TV

Last Night’s ‘Better Call Saul’ Episode Shattered People’s Hearts

"I will be in silence and pain until next Monday."

by Charles Rushforth  27 April 2022

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Last night’s episode of Better Call Saul showed that show-runners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould aren’t wasting any time injecting the final season with a heavy dose of tragedy.

— Warning: Spoilers for Better Call Saul ahead. — 

Episode three ‘Rock and Hard Place’ deals with the fallout from fan favourite Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Varga’s decision to betray the ruthless Salamanca drug cartel.

While the previous two episodes of Season 6 saw Nacho fighting for his life — only narrowly escaping torture and certain death at the hands of the Salamanca twins — Episode three sees him decide on a final course of action to end things on his terms while keeping his father safe.

The complex setup of the episode followed Nacho as he turned himself into the custody of rival drug tycoon Gus Fring, so that the Los Pollos Hermanos chief can hide his own involvement in his betrayal against the Salamancas, in exchange for Nacho’s father’s protection against retribution attacks. Regardless, Nacho executes this plot knowing that it will doubtlessly result in his demise.

In a real tear-jerker, Nacho’s father — a man wearied by his son’s involvement in organised crime — unknowingly has a final conversation with Ignacio before his death.

Fans are pointing out how brilliantly the show developed a character whose sole reason for existence comes from a throw-away line uttered by Bob Odenkirk in Breaking Bad.

Critics are also making comparisons to Jesse Pinkman, who much like Nacho was a deeply flawed character you couldn’t help but root for as he tried to find a semblance of meaning within his actions.

Actor Michael Mando told the Hollywood Reporter his character’s triumphant exit from the show was rooted in the classic tragedy of the show.

“In the iconography of the character, it is the most truthful thing to do. It’s incredibly tragic. It’s Shakespearean, but it’s what makes the character iconic,” he said. “He lived and died for true love. It gives me shivers just thinking about it.”

We’ll miss you Nacho, thanks for everything.