Let Lalo Salamanca give you some tips on making the perfect taco.
Two lines of dialogue from Breaking Bad mention Lalo and Nacho, who are never mentioned again and never appear in the series, but later become major characters in Better Call Saul; the charming and extremely lethal Lalo Salamanca, and soulful and tragic Nacho Varga.
Amazing how only a few seconds of context in Breaking Bad gave us 2 of the best characters in Better Call Saul pic.twitter.com/Gi4aIeGx5i
Better Call Saul wrapped up last night, bringing to an end 14 years, 11 seasons, 125 episodes, and one movie (El Camino) for the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe (and we've seen it all). Unlike Breaking Bad's blood soaked finale, Better Call Saul ended without violence, though with much drama and many twists. In this final go-round, we had the return of so many characters (most now dead) - Walter White, Mike Ehrmantraut, Chuck McGill, Marie Schrader - but it never felt forced. Well done. Amazing work by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould in bringing this world into existence and with the consistent attention to the minute details of setting, scene, story, and characters that sustained it for so long. And by Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy/Saul/Gene. Who would have thought the slimy, comic relief character from BB could have shouldered an entire series as a compelling character?
Last night was the 9th episode of the final season of Better Call Saul. Four more shows left.
Unlike the violence of the past two episodes, the show was quieter, but the consequences for those left standing after 7 and 8 were made clear. For all the clever plotting, distinctive cinematography, and violence, both Better Call Saul and its predecessor are fundamentally about the choices one makes and the ultimate moral accountability and responsibility for the results.
Mike Ehrmantraut paid a visit to Nacho's father. Nacho sacrificed himself to save his dad from the cartel and, in the process, gained the respect of the often cynical and detached Mike. Ehrmantraut felt an obligation to Nacho's dad, in part, because Mike thought he had something in common with the father. When they met, symbolically separated by a chain link fence, and Mike told of his son's death and that it would be avenged and justice served, Nacho's dad scoffed at him, rejecting the notion of "gangster" judgment and his attempt at consolation, a blow to what little was left of Mike's own sense of honor and self-respect.
Having killed the lethal and incredibly charismatic Lalo Salamanca, Gustavo Fring is at his favorite restaurant, enjoying a superb wine at the bar, when a younger man from the restaurant (it's never made clear if he is the sommelier, maitre'd, or some other staff) who knows Gus, engages with him in a relaxed and spirited conversation about wine. It's the first fully human moment we've ever seen from Gus, after so many years on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Gus is on the verge of inviting the young man to his home when he's called away momentarily. We see Gus composing himself, retreating into his armor, determined not to be tempted into anything that will deter him from the terrible vengeance he seeks against those who did he and his partner wrong years before. He leaves before the restaurant guy returns. Gus is back to being utterly alone with his utterly disciplined life, a path leading to his literal destruction in Breaking Bad.
And then we come to Kim Wexler and Jimmy McGill. The consequences of the "fun" they were having with Howard (who became a much more sympathetic character this year), resulted in Howard's murder, the destruction of his reputation, a terrifying encounter with Lalo, and Kim's willingness to kill someone she did not know in order to save Jimmy. It's all too much to bear for Kim, who leaves Jimmy. As the final scene makes clear, Jimmy now finally disappears and Saul Goodman is there permanently.
Where do we go from here? I suspect we will see more of Gene Takavic, the identity Saul adopted after fleeing Albuquerque at the end of Breaking Bad, to become an Assistant Manager at a Cinnabon in an Omaha mall. What role will the mysterious taxi driver play? Is Kim Wexler gone forever or will we see her again? Will the Better Call Saul team stick the landing at the end? I wouldn't bet against them. It is remarkable how, starting from a flimsy premise centered on the most clownish character in the Breaking Bad universe, Better Call Saul created a world with complex characters we care about, even as we are often horrified at the same time.
That Ignacio (Nacho) Varga would not make it to the end of Better Call Saul was clear. But it was very hard to see him go tonight. Unlike most of the characters in the series, as well as in its predecessor Breaking Bad, who devolve morally, Nacho tried to find the better path, though he was repeatedly thwarted. The deal he struck with Gus Fring allowed his father to remain safe but at the cost of Nacho's life, though in a final twist he went out in his own way.
