Better Fax Max: (I Am) the Thread Who Knocks

[Dexterra]

Say my name: is this the super lab for all things Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and El Camino? "You're goddamn right."


Trailers, Clips and More • Reviews: BB, BCS, EC • Freshness: BCS, BB, EC • BCS Insider Podcast(s) (possible spoilers)

---

Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and El Camino are an American television and film franchise created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould that cooks, distributes and launders the criminal empire of Walter White, the criminal lawyer known as Saul Goodman and one last criminal escape to try and bid adieu to sky blue.

NOTE: Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are (US) rated TV-MA, while El Camino is rated R - each contains mature, adult content, so please watch with caution and awareness.

---

BETTER CALL SAUL SEASON 6B AIRED ON AMC; SERIES FINALE WAS AUGUST 15


WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE END?
TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT (BUT PLEASE (SPOILER) TAG YOUR ANSWERS, THANKS!):

OPEN QUESTIONS

• What was your overall opinion of the final season of Better Call Saul?

• Vince Gilligan has talked about his characters befalling karmic justice. For Saul, what was his, ultimately?

• In the end, was Better Call Saul better, worse or the same as Breaking Bad, and how did this season change that?


PLOT SPOILER QUESTIONS - IF NOT CAUGHT UP, TREAD LIGHTLY!

How did you react to Saul finally admitting his role in Chuck's death?

What do you think Saul's prison life will be like, and his relationship with Kim?

Who will be remembered as 6B's main antagonist?

---

Please let this thread manufacturer know if anything can be added or changed, thanks!

---

[Dexterra]

The questions I chose to answer kind of blend together so I'm just going to combine them! Major plot spoilers!

My overall prediction for the final season of BCS is that what happened with Howard at the end of season 6A will cause nearly all of 6B to mirror the post-BB 'Gene' timeline. Since Howard is a respected, towering member of the legal community (and head of HHM), he can't just 'disappear' after his murder, even with what happened during mediation early that day. Clif Main would probably never let Howard's disappearance go. So I think that, after whatever happens with Lalo, Saul and Kim will stage Howard's murder as an act of self-defense by Saul, causing Saul to go on trial and earning him his reputation as a criminal lawyer mentioned in BB. A time skip to the Gene era will then have us witness Saul turn himself in and go on trial for his BB crimes, opening an opportunity to go through the events of BB as well as creating a parallel to the Howard trial. The Howard trial could be used to juxtapose the BB trial and vice versa, but ultimately, Saul manages to 'Saul' his way into a 'not guilty' verdict for Howard, but accepts and perhaps even intentionally careens himself into a guilty verdict for BB - likely to ultimately, finally honor both Howard and Chuck's legacies.

As for Kim, she survives - but abandons Saul out of horror and trauma from not only witnessing Howard's murder, but Saul's efforts to lie about what happened and in the process pervert the justice system Howard spent his life working to dignify. They will lose contact after BB, maybe even divorce, but perhaps she will come to defend Saul during his BB trial? I haven't completely decided what happens there.

And as for Lalo, I am even less decided! I wonder if Gus will incapacitate him somehow and turn him into a slave similar to Jesse at the end of BB - except maybe Lalo will ultimately killed by Walt when he blows up the lab at the end of BB season 4? That would be a twist.

This all said, I am so extremely excited to see the season premiere, and feel lucky to keep up with a show as well written, directed and acted (plus more) as this! A part of me hopes, and thinks, I won't be expecting anything that happens at all, but we'll find out soon.

Anyways, I wanted to open this thread for fans with the season premiere of BCS tomorrow - finally! I hear it is incredible. Please let me know if the OP can improved at all too, thanks!

[Dexterra]

Man tonight's episode was crazy. The threads of BB are clearly already tying deep into recent BCS events, and I'm anxious to see where they pull BCS next. Other than into Saul's ridiculous, flashy suits . Anyway, I'll get the rest of my thoughts out tomorrow

[Dexterra]

Well first of all, go ahead and give Rhea Seehorn an Emmy, and second of all... Howard was never in the game, man .

