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Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'' is a
neo-Western The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referre ...
crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
created by American filmmaker
Vince Gilligan George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of AMC's ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2 ...
, primarily based on the television series ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'' (2008–13), its
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...
/
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
series, ''
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'' (2015–22), and its sequel film, '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'' (2019). The following is an abridged list of characters from all three.


Main characters


Cast table


Introduced in ''Breaking Bad''


Walter White

Walter Hartwell White (also known by his clandestine alias Heisenberg) (played by
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...
) is an underachieving
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
high school chemistry teacher who, after being diagnosed with lung cancer, starts manufacturing
methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
to provide for his family upon his death. Knowing nothing about the drug trade, he enlists the aid of his former student,
Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...
, to sell the meth he produces. Walt's scientific knowledge and dedication to quality lead him to produce crystal meth that is purer and more potent than any competitors'. To avoid the tedious collection of pseudoephedrine required for production, Walt devises an alternative chemical process utilizing
methylamine Methylamine is an organic compound with a formula of . This colorless gas is a derivative of ammonia, but with one hydrogen atom being replaced by a methyl group. It is the simplest primary amine. Methylamine is sold as a solution in methanol, ...
, giving his product a distinctive blue color. His crystal meth, which is given the street name "Blue Sky," dominates the market, leading to confrontations with established drug makers and dealers. Walt is initially squeamish about the use of violence, but gradually comes to see it as a necessity. He also comes to find his new status as a
drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin or narcotrafficker is a high-ranking crime boss who controls a sizable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly ...
psychologically rewarding, leading him to become increasingly willing to resort to criminal acts such as theft,
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
,
money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
,
depraved indifference In United States law, depraved-heart murder, also known as depraved-indifference murder, is a type of murder where an individual acts with a "depraved indifference" to human life and where such act results in a death, despite that individual not ...
, and murder. Walt's descent,
Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
-like, into the criminal underworld unearths immense levels of deeply repressed ambition, rage, resentment, vanity, and an increasing ruthlessness which alienates him from his family and colleagues.


Skyler White

Skyler White (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Lambert) (played by
Anna Gunn Anna Gunn (born August 11, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Skyler White on the AMC drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a D ...
) is Walter's wife. She has had several meager sources of income: writing short stories, selling items on
eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
, working as a bookkeeper, and ultimately helping her husband
launder money Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
. Skyler and Walter have a son, Walter Jr., and an infant daughter, Holly. Skyler loves Walter very much, but their marriage becomes increasingly strained due to his unexplained absences and bizarre behavior, ultimately leading to their separation. Later, once Walter reveals his operation, she aids him in laundering his funds. They buy the car wash where Walter had recently moonlighted. Although she helps Walter, she remains deeply unhappy with the overall situation. As Walter slowly becomes more of a "hardened criminal," her emotions of fear and worry for him become increasingly prevalent. When in the episode "Buried," Skyler's
DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
brother-in-law Hank tells her he is on to Walt but needs her help to provide sufficient evidence to build a successful case, Skyler replies that she needs a lawyer and later tells Walt they should remain quiet. In the episode "
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
" of ''
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'', she is mentioned to have gotten a plea deal with the prosecutors.


Jesse Pinkman

Jesse Bruce Pinkman (played by
Aaron Paul Aaron Paul (born Aaron Paul Sturtevant; August 27, 1979) is an American actor best known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which he won several awards, including the Critics' Choice Television ...
) is a small-time methamphetamine user, manufacturer, and dealer. In high school, he was an indifferent student in Walter White's chemistry class. Now in his mid-20s, Jesse is Walt's business partner in the meth trade. Jesse is impulsive, hedonistic, and uneducated beyond high school, but he is financially ambitious and streetwise. He talks in playful slang, likes to wear garish clothing that follow the latest trends in youth culture, plays video games, listens to rap and rock music, takes recreational drugs, and drives
lowrider A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body. These customized vehicles are generally individually painted with intricate, colorful designs, rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Lowrider rims are generally smalle ...
s. Walt treats Jesse like a foolish son in constant need of stern correction. Jesse's own family kicked him out of their house because of his drug use. Despite the friction between them, he and Walt have a deep bond of loyalty. As a result of his relationship with Walt, Jesse becomes an excellent meth cook, ultimately leading to his exploitation by others. Despite his criminal lifestyle, Jesse is far more empathetic than Walt. He is horrified by the brutality at the higher levels of the drug trade particularly during later seasons, but remains involved with Walt out of necessity. He is very protective of children; his desire to keep children out of the violent drug world gives rise to several key events throughout the series. He wrestles with feelings of guilt about the deaths, all drug-related, of people he has been associated with. Towards the end of the fifth season he is overwhelmed by guilt and his "blood money." Realizing how much pain he has caused for money leads him to attempt to give bundles of cash from his final payoff to people he knows and then throw them from his car window onto random lawns and porches. In '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', Jesse departs for a new life in
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
.


Hank Schrader

Henry R. Schrader (played by
Dean Norris Dean Joseph Norris (born April 8, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for playing DEA agent Hank Schrader on the AMC series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2020). He also portrayed town councilm ...
) is Walt and Skyler's brother-in-law and Marie's husband, who works as a U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...
(DEA) agent. He is involved in investigating a meth dealer known as "Heisenberg," unaware for over a year that his prey is actually Walter. Hank has a cavalier exterior, but in reality the dark side of his job affects him more than he cares to admit leading him to have anxiety attacks from post-traumatic stress. In the course of his work, Hank is promoted to El Paso, Texas from Albuquerque for a short time but experiences a traumatic event and moves back to Albuquerque. Despite his brashness, Hank is highly competent at his job and cares deeply about his family. Hank is eventually promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA in Albuquerque but is still determined to solve the "Heisenberg" case, which ultimately leads to his demise. Hank also had guest appearances in the fifth season of ''Better Call Saul''. When Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina is arrested, Jimmy McGill bargains with Hank to make Domingo his
confidential informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
, which allows
Lalo Salamanca Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca is a fictional character on the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a prequel of '' Breaking Bad''. Introduced in the fourth season, he is portrayed by Tony Dalton and was created by Peter Gould and screenwriter ...
to feed information on
Gus Fring Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel ''Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwester ...
's operations to the DEA for the DEA to then act on.


Marie Schrader

Marie Schrader (née Lambert) (played by
Betsy Brandt Betsy Brandt (born March 14, 1973) is an American actress. She portrayed Marie Schrader in ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spinoff show, ''Better Call Saul'' (2022) and played Heather Hughes in the CBS sitcom ''Life in Pieces'' (2015– ...
) is Skyler's sister, Hank's wife, and Walt's sister-in-law. Marie works as a
radiologic technologist Radiographers, also known as radiologic technologists, diagnostic radiographers and medical radiation technologists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the imaging of human anatomy for the diagnosis and treatment of pathology. Radio ...
. She does not hesitate to offer advice to others but often fails to practice what she preaches. She shoplifts compulsively—apparently a manifest symptom of
kleptomania Kleptomania is the inability to resist the urge to steal items, usually for reasons other than personal use or financial gain. First described in 1816, kleptomania is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder. Some of the main cha ...
—a behavior for which she sees a therapist. She appears self-centered and shallow but cares deeply for her husband and her sister's family. Nearly all of her household and clothing items are shades of the color purple. In Season 3, Marie becomes a major source of comfort and support for Hank, when The Cousins shoot and nearly kill him. With Walt and Skyler's help, she arranges for Hank to undergo an aggressive physical therapy program their insurance does not cover. When Hank stubbornly decides to stay at the hospital, claiming he is completely disabled, she refuses to give up on him and gives him a
handjob A handjob, also spelled hand job, is a sex act, performed as either foreplay or as non-penetrative sex, that involves the manual stimulation of the penis or scrotum by another person to induce an erection for sexual pleasure, sexual arousal and s ...
to prove he still has feeling below the waist. When he returns home, however, Hank remains cold and brash, despite her attempts to make him comfortable, and Marie spirals back into kleptomania. Once Hank progresses with the case, his relationship with Marie improves again. When Walt and Skyler have marital problems, she takes in their children for a couple of days at Skyler's request while they work things out. In the final season, Hank tells Marie about Walter's criminal activities, and Marie confronts Skyler. When she learns Skyler knew the truth before Hank's shooting, Marie slaps her sister and storms out of the room. She tries to take Holly with her, but Hank commands her to return the baby. She then urges Hank to "get" Walter. Marie helps Hank try to stop Walt and Skyler, but Walt foils them when he makes a DVD framing Hank. Marie eagerly offers to help Hank when Jesse agrees to confess about Walt's crimes. She initially does not know that Hank is dead and reconciles with Skyler on the condition that the latter tells Walt Jr. everything. Marie learns that Hank is missing when Walt kidnaps Holly and eventually she receives confirmation he has died. She is later seen two months later in her house, now with blue instead of purple trim, warning Skyler to watch out for Walt. Marie reappears in the series finale of ''Better Call Saul'', present as a witness in the trial of Saul Goodman. Prior to the trial, she castigates Saul for his role in Walt's crimes and the deaths of Hank and Steve, but Saul claims to have been coerced to work for Walt under threat of death. Saul later reverses course during the trial by admitting he willingly helped Walt expand his criminal empire.


Walter White Jr.

Walter Hartwell White Jr. (played by
RJ Mitte Roy Frank "RJ" Mitte III (; born August 21, 1992) is an American actor, best known for playing Walter "Flynn" White Jr. on the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013). Like his character on the show, he has cerebral palsy. After moving to H ...
) is Walter and Skyler's teenage son and Holly's older brother. He has
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
, as manifested in speech difficulties and impaired motor control, for which he uses crutches (which Mitte, who has a milder variation of cerebral palsy, does not require). Angered by his parents' constant fighting, Walter Jr. tries to establish an independent identity, insisting on being called Flynn and asking his best friend Louis to teach him how to drive. When he discovers that Walt has cancer, Walter Jr. changes his attitude and sets up a website, "www.savewalterwhite.com," which requests and collects donations in an effort to help pay for Walt's cancer treatment. Walt's lawyer,
Saul Goodman James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his trade name, business name Saul Goodman, is a character (arts), character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad (franchi ...
, arranges for a wave of fictional "donations" drawn from Walter's drug money, in order to launder it and also make Walter Jr.'s efforts appear successful. When Skyler and Walt separate, Walter Jr., given no explanation by either parent, only sees that his mother has (from his point of view) inexplicably thrown his terminally ill father out of the house, and he takes his father's side and stops answering to the name Flynn. Always being "late to the game" (as defined by Mitte on an episode of '' Talking Bad''), Walter Jr. remains oblivious to his father's drug trade life until "
Ozymandias "Ozymandias" ( ) is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of '' The Examiner'' of London. The poem was included the following year in Shelley's co ...
," when Marie, confident that Walt is in Hank's custody, forces Skyler to reveal the whole truth to her son. Upon learning of his father's connection with Hank's death, Walter Jr. mistakenly concludes that Walt killed Hank. Feeling betrayed Jr. calls
911 911 or 9/11 may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** 9/11, the September 11 attacks of 2001 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that outed the democratically elected Salvador Allende * November 9 Numbers * 91 ...
when Walt fends off Skyler's knife attack, thus forcing Walt to leave and eventually end up on the
most wanted list A most wanted list is a list of criminals and alleged criminals who are believed to be at large and are identified as a law enforcement agency's highest priority for capture. The list can alert the public to be watchful, and generates publicity ...
. In " Granite State," Walt attempts to talk to him over the phone and have him retrieve $100,000 that Walt planned to send to Louis' address; however, Walter Jr. angrily refuses and hangs up. In " Felina," Walt visits Skyler for the final time, and watches from afar as Walter Jr. returns to the
safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor. Histori ...
from school.


