Better Call Saul reached its finale the same way the show started, with Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) sharing a smoke. Besides showing how their bond remains unbreakable after so many years, the scene also tells something about the main characters, with a small flash of color subtly dropped in Saul’s black and white words. Speaking with Variety, Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould and stars Odenkirk and Seehorn discuss that final scene, explaining why they used a single flash of color in the finale.
While initially developed as a prequel to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul actually takes place in different moments in time. Most of the series took place in the past, but we also got glimpses of Saul’s future after evading the police at the end of Breaking Bad. The series last season focused on this grim future when Saul is all alone and condemned to live in a gray world — literally, as the scenes that take place after Breaking Bad are entirely shot in black and white. Well, almost entirely, as we get to see some color pop out on some occasions.
As Gould reveals, the use of color in the future section of the series was planned right from the very beginning, with the first flash of color shown in the pilot episode. Similarly, the series ends up with the last flash of color that represents how Saul changed and how different things make him happy now. In Gould’s words:
“It [the use of color in the future] started out in the pilot of ‘Better Call Saul.’ Gene’s watching his old commercials and they’re reflected in color. The way I read that, that’s where his passion is, his nostalgia for the man he used to be. His nostalgia for Saul, not for Jimmy. It’s a callback and rubbing his face in it a little bit, when he’s seeing those reflections in Episode 12. In Episode 13, it’s different. I’m glad you spotted it, we made it very subtle, the color in the flame and cigarette. I wanted to make sure everyone was watching the wonderful performances by Bob and Rhea and not getting distracted by technical artifice. It’s more about, this is the one bit of color in his world, his relationship with Kim. He’s the one person who sees him as he is and as he was. Each use of color is a little bit different. It just felt right.”
While for most of his exile, Saul longed for his lost glory, in the finale, he decided to trade his freedom to ensure Kim would have the opportunity to live a normal life. With that choice, Saul puts his love for Kim above his love for money, power, and taking advantage of other people. As a result, Saul and Kim’s final encounter is one of the quietest and most emotionally charged moments of the entire series, bringing both characters’ journey to an end. Even so, to Odenkirk, the cigarette scene was the easiest one to shoot. As he puts it:
“It was the easiest scene we ever shot. It was a lot of feelings from six years of working with each other. It’s one of the few times where one of them isn’t trying to manipulate the moment, push some argument in some direction. There are moments where they’re watching a movie together and they’re very relaxed and comfortable. This was deeper than that. They’re two people who belong together, which is great for a long-term relationship.”
Although their final encounter is in prison after Saul gets an 86-year sentence, which indicates they can never be together, Seehorn also underlines how the cigarette scene defines the intensity of his relationship with Kim. Seehorns talks about that moment by pointing out how:
“They’re without artifice and armor, sort of maskless with each other, which is the best part of their relationship. Bob was very caretaking, steadying her hand. He tries to make her laugh a little bit, to make sure she knows it’s OK. It’s such an economic scene. Peter is so great not overwriting it: trusting us and the audience.”
To know more about Better Call Saul, check out our interview with star Odenkirk about Season 6 and the fate of Saul Goodman below: