Better Call Saul - The Alternative Endings of Jimmy McGill
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- This video essay offers up 8 alternative endings for Better Call Saul's Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler. With the finale just being released, most fans are happy with the endings, but others feel unhappy... so these alternative endings help you to explore what the best option for Jimmy McGill really was. Maybe the writers got it right, maybe some parts of my alternatives work better, or maybe you have your own ideal ending. Better Call Saul is starring Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn and is distributed by Sony Pictures Television (as is Breaking Bad).
PATREON: / justanobservation
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:45 The Seven Year Deal
3:25 Slippin' Jimmy in Florida
4:40 Kim to the Rescue
6:03 Break for the Border
6:58 End of the Road
8:12 The New Cartel
9:26 Some Things Never Change
10:44 Viktor and Gisele
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#bettercallsaul #bettercallsaulseason6 #jimmymcgill - บันเทิง
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I think the ending truly ties up all of the themes and loose ends I wanted. Having jimmy pull a final "con" by getting down to 7 years, then bringing it up just to give kim and himself closure, and finally stop repressing the emotions hes been holding in for the past 5 seasons really got to me.
7 year sentence, which happens to be the span of how many years Better Call Saul was on the air? You can’t make this up. Truly beautiful poetry until the end. Brabo Bince
You're right
I agree with you on tying loose ends. But i still would love to see kim and Jimmy get back together. Kim's not even happy in her current relationship. Thats more heart breaking than Jimmy re-embracing his Saul Goodman persona.
They act as if there is no such thing as rehab where jimmy can go learn to control his urges.
And after spending a few years in jail he'll have to learn to repress regrets for not taking the lenient 7 year sentence.....
the alternative ending with jessy is brilliant!
he goes to rescue gene saying "yo its better call saul, lets breaking bad! come join in my el camino to mexico"
andthen they lived happily ever after
lol please make this crack fan fiction
Yo! This is really funny🤣♥️
come join el camino: the breaking bad movie t omexico
And then they kiss
Breakily ever badder
In my heart, the "Let's go break bad, bitch!"-ending with Jesse will always be the true ending.
"Yo bitch, I wanted to break bad, so I knew I'd better call Saul!"
Jesse & Gene. The BCS spin-off series coming 2024.
slippin' kimmy sounds good too
9: The Time Machine
Jimmy is astounded when he is greeted by his future self! Jimmy is gifted a time machine by his future self so he can undo any regrets.
Jimmy goes back and stops himself from doing the particular slip 'n fall that damaged his knees.
In the present, Gene is able to outrun the police and evades capture. Happy ending.
Seriously, though; I thought the actual ending was perfect.
Damit! I came up with a different version of the same general idea! ...In all honesty though, mine's better.
Future Jimmy should just prevent the slip'n fall. Cut out the middle man.
@@briangonigal3974 pretty sure you used a time machine to steal my idea before I posted it
Had Saul Goodman simply remained the 2-D character he’d been in B/B, then having him use all his powers as a _criminal_ lawyer & a showman, to turn a life +190 years sentence into 7.5 years of playing golf at Club Fed would’ve been the perfect ending, but the ending we got was far more fitting for the actual Jimmy McGill.
So the 2D Saul Goodman was actually 3D Saul Goodman all along
Really enjoyed these alternate scenarios, but for me the original ending was perfect for Jimmy and the series. It also served as a nice counter balance to the ending of Breaking Bad, where Walt went out in a blaze of glory and saves Jessie, without ever being apprehended by the authorities. While Jimmy's ending was much more subdued but equally (if not more) satisfying.
Where Jimmy has the courage to face what he's done and accept the consequences, finally recognising and acknowledging the affects his actions have on others. And also showing the only the person who ever really believed in him (Kim), that when it finally counted, she was right, and the good in Jimmy outweighs the evil of Saul.
Hard agree - I'm so glad the fans don't get a say, the writers are the best out there. It's tempting to give the fans what they think they want but happy ever after for Kim and Jimmy wouldn't be right. I like to think that where we leave them isn't the last that they'll see of each other.
I like the symmetry in the endings with Jimmy/Walt/Jessie the more I think about it. The BCS finale was more satisfying than BB or El Camino, though (for me). It wrapped up everything in a satisfyingly cerebral, thoughtful and poetic manner. This is coming from a viewer who generally doesn't like finales, as they are understandly are hard to nail.
People should learn from series like Game of Thrones that fans are not always right -- quite the opposite in fact.
@@user-mt6hr4qf9n yeah but we get no closure on Kim, and the ending is unreasonable
@@luluna5228 I think they give us enough on Kim for us to surmise what the rest of her life is going to look like. She gets her groove back with the law, I think she'll be doing more than answering phones at the law place she visits. Rhea Seahorn's performance of Kim after she volunteers there transforms the character back into something nearer the Kim we know. "Yup" guy isn't going to be around for long. She's open to Howard's widow and the lawsuit, that might happen, but ultimately she doesn't have much materially to lose. She tells her the truth, in part because she wants justice to be done to her much in the same way that Jimmy wants justice done to him. Not happy endings, not sad endings, but endings that they deserve. I thought it was perfect in every way.
