Why Lalo’s Fate Felt Underwhelming | Better Call Saul Analysis
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- čas přidán 14. 01. 2023
- Hey guys, in this video I'll be discussing Lalo Salamanca's fate in season 6 of Better Call Saul!
Be sure to leave any opinions in the comments section below, and possibly a like if you've enjoyed the video :)
I'll see you guys next time with more Better Call Saul!
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I think his death being literally a lucky shot speaks to his strength as a villain. He had Gus, the most cold and calculating character in the show beat. Gus only killed him from a lucky shot. That’s the only way he could have. They were so evenly matched and Lalo even ended up with the upper hand. Lalo’s smile at the end is saying “you lucky son of a bitch, you know I had you”. He’s almost laughing at how he knows how much he had Gus screwed
@sleeves yes but they were both shooting into the dark. It could’ve just as easily been Gus who was shot
@@daviddelaney2264when the lights went off Gus had a pretty good chance, since he had a bulletproof west on him and while Lalo was shooting at the dark and standing still, because he didnt expect fire in return, Gus knew exactly where Lalo is standing. Lalo still managed to hit Gus a few times, but he wasnt expecting a hidden gun and didnt try to dodge any bullets. Gus knew exactly where to shoot, from the flashes.
Perfect scene in my opinion
@@OoLiiMiiT3D yes lalo gave away his position in the dark when he was firing but so did gus when he returned fire, it was also pure luck that gus was able to shoot lalo with a fatal shot and that lalo was only able to hit his vest.
"things could have gone a lot worse" "yes. they could have"
@sleeves wrong Giancarlo Esposito commentary on episode 8 of season 6 flat out admit he got lucky so yes lalo lost only because of pure luck in actuality if it was not for breaking bad plot armor Lalo would have easily won and than in breaking bad it would have been Walter vs Lalo
It worked for me. I always saw BB and BCS as a modern day Western, and the final showdown between him and Gus felt like an old-fashioned gunfight. The tension built up over the first half of S6 paid off well for me.
Exactly
W comment
Thank you! Ty for not being one of the people who say “This ruins the episode” like no tf it doesn’t
my thoughts exactly, they had been playing this elaborate, intercontinental chess match for months, but at the end of the day, the winner was effectively decided by the flip of a coin. old fashioned pistol duel, two equally built up rivals, and it all comes down to where the bullets land
I loved it too because Gus was literally AFRAID of Lalo, out there on the loose. Gus spent a fortune on personal security and had many sleepless nights and probably checked under his bed at night for Lalo. To Lalo, that is a bigger victory than he could've ever expected.
First time I watched it, I didn't like it that much, but it has been growing on me. I really like all the symbolism it has, and the coldness of it. I also like how Lalo, the charismatic and charming villain has a very minimalist death, and how Gus, the serious and cold villain had a exaggerated, and even epic death. I love that type of contrast
After the shootout between Gus and Lalo, the scene where Gus turns the lights on and we see Lalo's legs in part of the camera shot, the music reminded me of something I would hear in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". It was an eerie score. Even the music that was playing when Lalo came up to Gus after gunning down some of his guards was particularly creepy in a well played fashion. My two cents worth anyway.
@@smokelesschoice165 Yeah, spot on. I’m not sure what kind of death scene for Lalo would have satisfied those who didn’t like it, but I loved the minimalism and the surreal vibe.
That is true I like the contrast
@@leamanc Here's how I imagined things would end for Lalo. First off let me say that I didn't expect Nacho to go out the way he did. With that being said, I actually thought I would see a shootout between Lalo & Nacho in some small village/derelict town by the US/Mexican border where there's hardly anyone living in that area. There would be some fist fights and bone breaks between the two men where they just end up killing each other with guns and knives.
Then Gus shows up in the ghost town with Mike & his crew, after somehow getting wind of Lalo in a certain area from Mike's men. That's when Gus sees both Nacho & Lalo bloodied to a pulp and dead. Then Mike voluntarily grabs a shovel from the trunk of his vehicle (or from some derelict shack in the town) and buries Nacho. Meanwhile as we see a red sunset with some thin slivers of black clouds hovering above it that somewhat resemble tiger stripes, Gus takes this matter further. With a hideously evil scowl that is so piercing to the naked eye which would be talked about for years after the series concluded, Gus coldly drags Lalo's corpse out onto the middle of the street and then lights it on fire after pouring gasoline all over the body from canisters his men found in Lalo's trunk.
The reason why Lalo bought and filled gas canisters was because he was hoping to use them against Nacho and burn him down after killing him - or burning him alive. So after some time has elapsed, we see a silhouette of Gus standing against an orange skyline with a red afterglow of a post sunset as he watches Lalo burn - but it lasts into a short part of the night because Gus keeps pouring gasoline from those canisters on to Lalo to keep the flame going until there's no more fuel. Then we see a sharp cut to black with the sound of the fire crackling, followed by the closing credits. That was all I had in my mind. I would have been satisfied at this kind of ending or something like it.
That is the worst contrast I have ever heard and it doesn't even make any fcking sense because they BOTH had explosive deaths. So wtf are you talking about what contrast??? That Lalo had a badly written death and Gus didn't??? Wow amazing contrast. Fcking idlot
I think it’s fitting. He was so on par with Gus in almost every way. The only way for him to go was literally a shot in the dark.
Wrong he was above Gus the fact that he outsmarted Gus,mike, and there entire army by himself after faking his death after surviving a whole mercenary hunt down sent by Gus while Lalo was drunk speaks volumes Lalo had Gus in constant fear even though Gus has an entire army and even after all of that Lalo still got to him and could have easily wasted him on the spot but he couldn’t because of obvious breaking bad plot armor did you know that Giancarlo Esposito also admit when talking about s6 ep8 that he got lucky so no they were not on par or that Lalo was “almost upto par” that’s insulting and shows clear ignorance from you
@@kingclampz6081 i almost agree. but i had to dislike because while you're disagreeing with the original comment, you didn't have to say they're ignorant. it's just a show ffs and it's their subjective analysis why do you have to throw such a heavy word. it's not like people are gonna get hurt because of their "wrong" opinion
I like they held back most prequels think bigger is better .
