“Tell me again.”

I think it’s safe to say that quote will define Season 5 of Better Call Saul. We have unfortunately reached the end of it as the finale aired on Monday night to mostly praise but some criticism. Gus using Nacho as the middle man, finally moved to take out Lalo but it did not go the way that Gus planned. Kim and Jimmy have seemingly come to another crossroads as Kim is ready to fully Break Bad and destroy Howard’s life and reputation for financial gain but Jimmy doesn’t seem thrilled about it at all. Crazy to think that in S5E9 we went from being worried about what might happen to Kim to being worried about what Kim might do to Howard after S5E10. Also brilliant writing to have S4 end with Jimmy giving Kim the finger guns as Kim looks worried and then S5 end with Kim giving Jimmy the finger guns as Jimmy looks worried.

Kim was always one of the ‘good guys’ on the show and acted as sort of a moral compass for Jimmy/Saul. Kim was always there to reel him back when the Slippin Jimmy part of Jimmy would flare up but this time she is pouring gas on the fire. I can definitely understand why Kim isn’t heading up the Howard Hamelin fan club, Howard was not a villain to Jimmy but he certainly was to Kim at one point. One of the surprising twists of the early seasons was that Howard wasn’t a foe to Jimmy but was actually kind of in his corner. Chuck was the villain stopping Jimmy from becoming a lawyer at HHM. But when it comes to Kim, Howard was especially cruel constantly moving her around and keeping her in doc review even after she delivered Mesa Verde to HHM. Anyone in Kim’s position would have bitter feelings toward Howard but what we heard in the S5 finale was crossing the line.

I don’t know if it was all the Mesa Verde bullshit she dealt with or the truth about what happened to Jimmy with the cartel and confrontation with Lalo or the massive back-up of public defender files but something has caused her to snap. She was almost giddy going over the details of how they could destroy Howard. It was unnerving for me to see that their after-sex pillow talk was about destroying someone’s life. The justification she used really reminded me of Walter White at his worst. Ok maybe not that bad lol but in the same ballpark. Kim justifies her actions bc Howard is an asshole and she would use the Sandpiper money to work exclusively on pro-bono cases. Walt justified his actions bc he was dealing with scumbags and would use the money to help his family. Now obviously Walt’s actions are far more extreme than what Kim is talking about but both are convincing themselves that the ends justify the means.

This plot Kim is cooking up could have disastrous consequences for Howard far beyond losing his reputation as a lawyer. I honestly believe that if this went down successfully, Howard would take his own life. Howard already took Chuck’s suicide very hard to the point he wasn’t sleeping at night. Losing his ability to practice law and the firm his father helped build would be the straw that broke the camels back. I have realized I lost a lot of respect for Kim after this episode. So what if Howard is narcissistic or a bit of an asshole, he really hasn’t hurt anyone or done anything that would remotely justify what Kim/Saul plan to do. The worst thing he has done is keep Kim in doc review and sorry but that doesn’t mean he deserves to have his life and career destroyed. It might be easier to buy into if it was someone like Hector Salamanca who is a tried and true scumbag but it’s not. The fact that Saul of all people is taken aback by what Kim is suggesting really shows how fucked up it is.

From Saul’s reaction I really think he is considering ending their marriage. It seemed like that was the direction he was heading even before Kim started talking about Howard. I think that what Saul/Jimmy always loved about Kim is that she was so different from him, Saul doesn’t want to love someone like him. The yin and the yang, that’s what Saul wants and needs. If that is where Saul was heading I think it was initially to keep Kim safe and from being corrupted by him. But after the Howard talk, he may be questioning whether Kim is already too far gone. Saul/Jimmy loves Kim but this was not the Kim he knew or fell in love with. I know for me it really bummed me out to see her acting and talking like this. I always said that I need to find a woman like Kim Wexler but I won’t be saying that after the finale.

