The Small Detail In Better Call Saul That Means More Than You Think
"Better Call Saul" is the "Breaking Bad" prequel series that fills in the backstory on the morally flexible lawyer, Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk). Currently, the show is set to air its sixth and final season on April 18, 2022, on AMC, and it will be split into two parts.
Like "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul" is a meticulously crafted TV show, with every detail onscreen used to tell the story more effectively. For one example, "Better Call Saul" co-creator Peter Gould admitted that his fellow co-creator Vince Gilligan, who also created "Breaking Bad," often uses the color red to denote criminals (via Mental Floss).
"Better Call Saul" is a TV show so rich and complex that fans are still discovering small but significant details months after episodes have aired. Here's one connection a Redditor noticed between "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad," and what it might mean about the characters.
The logo on Saul's t-shirt appeared on Lydia's mug on Breaking Bad
Redditor u/SpiritualGangstaGirl noticed the connection between the two shows and posted about it on the "Better Call Saul" subReddit. They included a side-by-side photo of Saul and Lydia Rodarte-Quayle (Laura Fraser).
On the left, Saul is wearing a cheap t-shirt that reads "These Colors Don't Run," as seen in second-to-last episode of Season 5, "Bad Choice Road" (via the Better Call Saul wiki), when Saul and Mike escape from the desert after witnessing a gunfight and change their clothes at a truck stop.
On the left, Lydia is seen drinking from a mug with the same logo and slogan. She receives this mug as a gift from the murderous neo-nazi Todd (Jesse Plemons) in the episode "To'hajiilee."
As SpiritualGangstaGirl noted, it's unlikely this is a coincidence. At the very least, seeing "These Colors Don't Run" merchandise is a detail accurate to the time period. "Better Call Saul" takes place in the early 2000s, and "Breaking Bad" takes place immediately after. In post 9/11 America, patriotic merchandise was commonplace.
On another Reddit thread, Redditor u/Detzeb pointed out that Saul's patriotic shirt echoes his heavy use of the American flag in his advertising and public image as a lawyer. In both Saul's and Lydia's case, the use of patriotic imagery is definitely ironic. At the very least, it's another little detail that ties "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" together.