Better Call Saul Episode Title Meanings

This article is about the episodes of Better Call Saul. For the Breaking Bad episodes, see Breaking Bad Episode Title Meanings.

This is where you can find the meanings of the title names of every episode of Better Call Saul.

Season 1

All but one of the episode names of season one end in an "o" abbreviation.

"Uno"

Spanish for "One".

1. This is the first episode of the series.

"Mijo"

Spanish for 'My Son'.

1. How Tuco Salamanca is addressed by his Abuelita.
2. During Jimmy McGill and Tuco's desert standoff, Jimmy says Lars and Cal Lindholm have a mother who sacrifices a lot for her sons.
3. The relationship of Chuck and Jimmy is one where they act almost as father figures for each other. Jimmy views Chuck in a glowing light because of his prowess as a lawyer, and Jimmy acts as Chuck's breadwinner, caring for Chuck while he's confined to his house.

"Nacho"

1. Referring to Nacho Varga, who employs Jimmy to act as his attorney while under arrest.

"Hero"

1. Jimmy gains notoriety in the media for "rescuing" the billboard worker.
2. When Howard Hamlin asks if anyone will fall for Jimmy's scheme, Kim Wexler replies with "People love a hero."
3. The Albuquerque Journal that Jimmy keeps from Chuck reports on the rescue with the headline; Local Lawyer, Local Hero.

"Alpine Shepherd Boy"

"Alpine Shepherd Boy" was originally going to be titled "Jell-O", in reference to the jelly cups Jimmy uses to advertise his elder law services. The name was changed to "Alpine Shepherd Boy" as the team couldn't get permission to use the Jell-O brand from Kraft Foods.

1. One of Jimmy's clients; Geraldine Strauss, consults Jimmy to write her will. One of the items listed was the Alpine Shepherd Boy Hummel figurine.

"Five-O"

Shorthand for police officers, derived from the television series Hawaii 5-O.

1. The episode explores Mike Ehrmantraut's dramatic departure from the Philadelphia Police Department.

"Bingo"

1. In this episode, Jimmy hosts a game of Bingo.
2. Jimmy has a "bingo" moment, when Betsy and Craig Kettleman return to Jimmy for legal representation.

"RICO"

Refers to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

1. It was used in this episode by Chuck McGill to instigate the suit with Sandpiper Crossing.

"Pimento"

1. Refers to the sandwich Mike packs with him to the drug swap.
2. It also means "hiding the truth from someone", which is revealed in this episode as what Chuck had been doing to Jimmy.
3. Pimento cheese is also known as “Southern Caviar”; something cheap masquerading as something respectable.

"Marco"

1. Referring to Marco Pasternak.

Season 2

Season 2's episode titles kick the pattern of ending in an "o" abbreviation, instead fitting a hint into the episode names. The first letter of each episode could be rearranged to spell FRINGSBACK (Fring's back). This was an indication Gustavo Fring from the original show would soon return in Better Call Saul. This in sync with the warning to Mike in "Klick" with a note in his car windshield stating "DON'T" preventing the assassination of Hector Salamanca strongly hinted at Gus' return in Season 3.

"Switch"

1. Signifying Jimmy's change in attitude to abandon doing "the right thing" preferring to do his job his own way.
2. Could signify Kim's switch in relationship with Jimmy, now helping him be a con man, and be his girlfriend.
3. Kim and Jimmy switch their names to Viktor and Giselle while conning Ken.
4. Also representing Jimmy's reluctant decision to accept Davis & Main's offer to become an associate after declining the offer at the court building.
5. Jimmy flips a switch in his new office labelled "Do NOT turn OFF!!!" (albeit to no consequences) showing his new principal of not complying to other's standards.

"Cobbler"

Referring to a 'Hoboken Squat Cobbler'; a form of fetish video whereas a man sits in a pie and wiggles about.

1. Jimmy creates an alibi for Daniel Wormald that he created Hoboken Squat Cobbler videos to exonerate him.

"Amarillo"

A city in Texas, east of Albuquerque. Also, Spanish for "yellow".

1. Jimmy stages solicitation with a busload of seniors in Amarillo.
2. The letters Jimmy had sent to Amarillo were "canary yellow".

