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Better Call Saul: Worlds Collide in S06E11 "Breaking Bad" Key Art

So if we're believing everything we've been seeing and what Vince Gilligan had to tease a few days ago, it would appear tonight's episode of Gilligan & Peter Gould's Bob Odenkirk & Rhea Seehorn-starring Better Call Saul will be the one that sees Walter White (Bryan Cranston) & Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) making their debut on the prequel spinoff series (and reportedly, not their last). Which makes the episode's title that much more appropriate, considering it's called "Breaking Bad." And though there are more than a few possible narratives that could come into play that would fit under the banner "breaking bad," the key art that was released for tonight's chapter really does seem to drive home the point that series universes are set to collide in a very big way. And if you subscribe to the belief that the goldfish represents Jimmy's (Odenkirk) sense of decency and innocence (his conscience, for lack of a better phrase), then seeing it swimming inside a chemistry beaker takes on a whole ton of more meaning.

better call saul
Image: Screencap

And in case you missed that ten-ton reference that Gene made during the last episode…

Yesterday, AMC released the image below again (previously released last week), along with the caption, "Tomorrow on a new ['Better Call Saul'], it's actually a bit nippy. Grab a jacket" on social media earlier today. Now, the "Nippy" part harkens back to last week's episode and the understanding that Gene's time with Marion (Carol Burnett) may not quite be done yet (more on that below). But because we have serious issues and are way too obsessed with figuring all of this out, we're focusing on the choice of "jacket" over "coat" because it reminded us of an earlier theory we offered involving earlier-released key art and teaser.

Better Call Saul: Worlds Collide in S06E11 "Breaking Bad" Key Art
Bob Odenkirk as Gene – Better Call Saul _ Season 6, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Here's a look back at the teaser "Suit Up," which offers us a tour of the various stages of Jimmy's life via his fashion- including his "Gene Takovic" time. But the last hanger is empty and seen swinging, so we wondered if that meant that it was the end of the line for Jimmy after Gene. Or did it connect with that previously-released piece of key art showing Gene either putting on or taking off that red sports coat (also below)? Could that swinging hanger be the one that the suit jacket was resting on? Well, we now know that Gene was willing to let "Saul" take control during the most recent episode and that his walking away from the shirt & tie wasn't nearly as strong a renunciation of "Saul's" ways as some would've liked. Are we getting a signal that "Saul" will be at the wheel sooner rather than later?

Better Call Saul: Worlds Collide in S06E11 "Breaking Bad" Key Art
Image: AMC

Based on the three images released last week (that included the "jacket" image referenced above), it appears we will be spending at least some time with Gene (Odenkirk) as well as Jeff (Pat Healy) and Marion. And that's where the possibilities multiply beyond just Walt and Jesse appearing. Could the title mean that Gene's "breaking bad" and that his putting away the shirt & tie at the end of the last episode was just a temporary move? Or is Gene going to put Jeff and his friend/associate (Ricky, was it?) in a position where they continue with a life of crime past a point of no return? For some reason, I have this idea in my head that Gene's going to end up having to go "Saul" to help or protect Marion. Here's a look at the images, followed by a look back at our original, unedited initial promo thoughts in their original form:

better call saul
Bob Odenkirk as Gene – Better Call Saul _ Season 6, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
better call saul
Pat Healy as Jeff – Better Call Saul _ Season 6, Episode 11 – Photo Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

"I get it. You get over it. Okay. Please believe me. Before you know it, you forget all about it." That's what we hear Jimmy-Saul-Gene saying, and the first assumption is that it references back to Jimmy & Kim's conversation from before she left. But what if it's from those off-screen moments when Jimmy was trying to sell her on not leaving? It gets even more interesting if Gene finds himself saying those things… maybe to Marion? Or the possibility that Gene is saying it to Kim? And then there's the Gould/Gilligan factor, where they throw it at us in an unexpected yet masterful way. And as for the visuals? Well, as much as we like to think of Jimmy and the choices he's made over the past five seasons when it comes to roads serving as metaphors for moral "forks in the road," our brains always default to Kim. Because a Kim Wexler-focused episode would be kinda' sweet… as we see where she went after leaving Jimmy… hmmm…


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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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