If S6 is following Kim/Saul slowly putting their plan into place it is gonna be a tough season to watch. But something has to be done to take Kim out of the story before Breaking Bad as we know she isn’t in that show. Some fans think it’s possible Kim was with Saul in Breaking Bad helping call the shots from the background and that his Saul Goodman persona is an act. I think that would be ridiculous and really hope that isn’t the direction they go. So if Kim is not around in BrBa, something significant needs to happen to justify Saul’s actions and comments in BrBa. Kim being in jail is a possible explanation, esp if Saul has a part in it happening bc he doesn’t agree with doing that to Howard. Kim getting out of jail would also explain the guys tracking Gene and making him say his famous catchphrase. I would say this explanation is in the lead right now as everyone loves Rhea Seehorn and this would allow her to stick around and be in the Gene scenes. Kim leaving Saul for Howard would def explain Saul’s behaviour in BrBa and would be a massive twist to the story. Kim being killed by Lalo is one of the other leading theories but some fans think it’s unlikely due to Saul/Jimmy’s love for her as her death being his fault would crush him and the Saul persona. But when Chuck died, Jimmy basically pretended it didn’t happen and went deeper into his Saul persona. If Kim died, I could definitely see Jimmy going 100% into the Saul persona as a coping mechanism instead of being sad/crushed. Maybe not immediately but prob not long after.

S6 has a lot to accomplish for the Kim/Saul storylines. We need to see what happens to Kim to take her out of the story before Breaking Bad. “You two suck at peddling meth.” We need to see Saul become more knowledgeable and connected in the drug game. We need to see Saul’s office, commercials and all his fame come to life. Def lots of ground to cover in 1 season so I’m guessing this Howard storyline is a big part of what takes Kim out of the story.

Moving onto the cartel part of the show, that seems to be where the criticism of the finale is aimed as some fans think the assassination attempt on Lalo was too unbelievable and I can understand where that is coming from. Gus said these guys were highly skilled and the best in the business yet they were nowhere near that in their execution of the plan. As a huge fan of both shows, I am willing to give the BCS/BrBa team more suspension of disbelief than I would for others. Plus Lalo is a main character that is also highly skilled so he should be harder to kill than other people. Brilliant plan to leave the escape hatch open and then double back to kill the hit squad. Lalo got lucky right off the bat having his nephew standing in front of him or else he would have been dead with 1 shot. Nacho telling the guy on the phone Lalo had 7 men meant the squad was spread out to make sure everyone else was taken care of leaving only 2 or 3 to take out Lalo. Knowing they were taking out a Salamanca, I’m sure panic started to set in when they didn’t immediately kill him affecting their decision making like taking their time to crawl in the escape tunnel and not leaving a look out at the entrance. The “best in the business” also had stormtrooper aim. So like I said, I understand the criticism but it wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t suspend disbelief. This crew has more than earned that. I still enjoyed the sequence and was on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed seeing Lalo back at home in his element, almost made you forget what a scumbag he is. Lalo and Nacho had the makings of a great team, also enjoyed watching their connection grow despite knowing it would be destroyed eventually. Steven Bauer as Don Eladio is such a perfect casting choice, everything about him is exactly what I would expect from a cartel Don.

But they really wrote themselves into a corner with this failed assassination. Lalo now knows Gus is trying to kill him and that Nacho is working with Gus and will probably soon put the pieces together that Gus was the reason Saul escaped the robbery attempt in the desert. As we saw at the end, revenge will be on Lalo’s mind. But I see a few problems with that. In Breaking Bad, the Cousins stop their attack on Walt when Gus texts ‘Pollos’ to them so clearly they have some respect for him in BrBa and are not total enemies. An assassination attempt on a Salamanca would definitely put their relationship in hostile territory. Since the hit squad killed all of Lalo’s guys, you have to believe his first call will be to his cousins. Maybe we see Tortuga introduced in BCS and used as a scape goat. The writers will need to explain how Gus keeps the respect of the Salamancas. Another problem is who Lalo can take revenge on. Gus, Mike, Victor and Tyrus obviously can’t be killed. Saul can’t be killed. The only candidates that would mean something to the fans are Nacho, Nacho’s Dad and Kim. I did think of something that would hit home with the viewers and Gus. Somebody tells Lalo about the ‘Dedicado a Max’ village so Lalo kills everyone in it and destroys the fountain along with everything else. That would give Lalo a measure of revenge against Gus and really kick the Gus/Salamanca war up a notch.

