‘Better Call Saul’: Tony Dalton Reflects on That Chilling ‘Monster in the House’ Scene in ‘Bad Choice Road’
[Spoiler Alert: Spoilers ahead for Better Call Saul, Season 5, Episode 9: “Bad Choice Road”]
Fans are just now stopping their trembling after one of the most intense scenes in the series Better Call Saul or possibly in the entire history of television.
Showrunners frontloaded commercials for “Bad Choice Road” which felt frustrating at the beginning of the episode. But ultimately the payoff was worth it when they got to see the entire confrontation between Lalo, Kim, and Jimmy uninterrupted.
All three actors have been proving they deserve Emmy recognition this season but their performances in the second-to-last episode of the season may have clinched it.
Tony Dalton, who plays Lalo Salamanca, sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss what made the epic showdown so chilling.
This time Lalo was ‘the one who knocks’
Breaking Bad fans will always remember Walter White’s infamous “I am the one who knocks” speech, which Walt delivers to Skyler in the sixth episode of the fourth season, “Cornered.” Essentially, Walt explains to his wife that she shouldn’t be so afraid of outside forces because he’s the most dangerous person of all.
And with a knock on their apartment door, suddenly Kim and Jimmy invite danger into their home quite literally as Lalo shows up in their sacred space. Jimmy has been trying to keep Kim separate from his professional life all season and failing miserably, especially after she seeks Lalo out in prison when she’s worried about Jimmy not coming home.
Everything changes the moment Lalo entered Kim and Jimmy’s apartment
Dalton explained how filming the scene was just as weird for the actors as it was for the audience.
“We rehearsed a couple of days before, and then we walked right into that one. The thing about it was, it’s the monster in the house. That’s the scenario,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
“After five seasons, Jimmy and Kim’s apartment is a safe ground, almost like a church. Seeing this guy just walk in … it’s like, what the hell? He’s not supposed to be there! The danger lives in the outside world, not in here.”
He continued, “That’s where they brush their teeth! That’s where they have their own moments. The monster in the house thing was pretty interesting to film, to be honest with you. Even Bob and Rhea were like, ‘What the hell is Tony doing here?’”
This won’t be the last interaction between Kim and the cartel
Even though Jimmy never wanted Kim “in the game,” she’s fully in it now and heading down her own bad choice road. She already proved that Jimmy doesn’t have to tell her everything he’s doing, which puts her in serious danger.
At this point, Kim is willing to do anything to keep Jimmy in her life — even if it ultimately leads to her demise, which it almost did in the last episode. While Kim’s death seemed unlikely in earlier seasons, now that one of the most dangerous men in the cartel has tread on the hallowed ground where Kim and Jimmy share their most intimate moments, nothing is sacred anymore.
Catch the Better Call Saul Season 5 finale on April 20 at 9 p.m. ET.
