Better Call Saul Season 6 Ending Explained (In Detail)

The Better Call Saul ending helped the series earn its place alongside Breaking Bad as a television heavyweight and tied up the strange, dark, and often funny story of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), better known as Saul Goodman. In the Breaking Bad spinoff, the plot shifts focus to the eponymous lawyer who helped Walter White (Bryan Cranston) grow a drug empire. Better Call Saul centers on the on-the-run former lawyer’s backstory as he morphed into Saul, and it’s crosscut with post-Breaking Bad sequences showing what Jimmy’s been up to since disappearing to Nevada and assuming the identity of Gene Takavic.

Better Call Saul season 6 perfectly closed the book not just on its own show but on the entire Breaking Bad universe, at least for now. Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) receives the catharsis she seeks, Jimmy finally faces the consequences of his actions, and even side characters from both shows appear for a requiem in scenes sometimes taken right from Breaking Bad. The Better Call Saul ending is dramatic and dire, but it also has glimpses of hope that make for a satisfyingly complete story.

Jimmy McGill’s Gene Takavic Is Caught In The Better Call Saul Ending

Jimmy’s Secret Life Is Blown Wide Open

The ending of Better Call Saul saw Jimmy’s life as Gene Takavic in Omaha finally exposed, as he was arrested and faced justice for being an accomplice in Walter White’s crimes. Better Call Saul season 6 also saw the final days of Jimmy and Kim’s relationship. The season’s second half, all in black-and-white, depicts how Gene was finally cornered by the police and arrested after he reverts to his “slippin’” ways.

At the same time, Kim’s monotonous new life is turned upside-down by a surprise phone call from Jimmy. This prompts her to sign a full confession to the Howard Hamlin scam and their role in his murder. For the second half of Better Call Saul season 6, it almost seemed like Jimmy was willing himself to be arrested, participating in crooked jobs similar to his scams in Illinois.

The series finale begins with Jimmy on the run after Marion (Carol Burnett) grows wise to Gene’s real nature and calls the cops on him. Before Jimmy is quickly caught, a series of flashbacks to unseen moments from both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad illuminate Jimmy’s feelings in the present. Disappointing one more friend, Marion, and these scenes of Jimmy’s guilt in flashback set the table for Jimmy’s court appearance.

Why Jimmy Asks Mike & Walt About A Time Machine In The Better Call Saul Ending

Jimmy’s Request Demonstrates His Guilt And Regret

The Better Call Saul series finale includes a series of flashbacks: one opposite Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut during Better Call Saul season 5’s incredible “Bagman” episode, one opposite Bryan Cranston as Walter White during Breaking Bad season 5’s “Granite State,” and one opposite Michael McKean as Chuck McGill shortly before Better Call Saul begins. All three are connected by the overarching theme of regret and hark back to an Easter egg from the Better Call Saul season 6 premiere.

Jimmy’s first conversation is with Mike. To kill time as they cross the desert, Jimmy asks what Mike would change if he had a time machine. After initially picking a date in 2001 (presumably when his son, Matty, died) Mike settles on the first time he took a bribe. He would’ve nipped his dark streak in the bud. Matty died after reluctantly accepting a police bribe on his father’s advice, so Mike believes if he’d never been dirty himself, his son would still be alive.

In a second flashback, Jimmy asks Walt, the same question to which Walter White cites leaving Gray Matter as his biggest regret — a typically self-centered answer that speaks to his lust for greatness and glory. In both scenes, Jimmy’s own replies are meaningless. He tells Mike he’d use a time machine to invest in Berkshire Hathaway and become a billionaire, and gives Walt some story about injuring his knee during a “slip ‘n’ fall” scam.

Needless to say, both are just Jimmy deflecting, and his true regret lies hidden within the “time machine” question itself. Throughout Better Call Saul season 6, a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine has been shown in Jimmy’s possession, and the finale reveals this originally belonged to his brother, Chuck. The real moment Jimmy longs to change is ruining his brother’s career in Better Call Saul season 3 — the act that led to Chuck taking his own life.

Saul Goodman’s Plea Bargain Explained

He Knew How To Play The Legal System

After running from Marion’s house and grabbing his precious shoebox at the end of Better Call Saul, Jimmy hides in a dumpster. The glance toward his diamonds and the Disappearer’s business card suggest he’s planning yet another extraction, but the police catch up before he gets the opportunity. Languishing in his holding cell, etched graffiti reading “MY LAWYR WILL REAM UR ASS” sparks a classic Saul Goodman scheme in Jimmy’s mind.

He phones old lawyer friend Bill Oakley (Peter Diseth), who Francesca (Tina Parker) revealed was now working as a defense attorney earlier in Better Call Saul season 6. Essentially, Jimmy intends to wrangle a ridiculously light sentence by exploiting his knowledge of the court system. He knows only a single juror ruling in the defense’s favor is required, and gives the prosecution team a preview of his “I was a victim too” performance.