Great criticism. It was also a let down because of the brilliance of how Lalo got to confronting Gus (flying to Germany and following a bread crumb trail of clues). It would have been difficult to write, but I would have loved a more back-and-forth struggle between Lalo and Gus once Lalo returned to Albuquerque -- without giving obvious clues like Gus planting the gun. I'm also bothered by the stupid plan Gus had of kicking the power cables and running for the gun. There are so many discrepancies in that plan. Lalo had a gun on him and most definitely could react faster and shoot Gus before the lights go out. Also, Gus just got a lucky shot which feels unearned. Did Gus expect to get lucky there? If both missed all their shots (which was likely to happen in the dark) then Lalo would easily overpower Gus in physical combat. It's gotta be one of the worst pay offs in the show.
I think you're reading into that specific situation a little deeper than what is required. lol Gus just planted the gun in case he might need it. The lights ended up being a convenient distraction opportunity, not necessarily set up with the intent of unplugging them. Even if they were intentionally set up by Gus for a distraction opportunity, Gus was still doing everything in that scene by luck and chance and plot armor of course. The plot armor aside, everything he did in that moment came down to a bit of luck on his ability to think ahead and plant the gun but he still had to think quick and just get lucky. It was a massive game of risk that could have just as easily went against his favor and this point was solidified by Lalo actually taking an opportunity to shoot Gus in the chest. He could have ended Gus right then if he aimed for the face.. So it boils down to just a lot of luck even if Gus set everything up.
I also think Gus could hold his own against Lalo in a physical altercation of force. He covers himself up with work clothes and intentionally comes off as submissive and an unlikely threat, but he is pretty "jacked" underneath his work uniform and keeps himself in a mostly athletic shape. It's part of what makes Gus who he is because he hides his true identity in every aspect of his life. Granted, he was in better shape during BB because he was younger, but if we want to get technical, he is playing a slightly younger version of Gus in BCS so it mostly still applies. It's hard to say if he'd beat Lalo in a fight, it's possible Gus might lose, but he's not as outmatched as he may seem.
YES! Exactly right. That was a very poor decision about the way the writers allowed Lalo’s brilliant character and the best character in BCS they really did a terrible job with Lalo’s character. Lalo is a very intelligent character. They absolutely ruined that episode. I was terribly disappointed with that episode. The writers should have kept Lalo alive until the finale. That’s why BCS will never, ever,be as brilliant as Breaking Bad! I was so upset with the way Lalo made his very underwhelming exit from the show. Tony Dalton made BCS a brilliant show and for whatever reason they completely “dropped the ball” when it came to Tony Dalton. It is definitely the worst death scene in the entire Breaking Bad universe. I don’t know why the writers messed it up so bad? Tony Dalton made BCS brilliant. Such a shame. When Breaking Bad was perfect !
@@marilynmanord1790 bro they needed to finish his arc of the future they needed him to die to finish what they’ve been teasing since season 1 like what are you saying, we needed to catch up to present times
Finish sauls arc*
@@marilynmanord1790 I believe you are overreacting. The death was a little predictable but that doesn’t mean that it ruined the episode, the episode was still fantastic, and it’s not like Lalo was ever gonna survive anyway bc we know he’s not in breaking bad. With that in mind and the fact that Gus IS in breaking bad, then that’s hard enough for the writers to craft a scenario that would make us think otherwise. These are some of if not the best writers that television has to offer us and I felt that they did a well enough job given what they were working with
I thought it was a great wrap up to Gus's story in BCS. I was never a big fan of surprises or twist endings solely for the sake of shock value. Lalo's end was realistic yet still iconic.
The most important thing is not how Lalo died but that he proved himself a worthy foe of Gus. He really put Fring through his paces.
Then down the road, Hector finishes the job.
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An underwhelming end, but I would be lying if I wasn’t standing inches from the tv screen in absolute awe during the confrontation he had with Gus. The presentation, writing, and acting still did not disappoint.
I felt Lalo’s death was extremely satisfying in the sense that it it was such a contrast to how over the top his character could be and what a survivor he was. Dying in a lackluster fashion seemed apropos to me, as it humanized him and showed he wasn’t this perfect villain, and is vulnerable. Also, the laugh and slow dissipation with the blood was really creepy, and I liked that shot a lot.
Thank you! People are saying his death ruined the episode which is absolutely NOT correct whatsoever. The episode is still fantastic and even though it may not be the most climactic and chaotic death in the breaking bad universe it still worked story-wise. His death simply reminded us that he’s still a human who bleeds like everyone else.
Omg same thought I had. I liked that his death was underwhelming
People fell for Lalo. They didn't want him to die. If Lalo was the final boss not Walt, his death would've been satisfing for them.
I find that the circumstances leading to his death make up for the fact that we knew it was going to happen. I like how desperate Lalo is, and that it's framed as being a matter of luck that he was able to almost seal the deal with Gus at all.
First, his quick thinking when he realized his "I'm not alive" cover was blown to make Gus and his agents scramble, and the fact that he goes where he's unexpected. These 2 factors make it reasonable that he was able to get into the laundry, seeing as Gus, Mike, Gus's agents, Jimmy, and Kim were all busy figuring out the extent of the bluffs and that they had been played. All of which costed valuable time.
Lalo played it in such a way to increase his odds of success, but was ultimately barely outplayed by Gus's incredibly meticulous back-up plans that he has in the unlikely event that such a circumstance should occur.
Honestly the inevitable nature of Lalo's death did not detract from how frantic and intense his final scenario proved to be. He improved his odds, but was still ballsy enough to charge headlong into what could have possibly been another trap, which was a calculation he felt was worth the risk. It was a well-played plan, with merely the slightest of factors being what ruined it.
