uncle and meets with Saul, who says he will advise Badger to give up Heisenberg to avoid prison. Walt offers Saul a bribe to keep Badger from confessing, but Saul refuses.

As Saul closes his office for the night, Walt and Jesse kidnap him to scare him into keeping Badger from informing. Saul initially pleads for mercy, believing Walt and Jesse were sent by a cartel enforcer, but sees through their scare tactics as he composes himself. After realizing his kidnapper is Walt, Saul has Walt and Jesse pay him so he can represent them and keep their talks confidential. Walt, Jesse, and Saul hatch a plan in which Jimmy "In-'N-Out" Kilkelly (Jimmy Daniels), a man who makes a living being paid by criminals to go to jail, stands in for Heisenberg during the DEA's next sting operation. Though their plan is successful, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) is unconvinced Jimmy is Heisenberg.

Hank suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after seeing Tortuga's severed head and becomes reclusive. Walt tries to motivate him with a speech about how he has not feared anything since he was diagnosed with lung cancer. This helps Hank leave the house, but he still has panic attacks. Meanwhile, Jesse and Jane Margolis's (Krysten Ritter) relationship becomes romantic and Jesse learns she is a recovering heroin addict. As Walt grades papers at his school, he is visited by Saul, who says a private investigator managed to identify him within a matter of hours. Saul offers to become Walt and Jesse's consigliere before leaving.

Production

 * https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/tv-news/breaking-bad--spinoff-scoop-from-the-man-who-created-saul-goodman-014449665.html
 * https://www.vox.com/2015/2/3/7968975/better-call-saul-vince-gilligan
 * https://www.theringer.com/platform/amp/tv/2022/4/12/23021122/better-call-saul-goodman-oral-history-breaking-bad-bob-odenkirk
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20111220230837/http://blogs.amctv.com/breaking-bad/2009/04/bob-odenkirk-interview.php
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLQXYBtM74Y

Development
"Better Call Saul" was written by Peter Gould, who served as Breaking Bad executive story editor beginning with the second season. The idea came about as the Breaking Bad writing staff was plotting the season. They decided to have Walt and Jesse were beginning to distribute drugs themselves rather than through Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz), and wrote that Jesse's dimwitted friends, like Badger, would sell them. When the team decided to have Badger get arrested, they naturally assumed he would seek a lawyer and wondered what kind of lawyer he would hire. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan suggested naming the lawyer "Saul Good" and making him something of a scam artist. Another writer renamed the character "Saul Goodman".

Saul's introduction was influenced by two factors. Firstly, the writing team realized that Walt and Jesse would need a guide as they got deeper into the drug business, someone who could introduce them to new concepts and characters. Secondly, they were at a point in Hank's character arc where he had suffered major trauma and could no longer serve as Breaking Bad comic relief. Gilligan noted that the series is dark and dramatic, so it was necessary to have "a character who was a bit of a clown". Gould said: "somebody else said, 'Well, what if he had a 'LWYRUP' license plate?' And we just started having fun talking about this character. Pretty soon the idea of the bus benches and all the different things that he gets into started materializing."

Casting
Gould's wife and Breaking Bad casting directors, Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas, suggested Odenkirk. Many on the Breaking Bad crew, including Gould and Gilligan, were of fans of Odenkirk's sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995–1998), and thought he was perfect for the role. In 2009, Gilligan offered Odenkirk a four-episode guest role without the need to audition. Odenkirk took the role at the encouragement of his agent and his friend Reid Harrison, without having seen any episodes of Breaking Bad. To prepare, Odenkirk watched available episodes of Breaking Bad and avoided reading the script he had been sent, knowing it would likely be trimmed before filming. Odenkirk based Saul's speaking style on the film producer Robert Evans and his autobiography The Kid Stays in the Picture (1994).

Filming
Terry McDonough directed "Better Call Saul".

Reception

 * https://www.avclub.com/breaking-bad-better-call-saul-1798206276
 * https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/breaking-bad-mondays-season-2-ep-8-better-call-saul/
 * https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/04/27/breaking-bad-better-call-saul-review