This proves enough to sow doubt in the prosecution’s mind whether they can secure a conviction, giving Jimmy leverage to negotiate a deal whereby he pleads guilty (foregoing the need for a trial) in exchange for a cushy sentence. He also preys upon the threat of ending lead prosecutor George Castellano’s flawless record and whittles a life sentence down to seven years at a prison of his choosing.

Why Betsy Brandt’s Marie Schrader Cameo Is So Important

The Return Of Marie Schrader Was Essential For Jimmy’s Redemption

While Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul were confirmed in advance, the Better Call Saul ending dropped a surprise cameo from Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader. As the widow of a DEA agent who died chasing down Heisenberg and his cohorts, Marie is permitted to observe Jimmy’s sentence meeting, but the prisoner makes a point of inviting Hank’s wife into the room. This is likely for Jimmy to send the prosecution a message:

”
If I can look directly in a widow’s eye and lie through my teeth, I can probably convince at least one juror I’m telling the truth
.”

Brandt’s Better Call Saul cameo makes Hank’s death an even bigger deal, showing how the ramifications of Breaking Bad‘s “Ozymandias” episode are still being felt while also doing justice to those who survived. Jimmy performing his victim act in Marie’s face then shows how far he’s sunk morally as Better Call Saul‘s ending looms, setting up the eventual redemption nicely.

Why Jimmy Finally Confesses In Court At The End Of Better Call Saul

The Finale Was A True Turning Point For Jimmy

Jimmy performs a miracle by negotiating a seven-year sentence at the end of Better Call Saul, but something changes his mind. When Saul finally gets his day in court, he throws everything away by spilling his guts in a shocking confession scene. The redemption of Saul Goodman tentatively begins when he hears that Kim came clean, but only during the plane flight to New Mexico does Jimmy decide to tell the truth himself.

Through Bill, Jimmy learns that Kim not only signed a legal affidavit regarding the Howard Hamlin incident but showed said affidavit to Howard’s widow, opening herself up to a world of civil litigation. Kim’s selflessness is the penny-dropping moment Jimmy needed, and he realizes the time has come to cleanse his own soul. Because Jimmy wants Kim to see he’s taking responsibility, he steps off the plane and tells the prosecution a bunch of fresh off-screen lies about Kim’s involvement in the Howard scam.

This lures Kim to the courtroom, where Jimmy fully intends to rescind those accusations. He just needed her to be there, and briefly incriminating her was the only way. When Kim left Jimmy in the Better Call Saul season 6 episode “Fun & Games,” she pointed out how they encouraged each other’s dark sides. While hard to disagree, Kim inspiring Jimmy to come clean in Better Call Saul‘s finale proves they’re also capable of bringing out each other’s goodness.

Jimmy McGill Kills Saul Goodman In Better Call Saul’s Ending

Jimmy Correcting The Judge Shows He’s Finally Accepted Responsibility

The man entering court is Saul Goodman, complete with a garish suit, arrogant swagger, and ridiculous name. All of this pompous showmanship is designed to give Saul Goodman one last dance in court. With each confession he makes, a part of Saul dies and a part of Jimmy is reclaimed until only the latter stands before the court. There’s a vital moment in Better Call Saul‘s finale when Jimmy lays bare his involvement with Heisenberg, then turns back toward Kim for approval. She remains stone-faced, and Jimmy realizes he hasn’t gone far enough.

Returning to the court’s podium, the jailbound ex-lawyer digs deep and drudges up his deepest regret — a trauma Jimmy has never properly confronted with Chuck killing himself in Better Call Saul season 3. After laying every last sin on the table, Jimmy corrects the judge when she refers to him as “Saul Goodman,” confirming his criminal alter ego is now dead for good, and tying into the Better Call Saul season 6 finale title, “Saul Gone.”

When he looks back at Kim this time, her expression has softened, showing a mixture of pride and relief that Jimmy McGill is now a man without skeletons clogging up his mental closet — the final stage of his transformation and redemption at the end of Better Call Saul.

Is Kim Wexler’s Better Call Saul Ending Happy?

There Are Some Slivers Of Hope For Kim After Better Call Saul

When Better Call Saul revealed Kim’s post-Breaking Bad fate, it wasn’t pretty. A dull job that doesn’t make use of her extraordinary talent, a partner she shows barely any interest in, and an uncharacteristic refusal to make decisions or choices for herself. Kim’s life is still pretty bad by the time Better Call Saul ends, as a lunch break scene proves she can’t even pick between Red Lobster and Topkapi. However, Gilligan and Peter Gould do weave a thread of hope at the end of Kim’s Better Call Saul story, as she volunteers at a free legal clinic.

