‘Better Call Saul’ Pays Tribute to Robert Forster — Fans React to His Posthumous Appearance
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 5, Episode 1 of Better Call Saul, “Magic Man”]
Better Call Saul paid tribute to one of their own in the Season 5 premiere when actor Robert Forster made a posthumous appearance as Ed, the man also known as “the Disappearer.”
Forster, who passed away in October 2019 — on the premiere date of El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie — was known for his many roles on TV and in film, including Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Ed resurfaced one last time at the beginning of Sunday’s premiere during one of Saul’s signature black-and-white sequences, set in a post-Breaking Bad timeline where everyone’s favorite “criminal” lawyer is living in disguise as Gene Takovic.
After Saul’s (Bob Odenkirk) Season 4 cab ride in this timeline, his paranoia about being discovered was confirmed when the driver seeks him out at the mall where he works and called out his identity. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Saul opted for calling Ed who has helped him disappear before — hence his current situation.
(Credit: AMC)
Eventually, Saul decided against uprooting himself once more and told Ed he’d handle the situation himself. Although brief, this was Forster’s most recent appearance onscreen and the crew paid tribute in the credits following the episode, writing, “dedicated to our friend Robert Forster.”
Thank you, Robert. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/tqBtmIua8F
— Better Call Saul | Mondays at 9/8c on AMC (@BetterCallSaul) February 24, 2020
As fans of Bad will recall, Forster’s character runs a vacuum sales and repair service which is a cover for his real occupation — helping wealthy criminals disappear. In Bad, he helped Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Saul flee.
Most recently, he made popped up in El Camino and helped Jesse (Aaron Paul) evade authorities following his escape from Uncle Jack’s (Michael Bowen) compound. As it stands, Forster’s the only actor to appear in all three titles from the Breaking Bad universe, and his Saul premiere appearance certainly came as a welcome surprise for viewers.
Below, see some of their reactions:
Robert Forster keeps on living…and selling “vacuums.” #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/BQ8Qtvcjsu
— Garin Pirnia (@gpirnia) February 24, 2020
Vince Gilligan had one final Robert Forster performance up his sleeve, the devil.
— Lance St. Laurent (@LanceStLaurent) February 24, 2020
Ed! One last fantastic performance by Robert Forster. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/7CASlVwxts
— The Post-Crisis Version of Nick Vargas (@Nv2187) February 24, 2020
Love how now it’s Robert Forster who ties the three main Breaking Bad experiences together. He was in BB, he was in Jesse’s movie, and now he gets a quick look in on Saul’s life. What a legend. pic.twitter.com/AcQD7XxZYv
— WowBOBWow (@WowBOBWow2) February 24, 2020
Me as soon as Robert Forster showed up on last night’s #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/tDwck2oEH2
— Mas (@MasBouzidi) February 24, 2020
I’m glad Better Call Saul got Robert Forster in one last time before his unfortunate passing last year 💕💕
— 15,000 🦋s in a Trench Coat (@NotoriousROZ) February 24, 2020
Seeing Robert Forster pop up in new Better Call Saul was an unexpected sucker punch. pic.twitter.com/em3vaKC2lu
— Alexander Bradley (@ABradley91) February 24, 2020
Better Call Saul, Mondays, 9/8c, AMC
