User Reviews

The last 10 minutes of this episode was the best the series has shown us to this point, and it's not like this show hasn't shown us a lot of great stuff already. The A plot and B plots are colliding, Jimmy is in this no matter what now, and he has dragged Kim into it too. Kim vs Lalo was unreal. She deserves an Emmy for this seasons acting.

Once again "Better call Saul" proves why it's one of the greatest shows ever, continuing the amazing run it has since "Wexler v. Goodman". This episode, especially the climax sequence of it, was one of the most anxiety inducing experiences I've had on TV. It reminded a lot of the "Box Cutter" episode of "Breaking Bad", where we're afraid for the lives of the protagonists when they're in the hands of the main villain. Also, the "Something Stupid" montage was a nice callback to Season 4 montages with Jimmy & Kim on different but parallel frames.

"Bad Choice Road" has so many great scenes. Mike & Gus' scene in the Los Pollos Hermanos office was awesome, maybe the best scene those two have had together. And when Mike brought up Nacho we found out about the origin of Gus' philosophy in "Breaking Bad" that "fear isn't an effective motivator". The quiet Jimmy & Kim scenes are some of the best in the entire series, and the reveal where she finds the coffee mug was chilling. Mike & Jimmy's scene in the car was the most prolific scene we've had between the two. That was such a great character-building moment for Saul Goodman. Moreover, the skateboarders seen on the background after the scene was such a subtle way of reminding us how Jimmy, in Season 1, got messed up with the cartel in the first place. Attempting a con with them put Jimmy in a "bad choice road".

This was Tony Dalton's best performance yet as Lalo Salamanca. He was like the Cartel's Sherlock Holmes gradually finding all the evidence revealing the truth about the desert incident. One of the great things I noticed about this episode was that Lalo made Saul repeat the story again and again to see if he'd repeat the same story every time. A common trick is, when a person practices a story, you can tell because every time they tell it, it sounds exactly the same. As opposed to, when something actually happens and you recount it, where every time you repeat it, there's something new to the story.

Saul clearly realized this was happening, and knew about this trick, so every iteration of the story had slightly different details. The first story he said "I was 6 or 7 miles from the drop-off spot." The second time he said "I was ten minutes from the spot." The first time he said "I called a taxi." The second time he said "I had to drink my own pee." The third time he said "I bought a bunch of energy drinks." And so on and so forth. This is one of the reasons why he managed to stay so convincing. He knows how to lie in a way that sounds genuine and not rehearsed.

That last scene was fascinating, it was like a courtroom scene. Lalo was the prosecuting attorney trying to get information out of Jimmy (the defendant) while Kim was the defending attorney. Notice how each one of them took a step forward while speaking. Think about it, Kim quits her big-time job in Mesa Verde and the same day has the highest stakes closing defense argument of her life. She said she likes pro bono work and Jimmy is like her permanent pro bono client. When Kim tried to interfere and Lalo waved her off dismissing her, that was her lowest moment in the show. Lalo comes in, threatens and intimidates her spouse and she feels like she can do nothing to stop him. He dismisses Kim because he sees nothing in her. When Saul offers Lalo his bag of money back, Kim realizes that the Best lawyer cup with the bullet-hole is still in there, and that would be more than enough to prove Lalo's argument condemning Saul. So instead of folding or settling on defending Jimmy, she goes into attack mode and silences Lalo completely. That was her "Walt intimidating Tuco" moment. Finally, because of Kim's actions I think that Nacho's character arc will be completed in the next episode as Lalo is suspiciously taking him to the desert and his future seems more unsure than ever. In conclusion this episode was another masterclass. Just must-see television.

Lalo is so scary, it's insane. That last scene is one of the best scenes of the entire series and the suspense is awfully unbearable. Kim stands up in a wonderful manner and the audience is left shook up, as Nacho leaves for Mexico to an uncertain future. If you are fan of television, the last 10-15 minutes are a must see. Do not miss it.

Kim and Jimmy's relationship is one of the pillars of Better Call Saul and this episode nailed it.

I loved the opening sequence in which we see, by a little montage, both Kim and Jimmy's journeys. We see Kim being there for Jimmy from beginning to end and it was great to see her care that much for Jimmy.

