I have some business news.
[pause] You're a friend of the cartel? Is that it?
Some evidence fell into my lap. I was kinda obligated to use it, you know, for my client.
When you said you couldn't do it, I knew you'd find a way.
There's a...complication. Remember that time you had a PD case with the kid whose parents kicked him out because he got caught with a joint?
And you had to drive all the way out to the uncle's house–I think it was in Moriarty–to pick up the bail? Well...
Wait. So, you're saying you're gonna pick up Salamanca's bail?
Yeah. Only it's a little further than Moriarty and a little bit more money.
You're going to pick up seven million dollars of cartel money?
I know what you're thinking, but it's safe. Completely. I'm just a quick drive down by the border...
Jimmy, you are an attorney, not a bagman! There's no amount of money that is worth this! Can't his people do it?!
He trusts me. I'm his attorney, that's it. You're making a bigger deal out of this than you need to.
I will pick it up in the morning, I will be done, and I'll be home before you will!
Okay. Then I'm going with you.
They're only expecting me. You know, one guy. I mean, that's kinda the whole point, you know? Security through obscurity.
Jimmy, this is insane! I don't even–
No, listen! It's just little old me and my little old Suzuki Esteem. And there has never been more than fifty bucks in an Esteem in the history of Esteems, so no one's gonna look at me twice.
You sound like you're talking yourself into this.
I will be okay. [pause] I swear. If I smell even the faintest whiff of anything wrong, I'll be outta there like a shot.
[pause] I don't like this. I don't want you to do it!
[beat; hugs Kim] Kim, I swear, okay? I'll be fine.
[Mike and Jimmy decide to camp out in the desert as they try to evade the cartel gunman who escaped during the shootout]
I should have been home hours ago. This’ll be tearing her up.
Oh, she’s just gonna think you’re out catting around.
No, she won’t. She’s gonna think I’m chopped to pieces, dead in some ditch.
And why is she gonna think that? You saying she knows what you’re doing?
Not, you know… the details. Just… She knows I’m picking up money down by the border. That’s all.
You told your girlfriend what you’re doing.
[sarcastically] Congratulations. And what’s your wife gonna do with this information, do you think? Call the cops?
No? People get scared, they call the cops. Pretty standard.
No, she’s not calling any cops.
Then what? Girls at the book club, gonna call her boss, tell him about her missing husband?
She’s not doing any of that, okay? She knows better. She’s just gonna be… scared out of her mind is all.
Huh. Really? Let’s hope you’re right. [scoffs] She knows. She’s in the game now.
What?! No, she’s not in the game! Alright? She’s not even game adjacent. I just told her the truth—a little slice of the truth. That’s all.
[sighs; long pause] Well, can’t make a fire. Our guy may still be out there. [takes out a space blanket from his bag] I got two of these. You want one?
[Kim visits Lalo in jail to find out Jimmy's whereabouts]
I know I misrepresented myself as a member of your legal team. I apologize for that. I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't absolutely have to be. [pause] I know who you are–who you actually are. We have something in common. You want to know where your money is, I want to find Saul Goodman. If you tell me where you sent him, I won't alert the authorities, I won't tell anyone. I will find him, and you will get your money. [long pause] Mr. Salamanca...
Who the hell are you that he tells you my business?
He didn't betray your confidence. We're married, which means I have spousal privilege. Anything he says to me stays with me. No one can make me discuss it. It's as bulletproof as lawyer-client privilege.
Una güera. Bien por el. So, you're his wife, and you... love him, and he didn't come home last night. And you got scared enough to come down here and talk to me. [laughs] What makes you think he didn't run off with my money, huh?
He did not run off with your money.
Yeah, maybe not. Not without you.
Just tell me where you sent him. That's all I need.
I don't think so. Your man, he's... He's like la cucaracha, you know? Born survivor. If trouble found him, give it a day. If he's alive, he'll show.
Well, then, a day's not gonna make a difference, is it? Alright, well... Nice to meet you, Mrs. Goodman.
That's it, I'm done. DONE! DONE!
Why?! I'm quiet, I'm loud, I'm gonna die in this dirt one way or the other! Let's get it over with!
