Something Unforgivable
In the aftermath of the last episode, Jimmy and Kim make sure that Lalo has left Kim's apartment and driven away in Nacho's car. Jimmy picks up the phone and asks Mike what happens next. Mike just replies, "We'll see" and remarks that Kim saved his life. When he ends the call and Kim asks him who he was talking to, Jimmy tells her the truth about his desert trek with Mike. Jimmy and Kim decide that the apartment isn't safe and immediately go to an upscale hotel to wait out the situation for a few days.
Reflecting on what Mike told him in the desert about Kim now being "in the game", Jimmy asks her if he is bad for her and states that the incident with Lalo would not have happened if she wasn't associated with Jimmy. Kim tells Jimmy that he "crossed a line" in representing Lalo, and asks whether he will do it again; Jimmy promises he won't, but he doesn't sound confident in saying so. Kim turns in for the night while Jimmy stays awake, troubled.
The next morning, Mike meets Gus at the burned down Los Pollos Hermanos in Los Lunas, and informs him that Lalo and Nacho went to Lalo's Chihuahua home. Mike concludes that Lalo, not suspecting Nacho of being a mole, is about to have Nacho promoted, which would put him out of Gus's reach. He tries to argue that they should have Nacho extracted and in turn freed from Gus's employ, but Gus refuses, revealing that he has already hired a team of professional killers to take Lalo out, and suggests Nacho would be valuable to the plot as an inside man.
Lalo and Nacho arrive at Lalo's residence, an expansive hacienda located within a large, walled compound. They are both warmly greeted by his family and staff. Nacho receives a call from a burner used by one of the assassins Gus has contracted, telling him to open Lalo's back gate at 3 a.m. He tries to warn the caller that there are several innocent people in the compound who will be caught in the crossfire, but the caller seemingly ignores the advice.
Kim ignores Jimmy's request to lay low at the hotel and visits the courthouse. She meets with one of the public defenders, Grant, and takes on twenty pending felony cases pro bono. While in an elevator, she unexpectedly encounters Howard and two of his associates from HHM. On her way out, Kim tells Howard about her recent resignation from Schweikart & Cokely. This intrigues Howard, and he attempts to find out what exactly happened. Kim tries to leave, but Howard beckons her to follow him into an empty courtroom for privacy. Here, Howard warns her about Jimmy's recent behavior, including Jimmy destroying his car with bowling balls and sending prostitutes to harass him, and suggests Kim should stop following his lead. Kim laughs in Howard's face, insulted by his notion that she cannot decide for herself. As she leaves, Howard tells her that Chuck best understood Jimmy.
Lalo prepares Nacho for his first meeting with Don Eladio. When Lalo enters Eladio's Hacienda, the Don waltzes in and charms all of the gangsters in attendance. At their meeting with Eladio, Lalo explains that Nacho is associated with Tuco and will manage the Salamanca business while Lalo is in Mexico. Lalo also gives Eladio a Ferrari 308 GTS, which Eladio recognizes from Magnum, P.I.. Eladio is impressed with Nacho's plans to expand Salamanca territory and gives his blessing.
Jimmy goes to Mike's house to question him about his employer and about the situation with Lalo. Mike tells him he's not allowed to know this information, but does inform Jimmy that Lalo will be assassinated that night. Jimmy goes back to the hotel, packs their possessions, and informs Kim when he gets back. Kim tries to get Jimmy's assurance that this is it, and there's no "next time"; he simply tells her that it's time for them check out of the hotel and go home now that the danger has passed. Kim replies that they have already paid for the night, so they should take advantage of it.
After ordering dinner from room service, Kim tells Jimmy about what Howard had told her at the courthouse. Still angered by Howard's comments, Kim gives him ideas for further pranks targeting Howard, with which Jimmy reluctantly goes along. The conversation escalates into foreplay. Jimmy and Kim make love, and as they're lying naked in bed afterwards, Kim proposes a forced resolution of the Sandpiper case by sabotaging Howard, which would enable Jimmy to receive his seven-figure share of the settlement. Jimmy counsels against it, but Kim makes use of a similar finger-pointing gesture Jimmy previously used after he got his law license back, indicating she is serious about undermining Howard.
