Ed-

This sounds very realistic within the universe. Not sure if you are aware aware of this unused alternate ending, but it is an interesting titbit.

I agree, for the most part. Where I deviate is I think of Saul as a player, even a bit naive at times, who might evaluate every possibility. What if he gets bored, wants to escape to actual Belize or something, and also a remote opportunity to escape prison presents itself (maybe a weird law loophole)? It is very improbable, but the open-ended nature of the series allows just a bit of leeway to think there are more possibilities than just one. Saul did make a big irrational decision (for his character) largely because it was about Kim. I postulate "he'll never change"™ even in prison, and that the prison is simply a gigantic brake on his recklessness.

I think the chain is like this: 1. Saul scams his way and gets only 7 years. He wants to leave it at that, but he learns Kim is around town trying to get herself locked up (basically). 2. Saul manages to get Kim to show up to the trial by mentioning something important about her on the plane 3. In Saul's mind, the only chance to win Kim back is to "confess" at a cost of greatly increasing his sentence (quotation marks because nothing is really genuine with Saul). He goes ahead with it. 4. This is where I think Kim becomes aware that it is about her and what Saul thinks her expectation of him must be (compare with how Jimmy used to help Chuck), and as a bonus, this likely helps her stay out of trouble herself 5. In Saul's mind, the scam works, Kim even visits him in prison, and he still hopes to get out by mentioning he can maybe get out on good behavior. We know with that kind of confession it is very unlikely. It can be said that it is his love for Kim that prevents further crimes and victims; if it wasn't for her he'd be out in 7 or less and back to his old ways.

Yeah, I am not buying that Saul is gone. "But with good behavior, who knows?" was not said by Jimmy. Prison is the only way Kim can be safe from Saul and from herself. I am not a doctor but I think they both have something like ASPD. The flashbacks with Mike, Walter and Chuck were pretty uncomfortable.

Last scene prediction: Jimmy in Belize

Some random notes: Miracle Whip vs Mayo conversation and "what do you think?" similar to a conversation between Kim and Saul discussing a con in one of the earlier episodes. Also, Miracle Whip is probably something Saul would choose. Anyone expected the falling pillar in Saul's office to be destroyed to pieces, only to be disappointed it's made of styrofoam or equivalent? At this point I consider the earlier Jeff played by another actor as Gene's imagination playing tricks on him making Jeff appear more mean, big and dangerous than he turned out to be I believe Saul has learned a lot from everyone who is dead by now, he is at the top of the game, but still feels attached to Kim. And the only way he will probably see Kim once more again is if he is reckless and gets caught. I believe taking risks now is an emotional decision. Saul has had more opportunities to quit the game than likely anyone else. He feels invincible, and maybe is subconsciously curious about testing the limits. But I think what is very real and conscious is that Saul, upon being reminded by the cancer man of mortality, doesn't want to go out quite so peacefully. Kim still acknowledging that Saul is dangerous for her and everyone else, but also acknowledging that he is the best at his thing (in one word, it would probably be lying), in contrast with ordinary people ("he was good when I knew him", "I am glad you are alive").

Better Call Bill (Oakley) 😉 No, but I would watch a law show with a similar level of cinematography.

FWIW, to me, the bottle cap sounded like it had been resealed.

I didn't think about that at first, but is it possible Marion stumbles upon one of Saul's ads first? "Hey, come check this out. This guy looks just like you, without the mustache!" -- "Well, what do you know? He kind of looks like me!" or "You got me!". Technically though, the show has had a heavy emphasis on VHS tapes and such from this period, so not sure if it makes sense that some of them got digitized and went viral or something.

BB spoiler Now Gene goes after the cancer guy, also ignoring advice [i.e. to skip him, since they have enough cash]. Gene feeling invincible will likely lead to his downfall. Marion can now google around and find out about Saul Goodman. A confrontation of Marion with Gene coming? Does Marion have a gun? (I hope the writers won't go for restoring the Gene timeline color with (anyone's) blood.)

Some comments from elsewhere indicated that Kim might have made Lalo overly suspicious of Howard by begging him to leave. I kind of agree, she could have made it look like Howard was their client who was about to leave. Also, it is a minor detail, but I think the idea that the soda can is the metaphor for the suppressor has not yet been mentioned here. After this, I would actually now like both the hidden gun in the superlab, and Kim first seeing the Disappearer's card, both to be red herrings. It really does not matter that much "who kills who" next unless Lalo survives to Gene timeline. I think Kim going to jail (to save Jimmy?) could still fit somewhat into the universe.

Jimmy and Kim essentially wasted their late 20s and 30s trying to become partners at HHM. IMO, their motivation to hate Howard and the system (Schweikart, Davis & Main, Mesa Verde, etc) is logical. Obviously, they are willing to go much further with their revenge than ordinary people. Agreed, well-said.

Great point. Maybe Howard explicitly thought, "What would Jimmy/Saul do to save the case?". Recall that the Sandpiper case had once been the one through which Jimmy expected to become a partner at HHM, which was denied primarily by Chuck, but Howard could have been less obstinate himself. I see the Sandpiper case at that time as the single biggest inflection point where Jimmy had a reasonable expectation of breaking the glass ceiling. Same goes for Kim. In another timeline, instead of Howard, it could have been Jimmy or Kim there in front of the clients, saving the day in a similar way.

The "I fight for you" line from Kim was quite chilling.

Yeah! I feel there might be a fundamental split coming with the two possibly arguing who is the "real lawyer", maybe Kim dismissing the whole Saul thing as a joke, while believing her cause is the real one. The wolf factor of Kim is sufficiently strong that I don't want to dismiss even the theory that Kim may join Lalo and become a big time cartel lawyer, although I would say this is quite further down my list of possibilities. (I am not seeing how it connects to her pro bono work.) Maybe Kim has been indeed attracted to Jimmy solely because Jimmy has so far been the "little guy" treated unfairly by the world. If Jimmy is now effectively a Saul-wolf (in reality more like a "functional sheep"), and if they succeed in destroying Howard's life in one way or another, the anticlimatic "what now?" question might cause them to de facto end their relationship. If they are very successful with a huge payday, we already know what Saul wants to spend that on, which is very likely not what Kim wants. If we go by her "more", maybe after Howard is gone (ousted?) she buys HHM outright and renames it?