Summary: Flashbacks show key moments in Jimmy's life with Mike, Walt, and Chuck where he contemplates changing things with a time machine. In the present, Jimmy escapes from Marion's and hides from the police but he's eventually caught in a dumpster. He calls Bill to represent him and frames himself as a victim, using the prosecution's pride (they never lost a case) to negotiate. He gets a deal of just seven years, but learns that Kim turned herself in for Howard's death. Jimmy gets an idea and makes a claim that directly attacks Kim. Kim comes to his hearing, where Jimmy takes back what he said about her and ultimately tells the truth, confessing to everything he has done. Jimmy gets 86 years ultimately and is sent to prison. Kim visits him, posing as his lawyer, and they share one final cigarette together.
The Good: In the final episode, we finally got to see the heart of who Jimmy McGill is. In the past few episodes I have alternated between calling him Jimmy, Gene, or Saul, but this series finale makes it explicitly clear that this character is, and always has been, Jimmy McGill, and now that Jimmy himself has finally accepted his identity, it would be demeaning for me to refer to him as anything but Jimmy. In the end, this entire series was a story of identity and making peace with oneself for Jimmy. This finale captures the sense of self-actualization that Jimmy goes through perfectly, and that makes this a wholly satisfying and emotionally effective conclusion to this six-season story. Jimmy's decision to stop running from his problems and to finally face them is a character choice that he has long since been avoiding, and I'm glad that this finale saw him finally make this tough decision, closing out his character arc without leaving any stones unturned. But it does take this finale a long time to get to Jimmy's eventual actualization, and there's plenty of other stuff to love about this episode. The episode begins in a completely different place tonally with Jimmy on the run from the police. These scenes are well done, capturing tension perfectly as Jimmy tries to sneak away with his riches. The desperation of a man hunted by the law draws parallels to "Felina" from "Breaking Bad". Impressively, this episode subverts our expectations of a thrilling action-packed episode by having Jimmy get caught almost immediately, changing the episode from a thrilling finale to an introspective character study, which is much more in tune with what we have seen from "Better Call Saul" so far. This decision is brilliant and allows "Saul Gone" to be an entirely unique experience that never feels like it is piggybacking off of the success of "Breaking Bad". This show has always done a magnificent job of forging its own identity, and it's fitting that the show ended as its own story, even after it grew closer in tone to "Breaking Bad" at times in the last few seasons. Part of that signature "Better Call Saul" pacing and tone comes from this episode's use of flashbacks. These flashbacks aren't strictly necessary for the story being told, but they enhance the episode's story and so much more emotion to the proceedings. I think they are an extremely positive addition for thematic reasons, and because they do such a good job of creating a sense of finality. The flashbacks explore Jimmy's fascination with the idea of using a time machine, highlighting that he has regrets with how his life has gone. The theme of regret is explored magnificently through two different scenes with Mike and Walt (This scene is never all about Walt so I won't discuss him too much, but I really appreciated that we got to see the most obnoxious traits of the character in his scene with Jimmy. It was great to see him one final time.). In both cases, Jimmy listens to Mike and Walt open up about their biggest regrets and the things that they would most like to change. But in hearing them bare their souls, Jimmy once again retreats into Saul to hide his own personal feelings, claiming that he would only go back in time to be rich or that he would alter a minor chronic injury. This is the fundamental problem with Jimmy, his inability to face his truths which connects with the episode's central idea of Jimmy finally facing his personal truth. There is one more flashback to discuss, that being one final scene between Jimmy and Chuck, who I was thrilled to see one last time. This scene surprisingly showed a moment where Chuck actually reached out to Jimmy, wanting to connect more with him. But Jimmy, being afraid of getting told off as always, rejects this and leaves Chuck's house for a meeting with a client. This is a solid scene, and its implications become clear with one final shot of HG Wells' book "The Time Machine". This last shot solidified that this is one moment that Jimmy deeply regrets. Perhaps if he had taken the time to speak with Chuck and connect more, maybe they could have been on better terms and Jimmy would have never had to become Saul Goodman to cover up the pain that he endured. These three flashbacks tell a lovely cohesive story of Jimmy's regrets, digging at the roots of the character. Back in the present, we get a signature legal story as Jimmy pulls out all the stops to get the minimum possible sentence for himself. These scenes are tons of fun to watch. We get a surprise appearance from Marie, who is used fittingly to spearhead the consequences of Saul's actions, and we also get the return of Bill, which was unexpected and great fun. Bill has always been similar to Jimmy, and it's fun to see these two play off of each other. Bill also offers