No! I'm not going. I'm done. Everything hurts! God, I'm so thirsty!
What's the point? So they can find a corpse with a mouth full of piss?!
That's not going to happen. Now, get up. Come on.
[tries to lift himself up] Oh God! I don't know how. How the hell are you still going?
Because I know why I'm out here. That's how. I know what it's for. I can't drag that money out of here by myself. So, you... You get up, and you get up now.
What it's for. What... is it for?
I have people. I have people waiting for me. They don't know what I do. They never will. They're protected, but I do what I do so they can have a better life. And if I live or if I die, it really doesn't make a difference to me as long as they have what they need. So that when it's my time to go, I will go knowing I did everything I could for them. You ask me how I keep going? That's how.
[Lalo finds Jimmy outside the MDC building after being released from jail]
Well... You must have a story.
Car trouble. Broke down about six miles from the pickup site. You know there's no cell reception up there, right?
So... why so long? It's not that far back to the main road. You didn't just hitchhike?
I thought of that. But, you know, with seven mil in cash I was kind of afraid of who might pick me up. I didn't think it was worth the risk. I walked north. Probably not the smartest move, but after a night lost in the desert... I made it.
Well, that was the right call. Hey! Hey, you did good out there!
[winces in pain as Lalo lightly punches his arm] Anyway... Listen, I wouldn't be too happy. The seven mil, it really set up a huge flare. They're looking into you. I–I don't know how long "Jorge de Guzman" is gonna hold up.
Hey, listen. By the time these dipshits figure it out, I will be long gone, man. Back home in Mexico, you know?
Hey, but don't worry. You and me, we're not done. We're gonna do things. Big things. Friend of the cartel, right?
Right. [sees Nacho park on the curb to pick him up] So, hey, my cousins. They pay you?
[Jimmy lifts the duffel bag with the $100,000 in cash]
Perfecto. So, make sure you buy something nice for the wife. Man, she's a looker, huh?!
Yeah, the güera, man! She came by to see me! Hey, nice job, eh? I mean, for somebody who marries that far up... Bien hecho, man. Respect, you know?
[Lalo walks to Nacho's car. Jimmy stares at him in horror.]
There's one other thing we should discuss: Nacho Varga. He wants out. He's done everything we asked, he held up his end. I think it's time we cut him loose.
I see no reason to give up an asset.
Once Salamanca's dealt with, we have no use for Varga. He's the only guy they have running things up here. He disappears, the Salamanca operation falls apart.
[pause] Varga stays. Better to control the opposition without their knowledge.
You have a gun to his father's head. That doesn't sit with me. You want to keep Varga for the long run... I don't think fear is a great motivator.
A dog who bites every owner he's had can only be disciplined with a firm hand, or... put down.
You can start talking any time.
You said this goes away, so what's the time frame on that?
It's different for different people, I suppose.
For me. When will this be over for me?
Well, here's what's gonna happen. One day, you're gonna wake up, eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, go about your business. Then, sooner or later, you're gonna realize you hadn't thought about it. None of it. And that's the moment you realize you can forget. When you know that's possible, it all gets easier.
But what about you? Like... what happened out there doesn't bother you?
Them wanting to steal the seven million didn't work for me. Not to mention they wanted to shoot you in the head. It was them or it was us, cut and dried. They were in the game.
[pause] What about Fred? From TravelWire. Was he in the game?
No. There was a lot wrong with what happened there.
Yeah. Lalo. Lalo killed that guy. And for what?! He killed that guy, and we're helping him. [sighs] All this shit, just to... So he can get out of jail and just... get away?
It's not the end of the story.
Wait a minute. What does that mean? Uh, "not the end of the story," what–what are you saying? Are you saying what I think you're saying? Is something gonna happen to Lalo?
Oh, Jesus! What have I gotten myself involved with here?! Look, just tell me what are you saying is gonna ha–
Look. We all make our choices. And those choices, they put us on a road. Sometimes those choices seem small, but they put you on the road. You think about getting off... but eventually, you're back on it. And the road we're on led us out to the desert, everything that happened there and straight back to where we are right now. And nothing–nothing–can be done about that. Do you understand that?
