Better Call Saul Season 5 Episode 9: Lalo the Suspicious
Bob Odenkirk
Saul Goodman
Jonathan R. Banks
Mike Ehrmantraut
Rhea Seehorn
Kim Wexler
Patrick Fabian
Hamlin Howard
Giancarlo Esposito
Gus Fring
Plot Summary:After 36 grueling hours, Jimmy's phone finally got a signal. Kim, who hadn't slept all night, burst into tears of joy upon hearing Jimmy's hoarse voice. Jimmy didn't want Kim to pick him up; he absolutely wouldn't let her get involved. He and Mike found a gas station along the highway, bought water, sat in the shade, and waited for Mike's people to arrive. The money was safe, but Mike had to concoct a story to prevent the cunning Lalo from getting suspicious.
Jimmy, unaware of the full extent, thought Mike was just reluctant to get involved in the cartel's mess. After all, if Lalo suspected his true identity had been compromised, he would surely kill to silence them. Back in the city, Jimmy took another taxi to the detention center. The two large bags of cash stunned the staff behind the counter. Four people were urgently borrowed from the finance department, and it took several hours with a money counter to finish counting, returning the extra $100,000 to Jimmy. This matter alarmed the judge and district attorney, but Lalo didn't care even if the judge wanted to re-investigate "Jorge's" identity; by this time tomorrow, he'd be in Mexico.
As Mike expected, Lalo wanted to know why Jimmy was a day late returning. Jimmy, following Mike's story, said his car broke down on the way back, and carrying such a large sum of money, he dared not hitchhike. He got lost walking through the mountains. Lalo didn't seem to dwell on it. After leaving the detention center, before getting into Nacho's car, he didn't forget to praise Kim, saying a woman who would risk everything for her husband was indeed excellent. Jimmy's heart sank, realizing Kim hadn't escaped unscathed. Back home, Kim helped treat Jimmy's sun-peeled limbs, heartbroken by the blisters on his shoulders. An oat bath helped with the inflammation. Feeling much more relaxed, Jimmy showed Kim the $100,000 in the bag, the reward for his adventure. Kim, however, didn't focus on the ten stacks of dollars but on the water bottle at the bottom of the bag. The bullet hole in the bottle indicated Jimmy hadn't told the whole truth. But Kim didn't want to press; she was just glad Jimmy was back safe.
Meanwhile, Mike was at the fried chicken restaurant, reporting the past two days' events to Gus Fring. He had just heard from Nacho that Lalo would visit his uncle Hector at the nursing home tomorrow to say goodbye, then return to Mexico. Mike would tail him the entire way, waiting for Lalo to cross the border before making his move. Gus was satisfied with the arrangement. As Mike was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. Nacho intended to quit after this, and with Lalo gone and Nacho disappearing, Hector's business would naturally crumble. Unexpectedly, Gus was unwilling to let Nacho go easily, preferring to control him rather than destroy him. And a dog like Nacho, who bites his master, should either be leashed or killed. This statement chilled Mike, making him realize Gus was not a good person after all.
The next day, Kim had planned to take a sick day to spend with Jimmy. But Jimmy's phone kept ringing, and he couldn't bear to let his hard-earned reputation suffer, so he rushed to court. However, one thought kept bothering Jimmy: surviving a gunfight, nearly dying, and still having to help a killer evade justice. The sad and angry eyes of the wire transfer victims' families made Jimmy lose his focus at work, leading him to lose a case in court against prosecutor Bill, whom he usually defeated.
Jimmy returned home early and lay in bed. Kim came back at dusk. Kim had also made a decision today: to resign from her law firm and decline the Mesa Verde Bank offer. In Kim's view, Jimmy enjoyed playing "Saul Goodman" while she preferred pro bono cases, helping the helpless poor. She had supported Jimmy's seemingly absurd decision then, and now she hoped Jimmy would support her.
Jimmy couldn't understand why Kim would give up a well-paying job and had no time to deal with his phone, which had rung several times. Until a knock at the door interrupted their argument. Kim walked towards the living room door, and Jimmy finally thought to answer his phone. It was Mike's deep voice again, telling Jimmy to hide his phone and not hang up. Jimmy froze, then saw Kim's terrified expression after opening the door, and knew something was wrong.
Lalo was inherently suspicious. After Nacho dropped him off at the border's dry well, he changed his mind and turned back to the location where Jimmy said his car broke down. He went down into the gully, carefully examined the damaged Suzuki, and found a bullet hole in the car door. Lalo then came to Jimmy's house and knocked on the door. With Kim's panicked eyes on him, he walked into the house, sat on the sofa, openly displaying the pistol tucked into his waistband. Like a host, he gestured for Jimmy and Kim to sit down, then asked Jimmy to repeatedly recount the process from withdrawing the money to delivering it yesterday.
This is a common police interrogation technique, finding contradictory details in multiple narratives to expose lies. Jimmy guessed Lalo might have found a flaw or was simply testing him. His only option now was to stick to his story and not give in. But when Lalo mentioned the bullet hole in the car door, Jimmy completely despaired. He didn't expect Lalo to spare him; he only hoped Lalo would let the innocent Kim leave.
At this very moment, Mike was on the roof of the opposite apartment building, aiming a sniper rifle at Lalo inside the house. If Lalo made a move, Mike would pull the trigger, not caring what trouble it would bring Gus. However, the seemingly fragile Kim, at this moment, displayed the demeanor of a great lawyer. Her defense for Jimmy was simple: this is New Mexico. In a place where guns are rampant, even a soda can by the road would be shot at for fun. Jimmy couldn't easily go back for his car; who knew if some armed thugs had shot up the car for fun and then pushed it into the gully. Lalo was shaken by Kim's assertiveness and couldn't think of any other counter-arguments. He sullenly left, got into Nacho's car, and drove towards Mexico.