Better Call Saul Season 2: Everything You Missed

Better Call Saul is much more than a prequel.

It’s the brilliantly told story of an exceptional yet flawed individual whose flaws and hubris set him down a path of destruction. Kind of like this other show Breaking Bad. 

Despite being its own story, Better Call Saul is not shy about its Breaking Bad homages and history. As a matter of fact, it’s not shy about any pop culutre references or shoutouts. With season 3 almost here and season 2 on safely on Netflix where it belongs, we’ve decided to catalogue all the easter eggs we could find from Better Call Saul season 2. 

This includes but is not limited to Breaking Bad calbacks, pop culture references, and other interesting factoids. Give them a look and let us know of anything we missed in the comments!

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 1: Switch

Official synopsis: Jimmy decides to quit the law after turning down a job at Davis & Main. Mike breaks ties with a former associate.

– This episode is directed and written by Thomas Schnauz, who goes way, way back with the Vince Gilligan family. The two have worked together on The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen and Breaking Bad. He’s been tapped to write a “revisionist take” on Jack and the Beanstalk to be produced by Vince Gilligan. 

– The season begins with another black and white flash forward to Saul’s life in Omaha as a Cinnabon. Fans may have been frustrated with the lack of furthering the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe mythology but artistically it couldn’t possibly work any better. The future Jimmy performs the mundane task of taking out the trash after a day’s work and gets locked in the room with the dumpster. He can escape easily if he merely pushes open the emergency exit but that would draw the attention of the police and he can’t have that. Instead, he just sits down, dejected, until a janitor arrives and lets him out. 

– The song playing during the opening scene is the slow, mournful “Funny How Time Slips Away” from Willie Nelson

– Jimmy/Saul carves  “S.G. was here” on the wall of the trash room while he waits. Saul Goodman sure was here but he’s not anymore. This version of Jimmy/Saul is someone different entirely. 

– Also on the wall behind Jimmy is the graffiti tag “Skribe.” That’s appeared in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul season one. What’s the significance of Skribe? Well apparently someone in the art department likes it. Vince Gilligan’s assistant Jenn Carroll declares “you’re probably okay not obsessing over that one.” 

– CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE: Vince Gilligan has said that the opening credit sequences for Better Call Saul are intended to look “shitty.”  Each episode features a different kitschy totem from Jimmy McGill’s future life as Saul Goodman. The color routinely switches from VHS-style over saturation and black and white to mimic the ever-changing nature of Jimmy McGill, Saul Goodman and the person each one will eventually become in a Omaha Cinnabon. We’ll be keeping track of each episode’s credit sequences iconography. This time around we get a creepy inflatable statue of liberty that adorned the outside of Saul Goodman’s offices.

– The post-credits sequences picks up almost immediately where season 1 left off. And Jimmy is still wearing the pinky ring of his dearly departed friend and hustle partner, Marco 

– Jimmy is called “Charlie Hustle” by Howard to impress Clifford Maine. Ironically Jimmy quits moments after being called that. Charlie Hustle was also the nickname of famous baseball player and even more famous gambler Pete Rose.

– “I know what stopped me and you know what? It’s never stopping me again,” Jimmy tells Mike and then drives off humming Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” This is a carbon copy of the final moments of season 1. 

– Mike is back at the same parking garage with his pimento sandwich as he was in season 1 episode “Pimento.” This parking garage is where client Daniel Wormald picks him up so that Mike can act as silent muscle in drug deals with Nacho. This time Wormald turns up in a hilariously gaudy yellow Hummer with rims, causing Mike to quit.

– Wormald’s vanity license plate on the Hummer reads “Playuh.” According to PlateRecordsFinder.com, that plate is actually in use in New Mexico on a 2003 Mercedes Benz C240 M AWD

– Kim asks Jimmy what he’s going to do “walk the Earth like Jules in Pulp Fiction?” Vince Gilligan is a huge Quentin Tarantino fan and wears his influence on his sleeve. In Pulp Fiction, Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) tells his partner that he’s ready to retire from this life of crime and walk the Earth like David Carradine in Kung Fu.

– Kim also tries to appeal to Jimmy’s financial sense by telling him he shouldn’t quit the law since he’s already invested so much money and time in his career. “That’s the sunk cost fallacy,” Jimmy replies “It’s what gambler’s do. Throw good money after bad. There’s no reward at the end of this game.” The sunk cost fallacy essentially means that a cost has already been incurred and cannot be gotten back. So it shouldn’t factor in at all into your decision to continue or not. It’s why playing another game of blackjack because “in for a penny, in for a pound” is a bad idea. 

– Ken Wins (played by Kyle Bornheimer) is back! Of course, the character’s name is not named Ken “Wins” but just Ken. “Ken Wins” is an obnoxious stock broker who first appeared in Breaking Bad season 1. A newly enlightened and angry Walter White responded to Ken’s douchebaggery by taking a squeegee to his car battery. Better Call Saul reveals that that wasn’t Ken’s first encounter with Albuquerque antiheroes. 