the episode's best laugh when he immediately attempts to withdraw from the case when Jimmy starts confessing. Outside of these two fun appearances, Jimmy continued to be a phenomenal character in these scenes. Once he starts hysterically laughing in the prison cell, it's apparent that he has embraced Saul Goodman to get out of this situation. Jimmy carries himself with that signature smug, arrogant confidence throughout all of his negotiations, and it's disgusting to see him be so awful. His abrupt shift from playing the victim to all but admitting to the prosecution that he's taking advantage of his situation was an especially terrific and horrifying moment. Saul Goodman is morally bankrupt, and he continues to do terrible things in this episode for his own self-interest. I also love the callback to mint chocolate chip ice cream, which by now has become a definitive symbol of Saul's antics. But nothing could have prepared me for the episode's suggestion that Jimmy was going to screw Kim over for his own personal gain. We get to see that Kim is beginning to recover some agency in her life. Following her confession, she allows herself to get involved with the law again, and her focused volunteering work is a reminder of Kim's best traits which made us fall in love with her all the way back in season 2. But then that phone call comes in to blow everything up again, and it becomes clear that Jimmy has spoken against her for his own personal gain. Eventually we learn that this isn't the case, but in the moment it feels like Jimmy might actually throw Kim under the bus. The reason that this is so believable is another testament to the slow-paced storytelling of "Better Call Saul". By showing us Gene's moral descent slowly across the last three episodes, we are more than willing to accept the idea that Jimmy is about to descend even further by turning on Kim in his own pettiness. Once again, "Better Call Saul has justified its slow-paced storytelling, proving that all that we have seen has been essential to make these big climaxes all the more effective (seriously, good luck calling "Nippy" a filler episode after watching these final few episodes). Without the patience of the Gene storyline, we would never have bought into Jimmy turning on Kim. This finally takes us to Jimmy's big confession scene. There's no doubting that this scene was astonishing as it is the ultimate climax of Jimmy's character arc. Going into it, we're not sure what exactly we are going to see and the suspense has me on the edge of my seat. Jimmy goes up to the stand and starts reciting that lame story he told the prosecution about his experiences with Walter White. But, once Jimmy says "I was terrified... but not for long", immediately I was grabbed, captivated that we may just be seeing the re-emergence of Jimmy McGill after the last few episodes spent so much time showing us the degraded shells of this character. This confession called back heavily to Jimmy's testimony back in "Winner", but where that confession was a brutal lie, this confession is pure truth as Jimmy digs deep to unearth all that he's done. He confesses to raising up the empire of Heisenberg, he confesses to lying to the government about Kim (he just wanted her to be there), and finally he confesses to his role in Chuck's suicide. This scene is massively emotional, and I love the touch of Jimmy snapping at Bill because of how difficult it was for him to finally let out the truth about how he caused Chuck's death and that he is going to have to live with that. This scene was exemplary for Bob Odenkirk, but also for Rhea Seehorn who finally gets to hear Jimmy speak his honest truth about Chuck, which she has been waiting to hear since season 4. The cherry on top for this scene are the numerous looks between Jimmy and Kim. These glances carry such heavy meaning to them and they are an example of top-class acting from Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn who are able to convey so much while doing so little. Despite Kim's limited outward emotions, we can see a mixture of pride, sadness, acceptance, and understanding in her final glance with Jimmy in the courtroom, grateful that she was able to see Jimmy finally admit to his crimes and tell the truth. The final scenes of the episode do a tremendous job of saying farewell to this series and its characters. The prison bus scene by all means should be cheesy and stupid, but somehow it instead feels emotional and triumphant. Despite all the bad he has done, Saul has always been loved by the people he has helped, and there's something surprisingly heartwarming to see Jimmy get some credit for the good he has done as Saul, even when internally he has accepted that he is not Saul Goodman anymore. I really like that this episode painted a parallel between Jimmy's life in prison and his life as Cinnabon Gene. Both lives are equally empty for Jimmy, but while in prison he can at least be on good terms with Kim, the love of his life, so it is a small improvement for him. I bring this up because I have seen some people upset by Jimmy's decision to extend his sentence, but the subtleties of this episode make it clear that prison is more fulfilling for Jimmy. The final scenes between Jimmy and Kim are incredibly poignant and they provide a magnificent conclusion to this series. It's nice to see that Kim had to do one last scam (posing as a lawyer) to visit Jimmy, a nice callback to the fun that they once had together. The cigarette scene is a thing of beauty, masterfully calling back to "Uno" both visually and audibly with the same