[pause] I can't believe... [sighs] I can't believe there's, like, over a billion people on this planet, and the only person I have to talk about this to is you.
[Kim tells Jimmy she quit Schweikart & Cokely and left Mesa Verde with them]
What happened? Did somebody say something about what we did?
Nobody said anything. Uh, it just, it... it felt right.
“It felt right”? Wha–How?
I- I just keep pushing Mesa Verde away to do my pro bono work and then when you were gone, I didn’t know what happened. I mean, I... I thought you were dead. So, that was, um... all of it helped me to see what’s important and what isn’t.
[checks his ringing phone and puts it away] So, you’re just gonna throw it all away? I mean, you busted your ass for all of it.
I’m not throwing it away. I did S&C, I did Mesa Verde, I did that. I-I achieved that, I had that experience, but... it doesn’t make me happy.
...Look, it’s been a rough couple of days, so why don’t you just hold off on a final decision. Call Rich, tell him you’re thinking it over.
I already talked to Rich, and I called Paige. We had a nice, very long conversation, it’s done... then I spent the afternoon in the courthouse with pro bono clients without Mesa Verde hanging over my head. Best afternoon I’ve had in a long time.
Alright, pro bono is wonderful, it is, but... pro bono means no money. So, what’s the plan here?
I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.
Okay... leaving Schweikart, I get that: it’s a bunch of stuffed shirts, but uh, Mesa Verde? Hey, that’s like leaving the Yankees to play amateur ring toss.
No, it’s not! I’m–I’m leaving something that makes zero difference in the world to help people who are actually in need.
[muttering] This is a bad idea.
Look- we all make choices, right, and those choices, they put us on a road. And the road has good choices and it has bad choices, and this is a bad choice road!
What are you even talking about?
I’m– [silences his ringing phone] saying that bad choices lead to bad roads that lead to bad places!
When you decided to be Saul Goodman, I didn’t get it–still don’t, really–but I stood by your decision... and I’m not changing my identity, I’m just leaving a job!
What I did was completely different!
‘Cause I was leaving failure for success!
It’s not different! You believed it was right for you, give me the courtesy of believing this is right for me.
And I’m giving you a reality check: this is too far, too fast!
And I’m giving you a reality check: this is really none of your damn business.
[Jimmy and Kim hear a knock on their door during their argument. Jimmy's phone rings immediately after Kim walks out of the kitchen. Jimmy sees the caller is Mike and answers the phone.]
Listen to me. Put your phone down, leave it on so I can hear.
[Mike is seen driving very fast on the road]
Do what I said! Right now! Put it down somewhere it can't be seen!
[Jimmy places his phone on the counter, and walks up to the door. He opens it to reveal... Lalo.]
Hey, guys! Can I come in?
Lalo. I thought you'd be down south, enjoying your freedom.
Yeah, well... Got some business to attend to. [to Kim as he enters the apartment] Told you he'd be back. Nice! I like it!
You want a drink? I got some beer in the fridge. Unless you're not staying for... [sees Lalo tapping his goldfish tank repeatedly] You should–I'm sorry. Uh... Sorry. You shouldn't do that. It upsets the fish.
[Lalo walks back towards them and sits on their couch. Jimmy notices a gun underneath Lalo's shirt.]
Look, you want to talk, we can talk. But, Kim was just stepping out. So...
Nah, she can stay. I mean, she is part of the legal team, right? Hey, relax. Sit down. We're just gonna talk. Come on! Sit!
[Jimmy and Kim sit on chairs on either side of Lalo]
So... tell me what happened.
Yeah. When you picked up the money. Just... walk me through it.
Fine. I picked up the money from your cousins. It was right where you told me it would be. Driving back, my car crapped out. It was about six or seven miles from the pickup site. There's no phone service, so I walked north through the desert all night. Well, I slept a little, but in the morning I walked again until I made it to a truck stop. I went into the bathroom to clean up. I bought some clothes, and I–I called a cab. I delivered the money. Took 'em a couple hours to count it–usual rigamarole–and then I–I saw you.
