The black shoe is brought to the shore by the waves. ..
Howard’s wedding ring was found at the scene of his suicide, leading many to believe that he committed suicide because he was embarrassed after his office humiliation. ..
Jimmy is told by Lalo to take his car and kill a “black man, with short grey hair, wearing spectacles” with the gun in the glove box. Kim is supposed to stay with Lalo. Jimmy convinces Lalo to switch places. Instead, Kim takes the car and heads toward the address. Lalo ties up Jimmy and leaves soon after.
We see Kim make the trip out to Gus’ house. Mike and his men apprehend her, while Kim says she is there to kill a random man standing among Mike’s men. This is because she has never met Gustavo Fring or heard about him all these years. She does not recognize him and found the first man in Lalo’s description as her target. Mike immediately springs into action and takes the majority of the men with him to Jimmy’s apartment.
As they leave, though, we see an empty car standing in front of the laundromat. Lalo has tricked Mike into leaving Gus vulnerable. He jumps in through the vent of the exhaust fan from the laundry. Gus, after having a call with Kim, decodes to investigate for himself. As he does, he notices the fan has stopped moving and the scene looked disturbed.
Lalo shoots his four men and then has an elaborate confrontation with Gus. At gunpoint, Lalo takes Gus around his newly built facility, something he has kept a secret from Eladio and others. Lalo records as they trudge towards the basement. Now here, it is important to go back to episode five, when near the end, we saw Gustavo place a gun in the crevices of the machine’s wheelbase. You know what is coming!
Mike and his men secure the perimeter around Jimmy’s house. They come inside and find him tied. Mike estimates Lalo has already reached Gus’ house and has the advantage. From then on in, it is all a Gustavo show.
He tries to distract Lalo with his “final words” for Eladio and the Salamancas. Lalo watches the clock closely as he tracks Mike’s arrival at the laundry. Gustavo spots the plug to the electricity down there on his left, swiftly steps on it, and jumps toward the gun. He is able to shoot Lalo in the throat and watches him die.
It is a cold moment when the last of life exhausts from his body. Mike reaches with his men; Jimmy is reunited with Kim at their house; Gustavo calls in ill to work and asks Lyle to watch the restaurant for a week; and Howard and Lalo are buried together in Gus’ warehouse by Mike and his men.
The Episode Review
When Igancio had to go, despite doing his job and doing so selflessly, I mentioned how there was an atmosphere of mourning. He was indeed one of the good guys and his death was unfair in the show’s cinematic universe.
In the last episode, Howard was unceremoniously written off. We didn’t get a chance to bid him adieu properly. In this episode, though, the tone was somewhat similar. There was genuine sympathy towards him, especially by Mike.
Jimmy and Kim should have avoided going after their old friend, who had fallen on hard times. His peers would have seen him as a drug addict who took his own life because of the severe humiliation he experienced. Life is not always fair. ..
The confrontation between Lalo and Gus was the main event here and that certainly didn’t disappoint. You would have expected a more glorious dramatization but Gilligan’s practicality upheld the characters’ attitude and intelligence. It was fitting that despite their financial muscle and criminal streak, it was a duel that brought an end to things. ..
Lalo has been removed from the show. He was a formidable presence, like an apex predator.
With him gone, the show will have to find a new storyarc to follow. Gilligan and his team will have to come up with a new subplot that integrates into the overall narrative.
Better Call Saul is back with a bang and is likely to have a significant impact on this season. Tune in next week again for a new episode! ..