Also, by incriminating himself, he pretty much gave the authorities a reason to throw Kim's affidavit and confession she gave to the district attorney and Cheryl, taking and blame off her, so she wouldn't be prosecuted or sued for everything she has.
honestly I think these alternate endings go to show why the real ending was so damn good. Jimmy scammed everyone from his life, and when he had 1 last chance to save the most important person to him he breaks through and takes the full brunt of the law for the woman he loves so much. I also think that the ending Jimmy got was sort of happy in a sense that most of the inmates seem to like and respect him for defending so many of them in court when he was a lawyer, so its not like he's completely alone and suffering in prison or something.
I think that most of these hypothetical endings are too harsh or too lenient on Jimmy, showing that the ending he got was just the right balance of him getting what comes to him, but it doesnt come to him too harsh and leaves us unsatisfied.
He didnt protect Kim from anything.
Kim decided to face the consequences of her doings and when Jimmy learned about that it inspired him to do the same.
something about Kim's homemaker life truly horrified and sickened me. More than any horror film. More than any death in this series.
@@TheSwordfish009 indeed, showing them dead is a lot less horrifying than showing them trapped in purgatory.
@@vcndr9278 True, a boring life in Titusville, Florida is a fate worse than death. Alas, there is hope now that Kim is working as a legal aid! She paid for and cleansed her sins, just like Jimmy did.
It was tragic and wonderful. Maybe some details were off but holy shit these alt endings are awful. What show were these other viewers watching?!
I think Jimmy will wind up voluntarily helping other inmates with legal issues, all above board.
The more times I watch, the more I like what they created.
I think their ending will stand the test of time better than any other.
What makes it for me is how kim and jimmy use very little spoken dialogue.
They're clearly having an entire convo, but dont need to verbalize everything because they are on the same plane. I think that's been the nicest part throughout the series.
I really like the bittersweet ending we got, but part of me really wanted to see Jimmy take the reduced sentence and live like a celebrity in jail where we see him give legal advice to help his fellow inmates file for appeals. It cuts to the end of his sentence and we see Kim pick him up from jail upon release.
The problem with that is Kim's character. Why does Kim pick up Saul Goodman at the end? She came back to Jimmy because he was Jimmy and no longer just skating by as Saul.
The notion that because "Jimmy can't change," so he should be imprisoned in order for the story to feel satisfying is faulty. Using carceral punishment as a redemptive storytelling device - assuming that was the BCS teams' intention - presumes that the U.S. Prison/Justice system has the moral authority to serve as the arbiter of moral outcomes. But even in the text of the story, Jimmy/Saul makes of point of demonstrating exactly how arbitrary it's authority and morality is, allowing him to bend sentencing to his will and even have ice cream be a point of serious consideration. He flexed on Chuck's sacred belief that the law is sacred.
Whether he's in or out of prison, Jimmy/Saul will have the ability to pull scams and possibly the temptation; that his prison rep is so good and the prison kitchen is so symbolically reminiscent of the Cinnabon suggests the temptations to Slip will be available no matter where he goes. So, if James McGill made his decision to sabotage the deal he worked out without the awareness that prison won't be an escape from his nature, then regardless of the absolution he sought on the stand, he will still have to reckon with a barely discouraged Saul.
A decent word salad
@@jackreilly8760 shut up
@@jackreilly8760 literally the opposite of word salad, but yea, totally….
I think the writers got it mostly right, though I wish we saw more of Jimmy's decision making process, as the way it was done felt a little too abrupt.
I feel like there were six seasons of build-up.
@@pantslesswrock "Explain yourself" In Gus voice
@@pantslesswrock I felt the opposite we had six season buildup of the deteriation of Jimmy into Saul and even further into Gene, and then he did a 180 because of Kim and a sudden bout of righteousness. Nah the 7 year deal should have been the canon ending
@@pantslesswrock There weren't though. 6 seasons of buildup to the end of 612 where he's threatening an elderly lady, yes. But then there's this sudden turn in the middle of E13 where he suddenly decides to trade his freedom, permanently, for Kim's respect. Don't get me wrong, I see where it came from, but don't tell me it was what the whole series was building to.
