Coushatta (Better Call Saul)

"Coushatta" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul, the spinoff series of Breaking Bad. The episode aired on September 24, 2018 on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, the episode premiered on streaming service Netflix in several countries.

"Coushatta"
Better Call Saul episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 8
Directed byJim McKay
Written byGordon Smith
Original air dateSeptember 24, 2018 (2018-09-24)
Running time53 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

This episode marks the first appearance of Tony Dalton (Lalo Salamanca). Dalton was promoted to the main cast for season 5.

Plot

Kim enlists Schweikart & Cokely employees to aid Huell's defense and previews a plan to bury prosecutor Suzanne Ericsen in motions and paperwork when Suzanne refuses to budge on seeking the maximum 18-month sentence for Huell. Jimmy takes a bus trip to Huell's hometown, Coushatta, Louisiana. Along the way, he uses the office supplies Kim purchased[lower-alpha 1] to write postcards and letters of support for Huell, and enlists the other passengers to help. The mail is completed with Coushatta return addresses and Jimmy sends it from there so it will have a Coushatta postmark. When Judge Munsinger receives the mail supporting Huell, he insists on avoiding a trial, so Suzanne and Kim try to reach a plea deal. Suzanne is suspicious and investigates, but Jimmy has arranged for pay-as-you-go cellular phones to receive Suzanne's calls, which he and the student film crew who made his TV ads[lower-alpha 2] answer with scripted lines that vouch for Huell as a hometown hero. Jimmy has also created a fake website for the Coushatta church which appears to take donations to aid in Huell's defense. The phony show of support convinces Suzanne, and she makes a favorable deal that keeps Huell out of prison. Kim and Jimmy make out in a courthouse stairwell and have celebratory sex that night.

The next day, Kim meets with Kevin and Paige to discuss the ongoing Mesa Verde bank expansion. Kevin is still interested in rapid growth, but an increasingly uninterested Kim counsels caution. Later that day, she pulls out the tequila bottle stopper she kept as a souvenir of the previous scam] she ran with Jimmy[lower-alpha 3] and reminisces. Jimmy scouts for new offices in anticipation of having his law license restored. Kim is elated by the success of their trick and indicates to Jimmy that she wants to engage in similar behavior in the future.

Mike arranges a strip club outing for Werner and his construction crew. Mike and Werner head to a quieter bar to talk personally, but Kai starts a fight at the strip club and Mike has to return to restore order. By the time he gets back to the bar, Werner is drunk and discussing with strangers the engineering details of underground concrete construction. The next day, Mike explains to Werner that even though he did not expose precise information about the meth lab, the men he spoke to would likely remember him, making it possible for someone to discover who built it and who owns it. Werner promises it won't happen again, and Mike makes a veiled reference to the likelihood that he will be killed if it does, which Werner acknowledges he understands. Mike updates Gus on construction and reports on the reasons for the delays, including the need to blast through a solid rock wall to install an elevator. He informs Gus about Werner's conversation at the bar and assures Gus he's keeping a watchful eye on Werner to prevent a similar action from happening again.

Nacho has recovered from his gunshot wounds and takes on a more prominent role in the Salamanca organization. During weekly collections from their drug dealers, Nacho trains Domingo to handle punishment for dealers short in their weekly payments the same way Hector taught Nacho to do when Domingo was short.[lower-alpha 4] When placing money in his safe, he looks at the fake Manitoba identity cards he's had prepared for himself and his father. To his surprise, Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca arrives to aid in running the family business. Unlike Hector, who did not concern himself with day-to-day details, Lalo seems to be interested in every aspect of the enterprise, giving Nacho cause for concern.

Production

This episode marks the first on-screen appearance of the character Lalo, portrayed by Tony Dalton. The character was first mentioned in the Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul", which also referenced the character "Ignacio" (Nacho) and introduced the character of Saul Goodman.[1] Prior to the show's airing, Vince Gilligan mentioned in an interview that the writers had envisioned Lalo to become a major character, acknowledging that, like on Breaking Bad, they must "keep close tabs on what our characters have done in the past and make good use of it here in the present and the future."[2] In an interview with Den of Geek, actor Michael Mando described the character of Lalo as "a Salamanca in every way, just like Tuco and Hector had their own flavors to the erratic Salamancas."[3]

Reception

"Coushatta" received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a perfect 100% rating with an average score of 9.28/10 based on 13 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "'Coushatta' sensitively highlights the aches of relationships, most effectively accentuating Jimmy and Kim's uneasy arc."[4]

Regarding Dalton's debut performance as Lalo, Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone said he "makes a solid first impression in the role, so hopefully this will turn out to be more than filling in a blank most viewers had long since forgotten existed."[5]

Ratings

"Coushatta" was watched by 1.37 million viewers on its first broadcast, earning a 0.5 ratings for viewers between 18 and 49, which was an increase from the previous week.[6]

Notes
  1. As seen in "Something Stupid".
  2. As seen in "Hero".
  3. As seen in "Switch".
  4. As see in "Off Brand".
gollark: *eats chocolate chip cookies whilst refreshing forums*
gollark: Ironic.
gollark: The 96rd of Octubury.
gollark: Be careful to not get banned for "disrespect" or something.
gollark: Er, sickness removing.

References
  1. Gallagher, Caitlin (September 24, 2018). "Who Is Lalo On 'Better Call Saul'? This Character Referenced In 'Breaking Bad' Is Going To Cause Major Trouble For Nacho". Bustle. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  2. Tannenbaum, Rob (February 5, 2015). "Vince Gilligan Gives Us a Glimpse of Where Better Call Saul Is Headed". Wired. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  3. Kurland, Daniel (August 21, 2018). "Better Call Saul Season 4: Nacho's Dark Path". Den of Geek. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  4. "Coushatta". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  5. Sepinwall, Alan (September 25, 2018). "'Better Call Saul' Recap: Let's Do It Again". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  6. Welch, Alex (September 25, 2018). "Monday cable ratings: 'Monday Night Football' stays firmly on top, 'WWE Raw' falls". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
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