You absolutely nailed it bro! I couldn’t disagree more with it being underwhelming. This is the BrBa universe. Both bombastic and grounded with people dying how they loved and lived. I thought Lalos death was perfect
imo it felt like a bit of a rehash of the last showdown in el camino. it's just another climactic standoff situation where one opponent outsmarts the other by having a hidden gun. i like how the BrBa/BCS universe does clever twists on western tropes like this, paying homage but being original in its own right, but this is essentially the same twist done again, albeit in a different context.
@@lulu4882
I see what you mean, though, the context is completely different in that Jesse went to those guys, whereas Lalo went Gus. Offensive plan versus a defensive plan.
@@lulu4882 it may be a similar twist but I think it works and makes sense in this universe. Sure, they both play on western tropes, but the real point is that in this world and in this business there's no such thing as a fair fight. You *should* have a hidden gun if you can afford it. If anything, Gus, who throughout the entirety of breaking bad was so meticulous and rarely ever showed weakness, was in a much worse position than Jesse was in his firefight. It means more to see the puppet master that Gus was in a position like that. I think that makes the parallels between Gus in brba and Gus in bcs so interesting, instead of just being more of the same terminator/criminal genius mastermind stuff. Gus was always human too, as was Lalo. They were both humanized in one stroke.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thought this. I was expecting Lalo's demise to be a bit more dramatic, something on the same level of Gus's death in Breaking Bad. The setup was cool by Gus, but for Lalo to come as far as he did, only for him to die in a blind shootout with Gus was underwhelming.
I thought I was crazy for thinking it was underwhelming back when it aired because reddit loved it. Glad to see a well-regarded youtuber in the BB sphere agree with me.
agreed.
@@Sociobid Reddit is the epitome of a cesspool.
I think one of the major problems with it is that Lalo is so fucking smart. Yet, luck was what killed him; luck on only Gus's side.
I do think Lalo's death was intentionally pathetic. It's almost shocking in how mundane it is. Like, this tour de force of a character went out like THAT? And I gotta say, for me it worked. But, I wasn't watching the show as it aired, I'm a binge watcher, so that definitely affects my interpretation of the show
The idea of having a montage of Gus's contingency plans would have been a strong improvement. The sequence of events on screen made it look like Gus knew Lalo would come down to the superlab, which is unrealistic
Lalo existed to solve a problem that was inevitable by BCS being a prequel - how to give the characters with plot armor a struggle and bridge the two halves of the show (lawyer and cartel). Nacho, Kim and Howard evolved throughout the series. Lalo had very little character beyond his utility. He was a bigger menace for Saul and Kim beyond the grave than ever for Gus (to say nothing of Howard).
If Lalo listened and had faith in Hectors first plan he probably would had lived and beaten Gus..and then when he did go with his own plan at the very end Lalo's demise came true because he decided to play with his food instead of just shooting Gus dead...the same way Gus did with Hector...
I thought what was gonna happen after Plan and Execution were Jimmy and Kim would be kidnapped by Lalo and would be a plotline for a few episodes. I figured that to help push the PTSD angle. While I really liked Point and Shoot, I was disappointed that they ended that plotline after building up Lalo all season. I would have had a few episodes of that and then use the last 2 episodes to close out the series.. I still enjoyed what they did and loved how it ended but do wish there would have been more for Lalo to do.
Agreed. Almost felt like Lalo’s absence and build up was pointless since there was no real payoff for it, at least in my opinion.
What they did post-Lalo's death is perfect, so IMO I'd take some time from those boring episodes 4 to 6 to flesh out Lalo holding them hostage to prepare his plan.
I think part of the disappointment some people have can be attributed to the season not being intended to be split into 2 parts. A lot of viewers probably didn't expect him to die so soon after the break but the actual placement of his death in the story makes total sense to me
I actually didn't watch Season 6 until it was done, so I didn't have the problem of theorizing for weeks about how Gus might take out Lalo. My problem was just that it ended up feeling a bit like dumb luck. Lalo had the upper hand, and honestly, it felt contrived that he wouldn't have been able to get a shot on Gus.
They did so well at showing us bits and pieces of Jimmy and Kim's plan to discredit Howard that kept us guessing until it all came together. Similar setup should have been given to Gus's confrontation with Lalo.
I thought the same at first, but then you have to remember that Gus used to be a general so it makes sense that he wouldn't be helpless in battle. Additionally, Hank defeated the twins so there is a running theme of proper combat training just barely edging out over the Salamancas' brutality.
@@chefboiarby304 hank only survived cuz the twin thought it was too easy
@Chef Boi Arby gus was never a general, it doesn't match his personality.
@@alexcross7583 It's implied throughout both series that Gus was a high ranking military officer in Chile under the reign of Pinochet. This is why they don't kill him as well as Max (i.e. killing him might start a blood war if he was a high enough rank which he seems to be). In the following linked clip, Hector specifically refers to Gus as a "Big Generalissimo" which implies that Gus was at the very least a high ranking military officer with major connections in Chile.
czcams.com/video/WNogwJIKbKU/video.html
@Chef Boi Arby it was never confirmed for all we no gus could've been connected to someone like a general. Gus being a general makes no sense and doesn't line up with his character at all.
Lalos death is basiclly the definition of a battle royale. Doing all this badass stuff getting in shootouts constantly 1v5 ing people coming up on top everywhere just being a complete nightmare in the server. Then Timmy long johns shows up with a pea shooter from nowhere and destroys the best player with blind luck.