At 3 a.m., Nacho is approaching the back gate to let in Gus' assassins when he finds Lalo, awake, sitting next to a fire pit, and on guard. Looking for a way to distract Lalo, Nacho goes to the kitchen on the pretense of grabbing stronger drinks, pours a lot of oil into a pan, and places it over the lit stove. Soon, Lalo runs to the kitchen to investigate the smoke, and Nacho uses the opportunity to open the gate for the assassins and flees.
Lalo manages to dodge out the initial fire of the hitmen and scalds one of them with the boiling oil. He runs off to his jacuzzi, which is the secret entrance to an underground tunnel. Lalo intentionally keeps the entrance open, crawling just outside the compound from a trapdoor. The assassins find the tunnel; two of them enter it while one remains as a guard outside. Lalo surprises and kills the guard, then takes his machine gun and empties the full magazine in the narrow tunnel, killing both the men inside.
Lalo overpowers the remaining assassin, who is heavily injured from the grease. He tells him to call his employer and tell them that the mission was successful. Lalo notices the untouched liquor glasses, which leads him to realize Nacho let them in. Eventually Lalo finds the lifeless body of his cook Yolanda, shot through the chest. With a new mission objective, he storms off into the night as the scene fades to black.
Tropes
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: Nacho pitches to Eladio one of his plans for expanding territory for the cartel, which is to team up with local bikers and sending them against other biker gangs to clear the way for the Salamancas.
- Armor-Piercing Response:
- Howard tries to level with Kim about Jimmy's manic behavior and him needing professional help, which she rebuffs.Kim: Howard, I know Jimmy, and you're wrong.
Howard: You know who really knew Jimmy? Chuck. - When Kim is insistent on interfering with the Sandpiper case in order to take Howard down, Jimmy tries to talk her out of it, stating she would not be okay with it. Kim's response?Kim: [smiles] Wouldn't I?
- Howard tries to level with Kim about Jimmy's manic behavior and him needing professional help, which she rebuffs.
- Assassin Outclassin': Gus says that the hit squad he hired to kill Lalo are "the best", but they prove woefully ill-prepared for dealing with the man, who takes them all out one by one by luring them into traps and hunting them down in a location he knows like the back of his hand.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: The reason why Jimmy is so insistent on getting information out of Mike concerning Lalo? He's worried Kim will get hurt. And upon being told this, Mike plainly informs Jimmy about the plan to take out Lalo and the Salamancas.
- Although it's quite clear well before the final scene, there is no way that Kim would still be with Jimmy and then planning to take down Howard if she had anything but total commitment to Jimmy.
- Black Comedy:
- Jimmy storms over to Mike's house, demanding to talk to him, repeatedly banging on his front door and ringing the doorbell... and Mike asks him what the fuck he's doing, having pulled up to his house with a bag of groceries.
- Nacho trying to come up with a plan to get Lalo out of the way so he can open a door. For a short moment he takes out a kitchen knife only to slam it back as if to say "no that's stupid".
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Lalo jokes about only keeping his bodyguards around because they're pretty. This foreshadows the attack on the compound: all of the guards are killed almost immediately, with little apparent difficulty, but Lalo then manages to take out the entire hit squad by himself.
- Brutal Honesty: When Nacho cautiously tries to make a gesture of wanting to retire to Eladio, the man sarcastically comments if Nacho remembers what kind of lifestyle he's chosen for himself.
- Call-Back:
- Mike has to tell Jimmy that Salamanca shouldn't be his concern anymore and that the man's not thinking about them anymore, similar to how he was the one being told this over his grudge against Hector.
- Kim acknowledges the Sandpiper Crossing case's current situation, suggesting she and Jimmy tank it to upset Howard and reap all the rewards. And unlike Jimmy's attempts to get a quick pay day, Kim seemingly intends to take their scheme all the way. The episode ends with Kim giving a shocked Jimmy some "finger guns" before walking away.