I am actually glad that it seems my initial prediction regarding Howard's fate is already going out the window, because I quite like where it seems to be headed. Seeing Howard buried next to Lalo, under the lab Walt would eventually cook in, was gut-wrenching to me though. Especially because it symbolizes that Walt's empire was built on the bodies of the innocent and the evil alike. But it makes me wonder: will they find Howard and Lalo after Walt blows up the lab at the end of BB season 4? I bet they do, I mean, they would have to, right? It seems like, or maybe I just hope, that Howard's karmic justice would be everyone ultimately, finally finding out what happened to him. He devoted his life to truth and justice, and his death must be returned with an equal amount of both.

As for Saul and Kim, I can see their paths diverging already. When Mike told them at the end of the episode, "This never happened, do you understand?", Saul and Kim's responses are very telling for how their characters will react after recent events. "I understand," says Saul. "This never happened," Kim said. I don't think Kim will be able to withstand the lie for long. Every time she walks into their condo, or sits down on their couch, she will think of Howard, and what happened to him. Eventually, she may just up and leave for the sake of her sanity. And such a huge loss will cause Saul to further and permanently drive himself into his Saul persona, as he often does after coping from grief (see: Chuck). But I think, if she does leave, it will be because of Gus. Why?

When Kim spoke to Gus on the phone, Gus was amazed to learn that Saul had talked Lalo out of sending Saul (and, instead, talked him into sending Kim). That seemed to be the number one thing Gus was most surprised about the entire night. No one had been able to talk Lalo out of anything before, which leads me to believe that Gus will recognize Saul's talents and bring him in under his wing. Gus will provide him funding, protection, contacts and more to set up his criminal law practice - including the vet's black book. At some point it will be abundantly clear that when Saul says in BB, "I've got a guy, who knows this guy, who knows this other guy..." what he really means is, "I've got a guy (Mike), who knows this guy (Gus), who knows this other guy (relevant point of contact, e.g. the vacuum cleaner)..."

So how does Kim tie into this? Well, neither she nor Saul have been told that Lalo is dead yet. So I think, to drive a wedge between them, Gus will lie and say that Lalo is still out there, and that Saul and Kim must be separated. Kim will still leave on the principle of the trauma of Howard's murder, but that's because she will agree with Saul when he insists to Gus that he and Kim must stay together. Ultimately successful in separating them, Gus fully destroys what's left of Jimmy, and allows Saul to go off the deep end. Also, this is the origin of Saul's desperate pleas to Walt and Jesse in BB: "Did Lalo send you? It was Ignacio!" As Lalo tied Saul up in front of Howard's body, Lalo explained what happened to him and his family at the compound, and linking it to Nacho, Saul immediately jumped in with, "It was Ignacio!" just like he does in BB. Even if he is told that Lalo is dead, Saul will likely never believe it, because Lalo has already once resurrected, broke into his condo and blew away Howard in front of him and Kim. The Lalo fear is entrenched in him forever.

But, honestly, who knows how it will all go. I could write back to this and say, nope, x, y, and z happened instead. But that's how you know it's such damn good television, let alone storytelling. Anyways, six... more... days...

[Dexterra]

This thread will always be open for fans to discuss! I, for one, cannot stop thinking about last night's Better Call Saul.

I want to start by focusing on the transition from BCS into Breaking Bad, not only because it finally happened, but damn, it happened in a way that left me equally amazed, heartbroken and stunned.

I had always feared Kim was going to leave Saul after what happened with Lalo and Howard. I was not, however, fully anticipating how that conversation would go. Of course Saul would do, and did, anything he could to get her to stay. And for the first time in the show, they told each other 'I love you' - but Kim followed hers up with, 'but so what?' - and that, I think, was the moment Jimmy McGill began to flatline, facing the hereafter of Saul Goodman. Saul really, truly did love Kim, but Kim's love for him seemed based out of her love for the Slippin' Kimmy and the Slippin' Kimmy-Jimmy duo. Though Saul jumped into his 'Lalo!' defense that resurfaces in BB, Kim pulled Jimmy off life support by finally telling him she knew Lalo was still alive before what happened with Howard - and withheld it so that she and Saul could continue on with the Howard scheme that ultimately put him in their condo, and before Lalo's gun. Kim can't continue on with Saul because they destroy the people they care about. So after hearing this, Saul falls silent, and you can hear Kim continuing to pack in the background without him stopping her anymore. It's at this moment that Jimmy is dead for good, and Saul is permanent.