– By the way, there is a Ken Wins New Mexico license plate in real life. Supposedly it belongs to a 1994 BMW 325IC

– Ken Wins mentions Corky Romano as an example of a “slam-dunk.” Corky Romano is a 2001 mob parody movie starring Chris Kattan. It has a 6% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $24 million.

– The expensive tequila that Kim and Jimmy swindle Ken into buying is Zafiro Anejo. It’s the same brand that Gus Fring presented to Don Eladio. Of course, that bottle was poisoned and wiped out Don Eladio’s entire crew. 

– Kim wears a Kansas City Royals shirt for pajamas. Presumably she was excited in 2015 when the Royals won the World Series. 

– Jimmy has tied some red string on Marco’s ring to make it fit better. Marco was a much larger man after all. 

– The  painting in Jimmy’s new office at Davis and Main is fascinating and he can’t seem to bring himself to look away from it. Perhaps because it depicts a figure tumbling backward and it reminds me of his “Slippin’ Jimmy” nature. The painting is titled “Geometric Abductions” and was created by a Sante Fe artist named Miles Toland. You can check out some more of his work here. 

– “Hey do you think? Do we get a choice of desks? Is it possible….can we do cocobolo?” A cocobolo desk is Jimmy’s only request for his new office. Cocobolo is a hardwood of Central American trees. Jimmy expressed his desire to have one in season 1 as the ultimate sign of success.

– The episode title takes its name from the switch in Jimmy’s office that says “do not turn off.” Jimmy turns it off anyway and nothing happens. So he turns it back on. What does this symbolize? Your choice. Maybe Jimmy will fail in changing himself into a new person?

– Speaking of titles, pay close attention to each for a reason we’ll reveal in the final episode.

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 2: Cobbler

Official synopsis: While Mike attempts to track down Pryce’s stolen baseball cards, Jimmy must defend him when the police call him in for further questioning.

 “Cobbler” director Terry McDonough has bounced around the TV and film industry since the ‘80s and has directed several episodes of Breaking Bad…including the episode titled “Better Call Saul.” 

– The song that Chuck is attempting to play on his piano in the opening moments is “Sicilienne” from French composer Gabriel Faure. It was originally composed as incidental music for an opera but never used so was then published as a solo for cello or violin with piano accompaniment. It’s quite lovely. 

CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE: Saul’s “LWYR UP” license plate. Yes, there is a “LWYR UP” license plate in New Mexico. Belongs to a 2003 Pontiac Aztek

– Jimmy says he’s like to get a bungalow halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque and Kim immediately suggests Corrales as a halfway point between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Corrales is roughly 18 miles from Albuquerque and 56 miles from Santa Fe. Clearly Jimmy wants to be closer to Kim in ABQ despite his job being in Santa Fe. 

– Kim gets Jimmy a coffee container that says “World’s 2nd Best Lawyer.” In Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman has a mug that says “World’s Best Lawyer.” Saul will not accept second-place

– The vehicle registration in Wormald’s Hummer helps set up the timeframe of the show even more. It expires in 2005 and it’s a new car so it’s reasonable to assume we are somewhere in 2004. 

– Jimmy’s new car is a 2003 Mercedes-Benz C 240. And did you know there was a Internet Movie Car Database? 

– Jimmy’s new coffee container doesn’t fit in the new car’s cup holder. Bro, do you even symbolism? 

– Daniel very foolishly decides to report his missing baseball card collection to the ABQ police. This opens the door for the re-entrance of the busiest cop in the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe. Officer Saxton will one day report to the White household to investigate the domestic disturbance of Walter moving back in without his wife’s permission. For now, it’s this baseball card collection nonsense.

– Speaking of coffee, Mike’s cup of coffee shakes when Daniel Wormald’s giant Hummer approaches the police station to follow up on his missing baseball card collection. Shades of the T-Rex approaching in Jurassic Park. The level of danger is about the same in each case.

– Jimmy hears the sound of a guitar being played floating around the Davis and Main office and follows the sound to Cliff playing the guitar rather beautifully in his office. In real life, Ed Begley Jr. appreciates some guitar playing. Enough that he purchased George Harrison’s 1968 “Rosewood” Fender Telecaster guitar that was used in the Let it Be movie. 

– When he’s not busy stealing baseball cards, Nacho works at A-Z Fine Upholstery for his father. A-Z Fine Upholstery seems to be a creation solely for Better Call Saul which makes sense because not many small business owners would want to be association with fictional organized crime.

– Mike threatens to tell Tuco about Nacho’s side business, which is the first one of Breaking Bad’s greatest boogeymen’s name is invoked this season. 

– One of the cops who is interrogating Daniel says his uncle had a Ty Cobb tobacco card. If he’s referring to the T206, he’s talking about one of the most valuable baseball cards in existence. One most recently sold for $154,050 in 2014

– Jimmy’s Squat Cobbler explanation is so masterful. He definitely makes the shocker in this scene. Here’s his full list of other names for “Squat Cobbler:” Full Moon Moon Pie. Boston Cream Splat. Simple Simon the Ass Man. Dutch Apple Ass. Hoboken Squat Cobbler.

