Without Better Call Saul, There'd Be No Heisenberg

Though Breaking Bad's finale aired in September 13, the widely-acclaimed New Mexico crime saga continues to make waves in the form of its spin-off series Better Call Saul and the recent Netflix Original Movie El Camino. Though Better Call Saul is a very different beast from its predecessor, it's on-going prequel narrative has gradually approached its predecessor, with the latest season giving subtle, but direct, links from one show to the other.

The overarching narrative of Better Call Saul has seen effervescent-but-hapless attorney Jimmy McGill (a.k.a. Saul Goodman) slowly grow into the shady, drug lord-defending strip mall lawyer audiences were first introduced to in Breaking Bad's 2nd season, creating the first in a chain-reaction that will ultimately lead to ultimately allow Walter White becoming his feared alter-ego Heisenberg.

Season 5, Episode 2 ("50% Off") sees an excitable McGill beginning his first day of legal practice under his new name. As he discusses his strategies for attracting more "victims of injustice" to defend in court, he suggests promoting a 50% discount to first-time customers. His girlfriend Kim, ever the voice of reason, correctly deduces that a flash sale would not just cheapen their already questionable business, but tacitly encourage people to commit more crimes. Jimmy concedes, but when his normal burner phone clientele don't show any interest in his services, he leaps back to his original idea and offers a 50% discount to an assembled crowd.

One cut later, two junkies rampage through Albuquerque on a drug-fueled vandalism and burglary spree, looking two each other and comically proclaiming "50% off!" It's abundantly clear that Kim's concerns were right on-the-money, Jimmy's low fees are doing little more than motivating criminals to keep at it.

At the end of the night, the ever-intoxicated duo go back for more drugs, ordering an excessive 10 bags' worth and clogging the drainpipe used for deliveries. When Krazy-8 of the Salamanca gang arrives to deal with the problem, he's caught mid-repair by police and tossed in jail.

Viewers might remember that in Breaking Bad, Krazy-8 was an informant for the DEA prior to his death at Walter White's hands. Given "50% Off" sees him caught red-handed without much recourse besides Jimmy's affordable assistance, it's likely that this is where he was flipped by cops, turning snitch in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Krazy-8, now working for the DEA, likely would have given up the location of Jesse's cookhouse raided by Agents Hank Schrader and Steve "Gomey" Gomez in the very first episode of Breaking Bad. The very same bust witnessed by none other than Walter White. Upon seeing Jesse make a run for it, he tracks his former student down and the two end up forming their (very lucrative) criminal partnership.

None of this would have happened had Jimmy not decided in the heat of the moment to hold a 50% off sale against the advice of Kim; leading to Krazy-8's arrest, his snitching, and the raid of Jesse's. Jimmy's unintended consequences might've been completely accidental, but they brought Walt and Jesse together, a partnership that greatly expedited Walt's rise to power in the drug trade. Without Jesse ,there would be no Heisenberg, and without Jimmy, there would be no Jesse.

Better Call Saul currently airs on AMC in the United States and is streaming on Netflix in the UK.