5 things to know about Better Call Saul Season 4
By Erin Qualey
What can we expect as the curtain rises on Better Call Saul Season 4 in August?
The world has been without new episodes of Better Call Saul for over a year. And the fans are getting restless. Good things take time, and the team on Season 4 of the AMC hit has been prepping a fantastic story that will finally begin unspooling on August 6th. Our eyeballs will never be the same.
As tight-lipped as the cast and crew of a show of this caliber must be, the team dropped a few hints about the upcoming episodes at the recent AMC Summit in NYC. At a panel titled “Better Call Saul Masterclass”, creator Vince Gilligan, executive producer Melissa Bernstein, actress Rhea Seehorn, producer/writer Gordon Smith, costume designer Jennifer Bryan, production designer Judy Rhee, and director of photography Marshall Adams were on hand to chat about the creation of the series, artistic choices made throughout the seasons, and the relationship to the series’ predecessor, Breaking Bad.
In a panel moderated by Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone, the conversation was wide-ranging and full of juicy nuggets of information. Of course spoilers for the upcoming season were at a minimum, but just like any good storytellers, the cast and crew provided a few tidbits for fans to chew on as the countdown for Season 4 ramps up.
Chuck is Back… ish
Sadly, it’s been confirmed by several sources – including showrunner Peter Gould – that Chuck McGill’s days have come to a bitter end. There will be no deus ex machina for this electricity-addled fellow, and, as a result, Jimmy is likely going to begin grappling with some serious demons.
When the topic of Chuck was broached, executive producer Melissa Bernstein promised that viewers will still get an opportunity to see more from his character. She said, “I think he really still looms large, particularly over this season. We’re going to see Michael [McKean], we’re going to see Chuck, and we’re going to feel him even when we’re not seeing him. He’s has such a profound effect on Jimmy and thus Saul.”
Obviously this means that the Emmys can still make good on a nomination for McKean after criminally snubbing him for his stellar work in Season 3… but that’s another story.
What’s Up With Gene?
If you’re anything like me, Gene’s fleeting moments on screen during every passing season of Better Call Saul mark some of my most anticipated TV each year. So, naturally, I asked the panel about the future of Gene. Bernstein was a bit coy about her answer, stating only, “We left Gene in great peril. So we will return, and we will see Gene.”
Peril? Interesting. As a refresher, last we saw Jimmy/Saul’s alter ego Gene, he was on his break and ended up shouting some legal advice at a dum dum shoplifting teen in a mall. As a result, he agitated some sort of health issue, eventually keeling over in the pristine service aisle of the Cinnabon he manages. It’s exciting to know that we’ll pick back up with Gene this season, but will we ever get more than a few minutes in his world?
According to another coy reply from writer Gordon Smith, increasing the scope of Gene’s world in the long term is within the realm of possibility. He said:
"“We definitely talk about that world quite extensively, because one of the differences between Breaking Bad and this show is that this is Jimmy’s story, and it doesn’t end with what happens to Walter White. We know that. He lives. He’s got a story that we’re very invested in figuring out what exactly is the state of Gene’s soul. Is there some sort of redemption for him? So we talk about it a lot. It usually gets distilled down to one teaser. But we’re always kind of thinking what can we do with this? Where does this go? What is this world like and what is living in it like? So I think so far there’s been more conversation than actual screen time, but it’s definitely something that we’re going to keep exploring.”"
Overlap with Breaking Bad
Vince Gilligan seemed to get amped about future of the show as it related to its predecessor. He said, “It gets darker. It gets richer. It’s still got funny in it, god forbid that ever go away completely. But in the Venn diagram of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, the verlap in the center is getting bigger and bigger.”
To that end, earlier in the panel, Sepinwall asked production designer Judy Rhee a question regarding “pre-established sets”from the world of Breaking Bad that may be returning to the screen. A wiggle of Rhee’s eyebrows and a few sly smiles from the remainder of the panel tells Breaking Bad fans all they need to know about the potential to spot some familiar places in Season 4.
Get Ready to Meet Characters Both New and Old
As for revisiting old faces, there’s been much speculation about big players from Breaking Bad making appearances on Better Call Saul. Jesse Pinkman himself, aka: actor Aaron Paul made a visit to AMC HQ a few months ago, and posted a cryptic photo on Instagram captioned, ‘good morning old friend’, leaving minds to wander. In addition, Dean Norris, who played Hank, also took to the photo sharing site to pique fans’ interest. He posted a shot of himself and Vince Gilligan… in front of an RV, no less.
While both of these cameos are up in the air, a character from Breaking Bad has been confirmed for Better Call Saul Season 4. Gilligan stated, “There is a very important character from the Breaking Bad era who we’re going to meet this year.” Bernstein piggybacked off this statement to reveal the identity of that character, saying, “Lalo is coming our way.”
Avid fans and theorists will know that Lalo was mentioned by Saul Goodman very briefly when he was first introduced in Breaking Bad, but was never seen or heard about again. But if Gilligan’s response is any indication, Lalo is going to be quite the addition to the Better Call Saul family. He said,“F*ck yeah, Lalo. You’re gonna be impressed with Lalo.”
Related Story: A Guide to All the BrBa Cameos in Better Call Saul S3
What Awaits Kim and Jimmy?
Previous episodes in Season 3 illustrated the effect that the outcome of Chuck’s trial had on Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn). She was torn by “tearing down a sick man.” So, Chuck’s death will certainly resonate with her and possibly have implications in her budding relationship with Jimmy. When asked about that relationship, Seehorn stated, “What they did to Chuck, what Chuck did to himself, Jimmy’s reaction to it, what grief does to all of us… they have a huge impact. If you’ve ever been the person who is supporting someone who is grieving that has an impact on a relationship.”
Seehorn went on to elaborate on Kim’s mental state moving forward in Season 4. She said, “and there’s also this journey that Kim is having on her own. While their relationship is a huge part of who she is, she’s not just ancillary. […] Having to constantly pick yourself up by your bootstraps can be a character flaw when she does it obsessively. You’ll see the impact of that and the impact of her attempting to reach out to someone who is not always capable of being there.”
We’re definitely concerned about Kim, but we’ll just have to wait until Better Call Saul Season 4 premieres to see how it all shakes out.
‘Better Call Saul’ Season 4 premieres Monday, August 6th on AMC.