Here are the Breaking Bad era questions that could potentially find answers in Better Call Saul season 6. Breaking Bad's finale is widely considered one of the finest TV conclusions in history. Virtually every plot thread was wrapped up in a satisfying way, but choice spots of ambiguity ensured viewers weren't overloaded with endless exposition. Nevertheless, Breaking Bad did leave a few questions hanging in the air. Some of these carry through to the El Camino movie sequel, while others have been answered within the first five seasons of Better Call Saul.
A prequel to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul follows Jimmy McGill and Mike Ehrmantraut as they take their respective first steps into criminality. The spin-off has incorporated storylines and characters from Breaking Bad to great effect, expanding on what fans knew already and providing fascinating new context. Better Call Saul season 6 will be the final outing for Jimmy, providing Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould with one final opportunity to tie up any lingering loose ends from Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul's priority in season 6 will be to answer its own raft of unanswered questions. Why Kim doesn't appear in Breaking Bad, for example. But the final season can also dip into the past and clear up the few remaining mysteries from the glory days of Walter White.
What Jimmy Did To Make Lalo Angry
While the compelling performance of Bob Odenkirk in Breaking Bad was undoubtedly the driving force behind Better Call Saul's creation, the spin-off truly began with a single line from Breaking Bad season 2 that alluded to Saul's shady past. When Walt and Jesse kidnap Saul and drive him into the desert, the tied-up abductee pleads, "it wasn't me, it was Ignacio, he's the one... Lalo didn't send you?" At the time, viewers merely learned that Saul made this "Lalo" very angry, and the lawyer was expecting heavy-handed retribution to come his way. Thanks to Better Call Saul, it's now clear that Lalo is Lalo Salamanca, but the prequel has yet to explain why Goodman was so fearful in Breaking Bad.
Jimmy has already done enough to incur Lalo's wrath in Better Call Saul season 5, albeit not through choice. Despite serving as Salamanca's lawyer, Jimmy has been dancing to Gus Fring's tune, lying to Lalo to maintain the charade. By the end of Better Call Saul season 5, however, Lalo and Jimmy are on good terms, largely thanks to Kim, who gave the gangster a stern talking to. Better Call Saul season 6 needs to explain why Lalo would be so angry at Jimmy that the attorney would still be looking over his shoulder years later. Does Lalo simply find out about Jimmy's association with Gus? Or does something even worse happen in Better Call Saul's final season?
Why Jimmy Tried To Frame Nacho
Another part of that Breaking Bad season 2 quote also needs explaining - why does Saul try passing the blame onto "Ignacio," or Nacho, as he's known in Better Call Saul? Like Jimmy, Nacho has been secretly conspiring with Gus Fring behind Lalo's back. While posing as Lalo's right-hand man, Nacho helped orchestrate an attack on the Salamanca compound, almost costing Lalo his life, and the Better Call Saul season 5 finale shows Lalo figuring out who betrayed him. This explains why "Ignacio" is an enemy of Lalo, but doesn't account for why Saul tries to sell him up the river in Breaking Bad.
Currently in Better Call Saul, Jimmy and Nacho are more or less on the same side, with no heat or conflicting interests between them. Both characters would breathe a sign of relief should Lalo drop dead, and both are being reluctantly strung along by Gus. Perhaps Saul was so scared in Breaking Bad, he simply blamed the one person he knew Lalo hated more than him. Alternatively, Better Call Saul season 6 could see Nacho and Jimmy working together (mostly likely with Gus and Mike) to solve their Lalo problem permanently. Does Nacho run away, allowing Jimmy use him as a scapegoat without fear of repercussions? Or does the lawyer fall out with Nacho in Better Call Saul's final season?
What Happens To Jimmy After Breaking Bad?
Saul's Breaking Bad story ends in appropriately tragic fashion, as he's forced to go on the run and start a new life when the authorities bust the New Mexico meth operation. After Saul makes his escape, Breaking Bad never follows up on the character's fate, and the audience are left to determine whether Bob Odenkirk's character lived happily ever after, or rebounded straight into a new calamity. Better Call Saul revealed the truth in its very first season, showing Jimmy living as "Gene" - a Cinnabon employee in Omaha. Paranoid, lonely, and unfulfilled, Gene is hardly enjoying life post-Breaking Bad, and his false identity has already been compromised by an overly-suspicious "taxi driver."