To me, the most underwhelming part is that Lalo literally has Gus at gunpoint and yet fails to hit him. Gus didn't even disconnect the cable very swiftly. It's completely unbelievabe that Lalo would react so slowly and - to make things worse - miss at that range. I mean, ESPECIALLY not Lalo, since he is repeatedly shown as extremely quick thinking. Does Gus get +100% chance to avoid projectiles when it's dark? Because real life doesn't really work that way. He had a gun pointed at him when he did his little manouver. It takes infinitely more time to do that cable thing AND move out of the way than to just twitch the finger and kill him. Darkness means squat because the gun is already pointed at where Gus is... Next, Lalo fires multiple rounds, misses all, but Gus conveniently pulls a 100% accurate shot in the dark - and in this case, the darkness doesn't matter anymore. Plot armor/bad writing.
I wasn't really that bothered with predictability; we already know Gus survives, so the only question is whether Lalo dies, or goes into hiding.
If the writers felt the need to kill Lalo (which is understandable, it's unlikely he'd sit through the entire BrBa without doing anything), it could perhaps end with less of a "cowboy shootout" and blind luck, and more with Gus regaining control without dirtying his own hands. Also, if they wanted to get someone's hands dirty, I'd honestly prefer Mike vs Lalo, since both were badass, cold blooded killers and constantly tried to outwit one another over the course of the show.
I agree, if your going to kill someone.. Shoot the gun and stop talking
1. Gus had loosened the power cables.
2. Lalo did hit him, but Gus was wearing a vest.
3. Gus wasn't shooting in the complete darkness; Lalo kind of gave away his position by also firing in his direction.
imo this scene makes sense, the problem is in the multi-episode "setup" + Lalo killing all 4 of Gus' henchmen in a very anticlimactic way.
@@renanoliveira8513yes gus was firing in the direction lalo was shooting but so was lalo when gus was shooting back at him. Gus just happened to get lalo in the neck and lalo just happened to get him were he was wearing a vest, yes the body armour helped but wat if lalo was lucky enough to shot gus in the neck that body armour wouldn't help much now would it???
It also didn't feel like Lalo for him to let Gus give his speech since alot of Lalo's victims were cut off mid sentence he never gives people the time to think or speak as seen with Howard.
The only thing I felt underwhelming about the whole thing is the lack of Tuco. I would’ve loved at least one scene with Lalo and Tuco, or at least Tuco leaving prison to take control of hectors business.
Before the series ended, I had a dream that we got an episode just like that.
i was so disappointed there was no tuco I had "tuco action" on my season 6 p2 bingo card
The actor for tuco doesn't want to play him anymore, they were lucky he even agreed for the first few episodes of BCS
@@supercooledits123 dang
@@supercooledits123 I know, but one last time would have been great, even a phone call scene
His death was so underwhelming for such a amazing character. Lalo felt like such a great contrast to the more realistic and serious part of the show, and brought a threatening but charismatic part. The way how he was basically the main threat throughout season 6 made him different compared to the other villains in the BB/BCS universe. Also Tony Dalton is such a fantastic actor. It made me happy to have a Mexican actor who actually spoke Spanish well, and also was a great character. As a Hispanic nothing made me more happier than this.
One main factor I liked about Lalo is who simple but effective he is. He isn’t overly complex, but he’s was still so captivating. His death felt like the writers needed the find a way to kill him off. I liked everything up to his death. (Except Gus’s Spangrish Speech) 😂
His felt underwhelming to my favorite character in Better Call Saul. Truly one of least favorite moments in Season 6.
I think they were pressed for time in Season 6 which is possibly why things ended the way they did for Lalo. So even though I thought the episode was good to me anyway, I actually didn't think it was going to go down this road. Before Season 6 even aired, I thought the way Lalo was going to be finished off was through a gun fight/knife fight with Nacho where they basically kill each other in some derelict ghost town near the US/Mexican border. I give my take and a detailed analysis to VividKiWi as to how I figured Lalo was going down in this comment section.
I agree, the way Lalo dealt with Gus was like if he was dealing with a civillian that he knew was harmless, it wasn't a bad development but it was definetly lackluster compared to rest of the series
Since Gus lives on in Breaking Bad, it likely was always going to feel not as exciting as it otherwise could have been if Breaking Bad didn’t exist. However, I think it was fairly appropriate he died the way he did. Letting himself get so caught up in the moment of having Gus where he wants him and having that turn on him not long after. Great video man, keep up the great work!
It's funny you just uploaded. I was thinking today about how the "Saul" persona may have been a way to escape his past, but the "Gene" persona was his way of punishing himself for everything he's done. Like he knew he was going to get caught and leaned into it. Which is further proven by the finale.
I think the worse part about Lalo’s death was Gus’s “Spanish” speech!
Jesus that was terrible! 😂
could you 'correct' it for us?
how would it look written fluently?
trying to learn spanish myself.
@@jaredkino9258 no it’s just his pronunciation on almost every word was bad
I agree that Lalo's death was a bit underwhelming. I think there are a couple of ways they could've made it better:
1. Have someone else pull the trigger. A character for whom it'd be a big character moment like Jilmmy or Kim. But Gus still needs to be the one to put the plan in place and put Lalo in that position and stand over him at the end.
2. Have Lalo discover the gun before Gus can use it but Gus figures out a clever way to get it back and shoot him.
3. Show a montage of Gus planting stuff like guns all over the place. They could've replaced another scene that was meant to show Gus' paranoia with this. Gus placing guns everywhere would've shown his paranoia just as easily as him cleaning the tub with a toothbrush, after all. In order for this to work they would've have had to have done it early in the season before we have confirmation that Lalo is back. One of these could've been the guns in the superlab. Then during the episode of Lalo's death they needed to hint that the Lalo and Gus confrontation would happen somewhere else only for Gus to go to the superlab for some other reason and for Lalo to be there.
4. Never show the gun itself, just imply it. This is more-or-less what happened with Walt and Hector in "Breaking Bad." We never actually see Walt and Hector work together to attach the bomb or anything. There could've been a scene where Gus insists that he has to go to the superlab and argues with Mike about it with Mike not recommending it because it's not safe but Gus insisting. Then not showing what he does there. Only to reveal the Lalo plan when Lalo's actually there. As a bonus this would've kept us in suspense about what the plan was during that entire Lalo-Gus confrontation scene.
