History BetterCallSaul / TropesOToZ

* RaceAgainstTheClock: In "Point and Shoot" [[spoiler:Kim has one hour to kill Gus, photograph his corpse, and bring the proof to Lalo before he executes Saul. {{Subverted}} in that Lalo doesn't actually expect her to succeed, and leaves the apartment to enact the next part of his plan as soon as she leaves.]]

--->'''Chuck [=McGill=]:''' You're not a real lawyer! "University of American Samoa," for Christ's sake? An online course? What a joke. I worked my ass off to get where I am, and you take these shortcuts and you think suddenly you're my ''peer''? You do what I do because you're funny and you can make people ''laugh''? I committed my ''life'' to this! You don't slide into it like a cheap pair of slippers and then reap all the rewards!\\
'''Jimmy [=McGill=]:''' I thought you were proud of me.\\
'''Chuck [=McGill=]:''' I was. When you straightened out and got a job in the mailroom, I was very proud.\\
'''Jimmy [=McGill=]:''' So that's it then, right? Keep old Jimmy down in the mailroom. He's not good enough to be a lawyer.\\
'''Chuck [=McGill=]:''' I ''know'' you. I know what you were, what you are. People don't change. You're "Slippin' Jimmy." And "Slippin' Jimmy" I can handle just fine but "Slippin' Jimmy" with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun. The law is sacred! If you abuse that power, people get hurt. This is not a game. You have to know on some level, I know you know I'm right. You know I'm right!

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Jimmy is very emotional and not afraid to show it. When he lays on a bit of the TranquilFury you know he's ''really'' angry.

* WhiteCollarCrime: The Kettlemans with their rumbled attempt to embezzle $1.6 million of county funds, and Daniel "Pryce" Wormald selling stolen pharmaceuticals on the black market. While in both cases the perpetrators have stolen from an employer, they all struggle to accept that their actions were criminal:
-->'''Mike Ehrmantraut:''' "The lesson is, if you're gonna be a criminal, do your homework."\\
'''Pryce:''' "Wait, I-I'm not a bad guy, I don..."\\
'''Mike Ehrmantraut:''' "I didn't say you're a bad guy, I said that you're a ''criminal''."\\
'''Pryce:''' "What's the difference?"\\
'''Mike Ehrmantraut:''' "I've known good criminals and bad cops. Bad priests. Honorable thieves. You can be on one side of the law or the other, but if you make a deal with somebody, you keep your word. You can go home today with your money and never do this again, but you took something that wasn't yours and you sold it for a profit. You're now a criminal; good one, bad one- that's up to you."

** Gene's conversation with the security guards in Omaha make several references to Nebraska Cornhusker football, specifically quarterback Taylor Martinez's 400 yard garm, Coach Bo Pelini, and an upcoming game with Texas, confirming that events in this part of the show take place in 2010.

*** "Something Unforgivable": [[spoiler:Jimmy and Kim start hatching a plan to destroy Howard's career, Mike and Gus make arrangements to have Lalo killed with Nacho assisting in the gunmen being able to enter through the gate. This however results in Lalo killing everyone sent for him, discovering Nacho--whos' now running for his life--betrayed him and setting out on the war path against all his family's enemies.]]

*** "Rock and Hard Place": [[spoiler:Nacho dies, and does so on his own terms—meaning with Mike's help, he allows himself to be captured by the Salamancas while insisting a rival gang that has nothing to do with Gus was who he was working with—and who was actually responsible for the hit on Lalo, says he doesn't regret it while confessing to causing Hector's stroke and then getting a gun to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled shoot himself in the head]] to avoid a far more [[CruelAndUnusualDeath painful and unpleasant fate]] instead.]]
*** "Hit and Run": [[spoiler:Upon discovering she and Jimmy are being followed, Kim meets Mike for the very first time who tells her he was having them watched because Lalo is alive and wanted to make sure he knew if Lalo came to them at any point—and that Mike is telling her because he thinks she can handle the truth better than Jimmy. Kim ultimately decides not to tell Jimmy as well.]]
*** "Axe and Grind": [[spoiler:Upon the discovery that the judge they're making it look like Jimmy is bribing is currently in a cast—meaning they can't use the photos in which the look-alike is not wearing a cast—Jimmy suggests to Kim that they should call it off for now rather than try to fix it with only so much time. Kim after a moment of reflection, [[TemptingFate demands to go forward no matter what]].]]
*** "Plan and Execution": [[spoiler:Lalo discovers that the line is bugged when he attempts to call Hector and make him aware of his next plan, so he lies about striking Gus at his house next while surveying the super lab site from a storm drain on the outside. Mike arranges to make sure Gus is heavily guarded and protected when Lalo shows up, meaning guys are all stationed directly there and nowhere else as a result. Saul and Kim's plot to end the Sandpiper case by discrediting Howard goes as planned despite the last-minute complication. Howard later appears at their home to chew them out for their actions, but Lalo arrives shortly after and kills Howard so he can interrogate the couple.]]