@@mr.z9609 You're ignoring the fact that this wasn't just for "Kim's respect". The show wasn't really about his deterioration, or descent into crime, evil or whatever, but about his struggle with wanting to better himself. The show has always been about the central question of "has Jimmy always been and will be a crook, or is he capable of change?". We have seen how he uses his scams and his general way fo life as a way of locking up his feelings. Notice how he's always SUPER reckless and greedy after something emotional happens. He has always been running away from his feelings, insecurities, problems, etc. His moral compass and emotional anchors, Chuck and Kim, left his life, leaving him to ONLY have his scams. Right up until this last season, we can see that he never really cared about the money, we even see him giving the Kettlemans money after Kim forces them to give everything up.
The Gene scenes were about wether he would go back to being Jimmy or Saul. Everything pointed to him becoming Saul again, going back to being a crook, continuing with his scams, always getting what he wants. But then he hears about Kim, and how she's holding accountability for her actions, and he decides to turn things around, because again, she's his moral compass. He finally decides to face his emotions instead of running away. So nom trading his freedom wasn't only for Kim, but also for himself. Which is why se seems so hurt when they're chanting Saul's name on the bus. He WANTS to go back to being Jimmy, but just like Howard's reputation is forever damaged because of him, so is his reputation.
Saul just scamming his way of his last situation would've ignored who he's been completely, destroying his character's journey. Because of Kim's influence, he chooses to go down as Jimmy, instead of being eaten internally as Saul for the rest of his days.
I like the current ending however I believe they maybe should’ve did a full gene episode at the start of each season (season 6 episode 1 ending with Marion finding out about Saul) instead of abruptly changing from Jimmy to gene like they did. This way the last episode remains the exact same but genes story is told over years rather than in the last 3 episodes.
I've been saying since season 2 that Omaha (and post Omaha, if it existed), should occupy an entire 8 ep run. I feel like a fewer episodes of cartel stuff would've tightened everything up. Still love the ending / final season.
In my opinion, this is why Jimmy did what he did. Kim was just a cherry on top. This was his real motive. He was telling the prosecutors that Walter White took him out to the desert, put him in front of a grave, and ultimately put fear in him to work for him unwillingly. Now he could get 7 years with this sentence, but what good is that? The story he told will get out. Saul went from being smart, creative, a local legend, to, a coward, a fearful man, a victim himself. His image, his name. It’s gone! People will know Saul was just a phony. “Walter White controlled him?” What a loser. But, ultimately, he switches the story up, to, “he couldn’t have done it without me, I ran that business, walt would’ve been dead in a month” he forever cemented his name in the record books for years and years as the greatest lawyer of all time. People will talk about him for ages and ages. The underground crime world will forever know how bad ass Saul is.
this is so bad lol. Jimmy even post Kim breakup never give AF about this kind of stuffs. His pride is not like Walt's.
If I was working on the story, I'd have Gene get caught very early and he ends up in jail before ever calling Francesca. We see Kim's new life, dull as it is, disrupted when she finds Saul has actually been caught. Saul works his angles and ultimately getting something like a 15 year plea deal if he can meet certain conditions. Kim attends the court case without Saul knowing, and on seeing her, Saul thinks back and amends his statements to include the true fate of Howard and other details, without incriminating Kim, but at least letting her know the truth is out there.
Ultimately this doesn't affect his deal with the feds at this point but it triggers something else. Instead of going after Kim, Howard's estate goes after Jimmy in civil court for the defamation of Howard as a drug addict and covering up his murder.
Kim, back in Florida, doesn't exactly feel satisfied with this and still feels her share of guilt, but also is given hope. We see her visit Jimmy in prison. They talk and partially reconcile. While sharing the cigarette, she says what she told Cheryl: that she wants to change the impression of Howard as an addict. They need to atone. Then on leaving she gives him the finger guns, but with a twist.
They hatch a new scheme. Jimmy taps into his other great talent besides the law: entertainment and storytelling.
The plan would have some twists but the result is to work on Saul's memoirs, a book and a series of interviews to make a sort of documentary. The main point is to tell the world what really happened to Howard, and the rest of it.
They work hard and ultimately get the memoirs made; and with these, they end up with a settlement with the Hamlin estate. When published, all proceeds from Jimmy's memoirs will go to a foundation in Howard's memory as well as other anti-drug non-profits. With the final legal burden off his back, Jimmy serves the bulk of his sentence in relative peace, only interrupted by various interviews and other events orchestrated by Kim trying to build the awareness, acting as his promoter and manager.
Then we get a sort of epilogue. Jimmy is released (maybe pardoned, maybe sent home from COVID, maybe just after 15 years.) We see Jimmy healthily be himself as an entertainer and quasi-public personality, without slipping. He continues to donate the bulk of his proceeds to the same foundations as his memoirs. He's doing TH-cam, and a podcast, and continues to write books and make short documentaries about the world of crime and legal issues. He does some public speaking engagements. We see Kim acting as a sort of manager to keep the color in her life, and see she spends the other part her days volunteering at the legal services organization. Then we reveal Jimmy alone in a little makeshift recording studio in the back of their small rented house, electric furnace and all.