Bad Choice Road is awesome and Mike talking to Jimmy in the car reminded me of when he was talking to Wormald in Pimento. Both Lalo and Kim finding out Jimmy was lying by seeing a bullet hole was a nice touch by Schnauz.

Crazy to think that this season is almost over. Wow...

Many viewers have, correctly, lauded Rhea Seehorn's performance in BCS, especially during this most recent run of incredible episodes, but for me, Tony Dalton has been every bit as good. His portrayal of Lalo Salamanca has been an understated study in intensity. At the surface, Dalton's Lalo exudes an upbeat, happy, smiling, almost naïve appearing countenance, and yet, despite that seemingly cheerful exterior, he conveys, at the exact same time, a chilling, intimidating, sinister menace. Lalo is clearly a cold-blooded killer, but he's also an actor and one who rarely breaks character, even when smiling and delivering a subtle, "read between the lines" threat. About the only time we see him break character is when he spoke with Hector and when he ordered Nacho to drive back to Albuquerque. Even Lalo's intense, badgering, edge-of-your-seat with fear, interrogation of Jimmy was done without ever betraying that outward visage of an amiable, gentle neighbor politely pressing you for details about your recent vacation. Tony Dalton is an actor playing an actor and he's able to convey multiple layers of persona, intensity, subterfuge, and existential danger, all within a simple smile and turn of his head. Absolutely brilliant.

This season keeps outdoing itself with each episode. I am blown away by this one. Gripping, grim, and filled with suspense, it has everything I love about this show. I love the fact that these episodes are bringing together all the storylines they've built. That being said, I can't describe how intense this episode is. Left me breathing heavy for several minutes after it ended. Cannot recommend this show enough

The love between Jimmy and Kim is really exposed now, which scares me a lot. Considering what has been going on lately, it made us fear the fate of Kim as we never know what happened to her in the breaking bad timeline. All we know is that Lalo is up to something, which may decide the fates of Nacho and Kim. When Saul's phone starts ringing that's where intensity started to build up, knowing that's something really bad might happen. I've been saying this so many times, Rhea Seehorn has an amazing overshadowed talent. She deserves that Emmy for the work she had done for the last couple of seasons, especially this season.

Kim Wexler. This episode is the best we've ever seen in heR. Just incredible acting as she saves Jimmy & co skin. If she doesn't even get nominated for an Emmy let alone become a favorite after this season the awards are a sham. Bravo Ms BRAAAVOOO. Between her and Lalo, the acting is just so frigging good. Not too mention the opening dual cam cinematography work. This season is gonna win some awards finally.

Another brilliant episode where the tension rose gradually.

We know the fate of the certain characters from BrBa universe: Crazy8, Tuco, the Salamanca twins, Victor, Hector, Gustavo, Tyrus, Mike, Lydia, Hank and Gomez... BCS has presented new characters unbeknownst to us in BrBa timeline. Through five years as we got to know them, as an audience we started feeling empathy towards them. And just like in BrBa universe, the characters in BCS are as equally complex and deep as BrBa characters. They make some choices that bring consequences. We want certain characters to survive and we wonder what will happen to Saul, Kim, Nacho and Lalo. (We might have a clue what happens to Lalo from Breaking Bad S04E10 "Salud") And as we are familar from BrBa, we have a feeling that not all of them will get away from danger.

Speaking of danger, desert is a place we often saw in BrBa and continue to see in BCS, where meetings are held and transactions made. As we witness Jimmy's complete transition to Saul, as he walks in the desert, we are reminded of the danger that he is pulling himself into once again, when tarantulas and rattlesnakes enter the camera frame. Now he is in the game. And the game is deadly. Unwillingly, Jimmy let Kim enter the game. And in each episode, Lalo builds more tension. He is clever, nosy, dangerous as a rattlesnake, always suspicious, holds a grudge-well he is a Salamnca after all-and he traces like a detective in the story, somewhat unsettled. And in this remarkable episode, we saw that Kim spotted Lalo's doubts and used it against him. We witnessed why Jimmy needs Kim desperately and shouldn't lose her. Questions rise in spectators' minds once again: all this money, seemingly success after his late brother's legacy... Is it worth it? Is it worth losing Kim, the biggest success Jimmy has in his life after all? Will Kim pull the strings behind the curtain?The anticipation is the key to BCS's success.