*** "Point and Shoot": [[spoiler:Lalo sends Kim to kill Gus—but it's really a distraction, Jimmy is tied up and forced to remain at the condo with Howard's body and the trauma of Lalo saying he will come back and question him again stays with him for years and Gus is captured by Lalo and taken to be executed at the super lab as Lalo films it, but then Gus is able to step on the switch to turn off the lights and shoot Lalo dead with the concealed gun he earlier hid there. Mike then oversees as Howard and Lalo's bodies are buried underneath the bedrock of the super lab.]]
*** "Fun and Games": [[spoiler:Gus decides to continue with his desire to ruin the Salamancas further rather than move on and have a peaceful and content future while Mike tells Manuel what happened to Nacho and receives Manuel's ire for thinking that picking sides when it comes to gang on gang violence matters in any way. Kim eventually cracks under the pressure of living the lie about what happened to Howard, has her law license withdrawn, packs her bags and prepares to leave Jimmy believing the two of them together constantly ruins the lives of everyone they encounter as well as admitting she knew Lalo was alive but chose to say nothing so that they could move forward with the scam on Howard which she now severely regrets. She also say that she thought things would end between them because he'd want them to hide and forget about the plan. Cue a TimeSkip going forward many years later to when Jimmy is now in full swing in his role as Saul and is about to meet Brandon "Badger" Mayhew in a matter of days.]]
*** "Nippy": [[spoiler:In present day, Gene manipulates Jeff and his friend into a massive robbery of merchandise from the mall only for the purpose of extorting them and guaranteeing their silence about him being Saul—all while now getting the taste for schemes and cons again as a result.]]
*** "Breaking Bad": [[spoiler:Saul is advised in a flashback by Mike against working with Walter White because he's way too new and ignorant to the business—which Saul clearly ends up ignoring when he goes to see Walt at his high school anyway and in present day, Gene ropes Jeff and his friend into a scheme that involves drugging rich guys and taking their money and/or other info in their house—only for Gene to get Jeff to help finish an aborted scam against [[IronicEcho a cancer patient]] in which Gene actively has to force his way into the house by means of breaking a window and unlocking the door.]]
*** "Waterworks": [[spoiler:Jimmy speaks to Kim for the first time in years, Kim confesses to the conspiracy against Howard Hamlin and the true circumstances of his death, Kim meets Jesse Pinkman in a flashback, Gene's plans get Jeff arrested when he tries to flee from the police and crashes his car and Gene's true identity is uncovered by Marion, who calls the police on him after he all but threatens her—forcing him to now flee for his life.]]
*** "Saul Gone": [[spoiler:Jimmy briefly flees capture from police only to almost immediately be caught and arrested. Facing both Marie Shrader and extradition back to Albuquerque, Jimmy spins the well-detailed story that he was forced into participating in everything Walt did out of fear for his life so that he's able to negotitate an extremely lenient sentence for himself. Upon discovering Kim did confess her part in everything that happened to Howard, Jimmy--both feeling guilty and wanting to do right by Kim--confesses the truth of his willing involvement in Walt's drug empire and even brings up his guilt over what happened to Chuck and his part in that too. Jimmy loses out on the generous seven year sentence he would've gotten and instead gets 30 years--though could be less if good behavior is involved, Jimmy is respected by all the criminals for his history as Saul and therefore will be treated very well, Kim--having had her spirit revitalized--visits with Jimmy at one point where they share a cigarette just like old times again and then shortly after, part on good terms again.]]

