Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 review - Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn in an acting masterclass

There are three deaths that precede Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9. Nacho Varga (Michael Mando) was a victim of gang violence, and Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) met his end thanks to Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton), who, in turn, was killed by Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).

The full aftermath of these brutal killings can be felt through the span of this week's episode, where we ease the internet community's fears that Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) will be killed.

Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and Wexler try their best to go back to normal after the murder in their living room, but it is soon established that there is no going back. There is no normal.

Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 is when Wexler makes a major decision. She decides to leave the life of pranks and ruses behind. And in doing so, she leaves Goodman in what has to be the most powerful scene in the series.

The two characters we've loved despite all their flaws decide to go their separate ways, and the anguish is simply gut-wrenching to see. And yes, Wexler bids farewell to her legal career as well, stepping away into worlds unknown.

Saul Goodman was always a man with shortcomings, a conman, a cheat, a swindler, but he had a partner in crime in Wexler. From tolerating his fraudulent behavior to becoming an accomplice, the duo came a long way through the series. When he realizes that Wexler will no longer keep him tethered to a sense of morality, Goodman's world crumbles. And this is portrayed masterfully by Odenkirk, who makes the audience feel the very same sense of despair.

Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 is a turning point for Saul Goodman. He realizes that the one anchor that held him from (to borrow a phrase) breaking bad is now gone, and he shifts into sleazeball territory. He embraces his brand new life to become the shady lawyer that we first encounter in Breaking Bad.

Saul Goodman and Kim Wexler getting married (Image via Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)

Wexler, on the other hand, is torn between her love for Saul and her desire to be free, and Seehorn makes you believe every word, every nuance. It almost feels like their ill-fated relationship was building up to this moment in time, a nuclear explosion of emotions.

This is an uncomfortable episode. The ghosts of the past, of lies told and blood spilled, catch up with Goodman and Wexler, leaving them battered and broken. Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 is not the happy ending that fans were expecting after Lalo Salamanca's demise. It is an obituary for a toxic relationship between two flawed individuals.

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Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9 has yet another really powerful scene

When Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) goes to visit Ignacio Varga's father, informing him of his son's demise, the moment gives you chills. He assures the gentleman that there will be justice. However, Manuel Varga (Juan Carlos Cantu) admonishes him and tells him he is confusing 'revenge' for justice, for a circle of violence.

When it comes to strong dramatic performances, it doesn't get any better than Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 9. The sequences feel natural, they feel realistic, and they feel heartbreaking.

Then, in the final moments of the show, there is a change in tone. We come close to the Breaking Bad timeline, and things just feel more light-hearted. However, where Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) fit into the remainder of the show still remains to be seen.

This is a highly recommended episode, one of the best in the entire series, which may soon surpass its predecessor - Breaking Bad - in terms of quality and overall cultural impact.