Then they jump into the BB timeline. Saul wakes up naked to someone who is presumably a sex worker, and immediately tells her to leave as he puts on his trademark earpiece from BB - which means that he doesn't waste any time jumping into the Saul persona. He totally dismisses her and proceeds naturally through his Saul schtick over the course of his morning routine. Saul is clearly not an act for him, he is Saul now - the mask has become the man. To me, Saul's downright sleazy, misogynistic, greaseball gimmick from BB aren't character flaws, but symptoms of the empty, husk of a man he has turned into. He has lost everyone he loved and cared about, because they either abandoned him, failed him or died. The only thing he has left is the law, and unbearable trauma from associated figures.

I think almost all of this stems from Howard's funeral earlier in the episode. Greeting Howard's widow and trying to keep the lie going a little longer, that somehow Howard was a drug addict who fell by his own hand, Saul (like when renewing his bar license) had a moment of dishonest truth: he confessed that he was always 'ritzing' Howard because it was he who had Chuck's respect and not Jimmy, but used this to explain away an ugly stain on Howard's legacy to Howard's own grieving widow. Kim was present when Saul said this to Howard's widow, and probably connected the dots to the bar renewal. Saul was being insincere - telling the truth, but for dishonest reasons, and from a place of arguable amorality. So, especially considering that Howard's was also a funeral for HHM, she gave one final Slippin' Kimmy moment, gaslighting Howard's widow with an outrageous lie that put her in tears, before deciding that enough was enough. That kiss Kim gave Saul in the garage was her kiss goodbye. And later that night, she fired one last shot in the condo, one that would take down both her and Jimmy forever. Now, will she and Saul reunite after he becomes Gene? Man, I can only hope so.

As for the Gus and Mike storyline, I did find it a little hard to suspend my disbelief that Don Eladio so easily forgave Gus and seemingly brushed aside Don Hector's and Lalo's concerns. This is the man who was present for when Don Hector murdered Gus' partner Max at precisely the same location - these guys ruthlessly squish any suspected rato or rata. But perhaps Don Eladio, placing Gus under care of Juan Bolsa, did so to continue exerting control over the chicken man, knowing the value he still brings to the cartel. I do love, though, how beautifully ironic Don Eladio's decision turned out to be, considering that Gus would finally exact his revenge on all Salamancas at that same pool in BB. And regarding Mike, watching him approaching Nacho's father was gut-wrenching remembering what happened to Mike's own 'boy,' especially with the cinematography framed to show Mike caged behind a fence and Nacho's father free. Mike is now eternally in the game, while Nacho's father is safe - yet they both suffer from the same pain, and loss.

Altogether, I've been pretty impressed with this final season of BCS so far. It crushes me to think that these are the last episodes, but I am starting to believe that BCS will step out of the BB shadow by the end of its run. Anyway, can't wait for next week! And the week after, and the week after, and the week after...

[Dexterra]

Jerry. Gergich!

I actually don't have as much to say here as I did the last few weeks. I'll start by mentioning that abrupt intro cut - what an interesting, cool way to basically say BCS is more or less over. That is, the prequel BCS is over. Or is it? Even though it seems that that storyline has reached its end, perhaps the next episode will be all BB, then the next will return to BCS, and the finale will return to all Gene? I get the sense that the writers are exploring with mixing up timelines à la Pulp Fiction. At this point though, who knows where the show is going.

Yet slipping on his pinky ring from the box, Gene himself skips over his Saul days and goes right back to Slippin' Jimmy. It was probably the first time in years he had done a scheme like that. The writers did an excellent job at amping up the tension when their scheme went into action, and nearly... came to a head^sorry, and of course, even in the Gene timeline, Saul can only emotionally express himself - express the truth - for dishonest reasons. Trying to distract Jerry Gergich the security guard seemingly pre or even post-Pawnee, for once Saul opened up about Chuck and even the events of BB. But it was all just to rob that store and create leverage over Jeff - ultimately also creating an interesting dichotomy to Walter White's "We're done when I say we're done." Saul, leaving Jeff and co. as the bagmen for a RICO, told them (much like Walt) that they were done - and made the both of them repeat it. He probably felt like he got some power back for the first time since absconding to Omaha. And yet, still on the run, alone with all but the memories of Kim, Howard and others, Saul is very much powerless.

