Better Call Saul’s sixth and final season is just around the corner, but its showrunners have seen fit to reveal two major character appearances ahead of time.
Naturally, some fans aren’t happy about the premature spoiler – which we’ll be discussing further down this article – so if you’ve managed to avoid the news and are keen to keep it that way, don't read past the next paragraph.
Like Money Heist and Ozark before it, Better Call Saul season 6 will be split into two parts, with the first two entries of its 13 new episodes due to hit Netflix on April 19. Five more will arrive weekly every Tuesday, before a final run of six episodes begins on July 12.
So, what’s got fans spitting feathers? Well, Better Call Saul bosses have revealed that Breaking Bad actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, who played Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in the critically-acclaimed AMC show, will be appearing in the series’ upcoming season – a surprise many hoped would remain as such.
The show’s official Twitter account tweeted an old picture of characters White and Pinkman (played by Cranston and Paul, respectively) accompanied by a caption simply reading: "They're coming back":
They're coming back. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/IXDq6KarcNApril 10, 2022
Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould first revealed the news at a recent panel event for the Bob Odenkirk-led drama series, where crowds reportedly responded with cheers. The online reaction to the announcement, though, hasn’t been nearly as warm.
“Why would you tweet this and ruin a huge surprise for viewers? Come on,” one Twitter user wrote, while another said “I feel like things like this need to be kept a secret.”
Admittedly, Better Call Saul has been, at various points in its seven-year-run, a spin-off, prequel and sequel to Vince Gilligan’s award-winning series, meaning cameo appearances from Walter and Jesse were inevitable. Irrespective of that fact, though, it’s clear many fans would have rather seen the return of Breaking Bad’s iconic duo on their own terms.
“Really wish I didn't go on Twitter today. That's a massive spoiler,” another disgruntled social media user wrote. “I know it was logically going to happen with BCS being a prequel, but I still would've preferred to see it live, not told beforehand on Twitter.”
Analysis: a slow spoil
As inevitable as Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul’s return might have been, it’s still strange for a show to give away such a big surprise prior to release – especially since Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould had previously exercised caution on the matter.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Gould was more coy about the reveal prior to his appearance on the panel event stage. “Everyone got to see quite a bit of Jesse and Walt in Vince’s brilliant El Camino movie,” he told reporters on the red carpet, “so I like to think the pressure’s a little bit off us. But keep your eyes open, that’s for sure.”
“I have to say that we’ve been a little squirrelly about this. I’m naturally a little bit cagey about things, and I don’t want to spoil things for the audience,” Gould added later on.
But the showrunner appeared to defy his own advice when beginning to field questions on stage. “The first question we got when we started the show was, ‘Are we going to see Walt and Jesse?’ And instead of evading, I’ll just say ‘yeah',” Gould admitted.
Although frustrating for some, the decision to confirm the pair's appearance ahead of time will ultimately serve to drum up even greater interest in a series heading towards its conclusion. What's more, we still don’t know how, when or in what capacity both Walter White and Jesse Pinkman will feature in Better Call Saul season 6 – in that sense, fans can still hope to enjoy an element of surprise.