– Kim wearing a University of American Samoa sweatshirt. This, of course, is where Jimmy received his law degree.

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 3: Amarillo

Official synopsis: Jimmy struggles with client outreach and decides to shoot a TV commercial for Davis & Main. Mike begins an investigation.

– Scott Winant’s career in directing and producing television is truly staggering. He won an Emmy for directing back in 1989 for an episode of Thirtysomething. 

– The song that opens the episode is Ernest Tubb Waltz “Waltz Across Texas.” It’s a cheerful little ditty and similar to another important Breaking Bad universe song “Felina.”

– Jimmy is wearing a white-ish hat. It’s kind of tan but is certainly closer to white than black. White hats and black hats in literature and pop culture are often associated with good guys and bad guys. 

– The bus full of Sandpiper senior citizens stops at Birdie’s Homestyle Buffet. In real life, this shooting location is Copper Canyon Cafe in Albuquerque. 

CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE: Somebody ashes their cigarette into a scale of justice

– Davis and Main’s phone number is listed on their awful mesothelioma commercial. 505-242-7700. When you dial it, you get the voicemail of Davis and Main.

– The film students return! These nerds helped Jimmy helped Jimmy film his viral marketing stunt in season one. Mrs. Strauss, the senior citizen who helped blow open the Sandpiper case for Jimmy and her Alpine Shepherd Boy figurine make a reappearance as well.

– “Teamwork makes the dream work” Jimmy tells his team. I’m sure someone thought of that phrase shortly after the English language was created but it’s commonly attributed to author John C. Maxwell  and his 2002 self help book. 

– “I’m ready for my close up, Mr. McGill,” Mrs. Strauss tells him. This is a take on the line from the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard when Gloria Swanson says “Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup.” 

– Jimmy wants to know why fancy-looking corporate housing always comes with a bowl full of twine balls. I’d like to know myself. You can find the world’s biggest ball of twine in Darwin, Minnesota though. 

– “What’s this? There’s been another murder in Cabot Cove??” – Jimmy knows a lot about Murder, She Wrote.

– The film students let Jimmy know that they did not bring a dolly. Thankfully, Mrs. Strauss has a makeshift dolly of her own: her elevating wheelchair apparatus on her stairs. 

– Actor Joe DeRosa makes his return to the series as “Veterinarian” The Vet is Mike’s main connection to the criminal underworld. 

-After Jimmy’s commercial airs, he waits in his office for the phone to ring. As he waits, he tries doing his “magic finger” routine on the phone to get it to ring. He would do this in his old office at the nail salon before checking his voicemail.

– Jimmy and Kim are watching Rock Hudson submarine movie Ice Station Zebra. Ice Station Zebra will become and important recurring phrase for Jimmy. See episode 6 for more details.

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 4: Gloves Off

Official synopsis: Jimmy and Kim face the repercussions of the TV commercial. Mike makes a deal with Nacho in regards to his newest job offer.

– This episode is directed by Adam Bernstein, who has an impressive TV resume. Bernstein began his career as an animator and directed music videos for The B-52s, Beastie Boys, and Sir Mix-a-Lot. He then moved into directing TV and won and Emmy for his direction of an episode of 30 Rock.

– This episode begins with another flash forward, a favorite narrative convention of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. In it, one side of Mike’s face is viciously destroyed. You know, kinda like Gus Fring in his final moments. 

– Mike also now has Tuco’s boxing glove necklace. Somehow Tuco will get that back prior to his first scene with Walt and Jesse in Breaking Bad season 1. 

CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE:  Burner phones in a desk.

– This is as good a time to mention that this show is essentially made for early millennium cell phone fetishists. Just look at this beautiful Motorola C115 from Kim. 

– “Crank does not bring out the best in people. Made Tuco erratic.” Nacho describes the Tuco that we will come to know and love. 

– Nacho also mentions that Tuco killed his associate Dawg Paulson in a paranoid fit of rage. is who Hanks mentions the Dawg Paulson murder on Tuco’s rap sheet  in Breaking Bad season 2. 

– “What and call him a pigfucker again?” Kim asks Jimmy about how he’ll get her back in Howard’s good graces. Here is one of AMC’s precious “fucks.” They only had out a few to Vince Gilligan for TV season. This one references a moment last season in which Jimmy told Howard how he really feels. 

– Mike is meeting with Lawson, the gun dealer played by Jim Beaver. Lawson is a big part of Breaking Bad history. He is the man who sold Walter White his first gun to protect himself from Gus back in season 4. 

– Beyond Lawson’s history on Breaking Bad, actor Jim Beaver has a lot of history on television in general. He’s appeared in Deadwood, Justified, 3rd Rock from the Sun and many other shows. If you’re watching a TV show and Jim Beaver pops up in it, chances are you picked a good show to watch. 

– “You seem to know this one,” Lawson says about a rifle to Mike. It was a good rifle but it warped like hell when you got it wet or left it in the sun. “Someone probably should have thought of that before they sent it into the a jungle,” Mike says. Mike was definitely in the Vietnam War. Let’s just point out as well that this is a remarkable scene. 