- Call-Forward: While in Mexico, Lalo pays a visit to Don Eladio's house, and brings along a bald associate with him that's part of his operation meant to make him money, hoping Eladio accepts what they're offering.
- Can't Refuse the Call Anymore: Variation: Lalo took Nacho with him to the Salamanca's compound in Mexico and introduced him to Don Eladio, effectively putting him in the belly of the beast.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Kim is dangerously edging close to this, seeming openly gleeful about finding a way to permanently ruin Howard's career, complete with the hints of a Psychotic Smirk when Jimmy suggests that doing such a thing is beyond her wheelhouse.
- Cassandra Truth:
- Howard tells Kim at length everything Jimmy had done to him this past season, but Kim makes it clear she does not buy it because she knows Jimmy wouldn't go that low. (In reality she believes, is fine with it, and wants to do even more.)
- Jimmy tries to warn her she won't like herself if she goes through with a plan to ruin Howard for good. She dismisses it and indicates she'll be fine with it. Even Jimmy, much less Kim, won't realize just how right he'll turn out to be.
- Cliffhanger: Much like previous seasons; this season ends with Kim planning to ruin Howard's career and Lalo going after Nacho after realizing that he is Gus' Double Agent.
- Condescending Compassion: Howard gives Kim a lecture on Jimmy being a bad influence, assuming he told her to quit her job at Mesa Verde and S&C. Kim is infuriated at the implication that Jimmy is dictating her career, especially since she quit against his advice. She cites how he told her about Jimmy's antics "for [her] own good", assuming he was trying to "save" her.
- Continuity Nod:
- Howard pulls Kim aside to tell her about his job offer to Jimmy, leading to Jimmy tossing bowling balls over his front gate and sending prostitutes to harass him at lunch with Cliff Main.
- Eladio comments on the cash Bolsa brings in thanks to Gus. Once again, he's pleased, but comments on how it's a smaller amount than usual, thanks to Lalo's efforts to sabotage Fring's operations leaving less to offer.
- Death Glare: Lalo has an absolutely terrifying one when he realizes that Nacho has betrayed him for Gus.
- Defensive Feint Trap: Lalo escapes the hitmen and prepares to exit via a hidden tunnel in his compound's bathroom, but chooses to leave the hatch open to lure the assassins to this location. Once he makes it to the other side, he circles back in and catches one of the gunmen off-guard. With the last of them still traversing the tunnel, he sprays them with one of their own rifles.
- Didn't See That Coming: After Lalo takes an escape tunnel out of the house, he takes half of the assassination team by surprise by coming back into the house to attack them from the inside end of the tunnel.
- Double-Meaning Title: Kim says she plans to frame Howard for "something unforgivable" to force HHM to rush the Sandpiper case to an end. However, it's also clear that Lalo is hellbent on killing Nacho for involvement with an assassination attempt on his life that also killed his household staff.
- Downer Ending: Kim is fully committed to ruining Howard's career, and Lalo survived the assault on his home, seemingly fully aware that Nacho played a pivotal role in it.
- The Dreaded:
- True to form, Don Eladio gets this, and all his subordinates desperately seek to curry his favor. When Bolsa must report to Eladio of Gus' troubles, he looks incredibly nervous throughout the entire episode.
- Even Eladio's taken aback from the mention of Tuco, after being told that Nacho's friends with him.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Lalo brought Nacho to the Don for a promotion so he could run the Salamanca territory in his place, implied to have been thanks to Kim's questioning of whether he had anyone he could trust. Following the assassination attempt, he glances at the decanter bottle by the fire and is furious at his conclusion.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Heavily implied: while forcing the surviving hitman to falsely report that the hit on him was successful, Lalo glances over at his table... and looks at the decanter bottle Nacho had gone inside to get. And when Lalo can't seem to find Nacho, he starts marching out of his compound...
