Better Call Saul ending explained: Jimmy McGill’s 86-year prison sentence

At the conclusion of Better Call Saul, Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman, accepts responsibility for his role in Walter White's operation and all of his transgressions. The series' final episode is titled "Saul Gone." Jimmy confesses in court, gives up his identity as Saul Goodman, and receives an 86-year prison sentence.

This is a sudden break from the manipulation over decades to honesty, giving a closure to a character whose life has always been about self-preservation versus morality. While the official ending is precise, what follows after is intentionally open to interpretation.

All the readings prophesize that Jimmy will spend the rest of his life in prison and essentially die inside, but the series does not place the latter years visually before us. Rather, the series finale is about responsibility, identity, and redemption, and remains open for interpretation.

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Jimmy's journey in Better Call Saul

From the beginning of Better Call Saul, Jimmy McGill struggles to become a lawyer and fights his desire to control the law. The audience watches him change into Saul Goodman over the course of six seasons, a man who is all about gaudy clothes, slick speech, and the power to influence the law. This transformation serves to make him successful in the world of crime, but keeps him from being himself.

At the end, the series peels away the facade of Saul Goodman. All that is left is Jimmy McGill, the man behind the man, literally confronted with the consequences of decisions made during both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.

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The turning point: Jimmy's confession

The most compelling scene in the finale is in court. Initially, it seems like Jimmy is going to repeat the Saul Goodman act again, attempting to get a reduced sentence by providing information. This is an imitation of his deeply ingrained tradition of manipulation.

But with Kim Wexler by his side, Jimmy does the opposite. Rather than deflecting blame from himself, he takes credit for his wrongdoing in the open, from his involvement in Walter White to his indirect culpability for Howard Hamlin's death. Above all, he clears Kim of any legal guilt. This is the complete dissolution of Saul Goodman and the return of Jimmy McGill.

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The sentence: 86 years in prison

Jimmy receives an 86-year sentence, a sentence on paper that would appear to be where he is never allowed to leave prison again. To most, it is a life sentence. The series does not, however, explicitly tell what happens to him outside the prison.

Certain truths have been presented by some analyses, including Screenrant, that Jimmy will perish in prison. Others point out that technically speaking, his fate is left open in the show, with more emphasis on the symbolism of his finding guilt. The open-endedness allows the audience to decide whether or not this is a bleak or a redemptive ending.

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Kim Wexler's role in the ending

Kim Wexler is also central to breaking down the Better Call Saul finale. She has previously admitted to having killed Howard Hamlin, demonstrating her ability to tell the truth for Jimmy. Being in court during the season finale helps his decision to come clean.

The last photo of Kim visiting Jimmy in prison, where the two of them sit in quiet together smoking a cigarette, is a reference to some of the other vignettes throughout their relationship. It's a symbol of reconciliation and of each other. But the show doesn't tell us if she'll keep visiting him or if it was a one-time closure and leaving their future ambiguous.

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Symbolism and themes

The series conclusion of Better Call Saul is full of symbolism. The black-and-white photography employed for the "Gene Takavic" storyline highlights the vanishing of Saul's colorful, melodramatic world. Jimmy brings reality tones back to his narrative when he confesses.

Thematically, Walter White and Jimmy are contrasted at the climax. Jimmy takes the opportunity to apologize before it is too late, while Walter only justified his act until the last moment. Walter's conclusion was violent and absolute, while Jimmy's is dreary, open-ended, and based on moral responsibility.

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Redemption or punishment?

Audiences and critics are still split on how to interpret the Better Call Saul series finale. Some see it as pessimistic: Jimmy squanders the remainder of his life in prison, his judicial talent wasted. Others characterize it as optimistic: Jimmy takes back his true name, makes up with Kim, and earns respect for honesty.

Showrunners themselves have reported that the finale was written to achieve a balance between redemption and punishment. Jimmy is punished, of course, but he also leaves the series as he, not as Saul Goodman, but as Jimmy McGill.

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The conclusion of the Better Call Saul series is not a con or break show but an accountability show. Jimmy McGill comes clean, gets 86 years in prison, and embraces the life he has chosen. Whether people find that tragic or reemptive depends on how they view the symbolism.

By ending on the peaceful cigarette moment with Kim, the series provides closure without explaining too much. The uncertainty of Jimmy's final fate, whether he spends his days in jail or achieves some semblance of peace, is what holds the finale together. Better Call Saul ends on responsibility, identity, and moral resolution, where the story of a man who finally quit running comes full circle.

Also read: Better Call Saul: “What the hell is the show?” Showrunners admit how lost they were at first and what finally clicked