Better Call Saul: Season 6

[Native Horn 3498]

So he went from breaking bad to baking bread.  

Great finale.

[gsoda3 3245]

12 minutes ago, crony said:

Did Jimmy transfer to another prison at the end? The back of his last shirt said BCDC (Bernalillo County) and not ADX Montrose when going through his suits/cinnabon shirt on the hanging rack.

i think that was his jumpsuit for the sentencing phase when he went back to ABQ.

[PantsTent 2002]

34 minutes ago, Skipper said:

I don't think it necessarily did.  I think whatever happened with Kim was left an open question (I mean is it really worth the time and money for Hamlin's widow to obtain a "judgment" against someone with no material assets - who knows).  I don't think it was about saving Kim.  It was about wanting to regain her respect after she confessed and is facing the music.

From Gould:

To your mind, do you think what Saul does in the hearing will get Kim out of legal trouble with Cheryl?
No, I don’t. I think that Kim is on her own journey, and I think he knows that. He does feel bad about what’s happening with Cheryl. But I don’t think Kim would like it if Jimmy pulled some maneuver that protected her from Cheryl. He doesn’t save her; she saves her. They’re done with saving each other by this time. What he sees is that she had the courage to face what she’s done. And she did something that I don’t think Jimmy/Gene ever thought she would do, which is not only to turn herself in, but actually to sit across from Cheryl Hamlin, who they both lied to disgustingly, and be 100 percent truthful.

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/better-call-saul-series-finale-explained-creator-interview-1394766

[Red Five 40836]

His motivation for choosing life in prison, as opposed to getting out in his mid-50s (and playing golf while eating ice cream), is still unclear to me. 

[crony 359]

3 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

i think that was his jumpsuit for the sentencing phase when he went back to ABQ.

Yeah that makes more sense. I was reading too many wiki theories.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

1 minute ago, Red Five said:

His motivation for choosing life in prison, as opposed to getting out in his mid-50s (and playing golf while eating ice cream), is still unclear to me. 

I'm with you on that one. Makes no sense unless he was doing something selfless to save Kim.... or unless he had some epiphany where he realized he was such a shit heel that the only place he truly wouldn't fuck somebody else's life up was in prison. 

Nor does his motivation for fucking Blue Bell make sense. Really? You couldn't do better than Blue Bell? Was that some sort of shameless plug in the show?

[Pam Cummings 9639]

3 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I'm with you on that one. Makes no sense unless he was doing something selfless to save Kim.... or unless he had some epiphany where he realized he was such a shit heel that the only place he truly wouldn't fuck somebody else's life up was in prison. 

Nor does his motivation for fucking Blue Bell make sense. Really? You couldn't do better than Blue Bell? Was that some sort of shameless plug in the show?

This show takes place in a time before the listeria, so i could see him still thinking it's good.

[HouTex 1866]

As shocking as it is to most on this board, many people still like BB ice cream.  

[huge 3793]

6 minutes ago, HouTex said:

As shocking as it is to most on this board, many people still like BB ice cream.  

Look we know one universal truth:  people are idiots

[RPM 26316]

18 minutes ago, HouTex said:

As shocking as it is to most on this board, many people still like BB ice cream.  

But mint chocolate chip?

[tbone_ 14109]

I'm with you on that one. Makes no sense unless he was doing something selfless to save Kim.... or unless he had some epiphany where he realized he was such a shit heel that the only place he truly wouldn't fuck somebody else's life up was in prison. 
Nor does his motivation for fucking Blue Bell make sense. Really? You couldn't do better than Blue Bell? Was that some sort of shameless plug in the show?

I took it as an act of true redemption. The first time in is life he’d ever owned up to anything appropriately. It made him feel good to finally, for once in his life, come clean and do the honorable thing with out his typical dirt bag ulterior motive.

He basically said it when he told the judge he was James McGill, not Saul Goodman when he sat down.

That’s how I interpreted it anyway.

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

43 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I'm with you on that one. Makes no sense unless he was doing something selfless to save Kim.... or unless he had some epiphany where he realized he was such a shit heel that the only place he truly wouldn't fuck somebody else's life up was in prison. 

Nor does his motivation for fucking Blue Bell make sense. Really? You couldn't do better than Blue Bell? Was that some sort of shameless plug in the show?

I feel like both of these motivations were fleshed out pretty firmly.  The call back with Chuck, where he acknowledges that they're having the same conversation they always have, which always leads back to Chucks' belief that Jimmy is inherently dangerous.  It was meant to show Jimmy coming to terms with that idea.

