# Better Call Saul season 6

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\
**Created:** [April 19, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063 "2022-04-19T17:04:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 18

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/341 "2022-05-12T23:10:29Z")

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I didn’t mean difficult either.

Risk is consequences \* probability. The probability of something going wrong might be extremely low. It’s like 4 or 5 orders of magnitude less risky than murdering someone in broad daylight in a strip mall

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**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/342 "2022-05-12T23:12:39Z")

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Jebus. How does anyone remember such a thing?

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/343 "2022-05-12T23:18:02Z")

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Regarding Lalo’s trip to Germany, I agree that it’s implausible that he would risk it but what occurred to me is how long did it take him to track down Frau Ziegler, and learn of her regular bar?

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/344 "2022-05-12T23:37:06Z")

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> [@Dung\_Beetle](#):
>
> Jebus. How does anyone remember such a thing?

I never would have in a million years. It’s been explained to me and I still have no memory of the scene. It’s for the super fan who re-watched the show ten times. It didn’t take anything away from it for me though. I just saw that he had a revelation. The call back was just a neat extra detail.

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/345 "2022-05-12T23:48:20Z")

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> [@hajario](#):
>
> It’s for the super fan who re-watched the show ten times

I watched it once once. I remembered it.

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/346 "2022-05-12T23:55:49Z")

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> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> I watched it once once. I remembered it.

It’s also for people with fantastic memories. My larger point is that I don’t think that it was necessary to remember that detail in order to understand generally what was going on.

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/347 "2022-05-13T00:48:08Z")

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> [@Munch](#):
>
> No, it echoes back to when he met with Madrigal a few seasons ago to arrange for the Germans to come build his meth bunker. The cover for the trip was the development of a new menu item. Spicy curls. The look of realization on his face was that he knew Lalo knew about the chief German (name is escaping me), and knew that when there was going to be a confrontation, it would be at the meth bunker.

Gus didn’t meet Madrigal to hire the Germans, construction had already begun at that point. The company is German though, but I guess you could also just associate their financing with the project and get there.

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/348 "2022-05-13T00:49:48Z")

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> [@hajario](#):
>
> I just saw that he had a revelation. The call back was just a neat extra detail.

Same. And that’s the amazing thing about it - it works as it is by itself. You don’t need to know the tiny detail that escaped 98% of the audience. But the show runners just layer and layer and layer. They’re not planting nearly as many essential clues as most people think - they’re just layers of details.

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**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/349 "2022-05-13T00:56:01Z")

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> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> Risk is consequences \* probability. The probability of something going wrong might be extremely low.  
> It’s like 4 or 5 orders of magnitude less risky than murdering someone in broad daylight in a strip mall

Well that’s a good way of putting it. But probability here is probability of _being caught_.

Lalo might be quite confident of being able to run from a (very quiet) albuquerque strip mall.  
Meanwhile passport control in an international airport is usually a _long_ way from the exits, and inbetween you and escape are the security check area and a \*lot\* of (armed) police.

And of course the risks are stacked. It’s not do this _or_ murder in broad daylight. He’s committed a murder in broad daylight, _then_ walked into 2 international airports, twice, using a fake ID.

Like I say, you’d risk an international flight if you were fleeing the country permanently. But just cruising around for clues? No way.

It’s the kind of thing you’re just not meant to think about because it’s not on screen. But a bit cheap by BCS standards.

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**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/350 "2022-05-13T04:21:46Z")

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It’s those layers of details that make these shows so rewarding to rewatch. The first time through you don’t know what’s a complete throwaway and what’s a cool Easter egg. Subsequent rewatches turn up all sorts of interesting bits and bobs you glossed right over the first time. It’s amazingly satisfying storytelling.

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/351 "2022-05-13T08:42:32Z")

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> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#):
>
> Agreed that it’s over if _Jorge DeGuzman_ ’s fake passport is flagged. But isn’t it possible he had a different fake passport and identity stashed at his place in Chihuahua?

> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> Is using a fake passport that big a risk? I mean it’s pretty plausible that he bribed a government official in Mexico to do it with all the right security features, just with a different name. And then fly into… I dunno, what airport in the Shengen area is least burdensome? I find it plausible it’s not very risky in an absolute sense and certainly low enough for Lalo’s threat profile.

> [@Mijin](#):
>
> The point is, if his fake passport gets flagged on any of the 4 times he passes through airport security over this trip, that’s it; he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Stealing Doritos is easy, but I wouldn’t do it if I thought that if I got spotted it’s life in prison and there’s dozens of armed security between me and the exit.

I presume he has multiple passports and in that era it was a lot easier to move cross borders without being flagged. (it was post 9/11, but most of the really advanced things ;like biometric passports hadn’t come online yet).  
Leaked CIA training documents state that people had different passports for different places. Like a US passport for Europe and an American one for Japan. In that era. an American will get waved through immigration.

> [@Mijin](#):
>
> Also, it now occurs to me that him having a gun, in Germany, is no trivial thing either.  
> But if it were just that I’d be prepared to suspend disbelief and assume he has Mike-like connections in Europe, or stole it from a gun range…it’s just about plausible, particularly if he’s been there for weeks.

Avoiding gun politics, a firearm is difficult to get legally. Not so much for a criminal, especially a rich one like Lalo. Nothing says he got it in Germany either (or he entered the EU from Germany). He may have got it elsewhere in EU/EEA.

> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> He has an alibi if Cliff happens to mention when, exactly, this happened. If Cliff says “I saw you throw a hooker out of your car last week”, he doesn’t have a lot to go on. If Cliff says “I saw you throw a hooker out of your car last Tuesday at 2:30”, then Howard can say he was at a therapy session. I think they’ll go that route. Since they made such a big deal about Jimmy losing the parking spot, that’s almost certainly going to come into play. I’m guessing the parking lot has cameras in it that will show his car started in one spot and ended in a different (possibly stop lapse that won’t pick up Jimmy being the driver).

Another example of a show taking place in the past that makes little sense today. It would surprising **today** if there _weren’t_ security cameras in front of what seemed to be a bank. back in 2005/2006. I am not so sure.

Finally, is there an issue with Howard’s marriage? Sure seemed so in the therapy session (who is Cheryl) and earlier seasons its suggested. He wears a wedding ring, but as far as I know Mrs Hamlin has never made an appearance.

(Maybe he is a closeted gay man, which Kim and Jimmy know and are using to hurt him. Something that was just about acceptable in that era)

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**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/352 "2022-05-13T10:10:31Z")

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> [@AK84](#):
>
> I presume he has multiple passports and in that era it was a lot easier to move cross borders without being flagged. (it was post 9/11, but most of the really advanced things ;like biometric passports hadn’t come online yet).  
> Leaked CIA training documents state that people had different passports for different places. Like a US passport for Europe and an American one for Japan. In that era. an American will get waved through immigration.

I’ve explained 3 times at this point, including in the post you’re replying to, that my issue is not with Lalo having a fake passport and being _able to_ get through airport security. It’s whether he would realistically choose to take this unnecessary risk knowing that _if he is_ caught, he’s done.

But as an aside, no I don’t think that post 9/11 anyone just got waved through immigration.

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**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/353 "2022-05-13T10:27:23Z")

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The guy is a drug lord, his risk tolerance is different from ours. He’s extremely confident, he’s made it through an incredibly dangerous life, and he’s pretty sure he can get away with anything. He also is probably singularly focused on revenge and presumably thinks that this is the most harm he can inflict.

The dude escaped his compound from a raid by special forces soldiers and came back to kill them. He’s not a scared accountant wondering if he’d get caught for a little bit of embezzling. It is entirely plausible that he’s okay with the risk of getting caught and may be underestimating the risk because of his overconfidence anyway.