Ultimately I feel this would tie back full circle and show where all of Jimmy's traits and personality could have been used for good. It would be the realization of the idea Chuck talked about in the actual finale, that it's never too late to try a new road. It would also be a refutation of Mike's thesis of the Bad Choice Road being inescapable. It would show that sometimes facing the problem and taking the punishment can be the better outcome than running. Sure it wouldn't be a life-long come-uppance for Jimmy but it would put him through the legal and philosophical atonement and forge him into someone who can ultimately be a benefit to society.
The one thing I don't like about the finale we got is that it seems to put too much faith in the prison system to somehow deliver justice or atonement. But that admission of guilt and even paying with time incarcerated doesn't actually help rectify the wrongs. It just lets a few families know the truth and that it keeps the 'monster' of Saul locked away. It's Jimmy deciding that the only solution is die or stay chained. It doesn't actually show him taking his own steps to fully reform himself, only do the right thing long enough to take away his own agency. In a way I appreciate that sacrifice but I'd prefer a version where Jimmy finds the means to pay the legal and real societal debt by defeating the Saul within himself every day, and using his skills for (mostly) good.
This is really good. I'm surprised nobody's said anything about it
I personally rlly liked the current ending but these alternate endings are also rlly cool!!
Stop saying rlly. You can type the extra 2 letters it takes.
@@urhooked ur upset
@@builderbro4 stop saying ur !!
@@urhooked Stop saying 2. Are you to lazy to write two?
I think the alternate endings reinforce how right the show got the real one.
I feel like Number 7 is the best one. It shows the struggle between Jimmy and Saul. It also adds some complexity to his character as he is aware that he can't change his scamming ways but is able to change who he does it to. Most of these endings either go too hard on Jimmy or go too lenient on him. This much like the actual ending hits the perfect mark. If Number 7 was actually how the show ended I would be just as satisfied.
thinking Jimmy only "made that decision to please Kim" is so simplistic and it completely ignores Chuck and his dynamic with Jimmy, Chuck might have ****SPOILERS***** died seasons ago but his presence was always there, I like to imagine the cartoonish trope of the angel and devil whispering in Jimmy's ear and him finally listening to the angel for once, one might feel it's not realistic for someone to throw their life away like that, sure, in real life, but this is fiction and IMO this was the most effective way of showing Jimmy's growth and evolution, and for me it's not "moralistic", we knew from the start that the thing Jimmy always wanted the most was to be loved and seen and heard, his impulses kept being an obstacle and at the end he prefered doing the right thing to mantain some sense of dignity in front of the only person that knew him as his true self, I know I'm not saying anything groundbreaking here but I just don't understand how people still think he only did it because of Kim as if the entire first half of this show wasn't about his relationship with his brother and how that relationship had such a huge impact even after Chuck died
Yeees
I totally agree, if Chuck didn't have any importance in the decision then seasons 1-3 should of been shortened to 1 season, just enough to show he made him Saul Goodman but not enough to show that Jimmy had any actual compassion or care for him
A lot of people seem to have gotten the meaning of the final confession wrong, which is quite sad actually. He didnt do it to win Kims love back. That would be way too cheesy for a show like BCS. He did it bc Kim was the only person left on earth who knew the true Jimmy, she was his moral compass, and since she took the road of redemption he was eventually inspired to do the same, to finally unload the weight of the trauma he had bottled up through his lifetime and driven by the fear that he will be left alone with such enormous guilt forever in the form of persona Saul Goodman
oh thank god you said spoilers. I was almost spoiled about a season 4 plot point on a video about the finale
@@fujifilm5127 well good thing I didn't add it for you then 🙂👍🏻
7 is my favorite alternate ending you gave because I love huell
I really like the 3 current ends to the protagonists of the Breaking Bad Universe. They all fit that theme of "Crime doesn't pay" in their own ways:
Walt: Dies miserably with a terrifying legacy, but his family in ruin, the worst outcome of what he wanted.
Jess: Seemingly gets away, but has to live a miserable lonely life far worse off than where he started.
Jimmy: Decides to be the only one to accept his punishment and serve his time, but knowing it will never truly be enough.
Crime never paid for any of them.
9: During final court scene, Saul becomes 3D, says 'it's slippin'n time' and slips out of the courtroom.
i wanted him to have the Wolf of Wallstreet ending where he becomes a best selling author and guest speaker
i enjoy watchin your videos after i have finished the respective series. its a nice way to digest the show and appreciate the things that made them so good
I'm a Big fan of your alternative endings videos ! I think they play a very important part in appreciating the ending we are given because this process puts us exactly in the writers' shoes, exploring all possibilities as to how they are character compatible and how viewers might read them, and after watching your video I believe this ending is the best version possible. Jimmy had to have a lifetime sentence because he can only change (his path) when he has no way to cut corners. I also Like to believe that his confession is not just about Kim but also about accepting who he is (someone always looking for a way out), a criminal, therefore his Breaking the plea feels more about embracing his nature as a whole (someone who tried to do the right thing but failed because they did it for the wrong reason). I believe that in order for the ending to be satisfying and still character plausible, all the other options would have fallen short. Thanks again for this thought experiment !
