Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Season 6 of Better Call Saul
With Better Call Saul quickly approaching its series finale later this summer, fans of the show have been looking back at what made the Breaking Bad prequel so great, and a lot of it has to do with the character of Lalo Salamanca. He's had his fair share of memorable moments in the show, regardless of if they've shown off his intelligence, charisma, or deceptive nature, and that has resulted in an abundance of quotable lines for the character as well.
Whether it's a repeated request to see the business' operations, repeating Werner Ziegler's name, or a repeated request to hear Jimmy's story, Lalo Salamanca has had a wide variety of memorable lines on Better Call Saul.
He Offers Nacho Some Food
"You're gonna die" - S4 E8: Coushatta
After finally getting Hector out of the picture and running their section of the business on his own, Nacho comes to the restaurant one day to see someone in the kitchen making a meal for him, who turns out to be another Salamanca named Lalo.
While Lalo is using the term metaphorically for how much Nacho will like his cooking, it's also an intelligent subtextual line for how he is yet another threat to Nacho's existence. It also turned out to be a good example of foreshadowing in the show by the time Season 6 came around.
Lalo Assures Nacho He Doesn't Have To Worry
"Don't even worry. It's gonna be like I'm not even here" - S4 E8: Coushatta
Shortly after offering Nacho a hand-cooked meal, Lalo introduces himself as a Salamanca and mentions how he's come to keep the business in check with Hector gone, and that he won't be too much of a nuisance.
The quote may have been the best way to introduce Lalo to the audience and to Nacho since he has always kept what he actually means closely guarded from everyone. The fact remained that Nacho did end up worrying, and Lalo made his presence known constantly and said the quote while his music was blasting in the restaurant.
He Acts In Front Of Gus
"Is there any chance, and I know the answer is probably no, but is it possible for me to meet the owner?" - S4 E9: Wiedershehen
After wanting to meet Gus in person, Lalo and Nacho go to Los Pollos Hermanos and order chicken while they wait for Gus to greet them. Lalo then praises the chicken he's eating and requests to meet the owner, while talking directly to Gus himself.
Meeting Gus in person like this with such exaggerated acting demonstrated Lalo's charisma while also portraying his intelligent and concealing nature in a funny way. Showing up to his workplace in this fashion definitely put Gus on notice to watch out for Lalo as another one of Better Call Saul's biggest villains.
Lalo Wants To See Everything
"Show me" - Repeated
Lalo comes up to New Mexico to keep tabs on Nacho, in addition to Gus' business as a whole, and wants to see and know all the specifics. Therefore, he repeatedly asks Nacho to take him to many places to ensure every part of the operation is running smoothly and without shenanigans.
He usually says the line with a lot of enthusiasm and with a smile on his face, which comes across as someone very passionate about the drug business. While that may be true, it also perfectly captures his overseeing and commanding presence on the show and hides his cutthroat attitude very well.
He Obsesses Over Werner Ziegler
"Werner Ziegler" - S5 E1: Magic Man
After tracking down Werner Ziegler via phone at the hotel he was staying at near the end of Season 4, Lalo starts to repeat his name while sitting at their restaurant and theorizes what he could possibly be doing for Gus that has to do with a "south wall" and "pouring concrete".
The constant repetition of his name mixed with the elongation and emphasis on some of the syllables makes for an incredible comedic moment and portrays how great of a character Lalo can be. While he is interested in Ziegler, it more so represents his infatuation with Gus and his pursuit of finding enough information in order to take him down for his family's sake.
Lalo Gives Jimmy Some Financial Advice
"You wanna be a friend of the cartel? Time to get yourself a new motto. Just. Make. Money" - S5 E7: JMM
When Lalo gets arrested for the murder of TravelWire employee Fred, he gets Jimmy/Saul to be his lawyer and explains how he'll become a friend of the cartel if he manages to get him out on bail. He also mocks Jimmy's fake motto of "Justice Matters Most" in favor of a more practical one from Lalo's point of view.
The quote portrays one of Jimmy's many forks on his journey to becoming the Saul that audiences know from Breaking Bad, and having Lalo be the one to say it makes it all the more persuasive to him. It also offers a bit of Lalo's distaste for the law with his suggested motto for Jimmy, which he eventually ends up embodying to a degree as Saul in Breaking Bad.
He Wants To Hear The Story Again
"Tell me again" - S5 E9: Bad Choice Road
On his way to Mexico after being released on bail, Lalo ends up finding Jimmy's car riddled with bullet holes in a ditch, so he goes to Jimmy and Kim's apartment to question his story and continually asks him to repeat the story in order to intimidate Jimmy into exposing the lie.
Another villain might have taken a more direct or physical route to find the truth, but with Lalo, simply repeating the line is arguably the more threatening approach. It also only adds to the intensity of the scene, as he refuses to let Kim leave the apartment while also being in Mike's crosshairs from a building across from them in case anything goes wrong.
Lalo Doesn't Need To Rest
"I get my best ideas when everyone else is asleep" - S5 E10: Something Unforgivable
When Nacho and Lalo are having a late-night conversation outside of his house before the attempted assassination, Lalo mentions how little he needs to sleep in order to function and says that he can think clearer at this time of night.
The line emphasizes how different Lalo is wired compared to everyone and showcases his intellect and almost superhuman nature. Only needing 1 or 2 hours of sleep per night opens up a lot more time to think than the average person and perfectly explains how Lalo is more intelligent than any other character on Better Call Saul.
He's Going To Get His Revenge
"Screw Bolsa, screw Eladio, I'm coming north. I'm going to hurt him. Hurt him like you taught me. And then I will kill him" - S6 E1: Wine and Roses
Lalo makes first contact with Hector after his assassination attempt through a phone call and reveals that he thinks Gus was behind the attempted hit. He vows revenge and throws the cartel-binding treaty away in favor of going after Gus more explicitly this time.
After seeing the respect that Lalo has for Eladio in the previous season, it says a lot that he would be willing to go against his wishes to take down Gus once and for all, which was a big reveal for Season 6. The quote also portrays how close Lalo and Hector are considering he's referring to his uncle's past teachings.
Lalo Does Things Differently
"I told you. Be nice" - S6 E1: Wine and Roses
After finishing his call with Hector, Lalo tells the traffickers to be more considerate when dealing with his request to get his money back, but their refusal leads to their almost immediate death before they're able to bring the immigrants over the border.
While the line is a direct threat to the traffickers, the way he communicates the threat is unique since it's intelligently guarded and hides his true intent. He also embodies the line in other ways, since he's considerate to the immigrants in terms of giving their money back after the fact as well.