In season 6 episodes 1 and 2 of Better Call Saul, Kim and Jimmy get on with their plan to bring down Howard Hamlin while Nacho is still on the run being hunted by the Salamancas for betraying Lalo. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Episode 1 recap: Wine and Roses
The season opens with a flash-forward scene comprising a team of movers who are packing and transferring the contents of Saul’s home into a truck.
After escaping the planned hit on him, Lalo goes to a nearby house and has some coffee, before killing the man in the house with half a scissor at his disposal. Lalo uses the body to fake his death. The body is discovered in a burnt form later by the Salamanca twins at Lalo’s house.
Nacho, on the other hand, is still on the run through the desert and finds a temporary shelter in a nearby motel. He tries to call Mike but he doesn’t respond.
Don Juan calls Gus Fring and informs him about Lalo’s death. He tells him that Nacho Varga will reveal who he’s working for when he’s caught. But Gus has his suspicions about the veracity of Lalo’s death.
Mike offers to rescue Nacho as he’s been true to his word and did everything Gus demanded from him. But Gus doesn’t respond to the offer enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Jimmy and Kim have decided to make their first move against Howard.
After a failed attempt to get membership in the same golf club as Howard, Jimmy successful plants baby powder in a pouch as drugs in Howard’s locker. When Howard opens his locker, the pouch falls out and comes to the notice of Howard and his friend.
Lalo plans to go north to take revenge on Gus. But he’s dissuaded when Hector Salamanca demands proof of Gus’ involvement in his attempted assassination. This makes Lalo decide to go after the proof instead- Nacho Varga.
Episode 2 recap: Carrot and Stick
Mike arrives at Nacho’s house and plants an envelope in the locker. Gus, on the other hand, reveals before Don Juan his plan to keep the peace.
As the next step in their plans, Jimmy heads to the Kettlemans, who now run a tax service, with the intent to go after Howard. Jimmy tells the Kettlemans that they can sue Howard on the basis that he uses drugs and didn’t give proper advice to the Kettlemans because of the impairment caused by his drug abuse.
Don Juan arranges a meeting between Gus and Don Hector. Gus offers to support the Salamanca family in finding the traitor responsible for Lalo’s death. Don Hector’s calm demeanour at the offer convinces Gustavo that Lalo Salamanca is still alive.
Don Juan finds the envelope, planted by Mike, at Nacho’s house. It leads him directly to the motel where Nacho has been holed up. Nacho realises that he’s being watched at the hotel just so that he can be ambushed.
Just as he was trying to escape, the Salamanca brothers arrive and insist on catching Nacho alive. However, Nacho manages to escape in a truck.
Mike suggests rescuing Nacho once again, as it’s the only way to keep him off the hands of the Salamancas. Nacho is the only way the Salamancas can prove Gustavo’s involvement in the whole debacle.
Gus orders Mike to bring Nacho’s father but Mike refuses. Just as things get heated up, Mike again gets a call from Nacho. When he picks up the phone, Mike tells Gus that Nacho wants to talk to him.
The Kettlemans make a failed attempt to hire other lawyers to fight their case against Howard before they call Jimmy to meet up at their office. Kim accompanies him this time.
The Kettlemans threaten Jimmy by saying that they will go to Howard if Jimmy doesn’t exonerate Craig and help him clear his name. Kim, who’s had enough of the Kettlemans’ threatening, dials a friend in the IRS informing him of the tax fraud the Kettlemans were running.
Before Kim could move further, Betsy cuts the phone. Before leaving, Kim warns the Kettlemans of the consequences they may face if they even plan to inform Howard about the conversation that transpired between them and Jimmy.
Review
- Kim and Jimmy have seemed to switch places. Kim has taken charge of the wheel while Jimmy has become more of a spectator in the back seat. It is interesting to see this avatar of Kim who’s zeroed in on the prize and is ready to pay any price to get what she wants.
- Nacho’s fate is going to be the most interesting aspect of this season going forward. Michael Mando’s performance is engaging and it’s tough to not vouch for the guy.
- The premiere episodes have a cool face-off sequence between the Salamanca twins and Nacho Varga, hinting at the potential action that this season could offer.
- The episodes lay the groundwork for the 13-episodes long season quite well. The character arcs are somewhat clear. A hint of action and some returning characters from season 1 are all positive aspects that churn some excitement.
Rating: 4/5
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