*** "Rock and Hard Place": [[spoiler:Nacho dies, and does so on his own terms—meaning with Mike's help, he allows himself to be captured by the Salamancas while insisting a rival gang that has nothing to do with Gus was who he was working with—and who was actually responsible for the hit on Lalo, says he doesn't regret it while confessing to causing Hector's stroke and then getting a gun to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled shoot himself in the head]] to avoid a far more [[CruelAndUnusualDeath painful and unpleasant fate]] instead.]]
*** "Hit and Run": [[spoiler:Upon discovering she and Jimmy are being followed, Kim meets Mike for the very first time who tells her he was having them watched because Lalo is alive and wanted to make sure he knew if Lalo came to them at any point—and that Mike is telling her because he thinks she can handle the truth better than Jimmy. Kim ultimately decides not to tell Jimmy as well.]]
*** "Axe and Grind": [[spoiler:Upon the discovery that the judge they're making it look like Jimmy is bribing is currently in a cast—meaning they can't use the photos in which the look-alike is not wearing a cast—Jimmy suggests to Kim that they should call it off for now rather than try to fix it with only so much time. Kim after a moment of reflection, [[TemptingFate demands to go forward no matter what]].]]
*** "Plan and Execution": [[spoiler:Lalo discovers that the line is bugged when he attempts to call Hector and make him aware of his next plan, so he lies about striking Gus at his house next while surveying the super lab site from a storm drain on the outside. Mike arranges to make sure Gus is heavily guarded and protected when Lalo shows up, meaning guys are all stationed directly there and nowhere else as a result. Saul and Kim's plot to end the Sandpiper case by discrediting Howard goes as planned despite the last-minute complication. Howard later appears at their home to chew them out for their actions, but Lalo arrives shortly after and kills Howard so he can interrogate the couple.]]

*** "Point and Shoot": [[spoiler:Lalo sends Kim to kill Gus—but it's really a distraction, Jimmy is tied up and forced to remain at the condo with Howard's body and the trauma of Lalo saying he will come back and question him again stays with him for years and Gus is captured by Lalo and taken to be executed at the super lab as Lalo films it, but then Gus is able to step on the switch to turn off the lights and shoot Lalo dead with the concealed gun he earlier hid there. Mike then oversees as Howard and Lalo's bodies are buried underneath the bedrock of the super lab.]]
*** "Fun and Games": [[spoiler:Gus decides to continue with his desire to ruin the Salamancas further rather than move on and have a peaceful and content future while Mike tells Manuel what happened to Nacho and receives Manuel's ire for thinking that picking sides when it comes to gang on gang violence matters in any way. Kim eventually cracks under the pressure of living the lie about what happened to Howard, has her law license withdrawn, packs her bags and prepares to leave Jimmy believing the two of them together constantly ruins the lives of everyone they encounter as well as admitting she knew Lalo was alive but chose to say nothing so that they could move forward with the scam on Howard which she now severely regrets. She also say that she thought things would end between them because he'd want them to hide and forget about the plan. Cue a TimeSkip going forward many years later to when Jimmy is now in full swing in his role as Saul and is about to meet Brandon "Badger" Mayhew in a matter of days.]]
*** "Nippy": [[spoiler:In present day, Gene manipulates Jeff and his friend into a massive robbery of merchandise from the mall only for the purpose of extorting them and guaranteeing their silence about him being Saul—all while now getting the taste for schemes and cons again as a result.]]
*** "Breaking Bad": [[spoiler:Saul is advised in a flashback by Mike against working with Walter White because he's way too new and ignorant to the business—which Saul clearly ends up ignoring when he goes to see Walt at his high school anyway and in present day, Gene ropes Jeff and his friend into a scheme that involves drugging rich guys and taking their money and/or other info in their house—only for Gene to get Jeff to help finish an aborted scam against [[IronicEcho a cancer patient]] in which Gene actively has to force his way into the house by means of breaking a window and unlocking the door.]]
*** "Waterworks": [[spoiler:Jimmy speaks to Kim for the first time in years, Kim confesses to the conspiracy against Howard Hamlin and the true circumstances of his death, Kim meets Jesse Pinkman in a flashback, Gene's plans get Jeff arrested when he tries to flee from the police and crashes his car and Gene's true identity is uncovered by Marion, who calls the police on him after he all but threatens her—forcing him to now flee for his life.]]

* PopCulturedBadass: Like his portrayal in ''Breaking Bad'', Jimmy makes a lot of pop culture references in his everyday dialogue.

