History Recap / BreakingBadS2E8BetterCallSaul

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: When they encounter each other early in the episode, Hank is only familiar with Saul by reputation, while Saul doesn't work out that Hank is a DEA agent until he sees his badge. In the ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' series we see that they had already crossed paths, and that Saul had played a part in setting up Krazy-8's status as a DEA informant. That said, it ''was'' a one-off encounter, and Hank is heavily preoccupied with the Hisenburg case at present to remember he previously met Saul as 'Jimmy McGill', not to mention Saul himself went through quite a lot since that last meeting to remember a DEA cop he had a fleeting encounter with back in his pre-Saul Goodman days.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: When they encounter each other early in the episode, Hank is only familiar with Saul by reputation, while Saul doesn't work out that Hank is a DEA agent until he sees his badge. In the ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' series we see that they had already crossed paths, and that Saul had played a part in setting up Krazy-8's status as a DEA informant.

* CrypticBackgroundReference: Saul briefly mentions a grudge with "Ignacio" and "Lalo" when Walt and Jesse kidnap him. Both end up becoming major characters in ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' (the former usually being called "Nacho").

* CerebusRetcon: Series/BetterCallSaul, episodes "Mijo", "Bagman", "Plan and Execution" and "Point and Shoot", provides very good reasons for Saul to be having a panic attack at being kidnapped to the desert, tied up and terrified that Lalo might still be after him.

* CrypticBackgroundReference: Saul briefly mentions a grudge with "Ignacio" and "Don Lalo" when Walt and Jesse kidnap him. Both end up becoming major characters in ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' (the former usually being called "Nacho").

* LyingToThePerp: Getz lies to Badger that the MustStateIfYoureACop myth is actually a law written in the constiitution to trick him.

* MustStateIfYoureACop: The episode opens with Badger selling drugs on a park bench. [[Creator/DJQualls A lanky looking dude]] named Getz walks up to him and asks if he's selling. Badger says he so smells bacon, pointing out two "inconspicuously" parked vans that must be surveillance vehicles. Getz denies that he's an undercover cop and actually considers not going through with the deal, especially when Badger makes him lift his shirt to reveal that he's not wearing a wire. After a bit of pondering, Getz then has an epiphany: if you ask a cop to identify himself as a cop, he is obligated to tell you. It's in the US Constitution. So Badger asks him if he's a cop. Getz holds up his hand, like he's swearing under oath, and says he's not a cop. Satisfied, Badger sells him a packet of meth. Getz takes the meth, then promptly whips out a gun and police badge, and arrests Badger on the spot (hilariously, the vans that Badger identified as police also pull up). Later, while Badger is being interrogated, he is still peeved at Getz because he still believes that urban legend and thinks Getz is screwing around with the Constitution.

** Walt and Jesse reject Saul's suggestion to kill Badger -- albeit Walt apparently at least considers it an option worth considering, while Jesse rejects it immediately -- and are willing to sacrifice 80 thousand dollars to keep him out of prison instead.

Detective Getz, the undercover cop who busted Badger, interrogates Badger, while Badger is peeved because he still believes that the cop is trampling the Constitution he hasn't said anything revealing... yet. He might be just about to, however, when Saul Goodman, a disreputable, ambulance-chasing, morally-unscrupulous criminal attorney and local celebrity comes into the room and chases Getz off. Saul is actually there completely by accident, as he was looking for a client being held in another room for a public masturbation charge, but he's more than happy to pick up an extra attorney's fee by representing Badger. This only increases when Saul encounters Hank and Gomez in the hallway, talking about Badger. Knowing that there's no way two DEA agents would be involved with a street case involving a nobody like Badger unless there was something big going on (and thus, a chance for Badger to make a deal) Saul starts talking business with the agents.

That evening, Walt and Jesse, wearing ski masks, kidnap Saul and drive him out to the desert, where a shallow grave was dug. Saul thinks they're with the cartel and panics, frantically begging for his life in both English and Spanish until Jesse tells him they're not part of the cartel, which causes Saul to finally relax. Holding Saul at gunpoint, Jesse makes his ultimatum; Saul must do everything in his power to have Badger cleared of his charges and released, but he is not to talk to the DEA under any circumstances. Saul suggests killing Badger to silence him, but Jesse adamantly refuses to kill his friend.

