The Only Time Gus And Saul Met In Breaking Bad Universe Was a Totally Genius Moment
Why is this scene from Better Call Saul so great?
Saul Goodman (or Jimmy McGill) and Gustavo Fring are two of the best characters of the Breaking Bad Universe. But have you noticed that these two met each other on screen only once.
In Better Call Saul ‘s third season, in the episode titled Witness, Jimmy finds himself in Los Pollos Hermanos, Gus Fring’s iconic chicken joint. He’s there on a mission for Mike.
As Jimmy sneakily searches the trash can, he’s interrupted by Gus himself. The two share a brief, yet tense interaction, with Gus subtly hinting that he’s onto Jimmy’s antics.
This encounter is the sole time these two powerhouses cross paths in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. But here’s the wild part: Saul, in his classic cunning style, manages to pull a fast one on Gus not once, but twice.
First, he drops his watch into the trash. An absolutely brilliant move. He tells Gus that his clasp is broken. But then, he refuses Gus’s offer to clean it, ensuring that Gus doesn’t discover that the watch clasp isn’t actually broken.
Throughout the entirety of Breaking Bad, Saul never meets Gus in person. This brief encounter in Better Call Saul is the only time these two iconic characters cross paths.
Fast forward to Breaking Bad’s second season, in the episode Mandala, Saul introduces Walt to Gus as a potential distributor. But we can assume that Saul doesn’t even know he’s referring to Gus. He describes him as a guy who’s been in the game for 20 years without getting caught.
It’s clear from their conversation that Saul has no clue about Gus’s identity, even though they had that memorable encounter years earlier.
However, some fans point out the significant time gap between Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. They ponder whether Saul might have learned more about Gus in the intervening years, especially given Walt’s casual mention of Gus later on.
A point of contention was Saul’s introduction of Gus to Walt. Some found it odd that Walt would name-drop Gus so casually, suggesting that Saul might have had some inkling of who Gus truly was.