* TheUnfavourite: Chuck and Jimmy's dad always liked Jimmy better. Even though Jimmy was irresponsible (and secretly stole from their father), he's much more personable than Chuck. On their mother's deathbed, it was Jimmy that she called for. Chuck has clearly developed a complex about this, as evidenced in the flashback where he gets irritated by how charmed his wife is by Jimmy's jokes.

--->'''Chuck:''' $20 million.

** Jimmy explaining the pun behind "Saul Goodman". He's slightly disappointed when [[DirtyCop Hank Shrader]] is the only one to get it right away.

* SuperOCD: While a lot of Gus' ControlFreak tendencies are explained by his genuine interest to provide the best fast food he can, he also displays these tendencies during situations they really don't matter in, and [[FalseFlagOperation where they could even hint at his involvement]].

* ParkingProblems: A RunningGag is Saul clashing with Mike Ehrmantraut, the parking attendant at the courthouse, due to failing to collect the required number of parking validation stickers to have his parking fee waived. At one point, he reaches through the window of the booth to lift the barrier arm when Mike won't let him out without payment, causing him to be briefly barred from the car park. In another episode, he blocks the exit lane in protest and picks a fight with Mike, causing him to be arrested for assault.

*** "Rock and Hard Place": [[spoiler:Nacho dies, and does so on his own terms—meaning with Mike's help, he allows himself to be captured by the Salamancas while insisting a rival gang that has nothing to do with Gus was who he was working with—and who was actually responsible for the hit on Lalo, says he doesn't regret it while confessing to causing Hector's stroke and then getting a gun to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled shoot himself in the head]] to avoid a far more [[CruelAndUnusualDeath painful and unpleasant fate]] instead.]]
*** "Hit and Run": [[spoiler:Upon discovering she and Jimmy are being followed, Kim meets Mike for the very first time who tells her he was having them watched because Lalo is alive and wanted to make sure he knew if Lalo came to them at any point—and that Mike is telling her because he thinks she can handle the truth better than Jimmy. Kim ultimately decides not to tell Jimmy as well.]]
*** "Axe and Grind": [[spoiler:Upon the discovery that the judge they're making it look like Jimmy is bribing is currently in a cast—meaning they can't use the photos in which the look-alike is not wearing a cast—Jimmy suggests to Kim that they should call it off for now rather than try to fix it with only so much time. Kim after a moment of reflection, [[TemptingFate demands to go forward no matter what]].]]
*** "Plan and Execution": [[spoiler:Lalo discovers that the line is bugged when he attempts to call Hector and make him aware of his next plan, so he lies about striking Gus at his house next while surveying the super lab site from a storm drain on the outside. Mike arranges to make sure Gus is heavily guarded and protected when Lalo shows up, meaning guys are all stationed directly there and nowhere else as a result. Saul and Kim's plot to end the Sandpiper case by discrediting Howard goes as planned despite the last-minute complication. Howard later appears at their home to chew them out for their actions, but Lalo arrives shortly after and kills Howard so he can interrogate the couple.]]

*** "Point and Shoot": [[spoiler:Lalo sends Kim to kill Gus—but it's really a distraction, Jimmy is tied up and forced to remain at the condo with Howard's body and the trauma of Lalo saying he will come back and question him again stays with him for years and Gus is captured by Lalo and taken to be executed at the super lab as Lalo films it, but then Gus is able to step on the switch to turn off the lights and shoot Lalo dead with the concealed gun he earlier hid there. Mike then oversees as Howard and Lalo's bodies are buried underneath the bedrock of the super lab.]]
*** "Fun and Games": [[spoiler:Gus decides to continue with his desire to ruin the Salamancas further rather than move on and have a peaceful and content future while Mike tells Manuel what happened to Nacho and receives Manuel's ire for thinking that picking sides when it comes to gang on gang violence matters in any way. Kim eventually cracks under the pressure of living the lie about what happened to Howard, has her law license withdrawn, packs her bags and prepares to leave Jimmy believing the two of them together constantly ruins the lives of everyone they encounter as well as admitting she knew Lalo was alive but chose to say nothing so that they could move forward with the scam on Howard which she now severely regrets. She also say that she thought things would end between them because he'd want them to hide and forget about the plan. Cue a TimeSkip going forward many years later to when Jimmy is now in full swing in his role as Saul and is about to meet Brandon "Badger" Mayhew in a matter of days.]]
*** "Nippy": [[spoiler:In present day, Gene manipulates Jeff and his friend into a massive robbery of merchandise from the mall only for the purpose of extorting them and guaranteeing their silence about him being Saul—all while now getting the taste for schemes and cons again as a result.]]
*** "Breaking Bad": [[spoiler:Saul is advised in a flashback by Mike against working with Walter White because he's way too new and ignorant to the business—which Saul clearly ends up ignoring when he goes to see Walt at his high school anyway and in present day, Gene ropes Jeff and his friend into a scheme that involves drugging rich guys and taking their money and/or other info in their house—only for Gene to get Jeff to help finish an aborted scam against [[IronicEcho a cancer patient]] in which Gene actively has to force his way into the house by means of breaking a window and unlocking the door.]]
*** "Waterworks": [[spoiler:Jimmy speaks to Kim for the first time in years, Kim confesses to the conspiracy against Howard Hamlin and the true circumstances of his death, Kim meets Jesse Pinkman in a flashback, Gene's plans get Jeff arrested when he tries to flee from the police and crashes his car and Gene's true identity is uncovered by Marion, who calls the police on him after he all but threatens her—forcing him to now flee for his life.]]