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/354 "2022-05-13T10:30:02Z")

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Until they set up proper systems to be able to quickly identify and flag suspects something which historically took the better part of a decade, and also have more or less real tike sharing of information, which still hasn’t fully happened, yes he would. All that happened in the post 9/11 era is that the name on the passport would be compared to a list of names on the immigration watchlist, which were almost never linked to any database, and usually weren’t even on-line rather were files on the agents computer.  
And, no, unless you had an Arab/Muslim name if you were from a First World country you would be waved through with perfunctory checks.

As for risks, the situation Lalo is in, he is at risk, wherever he goes, unless he is in a bunker somewhere. Its a risk I agree, but a manageable one.

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**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/355 "2022-05-13T10:36:45Z")

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“Don Hector, I’m afraid I bring bad news. Your nephew Lalo tried to go on a fact-finding trip to Europe. His passport was flagged as suspicious, and obviously, being as it was an international airport, he was unarmed, and had to try to get past dozens of police to try to get out.  
I bet you wish he’d just enlisted a contact or private detective or something, and not take this risk himself personally.”

_ding ding ding ding ding ding ding…_

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/356 "2022-05-13T10:51:02Z")

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_Don Hector I’m afraid I bring bad news. Your nephew Lalo went to attend a wedding in Mexico City and got shot to pieces_

_Don Hector I’m afraid I bring bad news. Your nephew Lalo was in hiding in Houston when he got caught up in a DEA raid and is now in prison, and this time we can’t get him out_

_Don Hector I’m afraid I bring bad news. Your nephew Lalo went to buy groceries and the clerk recognized him from the wanted posters and called the police_

_Don Hector I’m afraid I bring bad news. Your nephew Lalo was hiding out in Mexico when he was betrayed to our enemies and they did unspeakable thing to him_

_Don Hector I’m afraid I bring bad news. Your nephew Lalo was hit by a bus in Guadalajara_

…

need I go on?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/357 "2022-05-13T10:53:05Z")

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Yes go on to an example where it’s an unnecessary risk and inescapable situation.

Besides, your argument here seems to be that because he might get caught at any time, then he need not bother to think about the rationality of any given action. So sure, I guess he may as well sit outside the court wearing an “I am Lalo Salamanca” shirt then, eh?

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/358 "2022-05-13T11:02:45Z")

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_Don Hector I’m afraid I bring bad news. Your nephew Lalo decide to go to a police community meetup at a police station and shouted I am wanted for murder and am also a drug kingpin._

I doubt the passport he is travelling on hasn’t been checked and verified as being a clean one. He is a cartel boss and has the ability to ensure that. In real life its been done and has fooled governments.  
A news story from around the time of the shows setting.  
[Crossing Borders - How Terrorists Use Fake Passports, Visas & Other Identity Documents | PBS - Trail Of A Terrorist | FRONTLINE | PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/trail/etc/fake.html)

Or today. A high quality passport which can fool immigration agents goes for…USD 3000.  
[How criminals use stolen passport information (cnbc.com)](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/05/how-criminals-use-stolen-passport-information.html)

AND ALL THAT IS PRESUMING… **.he actually entered vide an airport and didn’t use people smugglers.** Its not like Europe lacks those. Or he literally wasn’t seen using those early in the season in the US.

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/359 "2022-05-13T11:13:58Z")

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@Mijin  
Go to Mexico city. Catch a flight to Singapore or Dubai or one of the other hubs. Take a flight to Istanbul from there. Get a people smuggler to get you into Greece. Voila. No risk. Reverse on the way out.  
Of course its not like the cartels don’t have their own moles in Governments either  
[Former HSI special agent sentenced to 2.5 years on corruption charges | ICE](https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/former-hsi-special-agent-sentenced-25-years-corruption-charges) so Lalo might well have known he had no risk.

All in all. the point is that travel is a highly manageable risk for Lalo.

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**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-6/963063/360 "2022-05-13T11:46:01Z")

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> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> The guy is a drug lord, his risk tolerance is different from ours.

True. It’s much greater.

Their entire lives are structured around the fact that they have the ability to compel others to bear risks on their behalf that they would be put away for if arrested.

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