Wait, Is Better Call Saul Done With The Jimmy Timeline Now?!

Better Call Saul season 6, episode 10 takes place exclusively in the Gene timeline. Is the Breaking Bad prequel officially a prequel no more?

Hang on, is Better Call Saul‘s Jimmy McGill prequel era completely over now? Better Call Saul season 6 has rocketed through the spinoff’s unanswered questions list at breakneck pace, killing off Nacho, resolving Sandpiper, killing off Howard, resolving Mike’s loyalty, killing off Lalo, and resolving the superlab. The last steps on the road to Breaking Bad were taken in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 9, where Kim, distraught over the Howard incident, broke up with Jimmy and left Albuquerque. A small time-skip followed, showing Jimmy McGill fully transformed into Saul Goodman.

Better Call Saul season 6, episode 10 focuses exclusively on the black-and-white Gene timeline set in the aftermath of Jimmy’s Breaking Bad departure. Traditionally, each Better Call Saul season opens with a Gene scene, but when season 6 broke that pattern, it seemed inevitable that the sequel timeline would dominate further down the line. “Nippy” confirms that theory, following Gene for an entire episode as he pulls a daring heist and blackmails Jeff into staying silent over Saul Goodman’s whereabouts. Judging from a teaser for episode 11, Better Call Saul season 6 will remain color-free for the foreseeable future.

Relaed: Everything Jimmy & Kim Destroyed In Better Call Saul

Does this mean Jimmy’s pre-Breaking Bad story is now officially over? Although Better Call Saul‘s “Fun & Games” time-skip lasted only a year (give or take), the leap completed Jimmy McGill’s origin story, answering every question and prepping every domino ready for Breaking Bad, even down to minor details like Saul Goodman’s “World’s Greatest Lawyer” mug. The past has nothing left to resolve and no questions to answer, giving Better Call Saul very little reason to resume its original timeline. All intrigue now lies with Gene Takavic, meaning the future is where Better Call Saul‘s final trio of episodes will largely conduct their business.

Why Better Call Saul Still Needs To Return To Its Main Timeline

Gene might play main protagonist from this point forward, but Better Call Saul must still revisit its original narrative sooner or later, picking up from the “Fun & Games” time-skip. The reason is simple: upcoming cameos from Walter White and Jesse Pinkman can only happen in the past. According to Bryan Cranston himself, Walt and Jesse will share a scene together in Better Call Saul season 6. Their joint appearance is only feasible during the events of Breaking Bad, meaning a dip back into Better Call Saul‘s “main” story is all but guaranteed.

Season 6 must build toward those eagerly-anticipated cameos and tie Walter White & Jesse Pinkman into wider events, which surely demands at least one more Saul Goodman adventure in full, crime-tinged technicolor. Cranston also mentioned a Jesse solo scene, which would prove tricky to integrate into Gene’s era. Saul Goodman must have some late 2000s surprises in store yet.

Why Better Call Saul’s Ending Should Be In Gene’s Timeline

While Better Call Saul needs one toe in the past for Walt and Jesse’s sake, the overall series should end in Gene’s timeline. The very nature of a prequel means audiences are already intimately familiar with how Better Call Saul‘s original timeline wraps up – Jimmy is forced to adopt a new identity, Gus gets his face blasted, and Mike is shot by Heisenberg. The Gene timeline is where Better Call Saul can tell its own story, crafting an ending that viewers haven’t watched before, and that resolves Jimmy McGill’s journey completely.

Related: What The Ring Gene Puts On Really Means

Ever since the spinoff premiered, Better Call Saul has been asking two huge questions: “how did Jimmy McGill become Saul Goodman?” and “what happened to Jimmy McGill after Breaking Bad?” The latter always made more sense as a Better Call Saul ending, and the Gene timeline was always expected to feature more heavily in the final episodes, giving Jimmy’s spinoff the definitive ending it deserves, similar to Jesse Pinkman with El Camino.

Better Call Saul also required viewers to understand Jimmy McGill’s downfall before learning his eventual fate. After their sad breakup in “Fun & Games,” most theories now point towards Gene and Kim reuniting in Better Call Saul‘s future, carving themselves some kind of happily ever after. That’s the kind of perfect closing note only Better Call Saul‘s Gene timeline can offer.

More: Why The Tape Stops In Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 10’s Intro

Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.

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