I picked up... the money from those two... fine gentlemen. My car broke down after about just ten minutes. There was no phone service, and I was afraid to hitchhike 'cause of how much money there was. And, uh... I ran out of water. So, I had to drink my own pee. [Lalo cringes in disgust] A lot of it. Told you all the details, there you go. And then, I... finally made it to a truck stop, I called a cab. I waited, and then he took me directly to the courthouse. I paid your bail, and I got you out. I'm–I'm not sure what you're looking for here, but... there–there you go.
I just wanna hear the story.
Lalo, this is exactly what he told me, so if you could just...
Shh. I'd just like to hear the story. I mean... I paid a lot of money for that story, so... I think I can hear it as much as I want! So... tell me again.
He went over the border and kept going. Looks to be heading for his place in Chihuahua. He should be there in a few hours.
There's a wrinkle. He took Varga with him.
If he thought Varga was working for you, he'd have killed him on the spot. If I had to guess, I'd say Varga's up for a promotion.
Can you communicate with Varga?
Salamanca's place is in the middle of nowhere. Landlines and sat phones only.
The way things stand, he's gonna get caught in the crossfire. I'm thinking we should find a way to pull him out of there.
[pause] And tip our hand?
He's earned some consideration.
Does Varga know there is going to be an assassination?
No one's told him, but he can make a pretty damn good guess.
Perhaps... there is a way to make use of this situation. The men I've chosen for this are highly skilled. They're the best in their business. But the one thing they do not have... is a man on the inside.
[Howard takes Kim into an empty courtroom]
I wasn't going to say anything. Last time I tried to get something off my chest, it didn't go very well. I just think... before you make any big changes in your life, there's something about Jimmy you ought to hear.
A little while ago, I offered Jimmy a job at HHM. I'm guessing he didn't mention it to you. [pause] He said he had to think about it. But then the very next night, he threw bowling balls over my front gate.
Someone could have been really hurt. More or less destroyed my car. Then, a couple of weeks later, I'm having lunch with Cliff Main... and I'm accosted by two prostitutes. Actual prostitutes! Jimmy had sent them to make a scene. I confronted Jimmy about it, and after some hemming and hawing, he all but confessed.
[pause] ...And that's it?
[laughs hysterically] Sorry! Uh... Howard. You really, y–you really had me going there.
Laugh if you want. But no person in their right mind would behave the way Jimmy has. We are talking about someone who's not in control of himself! You and I both know it makes no sense to drop a client like Mesa Verde. And I gotta think Jimmy had something to do with that.
Do you have any idea how insulting that is? I make my own decisions, for my own reasons.
You gotta listen to me. The man needs help.
Howard, I know Jimmy. And you're wrong!
[scoffs] You know who really knew Jimmy? [pause] Chuck.
[Jimmy angrily knocks on Mike's door to speak to him about Lalo]
Open up, asshole! Open this door! I want to talk to you! [walks around and taps on a nearby window] What? You didn't think I'd find your ultra-secret Batcave? Well, the joke's on you, sucker! I'm your attorney, and you will let me in!
[Jimmy runs back to the door and alternates between knocking and ringing the doorbell. Mike parks his car behind him, and comes out carrying groceries.]
I'm not going anywhere! I mean it! I got nowhere to be! Open up now!
HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing?!
Oh, there he is! Not–Not a fan of the surprise pop-in, huh? Oh, I can't imagine why!
Will you keep it down? I got neighbors!
I will not keep it down! I want answers, okay?! The time has come for you to level with me, and I'm not going to leave until you do!
[grabs Jimmy by the collar and drags him inside] Get inside. Now!
Okay, look! Look! Okay... Y–You saved my life. Thank you for that. But from here on out, I gotta be kept in the loop, man! It's not my fault that I got ambushed! Why did I have to lie to Salamanca about that?! Who was I lying for?! You gotta tell me what is happening! NOW!
OH, COME ON! Listen to me! You are not blowing me off with any "that's not the end of the story" crap! Now, just...specifics!
You're asking for information you can't have!
[sighs; long pause] If anything happens to her... I can't do this. I can't.
[pause] Alright... Alright. Now, you listen, and you shut up. This man has other things on his mind. He's not thinking about you. Lalo Salamanca is going to die. Tonight.
