History Recap / BetterCallSaulS2E6BaliHai

* KickTheSonOfABitch: The use of the Cousins to threaten Mike's granddaughter puts a whole new light on Mike's actions in ''Breaking Bad'', where, after the Cousins' botched hit on Hank, he is sent by Gus to finish off the critically wounded Leonel. Insofar as Mike is capable of it, he likely took some small pleasure when Gus gave him orders to do so.

-->'''Hector:''' ''[in Spanish, to Nacho]'' I told you, right? [[YouGotSpunk Giant balls.]]

* SoundtrackDissonance: During the final scene of the episode, Jimmy kissing Kim goodbye, destroying his cupholder and slowly driving off is set to the rather bombastic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejd5MDRN3F0 Henna Henna by The Bombay Royale]].

* HiddenDepths: Minor example of Richard's view on hazing rituals. While he laughed with the partners of the firm he was a law student at of going through one, it didn't sit well with him. Prior to this episode, Richard could be seen as mildly antagonistic given that his firm is representing Sandpiper Crossing.

* HumiliationConga: Not only did Howard demote Kim to doc review, but he also gives her the cold shoulder when they meet Kevin and Paige from Mesa Verde and leaves her to defend a case on her own that she had no chance of winning.

** After effortlessly repelling Arturo, Mike sends a message that the cartel should "try harder" next time. Hector promptly send the Cousins to threaten Kaylee directly.

** Hector's praising Mike for having "big balls" echoes [[Recap/BreakingBadS1E6CrazyHandfulOfNothin Walt and Tuco's first meeting]], where Walt manages to make a bold request of $50,000 from Tuco before nearly blowing up his office and Tuco replies, "You got balls, Heisenberg. I'll give you that." The circumstances of their first Salamanca encounters are also pretty similar: Walt was pissed after seeing Jesse beaten to a pulp, while Mike was pissed with Hector threatening his family.
* ChekhovsGunman: Mike's remark to Nacho two episodes ago about how anything happening to Tuco lures in Salamancas like flies has come true, now that we've seen the Cousins.

* TheDreaded: The Cousins are here, at Hector's beck and call. Their motif used in their scenes in ''Breaking Bad'' is used over their threatening Mike at the pool.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Jimmy's rendition of the titular Bali H'ai song on Kim's answering machine is surprisingly very tender and has some legitimate emotion behind it, to the point of making Kim smile when she hears it. Later episodes establish that Jimmy is a DreadfulMusician who can't carry a tune to save his life.

* OhCrap: Mike's face turns pale the moment he sees the Cousins standing on a rooftop overlooking the pool. And then Marco does a gun sign... at Kaylee.

* StylisticSuck: Davis and Main replaced Jimmy's Sandpiper commercial with a new one, that not only recycles the white text on blue swirly nebulousness of their last commercial, but it airs at 2:00 AM when its target audience is asleep.

* YourTelevisionHatesYou: Unable to sleep, Jimmy does some late night TV surfing. He makes the discovery that Davis & Main didn't use his ad and reduced it down to white text on that swirly nebulous background he wasn't impressed by.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Kim's career is back on track but she finds it less satisfying than before. She also realizes that convincing Jimmy to take the Davis & Main job might not have been the best thing for him.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Kim's career is back on track but she finds it less satisfying then before. She also realizes that convincing Jimmy to take the Davis & Main job might not have been the best thing for him.

** After effortlessly repelling Arturo, Mikes sends a message that the cartel should "try harder" next time. Hector promptly send the Cousins to threaten Kaylee directly.

* OhCrap: Mike's face turns pale the moment he sees the Cousins standing on a rooftop overlooking the pool. And then Marco does a gun sign... [[AdultFear at Kaylee]].