Am I the one who thought there would surely be a connection in the end between Kim's roots in Nebraska (as seen on her mom's license plate in the flashback) and the fact that's where Jimmy wound up as Gene?
I like to think that Kim remarries Jimmy in prison and that he gets released on parole in 2020.
the conflicts in the show were so great.
I really wished for a happily ever after ending for everybody.
especially howard though.
You have to wonder how different it would be if Robert Forster was still around
I think he would be alive play as Ed the disappearer
@@abramsullivan7764 well yeah but to what extent and to help who disappear
Honestly, #7 is a pretty good ending. One of the recurring themes of the show is that Jimmy can’t change no matter how many chances he gets to go legit. The idea of him paying for his crimes by a long jail sentence, but remaining the same con man he always was works because it still shows that crime doesn’t pay, but also that Saul will always be slippin Jimmy.
Heull Babineux pulls up in a helicopter and busts Saul outta jail with the full intro song playing
I honestly cant wait for Vince and Peter to release the cast commentary over the final episode. I can imagine they'll most definitely talk about his other ideas for the ending
All of those are good potential endings. I think the most "realistic" one for Saul's character would have been him taking the seven-year deal, then him getting out to meet Kim. But getting the 80+ years is probably the most poetic. I imagine that he probably would end up running little prison scams.
My favorite options are 5: End of the Road, and especially 6: The New Cartel. Scheming his way out of the organization, just to end up in police custody sounds incredible.
I'm so glad the last season completed the loop of
Breaking Bad having an episode called: "Better Call Saul"
and now
Better Call Saul has an episode called: "Breaking Bad".
Make more of these!
Your channel is awesome man!
Insightful analysis and a nice voice to listen to
The ending was beyond perfect. I was very worried how they would end it
Walt ended with a bang and jimmy ends with a whimper
Love the idea you gave during the End of the Road ending, where Kim would have to decide whether to keep or turn in the money. I think thats where the show would end, never answering that question.
I really liked the Florida ending and the End of the road ending, I think seeing Saul get played by Kim would be somewhat poetic and ironic and depressing, I would say he deserved it, but I would also still feel bad for Saul and how low he sunk,
The End of the Road ending also seems very good too, Jim going out on his own terms dying on the bad choice road that he’s on would be nice and him leaving his belongings to Kim would be nice especially if he left a letter just like Chuck did for him when he died
I really like the ending as it exists to be honest. I like that it leaves Kim's ongoing involvement with Jimmy kind of up in the air too. I like to think of it as she's going to visit him often in the future, but a lot of folks think that "they shared a final cigarette" or whatever which is fine but I think a little less satisfying. Their relationship is the core of the show and I'd hate for it to just be done forever tbh, even if he's in jail
I’d love for the creators to make some of these endings, just for the creativity involved
there is a reason its called saul gone and I personally don't think jimmy would do anything else. I mean he did say with good behavior and there are people who have gotten out of jail in record time on a life sentence.
Hearing all those alternative endings made the actual ending more powerful, and more sweet than bitter
"Viktor and Gisele" is my absolute fave.
86 years is way too much. I think he deserved some punishment but thats way too much. He didn‘t kill a person with his own hands or ordered a kill on someone.
Gus Fring would have deserved 86 years maybe because you prison the devil for so long but not the lawyer from the devil
I like the ending they chose, but not the execution. I don't like that it was hearing Kim confessed that prompted him to confess. I'd rather see him come to that on his own, and then be surprised that it brings Kim back into his life.
Also, if he can negotiate down to 7 years, then chances are he can find a way out of prison before his life ends.
I agree, specially, when you look at the confession scene, every time he talks he looks back at Kim, like saying "did I do good Kim?" and then he sees she's unexpressive so he keeps confessing stuff and looking back at her just for approval, like come on man, are you even truly repenting or are you just doing it to get into Kim's good graces?
You know when COVID hits he's gonna be first to find a way out.
Honestly given the shot of the car in the trailer, I was really expecting number 5 to be the ending. I did like the vibe of Jimmy still working his magic in prison, and where that went for redeeming his character morally, and I’m not sure you could do the same with him dying.
I really think he should have gotten the 8 years so we could hope to see him again.
Loved the final episode right up until he spilled his guts in that courtroom. If they'd gone with the seven year scenario they could've still had the bonding with the inmates bit but included some comedic scene with Jimmy playing golf at his low security prison of choice. It would've left the audience with some hope for Jimmy and Kim and who knows...another season or two down the road?
