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Saul Gone

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"Saul Gone"
Better Call Saul episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 13
Directed byPeter Gould
Written byPeter Gould
Featured music
Cinematography byMarshall Adams
Editing bySkip Macdonald
Original air dateAugust 15, 2022 (2022-08-15)
Running time69 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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Better Call Saul (season 6)
List of episodes

"Saul Gone" is the series finale of Better Call Saul, the spin-off television series of Breaking Bad. It is the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth season and the 63rd episode of the series overall. Written and directed by Peter Gould, who co-created the series with Vince Gilligan, the episode aired on AMC and AMC+ on August 15, 2022, before debuting online in certain territories on Netflix the following day. "Saul Gone" continues directly from the previous episode and deals with the aftermath of Saul Goodman's actions.

"Saul Gone" received critical acclaim, with many critics praising Jimmy's character development and his reconciliation with Kim.

Plot

Flashbacks show conversations Jimmy McGill had with Mike Ehrmantraut,[a] Walter White,[b] and Chuck McGill,[c] considering what they would do if they could travel back in time. Mike responds that he would go back to when he took his first bribe, which eventually resulted in his involvement with the criminal underworld and his son's death. Saul replies he would go back to invest so that he would become rich, to which Mike criticizes him for only thinking of money. Walter scoffs at the question, dismissing it as a scientific impossibility. At his request, Jimmy reformulates his question as "regrets", to which Walt responds he would have stayed at Gray Matter Technologies. Saul regrets how he broke his knee during a slip-and-fall scam, to which Walter responds with the realization that Saul was “always like this.” Chuck asks Jimmy if he ever considered a separate career path, but Jimmy counters him by telling him that Chuck himself never did.

In the present, Gene flees Marion's house and evades the authorities before being apprehended in a dumpster while attempting to call Ed Gailbraith. In jail, he contacts Bill Oakley in Albuquerque and receives his services. Initially facing a life sentence plus 190 years, Saul, discussing his charges with Bill and government authorities, is offered a deal of 30 years. Saul requests Marie Schrader, Hank Schrader's widow, to enter the room. She bitterly accuses Saul of leading to Hank's death, which resulted from Walter's schemes. However, Saul convinces the lead Assistant U.S. Attorney that he could influence a trial jury into a deadlock by pretending to be forced to work for Walt. Bill and Saul negotiate a seven-and-a-half year sentence, but further negotiations are terminated when Saul offers to confess to Howard Hamlin's death, unaware that Kim Wexler had already done so. On a flight to Albuquerque for sentencing, Saul learns that Howard's widow Cheryl may be preparing to file a civil lawsuit against Kim. He tells Bill, in the U.S. Marshal's presence, that he will testify further information relating to Kim.

In Florida, Kim is contacted by District Attorney Suzanne Ericsen, who warns her that Saul's testimony could affect her. Kim attends the sentencing, where Saul admits he lied to get her in the room. He then confesses to all his actions, such as being a willing participant in Walt's actions and ends his testimony by admitting his role in Chuck's suicide, declaring that he is James McGill.

Jimmy is sentenced to 86 years, and is sent to a maximum-security federal prison. Despite insisting he be called McGill, he becomes revered in prison due to his reputation as Saul. Kim visits him and, over a cigarette, they discuss how his testimony affected his plea deal. As Kim departs, she sees Jimmy in the prison yard, who teasingly "shoots" her with finger guns.[d] Kim acknowledges the gesture and leaves while Jimmy quietly looks on.

Production

"Saul Gone" is the series finale for Better Call Saul, and was written and directed by series co-creator and showrunner Peter Gould.[2] Gould wrote the Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul", which introduced the character Saul Goodman, and co-created the spin-off with Vince Gilligan.[3][4] Gould and Gilligan initially served as co-showrunners before Gilligan left the writers room to focus on other projects, resulting in Gould becoming the sole showrunner.[4]

Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, and Rhea Seehorn are the only cast members listed in the starring credits.[1] The episode, season, and series ends with Gene Takavic getting caught by the authorities and, under his legal name of Saul Goodman, getting sentenced to prison for the crimes he committed in Breaking Bad. Gould and the writing staff knew by the time the finale of the fifth season aired that this was the right ending for the series.[3] They realized that Saul had spent his career making a mockery of the justice system, so it was fitting that he ended the series as a part of it, only this time as a prisoner. Gould further elaborated that in the finale, Saul had gone from someone who runs the courtroom to becoming the subject of one. Production initially had difficulty finding a location for the courtroom scene, but were eventually granted permission by the New Mexico Supreme Court to film on the top floor of their building.[5]

