Better Call Saul: "Saul Gone"

“What would you do if you had a time machine”?

That’s the question Jimmy/Saul asks Mike and Walt in the flashbacks that occur throughout "Saul Gone". For both characters asked, the answer is true to their characters. Mike would go back to the day he took his first bribe that indirectly led to his son Matt’s death. Walt would go back to the day he decided to leave Grey Matter and lost out on billions of dollars, rather than the day he decided to become a criminal which ultimately led to his family being destroyed.

For Jimmy, he’d go back to when Warren Buffet first became famous and invest money in becoming a billionaire. In Saul’s conversation with Walt, he’d go back to the day he broke his leg performing a Slippin’ Jimmy scam. Neither Mike nor Walt is impressed with these answers, with Mike prodding Jimmy to think of any regrets he may have had and Walt dismissing Saul as having “always been like this”.

The third and final flashback with Chuck doesn’t have Jimmy asking him this question, but it’s clear that it’s the answer to what Jimmy would do if he did indeed have a time machine. It’s back when Jimmy first started out as a lawyer and bringing Chuck supplies. Chuck invites Jimmy to stay, only for Jimmy to dismiss him, not believing that Chuck would be interested in hearing about his day\. It’s a moment of genuine connection from Chuck that may or may not have ultimately salvaged their relationship if Jimmy had taken him upon his invite.

The finale itself functions as somewhat of a time machine, going from Gene Takovic to Saul Goodman and then ultimately back to Jimmy McGill. After getting captured by the police, Gene calls up the Cinnabon to let them know they’ll need a new manager and then has a breakdown in his holding cell. The scene is similar to Walt’s breakdown in the crawl space in Breaking Bad, where it is believed by many that Walter White died, and Heisenberg was born. Similar to that scene, Gene Takovic dies, and Saul Goodman is reborn.

Saul manages to convince the prosecutors to reduce his life sentence to seven and a half years at a golf-course prison, lying that his reasons for aiding Walt were in fear for his own life after he kidnapped him and held him at gunpoint in the desert. Both the prosecutors and Marie(!) know this is bullshit but Saul has them by the vice and they're forced to acquiesce. It isn't until Saul smugly makes a request for ice cream in exchange for information on Howard Hamlin's death does he find out that Kim already confessed and is facing a civil suit.

This leads to Saul's final transformation back into Jimmy McGill. With Kim in attendance at his hearing, Jimmy confesses that while he was indeed afraid of Walt, he made the choice to help him out of his own volition and reaped the rewards for his crimes. He also finally comes to terms with his role in Chuck's suicide, admitting that he got his malpractice insurance canceled. 

Jimmy's confession may have saved his soul, but it doesn't save him from eighty-six years in the federal prison he described as "the Alcatraz of the Rockies". Yet on the bus ride there, several inmates recognize him as the infamous lawyer and chant "Better Call Saul!". It's the one moment in the finale that comes close to being cartoonish, yet instead it feels earned, affirming Jimmy's legacy while also assuring the viewer that his time at ADX Montrose won't be the total "hell-hole" he described it as.

In the final scene, Kim visits Jimmy in prison, claiming to be his attorney. They both share a cigarette (in a brilliant callback to their first scene in the pilot) and reflect on Jimmy's decision. As Kim leaves, she steals one last glance at Jimmy, who gives her the pointed guns gesture he gave her back in Season 4. Whether this is the last time they ever see each other, or simply the last time we the audience will ever see them together, it's a perfect coda on which to end their relationship and the series.

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read my Better Call Saul reviews. It's been a joy watching and reviewing this excellent show, which has proven to be equivalent to Breaking Bad in terms of quality and legacy, if not more so in certain areas. What a marvelous experience this show turned out to be.

Notes and observations:

* Bill Oakley once again becomes the butt of the joke, as Saul hires him on as his lawyer, only to hijack the hearing and completely torpedo his plea deal.

* Kim goes back to her lawyer roots, volunteering at Florida's Legal Aid and sorting files. It's a far cry from where she was years ago, but it's a somewhat hopeful note to end her character on.

* Aside from Marie, Breaking Bad cameos included SAC Ramey as well as the appearance of Gomez's wife Blanca, who was mentioned but never seen on the parent show.

*Walt's final scene in the flashback goes a long way to establish him as the rotten prick he's always been, for those who felt like "Felina" was a little too kind to his character.

* An excellent script and directing from co-creator Peter Gould, who ultimately deserves the lion's share of credit for this show rather than Vince Gilligan (who stepped away after Season 3).