Summary
- Lalo's trip to helps solidify him as one of the best villains in the Breaking Bad universe.
- Lalo discovered Werner and his connection to Gus through his intense investigation into Gus's operations.
- Lalo's relentless pursuit of proof against Gus leads him to trap and confront Gus, only to be outsmarted and killed in the end.
Lalo Salamanca takes an intriguing trip in Better Call Saul leaving fans to wonder why did Lalo go to . Following the failed assassination attempt on Lalo at the end of season 5, the clever villain goes on a path of revenge against Gus Fring. However, instead of going straight at his target in a bloody attack, Lalo continues to show how intelligent he is by going after one of Fring's best-kept secrets. Still, some fans are left to wonder how did Lalo know about Werner Ziegler.
Werner was the chief architect on Gus Fring's superlab in Better Call Saul season 4. He struck up a friendly rapport with Mike Ehrmantraut but became homesick and secretly arranged meeting his wife against Gus' protocol. Predictably, the less-than-sympathetic gangster ordered Werner's execution. Viewers may well had forgotten about Werner until Lalo reappeared in season 6 in a bar in talking to a woman who turned out to be Margarethe Ziegler - the widow of Werner. Looking back at why Lalo was in helps to cement him as one of the best villains in the Breaking Bad universe.
How Lalo First Learned Of The Construction
The question of how did Lalo learn about Werner comes from his hatred for Gus. Though Gus Fring is a mystery to many people, Lalo sees the truth of his motivations and had already been keeping tabs on Gus, hoping to find proof the Chicken Man was no "friend of the cartel." This brought him to seek out anyone who might have a connection to Gus.
This eventually led to Lalo stumbling upon Werner and even briefly spoke with the German architect by masquerading as one of Fring's men. He only learned some major construction project was afoot before Mike cut the conversation short. That was enough information to suspect Gus was operating behind the cartel's back and took that information to their bosses. While Gus had a lie all set up to explain the construction, Lalo knew it was a lie even if it fooled everyone else.
How Lalo Knew About Werner
Lalo knew about Werner from his own investigation into Gus which brought him to the chicken farm as part of Fring's operation. Lalo happened to find Mike going in search of Werner who has temporarily fled in order to meet with his wife at a local spa, having become homesick from the isolating job. In following Mike, Lalo comes to a travel agency where he kills an employee and looks up the information Mike was after. Lalo is able to find Werner's name as well as his wife's name, then calls the spa to speak briefly to Werner. Following the failed assassination of Lalo and Werner's death, Lalo has enough information to pursue his investigation.
What Lalo Did About The Werner Lead
Season 6 of Better Call Saul finds Lalo in where he meets Margarethe Ziegler. This continues to show the determination Lalo has in taking down his enemy and seeing his mission completed. Lalo is able to charm Margarethe enough to get her to open up about the death of her husband in a supposed collapse, the fact that his loyal employees didn't attend his funeral, and even allows Lalo to walk her home. This brings Lalo to break into the house later and discover information on Werner's employees, tracking one of them down. Lalo tortures and gets him to confess to building the lab for Gus.
With confirmation of Gus's treachery, Lalo returns to America and continues his hunt. Hiding out in a sewer, he spies on the lab and gains an understanding of security. Finally, Lalo uses all the information he has gathered to spring a trap for Gus, leaving him vulnerable and holding him at gunpoint in the unfinished underground lab. Videotaping Gus's confession, Lalo's victory after all his hard work looks to be complete only for it to be snatched away as Gus gets the drop on him and kills him.
Lalo was an impressive villain and his investigation into Werner is a perfect example of that. As soon as he is introduced in the series, he is an unrelenting force that will stop at nothing to take down Gus. Lalo was formidable enough that it seemed that he might be the final villain in Better Call Saul's final season. However, Lalo also served to remind audiences how dangerous Gus Fring really was. Gus was an expert at hiding his intentions but could not hide from Lalo. In the end, Gus relied on the fact that he is always one step ahead of his enemies. Lalo underestimated Gus and that cruel irony after all that work causes Lalo to laugh even as he dies.