With three episodes remaining, at this point, anybody's guess is as good as mine regarding what happens next. I am eager to see where it goes though!

Shout out, also, to Carol Burnett for her own amazing cameo!

[Dexterra]

Apparently tonight's episode is titled 'Breaking Bad' in juxtaposition to Saul's first appearance in (the show) Breaking Bad occurring in an episode titled 'Better Call Saul'! I wonder what the (official) titles of the final two episodes will be if not confirmed, and what they will ultimately mean?

Also, for fans of BCS, a new poll is up in the OP!

[Dexterra]

Only two... episodes... left....

At long last. Years and years after the premiere of Better Call Saul, and the episode of Breaking Bad titled 'Better Call Saul,' once again the two worlds marry, seeming to be forever inextricably linked.

I think it is abundantly clear to me what has happened to Saul post-BB, and to summarize it simply, I'll phrase it like this: Jimmy McGill + Saul Goodman + Gene Takovic = Heisenberg. BCS S6E11 was titled Breaking Bad for more reasons than that we finally had flashbacks to BB (and, cooly enough, from scenes we didn't see). Lost in the destruction of what could have been, Saul becoming Gene is a lot like Walter White becoming a high school chemistry teacher after his work on Grey Matter. They were both practically at the top - so close, yet so far - and to claw their way back after deciding that they had enough at what (to them) felt like rock bottom, they relied on old tricks of the trade - Walter with chemistry, and now Gene with conning - his 'gamesmanship,' for want of a better word. Yet it's also abundantly clear, with Gene about to take on a risky job himself at the end of S6E11, that as egos expand according to power, so too does tunnel vision - eventually causing the likes of Walter and Gene to once again become the authors of their own destruction. A vicious circle at its finest. For Gene, his too is already authored, having clearly broken and entered by smashing in part of a window on the target's door like he once did with Chuck (instead of the method his guys used - so, in essence, Gene literally broke bad).

And I think it is also becoming abundantly clear to me why this vicious circle exists. With Gene 'breaking bad' in S6E11 only after a phone call to (or regarding) Kim that leaves him so enraged he kicks in a telephone booth's window pane, it seems that between Gene and Walter, the act of breaking bad can best be summarized in two words: coping mechanisms. Between the loss of Kim or the loss of what could have been, breaking bad for at least those two is a form of escapism: a response to their damage and wounding, taken out until the universe returns all associated karma in full - only for the cycle to relapse. As for their fates, we surely know that Walter paid the ultimate price - and, as apparently as interestingly, Skyler has made her own 'deal' - yet the cinematography suggests a different one for Gene/Saul/Jimmy. With a fade from the grave dug up by Walter and Jesse for Saul out to Gene lying on a bed, it seemed to suggest to me that what awaits him is prison. Which, curiously, could be the most fitting outcome for him - being sent to a place where he probably already knows people, and can help them survive, surely an incarcerated Saul would blossom as a truly criminal lawyer. And in regards to Gene/Saul's own coping, Vince Gilligan did say that this last season of BCS would recontextualize BB - and with Saul already clearly having a huge role in sculpting Walter into Heisenberg, it is apparent that the events of BB could have largely happened because of Saul coping from Kim, as well as Howard - even though Jesse 'never heard of no Lalo on the streets.'

But for Gene/Saul to get to prison, he (like Heisenberg/Walter) will have to have his own 'Ozymandias'-like moment - and if Kim leaving him and/or Howard's murder weren't already BCS' version of Ozymandias, then the possibilities of this next episode fill me with dread - especially with the previews only showing police cruisers, sirens ablaze. I suppose I will have to wait until next week to elaborate on what happens, but until then, I will keep hoping that Kim and Saul finally reunite (amicably) and that justice is done for Howard. Speaking of whom, my bold prediction for the next episode is that it will feature the DEA finding Howard and Lalo buried under the lab after Walt blows it up in BB season 4, and that's what causes Saul to skip town as Gene. To be continued, though...

