What is the story line we've been focused on all season long? Saul and Lizzy. What story line still has to be resolved? Scratch and Lizzy. Burt's story is told. He has one final role to play: sacrifice his broken, tattered body to get saul and lizzy back together.

If we want to talk about storytelling then Burt dying is the only logical outcome to me. Scratch has to live to fulfill her story arc with pegs.