Vince Gilligan is confident that once “Better Call Saul” comes to an end in 2021, fans will rate the finale better than “Breaking Bad”…
For every great television show made over the past two decades, the make or break moment for how it is remembered typically comes down to the series finale.
There are plenty of people still debating the merits of the end of “The Sopranos” and “Lost” while the vast majority have already ruled on divisive finishes such as “Game of Thrones” and “Dexter.”
Meanwhile there are a few shining examples of a show made even greater by its final episode. “The Shield” is a prime example and a second series that was seemingly flawless from beginning to end was “Breaking Bad.”
Now the creator behind that series believes his own finale might be topped by the prequel that will come to an end next year.
Vince Gilligan — the mastermind behind “Breaking Bad” and the co-creator of “Better Call Saul” — says that he’s confident that the prequel series starring Bob Odenkirk will not only stick the landing but it could very well surpass the original show from which it was spawned.
“Let me make a prediction right now, I’m going to say this because Peter [Gould] is too much of a gentleman and way too modest,” Gilligan said when speaking to the Hollywood Reporter. “I think this show is absolutely, under Peter’s leadership, going to stick the landing.
“It’s going to be awesome and the Hollywood Reporter and other wonderful journalistic outlets are going to be having articles about which one had the better ending, “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” and I bet you folks are going to say “Better Call Saul.”
Now that’s a mighty bold prediction coming from Gilligan, especially considering how meticulously he crafted the entire series of “Breaking Bad” from beginning to end. He even added an extra “finale” with the recent “Breaking Bad” movie titled “El Camino” and even that received rave reviews from critics and fans alike.
Judging by his comments, Gilligan believes that “Better Call Saul” will have an even more powerful ending, which is very interesting considering we already know how Saul Goodman’s story began on “Breaking Bad.” His first appearance was when he was hired to get Badger out of jail when he’s arrested selling blue meth. He later became Walter White and Jesse Pinkman’s consigliere, helping them launder money and find new buyers for their highly profitable meth business.
Considering the way Gilligan is teasing the ending of “Better Call Saul” it seems likely that the show will not only finish with Saul Goodman becoming Walter White and Jesse Pinkman’s attorney but we might also get some sort of conclusion about what happens to the character in the aftermath of “Breaking Bad.”
When that show ended, Saul Goodman was forced to go into hiding as Gene — the Cinnabon manager at a store in Nebraska — and over the course of four seasons on “Better Call Saul,” we’ve gotten a brief glimpse of what life has been like for him while hiding from law enforcement under an assumed identity. Perhaps the ending that Gilligan believes will leave viewers stunned and satisfied will feature Gene’s fate as much as witnessing Saul’s transformation from sleazy lawyer to corrupt underboss to a criminal organization.
We’ll know more as “Better Call Saul” season 5 debuts on February 23 with the final season coming in 2021.