Gould and the writing staff felt strongly to end Better Call Saul differently than Breaking Bad and El Camino. Comparing the fates of the three works' main protagonists, Gould explained that Walter achieved his ambitions but ended up dead, and Jesse suffered greatly but found freedom, but Saul in contrast regained a clear conscience but ended up incarcerated.[6] When directly comparing the finale of Breaking Bad to the finale of Better Call Saul, Gould said he felt that Walter White was a character who dealt death to people, so his series ended in a blaze of glory. In contrast, Gould believed Saul Goodman to be a man of words, so his ending would be more dialogue-focused.[7]

However, Gould considered Better Call Saul's ending an optimistic one, not just for Saul Goodman, but for Kim Wexler as well. With the two characters finally confessing their misdeeds, Gould felt both chose to end their cycles of self-destructive tendencies and would refrain from making the same mistakes again.[7][8] He further acknowledged the challenging circumstances that awaited the two characters, with Saul spending his life in prison and a civil lawsuit hanging over Kim, but Gould believed that in cleaning their consciouses, both regained a part of their humanity and could begin living more honest lives.[8][3]

Saul and Kim sharing a cigarette while leaning against a prison room wall was the last scene shot for the series. Gould considered the moment, which itself was an homage to the first episode, as the two characters relating to one another without speaking.[8] The writers room had discussed the idea of having this be the last shot of the series, but Gould did not want to end the show with the two together. Instead, he chose to end the series with the two parting in the prison yard to deal with the truth that Saul will be in prison for a while, if not for the rest of his life.[7] Odenkirk and Seehorn said that another take of the scene exists where Kim returns the gesture of Saul shooting finger guns at her. However, Gould felt that this could be interpreted as Kim going back to her old ways, so he chose to go with the take that remained in the final cut. Seehorn felt that the overall scene signified the bond that existed between the two characters and the part that is still true.[9][10]

Gould considered the finale a mix of the world of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad characters, as the episode saw several returning actors from both series. This included Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut[e] and guest stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White,[f] Michael McKean as Chuck McGill,[g] and Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader.[h][8] Brandt's character appeared in the present timeline, whereas Banks, Cranston and McKean's characters appeared in flashbacks. Gould compared reappearances of Mike, Walter and Chuck to the three ghosts of A Christmas Carol, each showing Saul repeating the same cycle in his life.[3] Cranston's appearance was filmed months before to accommodate his schedule, McKean was able to film his scene before traveling to the United Kingdom for another project, while Brandt spent a relatively longer amount of time in Albuquerque due to her having more screen time than the other guest stars.[14][8] Gould wanted to bring back not only other former Better Call Saul actors, including Patrick Fabian, Giancarlo Esposito, and Michael Mando, but also ones that appeared on Breaking Bad as well, such as Anna Gunn, RJ Mitte, and Dean Norris. However, due to the episode's limited screen time, he was unable to have them return for the finale.[3][5]

In the week leading up to the finale, Gilligan stated that the episode would likely be the last entry in the Breaking Bad franchise, as he and Gould were both ready to move on to new stories.[15] Gould later acknowledged that by the premiere of Breaking Bad's finale, he and Gilligan were already working on the spin-off, but when Better Call Saul's finale aired the two were working separately on new projects.[7]

Reception

Critical response

"Saul Gone" received universal acclaim. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the episode received an approval rating of 100% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 10/10. The critical consensus reads, "The lawyer who broke bad finally comes clean in 'Saul Gone,' an emotionally powerful and thematically fitting conclusion to one of television's great dramas."[16] Many critics highlighted Jimmy's character development, his redemption, and reconciliation with Kim, in addition to the motif of time machines in the episode.[17][18][19][20][21] Giving the episode an A grade, Kimberly Potts of The A.V. Club called it a "supremely satisfying sendoff" with "blasts from the past and one last twist".[17] At IGN, Rafael Motamayor gave the episode a 10 out of 10 rating, describing it as a "subtler character study, exploring regrets and change in its protagonist". He also noted the episode title and praised it for "a thematic bookend on a show that was never really about Saul Goodman" and highlighted the motif of time machines.[18] Similarly, Vulture's Jen Chaney also discussed the motif of time machines in the episode, and praised it for offering more depth and context to Breaking Bad, and felt the series was superior to Breaking Bad, as it "dared to widen its scope and go bigger than Breaking Bad ever did".[19]

