Better Call Saul and El Camino’s genius endings have more in common than both Jimmy McGill and Jesse Pinkman surviving the events of Breaking Bad.

James McGill (Bob Odenkirk), Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) from Better Call Saul and El Camino.

Better Call Saul successfully repeats El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie's bittersweet, non-fatal ending, and it's arguably even better than the finale of Breaking Bad. The end of Walter White's story marked the birth of a surprisingly expansive Breaking Bad universe. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Better Call Saul added satisfying context to multiple Breaking Bad characters from Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman and Jesse Pinkman to Mike Ehrmantraut and Gus Fring.

Jimmy and Jesse's stories also came to an end in their respective spinoffs, but the genius difference between their endings and Walter White's confirmed death in Breaking Bad is that their stories technically remain open-ended. Walt may have been the “one who knocks,” but ironically, it’s his door that remains forever closed. It's indicative of how irredeemable and villainous Walt truly was, and it's also the main reason why Better Call Saul had a better ending than Breaking Bad.