Saul Goodman

Saul Goodman (played by
Bob Odenkirk Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has re ...
), real name James Morgan McGill, is a sleazy lawyer who acts as Walter and Jesse's attorney and provides some of the series'
comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
. He uses the name "Saul Goodman" because he thinks his clients feel more confident with a Jewish lawyer; this name is also
homophonous A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...
with the expression " ts all good, man." Dressing in flashy suits, Saul maintains extensive connections within the criminal underworld and serves as a go-between connecting drug distributors, evidence removers, impersonators, and other criminals-for-hire. Despite his flamboyant appearance and mannerisms—punctuated by his outrageous low-budget TV commercials—Saul is a highly competent lawyer who is able to solve problems and find loopholes in order to protect his clients. He is also reluctant to be associated with violence or murder. Saul's background is explored in ''Better Call Saul'', taking place about six years before ''Breaking Bad''. Originally a con man nicknamed "Slippin' Jimmy", he had been arrested in Chicago after a prank gone wrong, but his older brother Chuck McGill, a partner in an Albuquerque law firm, obtained his release on the condition that Jimmy obtain legitimate employment. Jimmy worked in the mailroom of Chuck's firm, and Chuck's legal success inspired Jimmy to become an attorney himself. Chuck did not consider Jimmy a "real" lawyer and surreptitiously conspired to prevent him from joining Chuck's firm, relegating Jimmy to low-level cases and public defender work. After Chuck's death and Jimmy's yearlong suspension of his law license, Jimmy returned to practice under the "Saul Goodman" alias, drawing on the criminal clientele he had gained through his side business of selling disposable cell phones. During the period of his law license suspension, Jimmy's side business causes him to inadvertently become involved in the Albuquerque drug business as an associate of
Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
and a legal representative for the Salamanca family. By the time of ''Breaking Bad'', Saul has established an office in a strip mall and advertises across the city. He works with
Gus Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, or Augustus, and other names (e.g. Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Ghassan, Gustav, Gustave, Gustafson, Gustavo, Gussie). It can also be used as the adaptation into English of ...
to help protect Gus' drug business. When
Walter Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
and
Jesse Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ( ...
begin producing meth, Saul introduces them to Gus as a potential buyer for their product. He subsequently helps Walter and
Skyler The name Skyler or Skylar () is an Anglicized spelling of the surname and given name ''Schuyler''. ''Schuyler'' was introduced into America as a surname by 17th century Dutch settlers arriving in New York. By the 19th century, in honor of members ...
launder their drug money, and provides legal assistance for Jesse and his drug-dealing friends. As the falling out between Gus and Walter unfolds, and Hank discovers Walter's identity as Heisenberg, Saul uses the "disappearing" services of
Ed Galbraith ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its seq ...
to relocate to Omaha, Nebraska under the name Gene Takavic (as shown in flash-forwards in ''Better Call Saul''), where he runs a
Cinnabon Cinnabon is an American chain of baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in areas with high pedestrian traffic such as malls, airports and rest stops. The company's signature item is a cinnamon roll. As of December 2017, there are more th ...
store while remaining paranoid that someone from his past might identify him. Gene is eventually identified by a relocated taxi cab driver who remembers his Saul Goodman ads, but Saul keeps the man quiet by offering to make him wealthy using a con scheme. Saul was eventually caught by the authorities and imprisoned for 86 years in a federal prison, but after finally accepting himself as Jimmy McGill and atoning for his role in the deaths of Chuck, Howard, and others.


Gus Fring

Gustavo Fring (played by
Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'', from 2009 to 2011, and in its prequel series ''Better Ca ...
) is the Chilean-born proprietor of
Los Pollos Hermanos Los Pollos Hermanos (; Spanish for The Chicken Brothers) is a fictional fast food restaurant chain specializing in chicken that was featured in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul''. In the fictional u ...
, a highly successful
fried chicken Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...
restaurant chain. He is also a public
booster Booster may refer to: Amusement rides * Booster (Fabbri ride), a pendulum ride * Booster (HUSS ride), an evolution of the Breakdance ride * Booster (KMG ride), a pendulum ride Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Booster, a cha ...
for the local DEA office and a member of the hospital board. Despite outward appearances, Gus is a major drug kingpin initially affiliated with the Mexican drug cartel in Ciudad Juárez, who use his restaurants as a front for
methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
distribution throughout the
American southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...
, supported by Los Pollos' corporate owners, Madrigal Electromotive. Like
Walter White Walter White most often refers to: * Walter White (''Breaking Bad''), character in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' * Walter Francis White (1893–1955), American leader of the NAACP Walter White may also refer to: Fictional characters ...
, Gus is a criminal who "hides in plain sight," using his anti-drug philanthropy to conceal his true nature. As shown in flashback in the ''Breaking Bad'' episode "
Hermanos Hermano (Spanish for ''brother'') or Hermana (''sister'') or Hermanos may refer to: *Sibling, a brother or a sister Places *Los Hermanos Archipelago, Venezuela Film and TV *''Hermanas'', 2005 film * ''Hermano'' (film), a 2010 Venezuelan drama ...
", Gus and his business/romantic partner
Maximino Arciniega Maximino Arciniega Jr. is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Domingo Gallardo "Krazy-8" Molina in the crime drama television series '' Breaking Bad'' and it's spin-off/ prequel ''Better Call Saul''. A native of the Northw ...
had approached the cartel with the offer to produce and sell meth for the cartel, but Don Eladio had
Hector Salamanca ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and ...
kill Max as punishment for insulting Eladio, then forced Gus to participate in distributing cartel cocaine. Emigrating to the United States, Gus appeared acquiescent but secretly plotted to exact revenge on Hector and eliminate his dependence on the cartel by producing his own meth via a "superlab" hidden beneath an industrial laundry. During the events of ''Better Call Saul'', Gus allies with
Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
when Mike finds his own family at risk from the Salamancas, and turns
Nacho Nachos are a Mexican culinary dish consisting of fried tortilla chips or ''totopos'' covered with melted cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats (such as ground beef or grilled chicken ...
into a mole within the Salamanca organization after discovering that Nacho caused Hector to have a stroke by secretly replacing Hector's heart medication with fakes. Wanting to be the agent of Hector's death, Gus pays for Hector's recovery but only to the point where he has recovered his mental faculties and can move his right index finger. Gus seizes more of the drug trade from the Salamancas, but when the cartel sends Lalo to replace Hector, Gus is forced to make sacrifices to protect the developing meth lab and Nacho's status as his mole. Gus arranges an assassination attempt on Lalo, but Lalo secretly survives and begins hunting for evidence of Gus' culpability. Gus realizes Lalo is alive and takes extreme security measures to protect himself. He ultimately kills Lalo in a shootout at the lab's construction site, and has him buried beneath the lab's foundation. By the events of ''Breaking Bad'', Gus has gained most of the Salamanca drug business, and produces and distributes meth instead of cocaine, but still seeks independence from the cartel. He has completed the superlab and plans for
Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ). Michael Ehrmantraut (played by
Jonathan Banks Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Chillum Heights, Maryland, while attending Indiana University Bloomington Banks did theatre. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles where he beg ...
) is a former Philadelphia police officer who works for
Gus Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, or Augustus, and other names (e.g. Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Ghassan, Gustav, Gustave, Gustafson, Gustavo, Gussie). It can also be used as the adaptation into English of ...
—and, on occasion,
Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...
—as a private investigator, head of security,
cleaner A cleaner or a cleaning operative is a type of industrial or domestic worker who cleans homes or commercial premises for payment. Cleaning operatives may specialise in cleaning particular things or places, such as window cleaners. Cleaning oper ...
, and
hit man Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...
. In the ''Better Call Saul'' episode "
Gloves Off "Gloves Off" is the fourth episode of the Better Call Saul (season 2), second season of the AMC (TV channel), AMC television series ''Better Call Saul''. The episode aired on March 7, 2016, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States ...
", it is implied that Mike is a
Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
veteran of the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. While in Philadelphia, he married and had a son, Matt, who later had his own family, wife Stacey and daughter Kaylee. Mike got caught up in crooked activities within the Philadelphia police, and after Matt joined the force, he hesitated when two crooked cops approached him, so they killed him. After Matt's funeral, Mike murdered the two cops, then fled to Albuquerque to be near Stacey and Kaylee. He took a job as a parking lot attendant at the local courthouse and also performed for-hire criminal jobs on the side. In ''Better Call Saul'', Mike becomes Jimmy's associate after Jimmy helps cover for him when Philadelphia officers investigating the deaths of the two cops Mike killed learn of Mike's whereabouts. Through one of his side-jobs, Mike also becomes involved with Nacho. Nacho asks Mike to help eliminate an increasingly-unstable Tuco from the Salamanca organization, but Mike instead engineers Tuco's long-term arrest by faking a confrontation in front of police. Hector suspects Mike, so Mike attempts to bring police attention to the Salamanca drug trade. When this effort fails, Mike plans to assassinate Hector but is stopped by Gus, who wants to be the one to decide when Hector dies, and offers Mike a position within his organization. Mike oversees the construction of the "superlab" led by Werner Ziegler. When Werner escapes and inadvertently reveals some details about the lab to Lalo Salamanca, Gus orders Werner killed to protect the secret, and Mike shoots Werner. Mike is depressed afterwards, until Gus offers him a larger role in helping gain revenge against the Salamancas. Knowing that Nacho is operating as Gus's mole in the Salamanca organization, Mike works to keep Lalo off Gus's trail and saves Jimmy from a cartel assassination attempt. Mike remains as Gus's trusted associate by the time of ''Breaking Bad'', helping to keep Walter and Jesse in line after Jesse kills Gale, and coming up with a plan to drive a rift between Walter and Jesse. Eventually, Gus trusts Jesse enough to bring him and Mike to Mexico as part of Gus's plan to kill Don Eladio and other cartel members. Mike is critically wounded and forced to stay in Mexico to heal. During this time, Walter convinces Jesse to help Walter get revenge on Gus, and Jesse's information enables Walter to lure Gus into a fatal trap. Mike hears of Gus's death and races back to Albuquerque to furiously confront Walter and Jesse. Mike reminds them that to maintain secrecy, Gus had been discreetly paying off several members of Gus's organization. Walter starts a new meth production system with Jesse and Mike as full partners, and Mike uses part of his share to continue to pay off the members of Gus's old organization. After Todd kills a child during a methylamine heist, Mike and Jesse sell their share of the methylamine, but Mike promises to use part of his profit to continue paying off Gus' old crew. The DEA connects Mike to Heisenberg, and before Mike can flee, Walter tries to obtain the names of Gus's old organization from Mike so Walter can have them killed. Mike refuses and chides Walter, leading Walter to shoot him, but before Mike dies Walter says he realized too late that he could have gotten the names from Lydia.


Lydia Rodarte-Quayle

Lydia Rodarte-Quayle (played by
Laura Fraser Laura Fraser (born 24 July 1975) is a Scottish actress. She has played Door in the urban fantasy series ''Neverwhere'', Kate in the film ''A Knight's Tale'', Cat MacKenzie in the BBC Three drama series ''Lip Service'' and Lydia Rodarte-Quayle i ...
) is an executive of Madrigal Electromotive GmbH, working out of the company's office in
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas. Lydia, portrayed as a very nervous and somewhat troubled character, is a partner in Gus's drug activities, and Gus often works directly through her to secretly secure Madrigal's resources for his needs. During ''Better Call Saul'', she helps Gus arrange for Mike to become a Madrigal security consultant as a cover to launder the money Mike stole from the Salamancas. When Mike takes his job seriously, Lydia complains to Gus, but Gus assures her Mike can be trusted. When Lalo later arrives and interferes in Gus's operations, Gus reports to Lydia and Peter Schuler, the head of Madrigal’s food division, about Lalo stalling the construction of his superlab, but assures them he has a plan to deal with Lalo. Within ''Breaking Bad'', Lydia continues to discreetly provide chemicals to Gus for Walt's meth production in Gus's superlab. After Gus's death and the destruction of the lab, Walt establishes a new meth production line with Jesse and Mike, with Lydia providing the chemicals. The
DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
links Gus to Madrigal, and nervous that she will be exposed, Lydia asks Mike to kill 11 co-conspirators who were part of Gus's organization. Mike refuses, so Lydia pays another hitman to eliminate Mike along with the other 11, but Mike kills the hitman first, discovers Lydia's role, and blackmails her to continue to provide the methylamine for Walt's operation. The DEA continue to investigate Madrigal, and Lydia discovers they are tracking her methylamine shipments to Walt. She provides Walt with information on a railroad tanker car shipment of methylamine, which would provide Walt with enough material to make millions of dollars worth of meth for sale to Lydia's contacts in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. Walt, Mike, and Jesse enlist Todd to help steal the methylamine. During the theft, they are observed by a young boy, whom Todd kills. Mike and Jesse then decide to sell their portion of the methylamine to Walt and leave the business, with Mike using a portion of his profits to continue paying the members of Gus's organization for their silence. When the DEA connects Mike to Gus, Walt tries to get Mike to provide the names of the individuals he is paying, but Mike refuses. Walt shoots Mike, then realizes he could have asked Lydia for the names. Mike dies, and Lydia later provides the names to Walt. Walt then pays Jack to eliminate the individuals Mike was paying. Walt eventually sells the remaining methylamine to Declan and leaves the drug business. Todd initially works as Declan's meth cook, but when Declan fires Todd, the replacement is not as good, and Lydia's Czech customers are dissatisfied. Declan refuses to rehire Todd, so Lydia arranges to have Jack kill Declan and his gang and take over the business. After Hank discovers Walt is Heisenberg and uses Jesse to lure Walt to the site of his buried money, Jack's gang arrives, kills Hank and Gomez, takes most of Walt's money, and kidnaps Jesse so they can force him to be their meth cook. Walt is forced into hiding, but a year later returns to Albuquerque to get his revenge before he dies from cancer. He meets Lydia and Todd at a coffee shop and offers them a new method for methylamine-free meth production. Todd declines, but Lydia feigns interest so that Walt will meet with Jack, then tells Todd to make sure Jack kills Walt at the meeting. Walt uses the meeting to kill Jack and his gang with a machine gun hidden in his car, and Jesse kills Todd. An ill Lydia calls Todd's cell phone to ask if Walt is dead. Walt answers and reveals that she will soon be dead because he slipped
ricin Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ''Ricinus communis''. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body ...
into her
stevia Stevia () is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the plant species ''Stevia rebaudiana'', native to Paraguay and Brazil. The active compounds are steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which h ...
at the coffee shop. In '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', Jesse hears a radio news report indicating that a woman from Houston, presumably Lydia, is critically ill after having been poisoned. The report indicates that her suspected ties to Walt are being investigated, and that she is not expected to survive.