** "Pimento": When Jimmy is yet again turned down by HHM when delivering the Sandpiper case, he then eventually learns the truth: it turns out that Chuck has been secretly undermining Jimmy the whole time--as in gave Howard orders before not to hire him when he first got his degree and then used Jimmy's phone the night before the meeting about Sandpiper to call Howard and once again reiterate not to bring Jimmy into HHM. Chuck's disgusted by Jimmy's attempt to be a lawyer and thinks that he's nothing but a scumbag. Before Jimmy finds out, Howard tells Kim the truth in confidence and to spare Jimmy's feelings, she tells him to take the deal to relinquish the case for a price.
** "Marco": Jimmy's good friend Marco dies--and it's revealed that's how he got his pinky ring, but then is offered a job working at Davis & Main on Sandpiper in lieu of the job he thought he was going to get at HHM thanks to Kim putting in a good word for him. However, Jimmy has second thoughts about the job and realizing morality and following the rules always holds him back, he vows that those things won't get in the way again, indicating his very first step to taking on his identity as Saul.
** "Nailed:" Chuck's integrity is thrown into question by Jimmy's forgery of his Mesa Verde documents. He ends up having an EMS attack in a copy center when trying to find evidence of it--and falling and suffering a horrible head injury as a result. Mike pulls off a heist on one of Hector's trucks and later learns that an innocent bystander was killed by Hector for stumbling upon the driver.
** "Klick": Mike is warned to not go through with his attempt to take out Hector by someone powerful who's been keeping eyes on him (every episode of Season 2's first letter rearranged spells out "FRING'S BACK") and Chuck fakes his retirement--in the wake of his injury, trauma and humiliation in the previous episode--in order to guilt Jimmy into confessing to sabotaging Mesa Verde's files—which Chuck secretly recorded.
** "Witness": Mike's pursuit of whoever warned him leads to Los Pollos Hermanos where Jimmy randomly encounters Gus and upon learning about Chuck recording him, Jimmy angrily forces his way into the house while berating him and destroying the tape--somethign Chuck didn't quite expect--only to realize that both Howard and the PI are there to see it and will now back-up Chuck on the crime just committed right in front of them.
** "Chicanery": While cross-examining Chuck, Jimmy exposes and proves that his condition and negative reaction to electricity is not a physical one, but a mental one by having Huell Babineaux plant a fully charged phone battery on him and not telling him about it for nearly two hours. Chuck loses it and blurts out his resentment and mistrust toward Jimmy in front of everyone as a result of the prosecutor saying he has Schizophrenia and then realizes he's now wrecked his own credibility in the process—and begins to realize his condition actually isn't what he thought it was.
** "Lantern": [[spoiler:Nacho's plan to give Hector a heart attack works, only for Gus to notice. Along with him and Kim being forced to shut the doors on WM due to loss of funds, Jimmy purposely leaves on his mic in a plan to confess to driving Irene away from her friends, destroying his good standing as an elder attorney and opening him more to his future as Saul. Finally, trying to permanently sever ties with Jimmy and suffering a horrible mental breakdown because of it—Chuck kills himself after being dismissed from HHM—Howard paying him out of pocket to protect the firm and condemning him for his pettiness—burning his house down.]]
** "Smoke": [[spoiler:In the aftermath of Chuck's death, Howard confesses his own feelings of responsibility and how he thinks ousting Chuck from HHM led to his fatal breakdown. Rather than take responsibility for his part—getting Chuck's insurance canceled by letting word of his illness slip—Jimmy instead chooses to deny it and lean into Howard's guilt.]]
** "Breathe:" [[spoiler:It doesn't take long for Gus to figure out Nacho's role, and once he has the proof, he kills Arturo in front of Nacho and uses this knowledge to blackmail Nacho into working for him.]]
** "Widersehen": [[spoiler:Werner flees from the facility when his request to take time off to meet with his wife is denied, Lalo looks into Gus's business more closely while Nacho continues to be dragged along for the ride and Jimmy is denied the chance to have his suspended license back due to not talking about his relationship with Chuck at all—to which Jimmy spews BlatantLies over how he doesn't think about or miss Chuck at all, before projecting onto Kim that she thinks of him as a lowlife like Chuck did]].
** "Winner:" [[spoiler:Jimmy makes a compassionate speech about Chuck to the bar association, convincing them to reinstate his law license. Immediately afterwards, he admits to Kim that he didn't mean a word of it and intends to no longer practice under his own name, signifying his final transformation into Saul Goodman. Also, Mike is forced to kill Werner when Lalo is on Werner's tail and everything is at risk.]]
** "Bagman": [[spoiler:Jimmy is nearly killed in the desert by gunmen sent to prevent him from delivering Lalo's bail, is saved by Mike who then guides him through the desert, the Esteem is ultimately severely damaged and abandoned to a ditch by Jimmy and Mike and Kim goes to see Lalo and her involvement increases—with Mike telling Jimmy that "she's in the game now."]]
