The final season of Better Call Saul’s “Rock and Hard Place” was a fantastic showcase for co-star Michael Mando. Nacho Varga also called his father on the phone, never telling him how much danger he was in. A resolute Nacho avoided impending death long enough to make a deal with Gus to turn himself over to the Salamancas in exchange for his father’s safety. And Nacho was the first to leave this week. While Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) continue their plot against Howard (Patrick Fabian), Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) attempts to regain his footing following Lalo’s (Tony Dalton) presumed death, the episode covers the next stage of his escape plan.
Let’s get into ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 6 Episode 3: ‘Rock and Hard Place’ Recap
The episode begins in the desert, with storm clouds looming overhead and the camera shifting to bright blue flowers. The camera moves down to see a shard of something that could be glass or ceramic, the clinging sound revealing the alien object just as rains begin to fall. But how did it end up there in the first place? As the episode progresses, everything becomes clear.
Nacho was last seen attempting to flee the Salamanca twins (Daniel and Luis Moncada) at the motel where he’d been hiding out since opening the door for Gus’ mercenaries at Lalo’s property, as viewers will recall. Nacho abandons the bullet-riddled truck on a gravel road and runs to what appears to be an abandoned oil truck container after driving as far as the bullet-riddled truck can take him.
Nacho notices the cartel men approaching through the holes in the metal tank and dives into the leftover oil to avoid detection. Nacho rises from the liquid once they’ve passed and remains hidden in the tube until dusk. He’s cleaning up with a hose hooked to an auto shop the next time we see him. When the proprietor discovers him, he gives Nacho some soap to clean off with and allows him to call his father on the phone. Nacho’s father is worried about his son, but Nacho tells him that everything is fine. Nacho is relieved to learn that his father is safe, but the discussion also appears to be their final conversation when tears well up in Nacho’s eyes.
'How are you' is a pretty loaded question. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/05o3rwWtCT
— Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) April 26, 2022
Nacho then dials Mike (Jonathan Banks), who is holding a gun to Gus’ head in Gus’ office. Mike hands the phone to Gus at Nacho’s request as he informs Nacho that Mexico wasn’t his call. Mike says he’ll do the job, but before he does, he offers Nacho a drink for good measure. Nacho and Mike are joined by Gus, who reveals that Juan Bolsa (Javier Grajeda) will demand the facts upfront because he dislikes the Salamancas’ penchant for lengthy punishments. As a result, Nacho has decided to pretend he was hired as a rat for a different cartel family, thereby keeping Gus’ hands clean during the attack on Lalo’s property. Nacho is then told that if he continues to spread this misinformation, he will be shot. Mike assures Gus that it will be fast, and he expresses his desire to attend. They agree that Mike will keep an eye on things from afar as insurance in case things go wrong. Nacho is left alone after the selections have been made, and he looks at one of the drink glasses.
Is Michael Mando announcing his departure from Better Call Saul?
‘Better Call Saul’ Season 6, Episode 3 Recap: How Nacho Dies?
In Better Call Saul season 6, episode 3, Nacho Varga (Michael Mando) kills himself, a startling action that ties into his entire character development and alters the show’s destiny. let’s dive into it. Nacho is driven into the desert the next morning, with Victor (Jeremiah Bitsui) and Gus in the front seats and Nacho, Mike, and Tyrus (Ray Campbell) in the back. The van stops on the way to the desert rendezvous place to let Mike out with a sniper, while the rest of the passengers continue on their route. The Salamanca twins, Hector (Mark Margolis), and Bolsa are standing near a house when they arrive.
Nacho is thrown out of the van and knelt in front of Bolsa, who pulls the tape from his mouth. Bolsa informs Nacho that today is the day he will die, and it is up to him to choose whether he will die in a good or awful way. Nacho explains that he was paid by the Alvarez family to assist in the capture of Lalo, but Hector isn’t happy, ringing his bell and pointing to Gus. Nacho chuckles and says that thinking Gus was involved is a joke. When Bolsa asks if there is anyone else involved, he says no. Nacho claims responsibility and then adds that he’s delighted Lalo is dead since he despises the Salamancas. To add insult to injury, Nacho tells Hector that he put him in that chair and that he switched out his heart medications with the aim of murdering him, only for Gus to save him.
