I’m just getting warmed up.

Why do you do all of this?

We’re doing the Lord’s work here.

If you say so.

Be seeing you.

After watching Episode 3 in Season 6 of Better Call Saul - Rock and Hard Place - it was another

quality episode with a surprise ending.

I definitely did not see that coming, at least not this early in the season.

I figured if something like this was going to happen, it would be during the Season break.

Without giving away any spoilers from another show, it reminded me of a surprise kill that

happened in the middle of Sopranos Season 4.

When Nacho got to safety and called his old man, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in getting

the feeling that this was the last time they would ever speak.

But even with the way this was strongly hinted at, I still didn’t think the end of the

road was just around the bend.

During his final moments in that final scene, even when they gave the feeling that SOMETHING

was going to happen, and even though we knew every character there bar Nacho survived unscathed

into the Breaking Bad timeline, they still managed to pull off the episode with a splendid

blend of intensity and uncertainty.

Nacho’s final words of defiance, especially those directed at Hector, helped him to go

out Sinatra’s way, as Nacho followed up providing his final farewell on his own terms.

It still feels like there is a big missing piece of the puzzle for Nacho.

We don’t know a whole lot about his background, but everything we are shown strongly suggests

that his father and him loved each other unconditionally, and Naho literally proved that with his own

life.

So what made Nacho break bad?

We may never know, and I suppose we never need to know.

We’ve seen plenty of other characters break bad.

But Nacho’s turn doesn’t have an apparent catalyst like most others we’ve seen.

Perhaps some final bridge details will be provided in a flashback when Nacho’s old

man finds out what happened, assuming he does.

Regardless, despite Mike’s promises, you have to believe the Salamancas might go after

Nacho’s Dad anyway.

Perhaps Mike can still make use of that passport he pocketed.

Something about the Gus-Mike alliance still seems a long way off from how it was portrayed

in Breaking Bad.

It is almost certain that Lalo is the missing piece in this puzzle.

I generally believe Mike will wind up saving Gus, but there will be much more to it than

that, something that fundamentally tones Gus down to Mike’s level, as Mike has already

ascended as far towards Gus as I think he will, which has been a great deal, frankly.

Mike certainly seems loyal enough to Gus that he is willing to overlook the Ziegler incident.

But one way or another, Lalo is the key for the Gus-Mike alliance.

We did not actually see Lalo in this episode, but already his story is again colliding into

the world of Kimmy and Jim.

They are deep in their plot to ruin poor Howard, and we got to see Huell expertly pick a mean

pocket like the smooth invisible operator he is.

I have no idea what the plan is for Howard, but I’m confident in stating he doesn’t

deserve whatever is about to happen to him.

Even McGill seems to know this.

When Huell asked him why he does what he does, McGill made a bogus claim about doing the

Lord’s work.

Huell wasn’t buying it, and when he left you get the impression McGill didn’t know

the answer to that question either.

And now that the Slippin’ Lawyer Couple believes Lalo is dead, and now that Goodman

is being suspected as a cartel lawyer, I’m worried for poor Howard.

The fact that Nacho is already gone has me thinking things will not end well for Howard.

Especially since he looks so optimistic in previews for next week.

I’m just getting warmed up.

Do you want to be a friend to the cartel?

Or do you want to be a rat?

When Kimmy learns they suspect McGill of being a cartel lawyer, she has a cold and calculating

Corleone like demeanor.

Kimmy corrects the ADA at one point, insisting she refer to Jimmy as “Saul”.

Explaining he is Saul Goodman now, which again suggests that Kimmy was far more instrumental

in transforming McGill into his Goodman persona.

When we look back at Goodman in his earlier days in Breaking Bad, he was always pushing

Walt to cook more, trying to get Pinkman to persuade Walt, and the interesting thing to

think about, is rewatching a lot of these scenes, it is not unreasonable to believe

Goodman is working under the direction of Kimmy.

The idea that Kimmy is in the background calling the shots is entirely plausible with what

we see of Goodman in Seasons 2 and 3 of Breaking Bad.

I’m not saying this is the direction things are heading, but if it was, and if it was

done in the right way, we could be in for some really entertaining TV down the final

stretch.

When Kimmy tells Goodman about the cartel situation, Goodman isn’t even sure what

to do.

He wants her advice and approval before he makes a move, and then she makes the observation

about being a friend to the Cartel or a RAT.

The fact Goodman had no quick answers of his own, deferring to Kimmy says a lot about the

shifting dynamics here.

Kimmy understands the big picture far better than Goodman.

Kimmy is not only IN the game now, but she is actually much better at the game than Goodman

himself, and he’s pretty damn good at playing the game in his own right.

But he’s not quite as good as Kimmy, and on some level he seems to understand that.

One final thing I want to say is that Better Call Saul has long been more of a slow burn.

But through 3 Episodes of the final Season, this is not the case at all.

Things are moving, and even some of the unrelated things happening seem to have at least a loose

connection where a lot of things are starting to fall into place.

In that sense it has more of a later Season Breaking Bad vibe, which is certainly not

a bad thing.

If they can maintain this atmosphere of building momentum, this should wind up being a damn

fine final Season, and I think this was a damn fine send off for Nacho.

But whatever happens, I’m fired-up to find out, and Season 6 is off to a very strong

start.

Tight, tight, tight.

Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.

I’m just getting warmed up.

We’re not talking about a bar trick here.

We’re talking about scorched Earth.

We’re talking about a career setback.

I’m just getting warmed up.

Why do you do all of this?

We’re doing the Lord’s work here.

If you say so.

Be seeing you.

I was thinking about our first move, on the Howard front.

We’re doing that?

I thought we were?

Aren’t we?

I’m just getting warmed up.

What are you getting at?

Are you building some kind of case against Jimmy?

No.

So Saul Goodman drives a brown Ford Taurus?

And I think Jimmy does too.

Saul.

I’m sorry.

And Saul Goodman has an office.

He practices now under the name Saul Goodman, although I distinctly remember you referring

to him as a scumbag.

You think I should do it?

It depends.

On what?

We should start looking for something for you, I mean for Saul.

Sold.

When do we start?

Do you want to be a friend to the cartel?

Or do you want to be a rat?

What if we use the real car?

Like his real car?

His car?

That’s a bit direct.

I’m just getting warmed up.

So when you are sitting in your shitty nursing home, and you’re sucking down on your Jello

night after night for the rest of your life…

Your Dad’s going to be OK.

How do you know?

Because anyone who goes after him is going to have to come through me.

….you’ll think of me, you twisted f*$k.

There's holmium and helium and hafnium and erbium,

And phosphorus and francium and fluorine and terbium,

And manganese and mercury

I’m just getting warm-

You’re done!

You are done!