Better Call Saul's series finale is coming soon, and judging by the impeccable build-up in season 5, it will have an even better finale than that of Breaking Bad. The AMC show created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould first aired in 2015 as a prequel to the events in Breaking Bad, and has received critical acclaim throughout its five seasons. Season 6, which will be delivered in two parts just like Breaking Bad's final season, will premiere in early 2022 and is gearing up for a spectacular conclusion.
Better Call Saul follows the transformation of aspiring lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) into criminal attorney and hack Saul Goodman. He has Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) by his side, sometimes against, sometimes a part of his schemes. The series also follows the famous cartel war between Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) and Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis), which Jimmy becomes increasingly involved with. It's rare that a spin-off manages to have its own personality while staying connected to the original world. Better Call Saul does exactly that, and it does it so flawlessly, that viewers and critics alike are starting to say its finale will probably outdo Breaking Bad's finale.
When Breaking Bad ended season 4 with the death of both Gus and Hector, it left a big hole in the plot. Season 5 appears written on the go at times. For example, it's implausible that Walt would leave proof of his involvement with Gale in his bathroom with Hank visiting. Similarly, it seems unlikely that Lydia would end up collaborating with someone as unprofessional as Jack Welker (his white supremacist gang winning at the end of season 5 part 1 being another low point in the season). The machine gun finale in Breaking Bad, while brilliant, seems almost like it had to happen because the writers backed themselves into a corner foreshadowing it. Better Call Saul, on the other hand, has been carefully building up towards a huge pay-off with stories such as Kim's transformation, Nacho's shifting loyalties, Lalo vs. Gus, and of course, Gene's timeline, which can still go many ways.
The last two seasons of Better Call Saul did a great job at gradually connecting Jimmy and the cartel to their situation at the beginning of Breaking Bad. The creators turned a Breaking Bad throwaway line into arguably one of the best Better Call Saul stories. When Walt and Jesse take Saul to the desert in Breaking Bad season 2, Saul asks if Lalo (Tony Dalton) sent them, and blames Ignatio (Nacho Varga, portrayed by Michael Mando). Lalo and Nacho become central characters in Better Call Saul, and season 5 sees Jimmy and Kim brought together with Lalo, Mike, and Nacho, which makes the show as cohesive as it can get.
Cohesion is not the only thing that is achieved when Lalo comes to Jimmy's apartment and Kim stands up to him. Kim is slowly turning into "Saul Goodman" (or "Giselle St. Clair") herself: in season 5, she verbally humiliates Howard, confronts a criminal druglord (twice), quits her job, and plans to take down Howard through a con that makes Jimmy himself feel tense. Kim's new persona seems to announce her as the author of her own demise, which is inevitable (since Kim doesn't appear in Breaking Bad). Finally, Gene's timeline as the manager of a Cinnabon in Omaha is promising a grand finale for Jimmy's character: perhaps all the slow cracks in Gene's character (such as telling the thief to lawyer up) lead to a sort of redemption that echoes Walter White's in the final episode.
Better Call Saul season 6 promises to answer some Breaking Bad questions that left audiences hanging a long time ago. Peter Gould said (via Hollywood Reporter): "I think by the time you finish watching Better Call Saul, you’re going to see Breaking Bad in a very different light." All clues point towards a very rewarding finale for Better Call Saul.
Better Call Saul season 6 premieres early 2022 on Netflix.