– “Life is not one big game of Let’s Make a Deal.” Chuck tells Jimmy. Jimmy, ever the daytime TV enthusiast responds with: “Yes it is! I’m Monty Hall! What’s behind door #2?”

– Tuco is rifling through $20 and $100 bills and it’s a testament to the show’s art department that there are very few of the more modern looking $20 bills. The “new” $20 bills were introduced on October 9, 2003 and there weren’t many of them in circulation by the time this scene takes place in 2004.

– Krazy-8 sigthing! Tuco is meeting with his drug dealer Domingo Gallardo Molina a.k.a.Krazy-8. Krazy-8 would go on to be the first casualty of Walter White’s descent into the criminal life.

Krazy has a Tampico shirt on. That’s his father’s furniture company. Walter White bought a couch from them. 

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 5: Rebecca

Official synopsis: Jimmy chafes under his restrictive work environment; Kim goes to extremes to dig herself from a bottomless hole at HHM.

– This episode is directed by John Shiban, anotherEmmy-nominated  X-Files, Lone Gunmen and Breaking Bad vet. 

– We didn’t know why this episode was called “Rebecca” at the time. And we still kind of don’t know. But the reason why it had to start with an “R” will be clear soon enough.

– Chuck tries to tell Rebecca about Carol Burnett and her ear pull before being interrupted by the arrival of Jimmy. The whole story here is that comedian Carol Burnett would tug her ear at the end of each episode of the Carol Burnett Show. This was a message to her grandmother saying “Hello, I love you.”

– Here’s Jimmy’s full list of lawyer jokes. “What’s the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a lawyer? The vacuum cleaner’s dirtbag is on the inside.” “What do you get when you cross the Godfather with a lawyer? An offer you can’t understand.” “Why do they bury lawyers under 20 feet of dirt? Because deep down they’re very good people.” “What do you call a lawyer with an IQ of 60? Your honor.” “What’s the difference between a tick and a lawyer? The tick falls off when you’re dead.” “How many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb? Three. One to go up a ladder, one to shake it and one to sue the ladder company.” 

– Rebecca’s lawyer joke: “What do lawyers and sperm have in common? One in three million have a chance of becoming a human being.”

– Chuck’s lawyer joke: “What do you call 25 attorneys buried up to their chins in cement? Not enough cement.” 

CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE:  Bench with Saul’s ad.

– Erin tells Jimmy that Davis and Main likes to put two spaces after a period in all of their documents. This isn’t an easter egg or fun factoid or anything but just know that that drives me freaking crazy. People, one space is fine. 

– Jimmy explains away his ducking out on Erin as saying he suffers from GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease). This is a real condition better known as acid reflux, where stomach contents come back up through the esophagus, creating discomfort. Jimmy likely doesn’t have this. He’s just an asshole. 

– “I get it. First rule of fight club,” Jimmy tells Mike after seeing his smashed up face. We know the first rule of fight club but can’t tell you. 

– Jimmy gives a court clerk a Beanie Baby to bribe her. Beanie Babies were a strange ‘90s phenomenon in which the American public collectively lost its mind and thought bean bag stuffed animals would one day be worth more than gold. The trend had almost completely subsided by 2004 but hey, the clerk still likes them.

– The song playing as Kim calls numbers looking for a big fish for HHM is “I Did it My Way” in Spanish, A Mi Manera by Gipsy Kings.

– Kim gets Mesa Verde bank to bring on HHM as legal counsel. This is not a real bank but it may be related to the Mesa Credit Union Walter White eventually banks at.

– There is a lot going on in the final scene of this episode. First of all, Mike is dining at the diner where everything happens on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. The real name of the diner in Albuquerque is Loyola’s and it’s hosted no fewer than seven Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul scenes, including some big ones like the poisoning of Lydia. The waitress is also the same waitress who serves Mike in season 5 of Breaking Bad before his death.

– Then there’s the return (or first appearance chronologically) of another big Breaking Bad character. Don Hector Salamanca (played by Mark Margolis). Hector will one day become a mute, wheelchair-bound old man but for now he’s still a vital, angry drug lord. And he wants Mike to make sure that Tuco gets out of prison in “much less” than 8 years. Just in time to run into Walter White.

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 6: Bali Ha’i

Official synopsis: Jimmy finds comfort in familiarity; Kim receives a life-changing proposal; when he is threatened, Mike finds himself pushed to the limit.

– This is veteran TV director Michael Slovis’ first episode of Better Call Saul. He directed Breaking Bad episodes “Kafkaesque,” “Cornered,” “Live Free or Die,” and “Confessions.”  He also served as the cinematographer on 30 episodes and director of photography on another 20 episodes of Breaking Bad. Slovis has had a huge influence on the look of the Breaking Bad universe.

– While watching TV late night, Jimmy sees a commercial for Chia Pets. The first Chia Pet, Chia Guy was created on September 8, 1977, achieving popularity in the 1980s. The commercial that Jimmy sees for the Chia Cow and Lion Cub come from Wave 6 of the Chia Pet line, released in 1998.