Maybe he wasn't saving Kim from anything, but he was saving whatever he could of "them" by coming clean.

[chainsaw 9857]

18 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

I took it as an act of true redemption. The first time in is life he’d ever owned up to anything appropriately. It made him feel good to finally, for once in his life, come clean and do the honorable thing with out his typical dirt bag ulterior motive.

He basically said it when he told the judge he was James McGill, not Saul Goodman when he sat down.

That’s how I interpreted it anyway.

Same. He had the "Saul" path of smooth talking his way into a minimum security resort with extra perks or the "Jimmy" path of atoning for his wrongs. What was "Saul" trying to prove? Ever since he signed those divorce papers he was living a lie. He was great at what he did. The Blue Bell thing? Nothing more than an endzone dance. "Saul" talked them down from 86 to 7 with perks not because he needed that but because he needed to know that he still had it in him. Also because it's fun to fuck with Oakley, I guess.

But the whole "time machine" and "regrets" theme was a pretty clear indication that he always regretted the creation of "Saul" and wishes Wexler/McGill could have been his destiny because Wexler/Goodman never quite worked out, and it was all Fun and Games until it wasn't and people really got hurt.

Kim eventually realized that she couldn't live with running away from what she did and her victims. When Gene reached out to her, she saw what she needed to do. She may not have realized it when she did it, but she convinced Jimmy to kill off Saul.

[gsoda3 3245]

the sentencing hearing was his time machine.  he turned back the clock and became james mcgill again.  

[Red Five 40836]

Well, Jimmy McGeneSaul is a better man than I am then. Keep your mouth shut and do your seven years. Get out and drag Kim away from her yeppings and start over. 

[Texzilla58 4731]

This show takes place in a time before the listeria, so i could see him still thinking it's good.

Maybe that is his plan to escape. Bake a ton of cakes, order in Blue Bell and watch the poisonings begin. Drives out to freedom and off to Start over.

[Lurch 5922]

I’ve spent way to many brain cycles thinking about the spilled diamonds. Do you tell the cops? Do you let them go to a landfill? Do you try to alert someone? What if the cops hadn’t found him? How much effort would it have taken him to find them by himself? What if the garbage truck arrived first? Did he know how many he had? What was the avg value of each? Is it ever “good enough”, or do you pretty much have to find every last one because each is so valuable individually?

There. Now you all share my burden.

[dcbc 14465]

2 hours ago, Red Five said:

His motivation for choosing life in prison, as opposed to getting out in his mid-50s (and playing golf while eating ice cream), is still unclear to me. 

What's he going to do on the outside?  Cinnabon isn't hiring him back.  Blue Bell might hire him.

Edited August 16, 2022 by dcbc

[dcbc 14465]

1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

the sentencing hearing was his time machine.  he turned back the clock and became james mcgill again.  

The plea hearing was his redemption.  He has nothing to regret there; he doesn't need a time machine.

[RPM 26316]

36 minutes ago, dcbc said:

Cinnabon isn't hiring him back.  Blue Bell might

Well he is indirectly responsible for many deaths.

[Chewbacca 7766]

14 hours ago, Horn80 said:

Oh, shit.  Thought it was 7

It was, but then he felt the need to air all his sins in court, knowing full well what the consequence would be.

[miguelito 11254]

It's like some of you didn't even watch the episode.

 

 

 

[BigOrange1 6432]

10 minutes ago, miguelito said:

It's like some of you didn't even watch the episode.

 

 

 

seems to be a weekly occurrence around here.

[Trey3216 15343]

22 minutes ago, miguelito said:

It's like some of you didn't even watch the episode.

 

 

 

That or they have a wife in their ear asking "What's going on" in every other scene.   

[dcbc 14465]

16 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

That or they have a wife in their ear asking "What's going on" in every other scene.   

. . . who hasn't watched the series at all but feels as if she can just drop in in the last season, ask a few questions and get caught up.

 

"Why is it in black and white?"

 

Hypothetically

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by dcbc

[RPM 26316]

1 minute ago, dcbc said:

"Why is it in black and white?"

[Skipper 6127]

1 hour ago, dcbc said:

The plea hearing was his redemption.  He has nothing to regret there; he doesn't need a time machine.

 I.e., the flashback to Chuck when he said "It's never too late to take a different path.".

[Jerry Callo 8698]

I also think Jimmy realizes that, other than Kim, his only motivation on the outside was money.  Even when his life was at stake in Nebraska, he couldn't keep his head down and just simply make the cinnamon rolls.  Inside, I think he knew it would only be a matter of time after his 7 years before he'd be back to his old ways.  He's always been like this - paraphrase from WW in the basement.

