Breaking Down ‘Saul’: “Wine and Roses” (Season 6, Episode 1)

“We’ll tell them it’s gonna be fine… because it will be.”

It’s been some two years since Better Call Saul‘s explosive fifth season came to a close, leaving us with a cliffhanger that may have resulted in a few chewed-through nails. The Breaking Bad spinoff is back for its final season, and it wastes no time returning us to the action. We’re here to break down each installment (and point out any Breaking Bad Easter eggs that may remain, even as we get closer than ever to Walter White’s timeline).

The Season 6 premiere, “Wine and Roses”, kicks off right where Season 5 ended (with the exception of a walk through a very glitzy, very tacky home, but we’ll surely be seeing more of that much later). Nacho (Michael Mando) runs for his life through the Mexican desert, having let mercenaries in to decimate the Salamancas (even the innocent people on the property, much to Nacho’s distress). He thinks Lalo (Tony Dalton) is dead, an assumption Lalo is all too pleased to roll with; he’s already put pieces in place to ensure this kind of thing goes off without a hitch. (The man has a body double, matched right down to his dental records). While Lalo begins to plot his revenge, Nacho continues to hide from pretty much every living being in Mexico, following instructions from Mike (Jonathan Banks) to make it somewhere safe until they can pick him up without being detected.

Nacho has pissed off just about every dangerous person on either side of the border; the Salamanca Cousins (Daniel and Luis Moncada) show a rare display of emotion following the events at the Salamanca property, making it pretty damn obvious that there’s going to be some serious hell to pay for the people responsible. When a stateside Gustavo (Giancarlo Esposito) hears the news of the attack from Bolsa (Javier Grajeda), he plays dumb, but it’s only a matter of time before he rolls out the next phase of his grand plan. That is, if Lalo doesn’t step in first. Sure that his uncle will have more than a few opinions about what comes next, Lalo gives Hector (Mark Margolis) a call, communicating with that famous bell and plotting something seriously sinister.

Jimmy/Saul (Bob Odenkirk), and Kim (Rhea Seehorn), meanwhile, head back into their everyday lives following the sunburnt chaos that ended last season. At the courthouse, Kim’s got her hands full of public defender clients, while Jimmy is less than thrilled to be confronted by the ADA on Lalo’s case about the fake family he used at the last hearing. Exhausted and still reeling from his recent trauma, he slips up and uses the name Lalo in conversation with the ADA and detective, causing them to raise an eyebrow. Ruh roh.

There’s not much time to stress about this mistake, however, because Kim has big plans for the two of them to ruin Howard (Patrick Fabian). The duo heads to a country club, where Howard is playing a few holes with Cliff Main (Ed Begley Jr.) and Jimmy smooth talks his way inside for a “tour”. His big show is cut short when Kim’s former boss Kevin (Rex Linn) recognizes Jimmy and tries to get him thrown out, but if we know ol’ Slippin’ Jimmy at all, this kind of unexpected bump in the road isn’t going to stop him from pushing forward with his plan. He puts on quite the show, accusing the club staffers of antisemitism and pushing Kevin to the point of violence. It’s so much fun to watch Odenkirk jump into this kind of showmanship, turning on the dramatics to bring it all home. God, I’ll miss seeing him do this when it’s all over. When the time is right, Jimmy seizes the opportunity to disappear into the men’s locker room, where he is nearly discovered by Howard and Cliff but manages to hide himself by quite literally stripping naked. When Howard opens his locker, a dime bag of a suspicious substance falls out, puzzling Howard and causing Cliff to question his character. This is only the beginning of Slippin’ Kimmy’s plan (and one Jimmy seems a little less excited about than he might have been in the past).

And so the first installment of Better Call Saul‘s last season comes to a close. With us getting so near the days of Breaking Bad (and being some 5+ seasons in), the Easter eggs just aren’t what they used to be, but we’re here to remind you of a few important things that popped up in “Wine and Roses”.

What do we have?

A familiar tequila bottle top falls out of a piece of furniture as its taken away from Saul Goodman’s house.

Seem familiar?

We now know Zafiro Añejo tequila to have a fair amount of significance in Jimmy and Kim’s relationship, though it was first seen in the Breaking Bad universe in Breaking Bad Season 4, Episode 10, “Salud“. In case you need a little refresher, Gust uses the schmancy spirit to poison Don Eladio and the rest of the cartel during a pool party.

It feels good to be back, doesn’t it?

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.