As the sixth episode of Better Call Saul Season 6, titled "Axe and Grind," begins with a flashback, even Gilligan can't escape the past. We find Kim, seated nervously in the back room of a local market-chain store, tapping her feet with anxiety. Her mother and the store manager walk in – Kim has been caught stealing. The manager lets her go without calling the police, and despite her mother's reprimanding, Kim is given a pass in the end.
The next scene brings a new sight: Howard Hamlin's luxurious and OCD-induced clean life. He lives with his wife, but from the brief time together on screen, things do not seem to be going well. The passion has visibly died down. However, for Howard, the excitement is reignited by his investigator. He has been tailing Saul for some time now, and during his work, he has spotted Saul taking out big piles of cash every now and then, raising Howard's suspicions about something fishy.
The veterinarian – whose side job is to stitch up men running from the law – returns to the show (from Breaking Bad), taking care of Saul. Clifford Maine's assessment of Kim turns out to be right when he sees her in action. Her stout defence for her pro-bono client inspires confidence in him that the Mercer foundation – one of the country's largest – will sponsor her work as well. She is excited to share the news with Saul at his new office.
We then get a glimpse of what is really going on behind the curtains. They are preparing an actor to play Casimiro, the lead arbitrator on the Sandpiper tribunal. Saul withdraws the cash to be photographed giving it to him and making the impression that he is biased to further defame HHM.
Kim shares the news about Mercer with Saul and he is elated. She also reveals that the presentation for the foundation happens on the "D-Day." Saul reassures her that her presence won't be required. The scene shifts to a small house in the woods in Germany. Lalo gives one of Werner's men a visit. He gets the maker's address from the sculpture he stole from Margarethe's house in the previous episode. The man runs and injures Lalo, demanding to know who he is. Lalo tricks the man and pins him down, determined to know about "what Fring is building down there" (referring to the meth lab).
Saul asks Francesca to call the HHM office and get the dial-in code for the meeting for one of the clients. This is part of her larger plan of using Casimiro. Mike is reprimanded by Victor, who carries Fring's message that Mike hasn't posted enough men at his house and more than necessary men at Alameda Street. Mike stands his ground amidst the valid criticism, revealing why someone of his intellect and skill set has done so: he has relocated his daughter and granddaughter to a house on Alameda Street and wants to make sure they remain safe, even if it means putting his own life in danger.