Todd Alquist

Todd Alquist (played by
Jesse Plemons Jesse Plemons (; born April 2, 1988) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and achieved a career breakthrough with his major role as Landry Clarke in the NBC drama series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2011). He subseque ...
) is an exterminator for Vamonos Pest, a
fumigation Fumigation is a method of pest control or the removal of harmful micro-organisms by completely filling an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is used to control pests in buildings (s ...
company used by
Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt Bel ...
, Mike, and
Jesse Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ( ...
as the
front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...
for their meth business after
Gus Fring Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel ''Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwester ...
's death. Todd and the other Vamonos employees are also burglars, gathering information from the houses they tent and selling it to outside parties. Todd notices and disables a
nanny cam A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...
at Walt and Jesse's first post-Gus Fring cook site, attracting their attention as someone they think might be useful in the future. He aids in the heist of
methylamine Methylamine is an organic compound with a formula of . This colorless gas is a derivative of ammonia, but with one hydrogen atom being replaced by a methyl group. It is the simplest primary amine. Methylamine is sold as a solution in methanol, ...
from a freight train, and gives a friendly wave to a boy who stumbles on the crime scene, but then shoots him without warning. The team reluctantly keeps Todd employed after the murder, accepting his explanation that he assumed there could be no witnesses to the crime and they all risked arrest. Todd's explanation, plus his claims that his uncle (Jack Welker) runs a gang with connections that could be valuable to the meth operation, convince Walt and Mike to keep him alive, although Jesse is reluctant. After Jesse and Mike quit, Todd becomes Walt's assistant in the cooking process. Todd respectfully refers to Walter as "Mr. White", and after studying under Walt, he spends his breaks going over his notes, but refuses to accept payment until he satisfies Walt's standards. After Walt kills Mike, Todd helps dispose of Mike's car and body, and Walt uses Jack's prison connections to eliminate Gus's nine living former employees and their lawyer to keep them from exposing Walt. After the gang captures Jesse, Todd convinces his uncle to force Jesse to cook for them instead of killing him. Jesse creates a batch with a level of purity comparable to Walt's. Thinking he deserves a reward for a job well done, Todd brings him ice cream and praises him for his skill. Todd's bad side is again on display when he shoots and kills Jesse's ex-girlfriend
Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
to punish Jesse for an escape attempt, but apologizes before he shoots her. Months later, Walter kills Jack's gang by remotely firing an
M60 machine gun The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
installed in the trunk of a car. Todd survives, but Jesse strangles him with the chains of his handcuffs, choking him hard enough to snap his neck. Todd's unpredictable switches between charming politeness and respectful gestures to sudden acts of extreme violence led his character to be called the most dangerous villain on ''Breaking Bad'', and
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
named him 2013's best TV villain. In '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', Todd appears in flashbacks that take place after Jesse's failed escape attempt and Andrea's death. Todd, Kenny, and Neil Kandy torment Jesse as Neil builds his new restraints. Todd later enlists Jesse's help to add a canopy to his El Camino and bury the body of Todd's cleaning lady, whom he murdered after she accidentally found his hidden money. After Jesse's escape from the compound, he returns to Todd's apartment and retrieves the cash to use in his escape from Albuquerque, but is forced to contend with two criminals, Neil Kandy and Casey, who want the money for themselves.


Introduced in ''Better Call Saul''


Kim Wexler

Kimberly Wexler (portrayed by
Rhea Seehorn Rhea may refer to: * Rhea (bird), genus of flightless birds native to South America * Rhea (mythology), a Titan in Greek mythology It may also refer to: People * Rhea (name), list of people with this name Mythology * Rhea Silvia, in Roman myth ...
) is Jimmy's close associate, romantic partner and by the fifth season, his wife. In her youth, she and her mother moved frequently around Nebraska, and she often had to take care of herself due to her mother's drunkenness, leading her to become self-reliant. While attending law school, Kim was an intern at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, where she met Jimmy, who was working in the mail room. Her success at completing law school and becoming an associate at HHM partially inspired Jimmy to become a lawyer. Jimmy's intuition about activity at a local nursing home, Sandpiper Crossing, results in a prolonged lawsuit. Kim attempts to defend Jimmy's unethical legal manipulations to Howard and Chuck, which threatens her career. Even when she is able to secure the large regional bank Mesa Verde as a client for HHM, Howard downplays her contributions. Kim and Jimmy start co-located law offices and Kim brings Mesa Verde with her. Chuck succeeds at persuading Mesa Verde to return to HHM. Jimmy forges paperwork in a Mesa Verde filing, which makes Chuck appear incompetent and causes Mesa Verde to return to Kim. Kim is pleased to have the account but Jimmy's machinations lead to a confrontation with Chuck that results in Jimmy's law license being suspended, Chuck being compelled to retire from HHM, and Chuck committing suicide. Kim becomes bored with banking law and begins taking on ''pro bono'' criminal defense cases. She subsequently proposes to Rich Schweikart, the managing partner of the firm defending the Sandpiper chain, that she bring Mesa Verde with her and become a partner in charge of a new banking division. Finding herself drawn in by Jimmy's schemes, Kim later decides to quit Schweikart & Cokely and representing Mesa Verde while continuing to handle ''pro bono'' criminal defense cases. Howard suggests that Kim is throwing her career away at Jimmy's instigation; Kim, feeling insulted, scoffs at Howard's belief that she cannot think for herself. After Jimmy regains his law license and begins practicing as Saul Goodman, he becomes increasingly involved with the Salamanca drug cartel. Kim proposes that they marry so they can invoke
spousal privilege In the common law, spousal privilege (also called marital privilege or husband-wife privilege) is a term used in the law of evidence to describe two separate privileges that apply to spouses: the spousal communications privilege and the spousal ...
, enabling Jimmy to speak freely about his clients. Lalo Salamanca is accused of murder under an assumed name and held in jail. When Jimmy goes missing after driving to a remote desert location to pick up bail money, Kim unsuccessfully attempts to learn his location by revealing to Lalo that she is Jimmy's wife. While Jimmy is stuck in the desert with Mike Ehrmantraut, he admits that Kim knows about his involvement with the Salamancas, which causes Mike to warn Jimmy that Kim's life is as much at risk as theirs. After posting Lalo's bail, Jimmy conceals Mike's involvement by lying to Lalo. Lalo locates Jimmy's abandoned car near the site of the pickup and finds it riddled with bullets, a detail that contradicts Jimmy's story. Lalo confronts Jimmy and Kim, but Kim berates Lalo for not trusting Jimmy. Lalo appears satisfied with Kim's explanation and departs. Kim and Jimmy check into a hotel so that Lalo will not find them if he returns. Still angry at Howard, Kim suggests to Jimmy that they resolve the Sandpiper lawsuit by intentionally sabotaging him, which will result in Jimmy receiving more than $1 million as his share of the settlement or judgment. Jimmy is unnerved by the callousness of Kim's plan but agrees to participate nonetheless. The scheme against Howard ultimately succeeds after he embarrasses himself at the Sandpiper settlement hearing, forcing HHM and Davis & Main to accept a settlement lower than they sought. Howard pieces together the con and confronts Kim and Jimmy at their apartment that night, but Lalo arrives to talk with them and kills Howard with a gunshot to the head. Lalo has Kim drive to Gus' house to shoot him, but she is apprehended by Mike, to whom she explains the situation. She also tells Gus that Jimmy convinced Lalo to send her instead of him, through which Gus deduces that the assassination attempt was a ruse. Kim is reunited with Jimmy at her apartment the following morning; Mike has Howard's death staged as a suicide and instructs the two never to speak of the events of that night. However, the guilt proves to be too much and she leaves Jimmy shortly thereafter, surrendering her law license to find a new life. Kim ultimately relocates to
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, takes job at Palm Coast Sprinklers, and lives a simple, mundane life. One day, she receives a call from Jimmy; she tells him to turn himself in, but he reacts angrily and mockingly tells her to do the same. Kim takes his words to heart and flies to Albuquerque, where she submits a written affidavit to the district attorney's office detailing hers and Jimmy's role in character-assassinating Howard. She also gives a copy of the document to Howard's widow Cheryl, giving her grounds to file a civil suit against Kim. Kim is summoned back to Albuquerque in the wake of Jimmy's arrest due to testimony he gave allegedly implicating her, but during his trial, Jimmy admits he lied so she would be present to hear his confession. Jimmy admits the extent of his role in Walter White's criminal empire, his part in wrecking Howard's reputation, and his sabotaging of Chuck's career. He receives a sentence of 86 years; Kim visits him in prison to bid him farewell.


Howard Hamlin

Howard Hamlin (portrayed by
Patrick Fabian Patrick Fabian (born December 7, 1964) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is known for his role as attorney Howard Hamlin in ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). His film roles include '' End Game'' (2006), ''The Last Exorcism' ...
) is a name partner of the successful Albuquerque law firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill. At first glance Howard appears to be one of life's winners. His privileged background, unflappability, sun-kissed good looks that appear unchanged over time, and ample charm prove to be a constant source of frustration for Jimmy, as is his positive relationship with HHM's other name partner, Chuck McGill. After Chuck steps away from the firm due to his claim of electromagnetic hypersensitivity, Howard becomes the managing partner and enables Chuck to work from home while Jimmy takes care of Chuck's personal needs. Unbeknownst to Jimmy, Chuck uses Howard to block Jimmy from advancing in the legal profession. Jimmy believes Howard is the one inhibiting his career progression, causing him to become resentful of Howard. When Kim Wexler quits HHM, Mesa Verde Bank agrees to hire her as outside counsel, but Chuck and Howard succeed at bringing Mesa Verde back to HHM. Jimmy then alters paperwork in one of Chuck's Mesa Verde filings, causing him to appear incompetent, so Mesa Verde returns to Kim. Chuck secretly records Jimmy's admission to tampering with the Mesa Verde documents, then makes Jimmy aware of the recording. When Jimmy breaks in to Chuck's home destroy it, Howard is present and serves as Chuck's corroborating witness, enabling him to have Jimmy charged with breaking and entering. Instead of a criminal prosecution, Chuck presents the confession to the state bar association in hopes of having Jimmy disbarred, but Jimmy and Kim minimize Chuck's argument by exposing his alleged electromagnetic hypersensitivity as psychosomatic. Jimmy's law license is suspended but he is not disbarred. Howard counsels Chuck to consider Jimmy's suspension a win, but Chuck remains unsatisfied. After Jimmy's suspension, he "accidentally" informs HHM's malpractice insurer of Chuck's condition, causing the insurer to demand that Chuck be constantly supervised by another attorney or that HHM pay a substantial premium increase. Chuck wants to fight the insurance company, but Howard pays Chuck the first of three installments to buy out his share of the firm and forces Chuck into retirement. Chuck subsequently kills himself and Jimmy initially believes himself responsible. When Howard admits that he believes himself responsible because he forced Chuck to retire, Jimmy allows Howard to shoulder the blame. For much of the next year, Howard is emotionally withdrawn and the notoriety around Chuck's death causes HHM to lose clients and go into dire financial straits. By the time Jimmy regains his law license, Howard announces that HHM has recovered and is once again one of Albuquerque's top firms. Howard later offers Jimmy a position at HHM and says the feud was between Chuck and Jimmy, not Jimmy and the firm. Jimmy is upset by the reminder of his past and toys with Howard while claiming to consider his offer. Howard eventually realizes that Jimmy is conducting a harassment campaign against him and rescinds the offer, while Jimmy says that as Saul Goodman, he is too big for the constraints of an HHM job. When Kim tells Howard she quit Schweikart and Cokely and gave up the Mesa Verde account so that she could focus on ''pro bono'' criminal defense cases, Howard says she is throwing her career away at Jimmy's instigation. Kim scoffs at the idea that she cannot think for herself and says Howard does not really know Jimmy. Howard angrily tells her that Chuck – who recognized that Jimmy could not stop himself from hurting everyone close to him – was the one who knew Jimmy better than anyone else. Kim later proposes to Jimmy that they obtain Jimmy's share of the multi-million dollar settlement or judgment from the Sandpiper Crossing lawsuit sooner by ruining Howard's reputation. As Kim and Jimmy plan and execute their con, Howard becomes aware of their machinations and tells his wife Cheryl, with whom he has a strained relationship, that he is attempting to solve the problem. Jimmy and Kim's plan succeeds, Howard is humiliated in front of his clients and peers, and HHM and Davis & Main accept a settlement from Sandpiper that is lower than what they wanted. Howard pieces together the whole plot and arrives at Kim's apartment to confront her and Jimmy. Lalo Salamanca arrives soon afterwards, intending to interrogate Jimmy and Kim about their ties to Mike Ehrmantraut and Gus Fring. Howard disregards Jimmy and Kim's entreaties to leave immediately, and Lalo kills Howard with a gunshot to the head. Howard's death is staged to look like a suicide, while he is buried alongside Lalo underneath the floor of Gus Fring's underground meth lab.


