Jonathan Banks' introduction inBreaking Badwas what most would call a happy accident. After a scheduling conflict with Bob Odenkirk during the show’s second season, Banks was cast as Saul Goodman’s fixer. The character’s further development throughout the show even earned Banks a main role inBreaking Bad’s prequel series,Better Call Saul.
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Throughout six seasons ofBetter Call Saul, Mike Ehrmantraut has become one of the most intricate characters in theBreaking Baduniverse. The performance has even netted Jonathan Banks several Emmy nominations through the prequel series' run. These quotes prove what a privilege it was to watch Banks' performance since the show began.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
10Mike Talks About His Son
Very little is known about Mike’s backstory inBreaking Bad, other than the fact he has a granddaughter, Kaylee. The first season ofBetter Call Saultook time to flesh out Mike’s history as both a cop and criminal in the episode “Five-O.” In the episode, it’s revealed that Mike’s son, Matty, was a cop who was murdered by his partners for refusing to go crooked.
The episode’s climax is a highlight of Banks' performance in the show, as Mike confesses what happened to Matty to Stacey, his daughter-in-law. Mike points out the pointlessness of admitting his own crookedness to Matty before he died, stating:
It was for nothing. I made him lesser. I made him like me. And the b******* killed him anyway.
9Mike’s Advice To A Burgeoning Criminal
Several episodes in the early seasons ofBetter Call Saulrevolve around Mike’s business relationship with Daniel Wormald. Played by Mark Proksch, this pharmacist becomes an amateur criminal when he begins selling drugs toNacho Varga, an associate of the Salamancas. However, hiring Mike as his bodyguard becomes a moral dilemma for Daniel.
Following Daniel’s first successful drug deal, Mike plainly sets the record straight about where Daniel stands in the black-and-white world of morality:
You’re now a criminal. Good one, bad one? That’s up to you.
This becomes sort of a thesis statement for Mike’s future in the show, as he grapples with justifying his work with terrible people.
8Mike’s Warning To Nacho
Nacho Varga’s relationship with the Salamancas only deteriorates as the show progresses. Wanting to get rid of gang leader Hector Salamanca, Nacho contacts Daniel Wormald again to sell him sugar pills, a task that attracts the attention of Mike. Deducing that Nacho plans to use them on Hector, Mike intervenes in their drug deal to lay a warning for Nacho.
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Knowing the true stakes of what will happen if Hector dies, especially after meeting Gus Fring, Mike tells Nacho:
There are more people than the Salamancas to worry about here. Now, if you manage to pull this off without a bullet to your head, and switch those pills, then switch ‘em back.
Thankfully, Nacho takes Mike’s advice and does switch the pills, but not without being found out by Gus Fring, who later uses Nacho’s assassination attempt as blackmail.
7Mike Rejects A Man’s Grief
A few early episodes in Season 4 ofBetter Call Saulfind Mike attending grief counseling sessions with Stacey. Still unable to cope with the loss of his son, Mike lashes out at the group when he correctly deduces that one of the attendees, Henry, played by Marc Evan Jackson, islying about his wife’s death to elicit a reactionout of the group.
Mike calls Henry out in front of everybody, embarrassing not only Henry but Stacey as well. As Mike plainly puts it:
He’s been coming in here for months selling you a bill of goods, getting you all misty-eyed and loving every minute of it.
It’s a brutal moment that shows how afraid Mike is to handle his own emotions, despite being correct about Henry’s deception.
6Mike Carries On
Season 5, Episode 8 ofBetter Call Saulis a special episode that finds Jimmy and Mike alone in the desert, hiking with Lalo’s $7 million in cash through the hot desert. It’s a true test of will for the two characters, particularly when Jimmy collapses and tries to give up. Leave it to Mike Ehrmantraut to be the one who picks him up and advises him to carry on.
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After Jimmy questions the point of continuing on, Mike dryly tells him why he does what he does:
I have people waiting for me. They don’t know what I do. They never will. They’re protected, but I do what I do so they can have a better life. And if I live or if I die, it really doesn’t make a difference as long as they have what they need. So what when it’s my time to go, I will go knowing I did everything I could for them. You ask me how I keep going, that’s how.
5Mike Helps Jimmy Forget
In the following episode, Jimmy struggles with the PTSD ofhis near-death experience in the desert with Mike. During a meeting in which Jimmy has a panic attack, Mike recounts his own experiences with grief, subtly influenced by Stacey:
One day, you’re gonna wake up, eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, go about your business. Then, sooner or later, you’re gonna realize you haven’t thought about it. None of it. And that’s the moment you realize you can forget. When you know that’s possible, it all gets easier.
This line becomes even more potent following Jimmy and Kim’s traumatic witnessing of Howard Hamlin’s murder in Season 6. Jimmyechoes these exact wordsto Kim as they recover from their brush with Lalo, though it’s hard to know if he truly believes it.
4Mike Vouches For Nacho
The first few episodes of Season 6 follow the aftermath of Gus Fring’s failed assassination attempt against Lalo. Nacho goes on the run, finding himself being tracked down by the Salamanca cousins. Gus wants Nacho dealt with as well, to tie up loose ends, but thankfully, Mike has Nacho’s best interests in mind and wants mercy for the scapegoat.
Trying to convince Gus that Nacho deserves the easy way out, he stresses:
After all is said and done, the kid deserves your respect.
Despite Gus agreeing, there’s an underlying tension thatthings won’t end up well for Nacho. And, knowing how the next couple of episodes play out from there…they go as well as they could’ve gone for the reluctant criminal.
3Mike Finally Meets Kim Wexler
Season 6 features the two interweaving plots ofBetter Call Saulfinally colliding in ways they never have before. Previously, Jimmy McGill was the link betweenthe pre-Breaking Badworld of crimeand the legal drama involving Chuck, Howard, and Kim. In Episode 4 of Season 6, we even get the first meeting of two significant characters: Kim and Mike.
After Kim notices she’s being followed, her worries are temporarily eased by Mike, who pays her a visit. According to Mike, the men following her are protecting them from Lalo, who may still be alive. When Kim asks why he’s telling her and not Jimmy, Mike slyly replies,
I think you’re made of sterner stuff.
After Nacho kills himself to avoid death by Salamanca, his sacrifice haunts Mike throughout the rest of the season. This especially comes to fruition once the threat of Lalo Salamanca has been dealt with in Episode 9 of Season 6, “Fun and Games.” Feeling the weight of his guilt, Mike pays a visit to Nacho’s father, Manuel, to tell him the truth.
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Mike’s eulogy of Nacho to Manuel is equal parts heartbreaking and commendable from the fixer who rarely shows emotion. As Mike tells him:
Your son made some mistakes. He fell in with bad people, but he was never like them. Not really. He had a good heart.
Sadly, Manuel is unconvinced by Mike’s argument, firmly telling him that Mike is no different from the cruel drug lords who took control of Nacho in the end.
1Mike’s Best Advice To Saul Goodman
The most recent episode ofBetter Call Saulbrings everything full circle, flashing back to theBreaking Badtimeline and showinghow Saul Goodman got wrapped up in the Walter White business. After their initial meeting in the desert, Saul hires Mike to track Walt’s identity, finding out he’s a chemistry teacher pairing up with his former junkie student.
Saul tries to convince Mike that working with Walt would be a great idea, which Mike ironically refutes, stating:
You know, years ago I bought a Betamax. Good product, top of the line. Experts said it was better than a VHS. Turned out to be a complete waste of time and money.
If only Saul listened to Mike’s advice, then he wouldn’t be stuck in Omaha working at a Cinnabon, with all of his assets seized by the FBI.
