Warning! Spoilers ahead for the final season of Better Call Saul.
With the first half of its final season out of the way, Better Call Saul is in the endgame now. The second half of the season promises to provide audiences with the fate of Kim Wexler, the return of Walt and Jesse, and the conclusion of the entire Jimmy McGill saga.
There’s no telling what will happen in the last six episodes of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad spin-off. The first half alone delivered bombshells ranging from Howard challenging Jimmy to an impromptu boxing match to bullets in the heads of two fan-favorite ing characters.
Kim Breaks Bad
Throughout the first five seasons of Better Call Saul, Kim was the show’s moral com. In an early episode, she was horrified to learn that Jimmy had fabricated evidence to help him win a case. The season 5 finale suggested that Kim would break bad as she became determined to destroy Howard’s career.
In season 6, Kim’s desire to bring down Howard is much greater than Jimmy’s. Jimmy’s just having fun with an old rival, but Kim is out for vengeance.
Jimmy’s “Lalo” Slip-Up
At the beginning of season 6, when Jimmy is confronted about his client “Jorge De Guzman,” he accidentally says his real name, Lalo, revealing that he’s been working with the Salamancas.
This slip-up hammered the final nail into Jimmy’s coffin and showed his transition into full Saul mode. Now that he’s been outed as a cartel lawyer, Jimmy has been alienated from the law community and has no reason to keep up appearances.
The Kettlemans Return
Betsy and Craig Kettleman are two characters that Better Call Saul fans never expected to see again. The Kettlemans haven’t been seen since season 1. In the interim, such iconic characters as Gus Fring and Lalo Salamanca have ed the ensemble.
But, lo and behold, the Kettlemans came back into the fold in season 6. They’re a crucial part of Jimmy and Kim’s plan to besmirch Howard Hamlin.
Lalo Goes To
Gus’ attempt on Lalo’s life in the season 5 finale of Saul was expected to get Lalo out of the picture so that the final season could focus on connecting the dots to Breaking Bad. But, much to the audience’s surprise, Lalo turned the tables on Gus’ hit squad, and now, he’s out for revenge.
After abandoning his plan to sneak across the border, Lalo was absent from a couple of episodes. He eventually resurfaced in , where he got crucial intel from Werner Ziegler’s widow, Margarethe.
Mike Meets Kim
When Kim notices she’s being followed by a mysterious car, instead of cowering in fear, she confronts the driver and threatens to call the police, at which point Mike Ehrmantraut introduces himself.
Mike tells Kim that she and Jimmy are being watched in case Lalo tries to them. Kim asks why he’s telling her and not Jimmy, and Mike tells her she’s “made of sterner stuff” than her husband.
Howard Challenges Jimmy To A Boxing Match
When Howard realizes he’s being framed for drug addiction in a series of elaborate practical jokes, he knows exactly who’s responsible: Jimmy McGill. So, he calls Jimmy’s receptionist sca and books an out-of-office appointment with the alias “Mr. Ward.”
Howard hopes to put an end to the prank war by inviting Jimmy into the boxing ring to fight it out. Jimmy goes to leave, but he can’t resist (and ends up getting his butt kicked).
Huell Thinks Jimmy And Kim’s Pranks Have Gone Too Far
As a criminal-for-hire, Huell usually reserves judgment about the morality of his jobs. But he speaks up to voice his concern when Jimmy hires him to help with his and Kim’s elaborate D-Day prank.
Huell can’t understand why two lawyers who are doing very well for themselves would commit so much time and energy to a prank. Much like Howard himself when he finds out about the prank, Huell wonders what the point is.
Kim Abandons The Santa Fe Meeting
In the penultimate episode of the first half of this season, everything is going swimmingly for Jimmy and Kim. Kim is on her way to a big meeting in Santa Fe, the D-Day prank is meticulously prepared down to the last detail, and Jimmy goes to a liquor store to buy a drink to celebrate.
And that’s where he spots Sandpiper case mediator Rand Casimiro – the man whose likeness is integral to the prank – with an unforeseen broken arm. Jimmy calls Kim on her drive to Santa Fe and suggests calling off the D-Day prank. But Kim insists, “It happens today!” and makes an abrupt U-turn.
Nacho’s Death
After Lalo survived an assassination attempt and deduced that Nacho was involved in the season 5 finale, Nacho’s days were numbered in season 6. The final season begins with Nacho desperately fleeing from the Salamancas’ army of hitmen in an intense cat-and-mouse pursuit.
Realizing he has no way out, Nacho gives his life to clear Gus’ name – but he goes out on his own . He tells Hector that he’s the reason for his illness before robbing him of the satisfaction of killing him.
Howard’s Death
Nacho wasn’t the only jaw-dropping character death this season. In the midseason finale, “Plan and Execution,” after figuring out that Jimmy and Kim are behind the D-Day prank, Howard pays them a visit. At the end of an eloquent monologue in which he compares them to Leopold and Loeb and pledges to destroy their careers, Lalo shows up.
Frozen with fear, Howard tries to excuse himself from the situation as Lalo screws a silencer onto his pistol. In the blink of an eye, Lalo shoots Howard in the head. This twist was both completely unpredictable and a poetic way to illustrate the pointlessness of the feud.