Better Call Saul has finally reached its conclusion, and so has the story of Saul Goodman. Or should that be Jimmy McGill?
After his identity was exposed, Saul goes on the run but is quickly found by the cops hiding in a dumpster, marking a swift end to his time as "Gene Tacovik" following the events of Breaking Bad. It doesn't take Saul long to turn what looks like a dire situation on its head, though, and he soon negotiates a cushy deal that will see him spend only 7 years in a minimum security prison.
However, everything changes for Saul when he learns that Kim confessed to her role in Howard's murder following their recent telephone conversation. While Kim won't face any criminal charges, Howard's widow looks set to sue her onto oblivion and, with that, Saul enacts one final plan.
In court, he takes the stand and begins the same sob story he taunted prosecutors earlier in the episode with (because, as he points out, he would only need to sway one juror). This time, however, Jimmy - because that's who he is by this point - tells the truth about his role in Walter White's operation, all while Kim - and Hank Schrader’s widow Marie - watch on.
He absolves her of any wrongdoing in Howard's death (the one lie he tells would likely make it very difficult for Howard's widow to pursue Kim through the courts) and unleashes a torrent of confessions. Jimmy even mentions his role in his brother Chuck's decision to take his own life, and declares that he's Jimmy McGill, not Saul Goodman.
Saul did an awful lot wrong both in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and while he can never fully redeem himself, he at least does the right thing. Yes, there's an element of that typical Saul arrogance that we're sure makes him want to be known as the mastermind behind what happened in Albuquerque, but this feels like Jimmy finally putting Saul behind him.
Later, Jimmy is taken to prison (and it's not the nice kind) where his fellow inmates on the transport bus immediately recognise him as "Better Call Saul." Later, he's working in the kitchen and is referred to as "Saul" by his fellow inmates; it looks like he's a beloved figure and probably in charge of the place, so life for Jimmy really doesn't look all that bad.
Told his "lawyer" is waiting to see him, Jimmy is shocked to find Kim there. It appears she may have returned to the legal profession, with his confession freeing her of past burdens as well. They share a cigarette just as they once did in the HHM parking garage, and we learn that Jimmy's 7-year sentence is now 86 years. As she leaves, the former lovers share one last look; there's a little Saul still in there, but Jimmy appears to have made peace with his past actions and accepted who he is.
Throughout the episode, there's a recurring theme of Jimmy asking people (including Mike and Walt in flashbacks) what they would do if they had a time machine. Saul primarily talks about going back and finding ways to make even more money, but a later flashback with his brother suggests he would have perhaps taken that chance to become an honest lawyer and avoid a life of crime.
Perhaps that way he could have had a happy ending with Kim and been a decent man?
This feels like the end for Breaking Bad, and short of a jailbreak, it's the end of Saul's story too. Will he see Kim again? It's possible, though Jimmy will ultimately die behind bars so they aren't reuniting out in the world anytime soon. While Jimmy will no doubt always look back at his life with regret and think of what might have been, he's become a legend as "Saul Goodman" and finds a measure of redemption as his true self, confessing to the wrong he's done and, most importantly, no longer hurting people.
Like Walt dying after a final good deed and Jesse managing to escape for a fresh start, it's a powerful conclusion and one that feels entirely fitting.