The episode, cannily titled “Breaking Bad,” was also noteworthy for finally introducing the long-awaited appearance of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), officially merging the timelines of the AMC original series and this prequel one. But as first caught by Decider, Ratray makes his own appearance as an insufferable man named Alfred Hawthorne Hill, who meets Gene (Jimmy/Saul Goodman in his post-“Breaking Bad” persona in the time-jumping episode) at a karaoke bar. Gene here is sliding back into his old scheming ways and with the help of a cab driver named Jeff (played by Pat Healy) ends up getting Alfred drugged on the ride home. Jeff’s friend (Max Bickelhaup) ends up swiping Alfred’s wallet and all but stealing the drunken man’s identity after he falls asleep in the process.
The connection runs deeper, as Devin Ratray previously starred with Bob Odenkirk in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska,” which was also black and white and is also the namesake state where this episode is set. Ratray most recently reprised the role of Buzz McAllister in Disney+’s 2021 followup film “Home Sweet Home Alone,” playing an adult Buzz who grew up to become a police officer. From IndieWire’s review of Season 6, Episode 11: “‘Breaking Bad’ (the episode) is the series’ ending batch starting to feel closer and closer to a death rattle fever dream. Not in terms of quality — the montage of floating drivers licenses dissolving perfectly into a gridded ceiling is right in line with this show’s proud tradition — but between the haywire Blue Screen of Death that doubles as the credits sequence now and the fractured memories starting to bleed together, it’s getting easier to imagine that this last stretch of Season 6 is one man’s life flashing before his eyes.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
