[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 6, Episode 9 of Better Call Saul, “Fun and Games.”]
Better Call Saul is almost at its end, and things are only picking up speed as Jimmy’s (Bob Odenkirk) story approaches his Breaking Bad era. In the July 18 episode, “Fun and Games,” his and Kim’s (Rhea Seehorn) actions lead to even more devastating consequences as Gustavo (Giancarlo Esposito) does damage control following Lalo’s (Tony Dalton) death.
Below, we’re breaking down all of the major moments from the pivotal installment, so beware of spoilers ahead.
Trying to Act Normal
As viewers will recall, Mike (Jonathan Banks) instructed Jimmy and Kim to go about their lives as normal as possible, following their ordeal the night Lalo broke into their apartment and killed Howard (Patrick Fabian). This episode opens with the couple doing just that as Jimmy watches a new sign get hung up over his place of business alongside Francesca (Tina Parker). Meanwhile, Kim goes about her day at court keeping her focus in case there are any curious onlookers. All the while, Mike and his crew clean up the apartment. Just as Jimmy and Kim arrive home for the day, Mike burns any incriminating evidence in the desert.
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
The site of their apartment is clearly too much though as Jimmy and Kim find themselves staying in a hotel room later that night. Jimmy tells Kim that one day they’ll stop thinking about the horrible things they witnessed the day before and that’s when they’ll know that they can forget and move on.
Gus in Business
Gus arrives at Don Eladio’s (Steven Bauer) compound later that evening for a meeting. As he gets out of the car, it’s clear that Gus is still healing from the gunshot wound Lalo inflicted on him, but he has to keep a straight face. After a pat-down outside, Gus joins Juan Bolsa (Javier Grajeda), Don Eladio, and Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) inside. Apparently, Gus has been called in to hear allegations against him from Hector who tells Don Eladio that the chicken man was responsible for putting a hit out on Lalo and his compound.
Hector claims that Lalo called him, which viewers know he did, but Don Eladio is unconvinced. There’s too much proof of Lalo’s death to prove that he survived or could confirm that Gus was responsible for the mercenaries. Dismissing Hector, Eladio turns to Gus and tells him that in order to keep the peace, Salamancas will maintain their region of sales, while Gus will operate under Bolsa on the northern territory.
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
Before he leaves, Don Eladio gives Gus a warning that hate in his eyes for the Salamancas is okay, but it can’t be so obvious. Returning home, Gus is told by Mike that Howard and the cover-up have been wrapped up. Gus in turn wants work on the lab to commence immediately pushing ahead to finish the future meth lab space.
Another Side of Gus
Viewers never get to see the personal side of Gus often, and this installment pulls back the curtain on some thoughts and theories that have otherwise gone unanswered since Breaking Bad. Stepping out to enjoy some wine at a local restaurant, Gus sits at the bar where the waitress addresses him by name. That’s when a man called David walks over. Clearly a sommelier of some kind, he offers Gus a sip of red from a bottle some rich patron ordered to impress an unrefined date who didn’t have a taste for it. The men converse and it’s clear that there’s something more brewing between them as Gus longingly looks at David who spouts memories from his time spent in Europe.
Gus brings up that he bought a bottle of some wine David once mentioned to him and how he’s looking for the right person to share it with. The subtext of this scene is very clear, Gus likes David, potentially validating theories about the kingpin being romantically tied to his Los Pollos Hermanos partner Max Arciniega (James Martinez). When David leaves for a minute, Gus takes that moment to rush out, and it’s unclear if he’s afraid to act on the feelings he’s having or decides against involving someone in his world. Either way, the brief sequence offers some big insight into Gus as a person outside of the drug world.
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
Mike’s Meeting
At home, Mike goes to put away a weapon in a secret case under his floorboards when he discovers the fake ID Nacho (Michael Mando) had made for his dad. Mike sees this as some kind of sign because he calls Manuel Varga (Juan Carlos Cantu) and asks to talk face-to-face. Meeting at the chain-link fence bordering the man’s vehicle repair shop, Mike addresses Manuel, informing him that Nacho is dead and that it was fast. Mike says that Nacho fell in with the wrong crowd but that he was never like the bad people he associated with. Mike adds that justice is coming and that’s where Manuel stops him, saying that it isn’t justice, it’s revenge. It’s clear that the man is disgusted as he walks away from a broken Mike who symbolically stands jailed by his involvement in this sad story.
Howard’s Memorial
Jimmy and Kim attend Howard’s memorial at HHM headquarters where they bump into Rick Schweikart (Dennis Boutsikaris) who makes small talk. During their conversation, they learn that HHM is downsizing and changing its name, partly as a result of the events surrounding Howard’s death. Already in a somber mood, Jimmy and Kim make their way over to Howard’s wife Cheryl (Sandrine Holt) and Cliff (Ed Begley Jr.) to pay their respects.
She accuses the couple of bullying Howard and asks for them to share their account of the last time they saw Howard at their apartment. Disgruntled, Cheryl wants the truth, but Kim doubles down on the lies, telling the woman that one evening while at work late in HHM, she walked in on Howard snorting something. Cheryl is in denial, but Cliff’s own experience with drug addiction in his family forces him to side with Jimmy and Kim who walk out of the event not long after. Once they’re in the parking garage, Jimmy says, “let the healing begin,” and Kim gives him a big kiss before driving off.
(Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
Kim’s Done
At court, Kim asks to be removed from the case she’s currently overseeing, when the judge initially refuses, she clarifies that she can no longer do her duty as she’s no longer a lawyer. She supposedly filed the paperwork two hours before, and at home, Jimmy walks in upset that she’s acting rashly. He argues that she can refile her paperwork and be back to work without issue, adding that they can find a new home to live in and start fresh after everything.
When he walks into their bedroom, he finds her bags mostly packed, she tells him that they’re “bad for each other.” Jimmy begs Kim not to go, but she reiterates that “together we’re poison.” They admit that they both love each other, but it isn’t enough as she says “so what” to being in love. Jimmy argues that this is about Howard and that it wasn’t her fault, but this is the point where she has to come clean, informing him that she knew Lalo was still alive. She admits that she didn’t say anything to stop their scheme against Howard because she could imagine where they’d end up if she had mentioned Lalo earlier.
She says they would have gone into hiding to stay safe and she didn’t want to do that because eventually they’d break up and she was having too much fun plotting against Howard. It’s a devastating reality to live in, but one that Jimmy is forced to accept as their relationship appears to end at this point before the episode jumps ahead in time.
The “Future”
Jumping ahead to the point in time when Jimmy is occupying the home that was seen in the opening sequence of this season’s premiere, he wakes up in bed with someone who appears to be a prostitute. He begins taking work calls while in the shower and the mention of a “public masturbator” case should perk some fans’ ears up as this plays into the first time viewers saw Saul on Breaking Bad. As they’ll recall, Saul sat down to converse with Jesse’s (Aaron Paul) friend Badger (Matt Jones) who got caught selling meth, and the lawyer accidentally thinks he’s a client who was caught masturbating publicly.
As the sequence continues, Saul drives into the lot of his office where the statue of liberty float is now perched. Stepping into the office he takes a seat at his desk and tells Francesca over the phone to start letting clients in. Could this be the day he meets Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse? Only time will tell as the final season of Better Call Saul continues.
Better Call Saul, Season 6, Mondays, 9/8c, AMC