Btw, just to be clear, they didn't need to do all of these. 1 of them would've been enough. 2 of them could've worked too. But they didn't need to do all 4 to make it work.
1. Jimmy and kim cant be the one killing Lalo because of the "It wasnt me it was ignacio!" scene. if either of them killed lalo, jimmy would know.
2. There is no reason for Lalo to find gus' hidden guns when he has him on gunpoint. lalo thinks hes already won.
4. This part i actually agree with. They couldve done it like this: Gus walks into the lab. He sets up the light thing. Lastly, He looks at the vehicle and then looks at his gun. Then end the scene there.
Yes I completely agree, I also feel that they could have done much more to bridge the transition between the two series, thank you Kiwi 🥝
I completely agree it feels like there's a full season of BCS missing to me
Not really. There's really isint anything more to say in the bcs timeline
I think Lalo’s killing had a feel of getting it done and not letting it play out too much to infringe other elements of the story. The ultimate killing of Lalo would have been him realising that the Mike who worked for Gus was the same Mike who had the altercation with Tuco and that the subsequent events had something to do with him, including working for Gus. So Lalo would have gone for Mike’s family and some way, it would have been Mike who would have killed him. But I can also see how that might have been cramming too much into the script.
Perhaps the writers intended to juxtapose the unpredictability of Lalo with the predictability of his death.
Now that I think about it, it's a bit odd that Gus was so impatient waiting for Lalo to strike. Wasn't that like... his whole thing? How patient he is? Like when he waited for hours to catch the coati as a child, or the way he slowly gets his revenge on Hector? Something about Lalo really made him nervous lol
Because Lao legitimately had him on the ropes for the first time in his professional life. Even Mike was scared of Lalo.
Gus wasn't in control. This is what put him on edge.
@@EverSinceMyExorcism True
We also never saw Gus in fear before. I can see his fear altering his judgement.
I think a good way to handle it would have been something like this.
In one episode there is a scene where we are shown Gus has a pistol strapped to his ankle concealed by his pants. So I would have shown that, then later that episode show Gus being taken to the lab by Mike but not show Gus hide the gun. Instead toward the end of the episode show Gus getting ready for bed and linger on the fact that his ankle gun is gone.
Then viewers would at least have to speculate where his gun went until the Showdown with Lalo when it would be revealed Gus hid the gun in the lab.
The problem is there isn’t a way to make Lalo’s death climactic. Gus has plot armor so even if there was a massive shoot out we know Gus can’t die. The mid season break made me completely forget about the gun and I was surprised because I’m a dumb viewer. That’s why I watch these amazing analysis videos.
I’m going to be 100% honest. My entire life spoilers have never bothered me as no matter what happens, I never really get spoilers because I don’t see how things go down and the emotion behind it. But being spoiled on lalos death was the first time spoilers ruined something for me
hot take: this was the perfect way to kill him off… it was abrupt and it wasn’t a flashy death. i think that’s perfect. he didn’t need a crazy death like gus. the fact that he died in a gunfight was perfect to me as well
You get it. Ill keep saying this: sometimes the obvious route is how it actually will happen. He doesnt need a flashy and explosive death like gus. We know lalo dies. Lalo's death isnt supposed to be a "plot twist" kind of death like Nacho and Gus
Lalo's death was very unique and tense. The build up to it was great too since the introduction the lab plotline
I hoped that the reason they showed the black and white scenes in BCS was because at the end Jimmy was going to be throwing out the trash and Lalo would be waiting for him outside. The scene would turn to color and it would symbolize Jimmy’s past catching up to him. But those hopes were dashed when Lalo was buried under the lab.
I personally *loved* this episode, butI think that this is a great analysis! Awesome video!
I liked the way he went out. The fact that Lalo planned everything everything was so meticulously and that it all went downhill in the lab is just poetic
All I know is that Lalo's death reflects Jane's death. Both characters were going to rat on both Walt and Gus. Therefore, getting attacked in the throat gives it more meaning. I tried looking at it that way because I was disappointed that Lalo's death could have been mysterious or Gus could've at least tripped trying to get his weapon, making things more interesting.
I think the issue was more to do with how blatant the foreshadowing was. One of the things they could have done is as soon as Gus realizes Lalo was still alive, Mike gives him a gun with the camera focusing in on it to ensure the audience knows the type. Later on, Gus goes down to plant the gun like we know he does, but the camera doesn't show us what he does. We just see him go down into the basement. After that, there could be a scene of Mike berating Gus for not packing the gun he gave him, since he's established to have a keen eye for such a thing, and asking why Gus isn't carrying, only for Gus to reply "I don't think it was necessary." Then during the confrontation, the camera shows a close-up of the gun to show it's the same one.
At least then we'd have more of a bread crumb trail to follow rather than just being blatantly told.
It wasn’t HOW he died that left me underwhelmed. It was WHEN he died. I wish Gus kept Lalo alive for just a little while, tormenting him like a child with a trapped animal…
That would have been foreshadowed in S4 when Gus was talking about the animal he kept that had a broken leg. Would have been funny if they alluded to Gus keeping Lalo during the BB events. At that point, it'd just be a comedy.
Yeah would’ve preferred that. But it’s also definitely how he died. The gun being planted was the most obvious set up and quite contrived in the moment it just felt lazy and forced. Still a really great Ep though.
@@EddyTheMartian They could have still used the gun, just not have that end result.
i mean he does that w hector throughout BB so
Hot take: Lalo appearing out of nowhere and killing howard was not only silly writing but the scene had bad acting from Bob Odenkirk as well.
The writing is subjective but I completely disagree about Bob's acting in that moment
Congrats you have an opinion I don't think I ever ever seen before lmao
Bob isn’t Laurence Olivier. Some of his facial expressions didn’t exhibit great acting throughout the whole show. He’s basically a comedic sketch actor who did a nice job in BCS and BB.