[Dexterra]

Oh man, in the run-up to tonight's penultimate episode, here is its official promo poster:

Who or what do you think this refers to? The title?

[Dexterra]

And then there was one...

I am relieved that Kim is back on the show, although the circumstances... Well, the weight of witnessing what happened to Howard, and ultimately Saul, clearly weighed heavily on Kim. She's gone into hiding. And much earlier than Saul/Gene, or Walt/Heisenberg. Blending into the drab banality of quiet suburban life, she drifts through the background of office milieu as if desperate to go unseen, not making decisions on anything (even small things like Miracle Whip versus mayonnaise). As if dancing around suppressed grief by taking great strides to repeat any chance of the same mistakes. As if one wrong choice could lead to another Howard, or Saul. As if Lalo is still out there - still looking, hiding, waiting. But after speaking to Gene on the phone (the conversation that seemingly led Gene to break bad), Kim appears to have the opposite reaction: she breaks good. She finally confesses, under oath, as well as to Cheryl (Howard's widow) everything that happened, and on the bus back, trauma's floodgates appear to finally open; the waterworks gush. But it was more than Howard's last moments. Surely, it was also Kim's last moments with Saul.

The last time the two actually saw each other, it was apparently in Saul's strip mall office. Signing their divorce papers. Needless to say, the exchange could have been more amicable. On her way out of his office, he puts on his best Saul display: sleazy, corrupt, misogynistic, the whole nine yards of repulsion. Making it outwardly clear his sole professional focus is making money - to the point that he no longer pretends to care for ethics or the law itself - his bleak, pathetic Saul cloak has, by at least this point, fully consumed the last pitiful vestiges of Jimmy McGill; there is nothing left of Kim's husband, or Chuck's brother. And as Kim walks away from this first death since Howard, she makes an interesting universal crossover: exiting the lobby and stepping outside, she soon runs into Jesse Pinkman. It was said by the cast somewhere that the characters of Jesse and Walter serve as measuring sticks for the growth of BCS' story. With Jesse accompanying Emilio (one of his earliest partners) into Saul's embrace as Kim walks away from Saul practically for good, the measure is clear: herein this juncture lies the true end of BCS, and the true beginning of BB. The true end of Jimmy McGill, and the true beginning of Saul Goodman. The true end of Kim and Jimmy/Saul, and the true beginning of Saul and Walter/Jesse. After sharing a cigarette and talking with Jesse, she answers his final question about Saul's talents with Jimmy's obituary: asked if his lawyering is any good, she says, "When I knew him, he was" - and walks into the rain. Walks into bland banality of quiet suburban hiding.

And though Kim's story seems to end here until her conversation with Gene, the latter's own journey continues into Heisenberg. As she sees her way into a confession, Gene falls into the same power-ego trap as Walter, soon becoming the very Heisenberg he apparently once created. The conversation with Kim wearies Gene of being in danger, and - wandering down his own bad choice road - he becomes the danger. Always getting away with things (especially that risky breaking and entering), always feeling more and more invincible, always because "the feds couldn't find their own ass with both hands and a proctologist" - until, finally, Gene makes one little mistake to the perceptive Marion (Carol Burnett). Having previously denied any connection to Albuquerque, Gene accidentally lets on to Marion detailed knowledge of the city's judicial systems while explaining how to bail out Jeff, who had put himself on the line - and ultimately in jail - so Gene could escape that breaking and entering. And shortly thereafter, Gene's glasses were adorned in vibrant colors from Saul commercials, playing on a laptop Jeff gave to Marion using money he bought from his and Gene's first job 'in the game' together. Shortly thereafter, he realized Marion had finally put the 'fugitive Saul' pieces together. Shortly thereafter, Gene was holding a cord up to a cornered Marion - before she says 'I trusted you,' suddenly reminding him of Mrs. Landry (along with all the other Sandpiper Crossing residents for which he truly did care) back when Jimmy practiced elder law. At that moment, allowing Marion to use her life alert to call the police as he dashes out the door on the lam (once again), Gene finally passes his karmic Ozymandias fall from grace.

