OneBetter Call Saultheory redefines one of the show’s most confusing changes in season 6, and it also makes the end of Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) story even more compelling.Better Call Saulhas an interesting place intheBreaking Badtimeline. Most of it serves as a prequel to Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) story, but some scenes, like when Jimmy went byGene Takovic and worked at a Cinnabon, take place later. Despite straddling two distinct eras,Better Call Sauldoes a fantastic job of staying true to its characters, except in one odd instance.
ByBetter Call Saulseason 6, the show sped up considerably and started introducing - and killing off - new characters very rapidly. During the black and white segments, which take place latest in the timeline, Jimmy met a handful of characters that he began to manipulate, like Marion (Carol Burnett). It was during this part ofBetter Call Saulthat it made one of the strangest changes in the entire series: recasting Jeff, Marion’s son. While it was an odd choice, there was a good reason for the change in the real world, and one theory perfectly explains why Jeff looked different in-universe.
Better Call Saul Season 6’s New Jeff Actor Created A Very Weird Moment
Jeff Was Recast Between Better Call Saul Seasons 5 & 6
Jeff, the taxi driver who recognized Jimmy when he was living as Gene Takovic in Omaha, was played by two different actors.InBetter Call Saulseasons 4 and 5, Jeff was played by Don Harvey, but for season 6, Jeff was recast and played by Pat Healy. Despite being a prequel,Better Call Saulhad very few recasts, and since Jeff never appeared inBreaking BadorEl Camino, the new actor was even more of a surprise. At the time, fans called the Jeff recast “jarring” (viaThe Independent), and it remains one of the strangest changes inBetter Call Saul.
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While the show didn’t outright explain it, there was a real-world reason whyJeff was recast inBetter Call Saulseason 6.Don Harvey had a contractual obligation to appear on the drama miniseriesWe Own This City, and his scheduling conflict meant that Pat Healy was brought in to finish Jeff’s scenes. Unfortunately for Harvey, Jeff had a much more expansive role inBetter Call Saulseason 6, but Healy performed admirably in his absence. While there’s a simple reason Jeff was recast in the real world, there may be a more complicated - and interesting - reason within theBetter Call Sauluniverse.
Better Call Saul Season 6’s Jeff Recast Can Be Given An In-Universe Explanation
Jeff’s Change In Appearance Syncs Up To Jimmy Regaining His Confidence
One theory explains Jeff’s change in appearance by arguing thatBetter Call Saulwas showing him as Jimmy saw him.The theory explains that Jeff looks different because Jimmy perceived him differently: at first, Jeff was a threat, but he became a target as Jimmy got his confidence back. Harvey’s rendition of Jeff tried to extort him, and he instantly sent Jimmy into a spiral, so Jimmy saw him as a terrifying person. Healy’s rendition of Jeff, however, came at a time when Jimmy had started leaning back into his Saul Goodman persona and began manipulating both Jeff and Marion, so Jimmy saw him as a regular guy.
Why Jeff Was Such An Important Character In Better Call Saul Season 6
Jeff Made Jimmy McGill’s Redemption Possible
Not only does the theory about Jimmy’s view of Jeff help explain the recast, Jeff also made the ending of Jimmy’s story even better. While Jimmy was going by Gene Takovic, he was essentially spinning his wheels. He was terrified of being caught, haunted by the crimes he’d committed and the harm he had caused, and ready to split town at the first sight of trouble, like when Jeff threatened to extort him.It was that close call with Jeff, however, that gave Jimmy his confidence back and convinced him to take on the mantle of Saul Goodman once again.
Without Jeff, Jimmy would have gone on living his life in hiding, and he never would have gotten a chance to fully let go of Saul Goodman forever.
If Jimmy hadn’t gotten his confidence back, he wouldn’t have been able to get to the fantasticending ofBetter Call Saulseason 6.If Jimmy hadn’t started using his Saul persona again, he wouldn’t have been able to make a deal with the authorities, and he wouldn’t have been able to find redemption by destroying the deal during his hearing. Without Jeff, Jimmy would have gone on living his life in hiding, and he never would have gotten a chance to fully let go of Saul Goodman forever. Without that,Better Call Saulwouldn’t have been the perfect farewell to Jimmy McGill.
Better Call Saul
Cast
Better Call Saul follows small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill as he navigates the legal world to make ends meet. The series, set six years before his encounter with Walter White, chronicles Jimmy’s evolution into Saul Goodman, with notable interactions alongside fixer Mike Ehrmantraut.