"Gloves Off"

A figure of speech; to show intent of victory by any and all means; and a boxing term for when boxers remove their gloves to inflict as much damage as possible on their opponents

1. Refers to the boxing gloves necklace Mike takes from Tuco Salamanca during their skirmish.
2. Alluding to the climactic scene when Tuco beats up Mike in the restaurant carpark.

"Rebecca"

1. Referring to Rebecca Bois; Chuck's ex-wife.

"Bali Ha'i"

Referring to the song, from South Pacific. The name supposedly refers to a mystical island, visible on the horizon but not reachable.

1. Jimmy sings the song to Kim Wexler on her answering machine.
2. From the meaning of the song, Jimmy is trying to go to a mystical island (his own law practice and be himself) but it is not reachable.
   • This could also refer to Kim trying to escape doc review.

"Inflatable"

1. Referring to the air dancer which inspires Jimmy's style of oddly-coloured clothes (among other oddities) which he uses to sabotage his position at Davis & Main.
2. After Cliff Main catches Jimmy playing obnoxiously on the bagpipe, Jimmy says "the trick for the bagpipe is to keep it inflated".

"Fifi"

1. Refers to the B-29 Fifi aircraft filmed for Jimmy's commercial.

"Nailed"

1. Refers to Mike's makeshift spike strip trap for the cartel truck driver.
2. Idiom ("hit the nail on the head") for Chuck's accusation of Jimmy sabotaging the Mesa Verde documents, to a high degree of accuracy.
3. Also refers to Chuck getting nailed in the head after passing out in the Copy Shop.

"Klick"

A "klick" is a military term meaning one kilometer.

1. One klick is roughly the distance Mike is from Hector during the assassination attempt.
2. May also refer to the click of the recorder's buttons when Chuck tapes Jimmy confessing to tampering the Mesa Verde files.

Season 3

The episode titles from here to season five do not have any patterns or messages in them.

"Mabel"

1. Jimmy reminisces about 'The Adventures of Mabel' by Harry Thurston Peck which Chuck once read to him years prior.

"Witness"

1. Ernesto reveals to Kim that he heard Jimmy's confession tape when he switched out the recorder's batteries. ("Mabel")
2. Mike spends the episode tailing the assailants who reclaim the locator out of his car. He enlists Jimmy to spy on one who stops in the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant in the morning.
3. When Jimmy confronts Chuck and destroys the confession tape, Howard and Dave Brightbill declare themselves as witnesses.

"Sunk Costs"

Refers to sunk cost fallacy: unrecoverable incursions; normally used by gamblers to justify continuing.

1. Refers back to when Jimmy cited sunk cost fallacy to justify giving up his law practice. ("Switch")
2. It's used again by Kim to justify her defending of Jimmy over Chuck's PPD.

"Sabrosito"

Spanish for "tasty".

1. Refers to the nickname given by Don Eladio to the toy Hector brings him, representing the mascot of the ice cream company Hector bought as a cartel front.

"Chicanery"

The use of deception or subterfuge to achieve one's purpose.

1. After Jimmy reveals Huell placed a battery in Chuck's breast pocket to prove Chuck's disease is purely mental, an infuriated Chuck uses this term to refer to his brother's umpteenth trickery.

"Off Brand"

To use medication for aliments other than originally intended.

1. Jimmy uses the term to describe the use of his name to sell his advertisement's airtime instead of for law practice.
2. The use of a pharmaceutical term is apt considering Nacho's eventual plan to sabotage plan to Hector's medication starts in this episode.

"Expenses"

1. The expenses of Jimmy's livelihood are starting to pile up as he's struggling to sell his services and broadcast time, as well as the fact that his insurance premiums will go up 150% because of his suspension.
2. Jimmy reveals to the insurance broker that Chuck has electromagnetic hypersensitivity (under the ruse of a breakdown), which caused all of HHM's premiums to increase too.

"Slip"

1. Used in conjunction with the following episode title to make 'Slip & Fall' (the act of slipping, falling and suing the property owner for negligence), a form of Tort law in which Jimmy's coming Saul Goodman persona specializes.
2. Jimmy uses a Slip & Fall ploy to coax the owners of ABQ In Tune into purchasing the new commercials.
3. Nacho's plan to switch out Hector's medicine for crushed Ibuprofen tablets ends with him slipping the container with the new pills back into Hector's jacket pocket.
4. The title references Jimmy's 'Slippin' Jimmy' persona suggesting that Jimmy McGill and Slippin' Jimmy are starting to close in on each other to create the Breaking Bad-era Saul Goodman.

