"Breaking Bad" depicts the life of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), both during his time as lawyer "Saul Goodman" in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and after changing his identity to Gene Takavic and relocating to Omaha, Nebraska.
In flashbacks to Albuquerque in 2008,[a] Jimmy McGill, going by the name Saul Goodman, has been kidnapped by Walter White and Jesse Pinkman and is being transported in the back of their RV.
On November 12, 2010, Francesca Liddy drives to a pay phone in a remote location[b] and awaits a call from Jimmy,[c] now living as Gene Takavic in Omaha.
Once the target is home and unconscious, Buddy enters and photographs his personal and financial information, including credit cards, driver's licenses, and tax documents, which the group sells for use in identity theft schemes.
He also noted the parallel between Saul accepting Walter and Jesse as clients and Gene performing scams with Jeff and Buddy, as he is dealing with Wexler's separation.
[7]: 11:18–14:27 Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks, who play Jimmy McGill and Mike Ehrmantraut, are the only cast members listed in the starring credits.
Showrunner Peter Gould was satisfied with the timing of their inclusion and said that it helped subvert fan expectations, desiring to contextualize their appearance through the show's existing story which focused on Jimmy, Kim, and Mike.
Gilligan reiterated similar claims, while also adding that the writers wanted to include the characters in the story in an organic manner rather than as fan service.
[10] It was filmed in April 2021, during the production of "Carrot and Stick", to accommodate their schedules, which was seven months prior to when Schnauz would actually direct the episode.
[13] Filming of the scene was difficult due to the actors' complicated schedules and Paul's facial hair for an upcoming project.
[23] The payphone call that takes place between Gene and Kim interested many critics, who speculated on what could have occurred and the implications it would have for the show's narrative.
[5] David Segal of The New York Times interpreted the scene as being indicative that the Gene-Kim relationship would be the show's primary focus and was skeptical of a potential reunion as Gene was engaging in more illicit and immoral activities.
[26] Continuing his review, Sepinwall primarily focused on its connections to Breaking Bad, feeling satisfied with the interactions between Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Gene.
[26] Most critics enjoyed the presence of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman,[20][22][26] with Greene in particular lauding Schnauz's writing and how the scenes provided additional context making "the two series to be fully symbiotic, like a TV transcontinental railroad working from both coasts and meeting in the middle".
Continuing with his commentary, he opened that the FBI's confiscation of his spare cash spurred him to commit crimes similar to how Walt's cancer diagnosis inspired him to become a criminal.
He noted that while Jimmy acted outside of the justice system for people who were wronged, it would eventually corrupt him in the long-term and cause him to "break [bad] all the way".
[21] Potts also observed his lack of empathy when targetting Mr. Lingk during his identity theft scams and highlighted Tina Parker's performance alongside Francesca's role in the episode.