The Unexpected Breaking Bad Cameos That Shattered Better Call Saul's Rulebook
The incorporation of Breaking Bad cameos in Better Call Saul cleverly challenges the show's established rules, breathing new life into the storyline while maintaining its signature writing process
Summary
Better Call Saul had to deviate from its usual development process to accommodate Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's limited schedules for their surprise cameos.
Walt and Jesse's appearances were filmed prior to the development of the episodes they appear in, contradicting Better Call Saul's meticulous writing process. These cameo appearances not only contribute to the depth of Saul and Kim as characters, but also reinforce the fundamental themes of the show and establish a more interconnected relationship with Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul executive producer Melissa Bernstein discusses the departure from the show's typical creative process when it came to the surprise Breaking Bad cameos. Better Call Saul, which premiered in 2015, serves as a spinoff to Breaking Bad and follows the journey of Jimmy McGill, played by Bob Odenkirk, as he transforms into the infamous criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. The final season of Better Call Saul, which aired last year, delighted fans with appearances from Bryan Cranston's iconic character Walter White and Aaron Paul's beloved Jesse Pinkman.
Reflecting on the acclaimed finale of Better Call Saul, Bernstein reveals in an interview with THR that the decision to include the appearances of Walt and Jesse required a departure from the show's customary development process. Typically, the show meticulously plans and writes each episode beat-by-beat, adhering to a rigorous creative approach. However, due to Cranston and Paul's limited availability, their scenes had to be filmed before the corresponding episodes were even written. Below is Bernstein's complete statement:
[Please insert Bernstein's full comment here.]
Luckily, Bryan and Aaron graciously agreed to return, being our greatest supporters and effortlessly transforming into Walt and Jesse. It was truly reminiscent to capture their costume photos, and reuniting them with the familiar crew and cast members they already cherished was pure magic.
Considering our time constraints and Jesse's involvement in the exterior Saul office, we had to shoot their scenes in a non-sequential manner and at the beginning of the season when they were available. This meant filming scenes from unwritten episodes, which deviated from our usual show format."
How Better Call Saul Does Cameos Right
: We adopt a meticulous approach in the writers room, where we meticulously construct the script piece by piece, like building with bricks, using index cards. Hence, we had to instruct the writers to complete these scenes long before they concluded outlining the final season of the show, which goes against our usual storytelling approach.
At their worst, cameos can be perceived as insignificant nods to fans that do not significantly contribute to the narrative, characters, or overall themes. However, although it can be debated whether Better Call Saul's Breaking Bad cameos are crucial for advancing the plot, these scenes carry weight and serve as a closing chapter to a story that captivated audiences since its inception in 2008.
In its final season, particularly in its last episodes, Better Call Saul goes beyond being just a spinoff and instead serves as a sort of epilogue to Breaking Bad. The show follows Jimmy after Walt's death and the events of Breaking Bad season 5, highlighting the devastating consequences of Walt's actions and Jimmy's own responsibility. By bringing back Walt and Jesse and intertwining the narratives of both shows, it ultimately solidifies their interconnectedness.
The appearances of Breaking Bad characters also serve to explore different aspects of Jimmy and Kim's personalities and some of the themes in Better Call Saul. For instance, one of the flashback scenes features Jimmy asking Walt about what he would do if he had a time machine, revealing the characters' regrets about their past actions. Similarly, Kim's scene with Jesse is unexpectedly poignant, further connecting these characters as individuals with good intentions who get entangled in the downfall of others.
Source: THR