track. I also love that the directionality of the light has been inversed, with the downward light in "Uno" suggesting an inevitable downfall, and the rising light in "Saul Gone" suggesting a return to grace. I also smiled at the lighter's fire being in colour, symbolizing the rekindling of the love between Jimmy and Kim. Kim's final walk out of the prison is so sad, as the two of them are framed in their own respective cages, looking at each other for as long as they possibly can before the other is gone. The final shots in this episode are really a thing of beauty. Jimmy's finger guns brought a smile to my face, a fitting thematic callback to "Something Unforgivable". Where Kim did the gesture because she had surprised Jimmy with her inner corruption, Jimmy did the gesture because he had surprised Kim with his inner righteousness, which Kim had always advocated for since the start of the show. Lastly, I think that the final shot being Jimmy slowly disappearing behind the wall one final time captured the feelings of saying goodbye perfectly, bringing about a perfect emotional close to one of the greatest TV dramas I have ever seen. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. You could argue that Saul going to prison is a predictable conclusion, but I think the episode offered up plenty of surprises along the way to keep us on our toes, turning the predictable conclusion into something much more effective. The Unknown: Will Kim and Jimmy ever see each other again? Will Kim keep visiting him? I could see Kim continuing to visit, but it may be tricky for her to justify doing these visits. Will Jimmy ever get out of prison? It's possible Jimmy could get out when he's near death. Best Moment: Jimmy's confession, one of the show's best ever moments. Character of the Episode: Jimmy. Conclusion: And so "Better Call Saul" has finally ended, with a subtle quiet bang that stayed well in-tune with what this show was all about. This extended finale was an emotionally powerful, masterfully written and acted masterpiece which closed out the show in perfect fashion, and is one of the most satisfying series finale's I have ever seen. It will be hard to say farewell to this universe, but I can't think of a better way for this show to bow out. Season 6 was incredible television, one of the best TV season's I have ever seen. Every episode was gripping and there were so many memorable and emotional moments, stand-alone experiences, and dramatic twists and turns throughout these 13 episodes. It was an eventful stretch of television, evidenced by how long ago it feels like the Nacho story was, and I was left anticipating more after every episode, excited by what I had just watched and excited to see what happens next. Every aspect of this story was treated with care. The final acts of Nacho, Howard, and Lalo were done masterfully, with each death being different from the last but equally climactic and fitting. Mike and Gus got closure to their stories heading into "Breaking Bad" and I thought that Peter and Vince came up with a perfect thematic endpoint for their stories. Of course there's also Jimmy and Kim, the heart of this show, and both were given such a deeply layered arc this season that put us through a complete and emotional story that captured their relationship beautifully. Every aspect of this season worked, and I think that it can genuinely contend with the final season of "Breaking Bad" for the best television produced in this universe. Well done "Better Call Saul". Do I really need to write about how I feel about this show as a whole at this point? This show is essential television, and I am stunned by how good it was. For a spin-off prequel about a comic relief side character, this show had no business being good, never mind being one of the best TV shows I have ever seen. The team behind this show deserves all the credit they can get because they created a slam dunk out of nothing, and came up with a worthwhile story that took me on an unforgettable emotional journey with such depth and suspense on a level that most TV shows can never come close to accomplishing. I view "Better Call Saul" as one of the greatest shows of all time, and it may even be my personal favourite TV show after this magnificently satisfying final season. If you're reading this and you have not watched this show yet, what are you waiting for? Score: 84
3 Comments
Ben F,
8/21/2022 08:53:26 pm
I love Better Call Saul, i enjoyed the finale, but I think the reaction online is a little too superlative. I don't think its "one of the best finales" of all time, i didnt think it was a 10/10 episode. Using the 100 point scale, i'd probably give it something like a 75. I didn't it was as entertaining as Breaking Bad's finale.
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Aaronic
8/22/2022 02:48:39 pm
Interesting that we disagree a little bit here. I found this to be a more unpredictable and emotionally heavy finale with more layered storytelling compared to Breaking Bad's finale. Both are fantastic pieces of work, but this episode takes the cake for me even without having any edge-of-your-seat suspense or action. I love seeing emotional fallout taking place on-screen.
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Ben F.
8/22/2022 09:24:59 pm
I'd agree that this finale was less predictable for the "Gene/black & White" timeline, but the various cameos in Jimmy/Saul's past were predictable and a bit on the nose, even for BCS/BB standards. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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