Nacho Varga

Ignacio Varga (portrayed by
Michael Mando Michael Mando (born July 13, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He played Nacho Varga on the AMC series ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022), Vaas Montenegro in the video game franchise '' Far Cry'' (2012, 2021), Vic Schmidt in the sci-fi series ''Orph ...
) is a calculating, intelligent career criminal. He is the right-hand man to Tuco Salamanca, heir to Hector Salamanca's organization. While not yet a kingpin himself, Nacho is bright and has the ear of his terrifying boss. Nacho meets Jimmy during the Kettleman embezzlement case and unsuccessfully attempts to persuade Jimmy to help him steal the cash from the Kettlemans. Nacho also comes to respect Mike after seeing his professionalism during one of Mike's criminal side-jobs. As Tuco becomes increasingly unstable, Nacho asks Mike to kill Tuco. Mike opts instead to manipulate Tuco into assaulting him in view of the police, which results in Tuco being sent to prison for several years. Nacho is promoted to become Hector's right-hand man, but becomes concerned when Hector wants to use his father Manuel's upholstery store as part of the Salamanca drug ring. Nacho is forced to reveal that he works for Hector, which causes a rift between Manuel and Nacho. Nacho attempts to kill Hector by inducing a heart attack through replacing Hector's angina medication with a placebo. During a heated meeting, Hector has a stroke, which results in his permanent reliance on a wheelchair. Gus discovers Nacho's involvement and threatens to reveal it to the Salamancas unless Nacho acts as his mole within the Salamanca organization. Following Hector's heart attack, the Salamancas bring Lalo to Albuquerque to manage their operations. As instructed by Gus, Nacho becomes Lalo's confidante and reports back to Gus and Mike. Nacho also introduces Lalo to Jimmy when one of their dealers, Krazy-8, is caught with drugs. Jimmy secures Krazy-8's release by having him give the DEA the locations of Gus's drug money dead drops and making him a confidential informant. Nacho informs Gus about Lalo's plan but Gus allows the DEA to seize the drops in order to protect Nacho's identity as his mole. Using information provided by Nacho, Gus has Mike arrange for Lalo's arrest under an assumed name, but even in prison, Lalo poses a danger to Gus' organization. The cartel provides Lalo's bail money, and Lalo has Nacho drive him to Mexico. Lalo then introduces Nacho to Don Eladio and explains a plan to place Nacho in charge of the Salamanca operation in Albuquerque while Lalo remains in Mexico to hide from police and prosecutors. Gus intends to have Lalo killed, and Nacho receives a call instructing him to open the back gate to Lalo's villa at 3 am. Nacho opens the gate and flees. Armed men enter and attempt to kill Lalo. Lalo kills most of the attackers, realizes that Nacho is missing, and angrily strides away from his house. After opening the gate, Nacho flees and follows Gus' instructions to hide at a motel. After realizing that Gus has betrayed him to the cartel, Nacho agrees that in exchange for a guarantee of safety for Manuel he will surrender to Gus and implicate someone else to the cartel for the attack on Lalo. In a meeting between Gus, Juan, and Hector, Nacho falsely claims he was working for a rival drug family when he let the gunmen into Lalo's compound and also reveals that he caused Hector's stroke. Rather than attempt to flee so Victor can kill him quickly to save him from being tortured by the Salamancas, Nacho uses a piece of broken glass to cut his restraints, then seizes Juan's gun and kills himself. Nacho and Lalo are mentioned in the ''Breaking Bad'' episode "Better Call Saul". Walter White and Jesse Pinkman kidnap Saul and attempt to coerce him into defending Badger after Badger is arrested for selling meth. Saul believes that the masked Walter and Jesse are hitmen sent by Lalo and attempts to blame "Ignacio" for whatever wrong Lalo believes was done. This is revealed to be because, shortly before Lalo's death, he had revealed to Jimmy Nacho's role in the failed assassination attempt against him and Lalo implied that he believed that Jimmy was involved as well. Lalo had promised to return for the full story later, but he died before he could and Jimmy had lived in fear of Lalo returning to keep his promise.


Chuck McGill

Charles Lindbergh McGill Jr. (portrayed by
Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...
) is Jimmy McGill's older brother. He is a named partner at one of Albuquerque's most prestigious law firms, Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), which he co-founded with Howard Hamlin's father. A brilliant man who holds himself and others to high ideals, Chuck firmly believes that doing the right thing is the only true path to success. Chuck is critical of Jimmy's background as a scam artist, and after Jimmy was arrested in Chicago Chuck secured his release on the condition that Jimmy get a legitimate job in HHM's mail room. To Chuck's surprise, Jimmy was inspired to pursue his own law degree, hoping to also become an attorney at HHM. Because Chuck does not consider Jimmy a "real" lawyer, he worked behind Jimmy's back to prevent him from being hired. Chuck was married to Rebecca Debois, which ended in divorce; around this time, Chuck began to believe he had
electromagnetic hypersensitivity Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a claimed sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, to which negative symptoms are attributed. EHS has no scientific basis and is not a recognised medical diagnosis. Claims are characterized by a "variet ...
, which forced him to semi-retire from HHM. Prior to and in the early part of ''Better Call Saul'', Jimmy tends to Chuck's daily care. When Jimmy discovers potential fraud at the Sandpiper retirement community, Chuck identifies relevant evidence and helps Jimmy prepare the initial case files. Because of the case's size, Chuck suggests that they give it to HHM, but Jimmy is stunned to learn they want the case but not his participation, a demand secretly made by Chuck. When Kim is later denied recognition for securing the Mesa Verde account for HHM, Jimmy secretly introduces an error in Chuck's paperwork, leading to Kim establishing a practice with Mesa Verde as her only client. This leads to a feud, with Chuck deceiving Jimmy into admitting guilt, then using the recorded confession in an effort to have Jimmy disbarred. Jimmy is suspended for a year after he uses the bar association hearing to prove Chuck's illness is psychosomatic, but is not disbarred. Jimmy cuts ties with Chuck and requests that Howard take over Chuck's care. Chuck attempts to overcome his illness but Jimmy "accidentally" informs his malpractice insurer of Chuck's condition. The insurer threatens higher rates for HHM unless Chuck is constantly supervised. Chuck wants to fight but Howard buys out Chuck's share, effectively firing him. Chuck relapses and in the season 3 finale "Lantern", he commits suicide by intentionally knocking over a lantern which causes a fatal fire. The fallout of Chuck's tragic death lingers on to affect Jimmy, Kim and Howard as the series progresses.


Lalo Salamanca

Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca (portrayed by
Tony Dalton Álvaro Luis Bernat Dalton (born February 13, 1975), known professionally as Tony Dalton, is a Mexican-American actor and screenwriter. For much of his career, he acted in Mexican films, television shows, and stage plays. He is best known in the ...
) is another of Hector's nephews, introduced in season 4 of ''Better Call Saul''. He arrives from Mexico soon after Hector's stroke to help run the family's drug operation, and takes a greater interest in the day-to-day details than Hector did, which makes Nacho uneasy. Lalo visits Hector in the nursing home and enables Hector to communicate more effectively by giving him a front desk call bell, which Lalo kept as a souvenir after Hector killed a hotelier. Lalo thanks Gus for giving Hector first aid after his stroke and paying for his care, but also surveils Gus' subordinates in order to learn their regular activities. When Werner escapes from Mike's supervision, Lalo follows Mike and kills Fred, a money wire store clerk, to obtain Werner's location. He becomes aware that Werner was constructing something for Gus and Gus fabricates a story to explain events of which Lalo is aware, which Lalo outwardly accepts while remaining suspicious. Lalo disrupt Gus' activities and places trust in Nacho, unaware Nacho is Gus' mole. Lalo allows Krazy-8 to become a DEA informant with Jimmy's help, and Krazy-8 turns over locations of Gus' dead drops. Gus has Mike link Lalo to Fred's murder to get him arrested, but later has Jimmy arrange for his bail of . Lalo convinces Jimmy to pick up the cash from Leonel and Marco at a remote desert location. Jimmy is nearly killed by the cartel, who believe it best to keep Lalo in prison to protect Gus' business, but Mike arrives to save him. After Jimmy's car breaks down, Mike and Jimmy trek through the desert over two days before reaching safety. Jimmy provides Lalo a cover story to hide Mike's involvement, which Lalo accepts. He intends to skip bail and return to Mexico, but instead of waiting for Leonel and Marco to pick him up, he searches for Jimmy's car. He returns to Albuquerque to confront Jimmy at Kim, and reveals that he found Jimmy's car, which was full of bullet holes. Kim says passersby probably shot at the car for fun and accuses Lalo of not trusting Jimmy. Lalo then instructs Nacho to drive him to Mexico, but not the original pickup site. In Mexico, he introduces Nacho to Don Eladio and informs him that Nacho will run the Salamanca drug business while Lalo hides from the authorities. Gus arranges an assassination attempt on Lalo with Nacho's help, but Lalo survives. He fakes his death, then travels to Germany under an alias to find proof that Gus is disloyal to the cartel. After conversing with Werner Ziegler's widow Margarethe and later breaking into her house, he finds clues that lead him to Casper, a member of Werner's construction crew. Using details obtained from Casper, Lalo returns to Albuquerque and surveils Gus' industrial laundry. He later arrives at Kim's apartment, intending to interrogate her and Jimmy about their ties to Mike and Gus. Howard Hamlin had arrived shortly before Lalo; he ignores Jimmy and Kim's entreaties to leave immediately, and Lalo kills him with a gunshot to the head. Lalo instructs Jimmy to drive to Gus' house and shoot him; Jimmy convinces Lalo to send Kim instead. Lalo binds and gags Jimmy, then takes Jimmy's car to the laundry. Mike thwarts Kim's attempt to kill Gus, and sends his men to her apartment after she tells him Lalo is there with Jimmy. This allows Lalo to sneak into the laundry. Gus goes to the laundry after realizing that Kim was sent as a distraction; Lalo kills Gus' bodyguards and forces Gus to show him the lab's construction site, filming the encounter as proof of Gus' disloyalty to the cartel. Gus, however, triggers a power outage and kills Lalo with a gun he had hidden in the site earlier. Lalo is buried beneath the lab's floor alongside Howard. Lalo and Nacho are mentioned in the ''Breaking Bad'' episode "Better Call Saul". Walter White and Jesse Pinkman kidnap Saul and attempt to coerce him into defending Badger after Badger is arrested for selling meth. Saul believes that the masked Walter and Jesse are hitmen sent by Lalo and attempts to blame "Ignacio" for whatever wrong Lalo believes was done. In the episode "Breaking Bad" of ''Better Call Saul'', shortly after Saul's freakout Jesse asks who Lalo is given how scared Saul was of him. Jesse notes that he's never heard Lalo's name before amongst the street-level dealers and Saul brushes it off as being "nobody."


Supporting characters


Cast table


Law enforcement


Getz

Getz (portrayed by
DJ Qualls Donald Joseph Qualls (born June 10, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in films including ''Road Trip'' (2000), ''The New Guy'' (2002) and ''The Core'' (2003), and for several appearances on television series such as '' B ...
) is an Albuquerque police detective who takes part in an undercover operation that results in him arresting
Badger Mayhew '' Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its ...
for possession of meth.


Steven Gomez

Steven Gomez (played by
Steven Michael Quezada Steven Michael Quezada (); born February 15, 1963) is an American actor and politician. He played Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Steven Gomez in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' from 2008 to 2013 and 2 episodes of its spin-off, ''Be ...
) is Hank's
Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...
partner and friend. He is promoted to El Paso when Hank declines the transfer after witnessing a deadly attack on the Mexican border. Gomez has been Hank's right-hand man in the "Heisenberg" case since the beginning. After the Salamanca Brothers nearly kill Hank, Gomez starts performing tasks that Hank cannot perform due to his handicap. At the end of Season 4 (on Hank's request), Gomez inspects Gus's industrial laundry with police dog units, but finds no trace of the underground meth lab. After Walt and Jesse set fire to the lab, Gomez returns with Hank to find it destroyed, with little evidence remaining. Gomez is the only DEA officer whom Hank tells about his revelation that Walter White is Heisenberg, and Gomez continues to be Hank's partner through their final investigation, which leads to both the arrest of Walt and a shootout with Jack's gang. Gomez is killed in the gunfight, shortly before Hank is killed. Gomez was originally supposed to die in the first season. However, when the 2007–2008 writers' strike cut the season short, the writers reworked their ideas and he remained alive until the last season. Quezada reprises his role as Gomez in ''Better Call Saul'', appearing in the fifth season episode "
The Guy for This "The Guy for This" is the third episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off series of '' Breaking Bad''. The episode aired on March 2, 2020, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, ...
" in which he and Hank interview Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina after Molina is arrested following the discovery of a drug house belonging to the Salamanca family. Jimmy McGill, representing Molina as Saul Goodman, convinces Hank and Gomez to allow Molina to go free in exchange for Molina becoming a confidential informant. Information provided by Molina leads to the discovery of "just shy of a million dollars" in drug money.


