WARNING: There are MAJOR SPOILERS in this story for the series finale of Better Call Saul.
After six seasons, Better Call Saul came to its conclusion on AMC on Monday night. Viewers may have different thoughts about the ending, which was in many ways definitive while still ambiguous enough to have fans wondering about what might be coming next for the Breaking Bad spinoff's beloved characters. Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) has reclaimed his soul and reconnected with the love of his life, Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), providing a glimmer of hope in an otherwise terrible situation.
Another plan considered for the finale would have had the episode end on a much more somber note, but perhaps it was just a bit too bleak. In a new interview with TVLine, series co-creator and showrunner Peter Gould shared what the original plan was for how the finale would end. As Gould explains, the episode still would have ended with Jimmy behind bars, but under different circumstances. He would've first reunited with Kim before going to prison with the final shot showing Jimmy sitting alone in a cell, but then the idea came along to have the series close out with the pair together, even from opposite sides of the gates.
“(They met) in Albuquerque before he went to prison, and the last scene was him in prison by himself, thinking. And I liked that a lot, but it seemed a little cold. I think ultimately, we all felt like ending with the two of them felt like the strongest way to go. (Jimmy) was fearful about what was going to happen to him in prison, and it was a lot about the fear. This is a very different scene… It’s mostly about wistful connection.”
As far as picking the final shot of Jimmy and Kim, Gould added that he was "on the bubble" about what to include, such as the touching moment with Jimmy shooting finger guns at Kim like old times. Watching different cuts of the ending was what it took for Gould to realize which version of events made for the perfect conclusion.
“There was a version that didn’t have that, that ended with the two of them smoking, and I went back and forth on that for a while. Then ultimately, having watched them both, I felt like it was right, and it felt more honest to end with the two of them apart rather than the two of them together.”
A Similar Ending Was Nearly Used for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Peter Gould also shared how one of the endings considered for 2019's El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was very similar to what happened in the Better Call Saul finale. Presumably, that planned ending would have seen Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) winding up in prison, possibly after providing a full confession to all of his crimes. When Gould heard about that potential plan for El Camino, he realized that would be a better ending for Better Call Saul, and he "gently guided" Vince Gilligan toward another ending for the movie.
“I felt a little sweaty because I just felt so strongly that the right ending for Saul was to be in the system, the system that he’s made light of and that he’s twisted around for his own purposes... I think the ending he came up with for Jesse is exactly the right one. It just feels very elegant to me that Walt dies, really on his own weird twisted terms. Jesse suffers greatly, and he is in a prison of his own for quite a while, and then he gets away, and then starts this healing. And of the three of them. Jimmy gets his soul back, but he’s going to be incarcerated for some amount of time. And that just felt right.”