"Fall"

1. Used in conjunction with the preceding episode title to make 'Slip & Fall' (the act of slipping, falling and suing the property owner for negligence), a form of Tort law in which Jimmy's coming Saul Goodman persona specialises.
2. Many characters in this episode start to experience a "fall" of sorts all at once.
   • Jimmy's morality is compromised as he plots to coax Irene Landry into settling the Sandpiper Crossing case by persuading her friends she is keeping money from them. This move is more indicative of his swift transition into Saul Goodman.
   • Chuck is asked by Howard to step down, out of fear he is not of sound mind.
   • Kim's overwhelming workload with Mesa Verde and Billy Gatwood starts to dramatically affect her as she starts losing sleep just to keep up.
   • Hector loses his cartel distribution contract to Gus, which causes him to flare up aggressively and in due course, take his medication, now Nacho's swapped-out Ibuprofen pills.
   • Nacho tells his father about his arrangement with Hector and that Hector will soon try to take over the body shop, to which he tells Nacho to leave his house.
   • Howard is faced with the prospect of HHM going bankrupt after Chuck sues the firm for breach of contract.
   • Irene begins getting alienated by her friends, as per Jimmy's plan and eventually breaks down when she wins at bingo to a less than celebratory crowd.
3. The episode ends on Kim taking a literal fall by crashing her car (from falling asleep at the wheel) on her way to her meeting with Gatwood.

"Lantern"

1. The episode opens on Chuck reading 'The Adventures of Mabel' to Jimmy in a tent as the camera passes them and closes in on a gas lantern.
2. A gas lantern may be a metaphor for Chuck in this season, as his onset irrationality made him a major hazard to his associates, as Howard asks Chuck to retire saying his decision-making has become unpredictable. ("Fall") This could be seen when Saul comments on a photo of a lantern atop a stack of newspapers in Chuck's house. ("Sabrosito")
3. Jimmy practically sets alight his Elder law career by purposely exposing his foil against Irene with the help of Erin Brill.
4. Following his forced retirement from HHM, a string of public humiliations and a major relapse of his electromagnetic hypersensitivity which drove him to tear apart his own house, Chuck took his own life by knocking over a lantern in his living room with books scattered across the ground.

Season 4

"Smoke"

1. Smoke is a byproduct of fire; Chuck's method of suicide. ("Lantern")
2. The inspector at Chuck's house says Chuck died through smoke inhalation.
3. A metaphor for the episode's major theme. Smoke tends to hang around the burnt area and people within the vicinity of the burning; emblematic of the side-effects of Chuck's death, and to a lesser extent, Hector's stroke.

"Breathe"

1. The episode begins with Hector hooked up to a mechanical ventilator in the hospital, after his stroke. ("Lantern")
2. Gus ambushes Nacho and Arturo after their drug collection and kills Arturo by suffocating him with a plastic bag.

"Something Beautiful"

1. Jimmy offers Mike the job switching out the Bavarian Boy Hummel figurine in Neff Copiers with a similar, but cheaper figurine by saying, "Let's do something beautiful here." Jimmy's rationale is he and Mike both profit, they make a Hummel fan happy and Mr. Neff is none the wiser, making it a victimless crime.

"Talk"

1. Mike exposes Henry as a fraud at the support group and after Henry storms out, Mike tells the group "You wanted me to talk. I talked."
2. Kim suggests Jimmy to talk to a therapist.
3. The title could also refer to Jimmy's new job at CC Mobile, a cell phone store.

"Quite a Ride"

1. Saul says "Well, Quite a ride." to Francesca after during the teaser, referring to their time together at Saul Goodman & Associates before going into hiding with the help of Ed Galbraith. ("Granite State")
2. The title may also refer to the van ride Werner Ziegler and the French tunneller took to Lavandería Brillante from Colorado.
3. Lastly, the title may refer to Jimmy complementing one of the biker gang member's motorbike, calling it a "beautiful ride," which has a similar meaning to quite a ride.

"Piñata"

1. With the help of Huell and Clarence, Jimmy threatens the three youths who stole his cell phone profits ("Quite a Ride") by hanging them upside down and smashing piñatas, telling them to stay away from Jimmy and tell others to do the same.
2. This could also refer to how Jimmy acted as almost a Piñata to the three punks ripping him off, with him being the Piñata and the cash he has being the candy.

