The final season of Better Call Saul has charged right into the endgame of the Breaking Bad spin-off within its first few episodes. Fan-favorite supporting player Nacho Varga’s storyline came to a close much earlier than fans were expecting in just the third episode of the season, “Rock and Hard Place.”
With the heartbreaking storytelling in “Rock and Hard Place,” Saul’s long-awaited final run is already delivering huge payoffs. Nacho met the inevitably grisly fate that the prequel has telegraphed since season 1 in “Rock and Hard Place.” But before Nacho meets a shocking end, the show provides this beloved character with a perfect bittersweet send-off.
It Paid Off Five Seasons Of Tension
Like Kim, Nacho is a major Better Call Saul protagonist who’s been doomed from the beginning. Both Kim and Nacho are absent from Breaking Bad, which usually marks characters for death in the prequel series, and they’re both extremely likable, which usually marks characters for death in this universe at large.
For five seasons, the writers of Better Call Saul have toyed with the notion that either Kim or Nacho could be killed at any minute. Nacho’s death scene finally paid off all that tension (or, at least, 50% of that tension).
Michael Mando’s Performance Is Phenomenal
Michael Mando is a shoo-in for an Emmy nomination (and possibly a win) for his final performance as Nacho in “Rock and Hard Place.” The actor is as subtle and nuanced as ever in his last episode of Better Call Saul, particularly in the phone call scene with Nacho’s father. The character’s parting nod back and forth with Mike says so much with so little.
In his stunning farewell, Mando also gets a lengthy “Chicanery”-style monologue to chew on, in which he confesses that he’s responsible for Hector’s worsening medical condition.
Nacho’s Death Was Symbolized And Foreshadowed In The Cryptic Cold Open
The cold opens in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul tend to be intentionally mysterious, with their true meaning only being revealed later on. Breaking Bad gave audiences a whole season of cold opens showing the aftermath of a plane crash before explaining how the crash happened.
The opening scene of “Rock and Hard Place” is no different, subtly symbolizing and foreshadowing Nacho’s death by showing a blue flower growing from the spot where the character fell after his shocking and tragic suicide.
It’s A Nacho-Centric Episode
“Rock and Hard Place” features appearances by Jimmy, Kim, Mike, and all the other beloved protagonists from Better Call Saul. But the episode is primarily focused on Nacho, thanks to its arrival nice and early in the season’s line-up.
If Nacho was killed off later, then his death would have to compete with Breaking Bad connections, the culmination of Gene’s storyline in Nebraska, and the fate of Kim Wexler. Ending Nacho’s character arc early in the final season’s run allowed the writers to focus on giving him a satisfying send-off.
This Storyline Followed Up On The Biggest Conflict From Season 5
Gus’ assassination plot against Lalo at the end of season 5 was expected to get the non-Breaking Bad-related Salamanca out of the way ahead of the final season’s Breaking Bad connections. But the finale subverted those expectations in thrilling fashion.
After Nacho reluctantly lets Gus’ assassins onto the Salamanca compound, the assassination attempt is a humiliating failure and Lalo knows Nacho was involved. Season 6 followed up on this conflict immediately, with Lalo putting out a cartel hit on Nacho.
Nacho’s Cat-And-Mouse Chase Has The Intensity Of No Country For Old Men
The cartel hitmen’s vicious pursuit of Nacho evoked the intense cat-and-mouse thrills of the Coen brothers’ Oscar-winning neo-western masterpiece No Country for Old Men. Like No Country for Old Men, which is mostly framed from the point-of-view of Josh Brolin’s fleeing protagonist, the first few episodes of Better Call Saul were shot from Nacho’s perspective.
If he can’t see the assassin shooting at him, neither can the audience. This visceral cinematic technique puts the viewer in Nacho’s very unenviable shoes as murderers ruthlessly comb the desert to find him.
His Final Conversation With His Father Is Heartbreaking
One of the show’s sweetest character dynamics reached its conclusion with one of the show’s most heartbreaking scenes in “Rock and Hard Place.” Before accepting the fate that he knows awaits him, Nacho calls his father for one last conversation. This gut-wrenching sequence ties into the theme of the episode: people are at least partly responsible for creating their own fate.
Nacho’s dad is less concerned and more exasperated with telling his son over and over again to just go to the police, knowing he won’t do it and will instead become even more entrenched in the criminal underworld: “What else is there to say?”
The Episode Brought Gus And The Salamancas Together
Nacho’s role in Better Call Saul has been mostly disconnected from Jimmy’s storylines. He’s proven to be the perfect character to explore the seedy criminal underworld that Jimmy has only dipped his toes in, because he’s caught in the middle of a gang war. Nacho is affiliated with both Gus Fring’s chicken empire and the Salamanca drug cartel.
Nacho has been torn between the two organizations for the past five seasons, and this nail-biting conflict finally came to a head in “Rock and Hard Place.” These two ruthless gangs are the titular rock and hard place between which Nacho is stuck. By the end of the episode, Nacho had to give his life to cover for Gus and maintain the facade that he’s an ally of the Salamancas.
The Climactic Showdown Took An Unexpected Turn
Before taking Nacho to the confrontation with the Salamancas, in no uncertain terms, Mike tells him how it’s going to go down. But Mike also warns Gus that there are many ways for the situation to go south.
The audience doesn’t know what to expect, except that it’s unlikely Nacho will survive the encounter. It unfolds in a truly unexpected way as Nacho pulls a gun on the boss, then sees no way out and shoots himself in the head.
The Tragedy Was Inevitable But Audiences Still Hoped It Wouldn’t Happen
Gordon Smith’s script for “Rock and Hard Place” captures the essence of great writing. From the moment Nacho hung up on his dad, the audience knew the grim fate that awaited him. But right up to the inevitable tragedy, fans still hoped that there would be some way for Nacho to survive this whole ordeal.
Across five seasons, the writers made viewers care so much for Nacho that even when the walls closed in and he had no other options, they were hoping for a “deus ex machina” to come in and save him.
