As Breaking Bad universe for good, there are still some lingering questions that remain unanswered. The Breaking Bad prequel showed how James McGill (Bob Odenkirk) came to adopt his Saul Goodman alter-ego, and depicted how he and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) came to work with each other. It also followed Mike's journey from a grieving father to a key figure in the criminal empire of Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).
Better Call Saul's final episodes also showed audiences what happened after Walter White (Bryan Cranston) went down in a blaze of glory, with Jimmy McGill's testimony as Saul Goodman sending him down for his part in Heisenberg's empire. It was a fitting and melancholy ending to the story of Jimmy McGill, but there are still a couple of unanswered questions about some key figures in the Breaking Bad universe. Here's everything that's left open at the end of Better Call Saul.
What Happened With Gus In Santiago?
The biggest lingering question is the mysterious event in Santiago, Chile, that played such a big part in Gus Fring's legend with the cartel. It's only referenced in hushed tones over the course of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Among the characters who are aware of what happened to Gus in Santiago are Lalo (Tony Dalton), Don Eladio (Steven Bauer) and Peter Schuler (Norbert Weisser), all of whom are tied to Gus' criminal empire. It's clear that whatever did happen has helped to build his status when he fled Chile for Mexico, and has also aided him in building his legitimate business interests with Madrigal.
What is known about Gus' time in Santiago is that he rescued his deceased lover Max from the slums, and later paid for Max's studies in chemistry. There has been speculation about Gus' potential involvement with the government of Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet. Gus, of whom there is no record in Chile, left his home country in 1986, the same year that Pinochet survived a failed assassination attempt. This mysterious backstory is fertile ground for another Breaking Bad spinoff focused on Gus' early life in Chile. It might be that Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould held off from revealing what happened in Santiago to leave their options open for a return to the Breaking Bad universe at some point in the future.
When Did Gus & Mike Finish Building The Superlab?
At the end of Better Call Saul, Gus Fring's superlab is still unfinished after the complications caused by Werner's homesickness and Lalo's investigations. It was revealed in the final season of Better Call Saul that the superlab where Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) will later work is the final resting place of both Lalo Salamanca and Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian). With the threat of Lalo eliminated, Gus orders Mike to find a new team to complete work on Gus' meth superlab.
This takes place sometime after June 2004, and work continues on the lab during the time jump after Kim and Jimmy's break-up. A flashback in Breaking Bad season 4, episode 1 shows Gale Boetticher analyzing a sample of Walt's blue meth and unwrapping equipment in the brand new superlab. This places completion of the build at some point before March 2008, when the Breaking Bad timeline begins - a timeframe considerably longer than the original 10 months suggested in Better Call Saul season 4. Perhaps construction took place in small bursts so as not to arouse suspicion.
Why & How Did Jimmy Start Working With Kuby?
Better Call Saul introduced one of Saul Goodman's "A Team", Huell Babineaux (Lavell Crawford), in season 3, episode 5, "Chicanery". It's believed that Bill Burr's return as Patrick Kuby was planned for Better Call Saul season 5, but he was unable to film his scenes due to a bereavement, so Kuby was replaced by Steven Ogg's Sobchak. It's therefore likely that Kuby's details were in the vet's black book that Jimmy acquired in Better Call Saul's final season, and some scheme or scam for one of his criminal clients required Jimmy to call on the character's services.
Did Saul & Gus Ever Interact In Better Call Saul?
While Gus definitely knows about Jimmy McGill a.k.a Saul Goodman after Kim's botched attempt on Fring's life, it's less clear whether the same is true for Jimmy. While Jimmy sends Kim to kill Gus in an attempt to get her out of the apartment and away from Lalo, it also serves a structural purpose. While Kim and Gus don't meet physically, she has a conversation with him on the phone. In Breaking Bad Saul Goodman gives Walter the impression that he's never met or interacted with Mike's mysterious employer.
This is backed up in the scene where Mike wrongly disparages Walter as "small potatoes" not worthy of the attention of "my guy". Mike is clearly protecting Gus' anonymity, which is understandable given Fring's elevated position in Albuquerque society. It's why Kim is sent to Gus' house rather than Jimmy, she moves to Florida after she breaks up with Jimmy, so she's not around to see, and crucially hear, Fring's various charity drives and public appearances. It's a good bet that Saul and Gus never interacted over the course of Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad, at least not knowingly.
What Happened To Lyle?
There's a case to be made for Lyle as Gus Fring's most loyal employee. Unlike Mike, he never questions Gus' decisions, and he doesn't end up dead at Gus' hand like Victor. Audiences last see Better Call Saul's Lyle covering for Gus while he recovers from a gunshot wound in season 6, episode 8, "Point and Shoot". It's likely that Lyle loses his livelihood when the actions of Walter White detonate Los Pollos Hermanos and its parent company Madrigal.
How & When Does Tuco Take Over Caring For Hector?
Mike considerably lessened Tuco's prison sentence when he accepted $50,000 to it that it was his gun, rather than Tuco's at the scene of his assault on Mike. However, by the end of the Better Call Saul timeline, Tuco is still in jail. When he was last mentioned, in season 5, episode 9, "Bad Choice Road", it is revealed that, as long as he behaves himself, Tuco will be released from prison in eleven months. "Bad Choice Road" is set in May 2004, so Tuco is presumably released from jail in April 2005, ten months after the death of Lalo.
With Lalo dead at Gus' hand, the Salamanca empire is weakened, and there's nobody in Albuquerque to keep an eye out for Hector Salamanca, who is currently residing in a care home. Audiences know that he will eventually move in with Tuco. Given Tuco's macho bravado, it's easy to see how disgusted he would be by the idea of the once-feared Hector Salamanca residing in a retirement facility. Therefore, at some point after April 2005, between the Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad timelines, Tuco signs out Hector and places him under his own care.