Saul Gone

"Saul Gone"
Better Call Saul episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 13
Directed by	Peter Gould
Written by	Peter Gould
Original air date	August 15, 2022 (2022-08-15)

"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.

Plot

We flashback to the episode Bagman where Saul and Mike are traveling through the desert on foot to get back to Albequerque. They stop at an oil rig and they each talk about a day they would travel back in time to change before going on back on their way.

In the present, Gene has just barely escaped Marion's house before going to his house to get some money. He tries to stay out of sight from the authorities before staying in a wide trash bin when a cop comes near. He tries to call Ed Gailbraith again to get another extraction, but loses his number. The police manage to catch him and Gene surrenders quietly. At the police station, the cops are watching Saul's old commercials on a laptop and soon, Saul uses his one phone call to call one of his employees at Cinnabon to let them know they will need a new manager. In his cell, he asks for another phone call and calls Bill Oakley and manages to use his silver tongue to convince his former friend to represent him.

Saul is extradited back to Albuquerque with Bill by his side and as the authorities run up the charges of Saul's crimes with a "take-it-or-leave-it" deal of 3 decades as opposed to life in prison. One of the people who came to testify against him is Hank Schrader's wife, Marie, who accuses him of contributing to helping Walter White kill him (not aware that it was due to the White Supremists). Saul tells him about how he first met Walter, along with the events of Gliding Over All, along with the fact that Walter's co-conspirator, Jesse Pinkman, is still at large. Soon, negotiations of how long Saul wil be incarcerated (7 1/2 years) soon come to a end when they tell Saul that Kim confessed to their hand in Howard Hamlin's demise.

In a flashback during Granite State, Saul and Walter are still hiding in Ed's underground compound with Walter trying to repair a water heater to acquire hot water. Like he did with Mike in the previous flashback, he asks Walter what he would do if he went back in time to change anything in his past. Walter scoffs at the talk of time travel and insists he use the terminology "regrets" and Walt soon says he would stay at Grey Matter Technologies rather than leaving, though he states that his colleges were trying make him leave. Saul soon tells him what he would change, but Walt walks away from the conversation when Saul confesses that he was always a criminal. In the present, Gene is on a plane to New Mexico to await his judgement and is supervised by an air marshal. On the same plane, Bill tells him that Kim as made the case against him solid, but Saul is utterly calm about what's to come.

Back in Florida, Kim leaves her place of work and poses as a volunteer as a Legal Aid workplace and soon receives a call about Saul's arrest and he has asked for her to come to his trial. We soon cut to the courthouse in Albuquerque where Saul's trial begins. As the trial begins proceedings, Saul asks to testify on his own behalf and admits to being a participant in Walter White's doings and ends his testimony by admitting his hand in his brother's suicide but lies and says that Kim was an unwilling participant in their affiliation with Howard's demise.

One more flashback, before the start of the series, shows Jimmy visiting Chuck and after some small bickering regarding Jimmy's unsuccessful clients and how he should "change his path", Jimmy leaves. Jimmy is soon seen on a prison bus heading toward the jail and the prisoners soon recognize him and chant his slogan "Better Call Saul" on the prison. Kim soon visits Saul and prison and over a cigarette, they talk about how Saul managed to get his 7-year reduction sentence to a full blown 8-decade and a half sentence. Jimmy assures her that "with good behavior, who knows"? Kim leaves the prison where she sees Jimmy outside and they nod a farewell to each other.

Production

"Saul Gone" is the series finale for Better Call Saul, and was written and directed by series co-creator and showrunner Peter Gould. Gould wrote the Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul", which introduced the character Saul Goodman, and co-created the spin-off with Vince Gilligan. 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.

Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, and Rhea Seehorn are the only members listed in the starring credits.

"It looks to me like Gene Takavic / Saul Goodman / Jimmy McGill's world is crashing down around his ears. It's gonna be dramatic... buckle your seat belts."

Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan previewing the premise of "Saul Gone".

In the week leading up to the finale, the cast and crew gave hints of what it would entail. Gould said he was at peace with the creative choices he and the writers have made to tie up the story, and said it felt true to the characters. Gilligan stated the final episode would be dramatic but well-earned. Odenkirk said he was not worried about the audience reaction as he believed Gould and the writing staff had found a way to tie the ending to the heart of the show. Seehorn felt the finale would be gut-wrenching and poignant, but would provide proper closure for the audience. Gilligan also 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 and projects.

External links

• "Saul Gone" at IMDb