It was foreshadowed in the episode that lalo was going to visit.
What adds depth to Lalo’s death IMO is that his situation is almost a foil to gus’ fate in breaking bad. Both lalo and gus were lured in and their downfall was being too focused on their respective enemies.
Everyone says they expected “more” but what is that?
We all know lalo was going to die, the twist they implemented wasn’t an attempt to shock you when you knew the gist of the ending. They took the death and made it connect to breaking bad. The twist in a sense was he is under the lab with Howard.
I really still miss looking forward to new episodes of BCS and your analysis afterwards
The dumbest part was when Lalo one shots every minion from far away in the dark, and then not insta killing Gus when he kicked the power
It was 'underwhelming' because we knew it was going to happen from the moment Lalo first appeared. That's the thing about prequals. Given the circumstances, they did a pretty good job of creating tension in the lead up to the inevitable.
The problem is that this is a prequel and we know Gus isn't going to die but the two of them HAVE to have a final confrontation. I honestly don't know what else you could write that wouldn't make the show stray into sci-fi levels of story telling.
I didn't think that the revolver in the superlab would be used to kill Lalo. Firstly because it just seemed like a random act of paranoia by Gus, like his scrubbing the bathroom wall with the toothbrush. Secondly because I didn't think that Lalo would get that far, into the superlab, just because of how much security Gus had guarding not only himself, but the laundry too.
I think the problem is that we expect it to be this big show down and we expected Lalo somehow survive beyond breaking bad because he was the villain of a final season in with a regular TV show expect her to be a big showdown in the series finale. However, the way the story worked out that couldn’t be the case.
I can see your point. It would make sense for Lalo to go out in a blaze of glory, but I think a quieter, somewhat dumb luck death is equally as fitting as it isn't how he would've pictured his own death. I didn't mind the clues being planted as the truth is nothing could've prevented Lalo's death from being predictable. Plus, I usually watch 607 and 608 together (as they pretty much are one long episode) and I find from how big and shocking Howard's death was Lalo's death to be a juxaposition to that is fitting. While maybe a quieter death than expected, it was still a fitting one, and I'm not sure how they could've done things differently without it being over-the-top after Howard's death.
If we saw Gus putting guns in other places including thr lab it would've kept us guessing at least a little
I disagree about it being mediocre. Having an idea be expected doesn't make it bad. Everyone knew Lalo was going to die, there was no surprise there, so the writers did what they could to make it as badass for Gus as possible. I had no qualms with the way they handled Lalo's fate.
Lalo was an unbeatedable soldier but lost a gun fight against a chicken man
And the biggest problem with Better Call Saul, which is more of a problem for the writers less so for the viewers is that it’s a prequel. So as great as the storytelling is the only problem with the show to an extent, is that a lot of the characters, we already know the fates of. We never had to worry about Mike or Gus suddenly being killed off because we knew their fates. And nachos final scene. Everyone in that scene was protected by breaking bad plot armor and they were already dead sometime during breaking bad but nacho never appeared in breaking bad how are never appeared and Lalo never did so we knew that they were living on borrowed time. So all the people that expected Lalo to live or wanted him to live because he was a good villain had to understand that for the story they were kind of forced to kill him off and it happened so quickly everybody thought they had more time with him.
I'll say it again, the only problem for me was the shootout itself. It felt like Lalo was an NPC scripted without pathing, just to stand there and shoot, reacting to nothing. They should've had him at least cover his eyes or something to make the outcome more believable. Plain bad 'coding'.
Worst part is that his death was spoiled by episode airing a month early for a group of people
Everyone keeps saying Lalo was better than Gus and shouldn’t have died but that’s not how things work. It’s not a video game or basketball game, anyone can be killed. Mike said it “just because you kill Jesse James, doesn’t make you Jesse James”.
Best antagonist? Geez, it was so UNBELIEVABLE all the super hero stuff that he did. Breaking Bad was mostly based in realism. HOW did he get into the ceiling and then fall down on the other side at the Travel Agency? It makes no physical sense. How was he able to find Werner and later Werner's wife so easily? He had to hid in a hay truck to get into the US, but could travel to Germany with no issue? Just so unbelievable I could predict all the BS he could do.
It's not worse than how Finger died tho
Yea especially after all the screen time he got in BCS
I think the only reason it felt underwhelming is because it was right back to back w Howards death
I was hoping that Lalo would be trying to hunt down each of Werner’s guy one by one and die from a freak accident trying to kill each of them so Gus would never know for sure if Lalo is alive or dead and always have to live in fear.
There could have been a twist with Gus hitting one of his guys in the crossfire and the consequences of it.
My first thought is having the 2+2 instead of 4 approach and having 2 different scenes that hint at the gun planting. The first could be Gus crouching next to the crane thing and very clearly placing something there, but not showing what it is, then in a later scene, we can have an additional scene showing Gus' leg holster but showing that the gun isn't there.
I feel like something along those lines could've come up in the writing process but if I had to guess why it would be dropped, maybe they thought having both the step counting from the power cord being as subtle as it is, and ALSO having a the gun mystery might've been a little too much to be sneaky about when this is the main plot point for 3/4 whole episodes. Could be an understandable point, they should know by now to trust their audiences more than that, but this is one of very very very few exceptions where they perhaps didn't
I remember us discussing this in your comment threads before it happened. I do think they could have come up with a better death. But the very plot armor and the fact it was a prequel tied the writers hands don’t you? I remember that most of the time everything they showed on screen had purpose, but in the last season they threw out several red herrings that didn’t go anywhere. I’m still disappointed they didn’t use the whole theme song at the end as Kim was walking out of the prison. The end song to BB was sooooo good.
Really makes you wonder what BCS could have been if it wasn't a prequel...