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Lalo seems to care about his personal crew very much and treats them as if they were his family. Even when scolding his young bodyguard, he treats him more like an Annoying Younger Sibling than an employee (although he uses him as a shield to cover himself from the assassins). When he sees that his sweet old cook Yolanda has been killed, his expression is one of pure rage.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Eladio is a bit unnerved by Tuco, openly wondering if Nacho is all there because of his association with him.
- Everyone Has Standards: As much as Jimmy hates Howard Hamlin and is willing to commit petty pranks out of spite for the man, even he considers trying to get the man permanently disbarred to be far too cruel a fate for him, and is outright horrified when Kim suggests going for it.
- Evil Is Petty: Kim is so offended by Howard insinuating that she left S&C and Mesa Verde because of Jimmy that she wants to destroy his entire career. Even Jimmy seems shocked.
- Faking the Dead: After subduing his would-be assassins, Lalo hands a phone to the surviving gunman and orders him to call back his middle man and tell him that Lalo's execution was successful.
- Firing in the Air a Lot: When Lalo arrives at his villa, one of the guards grabs the side of the car for a ride-along while firing his gun in the air in celebration of his boss's return.
- Foreshadowing:
- Early in the episode, when Nacho is contacted by Gus' hit squad about the plan to assassinate Lalo and what his role will be in enabling it, Nacho expresses concern about some of the residents of the compound who are relatively uninvolved with the Cartel getting caught in the crossfire. The hit squad ignores his concern and hangs up without a response. Sure enough, at the end of the episode, the kindly, elderly chef Yolanda is killed by the hit squad.
- Lalo mentions that his brain is at its best at nighttime. Shortly thereafter, a surprise attack is launched, and he manages to completely outplay a squad of trained killers, using improvised weapons, diversionary tactics and traps. All this while badly outnumbered, initially unarmed, and after a few drinks. He even has the presence of mind to keep one of his assailants alive to feed false information back to Gus. And to put a cherry on top, he's implied to have also deduced Nacho's disloyalty.
- Gilligan Cut: After Kim seemingly ignores Howard's claims of Jimmy's unstable and childish behaviour, the episode cuts to Jimmy beating on Mike's door, ranting and shouting at him –- seemingly not even considering that Mike actually may not be home.
- Hourglass Plot: The last season ended with Jimmy cultivating a devious plan to get what he wants that left Kim stunned and asking if this is really Jimmy as her partner begins to show his true colors and leaves with a pointing gesture. Now, their last interaction this season is Kim suggesting a diabolical plan of her own, leaving by making a shooting gesture at Jimmy, as he sits stunned after asking if the Kim he knows would be okay with this.
- Immediate Sequel: The Cold Open picks up in the final minute of the previous episode, when Lalo and Nacho leave the parking lot.
- Improvised Weapon: Lalo uses a frying pan of hot oil against one of the hitmen. It works very well.
- Internal Reveal:
- Shortly after Lalo leaves and Mike hangs up, Jimmy finally tells Kim about the events of "Bagman", and Mike's involvement.
- Kim learns through Howard about what Jimmy did to him throughout the season, and informs Jimmy at dinner that Howard told her.
- Lady Macbeth: Kim has fully committed herself to the hustle, eclipsing even Jimmy in ambitious cruelty where Howard is concerned, and coaxes him to join her in an enormous scam. Their final scene implies that their roles of a season ago — he the reckless one, heading down an uncertain, shady new path; and she the cautious one, balancing love and loyalty with fear and scruples — have been reversed.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Nacho explains to Don Eladio the plan he has of dealing with the bikers like this: since the group is already divided, it would make sense to make them fight amongst themselves.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Deconstructed: Jimmy gets so fed up with Mike not explaining the full situation with Lalo, he decides to confront him in person, and goes directly to his house, and demands to be kept in the loop.
- Manchild: While it's not news or anything, Jimmy's objection to ruining Howard's life suggests his mistreatment of him was just to amuse himself instead of malicious.
- Milholland Relationship Moment: While it probably helps that he's clearly traumatised, Jimmy finally tells Kim what happened in the desert, and she comforts him, only saying later that he crossed a line getting them into this mess, but it's okay.
