Black and Blue

Don't get me wrong, I think Lalo is a wonderful and thrilling villain. Having watched the entire BB 'verse, initially he gives me the awe feel that Gus first struck.

I guess Lalo may eventually suffer "villain decay" as the Tropes people say, just like Gus, but Lalo feels very much like a real person you could meet.

Anyway, I do think they have veered a few times into making Lalo a character with 007 level skills.

That strains credulity, but more importantly, Lalo doesn't need it. Note that almost no character sees his most extreme abilities.

What makes him so effective is Dalton's performance. He swings from charming life of the party to terrifying at his whim.

Another great, dark and serious episode with a few hilarious moments. This episodes sums up "Better Call Saul" great. It's a drama series with a hilarious protagonist who adds much-needed bits of comedy. This is why Saul Goodman is such a great character. "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" would be too dark and serious without Saul's charm.

Gus is still waiting for Lalo to make his move. It's so interesting to see how Gus and Mike run their business. They have clever solutions for everything and it's engaging to see how afraid Gus is of Lalo. We have never seen him act this way. He is always cool and in full control, but he fears Lalo too much.

The tension is sky-high. Where will this story end and how are they going to wrap everything up in the remaining episodes. There's no way to know, but the writers will definitely pull it off with excellence.

Cinematography is unique as always,soundtrack is good but the episode is not a 10/10 at all as people here voting on autopliot,the buildup is good but a bit obvious and easy to predict in my opinion,hope i'm wrong,the execution will be phenomenal no doubt about that.

Many reviews here already have used the term "buildup;" I've yet to see one review, even the low ones, to say "filler." That's because every story has to have some level of slower, more detailed, less explosive storytelling that brings the story along its path, otherwise the Ozymandias's of the world would not be 10/10's. Big, explosive, pay-off episodes are that way because they have weight behind them, weight created by disciplined, careful storytelling that slowly raises stakes until everything comes to a head (hence the term "pay-off"). BCS and BB will forever be masterclasses for this kind of storytelling, which essentially every writer/showrunner should reference since they're all trying to tell some type of story... the difference between filler and buildup is the writer of a filler episode doesn't know how to get where they're going let alone where they're going at all, but needs to fill space to fill quota so they can "get to the good part." The writer of a buildup episode understands where they want to go and how to get there and is willing to take the time necessary to get there organically and realistically, through character development and careful plot details that some less patient viewers might call "slow." BCS has never been a victim of filler episodes. This is classic and perfect buildup.

Another fine episode, still slow burning as always with this show but thoroughly engrossing at the same time. The rest of the episode is fine, the encounter with Howard a little surreal, but it's those closing moments with Lalo that make this so special.