Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Better Call Saul season 6, episode 1.
Better Call Saul season 6 begins with a flashforward to Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) house at some point in the Breaking Bad timeline, and it has a secret connection to Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). The tease of Saul’s house in the future is a tantalising hint of things to come, replacing the traditional Gene Takovic opening sequence for something more vague but no less compelling. Whether this is Saul’s house at the very end of Breaking Bad, overlapping with the Gene timeline, or if it’s set earlier in the show’s run, remains to be seen, but it does further connect the prequel to its parent series, something season 6 will be doing a lot of.
It's been confirmed that both Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse will appear in Better Call Saul season 6. Details of their appearances haven’t been revealed, though there are a few possibilities, such as overlap with Saul’s debut in Breaking Bad season 2, or something closer to the end of that show. Saul was increasingly a key part of Walt and Jesse’s lives as Breaking Bad went along, and it’s towards the end there’s a connection between Saul’s house in Better Call Saul and Jesse.
Saul Goodman’s house is predictably gauche, with its rich textures clashing against gaudy clothing to create the sense of a men with plenty of money but very little taste, which fits the slimeball attorney of Breaking Bad. Nothing typifies this more in Saul’s house than a gold toilet, a shining monument to the silver tongued lawyer’s life of excess and showmanship. The gold toilet feels like a very purposeful choice, and it does highlight a lot about Saul’s character - so much of his personality is a front, it’s posturing; just like a sleazy lawyer with a nice suit and a big house is still just that, so too is a golden toilet still, well, just a toilet. But there is more to this specific one than meets the eye, which is a connection to Jesse and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker), who first referenced a gold toilet in someone’s mansion in “Chicks and Guns,” a bonus scene from Breaking Bad season 5’s home media release.
In “Chicks and Guns,” with Jesse and Skinny Pete partying with a stripper, it’s the latter who first discusses using a solid gold toilet, saying that if he didn't have much time and money was "no object," he'd use one because he'd always "know" he had. Jesse then furthers the idea, talking about visiting Don Eladio’s mansion and that there may have been a gold toilet there. Saul Goodman’s house isn’t Don Eladio’s mansion, but it’s still a fun, if surprising, connection between Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. Saul himself even appears in the scene after this, turning up to provide Jesse with the gun he uses in Breaking Bad season 5, episode 8, “Gliding Over All,” a plot point that had been unexplained until the bonus feature.
Whether creators Vince Gillian and Peter Gould had this scene in mind when deciding Saul’s house should have a gold toilet is unknown, though not impossible, but the timing of it makes it even better. Jesse is coming to Better Call Saul, and Easter eggs are already nodding towards him, such as the El Camino dining room in season 6, episode 1. Similarly, Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) continues to work with disaffected youths, which would fit a much younger Jesse mention happening. A toilet may not be the most overt setup for Jesse’s upcoming Better Call Saul appearance, but it was a golden opportunity for a sneaky and rewarding Breaking Bad reference.
Better Call Saul releases new episodes Mondays on AMC.