There would be no hope for Jimmy and Kim if he did that. Or Jimmy at all, he'd finally be gone
Hope?
The "End of The Road" ending is so so good, man!
Him dying as a result from the police chase maybe would've been better and wouldn't make Kim look this bad also. The problem would be that it would end just like Breaking Bad, and i believe that the writers wanted the next best ending.
The new cartel ending is too much like Jesse being kidnapped by the nazis plot. That's not something Peter Gould would ever do.
“The possiblities are limitless!”
- Saul Goodman, attorney at law
6 takes the cake
I accept the ending. But would have liked to see him only get the 7 years
Your options are all better than what actually happened lol
My husband wasn’t as pleased with the ending, but it’s exactly what I predicted would happen.
Saul represents the 3rd tier of the Breaking Bad Trio. Walt dies before he can face consequences. Jesse escapes and gets away. It was only fitting for the sleazy lawyer to wind up behind bars.
I’d like to think that his character spends the rest of his days helping his fellow inmates with legal advice. Maybe he and Kim even work in tandem with legal aid for inmates; him on the inside and her on the outside.
Just wanted to say that I really appreciate you covering the 3 films by Neil Labute a few weeks ago, particularly In The Company of Men. Far too little people have seen those films, and coincidentally, about 2 days before that video dropped, I was rewatching the Season 2 epsiode where Jimmy and Kim con the douchebag Ken and I was struck by how similar that character and even the actor who plays him resembled Chad from ITCOM.
the current ending was great because the real defeat of saul goodman came from the hands of jimmy mcgill
Calldn't have Saul'd that better myself
Honestly, I also really love Number 7. That fits the show as well as the actual ending we got.
I definitely like #2 the most in this list. It's close to what I was predicting leading up to the finale. I find it satisfying that Kim, who's always been a bit hesitant about the cons, would be the one to force Saul into prison.
Another interesting one would be a mix between the original and #3: Kim represents Saul, they get deep into the arguments and the scam. Saul then sees where this is going; he realizes he will ruin her life. It'll blow up in her face (she is still open to legal troubles, and getting Saul off the consequences would attract the Feds and DEA to prosecute her to the fullest). So, he terminates the council she was providing and confesses in court. In the final scene, with him in prison, they share a cigarette. There's some hope that on good behavior he might get out before he dies in prison. But they agree they need to lead different lives.
The quote that comes back to me: "The way way I see it is... somebody's going to prison. It's just a matter of who." (Saul Goodman, "Better Call Saul," Breaking Bad) I think Saul HAD to go to jail. Literally no one else has, definitely not any of the King Pins (and I would consider Saul to be just as important of a King Pin in the Heisenberg criminal empire as people like Gus, Lalo, Walter, and Mike were). For me, at least, any ending where he didn't end up with life in prison would not be thematically appropriate.
One thing that was perfect was that, as a result of his criminal defense and dealings, he had an excellent amount of support from the other convicts in prison even though he was in one of the worse, more violent prisons. In a white-collar prison, like he was gunning for in his dealing before his confession, he almost certainly would have been extremely out of place. The ending is very grey about who Jimmy is by the end. Is he Saul? Gene? Viktor? Slippin' Jimmy?
I think the ending was just about right. I liked the shot where he was making bread in the prison kitchen. You could see that life wasn’t too bad for him in there and he had the respect of other prisoners so at least it will be tolerable for him. The writers have always avoided the easy options and to have him escape or end up with Kim wouldn’t have felt realistic.
Fun little thought experiments, but the list definitely solidifies my belief the ending is great just as it is.
Good work making me truly believe that this is the best ending we can get
We are now going to get what-ifs forever.
Thanks for sharing these alternative endings. It shows me that the way the story ended is a very, very good one, not to say S'all good one! It is very difficult to top it.
(I am astonished: Looking at the very first episode one cannot imagine how it ends and nevertheless the ending is so strong and convincing.)
As i see it, He traded his Mental Imprisonment and Physical Freedom for Mental Freedom and Physical Imprisonment. I don't actually mind the ending but "Saul Better Call" would've been a good title in the context of the events in the finale, But the official title "Saul Gone" is also pretty smart as it also sounds like "it's all Gone"; genius wordplay by the creators. It's a call back to how Jimmy came up with name Saul Goodman from the phrase "Its all a good man".
I'm glad to hear that people are considering other options to ending the drama. But I think the problem here is that everyone seems to want an ending. This is endemic in American cinema (apart from occasional glimpses such as the Director's Cut of Blade Runner) Everyone seems to think that audiences need a nice closed ending so they can go to sleep knowing what had finally happened to the main characters. It's all very nice and tidy, but reveals a rather timid approach to narrative film making. What about an open ending? What about the cops not finding Saul in the dumpster. He waits a few hours, gets out and takes a bus to - well, anywhere. And that's it. He remains who he is (which is pretty much a description of all of us) and leaves us wondering what might become of him. There are all sorts of more thought-provoking endings that what was offered or suggested. I think that a lot of writers are frightened of facing the possibility that there might not be a neat resolution to every story. Almost no one wants to take up this challenge.
