Better Call Saul fans are highlighting a “genius” callback featured in the final ever episode.
On Monday (15 August), the Breaking Bad spin-off drew to a close after six seasons, with the episode arriving in the UK the following day.
The series finale has been widely acclaimed, with The Independent’s Louis Chilton calling it, in his five-star review, “a subdued but cathartic finale with a powerhouse performance from Bob Odenkirk”.
In the finale, Michael McKean, who starred in Better Call Saul’s first three seasons as Chuck McGill, the brother of Odenkirk’s Jimmy, returned in a flashback – however, a pivotal episode for the character was referenced in an earlier scene.
The episode in question was season three, episode five, “Chicanery”, which is considered one of the best in the entire series. It follows Jimmy’s bar hearing, in which Chuck gives testimony against his brother.
During Jimmy’s cross-examination of Chuck, it’s revealed that he had Huell plant a fully charged battery in his pocket, proving that Chuck was fabricating the effects of his Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).
It’s this revelation that leads to Chuck delivering a rant exposing his true feelings about Jimmy, and the episode memorably ends with a shot of the neon exit sign in the courtroom.
In the finale, when Jimmy confesses to his crimes, exonerating Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) in the process, he mentions Chuck – at which point the camera cuts to a similar neon sign in the courtroom.
“Loved the sound of the neon light buzzing when Jimmy mentions Chuck in the courtroom,” one viewer wrote, with another adding: “The hum from the neon EXIT sign in the court room when they started talking about Chuck… genius.”
Someone else concluded: “That cut on neon exit sign when Chuck's name is mentioned in court is why I love Better Call Saul. Farewell dear. You were peak american television.”
The Better Call Saul finale was written and directed by showrunner Peter Gould. Find out how the series ended here.