"Something Stupid"

1. Possibly used in conjunction with a previous episode "Something Beautiful"; potentially to signify that Jimmy's habit of justifying his ploys with altruistic purpose stops from here on, edging the show closer to Saul Goodman territory.
2. A cover of C. Carson Parks' song "Somethin' Stupid" by Israeli musical duo Lola Marsh plays during the teaser montage.
3. The episode shows multiple characters making short-sighted mistakes.
   • Huell hits a plainclothes police officer, misinterpreting an argument with Jimmy as a threat. Huell is charged with battery and could face two and a half years due to prior convictions with the same officer.
   • Casper accidently knocks over a support beam in the dug-out cavern beneath Lavandería Brillante, sparking a fight between him and Kai.
4. Kim fears Jimmy will do something unethical to help Huell avoid jail-time or get himself into trouble. She ends the episode calling Jimmy to refrain and consider a plan of her own.

"Coushatta"

A small town in Louisiana.

1. The hometown of Huell Babineaux.
2. Jimmy McGill mails forged support letters from Coushatta to Judge Munsinger back in Albuquerque.

"Wiedersehen"

German for "to meet again", or alternatively, "goodbye".

1. The word 'wiedersehen' is sprayed on the rock in the superlab site prior to its blasting.
2. Werner, who's been working on the superlab construction for longer than he planned, becomes anxious to return to Germany and see his wife.
3. Jimmy almost says "to meet again" or "goodbye" to lawyering after being denied to reinsertion in this episode.
4. Alludes to Werner's escape from the lab at the end of the episode.

"Winner"

1. Jimmy and Chuck sing to a karaoke version of the song "Winner Takes it All" by ABBA during the teaser, and Jimmy quotes the song's title when talking to Kristy Esposito.
2. A common theme of the show is Jimmy's view of other people; as either 'wolves and sheep' or more aptly for this season, 'winners and suckers'.
3. Jimmy wins his appeal of the failed committee meeting with a heartfelt speech about his relationship with Chuck (which is later revealed to be a disingenuous ruse), allowing him to restart his law practice under his Saul Goodman pseudonym.
4. Early in the series, Howard Hamlin tells Jimmy that often in the law, "people get so caught up in the idea of winning, that they forget to listen to their heart". ("Uno") That warning comes full circle in this episode with Jimmy's appeal. He emerges victorious, but in doing so abandons his morality and leans entirely into his Saul Goodman persona.

Season 5

"Magic Man"

1. In this episode, Saul tells his potential clientele that Huell calls him "the Magic Man" after getting his battery charges dropped.

"50% Off"

1. In the previous episode, Saul offers customers a 50% discount for non-violent felony counselling. Two of Saul's attendees use the discount as an excuse to go on a drug-fuelled bender, yelling "50% off!" wherever they went.
2. During the Skells’ rampage, they break a lawn gnome, whose face has been shattered half off.
3. This title could be a metaphor for how 50% has been taken off of Jimmy and that the other half of himself is now Saul.

"The Guy For This"

1. Lalo employs Saul as Domingo's lawyer in MDC, in order to deliver information to spill to the authorities. When Saul asks why they don't use a drop phone to contact him directly, Lalo tells Saul that he's "the guy for this."
2. Kim is also "The Guy For This" after being specifically called by Richard Schweikart and Mesa Verde to talk to Everett Acker.

"Namaste"

1. After being offered a position at HHM, Saul notice the vanity plates on Howard's car read "NAMAST3". Towards the end of the episode, Saul smashes the car with a set of bowling balls.

"Dedicado a Max"

Spanish for "Dedicated to Max".

1. The phrase is inscribed on a water fountain in the courtyard of the Mexican town where Gus sends Mike to be treated. It's revealed that Gus is an anonymous benefactor of the town, and he refers to the courtyard as a "memorial". While he doesn't specify who exactly it's for, the inscription and Gus' personal history with him indicates the memorial is most likely for former partner Max Arciniega.

"Wexler v. Goodman"

1. Foreshadowing of a coming dispute between Jimmy/Saul and Kim.
2. At Kim's request, Saul became the representative for Everett Acker; who is fighting for his property on the land of the proposed Mesa Verde Tucumcari Call Center. ("Namaste") This placed Kim and Saul on opposite sides of the case.
3. Kim asks Jimmy to drop the plan to pursue Mesa Verde over the copyright infringement of the bank's cowboy graphic. Saul however pushes ahead without her knowledge. Just as Jimmy and Saul are a polarized duality of personalities within one person, the practices and ethics of Saul and Kim are diverging into mirror opposites.
4. Kim's tether with Jimmy/Saul is fast reaching an impasse. After Saul (effectively) blackmails Mesa Verde and blindsides Kim, she tells Jimmy "You played ME. You made me the sucker... again.", noting the reinstatement meeting. ("Winner")
5. Kim tells Jimmy that he turned the Mesa Verde case "from you and me vs. the bank into you vs. me".

"JMM"

1. The initials of James M. McGill
2. Kim purchased a monogrammed briefcase prior to Jimmy's failed committee meeting. ("Wiedersehen") After being rendered outdated by Jimmy's switch to practising as Saul Goodman, he retools the monogram into an initialism of "Justice Matters Most". ("Magic Man")
3. During Jimmy and Kim's wedding, the judge refers to Jimmy by his full name "James M. McGill".
4. Lalo offers to make make Saul "a friend of the cartel" in return for getting him out on bail. He then tells Saul that he should rework his motto, suggesting "Just Make Money".
5. May be mirroring a similar three letter acronym title in Breaking Bad. "I.F.T."

"Bagman"

An agent who collects or distributes the proceeds of illicit activities.

1. The episode begins with The Cousins filling two duffle bags with Lalo's $7 million bail amount.
2. Saul is enlisted by Lalo to collect the bags from the Cousins in the desert.
3. Kim tries to talk Jimmy out of the arrangement by telling him "You are an attorney, not a bagman".
4. Juan Bolsa's surname translates to "bag" or "sack", as it's revealed to be allegedly behind the attack in the following episode.

"Bad Choice Road"

1. The episode picks up from after Jimmy and Mike inadvertently wreck the grid searcher's car and have to continue along the road on foot.
2. Jimmy meets with Mike after returning home from the desert, questioning his defense of Lalo for the TravelWire murder. Mike tells Jimmy that choices, even the small choices people make set them on a road and even if you want to get off, you inevitably return to the same road. He claims that the road they were set on led them to the events in the desert and back to where they are.
3. Kim resigns from Schweikart & Cokely and leaves behind the Mesa Verde case to focus on her pro-bono cases. When she tells Jimmy, he liberally recites Mike's advice about choices leading to roads and tells Kim that what she did put her on a "bad choice road".

"Something Unforgivable"

1. Used in juxtaposition with Season 4 episodes "Something Beautiful" and "Something Stupid". The prior episodes chronicle the decline of Jimmy/Saul's moral compass. In this episode however, we see the beginnings of a sort of moral decline in Kim.
2. Howard tells Kim about his employment offer to Jimmy and how he responded to said offer. He suggests Jimmy is a bad influence on Kim and asks if he was why she left Schweikart & Cokely, to which she rebukes Howard. He spent much of the series advocating for Jimmy even after their sour history and Jimmy's personal dislike of Howard. In a sense, Howard continually forgave Jimmy for wronging him. This changed after the recent spate of events between the two.
3. Following Howard's talk with Kim, she talks at length with Jimmy about plotting against Howard. It begins with how to ruin his hair and ends up with how to level the Sandpiper Crossing case. Jimmy tells Kim that "Howard would have to have done something... unforgivable" to bring down HHM.
4. Lalo survives the shootout on his Chihuahua residence, which ended with the deaths of his workers and crew members. After noticing the untouched glass of Louis XIII he poured for him, he deduced that Nacho was a double-agent and allowed the cartel gunners onto the property.

Season 6

From "Wine and Roses" to "Fun and Games", all titles follow an "[X] and [Y]" format. This structure is abandoned from "Nippy" onwards, as Jimmy and Kim go their separate ways in "Fun and Games". The show skips forwards briefly to Saul Goodman of the pre-Breaking Bad era, then onwards to Gene Takavic of the post-Breaking Bad era.

"Wine and Roses"

A reference to "days of wine and roses", a phrase coined by Ernest Dowson in the 1896 poem "Vitae Summa Brevis"; commonly used to describe a bygone era of innocence and simplicity. It's also the name of a 1962 drama film and song it went along with. Andy Williams' cover of the song was used during the season trailer.

