One Memorable Better Call Saul Character Was Meant To Be A Breaking Bad Deep Cut

Like many prequel stories, the writers of "Better Call Saul" simply couldn't resist packing in all sorts of hilarious references and Easter eggs over the years that "Breaking Bad" fans would immediately recognize. The noxious Ken Wins ending up a victim of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim Wexler's (Rhea Seehorn) schemes, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and Steven Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada) swooping in with all their DEA bluster, and even "Spooge" making an unexpected appearance earlier this season were only a few of the more notable highlights — not to mention the reappearance of a certain pair of meth cooks. Unlike many prequel stories, however, "Better Call Saul" has only ever indulged in those occasional nostalgia trips when it was narratively justified.

One such instance could've placed an impressively deep-cut Easter egg right in plain sight all along, involving a memorable "Better Call Saul" supporting character by the name of Daniel Wormald. Brought to absurdly dweeby life by actor Mark Proksch and introduced under the alias of Pryce, the pharmaceutical employee-turned-drug-supplier managed to get on none other than Mike Ehrmantraut's radar as a particularly insufferable and naïve criminal in need of back-up during his drug deals.

Few fans could ever forget the sight of the hopeless Daniel in his garish, gas-guzzling Hummer set against Mike's thousand-yard stare. Fewer still could've known that this character was originally meant to tie together a specific plot thread from "Breaking Bad." Thanks to an early scene in the black-and-white timeline of Gene Takovic, where he frantically calls his Saul Goodman-era receptionist Francesca (Tina Parker) for news about former associates, we know how.

No matter how these final two episodes end, "Better Call Saul" has already cemented its legacy as one of the best prequel stories ever. The complex web the series weaved in order to walk viewers through the transformation of the flawed but generally well-intentioned Jimmy McGill to the heartless showman with no compunctions about killing, Saul Goodman, has been nothing short of masterful. But who says the creative team hasn't had some fun along the way while strengthening the spin-off show's connections to the original series?

Daniel Wormald was meant to do exactly that. In "Better Call Saul," Mike and Nacho Varga's (Michael Mando) exasperated interactions with the amateur criminal made the subplot well worth it, but originally the bumbling Daniel was supposed to connect to the unseen "Danny" mentioned by Saul Goodman throughout "Breaking Bad." While looking for appropriate businesses in order to help launder Walt and Jesse's drug money in season 3, Goodman comes up with the brilliant scheme of funneling their funds through a Laser Tag establishment. They needn't worry about anything, because a mysterious "Danny" was running the show.

In an interview with Rolling Stone writer Alan Sepinwall, "Better Call Saul" writer/director Thomas Schnauz explained the connection:

"And [Gene] mentions Danny. We made Pryce's real name Daniel Wormald, and my dream was always to bring Pryce back and have him be the guy who runs the Laser Tag place as Danny. It just didn't work out that way. But when Gene mentions Danny here, that's who he's referring to."

Unfortunately, the writers couldn't quite figure out how to smoothly integrate the Laser Tag into the events of "Better Call Saul," but thank goodness for head-canon! "Better Call Saul" airs its penultimate episode August 8, 2022 on AMC.