– Jimmy also stumbles across a C-Span2 Senate Quorum Roll Call, where Senator Daniel Akaka, Democratic United States Senator from Hawaii, the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry, is called on. Akaka served in the Senate from 1990 to 2013. The South Pacific-inspired episode title likely inspired his inclusion.

– The last channel shows a channel sign-off showing the United States National Anthem and the flag.

– The Sandpiper Commercial from Davis and Main that Jimmy comes across specifically irks Jimmy due to the time of evening. Jimmy’s commercial was designed to air during the afternoon, specifically during Matlock, when he knew the elderly people would be watching. None of the likely participants for this class action suit would be awake at this hour. The narrator of the commercial is voice actor Robert Clotworthy, who narrates and does voicework on a ton of TV shows and movies, like voicing Captain George Stacy in the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series and Nick Fury’s car in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

– While Jimmy plays with the wicker balls, “Sleepwalking,” an original composition for the show by Junior Brown, plays.

– CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE:  Payphone with a phonebook opened to Saul Goodman ad.

– Next to the nail salon is Sai Gon Sandwich, a real Vietnamese sandwich shop that you can visit at 162 Juan Tabo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

– Jimmy is seen wearing a sweatshirt from his alma mater, University of American Samoa.

– Kim has a poster for the movie The Thrill Hunter (1933) starring Buck Jones on her wall. The movie is about a habitual liar who crafts tall tales to impress a film star. Who else do we know that is always coming up with stories?

– Kim also has a movie poster for the 1923 silent film Salomé starring Alla Nazimova,  a film adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play of the same name. There is an old Hollywood rumor started by famous Hollywood gossip Kenneth Anger, that star and producer Nazimova  demanded that the film be cast only with gay or bisexual actors in an homage to Oscar Wilde. The story tells the biblical story of Salomé, who requests the head of Jokanaan (John the Baptist) on a silver platter.

– Jimmy sings “Bali Hai,”  a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific on Kim’s answering machine. The song is about a mystical island visible on the horizon but not reachable, like just like  Kim has been for Jimmy, as she’s been avoiding him.

– Mike’s jacket and polo say SMQ Parking. SMQ are the initials of Steven Michael Quezada, who played Steve Gomez on Breaking Bad.

– Vincent Fuentes plays Arturo, the actor sitting on Mike’s porch. Fuentes has been in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

– Carbon paper was invented in 1801 by Pellegrino Turri, an Italian inventor, used to transfer material from one document to another.

– Richard Schweikart is played by veteran TV actor Dennis Boutsikaris, who can currently be seen on ABC’s Quantico. Schweikart orders a Moscow Mule, a cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice, garnished with a slice or wedge of lime, typically served in a copper mug to keep the drink cold.

– Sean the waiter is played by Ben Whitehair, most recently seen as FBI Agent Banks opposite Matthew McConaughey in Gold (2016).

– When Mike returns to his home and turns on the TV as a distraction, a Billy Mays commercial for the Gourmet Quick Chop is on.

– Mike sees The Cousins while watching Kaylee on a rooftop nearby. The Cousins first appear in the Breaking Bad episode “No Más” and are the main antagonists for the first half of Season 3. Their threatening of Kaylee adds a new perspective on Mike carrying out a hit on Lionel, giving him a fatal injection on the orders of Gus after he was hospitalized by Hank.

– When Kim returns to the bar, she orders a Moscow Mule, same as Schwikart earlier.

– Dale is played by journeyman TV actor Steven Flynn, who played Emmitt Arnett on Justified.

– Kim uses her fake name Giselle and later Jimmy uses Viktor, the names they used in the beginning of the season in “Switch.”

– The bar that they’re drinking in referred to as “the bar at Forque.” The Forque Kitchen and Bar is located inside the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque.

– Jimmy makes a joke about Dale being like “Casey Jones.” Casey Jones was a railroad engineer known for his speed who died in 1900, when he collided with another train. He was immortalized as an American folk hero with the release of Wallace Saunders’s song “The Ballad of Casey Jones.”

– Throughout their encounter with Dale, Musetta’s “Red Star” can be heard playing.

– Mike goes to meet Hector Salamanca at El Griego Guinador. In real life, this is the La Michoacana De Paquime ice cream shop, loacted at 6503 Zuni Rd SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

– Ice Station Zebra Associates is the name of the fake company that Kim and Jimmy use and get the check from Dale made out to. This is the same name that Saul Goodman makes Badger use for his money order in Saul’s first Breaking Bad episode. He uses multiple times throughout the series. In the episode “Abiquiú,” Skyler White decides to intervene in Saul and Walt’s money laundering because she was unimpressed when Saul presented her with a check from Ice Station Zebra Associates. Ice Station Zebra is also a 1963 Cold War intrigue novel, adapted into the 1968 film of the same name starring Rock Hudson and Ernest Borgnine. The movie itself appeared in the episode “Amarillo.”