I spaced out when they showed Gus stashing the gun so I had no idea it was going to be used. Yeah I knew Gus would live but the strangeness of seeing Gus defenseless and forced down the stairs into his own grave made me feel like the threat was very real
The death is kinda satisfying because its more than just the final stand off, its the whole build up. Him going to Saul's apartment, killing Howard and misdirecting Mike to catch Gus off guard. The gun was the absolute final resort if Lalo every caught him lacking. Thats why Lalo laughed, because he knows Gus got lucky despite all his protection and planning.
I liked it, lalo proved he was right but also proved Gus couldn’t beat him without luck
I used to think Lalo would show up in the Gene timeline 😅
It worked for me since it fits the thematic neo-noir western genre of the series. It’s a creative way to create a western gunpoint in the dark parallel to Lalo’s mere existence as a ghost. I just thought that the gun in the lab would be a distraction to Lalo’s real demise. It felt like a spelled out Chekhov’s gun.
I still wish we could've got a Lalo/Nacho face off. The fact that it just happened to work out that Lalo faked his death just to then really die felt so cheap.
TheVividKiwi, here is how I imagined things would end for Lalo. First off let me just say that I didn't expect Nacho to go out the way he did. With that being said, I actually thought I would see a shootout between Lalo & Nacho in some small village/derelict town by the US/Mexican border where there's hardly anyone living in that area. There would be some fist fights and bone breaks between the two men where they just end up killing each other with guns and knives.
Then Gus shows up in the ghost town with Mike & his crew, after somehow getting wind of Lalo in a certain area from Mike's men. That's when Gus sees both Nacho & Lalo bloodied to a pulp and dead. Then Mike voluntarily grabs a shovel from the trunk of his vehicle (or from some derelict shack in the town) and buries Nacho. Meanwhile as we see a red sunset with some thin slivers of black clouds hovering above it that somewhat resemble tiger stripes, Gus takes this matter further. With a hideously evil scowl that is so piercing to the naked eye which would be talked about for years after the series concluded, Gus coldly drags Lalo's corpse out onto the middle of the street and then lights it on fire after pouring gasoline all over the body from canisters his men found in Lalo's trunk.
The reason why Lalo bought and filled gas canisters was because he was hoping to use them against Nacho and burn him down after killing him - or burning him alive. So after some time has elapsed, we see a silhouette of Gus standing against an orange skyline with a red afterglow of a post sunset as he watches Lalo burn - but it lasts into a short part of the night because Gus keeps pouring gasoline from those canisters on to Lalo to keep the flame going until there's no more fuel. Then we see a sharp cut to black with the sound of the fire crackling, followed by the closing credits. That was all I had in my mind. I would have been satisfied at this kind of ending or something like it.
Lalo is a metaphore for the series
I thought so too on first viewing. But here’s why it isn’t a let down.
Lalo was the most formidable fo Gus had to deal with at this time. Gus was able to perfectly execute Lalo as he planned. This filled Gus with over confidence which is what ultimately led up to his demise by Walter White.
That over confidence let his guard down. When you look at the two shows as one piece of work, it’s fitting.
I wasn’t bothered by how Lalo was killed off. I think overall, Lalo’s character represented how Gus was still unprepared in dealing with an enemy on par with him. Him figuring Lalo could be lured to the Superlab was correct, but had a lot of uncertainty in its execution (no pun intended!) However, the fact he got a lucky fatal shot on Lalo emboldened Gus, and led to him becoming the man we saw in Breaking Bad. It was the growth the character needed, and shows how clever Walt was in leading to Gus’ death. Not every death in the BB universe needed to be over the top or heartbreaking, and Lalo’s death was just fine for the BCS.
I didn't think it was mediocre you don't have to kill every villain off in a big Gus like way. That's derivative. Lalo lost because he got outplayed in the chess game. Gus knew how he thinks better than he gave him credit for. And he died because of his own hubris. I thought it was quite fitting and didn't think it was underwhelming. It felt very calculated and well thought out.
There are interesting points you brought up to Lalo's demise within the show such as
The sequence being dry in comparison to the precident of other death's in the universe
Potential vs Execution
Scope of the character not being well incorporated to the end of the charachter in a fulfilling way
You brought up that you never claim to be a writer and just expressing thoughts critically but, what would have made the final arc of Lalo fit your vision?
I think the fact that Lalo's death was essentially pure luck as the result of a last resort measure by Gus (planting the gun) made it great. If that situation happens 100 times, Lalo wins 90 of them. It was literally blind luck and a last resort shot in the dark that gave Gus the win.
If we hadn't watched BB and didn't know Gus had plot armor, then Point and Shoot would have been more shocking because most people would have expected Lalo to win any eventual standoff against Gus. He was younger, tougher, more care-free and really, really hated Gus. That's why Gus was so obsessed in season 6. He knew he was outmatched and couldn't relax even for a minute.
When I first heard the leak of 608 I thought it was going to be a basic episode because of what was said. Then I saw the episode on premiere and yeah it was the same, but somehow seeing it on screen with the visual representation made it so much better to me. I wound up loving the episode. It was predictable Lalo would die by Gus, but the visual representation was great and him being buried with Howard was eerie was hell. I was one of those people between 5 and 6 who thought Lalo would live, but of course I guess it wouldn’t make a lot of sense. I would have liked to see if Lalo did survive and have a part in the Gene story, or if he had a much more explosive death…. But what we got I was fine with since it felt so poetic and visually haunting, which is what made it stand out. Lalo also laughing while dying was the moment that changed it for me.
I wish mike and Lalo fought
I agree. That’s one of my only complaints about the show. Even though I like the way they had the shootout in the lab, I feel like it should’ve been a bit longer. It took like 2 seconds and it was over.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that was disappointed with his death! I thought I was the only one 😬
my friend always says - "why did lalo need to drop the camera to shoot?" Edit: i wish mike saved him somehow
I think gus should have went for gun, it wasnt there and mike steps in and saves him
"things could have gone a lot worse" "yes. they could have"
the creator of this video is missing the point completely and once again is leaving his emotional expectations effect his judgement here. the point of this was to simply show that gustavo is always a step ahead of his opponents, hence the drawn out reveal of him planting it. the creators were demonstrating that lalo is one of his earliest opponents that would unfortunatey learn for themself that they arent incharge of the situation
I think the whole point of the scene was that Gus was still out smarting Lalo, he had figured out where he would attack and just like with Hector, his hatred for the Salamanca's made him want to be the one to kill him. Hence Mike having a go at him for not telling him about it and he just remained silent.
