Better Call Saul ended Season 4 with Jimmy closer than he's ever been to going full Saul Goodman, so there's a question as to how that will play out in Season 5. Co-creator Peter Gould was kind enough to give some answers to inquisitive minds and added that those same questions are currently being asked in the writer's room:
It seems like Jimmy's first move is to try to leverage all the contacts he has in the world of selling drop phones. But don't forget, he also knows the vet, and the vet is sort of Craigslist for the underworld in Albuquerque. So he can get quite far. The question is: how does he establish a reputation as not just a criminal lawyer but a criminal lawyer? And what does that mean to him at this point? Because situations may require him to do things and turn a blind eye to things that Jimmy McGill would not be able to stomach.
Peter Gould's final statement really hits the nail on the head of what Season 5 may be about. Better Call Saul Season 4 featured Jimmy getting into more ethically questionable things than ever before, and while there was a flirtation with the criminal world, he wasn't quite fully evolved into the scumbag persona he showcases in Breaking Bad. Gould's statements to EW seem to indicate Jimmy's pushing further into that territory, and could be full Saul Goodman by season's end.
Peter Gould added that while part of Season 5's journey may involve Jimmy's evolution into a criminal lawyer, another part of it is how Kim will react to Jimmy's transformation. The Season 4 finale showed Kim moved to tears by her beau's passionate speech about his brother, only to be rattled after when Jimmy made it clear it was all lies. One can expect Kim might be further shocked by who Jimmy's becoming in Season 5.
Peter Gould was rather cryptic when it came to discussing Better Call Saul's end-game, perhaps because the AMC drama has not officially decided when its time will come to end. Gould discussed the show's longevity, and how he's hoping it will achieve an accomplishment that Breaking Bad achieved.
My dream would be that this is somewhere in the same universe of satisfaction as Breaking Bad was. I was so proud to be part of the way we ended Breaking Bad, and that was actually one of the fears of doing this show -- that we would tarnish that. Having said that, I think we are closer to the end than to the beginning.
The news Better Call Saul could be on its way towards the finish may be somewhat disappointing, but with a Breaking Bad film in development, fans of the franchise will have more to enjoy from Vince Gilligan's world for a little while longer. That said, Jimmy hasn't gone full Saul Goodman yet, and as long as there's still a time gap between that and the events of Breaking Bad, one can assume there will be more Better Call Saul.
Better Call Saul Season 5 is in development at AMC. For a look at what's coming to television before that premieres, head on over to our fall and midseason premiere guides.