– Kim is seen wearing a Kansas City Royals shir againt. Kim is from a small town on Nebraska/Kansas border and most people in that area are either typically Royals or St. Louis Cardinals fans. In 2002 the Royals went 62-100. Here’s to rooting for the underdog.

– The last song heard is The Bombay Royale’s “Henna Henna.” The Bombay Royale is an 11-piece Australian band fronted by singers Parvyn Kaur Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya and led by Andy Williamson that are inspired by the ‘60s and ‘70s Bollywood film soundtracks. Many of the band’s tracks appear in the video game Far Cry 4. 

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 7: Inflatable

Official synopsis: When Mike’s hand is forced, he can no longer hide his frustration; Mike and Jimmy work together to keep the peace.

– Director Colin Bucksey has been directing TV for quite some time. He also directed four episodes of Breaking Bad (“Phoenix,” “I See You,” “Bullet Points,” and “Buyout”) as well as season one episodes “Hero” (episode 4) and “RICO” (episode 8).

– The episode opens with Canadian rock band The Stampeders’ “Sweet City Woman” playing, which was released in May of 1971. The Dave Clark Five released a cover version that year as the Stampeders single failed to gain success on the UK charts.

– The shot of the news stand has a few noteworthy magazines, like Time Magazine from August 20, 1973, which has Nixon on the cover and a story about the fallout from Watergate. There’s also a Mad Magazine No. 160 from July of 1973, including the TV spoof “Cannonball” and Going Thy Way” and “Going Way Out,” movie spoofs with Bing Crosby. Another gem is a Superman No. 266 from Aug. ‘73, where Superman faces off against the Abominable Snowman. We also have a Playboy from August 1973 that young Jimmy is fond of, featuring Phyllis Coleman on the cover and an interview with American journalist and author David Halberstam inside. Lastly, there’s a National Lampoon from the same year and month featuring the cover “Strange Beliefs,” by Frank Frazetta.

– Jimmy’s Dad’s store features a ton of vintage advertisements. There’s one for Jay’s Potato Chips, a family-owned chip manufacturer that was founded out of Chicago in 1927 but is now a subsidiary of Snyder’s of Hanover. Jays Foods has 23 percent share of the potato chip market in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota and Iowa. You can also spot an ad for Tab, a diet soft drink introduced in 1963.

– On the shelves of the store you can see Kroger’s P$$t Brand of food, an error since Kroger didn’t unleash the line until 2015.

– For sale in the store, eagle eyed viewers can see a Chicago Cubs pennant. The same pennant can be spotted in Pryce’s home while it is being looked at by the police in Season 2, Episode 2, “The Cobbler.”

– The conman is played by Stephen Snedden, known for playing Jimmy Bond on The Lone Gunmen and The X-Files, two of creator Vince Gilligan’s former projects. His fate in the X-Files universe after the episode “Jump the Shark” (Season 9, Episode 15) is unknown.

– While the conman is at the counter, the radio can be heard playing “Dancing in the Moonlight,” by King Harvest, released July 9, 1972. It was recently used in the trailer for the video game Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series. The song was covered in 2000 by English rock band Toploader.

– While with Mike, Jimmy references being hogtied by Tuco, while witnessing legs being broken. He’s referring to the events that took place in the episode “Mijo” (Season 1, Episode 2).

– This episode marks the introduction of the future Saul Goodman’s flashy suits, inspired by an inflatable arm guy. The shirts are just shy of being the colors of the rainbow, except  instead of indigo, one shirt is a lighter shade of violet, possibly to avoid the corporate color of Hamlin Hamlin and McGill, “Hamlindigo Blue,” a phrase that popped up in the episode “Hero” (Season 1, Episode 4), coined by Gilligan’s assistant, Jenn Carroll. During the montage, “Scorpio” by Dennis Coffey plays. The song was released in 1971 and has been sampled in several times in songs  like Mark Ronson’s debut single “Ooh Wee,” Public Enemy’s “Night of the Living Baseheads,”  LL Cool J’s “Jingling Baby,” and Young MC’s “Bust a Move.”

– CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE:  Foot massager with a glass of whisky next to it at the nail salon

– Jimmy tells the Davis & Main office that every time a toilet is flushed you use a gallon of water. Actually, older toilets can use 3.5, 5, or even up to 7 gallons of water with each  flush. Now Federal plumbing standards dictate that new toilets must only use up to 1.6 gallons per flush, or GPF. Now when you see GPF on a toilet, you’ll know what it means!

– Jimmy hits a can of Hansen’s Diet Tangerine Lime soda out of Erin’s hand. Hansen’s was founded in 1935. Besides their line of natural sodas and juices, the company also makes Monster Energy Drink and on January 5, 2012, the Hansen’s shareholders agreed to change the name of the company from Hansen’s Natural to Monster Beverage Corporation.

– On Kim’s resignation letter, her address is listed as 2334 Harper Dr. It’s a real street but appears to be a fake address. The HHM office is listed as 100 Constitution Ave. NE, which is another real street, fake address, but the real office that is used as the HHM office is actually at 100 Sun Ave. NE, the lobby of the Pan American building with the boardroom scenes being shot in the Sun Healthcare Group offices.

