Better Call Saul (Season 6) Episode 3: Recap & Ending Explained

Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 3: Recap & Ending Explained: Episode three of Better Call Saul has dropped on Netflix. After a strong start by the first two episodes, this one is more in the vein of a send-off. There are no substantial story developments as such. Its central point is deciding the fate of Nacho. By this point in time, irrespective of how strongly the audiences or Nacho himself believe it to be in his hands, it rests in Gus’. As much as we dislike this reality, it is the truth.

Nacho’s send-off is commensurate to the stark realities of ‘Better Call Saul’s cinematic universe. It is Gilligan’s way of explaining to his audience that this is how the cartels handle their enemies. This is how the powerful always manage to remain in power and those working for them are the first to go. Read our recap-cum-explainer to revisit some of the plot points you missed in the episode. Happy reading!

BETTER CALL SAUL (SEASON 6), EPISODE 3 RECAP:

EPISODE 3 – ROCK AND HARD PLACE

An elaborate scene is shown in desert-like conditions where a blue flower alone blooms. Amidst the pattering rain, we see vegetation and a piece of glass lying on the ground.

Nacho’s withered car somehow manages to get ahead of the menacing Salamances giving a chase. In a state of panic, as the car cannot go further, he hides in a stationary tanker in the fields. The cousins and Bolsa’s men arrive at the scene. He notices one of them walking towards the tanker. Thinking quick on his feet, he takes a dip in the thick, viscous oil at the deeper end. The tense moments see the cousin scan the insides of the tanker and Nacho holding his breath. The cousins and the men leave and Nacho survives to live another day.

Nacho scrambles his way to a safe spot and requests the mechanic to let him make a phone call. He chooses to call his father, telling him how nice it is to listen to his voice. It seems like a final goodbye for Nacho, although his father does not understand the phone call. His next call is to Mike (in the second episode’s ending). He asks him to connect Gustavo on the call. Although initially adversarial, Nacho understands his predicament and asks for his father to be protected at his expense. He trusts Mike with the task, bad-mouthing Gustavo’s double standards.

Jimmy and Kim keep their efforts up to defame Howard Hamlin. Next in line is trashing his car by using the “valet scam” to get access to his car.  Jimmy has done it before and is confident it’ll work. Kim discusses a case with the DA, Suzanne Ericsen. Impressed by her honesty, Suzzane warns Kim about the authorities’ suspected involvement of Jimmy in Lalo’s escape.  They have figured out that De Guzman is a fake identity. She proposes that the lawyer-client privilege is vitiated as it was obtained in bad faith and hence, Jimmy can disclose to the authorities about Lalo’s scheme. Huell’s valet scam goes perfectly; just as Jimmy and he planned it. It is an elaborate sketch where Huell hires a computer expert to make a replica of Howard’s key but in a more sophisticated tone. As he gives Kim the good news, she asks him to choose: be a friend of the cartel, or be a rat. Caught in the crosshairs, Jimmy thinks over his choices.

BETTER CALL SAUL (SEASON 6), EPISODE 2 ENDING EXPLAINED:

Nacho is told by Mike and Gustavo what to do the next day. It is basically scripting his own death. They plan the manner in which he will be taken down and how Nacho will be taken to the gallows. Mike takes a position on the ridges to make sure everything goes according to plan.

To their surprise, Nacho abandons the plan and instead takes matters into his own hands. He uses a glass piece, frees himself from the handcuff, takes Bolsa hostage using his gun, and then shoots himself on the spot that was shown in the first sequence. Gustavo and his men walk away. Mike hangs his head in brief contemplation and walks away. The cousins lift Hector Salamanca’s wheelchair and place a gun in his hands to take revenge on Nacho’s cadaver. The credits roll as the sound of gunshots continues.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Is this how sad you usually feel when a character in a television show dies? Does the pain last this long after you have seen it happen? Probably yes, when the show in question starts with “Created by: Vince Gilligan” and the character is a gold-hearted purist like Nacho. In some ways with its quietness and detached camera, this episode felt like a respectful mourning of what happened to him. Gilligan has just reminded us what true heartbreak feels like.

The vagaries of life are such that understanding them becomes a tough task. There cannot be a single person who can without hesitation say that Nacho deserved this cruel death. His innate goodness offset the chequered image he had when the show started. Gradually, we saw him more as a victim of his circumstance rather than a merciless thug. His relentlessness and loyalty made him the perfect man to trust your life with. And that is probably why there’s a resigned look on Mike’s face throughout the runtime. The commonalities of their qualities and mutual admiration for each other are mostly tacit.

The manifestation was far from being forced on the viewer. Instead, the chosen path was to use subtlety, and both the actors – Michael Mando and Jonathan Banks – do a brilliant job in getting the job done. Seeing Mike walk away after Hector Salamanca gets his way with Nacho’s mortal remains is the truest form of courage and professionalism. There isn’t much that happens to the characters, story-wise.

The beautiful opening shot finally makes some sense to me. The metaphor for the continuity of life is as strong in this sequence as they come. It is not about who gets to live the longest or what kind of power one can amass. In the end, all that is left is the purity of one’s intentions and how that can sustain the lives of the people they love and care about. Goodbye, Nacho.

STREAM BETTER CALL SAUL (SEASON 6) EPISODES 1 – 3 ON NETFLIX

BETTER CALL SAUL (SEASON 6) LINKS – IMDb, WIKIPEDIA
BETTER CALL SAUL (SEASON 6) CAST – BOB ODENKIRK, JONATHAN BANKS, RHEA SEEHORN, TONY DALTON, MICHAEL MANDO, PATRICK FABIAN