**Kim quit Schweikart & Cokely... Not Davis & Main

There's a level of trust the writers have built with us since Breaking Bad, that we're going to pay attention to almost every detail. It's an unspoken relationship that I really appreciate. I only wish it was present in other shows.

It's not an object, but I love what they did with Chuck's last words. The last thing he said to Jimmy is "Truth is, you never mattered all that much to me". Jimmy doesn't react. Season 4, Chuck is dead, and Jimmy still doesn't react. And then in the finale of that season, in the middle of his pep talk in front of the middle-schooler he feels sorry for, Jimmy goes "You're gonna do whatever it take, you're not gonna play by the rules, you're gonna be smart and you are gonna win ! They're on the 30th floor ? You'll be on the 50th. Rub their noses in it, make them suffer. *You never mattered all that much to them* ? So what ! So what. Screw them." I can't help but respect a show that trusts you'll catch these things without pointing out to you the meaning behind every little sentence.

Another object that gets so much importance and meaning when characters interact with it: Jimmy's ring from Marco. The ring symbolizes his Slippin' Jimmy days, or at least the schemes running in his head when he wishes to pull off something devious. Everytime he's in a situation that requires him to be Slippin' Jimmy/Saul Goodman, he rubs the ring.

For Kim the Zafiro Añejo stopper has the same meaning as Marco's ring has for Jimmy

Think about this, when Kim quits S&C and mesa verde and jimmy is upset about it, it’s not just because he sees her giving up financial success, but because if Kim doesn’t wanna work with mesa verde anymore, that means everything jimmy did to chuck to ultimately cause his demise, was all for nothing

That Mike impression had me dead. Great video.

2:38 that “hamfisted” impression of Mike is gold!

You could also have mentioned the ring Jimmy got from Marco. We can see him play with it every time he's thinking of doing a new scheme...

In the first scene of Season 6 Episode 1 , we were told that something happens to Kim and Saul has moved on by a simple image of the tequila stopper falling out of Saul's belongings. That showed us she not only is gone she left that behind something that she has taken with her multiple times. It also lets us know that by the end of the BB timeline has has moved on past her, by not taking it with him to Omaha.

In Breaking Bad, a bottle of Zaphiro was used by Gus to poison Don Eladio. Nice reference to that. Ties him into having some part of that event in BB

Loved this video too, Gil. Here's another scene that I know you'd appreciate: When Mike goes shopping for a rifle in that motel room, and the seller shows him the last one, the M-40....for a brief moment the camera pans on Mike's face...a somber look when he sees it. It brings him (and us) back to his past in Vietnam. The horrors he must have seen... The seller says, "You seem to know this one", and Mike says, "Yeah....you could say that.". That's all we need to know about his backstory. This has to be one of my favorite scenes in the entire series...

on top of the score during the scene where Kevin is showing Kim all the models there is a shot of Kim looking through one of the windows of the model which creates the appearance of Kim looking through prison bars. when I first noticed it I thought it was foreshadowing Kim ending up in prison, but upon further reflection it made more sense to me that it was representative of Kim's feelings of being trapped or imprisoned by Mesa Verde. really neat stuff these show writers pull off.

I remember being really amazed by the space blanket scene in Bagman. Most other creative teams would have flashed a clip of Chuck in the space blanket to make sure the point is driven home, but Gould-Gilligan know it's not necessary. As much as I love the Sopranos, it always bothered me when they would flash to clips to remind you what a character connects with it, like when Tony is set off by the Billy Bass toy because it reminds him of his dream about Pussy.

When I watched Breaking Bad, I realized Vince Gilligan doesn’t just focus on random objects and have seemingly random scenes. They always have a meaning and/or involve the plot, the dude is a damn genius and Breaking Bad in my opinion is the best show ever made. Better Call Saul is a damn close second too, its as close to breaking bad level of brilliance we will ever get and Im going to be sad when this last season ends. Ill watch anything Vince Gilligan does after though.