– Kim’s desktop has files for both of her big cases, Mesa Verde and Sandpiper, but no others.

– When Kim asks Jimmy if he’s going to play it straight, he looks long and hard at Marco’s ring, which he acquired in the episode “Marco” (Season 1, Episode 10).

– The relator, Stephanie Doswell, played by Jennifer Hasty, also appears in Breaking Bad Season 4, Episode 3, “Open House” in a home that Marie steals from. Hasty has also appeared in TV shows such as Bunheads and Selfie.

– The phone number on Stephanie’s realty sign, 505-255-5609, does not work.

– Between Jimmy setting up his new voicemail and Kim’s big meeting, Crucial Music’s “Noches Triste” can be heard.

– Lynne is played by Esodie Geiger, known for playing Nurse Mollie on The Night Shift.

– Kim studied at the UNM School of Law, ranked 60th by U.S. News & World Report.

– Hinky Dinky was a supermarket chain based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started in 1925, at its peak Hinky Dinky operated approximately 50 stores. In 2000 the remaining stores were sold to grocery distributor Nash Finch, which dropped the name on all of the stores. Hinky Dinky is seen as a pioneer in partnering with banks to open in-store banking offices.

– “L’amore più bello” by Stephane Huguenin, Yves Sanna and Christian Padovan can be heard playing in the nail salon. It’s from the album Bella Italia: A Musical Postcard from Italy, released in 2014. 

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 8: Fifi

Official synopsis: Mike aims to settle the score with an enemy; an unexpected opportunity presents itself to Jimmy.

– Director Larysa Kondracki also directed season one, episode seven, “Bingo.” She has also helmed episodes of Legion, The Walking Dead, Gotham, and many other high profile TV series.

– Regalo Helado appears to be a brand created for the show.

– The music in the opening tracking shot was created specifically for the show.

– The Santa Teresa Border Station is located off of Interstate 10 in New Mexico. The station was made a point of entry for the United States in 1992 to relieve pressure from the busy El Paso bridge crossings to the east. It is 42 miles south of New Mexico’s second largest city, Las Cruces

– The names on all of the trucks scene at the border appear to have been invented for the show.

– The strip of highway where the truck driver retrieves a hidden gun from underneath the ground is the same location where the Los Pollos Hermanos truck attacks in the Breaking Bad episodes “Bullet Points” (S4E4) and “Cornered” (S4E6).

– CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE: Colorful ties in the dessert while a tarantula crawls over them.

– Jimmy and Kim eat hot dogs at the Dog House, which appeared in Breaking Bad as a  place where Jesse Pinkman used to sell meth, mentioned in “Crazy Handful of Nothin'” (S1E6) and where he bought a Ruger SP-101 while afraid of Tuco in “Seven Thirty-Seven” (S2E1). Jesse is later seen in Season 5, Episode 9, “Blood Money” giving money to a homeless man here, and it’s where Kuby looks for Jesse after he pours gasoline in the White home in “Rabid Dog” (S5E12). The Dog House located at 1216 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM.

– Chuck calls Jimmy a Svengali, a fictional character from George du Maurier’s 1895 novel Trilby. In the story, Svengali is a manipulative exploiter who makes a young English girl famous. A Svengali defense is a legal tactic used in court to paint the defendant as a pawn in the scheme of a more manipulative mastermind.

– That’s Robert Grossman as Theodore ‘Fudge’ Talbot, who doesn’t have very man film credits.

– The Boeing B-29 Superfortress known as FIFI is the only B-29 that’s currently still flying. Owned by the Commemorative Air Force, FIFI is kept at the Vintage Flying Museum located at Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, but tours the U.S. and Canada, taking part in air shows and offering flight experiences.

– A Kleinfeld Commercial Brokerage appears to exist in Albuquerque, but their website is currently down.

– Valiant Printing opened in Albuquerque in 1918 and just recently closed its doors in December of 2016 for good. The building is located at 615 Gold Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM. It also doesn’t appear as if they would have been open for Jimmy’s purposes; their hours were 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, closed on Saturday and Sunday.

– The song playing while Jimmy doctors the legal documents is “Why Don’t You Do It?” by Little Barrie. They also perform the main title song for the show.

– Mike is watching His Girl Friday (1940). The particular scene features a character named Walter having an argument, lamenting if the woman would have only known her place, everything would have been fine. This conversation directly mirrors an argument that Walt and Skyler had in Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 7, “Say My Name.” 

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 9: Nailed 

Official synopsis: Mike takes a methodical approach to his mission; someone questions Chuck’s capabilities; Jimmy faces a personal dilemma.

– Better Call Saul co-creator and executive producer Peter Gould directed this episode. He also helmed season one finale “Marco” and the Breaking Bad episodes, “Problem Dog” (S4E7) and “Granite State” (S5E15).

– As far as we can find, Oasis Motor Court was not a real location and the sign was invented for the show.