So where will the finale go from here? Well, there will have to be the consequences of Kim's confession plus Gene/Saul's blown cover. There was something interesting Gene said to Kim during their conversation: "Fring's in the ground, Mike's in the ground, [and] Lalo's in the ground, apparently." This is a man who long believed that Lalo was still out there, to the point that Saul was terrified Lalo had possibly sent Walter and Jesse after him. The only explanation I can surmise for Gene's belief that Lalo is in the ground is because the DEA must have found his body after the lab was destroyed. Which means they would have to find Howard too, right?^...Right?! The scene of Howard and Lalo being buried together under the lab has always seemed like such a Chekov's gun. Especially because if the two are unearthed, the implications of that plus Kim's confession are staggering. But I think, that is, regardless of what happens, Gene/Saul will break down and turn himself in. Ultimately, he winds up behind bars, running the place. And hopefully right proper justice is done for everyone - and no loose ends are left untied. Though, even more hopefully, I turn out wrong and something far more incredible happens !

Nevertheless, now down to our final episode, the BCS journey has been long, exciting and enthralling, and it will be bittersweet for it to come to an end next week...

[Voxija]

I’m binging Breaking Bad with my grandma (who’s awesome enough for this kind of thing) and she thinks the show’s a comedy.

[Terminus Station]

is this show actually good? I keep seeing a lot of buzz around it. Where can I watch it?

[Dexterra]

I’m binging Breaking Bad with my grandma (who’s awesome enough for this kind of thing) and she thinks the show’s a comedy.

Ha, yeah there definitely are some parts that are a comedy! Though on the whole...

is this show actually good? I keep seeing a lot of buzz around it. Where can I watch it?

I'm assuming you're referring to Better Call Saul specifically, and yes it absolutely is that good! Where you can watch depends on where you live - you will have to do some google-fu. (I was originally going to post links in the OP, but decided otherwise to avoid linking to paid services.)

If you're in the US/North America: BCS has historically aired on AMC (though this Monday is the series finale), you can watch AMC live with cable or a subscription to the AMC+ streaming service (which currently has each episode, but is $8.99/month with a one week free trial). US-only alternate watching sources include: Sling TV ($35/month with 50% off the first month); Youtube TV (which is $64.99/month, though apparently there's a deal for $14.99 the first month); Fubo TV ($69.99/month with a one week free trial); Philo (subscription, price unknown, but apparently has a one week free trial); FandangoNow (possible subscription/might be free, price unknown).

Outside US/North America: Netflix airs episodes the following day; I also found Stan for Australia only (subscription, price unknown) and Neon for New Zealand only (subscription, price unknown)

Possibly universal, subscription status and pricing vary: Amazon Instant Video, Apple TV, DirecTV Now, Google Play, VUDU

I hope this isn't too much information, but like I said, your watching options depend on where you live, and unfortunately not all are free. You will have to look up your options. But I do hope you are able to access the show and watch!

Edit, and another: and as a legal disclaimer if at all necessary, please don't pirate it! If you would like watching options for Breaking Bad and El Camino too, I can find some

[HISPIDA]

i've always had trouble getting into breaking bad even though i love the plot and i've watched a ton of youtube videos on it

something about the show just

irks me

[Dexterra]

i've always had trouble getting into breaking bad even though i love the plot and i've watched a ton of youtube videos on it

something about the show just

irks me

Ah well, to each their own - I hope you're able to get into it at some point!

---

T-minus one hour until the end!

Edit: s'all gone, man... hard to believe. I'll try to have my thoughts out later this week

[Dexterra]

Well, s'all over man...

If you had a time machine, what would you do?

Therein lies a question which plagued Jimmy McGill, Saul Goodman and Gene Takovic alike - and surely every time something went up in flames. But his name notwithstanding, he was always on the run. From pain, from loss, and from himself. From 'one hard truth,' as Bob Odenkirk put it.

The series finale of Better Call Saul began on the edge of our seats, as Gene evaded a manhunt bolstered by police helicopters with all units available, ultimately ending in the same place Jimmy/Saul's Sandpiper case literally and figuratively began - in a dumpster. Though losing his diamonds and a chance to get 'vacuum cleaned' one more time, winding up arrested, Gene's superpowers awaken. He laughs maniacally from the words he sees etched into the wall of a jail cell, despite having badly injured his hand - because soon Saul is clawing his way back to the top.

