How would you have ended it? BB ended with wicked Walter finally admitting that he liked crime. El Camino ended with untamed Jesse dropped off into the last frontier. BCS ends with Jimmy coming clean and getting tucked away into the cooler for the rest of his life.
Why on earth do we sense that this is a happy ending?
The prisoners respect him and making bread in a sensory-deprived kitchen is not much different than working at Cinnabon (although BCS always took pains to make those damn morsels look delicious). If we're to figure out why Jimmy finds himself at peace enough to fire the double finger pistols at Kim at the end, we'll need to roll this material around in our brains for a long time. At least I will.
But that's why fans of this show are so loyal. We got thanked multiple times at the end. You're welcome.
Compared to Saul's colorful wardrobe and his bachelor pad, the final four b&w episodes of BCS give us more madcap crime procedure interspersed with grim scenes of Kim and Gene's stagnation after Albuquerque. Notice that when Kim and Jimmy share a final cigarette at the end, the flame is in color.
After setting the public record straight as to what happened to Howard, Kim feels better enough to get back to practicing law. Jimmy's squandering of his sweetheart plea bargain similarly releases something as well.
But what exactly? I'm still thinking about it.
When he had his wardrobe and henchmen, he was a villain the likes of Batman would take on. Taking abuse from his brother gave him a split personality. The fact that Kim made so many plans often leaving Jimmy high and dry, at least in his eyes, made him a frustrated lover.
Was Saul actually ready to feed a pack of lies about Kim and Howard to the prosecutor? Or was it actually Jimmy making sure Kim would show up to his arraignment?
The three Time Machine segments (Mike, Walter, and Chuck) seem to show Jimmy's utter cupidity, but we've seen him with a heart (even tears) and know better. Walter tells us these segments are actually about regrets, with Jimmy having no regrets except that he didn't make enough money. Does that really make any sense?
BB and BCS are complex tales about crime in America. We learned a lot from them.
Those rare television shows that actually make history for how deeply they move us deserve finales with surprises and lots to think about. I'm very satisfied that Saul remains a puzzle, but seems to find peace. Like Walter, he stops blaming others for his degenerate criminality. He lived to champion the streets where once treasured items turn quickly into trash. Saul was arrested in a garbage dump, but also built the Sandpiper case there.
Crime may not pay after all. But for some, what a ride!
Why on earth do we sense that this is a happy ending?
The prisoners respect him and making bread in a sensory-deprived kitchen is not much different than working at Cinnabon (although BCS always took pains to make those damn morsels look delicious). If we're to figure out why Jimmy finds himself at peace enough to fire the double finger pistols at Kim at the end, we'll need to roll this material around in our brains for a long time. At least I will.
But that's why fans of this show are so loyal. We got thanked multiple times at the end. You're welcome.
Compared to Saul's colorful wardrobe and his bachelor pad, the final four b&w episodes of BCS give us more madcap crime procedure interspersed with grim scenes of Kim and Gene's stagnation after Albuquerque. Notice that when Kim and Jimmy share a final cigarette at the end, the flame is in color.
After setting the public record straight as to what happened to Howard, Kim feels better enough to get back to practicing law. Jimmy's squandering of his sweetheart plea bargain similarly releases something as well.
But what exactly? I'm still thinking about it.
When he had his wardrobe and henchmen, he was a villain the likes of Batman would take on. Taking abuse from his brother gave him a split personality. The fact that Kim made so many plans often leaving Jimmy high and dry, at least in his eyes, made him a frustrated lover.
Was Saul actually ready to feed a pack of lies about Kim and Howard to the prosecutor? Or was it actually Jimmy making sure Kim would show up to his arraignment?
The three Time Machine segments (Mike, Walter, and Chuck) seem to show Jimmy's utter cupidity, but we've seen him with a heart (even tears) and know better. Walter tells us these segments are actually about regrets, with Jimmy having no regrets except that he didn't make enough money. Does that really make any sense?
BB and BCS are complex tales about crime in America. We learned a lot from them.
Those rare television shows that actually make history for how deeply they move us deserve finales with surprises and lots to think about. I'm very satisfied that Saul remains a puzzle, but seems to find peace. Like Walter, he stops blaming others for his degenerate criminality. He lived to champion the streets where once treasured items turn quickly into trash. Saul was arrested in a garbage dump, but also built the Sandpiper case there.
Crime may not pay after all. But for some, what a ride!