Marie Almost Made A Much Earlier Return In Better Call Saul
The series finale of "Better Call Saul" featured several important cameos from some of the most iconic characters in "Breaking Bad." Most notably, the episode heralded the return of chemistry-teacher turned drug kingpin Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who, in classic Heisenberg fashion, berates and demeans Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) for trying to make small talk in their cramped safe house.
As exciting as it was to see the return of one of the greatest characters in television history, perhaps the most surprising cameo in the series finale (and undeniably the most heartbreaking) is that of Betsy Brandt, who plays Marie Schrader. Marie is the widow of DEA Agent Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and the sister-in-law to Walter White. In the finale of "Better Call Saul," she comes face-to-face with Saul during his interview with the prosecution.
Marie's grief over the death of her husband is palpable as she expresses her desire for Saul to rot in prison indefinitely (blaming him as an accomplice in Hank's death), and her appearance is all the more tragic when Saul manages to work his magic and reduce his sentence to a meager seven years in prison. Marie's shocking appearance in the finale serves as a powerful reminder of all of the damage that Saul has done, which is why it might surprise some fans to learn that she was initially planned to appear in the series much earlier.
There were plans for Marie to return as early as Season 2
During a recent interview with Variety (in which she discussed her emotional return to the character of Marie Schrader), Betsy Brandt revealed that the showrunners had originally planned to bring Marie back during a much earlier season of "Better Call Saul."
"Vince [Gilligan] had an idea about possibly bringing Marie back in a certain moment pretty early on. I think it was Season 2," Brandt explained. "I think Peter [Gould] said it wasn't the moment. I was hopeful that I would come back at some point ... I'm honored they had me back for the finale." Brandt did not elaborate on exactly how Marie could have factored into the storyline of Season 2; and considering the fact that much of that season was devoted to the feud between Jimmy McGill and his brother Chuck (Michael McKean), it's hard even to imagine how she could have played a role that early in the story.
That said, there's no denying that Marie's return for the finale was an extremely powerful way to give her character closure for the death of her husband (as Saul ends up being sentenced to 86 years in prison). As such, it seems like Peter Gould was right in saying that Season 2 wasn't quite the moment for Marie to return, as her cameo in the final episode is perhaps one of the most emotional moments in the entire series.