1. An arrangement of the track by Jackie Gleason and his orchestra accompanied the opening scene of Saul's mansion being emptied by removalists, presumably late in the Breaking Bad era.
2. In the film, Joe dates the alcohol-abstinent Kirsten, introducing her to social drinking. The pair soon develop alcoholism and struggle to stop their lives from spiralling out of control. Joe eventually kicks the habit, but Kirsten's drinking problem persists, and it's also suggested she has an addictive personality, which may contribute to her difficulty in giving it up. Towards the end of the film, Joe tells Kirsten she cannot live with him until she quits drinking. The story of Joe and Kirsten may mirror that of Jimmy and Kim, who previously dabbled with the idea of sabotaging Howard ("Something Unforgivable") and are now putting the first pieces of said plan into action. It's possible that Jimmy's tendencies of plotting and deception are taking hold of Kim, while Jimmy is grappling with its moral implications, although for now playing along with Kim's plan. Like Kirsten, Kim is progressing through a character arc which separates her from her idealistic, straight-laced beginnings, towards becoming the antithesis of what she once believed.

"Carrot and Stick"

Metaphorical phrase for a method of persuasion that consists of simultaneously rewarding compliance and punishing non-compliance.

1. Like in "Fall", this episode revolves around a number of situations where the name-sake theme is present. As such, the carrot-and-stick scenario is invoked multiple times throughout the episode.
   • In the cold open, Mike tells Amber and Jo that Nacho won't be returning and asks them leave the house. He offers them money to help them rebuild their lives elsewhere. When the two hesitate, Mike tells them, "This goes back in my pocket in five seconds. You won't like what happens next".
   • After Nacho flees the motel after the shootout, Mike and Gus try to pan out getting him out of hostile territory. Mike suggests that he takes a small party to retrieve Nacho; the carrot in question being protection and safe passage across the border. Gus however instructs Mike to bring Nacho's father to act as the stick, a request to which Mike outright refuses.
   • When the Kettlemans catch onto Jimmy's ploy to besmirch Howard's name, they threaten to tell Howard himself. Jimmy attempts to quell the Kettlemans with a bribe, to little success. When that fails, Kim dials the IRS with intent to out the Kettlemans for tax preparer fraud. Betsy caves and Kim threatens to turn them in again, unless they make their clients whole and forget about Howard.
2. A similar carrot-and-stick situation was seen in "Cobbler", where Mike said to Nacho that he can avoid stick (his boss learning of his side business) and get carrot (Pryce's car and $10,000) if he returns the stolen cards to Pryce.
3. Anticipating that the Kettlemans find out Jimmy's bid to exonerate Craig is impossible, Jimmy and Kim discuss how to play them at their next meeting. Kim asks Jimmy if he'll "use the stick", to which Jimmy retorts, "I know these people. They're more carrot types".

"Rock and Hard Place"

A lose-lose situation in which a person is forced to choose between two undesirable situations.

1. Nacho spends his last episodes evading the Salamancas and Gus, after the raid on Lalo's residence. Hunted by two parties, Nacho faces a sobering reality regardless of captor.
2. Preferring a less-unpleasant choice, Nacho sinks into the pool inside the oil tanker to hide from Leonel.
3. Coming to terms with the fact he can't run any longer, Nacho reluctantly turns himself over to Gus, and onwards as a peace offering to the Salamancas.
4. After working out Jorge De Guzman's true identity, Suzanne Ericsen tells Kim that Jimmy can break laywer-cilent privilege, on the basis that Jimmy is "in over his head", and come forth with information on the Salamancas. While he isn't obligated to do anything, Kim askes Jimmy "Do you want to be a friend of the Cartel or do you want to be a rat?"; both compromising positions for him.
5. Nacho as a character is someone who's routinely taken orders from or had his destiny determined by someone else. In essence, his place in the series is between a rock and a hard place. The only other instance prior to the climax he commandeered his own story was sabotaging Hector's medicine, which he references during his monologue. Facing his end, he takes control. He curses out the Salamancas to their faces, holds a gun to Juan Bolsa, and finally, turns the gun on himself and fires. Nacho's story ends with him going out on his own terms.

"Hit and Run"

A common traffic violation where a party causes a vehicular collision and doesn't stop afterwards.