This time tomorrow, it'll be done.
Now, I need you to leave. I have family coming over.
[At 3 A.M., Nacho walks outside and sees Lalo sitting by a fire. He sits next to him, and Lalo offers him a beer.]
Hey, you did good today. Tomorrow, I'll show you around. When you go back up north, you're gonna be halfway to Viva Salamanca.
[sighs] Another night owl, huh? You don't sleep?
Yeah, I never sleep much. An hour, maybe two. It's enough. When it's like this... that's when I can think. I get my best ideas when everybody else is asleep. Some people, they call it a curse. I like it.
I don't know. [looks at the gate] I'd rather get some shut-eye.
[takes a long sip of beer] Got anything stronger?
Now you're talking! In the bar, bottom shelf, decanter. That's the good stuff. Two glasses.
[Nacho gets up and walks back inside Lalo's house. He goes in the kitchen, looks around briefly, and grabs a pan. He puts the pan on the stove, fills it with oil, and turns the heat on before he goes back outside with two glasses and a decanter of cognac.]
There he is! I thought you got lost. [pours liquor into glasses] You ever had Louis XIII?
Oh, you're in for a treat! [raises glass in a toast] To sleep, and those who need it.
To sleep. [taps glass to Lalo's]
[sees smoke coming from inside the house] What the hell is that? These morons have no respect! Ciro! [in Spanish] What'd you do, you asshole?!
[Nacho waits for Lalo to run inside before unlocking the gate. He opens it and sees three assassins armed with assault rifles.]
[puts his hands up; in Spanish] Inside. In the kitchen.
[Nacho flees from the house as the assassins run past the gate.]
[Kim and Jimmy discuss a plan to sabotage Howard to get a share of the Sandpiper Crossing settlement]
What would you do with it?
I don't know. What would you?
I'd hire step-away from Schweikart. I'd hire Bruce from HHM. I'd get Viola. I'd rent the smallest, shittiest office I could find near the courthouse, and open a pro bono practice. Get regular people to get the kind of representation usually only millionaires get.
I was gonna say we'd buy a house.
[chuckles] Yeah. We could do both. Last I heard, Sandpiper was willing to go to $26 million.
Wow. A third of that is 8.5.
And twenty percent of that is...
Two mil. [long pause] But it's not happening. Come on, Kim. We're not talking about a bar trick here. We're talking about scorched earth. We would have to hurt him. Hurt him bad. To get a bunch of lawyers to run for the exits, Howard would have to have done something... unforgivable. At the end of it, he might never be able to practice law again. He doesn't deserve that. And who knows if we can pull it off? [Kim looks at Jimmy] Okay, maybe we could pull it off, but we won't.
We're talking about a career setback. A career setback for one lawyer.
Yeah, and you can help a lot of people. I get it, but... [sighs] Kim, doing this... it's not you. You would not be okay with it. Not in the cold light of day.
Wouldn't I? [beat] I'm gonna go take a shower so I don't have to in the morning.
Kim... You're shitting me, right?
[Kim makes a gesture similar to the one Jimmy gave her after getting his license reinstated. Jimmy looks at her in disbelief.]
[Mike, Gus, and Tyrus gather in the office trailer at the Los Pollos Hermanos chicken farm to discuss the aftermath of the attempted hit on Lalo Salamanca.]
Tell me again about the sicario who made the final report.
TTyrus
He was already wounded when he talked to our cutout. Federales found him dead at the scene. But they got Salamanca.
The mercenaries are dead. To a man. And yet their mission was a success?
It has been known to happen. Now you go down there and get Varga, bring him home safe. There's ways to do it on the quiet.
[Gus and Tyrus both stare at him]
[long pause; scoffs] ...Unless you already have something in the works.
[Tyrus turns and exits the trailer. Mike and Gus speak alone]
Loyalty goes both ways. Varga's done everything you asked him.
He wasn't given a choice.
Maybe so, but he played a tough game. And he played it on the square.
When all is said and done, the kid deserves your respect.
He has it. Is there more you wish to say?
[After a few moments pass, Mike exits the trailer]