I love this alternate emdings
I like the ending apart from the large sentance. I think if it was closer to 20 years, just so we know that he would be able to get out some day, would have made it a bit more satisfying.
Good point, he did tell the truth after all and expressed guilt and also didn’t participate in any violent acts, I wonder why they didn’t go with that. I actually didn’t quite like how he was made the scapegoat, it did show it was a negotiation after all, because the prosecution really blamed him for something he really kinda had all the explanations to and why did he gave up fighting - thats kinda overly poetic
How is EVERYONE forgetting that Kim was legit about to be sued for all she had and Jimmy wanted to save her from that possibility?
Saul association got Kim involved in The Game in the first place.
It was Saul who should've came clean about Howard, not Kim (at least this is how I think Jimmys alter-ego feels)
Saul is the one who brought Lalo into their lives and joined the game, so he deserves the responsibility for Howards death.
She still can be. Nothing he said or did changed that. The case against her is actually more viable now he's testified to their actions and can stand as a witness
Did anyone else want Jimmy to become a director? I enjoyed his ads and of course it wouldn't be under saul goodman productions.
6, 7 or 8 would have been my choice... But BCS is what is it and the actual ending is really brilliant.
I love the exploration of how things could've turned out. Really enriches and validates how much I love the ending! I think they hit the mark perfect 🎯
The current ending was probably the the best ending, but if you want to be realistic, I think someone like Jimmy would have gotten 7 to 10 years and not the 80 plus years. His crimes were mostly financial related like money laundering, obstruction etc, I've seen people getting light sentences on worse crimes. Maybe someone who knows the law better could weigh in, but realistically I think even him confessing his sentence would be nowhere near 80 years unless they were making him into an example like Bernie Madoff
Either ending 1 or 3 should’ve happened. They both give the series an even more satisfying ending than what we got not to say the real ending isn’t satisfying
I consider Better Call Saul's ending to be right there with Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, How I Met Your Mother, and Star Trek: Enterprise.
Oh, well done! Lovely ideas…
#5 is my favorite
He did it for Kim. He was going to take the 7 years till he heard about her civil case. It has nothing to do with “he didn’t think he could change”. Nothing suggests that at all lol.
0:25 because its true. anyway a fitting ending although kind of abrupt.
Interesting way you phrased Jimmy's reasoning for reversing the deal and taking the longer sentence. I hadn't considered that he put forth, that he was acknowledging that if he got out that he'd be back in his old ways. I think that does fit, although I do agree with others that it was a quick calculus for him to make that, midway on a flight from Omaha to ABQ after talking to Oakley walking down the aisle. That only seemed to serve him wanting to help take some of the weight off Kim. If they reversed the sequence of the scenes when the 7yr deal is made and when Marie dresses him down. like she's been watching behind the 2way glass without him knowing and the AUSA bring's her in to have her say. I could see him realizing he will never change bc he failed again to see how he causes ppl pain. Sorta like the interval between the Kim Cheryl scene at HHM and the parking garage kiss snapped Kim's conscience into focus.
I echo the sentiments that the alternates show the writers got it right. The one thing I felt going in that I wanted to see before Jimmy was caught (if their story was ending with him being caught) was him coming to some sort of reckoning for things that happened in Cicero. Going to his father's grave and apologizing for dipping into the til and contributing to the store's demise. Him coming clean about Chuck was close enough.
The last 2 endings were quite interesting
Kudos for using the correct word, i.e. "alternative" rather than "alternate"!
Saving Kim would have been enough but the story engineered the ending that nothing he did would have accomplished that and I agree with the detractors that merely pleasing Kim was a bit of a silly reason for such an extreme self sacrifice. I still liked how the show ended overall, but that bit did nag at me.
He didn't do it to please Kim. He did it to atone. Kim confessing to Howard inspired Jimmy (and the show has consistently shown how they both influence one another, usually for the worst). Being inspired by Kim is consistent with his character. His action got a lot of people killed and he knows that he can't stop being slipping jimmy. First he cons his parents, leading to a feud with Chuck that ends with chuck killing himself, which leads to a conflict with Howard that ends with Howard dead, which leads to the Saul persona taking over which leads to Walter White carnage, which leads to him going on the run as Gene and ultimately slipping back to his con man life. It's a never ending cycle that he recognises and finally decides to own up to. Kim simply gives him the strength to do the right thing.
