The first half of Season 6 ofBetter Call Saultold two parallel stories. First, we followed Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) come up with a complex plan to discredit Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) and put an end to the Sandpiper case. At the same time, Lalo Salamanca’s (Tony Dalton) war against Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) heated up when the cartel general uncovered Gus' plans to build a secret meth lab. The two stories came together in a gut-wrenching mid-season finale, in which wesaid our farewells to one of the best recurringBetter Call Saulcharacters. The mid-season finale also came with a huge cliffhanger, which this week’s Episode 8, “Point and Shoot,” finally solves.
At the end of Episode 7, Lalo dragged Saul and Kim into his war against Gus. After shooting Howard in cold blood, Lalo says he got to talk with the couple. We knew, right at that moment, Lalo’s journey inBetter Call Saulwas getting close to its bloody end. However, Episode 8 wraps everything in such an organized package that we are left wondering what comes next for Kim and Saul. So, while we anxiously wait for next week’s episode, let’s recap everything that happened in Episode 8.
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Lalo’s Plan
Episode 8 starts with Saul and Kim trying to accept that Howard’s body is really lying in their living room. They don’t have much time to mourn, though, as Lalo is pointing a gun at their heads, and ready to shoot. Once the couple gets silent enough for Lalo to explain his plan, we soon realize that the Salamanca leader is determined to punish Saul for what he thinks is treason. At the end of Season 5, Lalo’s home in Mexico was stormed by a team of mercenaries hired by Gus. Nacho Varga (Michael Mando) betrayed the Salamancas and opened the back door to let the mercenaries in. And since Nacho was the one who introduced Lalo and Saul, the cartel killer is convinced the lawyer knew about the attack.
to punish Saul, Lalo orders the lawyer to kill Gus. He gives Saul the keys to his car and written instructions about how to get to Gus’ home. There’s also a camera and a loaded gun in the glove compartment of Lalo’s car, which Saul must use to prove the deal is done. Lalo also gives Saul one hour to complete the task, or else Kim would die. Lalo knows Gus' home is heavily guarded, so Saul’s murder attempt would probably fail. But the move would definitely distract Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and his men.
Saul pledges to Lalo and asks the Salamanca leader to send Kim in his place. Saul knows that the person who gets left behind will almost certainly be killed by Lalo, so he wants to give Kim a better shot at surviving the night. Saul convinces Lalo that Kim would look less threatening when ringing Gus’ doorbell, which leads the Salamanca to change his plans. So, Kim goes to Gus’ home while Saul is left behind. After tying Saul to a chair and gagging him, Lalo also leaves the apartment, promising to return and have a long talk about the betrayal he suffered in Mexico.
Showdown in the Laundromat
Kim follows Lalo’s instructions and is ready to pull the trigger when Gus’ door opens. The moment shows just how far down Kim has fallen, and that there might not be a road back to regular life for the lawyer. As expected, Mike and his men intercept Kim before she tries to shoot Gus. Kim explains the situation the best she can, accusing Mike of having broken his promise to protect her and Saul. Mike had told Kim his men would be surveilling her apartment while Lalo was on the run, but in Season 6’s mid-season finale, he’d had to regroup all the henchmen to protect Gus’ house.
MIke leaves Gus behind with minimum security and rushes to Kim’s apartment. He also calls Tyrus (Ray Campbell) and orders him to take his men out of the laundromat, the company Gus uses to hide his soon-to-be meth lab. After hearing Kim’s testimonial, Mike is convinced Lalo is holding Saul hostage at the apartment and decides to strike with all his strength. Of course, Lalo’s supposed plan is a ruse, and as soon as Tyrus leaves the laundromat, Lalo invades the place with his camera, ready to gather some proof of Gus' secret lab and send it to Don Eladio (Steven Bauer).
After Mike has left, Gus senses something is not right. Once Kim tells Gus that Saul convinced Lalo to change his plan last minute, Gus decides to take two bodyguards and check the laundromat himself. Unfortunately for Gus, he had the right hunch. While searching the dim laundromat, Gus is ambushed by Lalo, who kills all the henchmen in the place, leaving only Gus alive. While recording the whole thing, Lalo forces Gus to show him the secret entrance to the construction site, finally gathering the proof he needs to gain Don Eladio’s favor and take Gustavo out of the scene. Gus, however, is ready to fight back.
Gus distracts Lalo, asking to record a final message to Don Eladio and the Salamancas. Lalo knows Gus' admission would improve his video and lets Gus do his speech. While cursing and threatening the entire cartel, Gus distracts Lalo long enough to find an electric extension cord he can kick to turn off the lights of the construction site. Then, Gus reaches for the gun he hadhidden in the meth lab in Season 6, Episode 5. The two men shoot at each other in the dark, and Lalo is mortally wounded. Just like that, the laundromat showdown brings Lalo’s and Gus' war to an end, leaving the owner of Los Pollos Hermanos free to keep building his secret meth lab and making his move against the cartel.
The Aftermath
Mike is unhappy that Gus decided to check the laundromat without proper backup. Gus, however, is more confident than ever in his planning skills. As for Saul and Kim, they are both trying to deal with a very traumatic experience. The two reunite at the apartment, as Mike leads his men to move Howard’s body and clean every trace of what happened in the place. Also, as Mike tells them, they need to move on with their lives as if nothing has happened, sticking to the lies they’ve already told.
To hide Howard’s murder, Mike leaves his car on a deserted beach many states away. Howard’s wallet, wedding ring, and a good amount of cocaine are left in the vehicle, while Howard’s shoes are thrown into the water. Any police officer would be convinced that Howard is a drug addict who killed himself — and thanks to Saul and Kim, there’s enough evidence of Howard’s supposed addiction left behind. The lies they told were aimed only at ending the Sandpiper case, but now they will become the final truth of Howard’s identity. That’s a tragic ending, especially since Howard’s body was buried along with Lalo’s at the meth lab construction site.
There are still five episodes left ofBetter Call Saul. However, the series has already given an end to the two most prominent antagonists of the season: Howard and Lalo. So, we are all curious to see how Saul and Kim deal with the aftermath of the terrible night, how the series will explain Kim’sBreaking Badabsence, and how Gus moves forward with his vendetta against the Salamancas. Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) are alsocoming back before the series finale, bridging the spinoff with the original series.