Last big problem is that we are still 4 years away from getting to the Breaking Bad timeline. “It was Ignacio’s idea. Wait Lalo didn’t send you? No Lalo?” Saul clearly thinks it’s possible that Lalo is alive in BrBa so Lalo dying 4 years out doesn’t seem like it would work. Gus also tells Hector that the Salamanca name will die with him so Lalo can’t survive. There are some fans that think Lalo could secretly survive with Gus thinking Lalo is dead but I am not one of those. I think that would as ridiculous as Kim being with Saul during BrBa so Lalo has to die in S6. My theory about Saul’s line was that Nacho hatches a plan to kill Lalo but needs Saul’s help to do it. Nacho is not around in Breaking Bad so he leaves town to disappear after it happens but when Saul is kidnapped by Walt he thinks it failed and that Lalo killed Nacho and is coming back for him. This theory could still be possible although it’s def harder to pull off after the events of the S5 finale. That terminator walk Lalo had at the end was chilling, revenge is def on the menu for S6. If it was up to me, I would have Lalo wipe out that village as revenge on Gus since he knows he can’t get at him right away. I would have Nacho go M.I.A so Lalo can’t find him. As much as I want Nacho’s Dad to survive, we know he will never run and it would be a very impactful moment if he dies so I would have Lalo send the Cousins to kill Nacho’s Dad for revenge on Nacho. Then if Kim dying is the way they want to go, I’d have Lalo kill Kim as revenge on Saul. That would explain why Saul would go along as a main conspirator to kill Lalo. Lalo would go into hiding after his revenge plays.

That way they could use a time skip to catch up to the Breaking Bad timeline. During that time skip is when Jimmy would have mourned Kim, coming out of it as 100% Saul Goodman. Nacho finally tracks Lalo down close to the BrBa timeline and enlists Saul to help him get it done. This could still work even if they don’t kill Kim as Lalo would def need to hide after wiping out the village and killing Nacho’s Dad. Another possibility of Kim’s death is after successfully destroying Howards life/reputation, Howard finds out and kills Kim and then himself but that might be too morbid even for these shows. If they don’t kill Kim, I would bet on the destroy Howard plan to go full speed ahead with Saul turning her in to save herself and Howard. Pretty sure HHM is not around in BrBa so maybe it’s a success and then Kim gets caught but doesn’t turn on Jimmy. Whether it’s jail, death or something else, I can’t wait to see what they do.

I think a lot of fans were expecting some closure or definitive direction on these storylines like Nacho or Kim dying as opposed to just setting up the final season and that is where I think most of the disappointment in the finale comes from. I really enjoyed it bc I got exactly what I was expecting, I figured they were going to set up a mind- blowing final season and they absolutely did that. With only 13 episodes left, there isn’t much room for filler episodes so it should be one big episode after another. We are so blessed to have been able to continue in the Breaking Bad universe with Better Call Saul. Every season I am just blown away by the writing, directing, producing and acting performances. Bob Odenkirk. Rhea Seehorn. Jon Banks. Giancarlo Esposito. Tony Dalton. Michael McKean. Patrick Fabian. All have delivered incredible scenes that deserve awards attention. Better Call Saul has enhanced Breaking Bad as a show and makes it more enjoyable to re-watch to try and see all the connections. Can’t ask for much more from a prequel. But this show goes beyond a prequel and stands on its own as a great TV show. BrBa was driven by action and Holy Shit moments while BCS is driven by character yet both shows have a good mix of action/Holy Shit moments/character. I don’t know that anything will be more intense than Tuco kidnapping Walt/Jesse and meeting Hector with that damn bell lol but the Lalo/Kim/Saul confrontation is right up there. “Tell Me Again.”

So now we are looking at another brutal wait period for S6 especially with the COVID situation slowing things down but I am 100% confident it will be more than worth the wait. But this will be the last time we watch a finale and get to wait for new episodes since the next finale will be the end of the series. As sad as it is I choose to be grateful bc we could have easily seen the end of this ride in 2013. At the end of BCS we will have another 63 episodes to add to the BrBa story so you won’t be hearing complaints from me. S6 will also give us a conclusion to the Gene storyline, will def be interesting to see who is trying to track Saul down. Could be Kim, could be Nacho, could throw a big curveball and have it be Jesse. The Gene scenes have been really interesting/intense, def one of the highlites of the show and there are only 5 of em. Can’t wait to see where it all goes but I don’t want it to end. The S5 finale set up an epic final season so it will prob take until the end of the series for everyone to truly appreciate it. The expectations are sky high so the pressure is turned up big time but if anyone can handle it, it’s the BrBa/BCS crew. And when it’s all over, I can almost guarantee we’ll all be saying the same thing, Tell Us Again.