What Will Happen In The Series Finale?

The end is nigh, dear readers. Better Call Saul is finally coming to an end this evening. I am both gripped with anticipation to see how it all ends, and sad that it’s finally over.

As far as spinoffs and prequels go, Better Call Saul is one of the best ever made, its star shining so bright that it has, somehow, rivaled Breaking Bad. Some say it’s eclipsed that show’s quality, but I think it’s impossible to say until tomorrow night—and even then, can we really compare the two?

The ego that drove Walter White (Bryan Cranston) to destroy everyone around him, to leave the wreckage of his pride in blood and tragedy, is simply a different beast altogether than Jimmy’s (Bob Odenkirk) own fall from grace. The contours of each show are so unique from one another. Even as we see the same craft and artfulness in every rich detail—from costumes to cinematography to script—in both shows, they take such different paths. I have enjoyed them both in different ways and for different reasons.

But again, how Better Call Saul ends remains a mystery, and whether that ending is satisfying to audiences remains to be seen. So what will happen to Jimmy? To Kim (Rhea Seehorn, the breakout star of the show)? We know the fates of almost every other character in either show at this point. But not these two. Let’s talk series finale predictions.

As far as I can tell, there are a few possible outcomes. Some of them involve only Jimmy. Some of them involve both characters. I could be wrong, of course, but I do feel as though we’ve seen the last of Kim Wexler. That felt like the end of her story, and Seehorn put in the performance of a lifetime as she sobbed on that bus. But still, it’s possible that . . .

Kim And Jimmy Reunite

This feels like a possible ‘happy ending’ or at least semi-happy ending and I’m not sure this show is a happy ending kind of show. Breaking Bad wasn’t, though we got El Camino to soften the blow. Last week we saw the two divergent paths of Kim and Gene. Kim confessed to her crimes and betrayals and, in doing so, was able to finally reckon with those, letting years of guilt and shame finally wash over her in a powerful emotional release. She chose catharsis and honesty.

Jimmy/Saul/Gene chose to double down on his shenanigans and plotting. He very nearly killed two different people, including a drugged man with terminal cancer and an elderly lady. We saw him at his lowest, so it’s possible he can only go up from here. But how would this reunion work? On two sides of prison glass, phones in hand? With Kim taking back up her law practice to defend Jimmy in court? (I doubt that’s even possible after her admissions). Does he escape and make his way to Florida, only to find Kim’s boyfriend saying “Yep, yep, yep,” in the bedroom, a bottle of half-eaten Miracle Whip on the counter?

I don’t buy it. A reunion feels too neat and tidy. Next . . .

Jimmy Gets Away

We’ll move through these next few a little faster. Will Jimmy McGill slip away from the feds again, evading law enforcement and paying the vacuum man to make him a new identity and a new life somewhere else where he can start over?

Well this would be awfully disappointing given he’d just be back at square one and this entire storyline would have moved nowhere fast over the last six seasons. Nope, this would be too dull.

Jimmy Gets Killed

I also don’t think Jimmy gets killed in some dramatic shootout or driving accident or anything of that nature. Walt chose to live by the sword and so he died by the sword. Saul Goodman broke the law over and over and over again, but he never took things that far. He’s not a fighter. He runs, he pleads, he lies and backstabs, he cajoles and swindles, he bends the truth and never flinches from a new scam. But I don’t think he’s the sort to go down guns blazing.

Jimmy Gets Caught

This one seems much more likely to me. Jimmy tries to run but he screws up somehow. He gets greedy or cocky or just plain unlucky and he’s hauled off to jail. Maybe we see him in court, facing a judge, possibly even representing himself. Then the question is, do we see what happens and learn what his sentence is, or will that remain a mystery for us to chew on? Will the whole thing end with Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman / Gene Takovic taking the stand?

Here’s the thing: Nobody has gotten caught on these shows yet. Almost everyone has died. Jesse got away. Some people got plea deals and cooperated with the cops. Nobody has gotten caught and faced their day in court. And who better to do that than Saul Goodman himself? Maybe that’s too obvious, but maybe it’s only obvious because it makes the most sense.

So that’s my guess. I’m far from certain, and I’m not betting any real money here, but I think it works better than the other options.

Finally, there is the matter of the finale’s very strange promo:

We hear Saul saying the vacuum model code that I believe is used to convey to the vacuum man that he needs extraction and a new identity. But as we hear Saul saying this—out of breath and clearly in distress—we see Saul’s 1998 Suzuki Esteem that was shot up during the ambush in the desert last season, when Saul almost got killed retrieving Lalo’s bail money.

We know that Lalo (Tony Dalton) and Nacho (Michael Mando) found the car, but haven’t really heard or thought of it since. What is the significance of this? I’m really not sure.

What do you think? Where does this thing end? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook. We’ll know more this evening when the series finale airs on AMC.

You can read my review of the first episode of Tales Of The Walking Dead here, and my review of the Westworld Season 4 finale here.