After two long years of waiting, “Better Call Saul” fans will finally see the triumphant return of the drama series as the sixth and final season kicks off tonight.
Some fans of the “Breaking Bad” prequel will have already re-watched the fifth season or the entire series in anticipation of the premiere. It would make sense, considering the season 5 finale aired in April 2020, which feels like a lifetime ago.
For anyone who doesn’t have that kind of time, there are a few key elements to remember before watching the first two episodes of season 6, which will both air back-to-back on AMC beginning at 9 p.m. Monday.
The official “Better Call Saul” YouTube channel published a 15-minute recap to catch everyone up on the most important events from Season 5. In it, fans watch as Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) explains to Kim Wexler why he’s taking on the Saul Goodman persona going forward. Ignacio “Nacho” Varga breaks the news to Jimmy/Saul that “When you’re in, you’re in” after the lawyer helped with a favor for the cartel. This is the beginning of a downward spiral that will end with Jimmy putting the “criminal” in criminal lawyer.
Later, Howard Hamlin of HHM insults Jimmy by offering him a job at the law firm his older brother Chuck helped found. Jimmy gives his response by lobbing a bowling ball at Howard’s Jaguar. Gus Fring saves Mike Ehrmantraut’s life and enlists him as a “soldier,” saying they both operate with the same goal in mind: revenge. In Fring’s case, he’s trying to get back at the Salamanca family, while maintaining the pretense of being business partners all working for the same drug cartel.
Kim and Jimmy seem like they’re going to break up following the debacle with Mesa Verde Bank and Everett Acker, but then they get married instead. Then Kim and Jimmy decide to hatch a plot to take down Howard with Kim taking the reins.
Nacho betrays Lalo at the behest of Fring in a coup at his hacienda. Lalo escapes, figures out it was Nacho who left the gate open to let the hitmen in, and walks away furious. The recap ends with a reminder about the flash-forward scenes to a post-“Breaking Bad” world where Saul is managing a Cinnabon in Omaha while hiding from his mortal enemies. But while there, someone recognizes him and makes him say the famous line, “Better call Saul.”
The final season of the award-winning drama is composed of 13 episodes split into 7 and 6, with the first half airing April-May and the second portion premiering in July. “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan is back to work on the final season alongside co-creator Peter Gould. During a recent panel discussion, Gould confirmed that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) will be making cameos in the final season.