** "Something Unforgivable": [[spoiler:Jimmy and Kim start hatching a plan to destroy Howard's career, Mike and Gus make arrangements to have Lalo killed with Nacho assisting in the gunmen being able to enter through the gate. This however results in Lalo killing everyone sent for him, discovering Nacho--whos' now running for his life--betrayed him and setting out on the war path against all his family's enemies.]]
** "Rock and Hard Place": [[spoiler:Nacho dies, and does so on his own terms—meaning with Mike's help, he allows himself to be captured by the Salamancas while insisting a rival gang that has nothing to do with Gus was who he was working with—and who was actually responsible for the hit on Lalo, says he doesn't regret it while confessing to causing Hector's stroke and then getting a gun to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled shoot himself in the head]] to avoid a far more [[CruelAndUnusualDeath painful and unpleasant fate]] instead.]]
** "Hit and Run": [[spoiler:Upon discovering she and Jimmy are being followed, Kim meets Mike for the very first time who tells her he was having them watched because Lalo is alive and wanted to make sure he knew if Lalo came to them at any point—and that Mike is telling her because he thinks she can handle the truth better than Jimmy. Kim ultimately decides not to tell Jimmy as well.]]
** "Axe and Grind": [[spoiler:Upon the discovery that the judge they're making it look like Jimmy is bribing is currently in a cast—meaning they can't use the photos in which the look-alike is not wearing a cast—Jimmy suggests to Kim that they should call it off for now rather than try to fix it with only so much time. Kim after a moment of reflection, [[TemptingFate demands to go forward no matter what]].]]
** "Plan and Execution": [[spoiler:Lalo discovers that the line is bugged when he attempts to call Hector and make him aware of his next plan, so he lies about striking Gus at his house next while surveying the super lab site from a storm drain on the outside. Mike arranges to make sure Gus is heavily guarded and protected when Lalo shows up, meaning guys are all stationed directly there and nowhere else as a result. Saul and Kim's plot to end the Sandpiper case by discrediting Howard goes as planned despite the last-minute complication. Howard later appears at their home to chew them out for their actions, but Lalo arrives shortly after and kills Howard so he can interrogate the couple.]]
** Excluding the GrandFinale "Saul Gone", the rest of the sixth and final season--the Final Six--counts:
*** "Point and Shoot": [[spoiler:Lalo sends Kim to kill Gus—but it's really a distraction, Jimmy is tied up and forced to remain at the condo with Howard's body and the trauma of Lalo saying he will come back and question him again stays with him for years and Gus is captured by Lalo and taken to be executed at the super lab as Lalo films it, but then Gus is able to step on the switch to turn off the lights and shoot Lalo dead with the concealed gun he earlier hid there. Mike then oversees as Howard and Lalo's bodies are buried underneath the bedrock of the super lab.]]
*** "Fun and Games": [[spoiler:Gus decides to continue with his desire to ruin the Salamancas further rather than move on and have a peaceful and content future while Mike tells Manuel what happened to Nacho and receives Manuel's ire for thinking that picking sides when it comes to gang on gang violence matters in any way. Kim eventually cracks under the pressure of living the lie about what happened to Howard, has her law license withdrawn, packs her bags and prepares to leave Jimmy believing the two of them together constantly ruins the lives of everyone they encounter as well as admitting she knew Lalo was alive but chose to say nothing so that they could move forward with the scam on Howard which she now severely regrets. She also say that she thought things would end between them because he'd want them to hide and forget about the plan. Cue a TimeSkip going forward many years later to when Jimmy is now in full swing in his role as Saul and is about to meet Brandon "Badger" Mayhew in a matter of days.]]
*** "Nippy": [[spoiler:In present day, Gene manipulates Jeff and his friend into a massive robbery of merchandise from the mall only for the purpose of extorting them and guaranteeing their silence about him being Saul—all while now getting the taste for schemes and cons again as a result.]]
*** "Breaking Bad": [[spoiler:Saul is advised in a flashback by Mike against working with Walter White because he's way too new and ignorant to the business—which Saul clearly ends up ignoring when he goes to see Walt at his high school anyway and in present day, Gene ropes Jeff and his friend into a scheme that involves drugging rich guys and taking their money and/or other info in their house—only for Gene to get Jeff to help finish an aborted scam against [[IronicEcho a cancer patient]] in which Gene actively has to force his way into the house by means of breaking a window and unlocking the door.]]
*** "Waterworks": [[spoiler:Jimmy speaks to Kim for the first time in years, Kim confesses to the conspiracy against Howard Hamlin and the true circumstances of his death, Kim meets Jesse Pinkman in a flashback, Gene's plans get Jeff arrested when he tries to flee from the police and crashes his car and Gene's true identity is uncovered by Marion, who calls the police on him after he all but threatens her—forcing him to now flee for his life.]]