While Walt is grading tests and cleaning up his classroom, Saul pays a surprise visit; he chastises Walt on being so easy to find, stating that if he could find him, the DEA could too. Walt initially suspects that Saul had come to blackmail him, but Saul clarifies that he wants to help Walt. Walt has a product that is very valuable, but he lacks connections and criminal know-how, something Saul could provide in exchange for a nominal fee. As he leaves, he advises Walt that if he wants the aid he is offering, "''Better Call Saul!''"

** Walt and Jesse reject Saul's suggestion to kill Badger and are willing to sacrifice 80 thousand dollars to keep him out of prison instead.

* ForWantOfANail: Saul Goodman wanders into the wrong interrogation room, where he stops Badger from saying too much. The show might have been very different, and much shorter, had that not happened. Similarly, had Badger just let the undercover cop leave instead of trying to get him to ''prove'' he's a cop, Badger wouldn't have been arrested.

* ContinuityNod: Emilio is mentioned, as Jesse details how he was seemingly caught red handed on charges only for Saul to get him off. Also, Saul knows that Spooge's lady killed him, not any gangster, in part because he used to represent Spooge.

Marie tells Walt that she's worried about Hank, who has holed himself up in his bedroom since the incident with Tortuga incident. When Walt visits him, Hank admits that he was taken off guard by the war-like atmosphere in El Paso, but says that seeing a shrink about it would kill his career. Walt suggests that Hank could talk to him about it, explaining how his cancer diagnosis helped him conquer his fear of everyday life.

* CanAlwaysSpotACop: Badger, of all people, correctly guesses that a man who has no outward signs of being an undercover cop is a police officer. Unfortunately for him, Badger lets the cop persuade him that the old MustStateIfYoureACop myth is true, and promptly gets himself arrested.

Badger conducts business on a bus bench when he is approached by a lankey, nerdy-looking man looking to buy meth. Badger suspects this prospective customer may be an undercover cop and makes fun of him, but when he seems to have turned him off, asks for him to come back, amenable to any suggestion that he is not a cop. The young man tells Badger that, according to the law, an undercover police officer must confirm he is such if asked directly. After denying that he is a cop, he buys meth from Badger.

As Walt and Jesse count their money, Walt notices that they are somewhat short. Jesse explains that Badger had not yet pitched in and hadn't been answering his phone. When he calls Skinny Pete to find out what's going on, he discovers that Badger was busted.

The cop who busted Badger is interrogating him, and while Badger is peeved because he still believes that the cop is trampling the Constitution he hasn't said anything revealing... yet. He might be just about to, however, when Saul Goodman, a disreputable, ambulance-chasing, morally-unscrupulous criminal attorney and local celebrity comes into the room and chases the cop off. Saul is actually there completely by accident, as he was looking for a client being held in another room, but he's more than happy to pick up an extra attorney's fee by representing Badger. This only increases when Saul encounters Hank and Gomez in the hallway, talking about Badger. Knowing that there's no way two DEA agents would be involved with a street case involving a nobody like Badger unless there was something big going on (and thus, a chance for Badger to make a deal) Saul starts talking business with the agents.

In order to get Badger off the hook, Walt and Jesse decide they need to hire a lawyer. To Walt's chagrin, Jesse suggests hiring Saul Goodman because Jesse explains that in their line of work, instead of hiring a criminal ''lawyer'', they should have a ''criminal'' lawyer.

Walt enters Saul's office in a hat and sunglasses to conceal his identity, posing as Badger's uncle. Saul explains that Badger may be in the clear; all he has to do is answer the DEA's questions and he would likely be released. Walt, however, doesn't want Badger talking to the DEA, knowing that it would lead to his own arrest. He begs Saul to do everything he can to keep Badger from talking to the DEA, but Saul explains that it's the only way he can avoid jail time. Desperate, Walt offers Saul a bribe of ten thousand dollars. Surprisingly, Saul turns down the offer.

That evening, Walt and Jesse, wearing ski masks, kidnap Saul and drive him out to the desert, where a shallow grave was dug. Saul thinks they're with the Cartel and panics, frantically begging for his life in both English and Spanish until Jesse tells him they're not part of the Cartel, which causes Saul to finally relax. Holding Saul at gunpoint, Jesse makes his ultimatum; Saul must do everything in his power to have Badger cleared of his charges and released, but he is not to talk to the DEA under any circumstances. Saul suggests killing Badger to silence him, but Jesse adamantly refuses to kill his friend.

