Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Better Call Saul season 6, episode 11, "Breaking Bad."
A quick line in Better Call Saul season 6 puts an end to one of the biggest and longest-running Breaking Bad memes. Better Call Saul season 6, episode 11 is titled "Breaking Bad," and fittingly provides a lot of connections to and reveals about its parent show. Most of these revolve around the return of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (once again played by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, respectively), but the episode also finds room for some other name drops, references, and Easter eggs even outside of the meth-making duo's comeback.
A lot of the best Breaking Bad references come in the call from Gene Takovic (Bob Odenkirk) to Francesca Liddy (Tina Parker). This includes a whole bunch of Easter eggs, including a mention of Skyler White (Anna Gun), a nod to El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie via mention of Jesse's car, and brief updates on a wide array of minor supporting characters and plot points, ranging from Saul Goodman's Ice Station Zebra Associates to Lazer Base's Danny (Mark Proksch) and the status of Kuby (Bill Burr).
Yes, Huell Did Leave The Safe House After Breaking Bad!
Among these Gene and Francesca phone call Easter eggs is a reference to Huell Babineaux (Lavell Crawford), with Francesca revealing that he is "back home in New Orleans." It's not a particularly notable mention for anyone who has only seen Better Call Saul, where Huell has been a fun recurring figure, but does kill off arguably the biggest Breaking Bad meme, which had stood for almost a decade. In that, Huell was last seen in a DEA safe house but, given audiences never saw the agents return for him, it was unclear what happened to him. This led to theories and memes that Huell had to stay in the safe house forevermore - a Funny or Die video called Huell's Rules even showed what a sitcom with him stuck inside the house may look like - but now Huell can breathe a long sigh of relief and soak up the feeling of freedom, because he is in the safe house no more after Breaking Bad's ending.
Better Call Saul's Reveals Make Breaking Bad Even Better
Although Huell waiting in the safe house allowed for some fun memes and jokes, it makes sense that Better Call Saul would confirm what happened to him after Breaking Bad. The prequel is so much more than just an opportunity to tie up loose ends but, as it approaches its endgame, it was an easy bit of fan service that does also clear up a lingering mystery. Since Huell also appeared in Better Call Saul, then it further works because it's not just talking about a Breaking Bad character, though even that wouldn't be an impediment. For instance, the mentions of Skyler confirms she took Walt up on his final offer - Francesca says she "took her deal" - which again clarifies a major point of the ending. Breaking Bad's finale, "Felina," left plenty of loose ends, and if they can be tied up without impacting Better Call Saul's story in a negative way, then there's no harm in doing so.
The references to Huell, Skyler, et al serve to deepen the connection between Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. Despite their differences in tone and style, there's a sense in which these shouldn't be looked at as two completely separate shows, but one overarching, tragic story. That's never felt more true than in Better Call Saul season 6's final episodes, which overlaps directly with Breaking Bad and fully turns Jimmy into Saul. These stories are all part of one whole, so it's not just a case of Better Call Saul closing off some loose ends, but is actually part of a complete story, really highlighting just how these shows inhabit the same world and impact one another, despite being years apart.
Better Call Saul releases new episodes Mondays on AMC.