- Modesty Bedsheet: Jimmy and Kim have sex over their mutual hatred of Howard, listing all the things they'd do to get back at him. While they're lying in bed post-coitus, they're initially both lying under the covers, but eventually pull the covers off their heads, with Kim positioning the sheets to cover her breasts.
- Mook Horror Show: A villainous version. Lalo wipes out the entire hit squad all on his own, hunting them inside his own house and ultimately gunning them down in his escape tunnel.
- Mook Promotion: Lalo brings Nacho with him to Mexico so he can get acquainted with Eladio as their connection North of the border. Mike even says it's Lalo's way to promote Nacho.
- Mood Whiplash:
- As always, the conversation with Eladio and Nacho is this. Nacho successfully impresses Eladio, however.
- We hard cut from Lalo firing a machine gun into his foxhole, trying to kill the men after him, to Jimmy washing up in the hotel room's bathroom, as Kim makes dessert for the two of them.
- Never Hurt an Innocent: As evil as the Salamancas are, it's shown they ironically cultivate a relatively innocent community like Gus. Nacho is horrified at the prospect of them being caught up in Fring's plan, but his concerns fall on deaf ears.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Gus ignores Mike's objections to continuing to use Nacho in the hit on Lalo. As a result, Nacho's forced to improvise a way to open the back door Gus' men want to use. This puts Lalo inside his home, facing a window, rather than laying on his back outside, drinking. The operation would have gone smoother without Nacho.
- Nice to the Waiter: From what we see of their interactions, Lalo seems to get on very well with the staff at his compound. He's visibly enraged when they get killed in the attempt on his life.
- Noble Demon:
- Mike once again tries to persuade Gus into letting Nacho go now that he's past the border, or that he's at least earned some consideration for his efforts. Gus won't have any of it, however.
- Nacho tries to tell Gus' assassins to spare the rest of the household staff that aren't guards, insisting they're innocent bystanders, but they don't listen and gun everyone down on their way to Lalo.
- Not Me This Time: While Howard is right about everything Jimmy did to him, and how out of control Jimmy's been acting, Howard mistakenly thinks Jimmy is behind Kim leaving Mesa Verde, which genuinely angers Kim.
- Not so Dire: At one point in the episode's trailer, Kim is shown walking through a room full of boxes and files. This room is at the courthouse, and she's there because she needs something to do to fill up her schedule now that she's quit her law firm.
- Not What It Looks Like: Downplayed: After Kim asks who was on Jimmy's cell just now, Jimmy explains "the guy who saved my life", which he quickly clarifies, explaining he's the guy who saved him in the desert.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- In his conversation with Nacho, Eladio drops his jovial facade and more or less tells him to cut the bullshit and be honest with him on what he really wants. It's one of the very few times he is direct with a subordinate and pointedly orders them to stop kissing his ass.
- Almost never without a smile, even when he's attempting to intimidate someone, the final shot has Lalo sporting a face of pure, unbridled rage.
- Jimmy, a man who has done some pretty mean things while scamming other people, is absolutely shocked when he realizes that Kim is dead set on trying to ruin Howard's career, to the point of desperately trying to convince her not to actually do it.
- Pet the Dog: Mike initially refuses to tell Jimmy anything further about his employer's plans for Lalo Salamanca. However, after Jimmy expresses to him that he's primarily worried about Kim, Mike sympathizes and assures him that Lalo isn't concerned with him anymore. And furthermore, the plan is for Lalo to die that night.
- Prematurely Bald: Kim reasons that since Jimmy already went after Howard's property and reputation, they should go after his precious hair next: various options discussed are drugging him and shaving it off and switching his shampoo with nair.
- Psychotic Smirk: Kim gives a heavily downplayed example to Jimmy, demonstrating to him that she really does want to ruin Howard's career out of spite. Jimmy himself is nothing short of unnerved.
- Schmuck Bait: Lalo intentionally leaves his hidden escape tunnel open behind him, doubling back to kill his would-be pursuers while they're still inside.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: Jimmy and Kim begin tossing ideas as to how to strike back at Howard for his remarks, tipsy from the wine they've been drinking. Mid-conversation, we cut to them lying in bed under the covers, naked, continuing their talk. It is here that Kim floats the idea of ruining Howard's career.
