Jesse Pinkman's appearance in Better Call Saul season 6 was widely celebrated, but the character was actually teased long before that. Before the release of Better Call Saul season 6, it was confirmed that Breaking Bad's Walter White and Jesse Pinkman would appear in the show, triggering massive anticipation for the returns of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, respectively. As it turns out, Jesse Pinkman's Better Call Saul presence was made known long before season 6.
Better Call Saul is a prequel to Breaking Bad, highlighting what happened in the years leading up to Walter White's introduction to the drug trade in 2008. As such, many Breaking Bad characters appear in Better Call Saul, with the spinoff using much of its narrative to flesh out the inhabitants of the Breaking Bad universe. Although the spinoff mostly focuses on Breaking Bad side characters, it does devote also some screen time to Jesse Pinkman, with Better Call Saul expanding on Walter White's future assistant from the very beginning.
Jesse Pinkman's Graffiti Tag Appears In BCS Season 1
Although Jesse Pinkman does not appear in person until Better Call Saul season 6, Pinkman is acknowledged all the way back in Better Call Saul season 1. In Better Call Saul season 1, episode 3, "Nacho," Saul Goodman uses an alleyway payphone covered in seemingly everyday graffiti. Near the top of the payphone, however, a green and black graffiti tag reading "jpi" can be seen, and the writing is framed in a suspiciously noticeable way.
This is very likely the handiwork of a young Jesse Pinkman. As well as having matching initials, this same graffiti tag can also be seen inside Jesse's house during Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul is full of interesting details like this, with the Easter egg nodding at the fan-favorite Breaking Bad character. Although Jesse and Saul would not cross paths until years later, their fates unknowingly intertwined in Better Call Saul season 1.
The Jesse Pinkman Easter Egg Reveals More About Jesse Pinkman's History
While it may seem like a small nod, the graffiti tag Easter egg could actually reveal a lot about Jesse Pinkman's history. Better Call Saul season 1 takes place in 2002, six years before the events of Breaking Bad. Since Jesse Pinkman was born in September 1984, he would have been 18 at this point in the Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad timeline. It is likely that Jesse was still in high school while painting this graffiti, further highlighting that he was causing trouble from a very young age.
Although this Easter egg may be important, it was not originally meant to be in the scene. Better Call Saul co-producer Peter Gould has explained that the Easter egg wasn't in the original script, and was actually a surprise from the art department (via Daily News). According to Gould, "Sometimes folks in the art department or on the set add a little something." Moments like this are what make Better Call Saul great, with a small opportunity for an easily-missed visual Easter egg being turned into a way of expanding on Jesse Pinkman's character.