Better Call Saul Makes One Breaking Bad Walt & Jesse Scene Even Worse

Francesca is now working as Jimmy McGill's assistant in Better Call Saul season 6, and her return makes a Breaking Bad Walt & Jesse scene much sadder.

Better Call Saul Makes One Breaking Bad Walt & Jesse Scene Even Worse

Better Call Saul season 6 makes a Breaking Bad scene between Walter White and Jesse Pinkman way more tragic. Tina Parker debuted as Saul Goodman’s beleaguered secretary and assistant in Breaking Bad season 2, cutting a justifiably miserable figure as she herded the ne’er-do-wells of Albuquerque into her boss’ office. Better Call Saul later revealed how Saul and Francesca first met. Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler struck out from their respective law firms to start a joint practice known as Wexler-McGill. The duo rented a sleek, professional office, then hired MVD secretary Francesca Liddy as their receptionist and assistant, but when Wexler-McGill disbanded due to Jimmy’s suspension, Francesca was sadly let go.

Feeling guilty about losing an employee he genuinely liked, Jimmy promised to call Francesca when his suspension ended, and makes good on that pledge in Better Call Saul season 6. By this time, however, the legit Wexler-McGill has been replaced by the not-so-legit Saul Goodman & Associates. Jimmy now expects Francesca to muck-in with criminal scams, and “Axe & Grind” sees her reluctantly call HHM posing as the daughter of a Sandpiper resident because Jimmy needs the access code for an upcoming mediation meeting.

An irritated Francesca questions whether her phone call is legal, expresses her discomfort, then promises she won’t “make a habit of this,” to which Jimmy reassuringly responds, “Of course not.” Unfortunately for Francesca, Jimmy will make a habit of this. In Breaking Bad‘s “Sunset” episode, Jesse and Walt are stuck inside their meth-making RV while a suspicious Hank Schrader waits outside refusing to budge. To make Hank leave, Walt calls upon Saul Goodman, who once again turns to his poor assistant. Francesca makes a phone call directly to Hank posing as “Officer Elaine Tanner with the Albuquerque police” and tells the DEA agent his wife has been airlifted to hospital, suggesting he should get there as quickly as possible. Watching Francesca perform her very first criminal phone call in Better Call Saul knowing she’ll one day make this even more illegal phone call to Hank adds a tragic note to Breaking Bad‘s original scene.

When Jimmy’s assistant phones HHM, she’s more like Francesca Giddy – jittery with nerves and worried she’s breaking the law, her voice wavering with anxiety before hanging up and vowing to never do it again. Compare this to Breaking Bad, where Francesca’s phone call to Hank is utterly convincing without a shred of doubt, uncertainty or panic. Hank Schrader – an experienced DEA agent – not immediately suspecting the call was bogus serves as testament to Francesca’s performance. Breaking Bad then shows the eternally-suffering secretary hanging up, scowling at her boss and telling him she deserves a pay rise.

Francesca’s nervousness in Better Call Saul compared to her resigned disappointment in Breaking Bad reveals Jimmy slowly ground her down, probably asking one “small favor” after another until she gave up protesting and just complied. There’s also a moral chasm between slyly getting an access code for a mediation meeting and posing as a police officer to tell someone from the DEA their wife might be dying. Both legally and ethically, the latter is far, far worse. Under her employer’s corrupting influence, the secretary (d)evolves from “is this legal?” to “this definitely isn’t legal” but continues doing Saul Goodman’s dirty work regardless.

When Breaking Bad season 3’s “Sunset” first aired, audience focus pointed squarely towards Walt and Hank’s tense near-miss encounter, and few would’ve spared a thought for poor Francesca. By showing her reluctance to participate in Jimmy McGill’s shady dealings, Better Call Saul casts Francesca’s phone call to Hank in an even worse light.