I see Lalo laughing as him realising that this quiet "Chicken Man" full of "big talk" actually was not just all mouth and hid behind a facade. He was as deadly as any of them.
I think they just needed to show Gus setting up multiple contingencies. If they'd shown him planting weapons and other resources in his various Pollos offices, etc.
As it is, Gus seems to be unnaturally smart or lucky. It would have been better for him to be massively over prepared. They could have also shown a few contingencies and NOT shown the gun in the lab, thus planting seeds of his preparation but maintaining mystery as to whether he'd thought to cover himself in the lab.
I wasn't let down by the hidden gun being shown in advance. The tension was in whether or not Gus could get to it.
Lalo's underwhelming/understated death is quite appropriate, actually. He's already dead, as far as everyone but Hector knows, and then he just . . . disappears, like Howard does. And the two of them lie beneath the lab for its entire existence. It's a great counterpoint to his usual flamboyance.
When I heared Saul say "It wasn't me it was Ignasio" when he believed that he was under heavy threat of death by 2 people who he thought were Lalo assassins, I thought that Better Call Saul was gonna be about Saul and Nacho were conspirering to screw Lalo over with Nacho and Lalo going into hiding shortly after to avoid breaking Breaking Bad's continuity, only for them to show back up once we've entered the Gene timeline.
After Nacho died in season 6 however, I thought that Lalo was gonna stay in hiding ontill Jessie reached Alaska at which point Lalo would come out hiding to hunt down Gene.
I DISAGREE I LOVED EVERY MOMENT!
I actually liked Lalo’s end. Because Lalo is such a smart, dangerous, formidable opponent, it could only be a stroke of sheer dumb luck that Gus beats him. Literally a shot in the dark. Lalo smiling up at Gus as he dies felt to me like he was laughing at just how lucky Gus gets. And of course, Gus will not be so lucky when he faces off against his next great threat.
I didn't like how Lalo Salamanca was offe'd either. He survived a surprise visit from a Death Squad but is lured and killed with nearly blind shots/luck by Gustavo Fring! Don't get me wrong Fring was a highly intelligent, cold and calculated adversary but Lalo was all that and what seemed to me more so he deserved a better death.
@@DexterMorgan-mh4vy agreed
While Lalo's death does feel underwhelming to a degree, I think it works because it showcases what kind of character Lalo was. From Breaking Bad, we know that Walt was smart and calculating, so giving him a villain (Gus) that is even more calculating and outsmarted Walt almost every time made Gus feel like a force to be reckoned with (even taking out the cartel in one fell swoop even). While Gus eventually lost to Walt in the end, it showed Gus nature as a grand chess master of sorts, and goes to show how much Walt had to push himself to come out on top against a calm and calculating genius.
Lalo on the other hand, made Gus go paranoid with just the sheer idea Lalo was still alive. (Getting Gus paranoid as he was with Lalo was something that even Walt was never able to do) And while Gus did have some precautions in place (the gun in the lab, the passageway to the other house, etc.) the fact that Gus only beat Lalo through sheer luck shows how much of a loose canon and chaotic force of nature Lalo's character was, and was even too powerful for the great Gustavo Fring, the guy Walter White had to take an entire season figuring out to defeat.
So while Lalo's death does feel underwhelming on face value, I think of it as a testament to his character that he was such an unpredictable force to be reckoned with, that he had to have been killed only by dumb luck by a master calculator such as Gus. So from how I see it, the way he died just shows how fearsome, chaotic and powerful Lalo Salamanca was.
actually it wasn't just a hunch that lalo was alive. gus monitored the phone calls going into Hector's nursing home, so when lalo called, gus knew he was alive. or maybe i just misunderstood something.
Lalo still ended it in a drawl by giving Hector the Bell lol, Walter could’ve have taken out Gus without Hectors bell
I agree with your POV I'm sharing the same. It was too obvious and I was really thinking there would be a plot twist. Since the coati story, from Gus childhood, I was thinking Lalo would be trapped in the super lab. Even during the time of Jesse and Walt and died after Gus death. This idea came because of the coati story like I've said and also the south wall line from Lalo.
I do like the standoff, and Lalo’s death is fittingly chilling. I understand all angles - how they needed to set the gun up in order for a cool standoff in the dark - and it is a cool moment when the lights flash and then Gus stands clicking the empty gun when Lalo smiles and dies. However, while it’s a cool scene on its own, I have to agree with the criticism overall, and I think it just boils down to the fact that there’s nothing wrong with setting up that scene… but not in a prequel. The fact that Gus lives alone confirms that it’s likely he’ll kill Lalo, but the way they set it up basically confirmed exactly what was going to happen. I think they could have had everything happen the same way up til the lights go out, and he could fire all his ammo and we see Gus clicking, and then Lalo is missing, he could jump out and tackle him from the shadows (which would be very in character tbh) and they could wrestle for Lalo’s gun, and Gus could get it and shoot him last second. If they added even an extra 30 seconds of something going wrong in the plan it would’ve heightened the tension and slightly subverted the obvious setup. And to be fair, they already subverted it a little with Lalo straight up shooting Gus earlier, but because they already happened, and we know Gus can’t really get shot much more because he needs to live, once Gus turns the lights out it was almost a given how it turned out. Still a good conclusion to the storyline/characters imo, but the predictability is not only that, but it sticks out a little more because it’s in an otherwise masterpiece of an episode surrounded by even better episodes in what’s my favorite season of any show.