– The song the driver of the truck is listening to is “Mi Cucu” by La Sonora Dinamita, released in 2002. A Colombian group, La Sonora Dinamita plays a genre of music called Cumbia, a dance genre which is one of the most widespread musical genres of Latin America. This particular song is about nice butts. Sir Mix-a-lot would approve!

– Mr. Ughetta from the New Mexico Banking Board is played by Michael Chieffo, who played Mr. Seligman on the TV show Roswell. 

– CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE:  Saul Goodman-branded matches in a urinal

– 1261 Rosella Drive doesn’t exist in real life. The number 1216 is actually the address that can be seen on The Dog House in the previous episode.

– The bar that Mike buys a round at is the same location where he punches Walt in the Breaking Bad episode “Thirty-Eight Snub” (S4E2).

– Jimmy can make a quick buck selling those dental patient chairs. They retail between $2000 and $4000.

– Mozart was four or five years old when he created his first musical compositions.

– The Magna Carta Libertatum, commonly called Magna Carta, is a charter agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on June 15, 1215.

– Saul and his commercial crew parody The Beatles’ Abbey Road cover when walking across the street.

– The school in the episode is referred to as W. H. Mauldin Elementary School named for New Mexico native, the late cartoonist Bill Mauldin. The school’s real name is St. Mary’s Catholic School, located at 224 7th St NW, Albuquerque, NM.

– Hayley Holmes plays the make-up girl. She’s done a few episodes of Disney’s Good Luck Charlie and the new 90210.

– Jimmy’s Rupert Holmes lie was too off base. Though Holmes is English and was born in Northwich, Cheshire, England, his father was a was a United States Army warrant officer and Holmes had dual citizenship. He didn’t move to New Mexico at a young age, but did move to Nanuet, New York, when he was six and attended nearby Nyack High School. There’s no way Holmes would have been able to attend that school in ‘64, however, as he already would have been 17.

– Fran mentions that she lives in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, located along the eastern base of the Sandia Mountains.

– Jimmy mentions that he wants his commercial to run during reruns of Diagnosis: Murder, the CBS’ comedy/medical/crime series that ran from 1993 to 2001 and starred Dick Van Dyke.

– Elisha Yaffe plays Lance, who voiced Jimmy Olsen in the animated short series Tales of Metropolis.

– Jimmy is reference a recurring sketch on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Carnac the Magnificent. The character was introduced in 1964 and was basically just a twist on Steve Allen essentially identical “Answer Man” segment.

Better Call Saul Season 2 Episode 10: Klick

Official synopsis: Jimmy must make a hard choice; Mike takes control of matters; Hamlin delivers shocking news.

– Series creator and Breaking Bad mastermind Vince Gilligan directed the episode.

– Jimmy goes to pick up food from Chicago’s Novi’s Beef, located at 6746 Ogden Ave in Berwyn.

– Patty Figel plays Chuck and Jimmy’s mom, Ruth. Her only other credit is 2007 comedy Skills Like This.  

– Clea Duvall returns as Dr. Cruz, the world’s most patient doctor, who also treated Chuck in season one, episode five, “Alpine Shepherd Boy.”

– The hospital in the episode is the same hospital that Brock was kept in after being poisoned by Walter White in Breaking Bad’s “End Times” (S4E12). This is the same hospital where the floor tiles mirror the Breaking Bad logo. 

– CREDIT SEQUENCE UPDATE: World’s Best Lawyer mug falling to the ground and smashing. The intro is almost entirely in color now. Just two brief flashes of black and white.

– Jimmy is granted Temporary Emergency Guardianship over Chuck, which usually lasts for about 60 days. Could this factor into the upcoming war between the brothers McGill?

– Chuck refers to Jimmy as “Johnny on the Spot.” The phrase dates back to 1896 and was the subject of an article in the New York Sun titled “Johnny on the Spot: A New Phrase Which Has Become Popular in New York.”

– In the hospital, Chuck quotes the Hippocratic Oath, first in Latin then English, saying, “First do no harm.” This is actually not a part of the oath is a common misconception.

– Ironically, a commercial for the Garden Weasel runs right after Jimmy’s commercial. Besides pointing out that Jimmy is a weasel,  “The Garden Weasel” was the first episode of The Larry Sanders Show, where Bob Odenkirk played Larry’s agent, Stevie Grant.

– Jim Beaver is back as the arms dealer Lawson, who last appeared in the episode “Gloves Off.”

– The shack that Hector Salamanca and his crew are at is not the same as the one where Tuco takes Walt and Jesse in Season 2 of Breaking Bad.

– If you use the mil dot range formula and Mark Margolis’ IMDB listed height of 5′ 10¾” (1.8 m), one can determine that Mike was aiming at Hector Salamanca from 436 yards away or 400 meters.

– By now it’s obvious, but the note “DON’T” left on Mike’s car comes courtesy of Gustavo Fring. Another clue? Take a look at those episode titles again. Why were there weird titles like “Klick” and “Rebecca”? Well take the first letter of each, rearrange them and you get “Fring’s Back.”