Michael Mando, with his expressive eyes, was simply wonderful in the role of Nacho.
As with most of Better Call Saul, I felt I hardly drew a breath during the episode and it is only going to get more stressful in the last ten episodes of the series, particularly as we await the reemergence of Lalo Salamanca. There will be more wrenching scenes.
It remains the most creatively filmed series on TV, with its unique look and cinematography. The Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe is a magnificent achievement. I've sung its praises before (most recently in Never Was There More Woe) and will certainly do so again.
In the prologue Shakespeare ensured we learn that Romeo and Juliet have died. Seeing how they arrive at that fate makes for tragedy. Tonight is episode 3 in Season 5 of Better Call Saul. Having watched Breaking Bad we know the fate that awaits Jimmy McGill (aka Saul Goodman, aka Gene Takavic) and Mike Ehrmantraut but the knowing enhances the sense of tragedy surrounding the series. It's entirely fitting that in a recent articleMichael Brendan Dougherty concludes, "Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad prequel is the most heartbreaking drama ever to appear on TV."
This is the penultimate season of the show. We've seen Mike (Jonathan Banks), a corrupt Philadelphia cop seek redemption for the death of his son by moving to Albuquerque and supporting his daughter in law and granddaughter but in doing so he's become deeply emeshed in criminal and increasingly violent activities at the direction of fast-food chicken franchise owner and meth kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), also a lead character in Breaking Bad.
Meanwhile small-time con man Jimmy has tried going straight, or as straight as he can, as a lawyer though being thwarted at every turn by his own stray instincts and his brother Chuck (brilliantly played by Michael McKean - David St Hubbins in Spinal Tap) a highly respected lawyer in one of the largest local firms.
While we know the fate of Mike and Jimmy, we don't know Jimmy's final fate as know from a series of flash-forward's to Jimmy's post Breaking Bad life as Gene Takavic, assistant manager of a Cinnabon in a Omaha mall, fearing every moment that someone will discover his real identity.
What we don't know are the fates of two new characters that we've grown to care deeply about. Nacho Varga (Michael Mando) involved in the meth trade is an associate of Mike's and Gus Fring. Yet he dislikes the business and is desperately trying to protect his father, who condemns what his son does but has been placed in danger because of it. Nacho has an air of sadness and fatality about him. And he does not appear in Breaking Bad.
Nor does Kim Wexler (the great Rhea Seehorn), Jimmy's fellow lawyer, friend, roommate, and kind of girlfriend. She's the one person whose approval Jimmy values, at least at times. She is also from the same kind of hardscrabble background but is more dedicated to the pursuit of the law and following the rules. Every follower of the series prays nothing bad happens to Kim but we all know something happens to prevent her from appearing in Breaking Bad. Daughtery tells us, "Showrunners report getting agonized letters and messages from fans
pleading with them not to hurt her or bring her to an awful end".
The pace of Better Call Saul is slower and more methodical than Breaking Bad. It takes it's time getting where it is going because the accumulation of detail is so important. It's also because:
Vince Gilligan, the creator of the televisual worlds of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul,
has an unusual talent: he is brilliant at showing us work. What does it
feel like to test fast-food sauce recipes, to push a mail cart around
an office, to make a cement walkway, or to highlight relevant items in a
laborious legal discovery process? What does it look like to cook up
meth? In his hands, the work of men and women becomes weirdly gripping.
The law plays an important role in Better Come Saul. For both Chuck McGill and Kim Wexler it provides structure and rules for lives that might have otherwise become chaotic. In contrast, Jimmy McGill finds himself unable to abide by those constraints. Tragedy lies ahead.
That Ignacio (Nacho) Varga would not make it to the end of Better Call Saul was clear. But it was very hard to see him go tonight. Unlike most of the characters in the series, as well as in its predecessor Breaking Bad, who devolve morally, Nacho tried to find the better path, though he was repeatedly thwarted. The deal he struck with Gus Fring allowed his father to remain safe but at the cost of Nacho's life, though in a final twist he went out in his own way.