Minor spoilers ahead for the Better Call Saul series finaleBetter Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould debunks the idea that the series finale includes a hidden message. After six successful seasons, Better Call Saul ended with a satisfying and melancholy hour. Rather than the relatively action-packed finish of original series Breaking Bad, the spinoff took a more contemplative turn by bringing back three familiar faces to converse with Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy McGill.
The Better Call Saul finale begins, essentially, with Jimmy and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) in the desert. As part of this flashback, Jimmy asks Mike what he would do if he had a time machine. He repeats the question, in other flashbacks, to Walter White and seems to want to ask the same of his brother Chuck. For his part, Mike says that he would use the time machine to go back and avoid taking his first bribe. He adds that he would also like to go forward in time, maybe five or ten years, in order to check on the people he cares about. They go unnamed, but those people are almost certainly his daughter-in-law Stacey and his granddaughter. Another way of reading the line, however, is as a hidden message that Better Call Saul could return in another decade.
During an interview with THR‘, Gould was asked about the possibility that Mike’s line included any hints or hidden messages that Better Call Saul might return. Gould, who wrote and directed the finale, shot down that possibility. While he didn’t close the door entirely on the world he helped build, he confirmed that he was ready to try other projects. He said the same was true of fellow co-creator Vince Gilligan. Gould’s quote is included below.
Oh! Wow, there are so many hidden messages in the show. Look, if Vince or I or any of the folks who worked on the show had an idea that we were excited about, never say never. Vince and I both feel like we want and need to do something different and change things up. If we ever did come back to this universe, hopefully we bring a new set of ideas that would enrich it and give us something different. One of the things that I’m most proud of about Better Call Saul is that it’s not Breaking Bad. It’s its own animal and, as you pointed out, the ending is certainly very different from Breaking Bad or from El Camino. I wouldn’t want to do another chapter in this story without having it stand on its own two feet. So far we don’t have anything and I think we want to try other things, but as I said earlier, where there’s life there’s hope.
Gould gives a diplomatic answer, sounding genuinely open to the possibility of continuing the show while also acknowledging that it’s not likely to happen. Gilligan’s made similar comments about Breaking Bad’s future, ahead of his new upcoming show premiering. He spoke of the importance of knowing when to end a story and not simply continuing for the sake of it. The cast is moving forward as well, as Odenkirk is set to lead a new drama for AMC. Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gus Fring, will also star in a separate AMC drama The Driver in addition to several other projects.
It’s understandable that some fans would hope Better Call Saul makes a comeback. The series has proven itself to be one of the best dramas of all time, in terms of its acting and directing, and writing. It excels in so many aspects that the absence will most definitely be felt. But, at the same time, it pulled off a largely well-received ending which left the characters in the right place, and it’s hard to blame Gould, Gilligan, and their team for wanting to walk away on a high note.
