‘Better Call Saul’ Recap: ‘Point and Shoot’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 608 of ‘Better Call Saul’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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There comes a point in all of our lives, where we will deal with a devastating, life changing situation. The kind that will not only shatter us emotionally and leave lasting damage, but will in fact, alter our view of the world and force us to approach everything differently. And if by chance this moment involves someone we love, well that too will alter the course of our lives and potentially our relationship… depending upon how our loved one responds since that will tell us a great deal about them. If anything, that particular moment in time and how it alters and changes us is top of mind today, simply because Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler went through one of them during last night’s episode of Better Call Saul.
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For ‘Point and Shoot’ is a story that picked up mere moments after Lalo Salamanca ended Howard Hamlin’s life in a violent manner and well… it was obvious from their reaction to that moment that little would be the same. For they had both been privy to a cold-blooded crime and were soon subject to quite the request from a madman. One that made it clear the world was not how they viewed it in the slightest and that would indeed change their world view going forward, especially after how Jimmy handled said request. For Lalo wanted Jimmy, to drive to Gus Frings’ estate and well… assassinate him and bring back some evidence that the job was done. 

A move that Jimmy obviously wasn’t good with and well, in that moment… he made one hell of a decision. In that, he asked Lalo to send Kim in his stead. A move that shocked Kim and the audience to no less, one that we will discuss in greater detail later on in this recap. Because before we truly look at the impact of that decision, what followed is equally as important. Because Lalo was surprisingly fine with Kim going over to the Casa de Fring to handle ugly business and once, she was on her way, we came to realize that this was nothing more than a grand ruse. One designed to keep Jimmy put and panic the troops once Kim arrived at the house. For Lalo knew she would sing, and she did, he just wanted Mike’s forces away from the true prize, the laundromat.

Because he wanted proof that Gus was assembling a meth lab that would produce an incredible number of drugs to sell and how that would go against Don Eladio and create a new empire, and if by chance… Gus was to show up, that would be a bonus. Which of course, Gus did. For he put two and two together and gambled on the possibility that Lalo was heading for the future production home of Blue Sky and well… that allowed for these two men to face off at last. In a manner so tense and so powerful, that likely everyone at home was holding their breath, especially when the two men went into the future lab to explore it in all of its glory, and well… while they were down there… the future began to present itself to everyone.

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For eventually, Gus was able to get the better of Lalo and used the cover of darkness to use that gun he planted weeks ago, and once the flashes of muzzle fire ended, Lalo Salamanca spent his last bloody breaths atop the dirt of the basement, a place that would also become his eventual resting place alongside Howard, since something had to be done about that as well. But just like that, the identities of two bodies that popped up in Breaking Bad after Walter and Jesse torched the lab were revealed to the world and now with Lalo out of the way, we grow closer to the arrival of Saul Goodman and his intersection with Walter White and the horrors that will grow out of that. And well, it is Howard’s death and that moment we discussed, that appears to be another critical step in Saul’s arrival. 
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Because in the wake of this nightmare, it was obvious that Kim Wexler was utterly broken and shattered by what she just experienced. For she came within inches of killing another human being, something she never thought she would do. And while it ended well… the act in and of itself, absolutely has to change her views of everything in her life. Where she’s going, what she is currently doing and of course… it will make her question her husband and his path in life. Because this is a result of his desire to defend a drug kingpin, and of course… while Jimmy may have indeed made the decision to send her to keep her safe, because deep down, he knew she wouldn’t do it… that decision will undoubtedly come back to haunt Jimmy.

Because Kim has to reconcile all of this, and the weight of it and the pain and the horror… should move her mind to see that decision as a moment of weakness for Jimmy. One that motivated him to save his own hide over anything else. Whether that view is correct or incorrect will likely be as hotly debated as Walter’s call to Skyler before he fled to New Hampshire. But what matters most here, is that Kim Wexler has experienced a life changing moment, one that she might not be able to reconcile properly because of the darkness it showed her and if that moment with Jimmy doesn’t help to sink those spirits further, his ability to reconcile it and live with it will. Which likely means this moment, will shape the fate of their relationship and that fate is what will be the final death kneel for Jimmy McGill and bring Saul Goodman into the light.

If anything, all of these elements make this… an utterly brilliant episode. For this one addressed some concerns from the fan base nicely. Since everyone wondered where Howard was as Breaking Bad took place, and Lalo for that matter as well. Plus, it truly put Jimmy and Kim through a harrowing new experience, one that has changed the course of their lives irrevocably and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this powerhouse and stunningly well-acted tale, and the end of the journey for Lalo and Howard… it’s onto familiar horizons. For the Heisenberg Empire and beyond awaits us and it will be fascinating to see how the fallout of this ugly evening for this beloved couple, moves their lives into a bold new direction… one filled with heartbreak and tragedy. Until next time.

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