"Witness" is the second episode of the
third season of the
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
television series ''
Better Call Saul
''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...
'', the spinoff series of ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
''. The episode aired on April 17, 2017 on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
in several countries.
Plot
Opening
Chuck McGill
Charles Lindbergh "Chuck" McGill Jr. is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in the crime drama television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off prequel to ''Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Michael McKean and was created by ...
converses with
David Brightbill, a private investigator who is playing solitaire. After turning down the lantern that illuminates the room, Chuck stares out the window.
Main story
Mike Ehrmantraut
Michael Ehrmantraut () is a fictional character portrayed by Jonathan Banks in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spinoff prequel ''Better Call Saul''. Mike is a private investigator, head of security, cleaner, and hitman who works f ...
observes the two individuals he followed from his house give the tracking device from his car to a courier. He follows the courier, who eventually arrives at
Los Pollos Hermanos. Mike's monitor shows that the tracker remains stationary.
Francesca Liddy arrives at Wexler-McGill for a job interview.
Jimmy McGill
James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a fictional character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad''. He appears as a major ch ...
wants her to start immediately as their new receptionist since he has a new commercial airing soon and needs her to field incoming calls. After the ad airs, Jimmy coaches Francesca through two calls, one of which is from Mike. Jimmy agrees to meet Mike the next morning.
Mike tasks Jimmy with observing the interior of Los Pollos Hermanos when the courier arrives. After the courier disposes of his trash, Jimmy inspects the bin. The owner of the restaurant,
Gus Fring
Gustavo Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the ''Breaking Bad'' crime drama franchise. Introduced in ''Breaking Bad'' season 2, he serves as the main antagonist in seasons 3– 4 of the series, and a major char ...
, appears and asks if Jimmy needs help. Jimmy drops his watch in the trash and claims it fell in, and Gus helps find it. Jimmy tells Mike he saw nothing suspicious. As they drive away, Gus looks up knowingly.
Victor later drives away from the restaurant. Mike follows him, with Mike’s monitor indicating the tracking device is in Victor's car. When the tracker is stationary, Mike finds a ringing cell phone placed atop his gas cap in the middle of the road. He picks up the phone and answers it.
Ernesto Ernesto, form of the name Ernest in several Romance languages, may refer to:
* ''Ernesto'' (novel) (1953), an unfinished autobiographical novel by Umberto Saba, published posthumously in 1975
** ''Ernesto'' (film), a 1979 Italian drama loosely ba ...
tells
Kim Wexler
Kimberly "Kim" Wexler is a fictional character in the television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off of ''Breaking Bad''. Kim is primarily portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. An intelligent and pro ...
he heard Jimmy's taped confession. Kim tells Jimmy that Chuck taped him. She realizes Chuck cannot use the confession in court and suggests that Jimmy wait for Chuck to make the first move so they can determine his intent, but Jimmy angrily drives away.
Howard Hamlin
Howard Hamlin is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series ''Better Call Saul'', a Spin-off (media), spin-off prequel of ''Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Patrick Fabian and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter ...
sneaks to the back door of Chuck’s house and Chuck lets him in. Chuck reveals he intentionally allowed Ernesto to hear the tape, knowing he would tell Kim and Jimmy. Chuck predicts Jimmy will break into his house to destroy the tape, enabling him to have Jimmy arrested. As Chuck guessed, Jimmy kicks in the door and expresses anger that Chuck tricked him by playing to Jimmy’s concern for Chuck's health. Jimmy destroys the tape and Howard and David make their presence known. They declare themselves witnesses, enabling Chuck to report Jimmy to the police.
Production

The episode was directed by the series creator
Vince Gilligan
George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American screenwriter and filmmaker. He is best known as the creator, primary writer, executive producer, and occasional director of the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Brea ...
and was written by executive producer Thomas Schnauz, who previously wrote the season 2 episode "
Fifi".
This episode features the return of three ''Breaking Bad'' cast members:
Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...
(Gus Fring),
Tina Parker (Saul's secretary Francesca Liddy), and
Jeremiah Bitsui (Gus's henchman Victor). In a Q&A with AMC, Esposito expressed excitement on his return into the ''Breaking Bad'' world saying "I'm extremely excited. I'm over the moon. I love this family of filmmakers a great deal. I know ''Better Call Saul'' is a little bit of a different show than ''Breaking Bad'' was and I love the success it's had. It has such wonderful talent in the show. Bob Odenkirk is just stellar. Obviously the opportunity to tell some of the backstory of Gus and how he rose to power and how he came to be is always something I've wanted to explore in a very subtle way in the right venue." He also distinguished the show's version of Gus from the original show describing his character as "a little fresher, a little less jaded. The time period alone takes us to a time where his look may be little bit different. I wanted him to be little more hopeful, a little more energetic, maybe not as definitive in some of his actions because he's a Gus that we've never met before."
Reception
Ratings
Upon airing, the episode received 1.46 million American viewers, and an 18–49 rating of 0.5.
Critical reception
The episode received critical acclaim, with some praising the return of ''Breaking Bad'' antagonist Gus Fring. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the episode holds a perfect 100% rating with an average score of 9.09/10, based on 13 reviews. The site's consensus reads, '"Witness" marks the long-awaited arrival of a fan favorite character—and ends on an explosive note that leaves viewers clamoring for more.'
The episode received four
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nominations including
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Gilligan,
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for
Jonathan Banks
Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. He played FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the television series '' Wiseguy'' (1987–1990). For his role, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supportin ...
,
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour), and
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series.
Notes
References
External links
"Witness"at
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
*
{{Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul season 3 episodes
2017 American television episodes
Television episodes directed by Vince Gilligan