1. This act had been previously featured in "Uno", where Lars and Cal mistakenly crash into Abuelita's car and she takes off.
2. As part of the plan to defame Howard, Jimmy throws Wendy out of Howard's 1998 Jaguar XJ8 and drives off as Clifford Main witnesses the act.

"Black and Blue"

A term used to describe a person with sustained bruising.

1. English translation of "Negro y Azul", the title of the Breaking Bad episode which directly precedes Saul Goodman's introduction in "Better Call Saul".
2. Howard challenges Jimmy to a private boxing match after discovering that Jimmy is conspiring against him. Howard wins the match after striking a blow to Jimmy's face, leaving him bruised.
3. Howard wears a blue tank top and a black head guard during the boxing match.

"Axe and Grind"

1. Alluding to the idiom "to have an axe to grind"; doing something with selfish intention.
   • Kim gets invited to a luncheon for the Jackson Mercer Foundation's potential New Mexico expansion; which could fund her pro-bono firm. But, she has reservations as the luncheon coincides with 'D-Day'; the culmination of a plot to foil Howard and the Sandpiper Crossing class action. The episode ends on Kim setting aside her altruistic venture, in favour of her vendetta with Howard. When Jimmy calls Kim to abort mission, she abandons the luncheon to ensure the plan succeeds.
2. In Howard's morning montage, he uses a coffee grinder to prepare a latte for his wife.
3. Casper chops wood with an axe; the same one Lalo then uses to cut down Casper.

"Plan and Execution"

1. Jimmy and Kim quickly plan a reshoot of the Casimiro photos after it's revealed the real Casimiro had a cast on his left arm. They pull it off, getting the photos to Genidowski (Howard's private investigator) in time for the Sandpiper mediation.
2. Jimmy and Kim's plan to sabotage the class action succeeds. Schweikart & Cokely cut the class action payout substantially, and Howard's reputation is ruined.
3. After surmising Gus bugged Hector's phone, Lalo tells Hector that he's resorting to 'Plan A'; giving him a "surprise" that night. This fortifies Gus, but leaves "low-priority targets" open.
4. Lalo intrudes on Kim's apartment while Howard is vowing to out her and Jimmy as con artists. He tells Howard that he needs to speak with his lawyers, to which he snidely suggests he find better lawyers. Lalo then calmly screws a silencer onto his pistol, and executes Howard in cold blood.
5. Many observers noted that Howard's remains splattered against the painting that Jimmy and Kim used to plot against Howard. This is emblematic of the consequences their plotting had rort; they got more than they bargained for.

"Point and Shoot"

1. The episode picks up from the instance Plan and Execution left off; immediately after Howard was shot by Lalo.
2. Lalo enlists Jimmy to assassinate Gus with a revolver and document the task with a camera; two separate tasks summarised by the same two words - point and shoot.
3. When Mike and Gus' men apprehend Kim, Gus watches the proceedings from a security camera feed.
4. After capturing Gus at Lavandería Brillante, Lalo continues shooting his video for Don Eladio, recording Gus at gunpoint. He forces him to reveal the lab excavation and intended to shoot Gus after recording his last words.
5. Gus thwarts Lalo by shorting out the lights. He makes a break for the gun he planted in the excavator tracks ("Black and Blue"), and manages to shoot Lalo in the throat. He watches as Lalo pulls a smile, and finally, bleeds out.

"Fun and Games"

Derived from the proverb, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye."

1. Up until D-Day, Jimmy and Kim's escapades were merely 'fun and games'; short fleeting experiences that, didn't carry major consequence in the long term. The fun and games ended with the death of Howard Hamlin.
2. The full ramifications of D-Day and Howard's "suicide" come to light. HHM, with all its namesake partners deceased, is slated to downsize dramatically and abandon the Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill name.
3. After gaslighting Cheryl Hamlin at Howard's memorial service, Kim decides that the scams had to end and calls time with Jimmy. She tells Jimmy she knew that Lalo was still alive, but couldn't tell him because he would react by calling D-Day off. She didn't want that, she "was having too much fun."

"Nippy"

An expression that can refer to cold weather, being quick in movement, or inclined to biting.

1. Nippy is the name of a fictitious dog that Gene uses as a means to be invited into Marion's house.
2. May reference the winter environment of Omaha, as opposed to Albuquerque's desert climate.
3. Gene's plan to rob the department store necessitates that Jeff be nippy to order to make the 3-minute mark where Gene distracts Frank Danielsen.

