Summary
Walt and Jesse's cameos in Better Call Saul were seamlessly integrated into the narrative, providing valuable insights that improved both shows.
Filming their scenes before the completion of the writing process is particularly noteworthy. Omitting Walt and Jesse from the finale of Better Call Saul would have created a sense of unfinished business and diversion, considering their significance in the Breaking Bad world. Thus, their involvement ultimately elevated the conclusion of the entire saga.
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman's appearances in Better Call Saul's final season were particularly fitting, as revealed behind the scenes. While the spinoff occasionally reintroduced characters from Breaking Bad, it saved the major players - Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul - for the later episodes. Despite the challenges of maintaining the story's focus and ensuring visual continuity with Breaking Bad, the cameos of Walt and Jesse in Better Call Saul season 6 contributed depth to the narrative without overshadowing the main plot. Executive producer Melissa Bernstein explains that coordinating the appearances of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul presented logistical obstacles, as the usual writing and filming sequence had to be adjusted to accommodate the availability of the Breaking Bad actors.
Walt & Jesse's Cameos Being From Unfinished Episodes Is Shocking - Because They're Perfect
The cameos of Walt and Jesse in Better Call Saul were seamlessly integrated into season 6's storyline, enhancing the narrative rather than appearing as mere gimmicks. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's appearances connected to Jimmy's main narrative, providing valuable insight that enhanced both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. For example, Jesse's conversation with Kim outside Saul's office implied that Kim unintentionally contributed to Jimmy's transformation into Saul Goodman while also highlighting her realization of the extent to which Jimmy had embraced his persona. These scenes not only fit seamlessly into the fabric of Better Call Saul season 6 but also feel like integral components of the show's overarching plan since episode 1. The fact that they were filmed before the finalization of the episode's writing process further highlights the impressive execution of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's cameos. Only a handful of shows could successfully incorporate pre-shot cameo scenes as if they were always meant to be part of the story.
Why Better Call Saul Couldn't End Without Walt & Jesse Cameos
By the time Season 6 of Better Call Saul arrived, it had already established itself as a standalone series separate from Breaking Bad. While the presence of Walt and Jesse was not essential for the conclusion of the story, a Better Call Saul ending without Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul would have seemed incomplete. Walt and Jesse are integral to the Breaking Bad universe, and as Season 6 approached the events of Breaking Bad, excluding the original stars would have created an awkward situation. Leaving out Walt and Jesse from the ending of Better Call Saul would have been more distracting than including them.
Furthermore, Season 6 of Better Call Saul marked the culmination of the entire Breaking Bad saga. Going beyond being just a prequel, Better Call Saul served as a sequel, tying up loose ends such as Marie Schrader's quest for justice for Hank's death, and Jimmy McGill's trial that brought an end to Walt's meth empire. The reintroduction of Bryan Cranston's Walter White and Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman added to the sense that Better Call Saul was wrapping up the entire thrilling story. Despite the challenges of shooting scenes earlier than planned, the inclusion of these game-changing cameos was fully justified and executed with great finesse.