The "red house" scene that opens Better Call Saul's "Hit & Run" begins, Gus Fring is in full panic mode. He tried to kill Lalo Salamanca. He did not succeed in killing Lalo Salamanca. It doesn't take a man of Gus' intelligence to realize Lalo Salamanca will be less than pleased. As a counter-measure, Gus has established an elaborate surveillance system, using the house opposite his own as a hub. From the outside, this property belongs to Mr & Mrs Ryman - a middle-aged suburban couple who cycle in matching outfits and complain about their neighbors. On the inside, Gus is hellbent on making sure he'll see Lalo coming.
Better Call Saul season 6's "Hit & Run" begins the week's proceedings by focusing on the Rymans during a morning bike ride. Giving no inkling of their true purpose working for Gus Fring, the couple stop by a house that's being decorated a garish shade of red - "Tomato Red," by Mrs. Ryman's reckoning. After a few seconds of gossip and complaints, they cycle on, still tutting and shaking their heads at this bold exterior paint job.
Better Call Saul places so much emphasis upon this obscene red house, there's surely a deeper meaning beyond just a husband and wife getting protective over their neighborhood's color scheme. At a surface level, the Rymans critiquing a neighbor's house color is the perfect juxtaposition to their real role as Gus Fring's cover couple. The banality of suburban middle-class life - where a shade of red is worth fretting over - contrasts beautifully against the violent, death-filled criminal world inhabited by Gus. It's the very definition of "you never really know your neighbors" and cutely demonstrates Gus' uncanny ability to assimilate into mainstream society. For the deeper meaning behind Better Call Saul's red house, however, one must examine the color palette of Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad universe.
Colors carry an important role in both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, with recurring motifs signalling specific emotional or story cues. In past seasons, red has served as a surefire indication that violence, aggression and confrontation is coming. Memorable examples include Lydia sipping from a red cup when Walt poisons her drink, and Jesse wearing red when shooting Gale (and also during the episode Jane dies). If you're a Breaking Bad character and walk past something unusually red in color, it's time to start looking over your shoulder. Coming back to Better Call Saul season 6, the red flag is as big as a house. A tomato red property bang in the center of Gus' neighborhood is a worrying omen that a tsunami of violence will soon crash over him - likely courtesy of a vengeful Lalo Salamanca.
Also significant is how this obnoxiously-colored warning sign sits nearby Gus Fring's personal residence. Through both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, Giancarlo Esposito's character has maintained a cautious distance between his cartel dealings and private life, but the striking red house proves Gus has now totally lost control of the Lalo situation. He's wearing a bulletproof vest and ankle holster to work, he's hemorrhaging money on street patrols, and his property's surveillance operation is bordering on paranoid. Gus is not accustomed to having danger so close to home, and the nearby crimson abode reflects this discomfort in no uncertain .
Better Call Saul's red house is surely a warning that Lalo Salamanca is seeking to pluck the Chicken Man, and Tony Dalton's ominous absence over the past 3 episodes of season 6 only amplifies that suspicion. However, those tomato-colored walls the Rymans hate so much might also denote the fresh blood on Gus' hands in the wake of Nacho Varga's death. The incident is never openly mentioned in "Hit & Run," but the looming, red house almost feels like the looming, bloody elephant in the room as Gus and Mike brutally carry on like Nacho ever existed.
Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.