In Better Call Saul, Lalo Salamanca is considered one of television’s greatest villains since appearing in season four until the season finale of the show.
Better Call Saul was already a star-studded cast fronted by Bob Odenkirk as the con artist Jimmy McGill/ Saul Goodman, and Giancarlo Esposito who played the calculating and cool Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring. These characters also featured on Breaking Bad during its natural television run.
But one character that did not appear on Breaking Bad, which fans have come to love and have touted as one of the greatest television villains to have graced our screens is Salamanca cartel leader, Lalo Salamanca, portrayed by Tony Dalton.
Lalo Salamanca appeared in the series during season four and died during the series season finale as it was made clear that he was not part of Breaking Bad.
Is Saul Goodman a real lawyer?
Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman is understood to be a fictional character. Therefore, the character is entirely a work of fiction.
But while creating the character, Better Call Saul’s original production designer, Robb Wilson King, was inspired to develop Saul Goodman’s persona based on an existing attorney by the name of Ron Bell.
This attorney worked out of Albuquerque, and his adverts are a prominent feature in the county.
King visited Bell in order to get inspiration for the aesthetic that Saul Goodman would have as a lawyer, and their advertisements, when placed side-by-side, revealed how Bell inspired Odenkirk’s characterisation of Saul Goodman.
Better Call Saul: Lalo Salamanca appearances
Tony Dalton’s role as Lalo Salamanca on Better Call Saul has earned the actor much acclaim.
This is evident in the fact that Lalo is now considered one of the greatest villains in television history, which is surprising considering that the character was first introduced to the story in September 2018 in the season four run of the series.
His debut appearance was during the eighth episode titled “Coushatte.” Immediately after his introduction, it was clear that Lalo was a character that captured the imagination of viewers.
This is as the character veered away from the cold-blooded killer persona, and was, instead, a charismatic, cool and calculating character who always had a smile on his face.
But that did not mean that he was not a cold-blooded and brutal killer, which is shown when he murders Fred from the Travel Wire. Later, he burned him and his hotel to the ground, and the hotel bell was his souvenir of his crimes.
But it was arguably his cat-and-mouse game with Gus Fring throughout his appearance between season four and season six that affirmed that Salamanca was also smart and calculating, more than just being a cold-blooded and brutal killer.
It is for this reason that fans were disappointed that his death was a stroke of luck for Gus Fring, as it could have been him that killed Salamanca, to have met his final act during season six.
A detailed look at Lalo Salamanca’s appearance on Better Call Saul
Lalo Salamanca appeared from season four to season six of Better Call Saul. A closer look at the seasons and episodes reveal these details:
| Season | Episode | Episode name |
| 4 | 8 | “Coushatta” |
| 9 | “Wiedersehen” | |
| 10 | “Winner” | |
| 5 | 1 | “Magic Man” |
| 2 | “50% Off” | |
| 3 | “The Guy for This” | |
| 6 | “Wexler vs. Goodman” | |
| 7 | “JMM” | |
| 8 | “Bagman” | |
| 9 | “Bod Choice Road” | |
| 10 | “Something Unforgivable” | |
| 6 | 1 | “Wine and Roses” |
| 5 | “Black and Blue” | |
| 6 | “Axe and Grind” | |
| 7 | “Plan and Execution” | |
| 8 | “Point and Shoot” |
How did Lalo Salamanca die?
Lalo Salamanca died in season six as his cat-and-mouse game with Gus Fring came to an end. This is after Lalo lured Gus and had him show him his meth super-lab, which was the proof he was looking for that Gus was working against the cartel.
But Gus came out victorious as he found the gun he had hid for a moment like this and managed to shoot Lalo fatally. He later buried Lalo under his secret meth super lab, hence, the belief that Lalo is alive when he is referenced in Breaking Bad.
Does Lalo Salamanca appear in Breaking Bad?
Lalo Salamanca does not appear in Breaking Bad as he is dead by the time the events of the series take place.
But he is referred to by Saul Goodman when Goodman is initially captured by Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, believing that it was Lalo’s henchmen who captured him.
Another time that Lalo makes a cameo is as a younger version of the character when Hector was wheeled off and the camera cut to a family portrait that featured a younger Lalo wearing his signature gold-plated buckled belt, shared via a post on Twitter.