Better Call Saul boss teases the big questions of the final season

Better Call Saul concluded its fifth season with an episode dotted with danger, looming and clear and present. Lalo (Tony Dalton) marched off angrily into the night after piecing together that Nacho (Michael Mando) had conspired with others to kill him, while Kim (Rhea Seehorn) not-so-jokingly proposed a plan to sabotage Howard (Patrick Fabian) to get that Sandpiper suit settled, much to the shock of Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk).

How much blood will be spilled in Lalo's revenge mission? Will Kim pull off her plan? Will context be coming soon for Saul's utterance of "Lalo didn't send you?" from Breaking Bad? What does the once-a-season-teased future hold for Gene Takovic? Co-creator/showrunner Peter Gould broke down the big moments of April's season 5 finale for EW over here, and now we share more of his big-picture hints for the sixth and final season of AMC's acclaimed Bad prequel. Gould is reluctant to share too much as the writers dig into those final 13 episodes, but he is willing to offer up a few clues — in the form of questions.

He directs you to ponder the fate of Gene, who was last seen trying to grab control of his sadsack, secreted-away fate by declaring "I'm going to fix it on my own" before terminating his distress call to the Disappearer (Robert Forster). “Anybody who watches the show carefully and is thinking about where this is all going, one of the questions you have to ask yourself is: ‘What does this man deserve?’" says Gould. "Not just: ‘What's going to happen to him?,’ but ‘What would be a deserving end to this? Does Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene Takovic deserve death? Does he deserve love? What would be the most fitting end for this guy — for the show?’ Obviously the end for everybody is death, but that may not be where we leave this guy. Is there any way for him to win any redemption after everything that he's done?”

And given that season 5 became the Season of Kim — Jimmy's ballast, his up-until-now better half — one of the show's final focuses will be on his sometimes literal partner in crime. Not to mention, what destiny — however doomed — awaits her. “The other big question is: ‘Where is Kim Wexler when Saul Goodman is Saul Goodman dealing with Walt [Bryan Cranston] and Jesse [Aaron Paul]?’" says Gould. "Where's Kim Wexler?”

Asked for a final cryptic tease for the final run, Gould nods to the item that Kim retrieved from her office on her way out the door of corporate law: “Keep your eye on the bottle stopper.”

Season 6 is slated to air next year, but with Hollywood's shutdown due to the global pandemic, that timing is still to be determined. During the long wait, read what Seehorn and Odenkirk had to say about that game-changing season 5 finale.

As it has every season, Better Call Saul will compete for the Outstanding Drama Series trophy at the Emmys, which will be held next month.

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• Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn breaks down Kim's stunning moves — and that final scene
• Better Call Saul star Tony Dalton on Lalo's revenge mission: 'It's time to die, bro'
• Go behind the scenes of Better Call Saul's iconic Albuquerque locations