Follow along each week as we find every Easter egg, secret and pop culture reference in Better Call Saul season 3.
Better Call Saul is a great show for many reasons. Chief among those reasons is that it trusts its own mythology.
Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and the rest of the minds behind Better Call Saul have correctly predicted that viewers deeply care about the mythology and history of this fictional version of Albuquerque built up over five seaons of Breaking Badand two seasons of Better Call Saul. So they highlight, reference, and remix it in every way they can over and over.
Better Call Saul is dramatically satsifying to be sure but it's also one of the better Easter egg hunts on television. After doing the same for season one and season two of Better Call Saul, we're conducting our own Easter egg hunt again for season three. This time we're doing it live as episodes air to bring you the most up to date pop culture reference and fact finding possible in Vince Gilligan's ABQ.
Better Call Saul Season 3 Episode 2: Witness
Official Synopsis: Jimmy and Kim hire an assistant. Mike seeks out a mysterious acquaintance. Chuck uses the law to gain an advantage over Jimmy.
- Chuck’s private investigator explains why casinos punch holes in decks of cards after they are done using them. Whether shuffled by hand or by machine, decks used in Las Vegas typically remain in circulation for up to 12 hours. However, during periods of heavy play, decks can last as little as one hour before being switched out.
- The deck the investigator is playing with is from Caesars Palace. Located on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Palace was established in 1966 by Jay Sarno. The casino is a popular shooting location for films, appearing in Rain Man, Ocean’s Eleven, Iron Man,The Hangover, and many others.
- The answers in the word search Gus’s goon is doing: “ USA” “ROCKS” “TRAJECTORY” “COLUMBIA” “ROCKET”
- Los Pollos Hermanos makes its first Better Call Saul appearance. The restaurant debuted in Season 3 of Breaking Bad, with a commercial for the restaurant airing in the episode “Kafkaesque.” In that commercial, a copyright says "Los Pollos Hermanos Inc. is a registered trademark of Madrigal Electromotive GmbH.” Madrigal of course is the employer of Lydia Rodarte-Quayle.
- This is the first appearance of the future Saul Goodman’s faithful secretary Francesca, who first appeared in the Breaking Bad episode, “Better Call Saul.” She tells Jimmy that she worked at the MVD, not the DMV, but Jimmy says he refuses to refer to the motor vehicle department by anything other than the DMV. It’s a distinction he sticks to; during Breaking Bad, Saul explains that Francesca’s previous job was at the DMV. Actress Tina Parker recently appeared as Mary Todd Lincoln in Adam Sandler’s Netflix "comedy", The Ridiculous 6.
- The logo that Jimmy is painting on the wall is the same that he developed in the season two episode, “Inflatable.”
“You look a little crooked” she tells Jimmy referring to the painting. OR IS SHE?
- Jimmy tells Francesca, “You had me at elderly,” a play on the Jerry Maguire line, “You had me at hello.”
- Jimmy tells Francesca to mention Cracker Barrel, the Southern Country themed restaurant, to his elderly clients. Established in 1969, Cracker Barrel’s comfort food and rocking chairs have led the restaurant to be associated with old people. Recently, the company became an internet joke after Indiana resident Bradley Reid Byrd posted on the company’s official Facebook page about the firing of his wife, Nanette, from Cracker Barrel after 11 years. Bradley’s post went viral, inspiring memes and trolling of Cracker Barrel’s social media accounts with hashtags like #JusticeForBradsWife. “Brad’s Wife” has spawned a Change.org petition, which so far has over 24,000 signatures.
- The henchman that Mike follow’s drives a Chevy Blazer. Interestingly enough, GMC introduced its own model of the K5 Blazer, which was called the Jimmy.
- At last, we get our first appearance from Gus Fring, who debuted in the Breaking Bad Season 2 episode “Mandala.”
- Jimmy makes a reference to the daytime game show The Price is Right. Pre-fame, Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul was a contestant on The Price is Right.
- Kim is pointed to the case of United States v. McKeever. The particulars of the case are a little complicated, but like Jimmy’s situation, it deals with whether a secretly recorded conversation can be admissible in court and how that tape would need to be authenticated.
- Jimmy rolls the tape off his wall just as Chuck taught him in the last episode, “Mabel.”
- Giancarlo Esposito gets the first credit under “Starring” in the ending credits. Fitting for his first episode back in the Breaking Bad universe.