Now that Better Call Saul has ended, it's a great time to look back at the final few episodes and pick out some of the best jaw-dropping moments.
After seven years and six seasons, Better Call Saul has finally come to a close. The Breaking Bad prequel/sequel had a tremendous legacy to overcome, and yet, as the final episodes aired, fans were certain that the series had overthrown its predecessor. It ultimately featured a satisfying end for the stories of Jimmy, Kim, Mike, and others.
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The second half of season 6, which began airing in July, featured some of the most shocking moments between both shows. There weren't as many bullets fired as the endings of Breaking Bad or El Camino, but Better Call Saul still surprised fans with its emotional resonance. These moments are the best from the last batch of episodes.
The last episode of season 6's first half ended on quite the cliffhanger. Lalo Salamanca invaded Jimmy and Kim's home, killing Howard Hamlin, so he could talk to his lawyers in private. When episode 8, "Point and Shoot," began, Lalo's plan to gain revenge against Gus unfolded with their help, and for a moment, everything went according to plan.
Lalo eventually had Gus held at gunpoint in the construction site of Walter White's future superlab. However, after a knife-twisting monologue where Gus insults both the Salamancas and Don Eladio, he knocks out the power and kills Lalo with a hidden gun. Sadly, his confirmed death is still not enough to rid Saul Goodman of his fear of Lalo.
The aftermath of Howard's death leaves Kim a shell of the woman she once was. Jimmy tries to encourage her that they'll move on, but everything comes to a head when they attend Howard's wake. Kim regrettably lies to Howard's widow, Cheryl, continuing their ruse that Howard committed suicide after sinking deeper a cocaine addiction.
It's not long until Kim resigns from the New Mexico State Bar, drawing ire from Jimmy. Once Jimmy sees Kim packing her things, he realizes a worse outcome exists than Kim quitting the law: Kim is quitting their relationship. After Kim breaks up with Jimmy through tears, the episode quickly flash-forwards to Jimmy fully immersed in the persona of Saul Goodman.
The four episodes following Jimmy and Kim's break-up take place mostly in the post-Breaking Bad timeline. After the seemingly standalone episode "Nippy," Jimmy (now Gene the Cinnabon manager) follows up on a Season 4 cold open, where he instructed Francesca to pick up a pay phone call from him on a specified date.
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Over the phone, Francesca updates Gene on the state of Albuquerque following the fall of Walt's empire. Huell, Kuby, and Danny (Mark Proksch's character from the early seasons of Saul) are scattered, Saul's assets have been seized, and police are still on the hunt for him and Jesse. The one piece of good news: Kim called Francesca to ask about him.
Thankfully, the writers of Better Call Saul kept their promise of overlapping with the events of Breaking Bad. The 11th episode of the season, aptly titled "Breaking Bad," features flashbacks to Saul's introduction to Walt and Jesse, recognizing their potential. A meeting with Mike deters this when Saul discovers Walt is dying and Jesse is a junkie.
Saul Goodman isn't as quick to follow Mike's advice as Jimmy McGill was, however. As we know from Breaking Bad, Saul marched into Walt's classroom to offer his services and turn him from Fredo to Vito Corleone. Here, Better Call Saul re-contextualizes Breaking Bad as Saul's doing, connecting Walt with Gus Fring and driving him to hunger for power.
Kim finally reappears in the 12th episode, "Waterworks," having spent the Breaking Bad years in Florida. Her stasis is broken by an unexpected call from Gene, who she tells to turn himself in, leading to him lashing out and encouraging her to do the same. What Gene probably doesn't expect is for Kim to do exactly that.
After flying to Albuquerque, Kim files an affidavit with the DA confessing to her involvement in Howard's murder. Furthermore, she takes the affidavit to Howard's widow to clear her conscience, opening herself up to a civil suit. As she re-boards an airport bus, Kim crumbles under the weight of everything that's happened to her, crying in public.
"Waterworks" features one more startling moment for Kim Wexler. In a flashback to just before Breaking Bad began, Kim visits Saul in his iconic office to have him sign divorce papers. To Kim's disappointment, Saul's treatment to her is cold and apathetic, and when she steps outside, she lights a cigarette while watching it pour rain in Albuquerque.
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She quickly finds that she's not alone out here. She's approached by Jesse Pinkman of all people, asking for a cigarette. As they smoke together, Jesse recognizes her as the former attorney of his friend Combo. He picks her brain about this Saul Goodman guy, and how good he is, only for Kim to vaguely respond that he was, when she knew him.
The final episodes of season 6 also feature the legendary Carol Burnett as Marion, an old lady who Gene befriends. However, she's only a means to an end to him, as Marion is the mother of Jeff, the cab driver who Gene lures into a life of crime. Soon enough, Gene's Saul Goodman-esque schemes get Jeff in trouble with the police.
To Gene's surprise, Marion is more perceptive than he thinks. When he calls Marion to report Jeff's imprisonment, she smells something fishy, and goes to Ask Jeeves for answers. She discovers Saul Goodman's old commercials on YouTube, and when Gene threatens her, she activates her Life Alert to report that she's found Saul Goodman.
The finale of Better Call Saul features many twists and turns for our titular ex-lawyer. After Gene is arrested, he hires his former rival Bill Oakley to defend him. Saul faces a life sentence plus 190 years in prison for his numerous crimes with Walter White, but he manages to talk them down to a staggering 7 years by playing the victim.
Saul does all this in the face of actual victims of Walter's actions. To the surprise of many Breaking Bad fans, Marie Schrader returns to viciously tell Saul he deserves more than he'll ever get. The one thorn in Saul's side comes when he tries to offer the police information about Howard's murder, only to discover Kim has beat him to it.
When Saul enters the courtroom to face his sentencing, his head is held high. That is, until he sees Kim in there, awaiting to see his newest scheme screw her over. To the surprise of the judge and attorneys, Saul instead offers them a different story: he is responsible for making Walter White who he was, admitting to everything and losing his generous deal.
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Saul's not done by just admitting to his actual crimes, however. Seeing Kim watching him, Saul admits to his involvement in Howard's death, forgives Kim for leaving him after it, and admits to sabotaging Chuck's malpractice insurance, which led to his suicide. When the judge tells Goodman to sit down, he insists: "The name's McGill. I'm James McGill."
The finale features several flashbacks from throughout Jimmy/Saul's journey. The first comes following the events of the season 5 episode "Bagman," where he asks Mike Ehrmantraut what he'd do with a time machine. Mike chooses to go back to the day he took his first bribe, while Jimmy callously says he would be an early investor in Warren Buffett.
Later, a flashback to the Breaking Bad episode "Granite State" finds Saul with Walter White in the vacuum repair shop basement. Saul asks Walt the same question, which they both expertly dodge with insincere answers. A final flashback finds Jimmy visiting Chuck before the pilot of Saul, with Chuck's copy of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" indicating that, among Jimmy's real regrets, is his refusal to connect with Chuck.
Better Call Saul can be streamed on Netflix.
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Blaise Santi is a recent graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts majoring in Dramatic Writing. He's had experience writing not only for screen and stage, but also for sketch and late-night. His hobbies have included video games, movies, TV, and comic books ever since childhood. Blaise currently lives in New York City.