AMC’s “Better Call Saul” ends its season Monday night at 10 after a short eight-episode inaugural campaign.
The “Breaking Bad” prequel, which follows ethically challenged lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) — who eventually morphs into Saul Goodman — began slowly but has picked up steam in the past few episodes. (The series was renewed for a second season before its Feb. 8 premiere.)
Here are a few questions we’d like to see addressed in Monday night’s season finale — since it will likely be close to a year until “Better Call Saul” returns for Season 2.
Will we see ‘Slippin’ Jimmy’ McGill transform into Saul Goodman?
So far, the future Saul Goodman is still known by his real name, Jimmy “Slippin’ Jimmy” McGill, who earned his nickname as a kid staging fake falls and hitting up unwitting dupes for cash payouts. The only (sort-of) allusion to Jimmy’s future alter-ego — notwithstanding the show’s title — was in the “Better Call Saul” opener, which flashed forward to the lawyer’s post-“Breaking Bad” life as “Gene,” the bushy-mustached manager of a Cinnabon in Omaha following the carnage he left behind in Albuquerque.
Is Jimmy’s relationship with his brilliant but troubled brother Chuck (Michael McKean) really kaput?
In last week’s penultimate episode, Jimmy swore off Chuck — a powerful attorney who lives as a shut-in due to his phobia of electromagnetic fields. Jimmy’s fury came after discovering that Chuck persuaded corporate law partner Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) not to hire Jimmy after Jimmy (reluctantly) brought Hamlin a huge case potentially worth millions. And, as Jimmy discovered, it wasn’t the first time that Chuck went behind his back.
And, if Jimmy really does sever his ties to Chuck, what does this mean to his brother — whose only lifeline to the world outside his darkened, cluttered house is Jimmy?
Will we see Tuco (Raymond Cruz) again?
The second episode of “Better Call Saul” re-introduced us to murderous drug kingpin Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz), who met his end in “Breaking Bad” when he was gunned down by DEA agent Hank Schrader (Dean Norris).
So far, in the world of “Better Call Saul,” Tuco has made quite an impression on Jimmy — nearly killing him and his two dumbass cohorts after one of Jimmy’s shyster stunts went awry.
Since then, Tuco has been out of the picture — supplanted by one of his enterprising lieutenants, “Nacho” Varga (Michael Mando), who’s interacted with (and mostly menaced) Jimmy.
Will we see more of Mike Ehrmantraut’s (Jonathan Banks) evolution?
Saul Goodman’s irascible fixer in “Breaking Bad” met a grisly end on that show when he was killed by Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who regretted his decision.
But “Better Call Saul” is a prequel, so Mike is alive and well in Jimmy McGill’s universe. We first meet Mike as a dour parking-lot attendant harassing Jimmy.
Since then, we’ve learned a lot more about Mike’s back story — including the fact that he was a crooked Philadelphia cop who avenged his cop son’s murder before fleeing for sunny Albuquerque.
And that he’s one tough hombre.