[chainsaw 9857]

4 hours ago, crony said:

Did Jimmy transfer to another prison at the end? The back of his last shirt said BCDC (Bernalillo County) and not ADX Montrose when going through his suits/cinnabon shirt on the hanging rack.

Jail is where he was before sentencing. ADX is where he went after sentencing, and it's how you know the judge didn't send him to the resort in NC.

[chainsaw 9857]

20 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

I also think Jimmy realizes that, other than Kim, his only motivation on the outside was money.  Even when his life was at stake in Nebraska, he couldn't keep his head down and just simply make the cinnamon rolls.  Inside, I think he knew it would only be a matter of time after his 7 years before he'd be back to his old ways.  He's always been like this - paraphrase from WW in the basement.

I think he realized that deep down being "Saul" was as unfulfilling to him as Florida irrigation hell was unfulfilling to Kim. Living in exile was actually more of a prison to him than being sentenced for Walt's and Fring's crimes. Gene's flirtation with criminality in Omaha was basically a microcosm of Breaking Bad: at first there was a utilitarian justification (mutually assured destruction) but afterwards he kept it up because the mischief reminded him of his past lives in ABQ, and because of the money, but then his arrogance got the best of him (everyone said to let the cancer guy off the hook, he didn't; he could have made a quick exit after the heist, he decided on a cigar and a drink instead) and because of that hubris he was caught.

That same hubris could have yielded a sweetheart sentencing deal. By rejecting that deal, he finally admitted that "Saul" was just a coping mechanism all along. He was great at what he did. He made millions doing it. But apparently he regretted it all and wasn't ever truly happy as Saul.

[dcbc 14465]

58 minutes ago, Skipper said:

 I.e., the flashback to Chuck when he said "It's never too late to take a different path.".

And to Walter pissing all over the notion that time travel is possible.  Thus, if you don't want to have regrets, stop doing regrettable things.

 

As Saul, every decision he made was based on personal benefit ($) and mostly lies.  He is where he is because of lies.  He's about to lie again for his benefit.  Even if he didn't do it to redeem himself in Kim's eyes (he did), he may also have come to the realization that being a habitual liar wasn't truly benefiting him.  As I mentioned before, if he doesn't go to jail, where does he go?  He's not going to practice law in this country after 7 years on a RICO case.   Cinnabon isn't going to hire him with that record either.  His prospects are bleak and he's not a very good criminal without the "-lawyer" attached to it as we've seen in Nebraska.  Federal prison as a hero was the only way for him to end up on top of something.  Even in spite of Kim, he may have realized that this was his best path.

[dcbc 14465]

1 hour ago, Jerry Callo said:

always been like this - paraphrase from WW in the basement.

I thought that was Mike?

[PilotsError 2286]

No Mike said so it's only about the money? to Saul.

[shadow_operative 15932]

4 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

the sentencing hearing was his time machine.  he turned back the clock and became james mcgill again.  

he couldn't do that during his 7 years in prison then live out the rest of his life as jimmy mcgill again?

[shadow_operative 15932]

3 hours ago, dcbc said:

What's he going to do on the outside?  

sleep well? in his own bed? as a free man? who gets to shower alone?

[dcbc 14465]

16 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

sleep well? in his own bed? as a free man? who gets to shower alone?

Beds and shelter cost money.  He's Saul gone.  Feds are going to take every dime he has, and he's not going to have a way to make much over an entry level fast food gig once he's out.  He wouldn't be living anything even approaching the Gene life.

Edited August 17, 2022 by dcbc

[chainsaw 9857]

5 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

he couldn't do that during his 7 years in prison then live out the rest of his life as jimmy mcgill again?

If that happens Oakley would have an undeserved legendary defense attorney reputation.

[billfromlaketravis 11447]

6 hours ago, Red Five said:

His motivation for choosing life in prison, as opposed to getting out in his mid-50s (and playing golf while eating ice cream), is still unclear to me. 

I think it’s creative license. You don’t get the last smoke with Kim or the final scene unless Saul is somehow locked up for life. I enjoyed both scenes, but it still doesn’t make any damn sense. 
 

I doubt we’ll ever get a satisfactory explanation. Gilligan conveniently skipped the official podcast this week and Gould didn’t discuss Saul’s choice at all. 

Edited August 16, 2022 by billfromlaketravis

[Trey3216 15343]

29 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

sleep well? in his own bed? as a free man? who gets to shower alone?