Strapping in for the co-counsel ride his old public defending pal Bill Oakley, Saul faces the music, and his final legal battles materialize. A life sentence stares him down - but he is more attentive to Marie Schrader. The gravity of Hank and Steve Gomez's murders are palpable: everyone stands at attention when the widow walks in. And sitting across from the last living person responsible for her husband's demise, she reveals the fallout of Breaking Bad, and all the death and destruction that wrecked her life as well as the lives of so many others. But not even then can Saul truly be sincere - share his own fallout. He passes the blame all to Walter White, and continues his last Slippin' Jimmy scheme. "All I need is one" juror, he tells the prosecutor, instilling enough doubt in him that, soon, Saul manages to whittle his life sentence down to a mere seven and a half years. Inching upon the goal line, one name intercepts his plans entirely.

Mentioning that he had information on Howard's murder, prosecutors warn him that they already know: a month before, Albuquerque's District Attorney accepted a sworn statement on the matter from Kim. Saul learns that Kim is open to civil litigation from Cheryl Hamlin after she confessed to her too - so he chooses to change course. Only to get her in the courtroom so she would hear what he wanted to say on the stand, at the very least Kim - beginning to volunteer at Central Florida Legal Aid - hopefully has other reasons for being drawn back to the bench.

For his plea agreement hearing, Saul walks into the courtroom in his flashiest suit (past many of BB's victims) looking the closest he has ever to a godfather. He is the last surviving member of Heisenberg's crime ring, and though the heavens may fall, justice had to be done. To Saul, a seven and a half year stint would not be justice - for anyone, especially not he. Approaching the stand, it all weaves together into one hard truth. Saul at first reuses the same blame he had placed on Walter, but with nothing holding him back now, he finally confesses to everything because he believes "the court deserves the whole truth." Under oath, he starts off admitting to lying about Kim, and his purpose being solely to bring her into the courtroom. He admits to building Heisenberg's drug empire, profiting off of it, protecting it, and largely taking responsibility for it - even its wreckage. He goes even further, admitting to the horror of Howard's murder, seeming to nearly share real tears for the first time. And finally, he arrives at his deepest-seated confession: that his efforts to take away the law from Chuck resulted in his brother's suicide, even expressing a belief that that was a crime. In a parallel to Chuck's breakdown on the stand in 'Chicanery,' it was as if Saul had come to terms with the havoc his unchanging ways had wreaked on innocent lives, going all the way back to Chuck himself - as if Saul's final scheme was to intentionally blow up his seven year deal back into a life sentence as a form of atonement. Indeed, sitting back down, Saul insists that his name is James McGill.

Finding himself next in prison's version of Cinnabon, he could at least rule the roost behind bars - but his focus seems to remain on the same thing always. Sentenced to be separated from her by a barbed wire fence for 86 years, he is at least able to sneak a cigarette with Kim in a holding cell - much like they did back when they worked for HHM. He points finger guns at her on her way out of the prison yard, indicating his last scheme worked. So if Jimmy had a time machine, would he go back and save Chuck (along with his copy of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine)? Would he save Howard? Kim, Nacho, Mike, Walt, HHM and all the destruction he wrought? It's possible. But now he has the rest of his life to think about it, and all the other lives that ended early because of him. He watches Kim walk away from the prison, as if accepting the consequences of his actions.

[Voxija]

My dad totally watched Breaking Bad during its original run. This wouldn’t be interesting except for the fact that my dad was a drug dealer. He probably identified with Walter White.

[Nolo gap]

i have no interest in drama without strangeness, only in strangeness without drama.

this is why virtually all of television is disappointing to me.
even supposedly impartial news is presented in such a way as to maximize drama.
i am always curious as to what is strange going on and i know many strange things always do.

breaking bad is the only of those three i had ever heard of. i thought it was totally "meh".
as for better call saul, i think there used to be a used car dealer, that was their slogan.
that is the only thing seeing that name made me think of.