Better Call Saul's Gene timeline is far from over, and season 6 will reveal the true final chapter of Jimmy McGill's story. Better Call Saul will also finally answer the question Breaking Bad fans have been asking since Saul first skipped town - does he find a degree of happiness or not? Some would argue that Jimmy doesn't deserve to elude punishment for his past crimes, and that the Cinnabon manager is destined for even more tragedy in season 6. However, Better Call Saul has offered a far more human portrayal of Jimmy McGill, and even the tiniest slither of redemption would be enough to end the Gene timeline on a hopeful note.
Why Gus & Mike Are Allies In Breaking Bad
When Mike Ehrmantraut was first introduced in Breaking Bad, viewers might've wondered why a level-headed former cop would be involved in such murky underground dealings. Better Call Saul has mostly answered that question, charting Mike's winding descent alongside Jimmy - a blend of money, circumstance, and rediscovering a sense of purpose. What Better Call Saul hasn't yet explained is why Mike is such a loyal employee of Gus Fring's in Breaking Bad. This straight-talking duo begin working together in Better Call Saul season 4, and their relationship deepens in season 5. Mike and Gus share the same mind for business and both adopt a no-nonsense attitude, but Mike is still keeping Gus at arm's length in the prequel.
When Breaking Bad begins, however, Mike and Gus are far closer as allies, and Better Call Saul hasn't yet explained why. Perhaps their Breaking Bad relationship is borne from years of fruitful partnership, or maybe the camaraderie of criminality fosters a stronger bond between them. Or could something happen in Better Call Saul season 6 that brings Mike fully into Gus' fold? Planning the murder of Lalo might force them together, or Mike could end up owing Gus a debt. Whatever might forge their connection, Better Call Saul can explain the long-running question of why Mike chose Gus over a quiet police retirement.
How Gus' Empire Was Built (The Superlab, Schuler & Max)
When Giancarlo Esposito's iconic villain debuted in Better Call Saul, he quickly started putting the necessary pieces in place to become Albuquerque's meth kingpin, but he's not quite there yet. Breaking Bad finds Gus already dominant in his business, and his rapid rise raises several important questions. How did Gus build a meth lab under a laundromat? How did he bury his operation within the legitimate Madrigal corporation? And who, exactly, was Max? Better Call Saul has expanded on all three topics, but has yet to provide any definitive answers.
The construction of the superlab was a key storyline in Better Call Saul season 4, but the project remains unfinished after the death of Gus Fring's chief architect and the interference of Lalo. Better Call Saul season 6 can finally document how the hidden meth lab came into being. Peter Schuler made a brief appearance in Breaking Bad, albeit only to commit suicide when Gus Fring's empire started crumbling. Schuler was Fring's man inside Madrigal, illicitly financing Gus' meth endeavors. Why a successful businessmen was conspiring with a drug lord remained a mystery in Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul revealed a personal connection between them - something that went down in Santiago. While the details remain hidden, Better Call Saul season 6 can unveil the full story on this important cog in Gus Fring's machine.
Lastly, Better Call Saul can reveal the true relationship between Gus and Max. As shown via flashbacks in Breaking Bad, Max was Gus' partner before being brutally killed off by the cartel. Gus would bide his time and exact revenge, but in a business where killing is as common as a hot dinner, some viewers questioned whether Max held a special place in Gus' heart. Better Call Saul added fuel to the theory when Gus introduced Mike to his village in Mexico, dedicated to Max's memory. Better Call Saul season 6 could answer definitively whether Gus and Max were romantically attached.
What Finally Transforms Jimmy Into Saul?
The overarching purpose of Better Call Saul as a prequel is to show how Jimmy McGill becomes Saul Goodman - and he's a good deal of the way there already. Jimmy has adopted the "Saul" alter ego, started to represent the cartel in court, and has witnessed more than his fair share of lawless murder. But by the time Better Call Saul season 5 ends, Jimmy is still essentially a good person. In stark contrast, no trace of Jimmy remains when Bob Odenkirk arrives in Breaking Bad, with the lawyer fully consumed by the Saul Goodman persona. A variety of personal tragedies and setbacks have contributed to this downfall - Chuck's suicide, a history of scam artistry, being let down as a legitimate lawyer. But the straw that breaks Jimmy's back has yet to be revealed. What crucial life event or unbearable tragedy turns the conflicted and well-intentioned Jimmy McGill in Better Call Saul into the callous criminal lawyer from Breaking Bad.