All the Breaking Bad References You Missed in Better Call Saul's 5th Ep.
Editor's Note: This article has infinity spoilers for Breaking Bad and Episodes 1-5 of Better Call Saul. You can find more spoilers just like them in ourBetter Call Saul Recap hub.
Because the biggest reason you're watching Better Call Saul is to get even MORE nerdy about Breaking Bad, it's time we got full-on Heisenberg hair doll. Here are eight Breaking Bad references you totally missed in Season 1, Episode 5 of Better Call Saul.
1. The bench in this week's title sequence with Saul's ad on it? We've seen it before.
That's literally the EXACT same bench Badger sits on in the intro to Season 2, Episode 8 -- you know, the scene where DJ Qualls tries to buy drugs from him and Badger thinks he might be a cop, and thinks the two vans near him might be undercover police vans, but sells him drugs anyways, and hahahahaha he totally is a cop and hahahahahahahahaha both vans were undercover police vans. Breaking Bad gold.
2. The old folks home where Saul goes looking for prospective clients? Seen that before, too.
Yup, that's Casa Tranuila, retirement home to one Hector Saltalamacchia and scene of the blowing-half-of-Gus-Fring's-face-off crime.
3. The nail salon where Saul does Kim's toes? We haven't actually seen it before.
This isn't the same nail salon where Saul meets Jesse Pinkman (we went frame by frame to check) in Season 3 and tries to convince him to launder his money through it, nor is it the one in Season 4 that he suggests Walt and Skyler buy to launder money through (he mentions a different owner's name). Still, it's pretty clear where his whole "nail salon launders money" thing stems from, and that where is here.
4. Mike Ehrmantraut lives in the same house as he does in Breaking Bad
And drives the same 1988 Chrysler Fifth Avenue that Walt shoots him in before he crashes it and stumbles down to the water to die.
5. Mike really likes old movies
In "Madrigal" in Season 5 of Breaking Bad, he's watching The Caine Mutiny, a 1954 classic starring Humphrey Bogart. In this episode, he's watching The Awful Truth, a 1937 classic starring Cary Grant.
6. Saul offers to write Mike's will
He doesn't take him up on it, and there's some significance to it -- between now and Breaking Bad Mike does set up an 18th birthday trust fund for his granddaughter Kaylee, which the DEA finds out about and likely seizes all of his money from. Would the will money have been seized? I have no idea, but... maybe?
7. The diner we see Mike in? Won't be the last time he goes there.
This is the same diner Mike later meets Lydia at in "Madrigal" where she hands him a list of eleven men who were on Gus's payroll and suggests Mike kill them before they can implicate either of them. Mike shoots down the idea, vouching for his men and leaving Lydia helpless, panic-stricken, and still super butthurt that the place only offered Lipton iced tea (WHAT IS THIS, PRISON????).
8. The guys at the end of the episode should explain what Hank Schrader alludes to in Breaking Bad
While interrogating Mike in Season 5, Hank says he and Gomez know some guys in Philly who knew Mike when he was on the force there. Hank says they told him his tenure as a police officer ended "somewhat... dramatically." But that's all we get... until now! Woooooot.
Grant Marek is a Senior Editor at Thrillist and if DJ Qualls tried to buy drugs from him he would punch him in the ear. Follow him on Twitter at @grant_marek.