Finally someone took attention to this! This symbolic attachment to objects had happened since Breaking Bad, like the cardboard knife in the beginning of season 4 (between the opening of the meth lab and the death of Victor) or all the appearances of the pink bear in season 02. Good video as always!:)

Aaaaand the tequila cap just showed up in the S6 premiere

Wild that season 6 opens with that same cap

Dude this is a great video. BCS is masterful of visual storytelling. Could you make a video about how Jimmy unhealthily copes with Chucks suicide by compartmentalization of his true feelings? I never see any video essays about that.

I normally watch most television programs only once but I look at “Better Call Saul” multiple times. With each viewing I notice details that I didn’t notice at an earlier viewing. I loved your comparison to “Dexter”. You were absolutely right. “Better Call Saul” is a much better show than “Dexter”. The comparison that you made about the two shows gave me a good chuckle.

Thank you. At 5:57 we see the Davis & Main bottle is used to store Jimmy’s urine, both reminding us of the pain and resentment he feels toward the system, but also reminding us that Jimmy arrived here from his own poor choices, the main theme of that very episode. You actually opened up an entire dimension of symbolism for me.

I recently started watching The Umbrella Academy after years of being barraged with recommendations for it, and treating the audience like children who have to be shown/told everything is one of the show's main flaws. It's perfectly encapsulated at the end of S1 E4 where Diego, before leaving a crime scene picks up a receipt intent on investigating it. Then, immediately after the next episode begins, Diego removes the receipt from his pocket with a steady resolve. But, for good measure, the show flashes back to when he got it one more time. Like, we know he has it! You don't need to tell us this.

Kim with the finger guns is low key one of the most impactful moments in the entire series.

‘Seeing something, and not needing to hear it being explained, or even casually discussed.’ That’s what Alfred Hitchcock described as both essential and unique to movie making. It was was Hitchcock about whose work and methodology that François Truffaut found so important that he devoted two years of his life to interviewing and writing an book, which he crafted as meticulously as any of his films. If anyone is interested in an excellent yet nicely brief example of this, I suggest watching ‘The Beginning of Season 1 Ep 1 of Killing Eve, available on utube now, and titled that way. ~Especially for those who aren’t familiar with the series, it’s 120 seconds of your time that I trust you’ll enjoy.

I'm surprised there's no mention of Marco's ring. That to me is the most important recurring object in the show.

Watched the last two episodes and continued to be amazed at the love put into every aspect. As a songwriter I know that’s the secret

The icecream with the ants on it was some of the best symbolism I've seen on screen. Perfection.

The impression of mike is spot on 💀

I feel like Saul also saw Walt as a fill in for his brother, Walter needed him and even when he abused him it made him feel worth it and paid him much much better than his brother made

Great video and great timing for it too - the bottle top has already returned in season 6!

You missed the shot when Walter picked up the lily of the valley pot from his garden. This is when you imagine that he indeed tried to poison the kid.

The first scene of the 6th season is the greatest example of object importance in the show. There's no dialogue at all and yet you're fully comprehend the memories that stay with Jimmy (Saul) throughout the years.

So much brilliance in such a short video - and aside from that, you casually threw in the best wrapup of the ricin plot I've seen so far.

OMG, I would NEVER been ever to remember these easter eggs from prior seasons, totally missed their importance when binging S5 last week, thanks so much!

Fantastic amazing video. Love this show so much, I have also been rewatching it. So excited for the new season, and your upcoming videos.

One item that you seems to overlook but it’s my favorite and very important to the story: The GPS coordinates for the place Walter and Jesse first cook. At first, it served as a symbol of Walter reminiscing his old days with Jesse before their relationship was slowly but surely deteriorated and it also was a symbol of deception and secret since it was a place he buried his drug money away from Hank. Later, this object changed its duty into a symbol of Walter’s self-destruction. Walter called the Aryan brotherhood to this exact location which caused his money to be stolen and most importantly, Hank’s death, which will destroy his family and his secret as Heisenberg shortly after. Finally, it became an object for Walter’s redemption. Walter used this thing one last time to make things right by giving Skyler the location of Hank and Gomey’s burial site to get her out of the mess he created and give Marie’s closure that Hank is actually dead, not just missing without trace. This object alone represents the entire character development of Walter White so well thanks to Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould and the crew for putting so much efforts in every tiny details of the show.

SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT: One reason I love this series is how much of this there is, even smaller examples run throughout the whole show. In a flashback with Marco, you see Jimmy stashed a box with some money up in the ceiling of his family's old store, and is glad to see it was still in its same place. In a flash forward in the future as Saul Goodman later in the show, when he and Franchesca are shredding all the evidence, you see him retrieve a bag of money from his office ceiling in the same way, happy again that it's all still there. Jimmy's ring is another great one. So much more little stuff you notice on a rewatch, makes it that much more rewarding

Another example would be when Kim and Jimmy are brushing teeth together, they are at first shown in one mirror together. some episodes later the whole shot is cut in half and they are shown in opposing camera angles. Now in season 6 it's two seperate mirrors.

Real question: does Kim’s Kansas City Royals shirt at the end of Season Five give us a clue of where she ends up-similar to Gene-at the end of Season Six?

I love videos like these! I’m very unobservant with shows, and I feel like some of these things should be obvious to the me but they aren’t. I finished better call Saul season 5 about 2 months ago and watching these videos on the series has let me appreciate it so much more!

Great video! I also love the way the writers use objects. It is refreshing to see a show where viewers aren't treated like idiots and the writers trust we will understand what they lay out. It makes the show so much more enjoyable. I like your take on Jimmy and Mike's relationship, that Mike is the brother (partner-in-crime) he always wanted. I figured he refused the space blanket bc it reminded him of Chuck, but hadn't considered the other points you lay out regarding that interaction. I think Jimmy lost that when he left Cicero/Marco died. Anothrt important object is Marco's ring which is like the Zafiro Anejo stopper to Kim.

Amazing shows and a great clip by you !

Great breakdown. A couple of things I had not picked up on even after watching the series to date more than once.

This is a fantastic video. I always noticed these little things as well

Great video. Do more of these. Especially in this world. This world has so much subtext the more I watch it the deeper I see the meaning. It's great that they gave this world and show so many layers.

Man thank you for these videos! I find this show 100 levels above all others and its so interesting to start understanding why

One of the reasons I love this show so much is that it doesn't treat the viewer like they have 3 braincells. It's subtlety ads so much depth to the show and rewards you for piecing things together by making you feel smart

This is an amazing video One Take . Appreciate your wonderful analysis and love for the show .I think Better Call Saul season 6 will end up outdoing breaking bad season 5

Great video....Great dexter impression it was really spot on!

Brilliant analysis. Thanks! You pointed out some aspects I missed, such as the space blanket being turned down likely due to the association it had with Chuck in Jimmy’s mind.

Huells ability of pick pocketing items is the most harmless but at the most time the most destructive in the show. He indirectly helped killed Chuck He destroyed walts,jessie,saul relationship He beat that cop with the sandwich

yeah it was clear to me IMMEDIATELY that Jimmy recoiled from the idea of being offered that silver blanket from Mike because it put him right back in a Chuck headspace. Though as far as the tracker, I thought would've been a reasonable move to employ that as part of getting home safely. Mike scolds Jimmy's idea of burying the money to come back for it alone later because he wouldn't be able to leave a convincing enough marker to find it again. Well couldn't they have simply buried the tracker receiver with the bag of money? The transmitter theoretically would've led them back to exactly where it was.

Another great video. Your analysis is spot on. I can talk about this show and BB all day. The video you made yesterday on BB and BCS was phenomenal too.✌

Spot on analysis! The Albuquerque air freshener and the rearview mirror in the cab that picked up Gene from the hospital were particularly significant too, in my opinion.

you're so insightful... loved the impressions btw. haha

Spot on with the tequila stopper. It was shown falling out of the moving truck at the beginning of the first episode in the new season 6, probably indicating her separation from Saul.

You absolutely nailed the Dexter impression at 11:24!

Whether it means to or not, this amount of detail lends itself better to binge watching. With years between seasons I forget these details and end up missing the meanings vs. watching all at once.