Kalanchoe and Munn

Detectives Kalanchoe (played by Gonzalo Menendez) and Munn (played by
Jason Douglas Jason Douglas is an American film, television and voice actor, known as Tobin on AMC's '' The Walking Dead'', as the voice of Beerus in the anime film '' Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods ''and the series Dragon Ball Super, and Krieg in the video ...
) are detectives with the Albuquerque Police Department, questioning Jesse first in regard to the poisoning of Brock Cantillo, and then in regard to the large amount of money he has been giving away.


George Merkert

Assistant special agent in charge George Merkert (played by
Michael Shamus Wiles Michael Shamus Wiles (born October 27, 1955) is an American character actor of film and television onscreen since the 1980s who has appeared in over 100 films and television shows. Career He portrayed Marc Mitscher in ''Pearl Harbor'' and Mr. Pa ...
) is Hank's boss at the DEA. He is impressed with Hank's tenacity and hard work, and recommends him for a transfer to El Paso. When Hank returns to Albuquerque after being wounded, Merkert is frustrated by Hank's stalling a second transfer to El Paso, unaware that Hank is having
panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
s and is afraid to go back. After Hank attacks Jesse, Merkert is forced to suspend Hank without pay but tells him off the record that Jesse will not press charges. Following Hank's shooting and subsequent recovery, Merkert welcomes Hank back to work but refuses to act on Hank's suspicions of Gus Fring beyond a basic interview. When Gus is revealed to be a drug kingpin, Merkert is permanently relieved of his duties in the DEA due mainly to his and Gus's extensive personal interactions and the subsequent doubt cast on Merkert's integrity following Gus's downfall.


Austin Ramey

Special Agent-in-Charge Austin Ramey (played by Todd Terry) is the head of the southwestern United States DEA offices, and thus the highest ranking DEA agent appearing on the show. He appointed Hank to replace George Merkert as ASAC. He reappears in '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'' in which he gives a press conference watched by Skinny Pete and Badger on the massacre of Jack Welker's gang by Walter White and the status of Jesse Pinkman. Ramey also reappears in the series finale of ''
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'', during Jimmy McGill’s sentencing hearing. He is one of five characters (along with Mike Ehrmantraut, Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Ed Galbraith) to appear in each of ''Breaking Bad'', ''Better Call Saul'', and ''El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie''.


Tim Roberts

Tim Roberts (played by Nigel Gibbs) is a detective with the
Albuquerque Police Department The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is the Municipal police, municipal law enforcement agency of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the largest police force in the state, with approximately 1,000 sworn officers in 2022. In addition to serving ...
(APD), who works closely with Hank Schrader and the DEA under George Merkert's watch. Roberts first appears at the White household asking Skyler about Walt's disappearance after Tuco Salamanca kidnaps both Walter and Jesse and takes them to his uncle's house. Hank asked Roberts to take the case of Walter's disappearance as a personal favor to Hank, believing Walter had one of his "episodes" wherein he forgot where he was and would turn up days later. Roberts next appears after Marie Schrader is arrested and taken to the police station for pilfering property at the open houses she visits. Hank contacts Roberts after Marie tells Hank about her predicament. Roberts gets the homeowners to drop their charges after their property is returned, and he takes Marie home for Hank. Roberts also investigates Gale Boetticher's murder. He consults with Hank after he finds Gale's notebook and asks what all the notes and drawings mean, and whether or not Gale may have been working in a meth lab. This piques Hank's interest in the case, and he embarks on his own investigation of Gale and his ties to Fring. The APD detectives' investigation of Gale's apartment yields Gus's fingerprint, which gives the APD and the DEA probable cause to officially request that Fring come in for questioning. Fring complies and then explains his ties to Boetticher, who won one of Gus's Maximino Arciniega scholarships that Gale used to pursue degrees in chemistry. Roberts is satisfied with Gus's explanations of how he knew Boetticher and why he was in Boetticher's home, but Hank remains dubious and continues investigating Fring and his personal and business dealings. Roberts reappears in seasons 5 and 6 of ''Better Call Saul'' where he is the lead detective investigating the murder of Fred Whalen by
Lalo Salamanca Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca is a fictional character on the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a prequel of '' Breaking Bad''. Introduced in the fourth season, he is portrayed by Tony Dalton and was created by Peter Gould and screenwriter ...
. Mike Ehrmantraut, in an effort to get rid of Lalo, arranges for Roberts to get the evidence that he needs to connect Lalo to the murder and arrest him for it with Lalo using the alias of Jorge DeGuzman. However, due to Lalo's continuing threat, Gus Fring has Mike help Saul Goodman get Lalo bail, much to the frustration of Roberts and the deputy district attorney in charge of the case. Roberts and the DDA later confront Saul over "Jorge's" fake family and subsequent disappearance, but Saul brushes off their questions. However, he accidentally slips up and refers to Lalo by his real first name, later allowing the authorities to identify Jorge DeGuzman as actually being Lalo Salamanca who has supposedly been recently killed in a shootout at his home.


Gus' organization


Max Arciniega

Maximino Arciniega (played by James Martinez) is Gus Fring's business associate and implied romantic partner. Gus paid for Max's education in biochemistry and chemical engineering, at the University of Santiago in Chile. The pair then moved to Mexico and opened a chain of
Los Pollos Hermanos Los Pollos Hermanos (; Spanish for The Chicken Brothers) is a fictional fast food restaurant chain specializing in chicken that was featured in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul''. In the fictional u ...
chicken restaurants together. In the drug business, Max is the chemist; he cooked the crystal meth, samples of which he and Gus started giving away. These samples gained the attention of Don Eladio, a local drug lord, whom Max and Gus approached in the hope of convincing the Don to join them in the meth business. Don Eladio, unimpressed by these upstarts and nominally dismissive of selling methamphetamine in lieu of cocaine, had Hector kill Max on the patio of his mansion. Gus is forced by Juan Bolsa to watch as his partner's fatal head wound bleeds into the swimming pool, a vision that stays with him. After moving to the US, Gus sets up a college scholarship in Max's name (which Gale Boetticher won one year) and determines to avenge his lover's death. The character Maximino Arciniega shares his name with the real-life actor who plays
Krazy-8 ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...
in Season 1.


Gale Boetticher

Gale Boetticher (played by
David Costabile David Costabile (; born January 9, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work, having appeared in supporting roles in several television series such as '' Billions'', ''Breaking Bad'', ''Damages'', ''Flight of the Conch ...
) is a chemist hired by Gus Fring to set up the underground meth lab and serve as Walt's assistant. He holds an MS degree in
organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...
, with a specialty in X-ray
crystallography Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. Crystallography is a fundamental subject in the fields of materials science and solid-state physics (condensed matter physics). The wor ...
. Gale pursued a doctorate in Colorado under an
NSF NSF may stand for: Political organizations *National Socialist Front, a Swedish National Socialist party *NS-Frauenschaft, the women's wing of the former German Nazi party *National Students Federation, a leftist Pakistani students' political gr ...
grant but quit because he loved being in the lab and wanted to preserve the "magic" he saw in chemistry. He describes himself as a "
nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly tec ...
" and a
Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
. He is single,
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
and well-cultured. He is a fan of foreign language music, speaks fluent Italian, and is fond of
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...
. During the events of ''Better Call Saul'', Gale is a post-graduate student and researcher at the
University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
, and discreetly tests meth samples Gus provides as part of a plan to end his need for Mexican cartel cocaine. Gale asserts he could make better quality meth himself, but Gus says he has bigger plans for Gale. The construction of the underground meth lab, which Werner Ziegler oversees, is revealed to have been done in accordance with Gale's design. In a flashback within ''Breaking Bad'', Gale selects and installs the meth lab's production equipment. He analyzes the "blue meth" samples Gus provides and assures Gus it is the best meth he has ever seen. By the third season of ''Breaking Bad'', Gale has broken in the lab's equipment but has been waiting for Gus to hire Walt to cook blue meth. When Walt arrives, Gale expresses admiration and eagerness to learn. Walt later needs to bring Jesse back into the business to make amends for Hank's assault, so he convinces Gus to fire Gale and re-hire Jesse. Jesse discovers Gus's street dealers were responsible for the deaths of Combo and of Andrea's brother, Tomás. Before Jesse can kill the dealers, Walt runs them over with his car, then has Saul hide Jesse. Gus re-hires Gale and instructs him to learn everything he can from Walt, supposedly because Walt has terminal cancer and Gus cannot end meth production if Walt dies. Walt recognizes that Gus is planning to kill him, so he instructs Jesse to learn Gale's address. Late one night, Mike and Victor take Walt to the lab on the pretense of solving an urgent problem. Walt convinces them to let him call Jesse and ask him to the lab, but he uses the call to instruct Jesse to kill Gale. Victor tries to beat Jesse to Gale's apartment but Jesse arrives first and shoots Gale, which prevents Gus from killing Walt. Gale's death triggers several key events. Because police responding to Gale's apartment see Victor, who could be connected to Gus, Gus kills Victor in a way that serves as a warning to Walt and Jesse to cook meth without causing trouble. Hank connects Gale's death to Gus, the blue meth, and Heisenberg, and obsessively reviews Gale's lab notes, especially a dedication to "W. W.". While having dinner at Walt's house, Hank finds the copy of Whitman's ''
Leaves of Grass ''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. Though it was first published in 1855, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting ''Leaves of Grass'', revising it multiple times until his death. Th ...
'' Gale gave Walt, which includes the dedication "To my other favorite W. W." in the same handwriting as Gale's journal. Hank finally realizes that Walt is Heisenberg.


Duane Chow

Duane Chow (played by James Ning) is the owner of Golden Moth Chemical, an industrial chemical manufacturing company that supplies Gus's drug empire. During Gus's conflict with a Mexican drug cartel in Ciudad Juárez, the cartel enforcers come to Chow's offices and hold him hostage. Chow's captors are later killed by Mike, who shoots Chow in the hand for not telling Gus about the situation. After Gus's death, Chow starts being questioned by the DEA, as he was on Gus's payroll at the time of Gus's murder. Chow is also on the list of eleven men whom Lydia suggests that Mike kill before they can make a plea deal with the DEA (but Mike refuses). Lydia then hires one of the eleven, Chris Mara, to kill the other ten, and adds Mike to the list. Mara starts with Chow, whom he uses to lure Mike into a trap before shooting Chow in the head. Mike thwarts the attempt on his own life after getting from Chris the information Lydia gave him, and then kills Chris.


Ron Forenall

Ron Forenall (played by Russ Dillen) is Mike Ehrmantraut's contact at Madrigal Electromotive's chemical warehouse in Houston. He is in constant contact with Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, who tells him which containers she has taken off the manifests, which he sends to Golden Moth Chemical Company in Albuquerque, which in turn forwards them on to Lavanderia Brilliante and Gus's lab. Forenall is arrested after Hank and Gomez arrive at Madrigal's warehouse in Houston and Lydia identifies him in the warehouse. Forenall later appears as one of the nine incarcerated members of Gus's organization who Lydia lists to be killed. Forenall is last seen in a hallway when he is stabbed to death by the Neo-Nazis.


Barry Goodman

Dr. Barry Goodman (played by
JB Blanc Jean-Benoît Blanc is a French-British actor and director of film and television who has worked on animations and video games in Los Angeles. Early life Blanc was born in Paris, the son of an English people, English mother and a French people, ...
) is Gus's personal doctor, treating him and Mike after the showdown at Don Eladio's residence. He later informs Mike about Gus's death. He reappears in ''Better Call Saul'' as the doctor in a medical clinic for low-income Spanish-speaking patients. Per Gus's instructions, he provides Mike with cocaine to prepare a trap for Hector's smugglers when they cross the border.


Tyrus Kitt

Tyrus Kitt (played by Ray Campbell) is one of Gus's henchmen. After Victor is killed, Gus promotes him to serve as Mike's second-in-command, monitoring Walt and Jesse's activities both inside and outside the lab. He spots Hector Salamanca leaving the DEA office, incorrectly assuming that Hector has become an informant. Hector kills Tyrus in the same explosion that kills Gus. Tyrus also appears as one of Gus's key subordinates in ''Better Call Saul''.


Chris Mara

Chris Mara (played by Christopher King) is one of Gus's henchmen and Mike Ehrmantraut's errand runners, who runs errands among Fring, the mules, and the dealers. One of his other side jobs is to assist Tyrus Kitt in monitoring who is coming and going through the doors of both the Albuquerque Police Department and the DEA's Albuquerque office. Chris first appears in "Bug," where he is shown taking cover when Gaff opens fire on the operatives at the Los Pollos distribution center, killing one of them while Jesse stands paralyzed. He is later shown among the men looking for Walt when Walt goes into hiding. Chris is watching from his car when Jesse exits the police station, after being questioned about Brock Cantillo's poisoning (''wrongly'' assumed to be by ricin rather than by the poisonous chemical in the berry of the Lily of the Field plant), and is seen when Hector Salamanca leaves the DEA office after questioning. He also is the one to drive Gus to the retirement home. Chris later takes Duane Chow hostage in Chow's own home, forcing Chow to call Mike to come over so Chris can kill Mike. However, Mike sees Chris's car parked in Chow's driveway and senses that this is a trap. Mike outsmarts Chris with a toy on Chow's front door while he sneaks into Chow's house from the back. Chris confesses that since the DEA seized his hazard pay, he took up Lydia's offer that Mike refused: $10,000 for each of the 10 other men on the list, and triple for Mike. Mike then dispatches Chris in the same way that Chris killed Chow.