This episode also breaks Season 6's theme of "X and Y" titles. This may interpreted as the end of Jimmy's relationship with Kim, or as the continuation of Gene's story.

"Breaking Bad"

A Southern colloquialism meaning "to raise hell", according to series co-creator Vince Gilligan, and the name of the landmark TV series to which Better Call Saul is a spin-off.

1. Breaking Bad S02E08 was titled "Better Call Saul"; where the character of Saul Goodman was first introduced. In the naming of this episode, both shows have an episode named after its counterpart.
2. The episode is intercut with scenes taking place between the events of Breaking Bad S02E08. This includes Saul's kidnapping by Walter and Jesse, and his decision to take on Walter as a client.
   • Parallels are also drawn between the two timelines with the last shot in the episode, showing Saul/Gene walking right into his downfall by getting himself involved with a cancer patient.
3. Francesca informs Gene of the events after the meth empire collapsed and Walter White's death:
   • Huell returned to New Orleans after being released by the DEA.
   • Skyler secured a deal with the prosecutor.
   • Francesca continues to be targeted by authorities.
   • All of Saul's assets and shell companies were requisitioned by the authorities.
   • Jesse is assumed to have fled into Mexico, as per the events of El Camino.
4. Following the successful department store heist, Gene himself breaks bad, returning to Jeff with the promise of pulling more cons.
5. Gene starts readopting tendencies of Breaking Bad-era Saul throughout the episode (return of the Chi machine, hiring prostitutes, using a Bluetooth earpiece, etc.). This comes to a head when Buddy refuses to scam the cancer-stricken mark, to which Gene admonishes and promptly dismisses him.
6. At the end of the episode, Gene breaks a glass pane in the mark's door to enter.

"Waterworks"

1. Short-hand for shedding tears. Kim has an emotional breakdown after confessing to sabotaging Howard Hamlin and inadvertently getting him killed to Cheryl Hamlin.
2. Mentioned in the previous episode, Kim works at Palm Coast Sprinkler in Titusville, Florida. Kim's life in Florida is also showcased in this episode.
3. In Monopoly, "Water Works" is the space 2 back from the "Go to Jail" space, a scenario where an unlucky snake eyes (rolling a one on both dice) roll can land a player in jail.
   • On their call, Kim tells Gene to turn himself in to the authorities. Kim then returns to Albuquerque to provide an affidavit detailing the character (and literal) assassination of Howard Hamlin to the district attorney and Cheryl Hamlin. It's unknown whether Kim will have to answer for her confession.
   • After crashing his taxi as a distraction for Gene to escape, Jeff is detained by police under suspicion of breaking into the mark's house.
   • Marion deduces Gene's true identity as Saul Goodman. After being briefly threatened by Gene, she alerts the authorities via LifeAlert. Gene is now out on the run, with police knowing Saul Goodman is at large in Omaha.

"Saul Gone"

Wordplay on "It's all gone", taken from "It's all good, man"; the phrase which spawned 'Saul Goodman'.

1. The series finale of Better Call Saul, final appearance of Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene Takavic, and likely the final chapter of the Breaking Bad universe.
2. Little by little as the episode proceeds, Jimmy's various personas fall away, as Jimmy McGill returns to face the music.
   • When Gene is found in the dumpster and taken into custody, the last material vestiges of Saul Goodman go with it. Gene loses the shoebox with the last artifacts of that era; including the remainder of his nest egg, the Saul Goodman ad tapes, the band-aid box of diamonds and Ed Galbraith's number.
   • With Bill Oakley as co-council, Saul manages to negotiate a deal of 7 years at a minimum security facility. At the United States v. Saul Goodman hearing however, Jimmy confesses to acting as White's attorney voluntarily and getting Chuck's malpractice insurance cancelled. Jimmy sought out to atone in full for his conduct as Goodman, at the cost of his generous deal which gets torpedoed in the process, resulting in a final 86-year sentence.
   • Finally, Jimmy publicly renounces Saul's name for good, telling the court to call him James McGill.
3. While Jimmy may have let go of Saul, Saul still lives on as the go-to name for legal representation among criminals. This is apparent when Jimmy gets identified as Saul on the bus to ADX Montrose, and goes on to garner respect in the prison. In the end, Saul's reputation means Jimmy will be safe. But internally, Saul is gone, making way for the return of James McGill.