What I respect deeply for Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould and their crew is, they never take the audience for granted. They reward the patience of the audience as they move on with the plot, they set the bar high, they care about the details and each episode gets better and better. This episode had the similar editing tricks that we are familiar from BrBa and I loved the split-screen sequence at the beginning. Gilligan tries to make the show as cinematic as possible. Which is a delight for fans.

BCS is a pre-quel to BrBa, so all the choices the writers make ragarding to writing deep backstories and side-plots work out flawlessly so far to serve both BCS and BrBa universes. What I also respect is, they don't show us a BrBa character unless it is relevant in the story.

Note: Rhea Seehorn deserves an emmy for this episode.

So I'm coming to the end of 5 seasons of Better Call Saul (BCS) and finally this episode is worthy of a decent score. The rest of the show really isn't. Like reading a boring book with great reviews BCS for me is a series you keep on sticking with it in the hope it picks up and delivers what is promised, but 40+ episodes are just plain boring.

Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman, flawed hero? Neither. Not buying it. Even AFTER the deal he and Kim made to put everything on the table, he doesn't even come close to telling her the truth about what happened in the desert. Maybe Jimmy didn't want to talk about it at all but he knows how important honesty is to Kim. I didn't like how Kim tells Saul that she knows he is lying but doesn't mention the coffee mug with a bullet hole through it. Jimmy never finds that mug and wonders if Kim saw it? That is ridiculous. "Breaking Bad" really didn't have any characters that viewers could cheer for and a few that were just plain jerks. BCS isn't much better. I want to cheer for Jimmy/Saul but he fails to do the right thing so often. I think Kim is great but knowing something happens to her to prevent her character from appearing in BB, it's hard to cheer for her. I really didn't like Saul Goodman's character in BB until the end when he leaves Albuquerque at the same time as Walter.

Kim saw the cup with the bullet hole. When Jimmy told Lalo he can have his money back from the bag the cup is still there. Kim realises this and steps in. Amazing writing incredible build up

If I had one wish for free, I would immediately know what I would want: A woman like Kim Wexler! How she came to help Jimmy the moment he was about to reveal the truth. Even though she knew Jimmy was lying to her. She knowingly risked her life to save Jimmy and although she didn't know it, she also saved Lalo with her grandiose appearance which she undoubtedly learned as a masterful lawyer. Because of the bullet hole in the cup, she immediately realized that Jimmy was lying to Lalo for a reason and therefore understood how serious the situation was. And then she acted at lightning speed when the situation threatened to tip over. What an incredibly intense episode! Please, please, please - give all three an Emmy for their performances and another one for the awesome writing!

Kim managed to save Saul's ass with her speech skills. Now, Nacho is under suspicion and Lalo is probably going to do something to him. In the next episode I believe Nacho's arch is coming to an end. I think it will be a good one, at least I hope for it, but we never know.

As for Saul and Kim, I have no idea how that will end. Saul isn't with her in Braking Bad, but here she is throwing EVERYTHING away to be with him completely. Let's see what happens next.

This episode moves slowly towards wrapping up the season, just like Saul - still suffering from PTSD and moving as if underwater.

Lalo is en route to Mexico, but not really. He doesn't trust Saul and finds the time to take a detour to interrogate his lawyer about what really happened in the desert. Kim sorts of save the situation. By now I am used to Saul and Kim saving the day by attacking whomever happens to be in the right.

Once more, even if Lalo correctly smelled a rat, Kim takes her usual aggressive stance and manages to make the hardened criminal back off. Believable? Kim had some good arguments, but perhaps she pushed it a bit too far... we'll see.

Finally, even if I am definitely in a minority here, this episode proves once more that Saul is not a character interesting enough to carry the show. While Walt White was a tragic character, Saul is merely pathetic and that's why countless other reviews debate endlessly Chuck, Mike, Nacho and Kim having too much or not enough space, but still having a very noticeable presence. The first three series belonged to Chuck and this one belongs to Kim.

Every scene is way too long. Every twist of the plot is too stupid. Some idiot lawyer got in way over his head in the quest to become "a friend of the cartel" and is now "suffering" because he was shot at in the desert where he went to pick up bail money for his murderous client. Just HOW much screen time can you squeeze out of one loser? Mike's story is a lot more interesting but he doesn't get enough screen time since he is a "secondary" character. 9.9 rating? Keep dreaming!