Dennis Markowski

Dennis Markowski (played by Mike Batayeh) is the former manager of Lavanderia Brilliante, the industrial laundromat which served as the cover for Gus's superlab. Following Gus's death, the DEA incarcerates Dennis, as he is on Gus's payroll at the time of Gus's death. Dennis agrees to keep his mouth shut when Mike ensures that he will still receive his money from the drug empire. When Dennis's funds are confiscated, Dennis, through his attorney, proposes a plea deal to the DEA, but
Hank Hank is a male given name. It may have been inspired by the Dutch name Henk,The Origins of 10 Nicknam ...
refuses, believing he can get a better deal from one of Gus's other incarcerated henchmen. Dennis is later killed on Walt's orders by several other inmates who pour flammable liquid into Dennis's cell and ignite it, burning him alive.


Victor

Victor (played by
Jeremiah Bitsui Jeremiah Bitsui (born ) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Victor in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' and ''Better Call Saul''. Early and personal life Bitsui was born in Chinle, Arizona. He is of Navajo and Omaha descent, a ...
) is Gus's loyal henchman. He appears throughout ''Better Call Saul'' from season three onward with Gus's introduction to the story, acting as Gus's bodyguard and enforcer along with Tyrus, a role he maintains with Gus's introduction in ''Breaking Bad''. Victor acts as Gus's front in initial deals with Walter and Jesse. After Walter kills two of Gus's dealers to protect Jesse, Victor takes a near-permanent position monitoring Walter's activities while in the superlab with Gale. Gus discovers Walter's role in the dealers' deaths, and orders Victor and Mike to bring Walter to the lab. Walter makes a frantic call telling Jesse to kill Gale, believing this will motivate Gus to keep them alive. Victor races to stop Jesse but arrives at Gale's apartment too late. Victor finds Jesse and brings him back to the lab, where he and Mike hold Jesse and Walter while waiting for Gus. Walter tries to convince Gus that he needs Walt and Jesse to cook his meth, while Victor attempts to demonstrate that he has value to Gus by showing that he has learned how to cook by observing Walt. Gus unexpectedly slices open Victor's throat with a box cutter in front of Walter, Jesse, and Mike, then orders them to "get back to work". They are forced to dispose of Victor's body using
hydrofluoric acid Hydrofluoric acid is a Solution (chemistry), solution of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in water. Solutions of HF are colourless, acidic and highly Corrosive substance, corrosive. It is used to make most fluorine-containing compounds; examples include th ...
. Though Mike commented that Gus may have killed Victor because he was seen at Gale's apartment and can be connected to Gus, Walt later mentions to Jesse that Gus may have done it because Victor took inappropriate liberties (such as cooking meth while Mike held Walt and Jesse hostage) and "
lown Lown may refer to: * Lown (surname) * Lown-e Kohneh, a Kurdistan Province * Lown-e Sadat, a Kurdistan Province * Lown-Berkovits, a cardiac defibrillator Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ven ...
too close to the sun," as Walt put it.


Dan Wachsberger

Dan Wachsberger (played by Chris Freihofer) is an attorney hired by Mike Ehrmantraut to represent Ron Forenall, Dennis Markowski, and the other seven surviving members of
Gus Fring Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel ''Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwester ...
's operation running out of the Lavanderia Brilliante in Albuquerque. Wachsberger takes the money (Mike Ehrmantraut's "legacy costs") from Mike and then deposits it to ten safety deposit boxes at the Cradock Marine Bank in Albuquerque: nine for Gus's surviving guys and their families to use in lieu of their "hazard pay" and one larger box for Mike's granddaughter Kaylee on her 18th birthday. Wachsberger first appears as he and Mike are going through the
New Mexico Department of Corrections The New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD; es, Departamento de Correcciones de Nuevo México) is a state agency of New Mexico, headquartered in unincorporated Santa Fe County, near Santa Fe. It the department operates corrections facilities, ...
facility at
Los Lunas Los Lunas is a village in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population is 14,835 inside the village limits due to the new housing developments at El Cerro de Los Lunas (Huning Ranch). It is the county ...
south of Albuquerque. Dan signs in and tells the attending guard, Darla, that he has brought in his "paralegal" and they have come to see Dennis Markowski. Dan is consistently shown flirting with women, such as Darla and, at the bank, with Dorothy Yobs, whom he routinely lavishes with gifts of sugary baked goods. Dorothy gives Dan access to the safety deposit boxes at Cradock Marine Bank. Eventually, Hank and Gomez discover Mike and Dan's transactions and their safety deposit boxes at Cradock Marine Bank, and Gomez is sent to investigate. Gomez and his agents discover Dan making his routine drops in these boxes, arrest him, and successfully induce Dan to inform on Mike. The last time Wachsberger appears, he is in the federal prison at La Tuna near Las Cruces, when he is stabbed to death at the same time the nine surviving members of Gus's operation are also killed, which Walt ordered in order to conceal his connection to Gus.


Mexican drug cartel


Eladio Vuente

''Don'' Eladio Vuente (played by
Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban-born American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1980) and is perhaps most ...
) is the head of a drug cartel in
Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju ...
which includes Juan Bolsa, Hector Salamanca, and Salamanca's nephews. He first met Gus Fring twenty years prior to the start of the series, when Gus and his partner Max proposed producing methamphetamine for the cartel. Unimpressed by their pitch, Eladio declined because the cartel preferred to continue distributing cocaine. After the meeting, Eladio had Hector execute Max as retaliation for manipulating him into a meeting, but spared Gus's life due to an unrevealed but powerful connection to Chile. He then forced Gus to work with the cartel under Eladio's terms, and Gus became the cartel's chief distributor in the American Southwest. Following the deaths of Juan Bolsa and the Cousins, and Gus's subsequent establishment of the meth superlab, Eladio orders retribution through his henchman Gaff, who hijacks meth deliveries and kills some of Gus's operatives. Gus agrees to Eladio's demands—the formula for the blue meth, the services of a chemist, and a 50 percent share of the business—and travels to the cartel's superlab with Mike and Jesse. After Jesse successfully cooks a batch, Eladio invites them to a party at his villa attended by multiple capos, who toast their new business venture with a bottle of premium tequila supplied by Gus. Eladio chides Gus as someone who provides value to the organization, but periodically needs to be reminded of his place. The capos begin to collapse shortly after the toast, victims of the poison Gus put in the tequila. Eladio realizes that Gus, who vomited up the tequila soon after the toast, has betrayed him. He attempts to lunge at Gus but collapses dead into the swimming pool before reaching him. Eladio first appears in ''Better Call Saul'' through a Season 3 flashback ("
Sabrosito "Sabrosito" is the fourth episode of the Better Call Saul (season 3), third season of the AMC (TV channel), AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', the spinoff series of ''Breaking Bad''. The episode aired on May 1, 2017, on AMC in the United ...
") in which he teases Hector because his cash tribute and gifts are inferior to Gus's. In season 5 ("
Something Unforgivable "Something Unforgivable" is the tenth and final episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off series of '' Breaking Bad''. The episode aired on April 20, 2020, on AMC in the United States and Canada. Ou ...
"), Eladio meets with Lalo and Nacho and gives his blessing to the Salamancas' plan for Nacho to manage their organization while Lalo hides from police and prosecutors in Mexico. Following Lalo's death in Season 6 (" Fun and Games"), Hector reveals the truth about Lalo's survival and correctly accuses Gus of having recently killed him. However, after Eladio affirms the facts surrounding Lalo's original supposed death, he dismisses Hector's accusations and sends him to bed. Although it's unclear if Eladio actually believes Hector's accusations or simply doesn't care enough to act, he recognizes that Gus hates him which he says is fine as long as Gus remembers "who's boss". To maintain the peace, Eladio splits up the Salamanca's drug territory with Gus getting half and the Salamanca's getting the other half.


Juan Bolsa

Juan Bolsa (played by
Javier Grajeda Javier may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike'' * Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. * ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known ...
) is a high-level member of the Mexican drug cartel to which the Salamanca family and Gus belong. Within ''Better Call Saul'' he generally acts as the voice of the cartel to mediate issues between the Salamancas and Gus Fring because he wants to make sure both earn profits for the cartel. Bolsa sometimes secretly works with one side or the other for his own benefit. When Mike secretly disrupts the Salamanca's trucking route for smuggling drugs from Mexico, Bolsa orders that Salamanca drugs will be transported by Gus's trucks, a result Gus worked with Mike to produce because it gave Gus more power over the Salamancas. Bolsa intercedes when Gus provides a false story about Werner Ziegler's activities and death, telling Lalo Salamanca Gus enjoys Don Eladio's trust, so Lalo should consider the matter closed. Similarly, when Lalo is seeking to arrange for Jimmy McGill to pick up his bail money, Bolsa discreetly arranges for a squad of gunmen to attack Jimmy, believing that keeping Lalo in prison is in Gus's best interests but unaware that Gus had his own plans. Bolsa later oversees the cartel's manhunt for Nacho Varga after Nacho aids in an assassination attempt on Lalo. Nacho surrenders to the cartel and falsely claims to be a mole for a rival gang (rather than Gus) in order to protect his father. He then rebukes the Salamancas, reveals himself responsible for Hector's stroke, then kills himself with Bolsa's gun. Later, Bolsa takes part in a meeting with the Salamancas and Don Eladio where Hector accuses Gus of setting up the attempt on Lalo's life and later killing him. However, Don Eladio doesn't believe it and Bolsa is visibly relieved by the conclusion of the matter. Within ''Breaking Bad'', it is Bolsa who orders Tortuga's execution by The Cousins and later places his head on a booby-trapped tortoise for the DEA to find. He is also the cartel's liaison with Gus, and the one who arranges a meeting among Gus, the Cousins, and Hector to determine how to handle Walter following Tuco's death. Bolsa tells Gus he will urge the Salamanca family to be patient but advises that Gus risks losing favor with the cartel if he does not finish his business with Walter quickly. He goes on to say that he cannot guarantee the Cousins will listen to reason and leave Walter alive until his business with Gus is done. He has forbidden the Cousins to kill Hank in retaliation for Hank's killing of Tuco because killing law enforcement officers will bring on more police scrutiny. Gus secretly sanctions an attack on Hank instead of Walter, resulting in severe injuries to Hank and the deaths of The Cousins. Bolsa meets his end when Gus secretly tips off Mexican
federales ''Federales'' (singular ''Federale'' or, rarely but aligning with Spanish, ''Federal'') is a Spanglish word used in an informal context to denote security forces operating under a federal political system. The term gained widespread usage by En ...
in
Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju ...
, who kill Bolsa as retaliation for The Cousins' attack on Hank. Bolsa's name, translated literally from Spanish, is John Bag or John Sack; this is a nod to the character John "Johnny Sack" Sacrimoni from the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
''. Both characters are high-ranking members of powerful crime families who are very level-headed, well-spoken, and act as intermediaries between their families and others.