** "Pimento": When Jimmy is yet again turned down by HHM when delivering the Sandpiper case, he then eventually learns the truth: it turns out that Chuck has been secretly undermining Jimmy the whole time--as in gave Howard orders before not to hire him when he first got his degree and then used Jimmy's phone the night before the meetign about Sandpiper to call Howard and once again reiterate not to bring Jimmy into HHM. Chuck's disgusted by Jimmy's attempt to be a lawyer and thinks that he's nothing but a scumbag. Before Jimmy finds out, Howard tells Kim the truth in confidence and to spare Jimmy's feelings, she tells him to take the deal to relinquish the case for a price.

** "Pimento": It turns out that Chuck has been secretly undermining Jimmy the whole time. He's disgusted by Jimmy's attempt to be a lawyer and thinks that he's nothing but a scumbag.

** "Witness": Mike's pursuit of whoever warned him leads to Los Pollos Hermanos where Jimmy randomly encounters Gus and upon learning about Chuck recording him, Jimmy angrily forces his way into the house while berating him and destroying the tape--somethign Chuck didn't quite expect--only to realize that both Howardf and the PI are there to see it and will now back-up Chuck on the crime just committed right in front of them.

** "Lantern": [[spoiler:Nacho's plan to give Hector a heart attack works, only for Gus to notice. Along with him and Kim being forced to shut the doors on WM due to loss of funds, Jimmy purposely leaves on his mic in a plan to confess to driving Irene away from her friends, setting the path for him to become Saul. Finally, trying to permanently sever ties with Jimmy and suffering a horrible mental breakdown because of it—Chuck kills himself after being dismissed from HHM—Howard paying him out of pocket to protect the firm and condemning him for his pettiness—burning his house down.]]

* TheOner

** The tragedy of Jimmy and Chuck, and hinted by the show, confirmed by [[https://ew.com/tv/better-call-saul-bob-odenkirk-on-series-finale/ Bob]] and [[https://ew.com/tv/better-call-saul-finale-cover-story/ Michael]], that they’ve been doing this since their childhood. If they had ever actually talked and grabbed the olive branches that they could occasionally give each other, whether it was Jimmy genuinely attempting to be better or Chuck trying to not be a BigBrotherBully, then things could have been different.