MOVIE NEWS – Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn explained why a scene from the series finale that many viewers missed was cut, even though it was filmed.

 

Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn has finally confirmed that a key finale scene was cut after controversy among fans of the show. In the series finale, it’s the scene in which Seehorn’s Kim Wexler leaves after visiting Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) in prison, who may have been sentenced to life in prison but is in relatively good spirits after confessing to his crimes and somewhat redeeming himself. He even does his signature finger tips at her, and though she looks at him longingly, Kim doesn’t return the gesture.

Now, after much controversy over the finger guns in the Better Call Saul finale, Seehorn revealed to Variety that they shot, but ended up cutting, the scene where Kim returns the finger gun gesture. In an interview before the SAG-AFTRA strike, which included Odenkirk, Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring), and series co-creator Peter Gould, Seehorn said he was saddened by the footage’s removal, but explained why it was the right decision. Read his comments below:

“At first I was sad [that it was removed] because I’m a hopeless romantic. But [exec producer] Peter [Gould] said, ‘we looked at it and it looked like Kim was back in the game instead of Kim saying that I’ll be there for you forever.” And I said yes, I don’t want that. It was the right decision.”

 

The creators of Better Call Saul made a good decision

 

Fingerguns have always been particularly significant to Better Call Saul, as a sort of feat of Jimmy Saul Goodman’s persona. But it takes on extra significance from the Better Call Saul Season 5 finale, in which Kim makes the gesture for Jimmy. In the scene, as Seehorn describes it, the moment indicates that she is fully supportive of Jimmy’s plans, which take place in the first half of Season 6, and in fact, she’s in the driving seat most of the time.

The series finale of Better Call Saul instead opened beautifully. Seehorn said he believes Kim will continue to visit Jimmy in prison, in addition to continuing his legal work and helping to reduce his sentence. Odenkirk, on the other hand, had a different take on the finale, feeling that their scene was “really a goodbye” for both of them. Fans of the Breaking Bad prequel series have similarly debated the intent of the final scene, with many arguing that the ambiguity is the intent of the series itself.

Even something as superficially simple as Kim making a gesture would have robbed Better Call Saul of the ambiguity that helped it thrive for many viewers. The celebrated Breaking Bad prequel series answered the big questions of the characters’ past and present fate, leaving the smaller questions for viewers to debate. The fact that the series is still popular a year after it ended is proof that ambiguity works.

Source: Variety