Better Call Saul: Everything That’s Happened To Jimmy After Breaking Bad

What woes have befallen Jimmy McGill in the post-Breaking Bad timeline of Better Call Saul? As Walter White’s meth empire comes unstuck towards the end of Breaking Bad, the various agents of the operation disband and go their separate ways, assuming they’re lucky enough to walk away alive. Walt’s lawyer, the sleazy, morally-absent Saul Goodman, employs the services of Ed Galbraith, an expert in arranging for someone to disappear and start a new life elsewhere.

The criminal lawyer is never seen again in Breaking Bad, but Saul’s story is expanded in the Better Call Saul spin-off series. Better Call Saul is predominantly set in the days when Saul was a younger, more wholesome aspiring lawyer going by his actual name, Jimmy McGill. The audience watch as Jimmy’s morality slowly decays and the character evolves into the shady figure first introduced in Breaking Bad‘s second season. But Better Call Saul also features sporadic black-and-white sequences that show Jimmy’s life after Walter White. Here’s everything that has happened in these scenes so far, and what the future might hold.

Since making his escape, Saul has been relocated to Omaha and goes under the name Gene Takavic, a Cinnabon worker at the local mall. Jimmy has also opted for the Clark Kent-level disguise of a mustache and glasses. Foolproof. It’s clear from the off that Jimmy is far from happy with his existence and has become a shell of his former self, yearning for the glory days of “Saul Goodman” once again. With minimal possessions and an increasing reliance on alcohol, Jimmy has a police scanner to help keep him informed of any potential busts and stashes a big bag of diamonds in his band aid tin. These rocks are presumably Jimmy’s accumulated criminal wealth cashed into a more manageable form.

Paranoid, alone and frustrated, the first true cracks begin to show when Jimmy helps the mall’s security guard locate a hidden young shoplifter. Despite the assist, Jimmy has a sudden change of heart, and yells out, advising the apprehended thief to lawyer up. The stress of the situation causes Jimmy to collapse. Waking up in hospital, Jimmy is still palpably fearful of the authorities, and desperate to avoid a police encounter at any cost. After receiving a clean bill of health from doctors, Jimmy has another close shave when the lady at the front desk struggles processing his information, and it appears that “Gene” might’ve been rumbled, but once again, Jimmy is able to walk away.

Unfortunately, alarm bells continue ringing for the former lawyer on his cab ride home, as Jimmy notices the driver is a fan of the Albuquerque Isotopes. Deducing that the cabbie might be from his old home state and recognize his face from the “better call Saul!” TV ads, Jimmy hurries out of the taxi to walk the rest of the way, and is even more disturbed when the vehicle hangs around, watching suspiciously from afar. At this point Jimmy goes into lockdown mode, changing his license plates and calling in sick to work. After a period of self-isolation that would serve Jimmy well if he made it to the year 2020, he returns to Cinnabon with no further close calls threatening to reveal his identity.

This proves to be a mistake, as Jimmy is almost immediately accosted by Jeff, the cab driver from before, who confirms that he does recognize Saul Goodman. As Jeff’s “friend” stands by ominously, Jimmy is made to deliver his trademark lawyer catchphrase and told to call any time if he needs a ride. Jeff is very likely either an undercover cop or a cartel member. Truly panicked by now, Jimmy immediately puts in a call to Ed for another getaway, and finds out it’ll cost him double. Despite agreeing initially, Jimmy eventually decides to resolve the matter himself, and this is as far as Better Call Saul has taken its Gene timeline.

In the final season of Better Call Saul, Jimmy is very unlikely to get the same clean break that Jesse Pinkman was afforded in El Camino, and will most likely end up behind bars, facing his past rather than trying to run from it and living in fear. It’s also possible that the Gene timeline will incorporate Kim Wexler, revealing her whereabouts during the events of Breaking Bad.

Better Call Saul season 6 is currently without a release date.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3624 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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