Breaking Down ‘Saul’: Season 3, Episode 1, “Mabel”

Heeeeere’s Jimmy!

Your favorite fast-talking, rule-bending lawyer & company are back for their third season of Better Call Saul, AMC’s hit Breaking Bad spin-off/prequel. If you’re still a little iffy on the details, be sure to check out our catch-up guide for Season 3. All caught up? Great. Let’s get started. We’re back to break down the latest action and the biggest Breaking Bad Easter eggs hidden in each episode.

As with the seasons prior, the Season 3 premiere, “Mabel”, kicks off with sad Gene the sad Cinnabon manager (Bob Odenkirk) who sadly goes about his daily business and eats his sad sandwich on his sad lunch break in this sad mall. As he tries to peacefully enjoy his lunch, some shoplifting teenager runs right into him, and frantically runs into a photo booth to hide as security and police pursue him. The uniforms ask Gene/Jimmy/Saul if he’s seen a kid, and after some hesitation, he points to the photo booth, and the deviant is apprehended. It’s seemingly all too much for Gene, however, and he can’t help but yell “say nothing, you understand?! Get a lawyer!” as the kid is dragged off. He returns to Cinnabon, where he faints.

At present, we pick up right where we left off – with Jimmy confessing to a felony while Chuck (Michael McKean) records him. The brothers seemingly bond as Jimmy helps Chuck take down his electromagnetic energy protection from the walls, but it’s short-lived, as Chuck reminds Jimmy: “Don’t think I’ll ever forget what happened here today… and you will pay.” Back at Wexler/McGill headquarters, Kim (Rhea Seehorn) dejectedly handles a will for some of Jimmy’s clients, frustrated with Jimmy for not holding up his end of the bargain. Jimmy, who has only ever wanted to be close with his brother, sadly reflects on the day’s events. Chuck, however, does not seem to feel the same remorse, as he wastes no time in showing Howard Hamlin the tape. “Your brother is one world-class son of a bitch,” Howard laments, but is puzzled as to the value of the tape, since there’s no real way to use it legally. Don’t worry, though, because Chuck has something in mind…

Back in the office, Jimmy is confronted by the Air Force Guy that he conned into letting him on a base to shoot his commercial in Season 2, and a really stunning scene ensues. While Jimmy is initially defensive and drops one-liners when his accomplice is accused of not being real military (“Well, neither was Tom Cruise, and look what Top Gun did for you!”), he eventually emotionally fights back, which is disarming for the captain – but still doesn’t really win him over. He leaves, shouting “A lawyer you can trust, my ass!” to the waiting room on his way out. Kim, meanwhile, continues to work for Mesa Verde, but clearly feels conflicted about the way things have gone. While Jimmy sees client after client, Chuck proceeds with his plans, which evidently include purposely having Ernesto hear the tape of Jimmy. The wheels are turning for Chuck here, and it seems like Ernesto’s going to play right into his scheme.

In Mike’s (Jonathan Banks) world, we resume the action-packed desert stake-out where things were paused – he’s found a stick lodged against his car horn and a note that says “DON’T”, and he quickly starts to look for a tracking device in his car. (Side note: this storyline is distinctly more Breaking Bad than the rest of the show, and evidently the two will cross over and bring us closer to Walter White’s world). Mike then takes the car to a lot where he completely tears it apart, and after much frustration, finds the tracking device in his gas cap. He finds another one in his second car, and seeks out his own transmitter from his shady old veterinarian friend. After draining the battery (which seems to beautifully parallel Chuck using the tape recorder batteries to con Ernesto) of one of the transmitters and switching them out, he stakes out in his dark living room with a bowl of pistachios until the middle of the night, when the people tracking him take the bait and switch out the transmitters – now Mike can track them.

Mike’s chase is going to lead us to Gus pretty soon, so get ready for your favorite villain to make his comeback and raise the dramatic stakes.

This episode was a hell of a slow burn, and a perfect way to kick off the season. The patient, methodical, disciplined storytelling and striking visuals are exactly what make Better Call Saul one-of-a-kind. So what Breaking Bad references did Vince Gilligan tuck away for us in the Season 3 premiere? Not too many, but let’s take a look!

What do we have? 

As Jimmy sees one of his elderly clients out, she tells him she’ll bring him photos of her granddaughter’s confirmation, and begins to rattle off the names of the flowers they used – including “lilies of the valley”.

Sound familiar? 

This poisonous potted plant is first referenced in Breaking Bad Season 4, Episode 12, “End Times“, when Walt spots the plant while he sits in his backyard and contemplates how to get rid of Gus. They’re also later blamed for poisoning young Brock in Season 4, Episode 13, “Face Off“, and Walt disposes of the plant in Season 5, Episode 1, “Live Free or Die“.

That’s pretty much all we’ve got for this week, but next week is sure to be full of familiar faces and places. Tune in then, lawbreakers!