Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 11: Recap & Ending Explained
Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 11 Recap & Ending Explained: A meeting of the minds; the colors of the two worlds spill into each other; an interweaving beyond speculation and firmly enjoined by nostalgia. It’s the newest episode of Better Call Saul’s season six. It’s aptly titled “Breaking Bad.” Because it is in this episode that the two universes become one. Although Gilligan and co were already mixing and matching pieces from both storylines before season six, this case was just a little more special. A little known trivia on the matter is that the first episode that we saw Saul in Breaking Bad was titled “Better Call Saul” So yes, that’s an indication that Cranston and Paul are making their long-awaited guest appearances in this episode. Even the opening credits of the show contain a mix of tapes to show the phenomenon. Read our recap and final explanation of the episode that brought a bunch of disparate timelines together to weave a charming spell.
BETTER CALL SAUL (SEASON 6), EPISODE 11 SUMMARY:
BREAKING BAD
That is, the open. We return to season two, episode eight of Breaking Bad, ‘Better Call Saul’. Jesse and Walter rush to get Badger a lawyer after he is arrested. The entire operation is at risk and they must act decisively. Walter had tried the decent way of going to Saul’s office to change his mind from telling Badger to turn around and rat on his “bosses” (ie Walter and Jesse). But it did not work. Kidnapping and burying Saul alive is the last resort. We then cut to the Better Call Saul universe where Saul, living as Gene, calls Francesca. The jaded former assistant finds it difficult to look after his young and shady bachelor tenants. She is still being followed, probably by the DEA or FBI, as the events of the episode pick up after everything has gone down and the players have gone into hiding. When she is sure that the tail has lost interest, she drives out to an old gas station, secluded from the main town.
She goes to the pay phone and Gene is on the other end of the line. He gives her instructions to take the money he “owes” her from the job and to give him information. This is the last call between them as Gene suggests. He takes a measure of things on her end. Francesca explains how the authorities are still after him, even though interest has cooled. She mentions that Jesse will also be caught soon; Skyler White already got his deal.
With Jesse though, what she mentions is that his car was found at the border. We saw in the El Camino movie that Jesse left it on purpose and ran away. So maybe he was successful in fooling everyone. Getting back on track. In a shock to Gene, she explains that all the money he saved through shell companies and other ancillary businesses (and the likes of vending machines) is gone. The authorities have taken everything, although he himself still has a large amount of money with him. There is one more thing that means the most to Gene, which she mentions: Kim. She reveals that Kim called her to ask for her. Saul’s name came up and she asked if he was still alive. This gives Gene a bit of a new life. After Francesca casually hangs up, Gene decides to call Kim.
We’re not sure what exactly happened during that call, as the dialogue is washed away with the sound of highway trucks and their horns. All we see is Gene’s reaction; an angry one where he breaks the glass in the booth and repeatedly slams the phone against the holder. Visually, we see that Gene is at a “crossroads”. He has to make a decision about what tomorrow will look like. And he does. We go back to Marion’s house where Jeff is surprised to find Gene’s car outside. He walks in and Gene shows Marion cat videos on his new laptop. Jeff and Gene go to the garage to talk more. Although Jeff thinks that Gene has come to tell Jeff that he spends a lot of money, it is for something else. A new scheme to “earn” (steal) money. Jeff joins and then the game begins. It goes like this. Gene will be looking for a certain kind of target: single, rich, selfish, duds who likes to drink. Gene is lured again by a taste of crime; he’s back for more. And he breaks out again like Saul Goodman.
So when Gene finds the men, he will offer him drinks and throw drugs. Just like they call cabs, the victims always arrived first, driven by none other than Jeff, and would go back to their house. Jeff would put a piece of tape on the door frame to prevent it from closing, and Rick, the third wheel in the operation, would come in and steal all their secret information; credit cards, passwords, account numbers and the like. Back in Breaking Bad universe, we see Saul notice the equipment in Jesse’s van. He instantly recognizes the duo as the hot street vendors of the blue thing. He agrees to help badger out and even charges a legal fee to make the case go away. There is a mention of Lalo by Jesse and Saul’s mind immediately goes to that horrible night. But he moves on from that conversation.
BETTER CALL SAUL (SEASON 6), EPISODE 11 END EXPLAINED:
Then there is one of the most profound scenes of the season. An image of the Burial Ground from the Breaking Bad episode superimposed on an image of Gene lying down in bed. Majestic to look at and even deeper meaning hidden in there. After that is a montage that may seem confusing, but it isn’t. Gene tries to bring back the life – what he can – of Saul Goodman. The trickster is back; so is the horrible leg machine that Mike hates so much. The bluetooth earpiece, the burner’s phones; he lives life again. Mike reiterates his concern about the machine when he comes to visit Saul in his office. This is from the BB timeline. Mike is used by Saul as his private investigator and even mentions that Walter White has cancer. Mike seems to think he is an amateur and a very insignificant player.
Life is good until this one man comes around. Poor thing has pancreatic cancer, just like Rick’s dad did. Gene is thinking of maybe canceling it this time – or so we thought he would be the one to do it. The last shred of humanity could save Gene. But it is not him; it’s rick. He decides to withdraw from the operation and the smooth criminals are now just two. Even Jeff seems to be leaning towards not doing the scam anymore. But Gene is persistent and even breaks into the house to go through with the job. Saul, in BB’s timeline, goes to Walter’s high school science fair.
A kind of role reversal is on the cards in the episode. In one line, it was Saul who “vomited badly” from Gene’s skin, finally realizing he had no chance at redemption: getting Kim back. Maybe that phone call set off all the events of the episode? We will never know for sure. It was Gene’s Walter White moment. When he first knew he had cancer and didn’t have much of a life left, he just got a little frisky. I mean, he did it for his family. But somewhere deep inside there was a part of him that the events triggered.
Saul doesn’t have anyone. He goes to that reminder every single night. But that doesn’t stop him from doing what he wants; and what he does best. Life coming full circle kept us fully in the loop. Is Saul also headed for a similar fate to his famous peers? Or will it be different this time? No one can say. We’re just back with two more episodes now. The end is approaching and the quality of the episodes reaches an optimal level.