Hector Salamanca

Hector Salamanca (played by
Mark Margolis Mark Margolis (; born November 26, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alberto "The Shadow" in '' Scarface'', Antonio Nappa in '' Oz'', and Hector Salamanca in '' Breaking Bad'' and ''Better Call Saul''. His performance in ''Break ...
) is the elderly
don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
of the Salamanca drug organization and an associate of cartel boss Don Eladio. He is the uncle of twins Leonel and Marco Salamanca (the Cousins),
Tuco Salamanca ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its seq ...
, and Lalo Salamanca, and raised Tuco as a son. He taught his nephews that family is everything and lives by the creed himself. Though brutal, Hector is very loyal. He spent 17 years in
San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...
but never revealed any information to the authorities. In an extended flashback in the ''Breaking Bad'' episode "
Hermanos Hermano (Spanish for ''brother'') or Hermana (''sister'') or Hermanos may refer to: *Sibling, a brother or a sister Places *Los Hermanos Archipelago, Venezuela Film and TV *''Hermanas'', 2005 film * ''Hermano'' (film), a 2010 Venezuelan drama ...
", Hector is shown to be responsible for the death of Max Arciniega, Gus Fring's boyfriend, whom Don Eladio ordered killed after he was insulted by Gus and Max's offer to produce meth for the cartel, which preferred to keep distributing cocaine. As a result, Gus developed a lifelong loathing of Hector. Hector resents and degrades Gus, calling him "chicken man" (''hombre gallina'' in Spanish, literally "hen man") and a "dirty South American". Despite their mutual hatred, Hector and Gus are forced to cooperate since each is based in Albuquerque, though each frequently schemes to displace the other. Hector is the boss of the Salamanca family at the start of ''Better Call Saul''. After
Mike Ehrmantraut Michael Ehrmantraut () is a fictional character in '' Breaking Bad'' and its spinoff prequel ''Better Call Saul'', portrayed by Jonathan Banks. Mike is a former Philadelphia police officer who works for Gus Fring—and, on occasion, Saul Goodm ...
and
Nacho Varga Ignacio "Nacho" Varga is a fictional character who appears in the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a prequel spin-off of '' Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Michael Mando and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Dialogue ...
arrange for Tuco's imprisonment by provoking him into attacking Mike, Hector offers Mike $5,000 to reduce Tuco's sentence by claiming the gun Tuco was carrying was Mike's. Hector makes repeated attempts to intimidate Mike into accepting, and Mike eventually accepts $50,000. Mike is concerned about Hector's threats to Stacey and Kaylee and retaliates by attacking a truck transporting Hector's drug cash. Hector kills a witness who stopped to aid the driver, Ximenez, and later has Leonel and Marco bury the witness in the desert. While Hector and the Cousins are preparing to kill Ximenez, Mike attempts to shoot Hector with a sniper rifle, but is stopped by someone unseen, who sets off his car horn and leaves a note warning him not to do it. Mike later learns it was Gus who tracked his location and warned him against killing Hector; Gus intends to be the agent of Hector's demise, and believes the time is not yet right. In season 3, Mike and Gus' machinations force Hector to find a new way to ship his product from Mexico and he decides to use the upholstery store owned by Nacho's father Manuel. In response, Nacho attempts to induce a heart attack by switching out Hector's heart medication in capsules for crushed ibuprofen. Hector has a stroke while meeting with Gus and Juan Bolsa, but Gus saves him with CPR. Hector is comatose and Gus arranges for a specialist from Johns Hopkins to oversee his care. Over the next few months, her therapy restores Hector's mental faculties, but he is unable to speak and is immobile except for his right index finger. Gus has the specialist discontinue treatment, effectively trapping Hector's sound mind in his unhealed body. Hector is reliant on a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In seasons 4 and 5, Lalo Salamanca comes to Albuquerque to oversee the Salamanca drug interests. He visits Hector, now residing at the Casa Tranquila nursing home, and gives him the front desk call bell Lalo saved as a souvenir after Hector killed a hotelier and burned down the building. Hector is able to communicate by ringing the bell, which is tied to his wheelchair. He confirms to Lalo that Gus is protected by the Cartel and enjoys the trust of Don Eladio, and Lalo realizes he will have to tread carefully if he opposes Gus. In Season 6, Lalo phones Hector after surviving an assassination attempt planned by Gus. Lalo implicates Gus and tells Hector to continue acting as if Lalo is dead so Lalo can obtain proof of Gus' disloyalty to the cartel. Gus and Juan swear vengeance on the man who took Lalo's life, and Hector pretends to be grateful, but his demeanor convinces Gus that Lalo is still alive. Nacho agrees to absolve Gus of blame for the attack on Lalo. After claiming he killed Lalo while working for a rival drug family, Nacho admits to Hector that he caused Hector's stroke, but that Gus saved him. Nacho then commits suicide and an enraged Hector responds by firing bullets into Nacho's corpse. After surmising that Hector's phone calls are monitored by Gus, Lalo calls to say he will attack Gus and his men at Gus' laundry that night. This ruse caused Mike to shift his security teams away from targets considered less important to Lalo, which enables Lalo to approach Jimmy and Kim unobserved. Following Lalo's actual death, Hector dictates a letter through the Cousins to Don Eladio revealing Lalo's survival and correctly accusing Gus of having killed him during Lalo's attempt to gather evidence against him. However, after hearing the evidence pointing to Lalo's death in the failed attempt on his life, Don Eladio dismisses Hector's accusations and sends a furious Hector to bed. By the time of ''Breaking Bad'', Tuco is out of prison and has brought Hector to live with him. In the season 2 premiere, Tuco kidnaps Walt and Jesse and brings them to the decrepit shack where Hector is also located. Walt attempts to poison Tuco's food with a baggie of meth contaminated with ricin, but Hector saves him by knocking the food onto the floor. After killing Tuco in a shootout, Hank Schrader takes Hector in for questioning. Hector refuses to cooperate and defecates in his pants, much to the disgust of everyone in the interrogation room. Afterwards, he is sent back to Casa Tranquila. In season 3, the Cousins sneak into the U.S. to avenge Tuco by killing Walt. Mike and Gus intervene and the Cousins bring Hector to a meeting with Gus. Gus convinces them to postpone the murder by telling them Walt is invaluable to the cartel's methamphetamine operations, but that they are free to kill him once he has served his purpose. In season 4, Gus makes periodic visits to the nursing home to gloat about the deaths of Hector's family members and the expansion of Gus' drug territory, which comes at the Salamancas' expense. Gus repeatedly demands that Hector look at him so that Gus can gloat, but Hector refuses. In the season finale, Walt convinces Hector to lure Gus into a trap, reasoning that as much as Hector despises Walt, he hates Gus even more. Hector meets with Hank Schrader under the guise of becoming an informant, but insults Hank rather than giving him information, and is promptly ejected. Tyrus spots Hector leaving the DEA office and alerts Gus. Gus and Tyrus visit Hector in the nursing home, intending to kill him. Gus again orders Hector to look at him. When a sorrowful-looking Hector finally looks at Gus, Gus prepares to administer a lethal injection, but Hector's facial expression changes to wrath as he repeatedly rings his bell. Gus realizes the bell is rigged to detonate a bomb under Hector's wheelchair and tries to run, but is caught in the explosion. Hector and Tyrus are instantly killed, while Gus dies a few moments after leaving the room.


Tuco Salamanca

Tuco Salamanca (played by
Raymond Cruz Raymond Cruz (born July 9, 1961) is an American actor, best known for his starring role as Detective Julio Sanchez in the series '' The Closer'' and its spinoff '' Major Crimes'', as well as his recurring role as drug lord Tuco Salamanca in ...
) is a psychotic Mexican drug kingpin, and nephew to
Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
. He is unpredictable and prone to violent outbursts which are often amplified by his drug use. In flashbacks during ''Breaking Bad'', it is shown that when they were children, Hector often meted out harsh punishments to Tuco, Leonel, and Marco. When first introduced in ''Better Call Saul'', Tuco is second-in-command of the Salamanca drug family in Albuquerque under Hector. Tuco and his grandmother are inadvertently targeted for a con by Jimmy and two skateboarders. Tuco and Nacho take Jimmy and the skateboarders out to the desert to kill them but Jimmy pleads for their release. Tuco eventually gives in, breaking one leg of each of the skateboarders as a warning and letting them go, though Nacho recognizes Jimmy as a shrewd lawyer. Later, Nacho recognizes Tuco's behavior within the Salamanca organization has become more erratic. Having seen how Mike operates, Nacho asks Mike to kill Tuco, but Mike suggests an alternate plan: he creates a situation in which Tuco beats him while in view of the police, resulting in Tuco being charged with assault with a deadly weapon because he was carrying a gun. Hector convinces Mike to claim the gun was his so that Tuco will receive a shorter sentence. While in prison, Tuco stabs another inmate and injures a corrections officer, adding more time to his sentence. At the end of season five, approximately four years before the ''Breaking Bad'' events, Lalo tells Hector that Tuco has roughly a year left on his sentence. At the start of events of ''Breaking Bad'', Tuco is one of the first major drug dealers that Walt and Jesse approach to sell their product. After Walt and Jesse witness him brutally assault and murder one of his henchmen, they plan to poison him by coating their next delivery of meth with
ricin Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ''Ricinus communis''. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body ...
. The
Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...
(DEA) raids Tuco's headquarters before they can execute their plan. Tuco then carjacks Jesse and kidnaps him and Walt, suspecting
Gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...
reported the murder to the authorities. Tuco forces Walt and Jesse into Jesse's trunk, and drives to the remote desert house of his uncle,
Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
, who cannot walk or speak due to a previous stroke. He reveals that his cousins Leonel and Marco are coming to the house to take them all to Mexico, where Walt will cook his blue meth for the cartel. Thinking Hector is unaware of his surroundings, Walt sprinkles Tuco's food with ricin while Tuco is not looking, but Hector foils the plan. Tuco realizes what Walt intended and attacks Jesse while threatening to kill him with an
M16 rifle The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
. During the ensuing scuffle, Jesse shoots Tuco in the abdomen.
Hank Hank is a male given name. It may have been inspired by the Dutch name Henk,The Origins of 10 Nicknam ...
arrives, having followed the
LoJack LoJack is a stolen vehicle recovery and IoT connected car system that utilizes GPS and cellular technology to locate users' vehicles, view trip history, see battery levels, track speeding, and maintain vehicle health via a native app. Prior to se ...
signal of Jesse's car in the belief that Jesse is selling
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
to Walt. Walt and Jesse hide nearby and see Tuco stagger to Jesse's car, recover his rifle, and fire at Hank. Hank returns fire with a
Glock Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...
pistol and kills Tuco. Hank's DEA colleagues present him a paperweight embedded with Tuco's grill as a trophy, which he initially prizes but later throws into a river in disgust.


Leonel and Marco Salamanca

Leonel and Marco Salamanca (played by
Daniel and Luis Moncada Daniel and Luis Moncada are Honduran-American actors and brothers known for their role as "The Cousins" Leonel and Marco Salamanca on the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2010) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2016; 2018–2022) ...
), referred to as "The Cousins" or "The Twins", are twin brothers and prolific hitmen for Don Eladio's drug cartel. As children, the Cousins were raised by their uncle Hector Salamanca along with their cousin Tuco. Hector once tested them when he stopped a boyhood fight by nearly drowning Marco, which forced Leonel to hit Hector to make him release his grip. After Marco caught his breath, Hector reinforced the lesson that "family is all." By the time of events in ''Better Call Saul'' and ''Breaking Bad'', they have become deadly enforcers. Their austere, mechanical physicality and virtually non-verbal interaction makes them a fearsome presence and they kill without hesitation or emotion. In ''Better Call Saul'', the Cousins serve as Hector's enforcers. They are first shown threatening Mike's granddaughter Kaylee when Mike refuses to recant his testimony against Tuco. When Mike is waiting to shoot Hector from a hilltop with a sniper rifle, he sees the twins shoot and kill the Salamanca's ice cream truck driver and drug smuggler Ximenez Lecerda, whom Mike had robbed a few days earlier. When Hector has a stroke as a result of taking placebo medication that Nacho had planted instead of his nitroglycerin pills for his heart condition, the Cousins quickly arrive to watch over Hector at the hospital and refuse to leave his side. Gus, who has a vested interest in deciding Hector's fate as revenge for Max, arranges for a skilled therapist fluent in Spanish to see to Hector's recovery and explain his health to the Cousins. Gus learns what Nacho did with the pills and forces him to become his mole by murdering Arturo in front of him. Gus' men then stage a drive-by shooting to explain Arturo's death, and critically wound Nacho to make the ruse more plausible. Nacho calls the Cousins for help, who come to destroy the evidence, take Nacho to Dr. Caldera for immediate help, and then attack the headquarters of the rival drug gang to recover the "stolen" drugs that Gus had planted there. As their activities have drawn police attention, the Cousins return to Mexico. This gives Gus the opportunity to dismiss the therapist and leave Hector in a state where he can only move his eyes and his right index finger. In addition, the Cousins' slaughter of the gang gives Gus the opportunity to take over the gang's territory for himself. Lalo later has the Cousins bring his bail money to the border for Jimmy McGill to collect and deliver to him with the Cousins leaving an extra $100,000 as Jimmy's payment. After getting bailed out, Lalo initially plans to have the Cousins pick him up, but later changes his mind and has Nacho drive him to Mexico instead. Lalo survives an assassination attempt plotted by Gus (and aided by Nacho) and fakes his own death, leaving the Cousins to discover a decoy body in his home which they believe to be Lalo. The Cousins lead a manhunt for Nacho, but he evades their capture. In ''Breaking Bad'', it is revealed (in the episode " I.F.T.") that the Cousins were responsible for the death of the DEA informant Tortuga in the episode "
Negro y Azul "Negro y Azul" (Spanish for ''"Black and Blue"'') is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television drama series '' Breaking Bad''. It was written by John Shiban and directed by Felix Alcala. Plot summary The episode opens ...
". They had decapitated him by
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and attached his head to a tortoise as part of a bomb which inflicted casualties on several DEA agents. In the third season, following the shooting death of their cousin Tuco, the cartel sends the Cousins to New Mexico to find Tuco's killer. En route to being smuggled into the US, they hide with other undocumented immigrants in the back of a hay truck, and shoot and kill the entire group when one recognizes them by their silver skull boot tips. After Hector tells them about Walter, the cousins quickly track him to his house and are waiting inside to kill him when Mike informs Victor of their presence. Victor tells Gus, who contacts the cousins telling them to abort, so they leave without Walter knowing they have been there. Although Gus gives them permission to kill Walter after Gus's partnership with him ends three months later, Gus is warned that the Cousins will probably ignore the arrangement. Mike later finds a chalk drawing of a scythe outside Walt's house, which he believes the Cousins have left to send the message that their murder of Walt is imminent. Gus redirects the Cousins by telling them that Hank shot and killed Tuco, and he tells them they have his permission to kill Hank even though the cartel refrains from killing law enforcement officers, because that would draw undue attention to their activities. Leonel and Marco move to kill Hank, but Gus anonymously warns Hank just before the confrontation. Aware of the threat, Hank sees Leonel advancing on him and backs his car up quickly, trapping Leonel between his car and another, which crushes Leonel's legs. Marco opens fire on Hank, who escapes out the passenger side door and crawls away. Marco strides after Hank, shooting and killing a passerby who surprises him, while another bystander escapes the same fate when Marco stops to reload. Hank then surprises Marco from behind and shoots him in the chest four times, but all four bullets are stopped by Marco's
bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. T ...
. Marco shoots Hank twice in the chest and abdomen, but rather than finish him off with another shot, Marco returns to his car for an axe. Hank takes advantage of the pause to load Leonel's empty gun with a
hollow-point upright=0.2, Cross-section of a hollow-point bullet; proportions are those of a .22 Long Rifle cartridge Jacketed soft point (JSP) round. Right: Jacketed hollow-point (JHP) round. JSP is a semi-jacketed round as the jacket does not extend to ...
round that Marco had dropped next to him. When Marco re-approaches Hank, Hank kills him with a shot to the head. To silence Leonel while he is in the hospital following his leg amputation, Gus distracts the police assigned to the security detail by bringing them food from
Los Pollos Hermanos Los Pollos Hermanos (; Spanish for The Chicken Brothers) is a fictional fast food restaurant chain specializing in chicken that was featured in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul''. In the fictional u ...
, giving Mike the opportunity to sneak into Leonel's room and administer a lethal injection. Leonel dies, and Mike quietly disposes of the syringe he used, unnoticed by the police officers nearby.


