Walt and Jesse are Back, But Is That Good?

Christmas came early this year for Breaking Bad fans. Series showrunner Vince Gilligan just announced that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul will be making appearances on Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad spinoff series. And with that news, fans across the nation shouted, “Yeah, Bitch!”

The show centers around New Mexico’s seediest lawyer, played by the brilliant Bob Odenkirk. As the character himself once proclaimed, “You don’t want a criminal lawyer. You want a criminal lawyer.” Of all the things that made our skin crawl on Breaking Bad (decapitated head on a turtle, anyone?), Saul certainly ranked high. But as abhorrent as he was, Saul did offer brief moments of levity to the very dark places Breaking Bad went. So, naturally, fans are excited to have him back on television and see what twisted worlds he gets to play in.

We’re also thrilled (okay, squealing with delight) with the thought of Paul and Cranston reuniting as well, but, as Gilligan notes, only in a cameo capacity. Just think of all the adorable tweets to come from the set via the artist formerly known as Jesse Pinkman! Having Paul and Cranston return to Better Call Saul feels like a homecoming of sorts — we just hope it doesn’t feel like a homecoming for the popular kids who can’t move past their high school glory days.

After all, some fans might also take issue with the return of two characters whose stories were so wholly completed in the series finale. Many critics deemed the final episode as “perfect.” So why even think of possibly ruining that? Will bringing back Walter and Jesse skew any of Breaking Bad’s future? Though Better Call Saul is a prequel, the risks for disrupting the universe of Breaking Bad is high. It’s a big challenge for the show’s writers, but, then again, if there was ever a series capable of doing it right, it’s one that comes from the minds behind Breaking Bad. And, since the hit AMC series was such a fan of Easter eggs, we can expect any appearance from Walt and Jesse will only leave viewers small clues about Saul's cockamamy cases — past, present, and future — not ruin the fabric of the franchise.

With such a strong and loyal creative team attached to the project, we have few reservations that Better Call Saul will be anything less than masterful and equally as addictive as its predecessor. Who knows, maybe Sir Anthony Hopkins will even make a cameo. And as for Jesse and Walter, well, we hope their return will be like having breakfast for dinner: unexpected and totally perfect.