* OhCrap: Mike's face turns pale the moment he sees the Cousins standing on a rooftop overlooking the pool. And then Marco does a gun sign... [[AdultFear at Kaylee]].
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The whole point of talking Nacho down from killing Tuco to just sending Tuco to prison was so that the Salamancas wouldn't come after him and Mike. Despite the reduced caper, the fact that Mike is a key cause of Tuco going to jail ''still'' put Mike on Hector Salamanca's radar, and when Mike turns down Hector's first deal offer, Hector responds in a way that is extremely predictable for a criminal of Hector's resources and ruthlessness: he sends a squad of his men over to Mike's house to either intimidate Mike into doing what they want, roughing him up until he agrees, or killing him. And despite Mike getting the better of this particular group of the Cartel's men fairly easily, ultimately Mike has to make a deal to keep himself and his family safe from their wrath. The alternative is that the Cartel will simply keep sending thugs, killers, and resources against Mike until they kill him and possibly everyone around him.

** The check Kim chooses not to cash is from Craddock Marine Bank, which in ''Breaking Bad'' is the bank where Dan Wachsberger deposits the hazard funds for Gus Fring's employees. The guy also made it out to "Ice Station Zebra Associates," the name of the shell company Jimmy uses to dodge income taxes.
** Hector's praising Mike for having "big balls" echoes the first interaction between Walt and Tuco, where Walt manages to make a bold request of $50,000 from Tuco and Tuco replies, "You got balls, Heisenberg. I'll give you that." The circumstances of their first Salamanca encounters are also pretty similar: Walt was pissed after seeing Jesse beaten to a pulp, while Mike was pissed with Hector threatening his family.

* RealityEnsues: The whole point of talking Nacho down from killing Tuco to just sending Tuco to prison was so that the Salamancas wouldn't come after him and Mike. Despite the reduced caper, the fact that Mike is a key cause of Tuco going to jail ''still'' put Mike on Hector Salamanca's radar, and when Mike turns down Hector's first deal offer, Hector responds in a way that is extremely predictable for a criminal of Hector's resources and ruthlessness: he sends a squad of his men over to Mike's house to either intimidate Mike into doing what they want, roughing him up until he agrees, or killing him. And despite Mike getting the better of this particular group of the Cartel's men fairly easily, ultimately Mike has to make a deal to keep himself and his family safe from their wrath. The alternative is that the Cartel will simply keep sending thugs, killers, and resources against Mike until they kill him and possibly everyone around him.

* EnforcedMethodActing: When Kim is listening to Jimmy serenading her on the answering machine with "Bali H'ai", Rhea Seehorn is not acting. Bob Odenkirk’s take was recorded separately, so Seehorn was actually hearing it for the first time.

-->'''Hector''': [In Spanish, to Nacho] I told you, right? [[YouGotSpunk Giant balls.]]

* YourTelevisionHatesYou: Unable to sleep, Jimmy does some late night TV surfing. He makes the discovery that Davis & Main didn't use his ad and reduced it down to white text on that swirly nebulous background he wasn't impressed by.

-->'''Hector''': [In Spanish, to Nacho] I told you, right? Giant balls.

* VillainBall: When Mike arrives to meet with Hector, Nacho pats down Mike and finds a gun on him. Hector allows Mike to keep his gun since his the Cousins were already in the room, but this allowed Mike to threaten him and allowed him to convince Hector to increase his offer.

** The check Kim chooses not to cash is from Craddock Marine Bank, which in ''Breaking Bad'' is the bank where the crooked lawyer deposits the hazard funds for Gus Fring's employees. The guy also made it out to "Ice Station Zebra Associates," the name of the shell company Jimmy uses to dodge income taxes.

* GenreSavvy: When Mike finds Hector's henchman Arturo outside his house, Mike makes clear he isn't accepting Hector's offer. Knowing full well that Arturo will tell Hector this, and Hector will send more men back to the house, Mike proceeds to set a trap that will allow him to know if someone is hiding in his house: several sheets of carbon paper taped to the underside of a welcome mat on his doorstep.