Miles Surrey of The Ringer discussed the scene in which Jimmy testifies before court, and highlighted the inner conflict between his McGill and Goodman persona, ultimately feeling McGill won, as McGill had realized "the prospect of reconciling with her takes him on a new path—one toward redemption". He praised Jimmy's characterization in the episode, and felt that the series "showed that it’s never too late to stop breaking bad for the ones you love".[22] At Variety, Daniel D'Addario praised Odenkirk's performance in the court scene, and felt the episode was "meticulous" and praised Gould's writing and narrative structure. He felt that the episode was superior to that of Breaking Bad's series finale, "Felina".[21] Meanwhile, David Segal of The New York Times felt Goodman's discussion with Mike, Walter, and Chuck about time machines helped "riff on the theme of regret and second chances", and also noted McGill's internal struggle in the episode, and thought his Goodman persona would win "in part because the rapacious side of Jimmy and Saul kept getting highlighted. Especially in this episode". He also observed a "symmetry" in his character, opining that Jimmy became the "toxic version of Saul" and "morally fastidious version of Jimmy" due to Kim.[23]

Ratings

An estimated 1.80 million viewers watched "Saul Gone" during its first broadcast on AMC on August 15, 2022.[24] Upon the episode's initial release on AMC+, the network's streaming platform, the app experienced an outage, causing many users to be logged out.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ During the events of "Bagman".[1]
  2. ^ During the events of "Granite State".[1]
  3. ^ Before the events of Better Call Saul.[1]
  4. ^ This action was previously done by both Jimmy and Kim as an acknowledgment of commitment; Jimmy when he commits to being Saul Goodman in "Winner", and Kim when she commits to the scheme against Howard Hamlin in "Something Unforgivable"
  5. ^ Who had only appeared in one scene since "Fun and Games".[1]
  6. ^ Who had appeared in the episode "Breaking Bad" two episodes prior.[11]
  7. ^ Who was written out of the series after "Lantern" but made special appearances in "Piñata" and "Winner".[12][13]
  8. ^ Who had not appeared since "Felina".[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Sepinwall, Alan (August 15, 2022). "Better Call Saul Series Finale Recap: Slippin' Jimmy Vs. Saul Goodman". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  2. ^ Porter, Rick (August 10, 2022). "Better Call Saul Team on Ending With Season 6: "Know When to Leave the Party"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Sepinwall, Alan (August 15, 2022). "Better Call Saul Creator Explains the Series Finale". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Birnbaum, Debra (April 5, 2017). "Better Call Saul's 'Breaking' Point: How It's Gearing Up for Gus Fring". Variety. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Snierson, Dan (August 16, 2022). "Better Call Saul co-creator on Jimmy's shocking move in the finale — and that Jimmy-Kim reunion". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Bryant, Adam (August 16, 2022). "Better Call Saul Q&A – Co-Creator Peter Gould Breaks Down The Series Finale". AMC. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Fienberg, Daniel (August 15, 2022). "Better Call Saul Co-Creator Explains Why the Series Finale Was So Different From Breaking Bad". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; August 16, 2022 suggested (help)
  8. ^ a b c d e Schneider, Michael (August 15, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Peter Gould Breaks Down the Surprising Series Finale and Jimmy and Kim's Ending". Variety. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  9. ^ Snierson, Dan (August 15, 2022). "Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk breaks down Jimmy's life-changing decision in the finale". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Snierson, Dan (August 15, 2022). "Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn on those Kim-Jimmy scenes — and Kim's final fate — in the series finale". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (August 1, 2022). "Better Call Saul Recap: It's Breaking Bad Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Dwilson, Stephanie Dube (June 20, 2017). "'Better Call Saul': What Happened to Chuck in the Finale? [SPOILERS]". Heavy. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (October 8, 2018). "Better Call Saul Season Finale Recap: Winner Takes It All". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  14. ^ Davids, Brian (August 1, 2022). "Better Call Saul Writer-EP Thomas Schnauz Breaks Down the Momentous Breaking Bad Episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Schneider, Michael (August 8, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Vince Gilligan on Kim's Brush With 'Breaking Bad' and Setting the Finale Stage". Variety. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "Better Call Saul: Season 6, Episode 13". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Potts, Kimberly (August 16, 2022). "Better Call Saul ends with blasts from the past and one last twist". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Motamayor, Rafael (August 16, 2022). "Better Call Saul Series Finale Review -- "Saul Gone"". IGN. Retrieved August 16, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ a b Chaney, Jen (August 15, 2022). "Let's Talk About the End of Better Call Saul". Vulture. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  20. ^ Hogan, Mike (August 15, 2022). "Better Call Saul Series Finale Recap: Jimmy and Kim's Fraught Reunion". Vanity Fair.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ a b D'Addario, Daniel (August 15, 2022). "'Better Call Saul's' Brilliant, Emotional Finale Is 'Breaking Bad' in Reverse: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Surrey, Miles (August 16, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Ends With a Poetic Verdict on Love and Regret". The Ringer. Retrieved August 16, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Segal, David (August 15, 2022). "'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Finale Recap: Life". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Salem, Mitch (August 16, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Monday 8.15.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Timothy, Adams (August 15, 2022). "Better Call Saul Series Finale Crashes AMC+". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
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