Based on Badger's description of Heisenberg, Saul finds the perfect man to take the fall: James Kilkelly, also known as "Jimmy In-n-Out". Kilkelly has made a career out of going to prison for the right price, having preferred life on the inside to freedom. All he needs is $80,000, in addition to a pound of Walt's meth.

Hank and the DEA set up a sting operation to catch Heisenberg, with Badger agreeing to get meth from Heisenberg in exchange for his freedom pending Heisenberg's arrest. Saul has Kilkelly sit on a park bench awaiting Badger, with Walt and Jesse watching. Unfortunately, Badger sits on a wrong bench next to another older balding gentleman, putting Saul's plan in jeopardy. Walt has Jesse make his way to Badger while he runs interference, driving in front of Hank's van and distracting him long enough for Jesse to correct Badger.

Their desperate plan works; Badger sits next to Kilkelly and gets meth from him, and with the DEA none the wiser, they arrest Kilkelly. Hank, however, has his doubts that Kilkelly could possibly be Heisenberg...

Afterwards, while Walt is grading tests and cleaning up his classroom, Saul pays a surprise visit; he chastises Walt on being so easy to find, stating that if he could find him, the DEA could too. Walt initially suspects that Saul had come to blackmail him, but Saul clarifies that he wants to help Walt. Walt has a product that is very valuable, but he lacks connections and criminal know-how, something Saul could provide in exchange for a nominal fee. As he leaves, he advises Walt that if he wants the aid he is offering, "''Better Call Saul!''"

* BareYourMidriff: Jane, in her last scene of the episode.

%% Administrivia/SpoilersOff do not add spoilers for future episodes, even under tags. Those go on the later episode pages.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Walt pretends to act as the clueless brother-in-law to Hank to deliberately block his view of Badger moving benches.

'''Hank:''' Sure, your commercials? They suck ass. I've seen better acting in an epileptic whorehouse.\\

* LyingToThePerp: Getz lies to Badger that the MustStateIfYourACop myth is actually a law written in the constiitution to trick him.

In order to get Badger off the hook, the two decide to hire a lawyer. To Walt's chagrin, Jesse suggests hiring Saul Goodman because Jesse explains that in their line of work, instead of hiring a criminal ''lawyer'', they should have a ''criminal'' lawyer.

* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: One of the ways Badger tries to get Getz to prove he isn't a cop is by challenging Getz to punch a random stranger in the face.

In order to get Badger off the hook, the two decide to hire a lawyer. To Walt's chagrin, Jesse suggests hiring Saul Goodman, a disreputable ambulance-chasing morally-unscrupulous attorney at law: Jesse explains that in their line of work, instead of hiring a criminal ''lawyer'', they should have a ''criminal'' lawyer.

That evening, Walt and Jesse, wearing ski masks, kidnap Saul and drive him out to the desert, where a shallow grave was dug. Holding Saul at gunpoint, Jesse makes his ultimatum; Saul must do everything in his power to have Badger cleared of his charges and released, but he is not to talk to the DEA under any circumstances. Saul suggests killing Badger to silence him, but Jesse adamantly refuses to kill his friend.

* RefugeInAudacity: Saul's reaction to two guys marching him out to the desert and sitting him in front of an open grave? After he figures out they're not after him personally and are amateurs, he does the old trick that Kim used on him when Chuck was trying to get him disbarred: he gets them to put a dollar in his pocket as a "retainer," claims that they're now under attorney-client privilege, and offers them advice on better ways to handle their problems. This isn't remotely how attorney-client privilege works, but savvy Saul guesses - correctly - that these guys wouldn't know that.

* CrypticBackgroundReference: Saul briefly mentions a grudge with "Nacho" and "Don Lalo" when Walt and Jesse kidnap him. Both end up becoming major characters in ''Series/BetterCallSaul''.

* NoodleIncident: Whatever Saul did that made him think the Cartel would want to kill him and whoever Ignacio is, it's never brought up again.

* ChekhovsGunman: Nacho and Lalo, briefly mentioned by Saul when Walt and Jesse kidnap him, become much more important in ''Series/BetterCallSaul''.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Saul turned down a $10,000 cash bribe to throw Badger's case, surprising Walt and Jesse. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], as Saul later reveals that declining the offer was actually self-protection, not any moral objection on his part.