The services provided are very similar to Kim’s pro bono work from earlier in Better Call Saul season 6 — offering legal aid to those who can’t afford it — and reclaiming this aspect of her life represents Kim taking the first step out of her current rut. Maybe reconnecting with her very first love (the law) will eventually coax Kim’s old personality back, restore her confidence, and lead to a career change down the line. Kim’s fate isn’t happy in the traditional sense, but her new job allows the audience to imagine things can get better.

The Better Call Saul series finale also doesn’t confirm whether Kim gets sued by Cheryl Hamlin. Jimmy’s imprisonment might spare his ex-wife a costly lawsuit, and when Kim turns up in the final scene, having evidently traveled far for the occasion, she certainly doesn’t appear broke for cash, but Jimmy can’t contradict the affidavit his ex signed. Jimmy’s confession was inspired by Kim; it wasn’t about saving Kim since this would’ve negated her own redemption arc (confirmed by Better Call Saul‘s Peter Gould via Rolling Stone).

Jimmy McGill’s Final Fate In Better Call Saul Explained

Jimmy Will Likely Die In Prison

Because Jimmy decided to turn his court hearing into a therapy session, the deal he cooked up becomes obsolete. Rather than seven years playing golf, Jimmy gets 86 years at the end of Better Call Saul, which is at the very prison he said he didn’t want during the initial negotiation with the prosecution. Just like Kim’s ending, however, there are glimmers of light poking through the gray of Jimmy’s future.

Prison isn’t a fun place for an ex-prosecution lawyer, but for an ex-defense lawyer who achieved renown for getting criminals off the hook, it’s not so bad. Because of his reputation for defending crooks and the respect earned through his achievements with Heisenberg, Jimmy is immediately accepted by his fellow inmates, even if he can’t escape the shadow of Saul.

Even better, Jimmy’s courtroom confession has healed the bad blood between him and Kim. Visiting under the pretense of his lawyer, Kim is able to share a cigarette and a conversation with her ex-husband, burying the hatchet after six years of acrimony. But Kim and Jimmy aren’t back together, and Better Call Saul‘s star couple will likely never see each other again.

However, two small details confirm Kim and Jimmy’s relationship is at least mended by the ending of Better Call Saul. First, the cigarette burns in color as opposed to black-and-white, proving the gloom of the Gene timeline is starting to lift. Secondly, when Jimmy gives Kim the classic gun fingers as she departs the prison, she subtly makes a gun shape with her own hands.

Better Call Saul leaves audiences to assume Jimmy spends the rest of his life incarcerated, and that the final shot of Kim walking away represents the last time they’ll ever see each other. While hardly the most uplifting conclusion, Jimmy dies an honest man. In the words of his brother, Chuck, during Better Call Saul‘s series finale flashback, “There’s no shame in going back and changing your path.”

The Themes Of Better Call Saul Season 6

The Final Season Is About Consequences, Guilt, And Redemption

While the storytelling of Better Call Saul can be riveting and entertaining just experienced on a surface level, part of what makes it such a fun series to dive deeper into is the themes that can be discovered. Better Call Saul season 6 features some strong thematic storytelling throughout which sets the characters and the audience on the path towards the finale. What the show ultimately begins to explore is the idea of consequences, guilt, and redemption.

The consequences are easy to find as they come with the death of Howard in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 7. This is the culmination of Jimmy and Kim’s attempts to ruin Howard’s case, in which they succeed. However, while they see themselves as David going out against the corporate Goliath (and the audience might think the same), they do not foresee the consequences of their action resulting in the death of Howard, an innocent man in all of this.

This is where the theme of guilt comes in and is seen through Kim and Jimmy. For Kim, she is immediately consumed with it, distancing herself from Jimmy, not because she blames him, but because she blames them as a couple for what they have done together. In the post-Breaking Bad timeline, it becomes clear that Kim never let herself be forgiven for what she did. She lives a life devoid of happiness because she doesn’t think she deserves it. She helps out people in need but doesn’t allow herself to feel good about it.

On the other hand, Jimmy avoids guilt at all costs. Instead, he leans heavily into the Saul Goodman persona and embraces the kind of shadiness that got Howard killed. It is his own way of dealing with the guilt that is lying underneath. If he goes further down this road, it is as if he is showing the world that he doesn’t blame himself for what happened. However, his return to crime post-Breaking Bad is not just out of greed, but out of that avoidance of what he really feels.

This ultimately leads to the theme of redemption and this can be explored in two key confessions. The first comes from Kim, who confesses to Howard’s widow that she had some role to play in his death. She puts herself at the mercy of Cheryl Hamlin, ready to accept any punishment she deems appropriate, but understands there is no way she can find justice. It is not a moment of Kim seeking redemption, but simply her not hiding her guilt anymore.