I'm definitely not the first person to notice this but, Gus gives Don Eladio the Anejo, obviously it's not the same bottle or stopper or anything but. I think it's interesting that it's not the first time it's shown up

I sort of watched the show with one eye while working and I thought I understood it just by listening to dialogue but man, this video makes me think I need to sit down and watch it all over again

wow great topic and fantastically executed

Excellent video! Better Call Saul’s storytelling is unmatched!! Also, that knock on Dexter sounded like something from an anime lol

A great example of this is when the scene opens on a newspaper stand that says "50cents on sunday" and you see mike put in two quarters to show you the sunday meeting is happening

havent watched yet but I'm loving the week of saul idea, you've gained a sub from me bro, this is my lunchtime entertainment every day of this week!

Am I the only one who sees more than just the stopper but also the tequila bottle as a metaphor for Kim’s bottled up thrill-seeking side being released? And you know what they say…you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. It even happens to mimic the shape of the bottle in the old sitcom “I Dream of Jeanie”.

Great video!

You predicted the significance of the finger guns in the finale. Nice one!

Don't forget Mike checks the cap in Nacho's car when acting as the bodyguard for Pryce

actual good mike impression

Your Mike impression is great

Watching Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is like finding "the one". You respect one another, and the more invested you are, the more your effort is rewarded.

Really great insights

How you explain this makes me want to write a new tv show good work

this show is a true masterpiece

Good video, one small edit. It was schweikart and cokely she quit, Davis and Main was the firm Jimmy quit in Season 2.

The best part bout this is I didnt consciously take in this stuff, but unconsciously

I didn’t even think about the space blanket thing… damn cool video

love that mike impression

So I've watched both series more than twice, and the way the writers nonchalantly put these sometimes obscure references in tickles me because it makes you keep connecting dots for years after the show is over, I can't believe I missed some of these important character references after watching several times, these shows are truly worthy of your full attention and then some.

the dexter part was so good and true to what the show really is, but to be honest, that was one of the appeals of the show. the fact we could hear the thought process of the serial killer who tried to play as a human and how he reacted to such events. While its a spot on example its like comparing drama with comedy . both are movie genres but they have a different execution. Same way mr robot did voice overs but the purpose of it was for elliot to speak with us because he needed a friend because he was just so lonely he imagined us in existence so he can have a friend and someone he could talk with

Great stuff here!

I didn't catch that upon my first watch thanks for pointing it out.

That thumbnail was spot on

How come that you're channel only has 80 thousand subscribers? Great video

Things like this are the biggest reason I love Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, there are so many clever things that tie points together, and because the show isn't holding your hand you get to go "OH SHIT!!! IT'S THE THING FROM THAT TIME?! THAT MUST MEAN...!!" It's so much more rewarding and enjoyable overall for sure!!

that mike impression made me laugh so fucking hard I spilled tea all over myself thank you

Great video

excellent video!

Great video. The opposite of this well story writing is like 90% of all anime in which these characters will verbally explain every stupid thing thats going on.

Well done!

Fantastic Score. Nice.

Awesome analysis But holy fuck the abrupt Mike impression caught me so off guard, had me cackling

surprisingly good finger impression

I saw it as Chuck saved Jimmy in a way when Jimmy used the thermal blanket as a lure for the truck. Something like that, wish I could describe that better.

It's great that Breaking Bad and BCS trust the audience so much but it's actually the contrast to how little other shows do that really makes that stick out. Sure the symbolism, foreshadowing, and characterization in the BB universe goes really deep but a lot of it isn't that hard to recognise or engage with. It's just that other shows have subscribed to the notion that the audience has to be spoonfed. Ultimately it also comes down to the kinds of viewers you want to cultivate. For example you can't expect a sitcom or weekly periodical audience to watch every single episode or to even watch them with their full attention.

Ooooh, great video.

Dope Mike impression

Another small detail about the mug and the Davis and Main car is that the model mercedes Jimmy drives has a cupholder that opens revealing a deeper wider cupholder that would've held the mug. Take with that what you will

I think i would have picked up a lot more on these unspoken meanings if there weren't years between seasons.

And here I was just sitting and enjoying the show without thinking too deeply about anything. For me then and now, it's just entertainment. I don't want to have to think too hard when I'm relaxing.