- Sincerity Mode: After Nacho honestly explains he wants to be able to get out of the criminal life and stop worrying about looking over his shoulder, Don Eladio cheerfully remarks he's in the wrong line of work.
- A Storm Is Coming: A metaphorical variant; when Lalo survives his assassination attempt, realizes that Nacho played a role in it, and witnesses the corpse of his household occupants, he walks off with a menacing Death Glare, just as the sound of gravel distorts into what sounds like an oncoming thunderstorm, representing Lalo's rage on the whole situation and towards Gus and Nacho.
- The Sleepless: Lalo mentions that on average, he needs less than 3 hours of sleep each night. It's also justified, as he claims his mind works better at nighttime - there's less distractions.
- Technician Versus Performer: Bolsa VS Lalo. Both bring monetary tributes to Eladio when meeting with him, but Bolsa simply presents the packages of cash, whereas Lalo makes a game of it by putting it in the trunk of a brand new Ferrari. Even though Bolsa's offering is larger, Eladio derides it by saying it's still less than usual, whereas he has nothing negative to say about Lalo's gift due to the presentation being so flashy.
- Title Drop: This time, it comes from Jimmy and Kim discussing setting Howard up for a major fall, with Jimmy saying that if they were to do this, it would be something "scorched Earth" level bad.
- Villainous Friendship: Lalo cheerfully greets and hugs Don Eladio like an old buddy. Though he is aware that his $7 million bail is a setback for Eladio so it is unclear how much of his behavior is genuine and how much of it is simply him trying to avoid the Don's wrath.
- Villain Has a Point: He might mean it as a joke, but Don Eladio is correct when he tells Nacho he might be in the wrong business.
- Villainous Valor: While he could flee the compound when he barely escaped assassination, Lalo goes in to avenge his people.
- Wham Episode: While Mike and Gus discuss what to do with him after Lalo is dealt with, Nacho helps execute the assassination attempt and runs off. Lalo ends up killing all of the assailants, orders one remaining mercenary to report that he is dead, and walks on after figuring out Nacho's true role as a double agent. Kim hatches a plan to get Howard into serious trouble that could ruin his career and possibly the Sandpiper case, which takes Jimmy aback. When Jimmy tries to assure that she wouldn't go that far, she only responds with a gesture of amusement, signifying that she's truly planning on ruining Howard.
- Wham Line: As Kim is seriously discussing a plan to derail the Sandpiper case and ruin Howard's legal career:Jimmy: You would not be okay with it. Not in the cold light of day.
Kim: Wouldn't I? - Wham Shot:
- Complementing the above, Kim completes the Wham factor by mimicking Jimmy's earlier "finger guns" gesture from back when he decided to change his lawyering name to Saul Goodman. Their roles are reversing, as this time it's Jimmy who is left shocked and speechless.
- Lalo's grievous, wordless intensity shows Lalo having left his investigative (but still murderous when required) persona for one of cold rage vengeance.
- Weapon Stomp: Variation; as Lalo disarms the last surviving mercenary sent against him, he does so by putting his weight on the man's hand.
- Worlds Expert On Getting Killed: The hitmen Gus hired are described to be professionals who are efficient and incredibly precise, but the perceptive Lalo gets the drop on them and outclasses them.
- You Can't Go Home Again: Eladio says as much to Nacho regarding his joining of The Cartel, especially since he's due for a promotion.
- You Don't Look Like You: Despite it being 2004, Eladio looks so, so much blatantly older and thinner than he would in 2009, complete with graying hair. Then again, Steve Bauer is pushing 63 in real life.
- You Have Failed Me: Without openly saying it, Eladio clearly implies this toward Bolsa and Gus for being short on their payments. Bolsa is quick to try to assure Eladio it won't happen again, but Eladio instead heckles Bolsa in favor of Lalo's lavish tributes.
