"Better Call Saul" returns with a vengeance, and episode 8 of Season 6 has already delivered a thrilling series of events to catch up on. The last episode left us with the chilling moment of Lalo's arrival at Jimmy's apartment and the gruesome murder of Howard. We pick up from that very instant, but not before a serene, tranquil shot of a beach. The waves crash in, bringing a black shoe to the shore. As the camera pulls back, we see the other shoe in the pair and a car with a "Namaste" number plate. It's Howard's, and this is how the narrative unfurls its tragic tale. After his humiliation at the office, Howard snorts cocaine, takes off his wedding ring, and commits suicide in the perfect crime that will never see his body found.
Lalo instructs Jimmy to take Lalo's car and eliminate a "black man with short grey hair and wearing spectacles," with the gun in the glove box. Kim is supposed to stay with Lalo, but Jimmy convincingly switches places with him. Instead, Kim takes the car and heads towards Gus's house. Mike and his men apprehend her, while she claims she's there to kill a random man among Mike's men because she's never met Gustavo Fring or heard about him all these years. She doesn't recognize him and chooses the first man in Lalo's description as her target. Mike immediately springs into action and takes the majority of the men with him to Jimmy's apartment.
As they leave, though, we see an empty car standing in front of the laundromat. Lalo has tricked Mike into leaving Gus vulnerable, jumping in through the vent of the exhaust fan from the laundry. Gus, after having a call with Kim, decides to investigate for himself. As he does so, he notices that the fan has stopped moving and the scene looks disturbed.
Before he can do anything about it, Lalo shoots his four men. He and Gus then engage in an elaborate confrontation. At gunpoint, Lalo leads Gus around his newly built facility, something he has kept a secret from Eladio and others. Lalo records as they trudge towards the basement. Now, it is crucial to go back to episode five, where near the end, we saw Gustavo place a gun in the crevices of the machine's wheelbase. You know what is coming!
Mike and his team fortify the perimeter around Jimmy's abode, their boots crunching against the chill morning dew. As they breach the threshold, they find Jimmy tied up, a helpless pawn in a game of power and intrigue. Mike gauges the distance, knowing Lalo has already struck at Gus's doorstep, and the tides of battle have shifted. It's all up to Gustavo now.
With a defiant air, he attempts to lure Lalo with his "final words" for Eladio and the Salamanca clan, each syllable dripping with disdain. Lalo watches the clock like a hawk, counting down the seconds until Mike's arrival at the laundry. Gustavo spots the electricity plug to his left, springs on it with a quick agility, and leaps towards the gun. In a heartbeat, he puts a bullet through Lalo's throat, watching in cold silence as his life drains away.
It's a moment of profound gravity as the last breath leaves Lalo's body. Mike and his men rush in, Jimmy is reunited with Kim in their home. Gustavo calls in sick to work, asking Lyle to oversee the restaurant for a week. Howard and Lalo are buried side by side in Gus's warehouse, their resting places chosen by Mike and his team.
