Breaking Down ‘Saul’: “Rock and Hard Place” (Season 6, Episode 3)

“There are good deaths, and there are bad deaths.”

Nacho (Michael Mando) is running. Running from the Salamancas, running to an ever elusive freedom, running out of time. He begins “Rock and Hard Place” submerging himself in an oil tank to avoid being discovered by the cousins (Daniel and Luis Moncada), and it works. He continues running, making what feels like a devastating goodbye call to his father, and dressing down Gustavo (Giancarlo Esposito) over the phone before negotiating to ensure his father’s safety. This whole thing can’t end well for him, no matter who he turns to. The only thing Nacho cares about now is his dad, and the only person on his side in this whole thing seems to be Mike (Jonathan Banks).

While matters of life and death swirl on in the desert, Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) plot their next move against Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), a stunt involving duplicating his car keys. They enlist the help of Huell (Lavell Crawford) to pull off a few stealthy tricks to get the ball rolling, and their little schemes are set into motion. While Jimmy focuses all his energy towards Howard, however, Kim is distressed to learn from ADA Suzanne (Julie Pearl) that they have discovered Jorge de Guzman is actually Lalo, and that Jimmy’s representing him may have more implications than they anticipated. They want the truth from Jimmy. Jimmy and Kim buy that Lalo is dead, which seems to bring the two of them some peace, but there’s no avoiding the elephant in the room: Jimmy needs to decide if he’s going to be a rat or a friend of the cartel.

What’s happening with Jimmy and Kim feels like child’s play when Nacho finally ends up back in the hands of Gustavo (and Mike). They plan out exactly what Nacho will confess to the Salamancas to clear Gustavo of any suspicion in the incident, and Nacho’s fate is set: he is going to die, but if he sticks to the script, his father will be protected. Mike, ever the softie, wants to be there for Nacho’s final minutes, to give him an honorable end. But when the meeting in the desert commences – the cousins and Bolsa (Javier Grajeda) bring Hector (Mark Margolis) along to exact his own revenge – there’s really nothing Mike can do. Even as Hector rings his bell and points at Gustavo, refusing to believe the story they’ve concocted, Nacho gives the monologue of a lifetime, relishing his final moments on this earth before he breaks free of his restraints and holds Bolsa at gunpoint before turning the weapon on himself. It’s a gutting – if fitting – end to this beloved character, a young man seemingly doomed for a tragic fate from the very beginning.

There isn’t a lot of story movement across the board this episode, but that doesn’t matter. The beauty of “Rock and Hard Place” comes from its silences; in the cat-and-mouse sequences that might make you hold your breath, in Mike’s lingering, heartbroken gaze as he watches a good young man senselessly lose his life. Michael Mando emerged early on as one of Better Call Saul‘s MVPs, a supporting player who stepped out of the wings to steal each of his scenes (and wound up sticking around a lot longer than originally intended). It’s rare that TV deaths hit as hard as they used to, but Nacho’s death is a devastating one, a loss that feels deeply earned by the series (even if we’ve known for some time he might not make it in the end).

No glaring Breaking Bad Easter eggs this week, just the painful loss of a beloved character. If you need us, we’ll be grieving through the next week (and beyond). ‘Til then…

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.

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