What does “In Liebe Deine Jungs” from Better Call Saul season 6, episode 5 mean in English? The Better Call Saul episode “Black & Blue” begins with one of the show’s signature enigmatic cold opens: a flawless glass block constructed from scratch with a slide ruler sitting dead center. A German phrase is then etched onto the front: “In Liebe… Deine Jungs.” “Black & Blue” soon works its way around to Werner Ziegler — the German architect overseeing construction on Gus Fring’s super-lab. Werner was executed by a reluctant Mike as punishment for breaching protocol and making arrangements to meet his wife, Margarethe.
Played by Andrea Sooch, Werner’s wife makes a surprise debut in Better Call Saul season 6. She’s schmoozed by a fellow bar drinker called Ben, but little does she know “Ben” is actually Lalo Salamanca desperately seeking answers about the project Werner Ziegler was undertaking on Gus’ behalf. As Lalo lies low inside Margarethe’s house, he notices the “In Liebe Deine Jungs” tribute on a nearby shelf, examines it, then promptly leaves. Many viewers have wondered what the “In Liebe Deine Jungs” transcription in Better Call Saul means, especially since it has a clear connection to its predecessor, Breaking Bad.
What In Liebe Deine Jungs Means In English
“Liebe” translated from German to English means “love,” so in Better Call Saul‘s context, the phrase “In Liebe… Deine Jungs” would mean “With Love… Your Boys.” This glass plaque was commissioned by the men who traveled to New Mexico alongside Werner and were involved in Gus’ super-lab project. Sworn to secrecy, they couldn’t tell Margarethe the truth about her husband’s demise, nor attend their beloved boss’ funeral, meaning small tokens such as etching “In Liebe Deine Jungs” onto a glass block are their only outlet for grieving.
As Margarethe reveals to Lalo Salamanca during Better Call Saul season 6, episode 5’s bar sequence, Werner Ziegler referred to his employees as “Seine Jungs,” which translates to English as “his boys.” “Deine” is the informal German for “your,” hence why Werner’s Better Call Saul plaque reads slightly differently. It’s a simple plot device that properly pays tribute to a short-lived but beloved character.
What The In Liebe Deine Jungs Plaque Meant For Better Call Saul
During Better Call Saul season 4’s super-lab construction scenes, the bond between Werner and his workers was evident. He cared for them almost like sons, and they coexisted together as a tight-knit family cut off from the outside world. This stronger-than-blood relationship is conveyed through the glass plaque’s “In Liebe Deine Jungs” message – but the phrase also carries an accidentally darker meaning.
Back in Breaking Bad, Hank finally realized Walter White was Heisenberg thanks to a sweet tribute message written by the dearly departed Gale. Just as sentimentality rumbled Walt, so too did it threaten to untangle Gus’ operation. When a group of construction workers bought their late boss a beautiful glass memorial adorned with a deeply personal phrase like “In Liebe Deine Jungs,” but then neglected to show their faces at his funeral, something is obviously amiss. Lalo certainly thought so, and upon examining the plaque’s underside, he found a sticker from the company that made it.
This fateful sticker eventually lead Lalo toward Werner’s old team, and the inevitable discovery of Gus Fring’s super-lab. As Lalo hunted down Werner’s “Jungs,” it’s bitterly ironic that by paying tribute to a man they all loved, the crew gave an angry Salamanca a trail to follow on his Better Call Saul season 6 Germany field trip.
Why Was Lalo Investigating Werner In The First Place?
Lalo investigating Werner was an important moment in Better Call Saul, as it further strengthened the connection between the prequel series to Breaking Bad and Gus Fring’s infamous super-lab. Because of his determination to prove that Gus was being disloyal to the cartel, Lalo’s dug everywhere he could until he eventually found Werner’s number and called him.
While Lalo only learned about some vague construction project until he and Werner’s call was cut short by Mike Ehrmantraut, this was enough for Lalo to know that he was on the right track. Though Gus ultimately got the upper hand on Lalo, the way Lalo connected the dots through the phrase “In Liebe Deine Jungs” reveals the intelligence of this terrifying Better Call Saul villain.
“In Liebe Deine Jungs” Isn’t The Only Time Breaking Bad Utilized Another Language
While the German plaque in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad stood out both due to its significance and the fact it wasn’t in English, “In Liebe Deine Jungs” wasn’t the only time that another language appeared in the show. Both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad were notable for their use of Spanish, with many characters in both shows speaking Spanish and English. While this was a clear choice to improve the realism of the show and accurately reflect its New Mexico setting (according to the Statistical Atlas, 28% of households in New Mexico speak Spanish), this didn’t come without criticism.
A key criticism of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul from Spanish-speaking viewers was that the Spanish spoken by many characters came across as stilted, with the accents and pronunciation not sounding natural. For example, in the Breaking Bad season 3 episode “Sabrosita”, a key scene is when Hector Salamanca, Juan Bolsa, and Don Eladio have a tense discussion wherein Salamanca and Bolsa are both vying to Eladio’s approval. While this was a key moment in setting up the rivalry between Salamanca and Fring (whom Bolsa was representing), for Latinx and Spanish-speaking viewers the immersion was shattered.
In particular, many remarked that it was clear Mark Margolis wasn’t a native Spanish speaker. This was a criticism that followed the actor throughout his appearances on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, though he wasn’t the only culprit. Another error the show made was with the specific version of the language many characters spoke. Steven Bauer, who plays Mexican criminal Eladio Vuente, hails from Cuba and is a native Spanish speaker. However, he doesn’t speak Mexican Spanish on the show, which for many viewers — especially those with Mexican heritage — was a key oversight.
So, while “In Liebe Deine Jungs” wasn’t the only time that Better Call Saul utilized a foreign language, it was perhaps the only time it managed to without criticism. While these oversights with Spanish don’t detract much from Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, they do expose a key flaw when it comes to ensuring accuracy, as they stunted the immersion of an otherwise incredibly immersive show for many viewers.
- Release Date
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2015 – 2022-00-00
- Showrunner
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Peter Gould
- Directors
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Vince Gilligan, Thomas Schnauz, Peter Gould, Michael Morris, Adam Bernstein, Colin Bucksey, John Shiban, Michelle MacLaren, Daniel Sackheim, Jim McKay, Minkie Spiro, Terry McDonough, Larysa Kondracki, Melissa Bernstein, Gordon Smith, Andrew Stanton, Bronwen Hughes, Giancarlo Esposito, Keith Gordon, Michael Slovis, Nicole Kassell, Norberto Barba, Rhea Seehorn, Scott Winant
- Writers
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Ann Cherkis, Marion Dayre, Ariel Levine, Jonathan Glatzer
