Caution: spoilers ahead for Better Call Saul season 6, episode 3
Mike encourages Nacho to kill Juan Bolsa in Better Call Saul season 6's "Rock & Hard Place" - did he have a secret plan to rescue the doomed prisoner? Better Call Saul's final season is only on episode 3, but has already delivered a heavy emotional gut-punch with the spine-chilling death of Michael Mando's Nacho Varga. Caught between the rock of Gus Fring and the hard place of the Salamancas, Nacho agrees to cover up Fring's involvement in the unsuccessful Lalo assassination and sacrifice his life. In exchange, Gus and Mike guarantee the safety of Nacho's father.
Better Call Saul's desert showdown begins as planned, with Nacho pinning the assassination on some unseen rival called Alvarez. He even gets a measure of verbal revenge by shockingly admitting responsibility for Hector Salamanca's stroke. The venom behind Nacho's final words is Emmy-worthy stuff, but the captured cartel outcast isn't done. Brandishing a shard of glass, Nacho stabs Juan Bolsa, grabs his gun, and takes the cartel higher-up hostage, deviating wildly from the plan. Better Call Saul then switches to Jonathan Banks' Mike, who's watching nearby through a sniper rifle lens. Oddly, Mike mutters to himself, "Do it." Why does he want Nacho to shoot Bolsa?
The simplest and most likely explanation is that Mike wants Nacho to go down swinging. Surrounded by armed criminals who all wish him dead, Nacho has entered the viper's nest and isn't coming out. Mike surely knows this, but he's not exactly a fan of the cartel. Though renowned for doing Gus Fring's dirty work, Mike is a jaded, angry professional who hates the criminals he's now involved with. Conversely, Mike's fondness for Nacho is no secret. After losing his own son, Mike has becoming something of a surrogate father to Nacho throughout Better Call Saul, and sees him as a kindhearted individual who made a mistake and got in too deep with the wrong crowd. If Nacho can take down one or two cartel villains before he dies, good for him. There is, however, a deeper reason Mike might've been cheering Nacho on...
A few subtle clues dotted throughout Better Call Saul's "Rock & Hard Place" suggest Mike Ehrmantraut might've actually plotted to help Nacho escape. Firstly, the shard Nacho uses to stab Juan Bolsa comes from a drinking glass left in his cabin. Mike and Gus are famous for their attention to detail, so it's unusual they'd leave Nacho alone with something he could use to fashion a weapon. Their prisoner even gets plastic cutlery for his last meal. Did Mike left the glass intentionally, hoping Nacho would realize its purpose? The little over-the-shoulder look Nacho does after clocking the glass might confirm exact that. Also, Mike requests to be present during the meeting, which allows him to lurk nearby holding a sniper rifle. When he gets dropped into place, Mike and Nacho share a silent nod. This could either be their gentlemen's farewell, or a sign of understanding regarding the plan.
So, when Nacho grabs Juan Bolsa and Mike says "do it," was this his plan all along? The glass was left to give Nacho a means of escape, and by then seizing Bolsa's gun, he can take down Don Eladio's second-in-command. Perhaps Mike would've opened fire too, gunning down the Salamancas before they shoot back at Nacho. With Nacho's enemies more or less all dead, he might've finally escaped... even if Mike triggered a gang war to get there.
Ultimately, Nacho opts against the path of violence and takes his own life instead. Whether Mike wanted his surrogate son to kill Juan Bolsa out of revenge or whether he hoped to mount a daring escape remains open to interpretation, but the meaning behind Nacho's death remains unchanged regardless. Following a life of blood and murder, Nacho's final moments are ones of defiance and taking back control - and the blue flower that grows where he fell is testament to that Better Call Saul evolution.
Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.