I am relieved thatBetter Call Sauldid not end in the way Bob Odenkirk expected. As a prequel toBreaking Bad, the fates of manyBetter Call Saulcharacterswere already predetermined, with Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), and Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) being among those who died in the original show.Better Call Saul’s glimpses of the future and of Jimmy McGill’s life as Gene Takovic in Omaha, Nebraska confirmed that the show would go beyond thetimeline ofBreaking Bad.
There was also uncertainty about what would happen to Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), and Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton), since they were all absent fromBreaking Bad. AfterBetter Call Saul’s six seasons, along with the five seasons ofBreaking Badthat preceded it, expectations were high, and there were many theories about how it would end. Fortunately, Odenkirk’s theory did not come to fruition.
Bob Odenkirk Thought Better Call Saul’s Ending Was Going To Have More Explosions
This Would’ve Been More Similar To Breaking Bad
While speaking withEmpire,Odenkirk shared that"I would have predicted an ending with more explosions.“His theory was reasonable, asBreaking Badhad its fair share of explosions, from when Walter White (Bryan Cranston) blew up the car of the obnoxious stockbroker Ken (Kyle Bornheimer) in season 1 to the death of Gus in season 4. TheBreaking Badfinale was also literally explosive with Walt rigging a machine gun that killed Jack Welker (Michael Bowen) and his gang.
Better Call Saul’s endingdid not feature any literal explosions, and it did not conclude with any kind of physical fight. Instead, Jimmy was caught by the authorities and managed to negotiate an excellent plea bargain for himself. However, he ultimately confessed to his many wrongdoings and finally took accountability for his actions. Even though this landed him in prison for 86 years instead of the seven years he managed to negotiate, his confessions allowed him to reclaim his identity as Jimmy instead of continuing to be Saul Goodman, and it made reconciliation with Kim possible.
Better Call Saul Didn’t Need An Action-Packed Episode – That Was Never The Point
Action Was Only A Small Piece Of The Show
An action-packed series finale would have felt out of place. Some ofBetter Call Saul’s best episodes, including season 5’s “Bagman” and “Something Unforgivable,” featured action due to the cartel, but action was never the point of the show.Better Call Saulwas ultimately about the tragedy of Jimmy becoming Saul Goodman, his ability to become Jimmy again, and his unconventional love story with Kim. None of these threads would have been served well by an action-heavy ending.
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Saul was not the kind of character involved inBreaking Bad’s action and, with the memorable exception of “Bagman,” hewas mostly removed from the action inBetter Call Saulas well. Part of the reason theBetter Call Saulfinale worked so well was because it felt true to the heart of the character and his journey. It would have been inauthentic for there to be explosions and for the show to pivot from the authenticity of its story.
TheBreaking Badseries finale, “Felina,” has been hailed as one of television’s greatest episodes of all time. While it was a perfect episode of television, the bittersweetBetter Call Saulseries finale, “Saul Gone,” was just as perfect. It was incredibly satisfying to see Jimmy choosing to do the right thing for the right reasons and admitting to his wrongdoings, even though it was too late to change what happened in the past. Jimmy going to prison, where Kim visited him, and they reconciled, was also deeply bittersweet.
TheBreaking BadandBetter Call Saulfinales saw the protagonists admitting to their faults and righting the wrongs of their past. However,Breaking Bad’s focus on Walt getting his revenge, which included outsmarting and killing his enemies, was a stark contrast from Jimmy’s ending, as he chose not to outsmart the legal system. Both endings worked well, butBetter Call Saul’s finale would not have been satisfying if it tried to simply replicateBreaking Bad.
