Better Call Saul stars, creators preview 'gut-wrenching' and 'surprising' finale

You've seen the end of Jimmy and Kim. You've also seen the end of Nacho, Howard, and Lalo. And at the end of last week's Better Call Saul episode, you saw Marion alert the authorities (at Life Alert) that Gene Takovic is actually Saul Goodman, which sent him scurrying away.

In fact, the only thing that you haven't seen is the final installment of Better Call Saul. The end. On Monday night, that will be rectified. But before the big, ominous finale arrives, you're probably wondering: How will the fate of Jimmy/Saul/Gene (Bob Odenkirk) be resolved? What's next for Kim (Rhea Seehorn), who has confessed all to the DA?

We could advise to expect the unexpected, which would be expected from this unexpected Breaking Bad prequel. But more specifically, it seems that the question of justice (in the karmic sense and beyond) will hang over a few of the show's deeply flawed characters. Seehorn invokes the words of showrunner Peter Gould. "He said, 'We just keep asking ourselves, 'Somebody like Saul Goodman, who is now also Jimmy McGill, who is also Gene, what does he deserve?'" she says. "And deserve encompasses the moral, the ethical, and the legal. And what do these other characters deserve? That's not as easy to answer about Kim as it used to be. So I do think it's gut-wrenching. It's certainly poignant."

Greg Lewis/AMC Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn on 'Better Call Saul'

Gould says he is "at peace" with the creative choices he and the writers have made to tie up this six-season story. "I'm feeling confident that what we're doing is completely true to the show," he notes. "It's true to the characters. It's surprising. And emotional. That's how it looks to me. How it's going to look to the rest of the world is a big question mark." (But again, he calls it "really pretty terrific.")

Speaking of question marks, Seehorn feels that while you will receive a definitive ending, the story may live on in your head. "There is some kind of question mark at the end, but there is closure," she says. "It asks people to have discussions amongst themselves. There's no cheats. There's no like, 'Oh, I never guessed it was X because you didn't bother to show me that option.' It is deeply thought out, and hopefully deeply felt when watched."

"Buckle your seatbelts," is co-creator Vince Gilligan's short but probably wise advice. And the word he uses to describe the finale? "Earned."

"Grounded" is one word that Odenkirk uses to describe this final act. "I love where Peter took it," says the actor. "Peter doesn't have any kind of get-outta-jail-free, get-out-meaning-free card, because the meaning is whatever you think it is. Which is cool. Peter doesn't cheat at all…. This ending is really great. I think very satisfying. I could see that [Peter] wanted to do a very grounded ending that really dug right into the core of what the show is about and what the character's experience has been. The pieces are all there — and I think it's very satisfying."

The final verdict for Jimmy — and the entire show — awaits. The supersized Better Call Saul finale airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

Related content:

• Better Call Saul producer breaks down 'Breaking Bad' episode, Kim's mystery

• Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk on the Jimmy-Kim aftermath: He's like, 'F--- this world'

• Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn breaks down Kim's devastating decision(s)

• Better Call Saul star Tony Dalton on Lalo's fate

• Michael Mando goes deep on Nacho's fate on Better Call Saul