Where’s his own bed gonna be?   

[notre dame joe 186]

6 hours ago, HouTex said:

So Kim goes back to the law in New Mexico?  The NM bar might have a problem with her affidavit and the DA would be duty bound to give it to them.  Howard’s widow would still use it in her civil case although Saul’s stunt in the courtroom might help a bit.  

 

6 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I don't think she went back to the law (outside of maybe continuing to volunteer with legal aid).  I think she just flashed the card to get into the prison.

I think she's still living a mundane life in Florida, getting Yepped once a week or so.

 

5 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

how did saul's speech save kim from potentially facing a civil suit?

 

3 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I feel like both of these motivations were fleshed out pretty firmly.  The call back with Chuck, where he acknowledges that they're having the same conversation they always have, which always leads back to Chucks' belief that Jimmy is inherently dangerous.  It was meant to show Jimmy coming to terms with that idea.

Maybe he wasn't saving Kim from anything, but he was saving whatever he could of "them" by coming clean.

The Kim angle was implausible, even for G&G.  Saul goes through all of that dog and pony show just to not save Kim from a civil suit that wouldn't be worth a dime anyway.  Kim for herself resigns from the State Bar so she can eventually white knight for the poor by becoming a volunteer receptionist. 

 

Unless it's a long game to launch the next series. 

[Trey3216 15343]

33 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

he couldn't do that during his 7 years in prison then live out the rest of his life as jimmy mcgill again?

I don’t think you understand that he knows he’ll never be anything either way (7 years or life).  He’d be un-hireable as anything other than a short order fry cook.  He’s not gonna have any money after the government takes it all to give to Schroeder/Gomez estates.   He can live like a king in prison or live like a schnook on the outside.   And he gets to redeem himself to Kim.   Other than money and himself, and maybe longing for affection/assertion from Chuck, Kim is the only thing on earth he actually ever cared about.  

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

 

[shadow_operative 15932]

5 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

I don’t think you understand that he knows he’ll never be anything either way (7 years or life).  He’d be un-hireable as anything other than a short order fry cook.  He’s not gonna have any money after the government takes it all to give to Schroeder/Gomez estates.   He can live like a king in prison or live like a schnook on the outside.   And he gets to redeem himself to Kim.   Other than money and himself, and maybe longing for affection/assertion from Chuck, Kim is the only thing on earth he actually ever cared about.  

and if he only has to do 7 years then he has a chance to get out and try and rekindle things with kim. also, he's not in prison until he dies. 

(read that last line in norm macdonald's voice for me)

2 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

 

 

[Red Five 40836]

They should have flashed forward a few months. 

[GTX Horn 1707]

They completely missed a golden opportunity to have a David Cross cameo as Frightened Inmate #2. SMH.

[chainsaw 9857]

10 minutes ago, GTX Horn said:

They completely missed a golden opportunity to have a David Cross cameo as Frightened Inmate #2. SMH.

I joked with my friends about how a classic Mr. Show transition to a new sketch would have been the best possible ending.

[BigOrange1 6432]

45 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

 

that's amazing.

[Not a cat 5652]

54 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

I don’t think you understand that he knows he’ll never be anything either way (7 years or life).  He’d be un-hireable as anything other than a short order fry cook.  He’s not gonna have any money after the government takes it all to give to Schroeder/Gomez estates.   He can live like a king in prison or live like a schnook on the outside.   And he gets to redeem himself to Kim.   Other than money and himself, and maybe longing for affection/assertion from Chuck, Kim is the only thing on earth he actually ever cared about.  

At the time he made the decision he had no idea he would be a celebrity in prison.  He was as surprised as anyone at the reception he got on the bus, and even said going to Montrose would be a hellhole.

Old Jimmy McGill got a little luck of the Irish on that one.

[Trey3216 15343]

34 minutes ago, Not a cat said:

At the time he made the decision he had no idea he would be a celebrity in prison.  He was as surprised as anyone at the reception he got on the bus, and even said going to Montrose would be a hellhole.

Old Jimmy McGill got a little luck of the Irish on that one.

No doubt, I’m aware of that.  I’ve said as much 10 times on this thread.  Just re-breaking everything down for our resident genius that can’t seem to grasp what’s going on.  
 

he had already won in his own mind…twice.  By playing the poor victim and earning the short sentence and then by freeing his mind and conscience, and winning back Kim’s respect.   The king of cons at the Pen is just the chef’s kiss.  

[Grimas 669]

Never watched the end of BB - so what happened to Mike or did I miss his departure in BCS?