The main problem with the show is hat they made the best criminal lawyer in Southern United States , the man that would sell his own mother to win a case , into some always scared and depressed pussy-simp that believes in "morality" , guess what ..it ain't the same real life .
If you think that's why he did it it went over your head
If you want to go for a really dark one, I could imagine Jimmy killing that old woman. Maybe she starts shouting for help, he tries to just shut her up, things go south. Fights are dangerous things and in the struggle maybe he wraps the cord round her neck and starts pulling, at that point realising that if he lets her go, he will be captured.
It’s one thing to be the lawyer of an infamous drug lord, it’s another thing to be that and the news to be talking about how he tried to kill an old woman. It would be too hot, so he just keeps pulling and kills her.
After that and disposing of the body, he goes to Florida to try and find Kim. They start talking and while she wants him to hand himself in, she feels so welcome and happy to be with him that she starts to think about running away with him. Then the news comes out that Saul Goodman murdered an old lady and was living under the name Gene.
Because of some minor misstep or underestimation of someone, Jimmy is found out and now he’s known as a murderer. Kim is utterly horrified and tries to run away to call the police, while Jimmy gives chase. She’s afraid he’ll kill her and Jimmy genuinely doesn’t know at this point, it’s gone so far. Eventually Jimmy catches up with her and she’s at his mercy, but in a final moment of humanity he leaves and runs away.
Jimmy is on the run from the police and uses every trick in the book to try and get to Mexico but the police catch up with him. No wanting to be taken alive, he fakes pulling a gun on some police officers in a final trick, causing them to gun him down.
Dark but more what I expected before the final episode than what we got. I think the ending was perfect, they nailed the way his life was going.
He coulda broke bad but now he's breaking bread.
I always imagined Jimmy escaping the prison and living with Jesse in Alaska
*The it's all Good Man Ending: Saul chooses to do sven years in jail and Vince Gilligan creates another sequel for Better Call Saul and this time Jimmy is the antagonist and Kim is the protagonist and in seven years Jimmy molds completely into a monster as he gets out of prison and has made some low to mid level friends in prison as they go on high table con heist as Kim has to stop Jimmy in the mist somehow...the show would be called "Waterworks"*
what makes you think that he wont be slippin Jimmy behind the bars. He could very well run his scams in and out the prison cell
The adventures of King Saul (of the Penitentiary) - even just as a web series, would have endless potential! And, instead of the actors physically aging being a problem, it’d be completely apropos!
Nice thought experiment.
For me, the ending was perfect. Sharing that cigarette with Kim was well worth the extra years for Jimmy. He got his punishment, as he had to or it would never feel right, especially after he went so dark at the end, close to violence or even murder, but he’s also in a as good a place as he could hope to be, as Saul Goodman prison hero. Arguably a better than life than as Gene Cinnabon.
How about they go to the dumpster and get the phone number for the vacuum guy who coughs up where Jesse is in Alaska
10:35 some things never change, like how she killing me with that bootay never change agagaga
At first I wanted jimmy to pull some bad ass stunt using every bit of his persuasive skills law knowledge ect. And escape possibly die or go to a different country but this ending was better than anything I could think of the journey feels so sad after that last episode but I thought jimmy facing the consequences and giving the actual truth was something that took him every bit of strength he could come up with. What he did knowing there wasn’t anything to be gained was a hard path but I think chuck would be proud.
these are all better. I wanted Saul to make it out
I saw it the same way. He obviously is never happy living a quiet life. It was misery for him. Jimmy would eventually destroy more lives. So I removed himself from the equation.
Ending 9: Lightning bolts shoot from Saul’s fingertips and he vaporizes the entire courtroom before traveling to another realm we couldn’t possibly imagine and going under the new alias, Odin
I think the ending is right, what feels a bit messy is that so many of the last episodes are basically entirely in Gene world.
It would have been better to extend dealing with Lalo longer and parallel that with Gene/Saul being unable to stop himself from getting back into it again and THEN have a final episode basically exactly as it was.
I'm a fan of the 7-year deal ending. I think he wouldve gotten his redemption by helping Kim in his testimony & taking that long of a sentence. It shouldve ended with them reunited afterwards and I like the charity-worker/non-profit worker idea alongside Kim.
There's one big problem; there is no reuniting with Kim at that point. Kim is probably being sued either way, but likely less so now that someone is genuinely paying in prison for Howard's death. It wasn't about the money for her, just for someone to officially indict one of the criminals.
So she'd face the full brunt of the civil case without ever seeing that Jimmy can grow and repent the same way she did. This is the vital part, she's the first character in the entire series to face her wrongs head on. If Jimmy weaseled out of this and got the 7 year deal, he wouldn't show her (and Chuck for that matter) that Slippin Jimmy CAN change and can face his issues head on.
Not everything has a happy ending. Go watch trash shows if you only want that
@@akira-qr4qm this is trash show