However, it is Jimmy/Saul’s confession in the finale that becomes the pivotal moment. It is a brilliant way to tie the two shows together, as Jimmy allows himself to be punished for the crimes he committed in Breaking Bad to make up for what he did in Better Call Saul. It is a redemption moment for Jimmy as he is willing to do something Walter White never could — take responsibility for his wrongdoings. However, Jimmy is also offering redemption for Kim, no longer forcing her to be tied to him.

How The Better Call Saul Creators Explained The Ending

Vince Gilligan And Peter Gould Put An Intense Amount Of Thought Into The Finale

While fans can debate and theorize over the Better Call Saul ending, it is insightful to hear from the creators. Both Gilligan and Gould spoke at length about the development of the final episode and why they felt this was the right direction to take the story in the end. Gould (via THR) specifically spoke about how the finale differs from the Breaking Bad ending, which was a violent confrontation. Gould explains the difference ultimately comes down to how Jimmy and Walter White differ, pointing out that Jimmy never picks up a gun the entire series:

”
His ending is not going to be violent in the same way. He’s a man of words, so of course the ending is gonna have words
.”

One of the biggest questions going into Better Call Saul season 6 was the fate of Kim. As she is not a character on Breaking Bad, many viewers feared this meant she was destined to be a victim of Jimmy’s shady dealings and would get caught in the crossfire. As Gilligan revealed (via Rolling Stone), they knew Kim was one of the characters most vulnerable to dying, but killing her off was not something they really considered. He explains:

”
I guess it just didn’t feel right to kill her off. That was probably never on the table, honestly
.”

Instead, Kim got to share the finale with Jimmy, making their relationship a key part of where the show leaves off. With Kim free but with a disappointing life and Jimmy behind bars for the rest of his life yet owning up to his mistakes, it is not surprising that fans are split on whether the Better Call Saul ending is a happy one or not. However, Gould admits there were not any conversations about how the ending should land on audiences, saying

”
I think we just wanted to be honest. We don’t really think about it in terms of, ‘This is a happy ending’ or ‘This is a sad ending. M y mother used to say, ‘Where there’s life, there’s hope.’ I guess in the end I subscribe to that.”

How The Better Call Saul Ending Connects To Breaking Bad

The Prequel Series Ties The Franchise Together

Better Call Saul‘s ending connects to Breaking Bad both narratively and thematically. Marie, Walter, Jessie, and Bill all show up, either in the present timeline or in flashbacks. The scenes with these characters are brief, but they’re an important reminder of just how far Jimmy has fallen in his life. From the drug kingpin he associated with to the innocent people he hurt, it’s made clear Slippin’ Jimmy is not just a small-time crook.

Thematically, the Better Call Saul ending is a closing of the door on the Breaking Bad universe with the last person involved in the events of that series finally receiving their comeuppance. The ending of Better Call Saul proves how Jimmy’s small steps toward darker activities led him to happily fall in with terrible, dangerous people.

Both Walter and Saul receive their justice at the end of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul respectively, and each man’s punishment reflects how they lived their lives: violently and as a legend for Walter and as a fast-talking lawyer who deep down has a sense of regret for Jimmy.

Did Better Call Saul Or Breaking Bad Have A Better Ending?

Jimmy & Walter Had Opposite Character Arcs

Breaking Bad was a hugely successful crime drama series. It followed a man who believed he was doing something good for his family by becoming a criminal. However, as the series wore on, Walter White became pure evil himself, and the only way for that show to end was for him to get his comeuppance and there could be no happily-ever-after for him. Luckily, the show had a second major character in Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), and since he wasn’t as far gone as Walter, he got the happy ending fans needed.

As for Better Call Saul, this is a prequel that would lead into Breaking Bad, so the ending is tougher here. The show needed to reveal what led Saul Goodman to this place in his life, but there was little that it could do to surprise people. Despite that, Better Call Saul still had plenty of surprises, and it needed to have a different sort of ending where Saul got what was coming to him, but not with the finality of what happened to Walter White. Much like Breaking Bad, this prequel series also stuck the landing in the finale.

What pushes things in Better Call Saul’s favor is how the characters face their endings. Walter White has a small moment of self-awareness but is too gone to turn back. Walt saves Jesse, but then he sets out to destroy Jack’s meth operation as a way to protect his own legacy, which is not heroic or brave, as he doesn’t seem to care about evening Jesse or Hank. Jimmy, on the other hand, knows he has done wrong and he confesses to everything in court, accepting a plea bargain. It was his chance to do the right thing.

Throughout all of Breaking Bad, Walter White acted like he was doing the right thing for his family, but he was only in it for himself. That made him a tragic character who could become a hero. However, Jimmy realized in the end that all he ever wanted to be was a good guy and do something heroic, and in his last moments, he got the chance and ran with it. Both endings served their purpose, but with Breaking Bad, it was about killing a monster while in Better Call Saul, it was about creating a hero.