Nacho eventually manages to break free from his shackles using a shard of glass from one of the drinking cups he shared with Mike the night before. In the midst of it all, Nacho obtains a firearm and threatens Bolsa before turning the weapon on himself and squeezing the trigger. Finally, the fragment of glass serves as a marker for the site where Nacho dies of natural causes, denying Gus and the Salamancas the gratification of pulling the trigger. As Gus walks away from the scenario, viewers can see the twins move Hector’s wheelchair, which he used to assist in the shooting of Nacho’s body.
Jimmy’s strategy begins to take shape.
On a more upbeat note, Jimmy and Kim’s plan begins to take shape as they examine their planning board. They talk about using Howard’s automobile, or a copy of it, but with so little time, the best choice is to discover a means to get into the lawyer’s Jaguar. Jimmy claims that he can have Huell (Lavell Crawford) lift the keys while remaining a ghost, but Kim appears hesitant to go along with this scheme.
Invisibility's the key here. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/9TebVhBJuL
— Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) April 26, 2022
Kim approaches ADA on their way to work at the courthouse. Suzanne Ericsen (Julie Pearl) is asked to look at a photo of Jorge De Guzman, a.k.a. Lalo, in order to send over evidence for a mutual case. Kim denies knowing who the man is when Suzanne asks if she recognizes him. Suzanne informs Kim that he died in a cartel attack on his compound and that he was a key figure in the organization.
No one's doing anything. At the moment. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/PjywONXVlS
— Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) April 26, 2022
This prompts Suzanne to bring up Jimmy’s case, implying that there is a current case pending against the lawyer because of his knowledge of Lalo’s identity. Suzanne basically tells Kim that if he says he didn’t know who Lalo was, he won’t be in any danger. If he knew Lalo’s true identity, he’d have to tell on his colleagues to remain out of danger. Suzanne looks angry that Kim would question Jimmy’s character in this way, and Kim corrects her when she refers to him as Jimmy, explaining that his name is now Saul Goodman. Kim is assured before leaving Suzanne’s office that Jimmy is a lawyer and a good person who knows what’s right.
‘Better Call Saul’ Season 6 Episode 3 Ending Explained: Why did Nacho have to die?
Meanwhile, Huell intervenes as Howard arrives for lunch and the valet tries to park his car in the garage, taking the keys from the small youngster. Huell turns the keys over to a locksmith working out of a van in the garage before the boy understands what has happened. So Nacho makes a bargain with Gus: he’ll die on Gus‘ terms if he can guarantee his father’s safety. But Nacho doesn’t take Gus’ word; he wants Mike to ratify the arrangement before he agrees to go anywhere. Nacho appears to have reached an arrangement and leaves a stack of cash for the car shop owner before heading to a presumed pick-up location.
A Los Pollos shipment is unloaded at the subterranean lab that would later be used to make meth, and Mike enters the empty truck to detach panels on the floor, revealing Nacho inside. Nacho sits down to eat after cleaning up and asks Mike when everything will be over. Mike tells Nacho that he’ll die tomorrow in a peaceful manner, but their talk is cut short when Mike is told that Nacho is too pretty and that he’ll have to be roughed up a bit.
Chop chop. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/Qrs2n26lNq
— Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) April 26, 2022
With little time on his hands, the man cuts the key just as the valet returns upstairs, recognizing he no longer has Howard’s set. Thankfully, Huell had replaced Howard’s keys right under the car’s corner. When Huell finally catches up with Jimmy and hands him the duplicate keys, he questions why Jimmy is doing all of this, and Jimmy assures him that it is all for the Lord.
Jimmy walks in on Kim smoking a cigarette at home and informs her that Huell has arrived with the keys. Kim is agitated, and she informs Jimmy that Lalo is apparently dead, and Suzanne wants him to inform him about the drug dealer. As a result, Kim asks Jimmy whether he wants to be a cartel friend or a rat. We never receive a definitive explanation, but based on Jimmy’s future clientele, ratting appears to be a no-no for him.
Two options here. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/Ttj1zP8iZO
— Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) April 26, 2022