Arturo Colon

Arturo Colon (played by Vincent Fuentes) is one of Hector Salamanca's enforcers who usually works alongside
Nacho Varga Ignacio "Nacho" Varga is a fictional character who appears in the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a prequel spin-off of '' Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Michael Mando and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Dialogue ...
. Arturo is sent to intimidate Mike into recanting his testimony against Tuco, but is overpowered by Mike. Arturo later attempts to strong-arm Gus' men into providing the Salamancas an extra kilo of cocaine during a pick up, as he had seen Nacho do on a previous occasion. After Gus discovers Nacho's role in causing Hector's stroke, he forces Nacho to become his mole by murdering Arturo in front of him. Gus' men stage Arturo's death as an attack committed by a rival gang, and wound Nacho to make the ruse more convincing.


Gaff

Gaff (played by
Maurice Compte Maurice Compte (; born in 1969) is an American actor known for his roles as Gaff in ''Breaking Bad'', Santiago "Big Evil" Flores in ''End of Watch'', and as Colonel Carrillo in '' Narcos''. Early life Born and raised in New Orleans, Compte is ...
) is a member of Don Eladio's drug cartel. He is first seen coordinating the hijacking of a
Los Pollos Hermanos Los Pollos Hermanos (; Spanish for The Chicken Brothers) is a fictional fast food restaurant chain specializing in chicken that was featured in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul''. In the fictional u ...
truck that is transporting drugs and killing the guards inside by filling it with engine exhaust fumes. Gaff serves as the cartel's representative in a sitdown with Gus, where he rejects Gus's offer of $50 million to cut all ties and informs Gus there will be no negotiation, only an ultimatum to deliver the formula for the blue methamphetamine. Later, Gaff shoots and kills one of Gus's men with a sniper rifle at the chicken farm but stops shooting when Gus presents himself as a target and agrees to negotiate with Eladio. Gaff is present when the cartel is poisoned; Mike garrotes him as he checks on the ill Eladio. His name is a reference to
Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in ''Miami Vice'' (1984–1989), ''American Me'' (1992) (which he also dir ...
' character in the 1982 film ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
''.


Gonzo

Gonzo (played by Jesus Payan Jr.) is Tuco Salamanca's brother-in-law and one of his lieutenants. He dies while moving No Doze's body from under a stack of cars in a junkyard; the stack shifts and catches his arm under it, partially severing it and causing him to bleed to death. When Walter and Jesse learn he is dead, they incorrectly assume that Tuco is killing any witnesses to No Doze's murder, and fear for their own lives. Later, when Tuco finds Gonzo is not returning his calls, he falsely believes Gonzo is working as a police
informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
.


No Doze

No Doze (played by Cesar Garcia) is one of the head lieutenants in Tuco's drug organization. Tuco beats him to death for telling Walter and Jesse "Just remember who you're working for", which Tuco takes as an insult to his intelligence and an encroachment on his authority.


Tortuga

Tortuga (played by
Danny Trejo Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including ''Desperado'', ''Heat'', and the ''From Dusk Till Dawn'' film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed ...
) is an
informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
for the DEA in El Paso on the inner workings of the Mexican cartels. Cartel operatives cut off his head and place it atop a tortoise (''tortuga'' is Spanish for "tortoise") with "HOLA DEA" ("Hello DEA") written across its shell. A hidden bomb in the head then explodes, killing the tortoise and a DEA agent, and severely injuring several of the DEA agents and Mexican policemen on the scene. Hank is physically unharmed as he was far enough from the explosion, but later develops
post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
. It is later revealed that Tortuga was beheaded with a
machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...
by Tuco's cousins
Leonel and Marco Salamanca ''Breaking Bad (franchise), Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama Media franchise, franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, '' ...
under
Juan Bolsa ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its se ...
's direct order.


Ximenez Lecerda

Ximenez Lecerda (played by Manuel Uriza) drives a truck that delivers supplies for Hector Salamanca's ice cream store, in which he smuggles cocaine from Mexico and carries cash back to the cartel. When Mike decides to disrupt Hector's drug business, he surveils the ice cream shop and a mechanic's garage. The sound of the truck's tires being cut at the garage provides Mike with an understanding of how the smuggling routine works. On Ximenez's next trip to Mexico, Mike uses a homemade spike strip to flatten the truck's tires, then ties up and blindfolds Ximenez. Mike then cuts open a tire and steals the $250,000 hidden inside. Mike intended for a Good Samaritan to free Xinemez, but when a passerby stopped to help, Ximenez called Hector. Hector then dispatched a crew to the location to kill the Good Samaritan and clean up the scene. Nacho informs Mike that he has orders to bring Ximenez to Hector for interrogation about whether he participated in the robbery. Mike intends to kill Hector and procures a black market sniper rifle. Through the scope, Mike sees Leonel and Marco kill Ximenez. Shortly afterwards, Mike is dissuaded from firing at Hector.


Independent drug traders


Declan

Declan (played by
Louis Ferreira Louis Ferreira (born Luís Ferreira; born 20 February 1966) is a Canadian actor. Ferreira is known for his roles in ''Stargate Universe'' as Colonel Everett Young, serial killer Ray Prager in the first season of '' Durham County'', FBI Assistant ...
) is a meth dealer who operates in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. Mike Ehrmantraut attempts to sell Declan the methylamine stolen in the train robbery, but Walter White suggests that Declan buy out Mike Ehrmantraut and Jesse Pinkman, then take over distribution of Walter White's methamphetamine in return for 35% of revenue, revealing that he is Heisenberg, the mysterious meth cooker whose product is renowned for its exceptional purity. After Walter White stops producing methamphetamine, Lydia Rodarte-Quayle's customers express dissatisfaction with the product, so Lydia Rodarte-Quayle tries to convince Declan to replace his meth cook with Todd Alquist. Declan refuses, so Lydia Rodarte-Quayle arranges for Jack Welker's gang to kill Declan's whole crew, take the remaining methylamine, and continue production with Todd Alquist as the cook.


Emilio Koyama

Emilio Koyama (played by John Koyama) is Jesse's former partner in the meth business and Krazy 8's cousin. According to Jesse, they met when they were still in elementary school. In the "Pilot" episode, Emilio is arrested during a DEA raid on a house (at which Walter is present during a "ride along" with Hank) in which the DEA is looking for a meth supplier who goes by the street name "Captain Cook" (Jesse himself). As Jesse proposes Krazy-8 to manage the distribution of the superior quality methamphetamine he produced with his new partner, he realized that Emilio made bail. Suspicious that Jesse ratted him out to the police (although it is later revealed Krazy-8 was in fact a DEA informant), Emilio and Krazy-8 force Jesse to lead them to his new partner. Emilio recognizes Walter from the time of his arrest and suggests killing both Walter and Jesse. Walter convinces them to spare their lives if he teaches them his meth formula. While the three are in the RV, Walt deliberately causes a chemical explosion and flees, trapping Emilio and Krazy-8 inside the RV with deadly
phosphine Phosphine (IUPAC name: phosphane) is a colorless, flammable, highly toxic compound with the chemical formula , classed as a pnictogen hydride. Pure phosphine is odorless, but technical grade samples have a highly unpleasant odor like rotting ...
gas. Emilio dies and Jesse subsequently disposes of his body by dissolving it in
hydrofluoric acid Hydrofluoric acid is a Solution (chemistry), solution of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in water. Solutions of HF are colourless, acidic and highly Corrosive substance, corrosive. It is used to make most fluorine-containing compounds; examples include th ...
, albeit disastrously as it also dissolves Jesse's bathtub and the floor below. In "
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
," Jesse mentions that
Saul Goodman James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his trade name, business name Saul Goodman, is a character (arts), character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad (franchi ...
got Emilio out of serious legal trouble twice as proof of why he and Walt should hire Saul to help Badger. In ''
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
''s "
Waterworks Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...
", Emilio visits Saul Goodman's office in 2004 for legal help just as
Kim Wexler Kimberly Kim Wexler is a fictional Character (arts), character from the television series ''Better Call Saul'', a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Breaking Bad''. Kim is primarily portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, and was created by Vince Gilligan and P ...
is leaving after she and Saul sign their divorce papers.


Krazy-8

Domingo Gallardo "Krazy-8" Molina (played by
Maximino Arciniega Maximino Arciniega Jr. is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Domingo Gallardo "Krazy-8" Molina in the crime drama television series '' Breaking Bad'' and it's spin-off/ prequel ''Better Call Saul''. A native of the Northw ...
) is a meth distributor associated with his cousin
Emilio Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (dis ...
and
Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...
and is the main antagonist of the first half of Season One. Unknown to Walter and Jesse, Krazy-8 is an APD informant, who acquires the customers of the dealers he rats out. Krazy-8 becomes suspicious of Jesse when Jesse attempts to sell him a new product after Emilio's arrest, and Krazy-8 forces Jesse to take him to Jesse's new partner. Krazy-8 and Emilio suspect Walter is involved with law enforcement and appear intent on killing him until Walter offers to teach Krazy-8 his drug formula. While mixing chemicals, Walter creates a small explosion that produces
phosphine Phosphine (IUPAC name: phosphane) is a colorless, flammable, highly toxic compound with the chemical formula , classed as a pnictogen hydride. Pure phosphine is odorless, but technical grade samples have a highly unpleasant odor like rotting ...
gas which appears to kill both Emilio and Krazy-8. Emilio dies, but Krazy-8 regains consciousness, prompting Jesse and Walt to imprison him in Jesse's basement for several days as they ponder what to do with him. Walt begins to bond with Krazy-8, who has regained his health, feeding him and sharing beers, and attempts to rationalize freeing him, but strangles him with a bicycle lock upon realizing that Krazy-8 plans to attack him with a concealed piece of a broken crockery. Later in the episode, it is implied that Walter disposed of Krazy-8's body with
hydrofluoric acid Hydrofluoric acid is a Solution (chemistry), solution of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in water. Solutions of HF are colourless, acidic and highly Corrosive substance, corrosive. It is used to make most fluorine-containing compounds; examples include th ...
in the same manner as Emilio's. From that point on, throughout the series, Walt makes sandwiches without bread crusts, adopting Krazy-8's manner of eating sandwiches. Following the discovery of his car in the desert, it is revealed by Hank Schrader and Steven Gomez that Krazy-8 is actually the informant who had led them to Emilio and Jesse's lab in the first place during the ride along that had triggered Walt's interest in the drug trade. The discovery of a sample of Walt's meth hidden in Krazy-8's car alerts them to the existence of new players in town. In season two, Hank states that Tuco Salamanca is suspected of murdering Krazy-8, but Gomez states that they could not prove it. Krazy-8 also appears in ''Better Call Saul'' as part of the Salamanca drug ring. Initially one of the dealers, he takes on a lieutenant role under Nacho after Hector Salamanca has a stroke and becomes paralyzed, and continues in this position when Lalo Salamanca arrives from Mexico to oversee operations. Lalo is the one to nickname Domingo "Ocho Loco" (Spanish for "Crazy Eight") based on his misplaying of a hand during a poker game. Krazy-8 is arrested when one of the Salamanca drug houses is discovered by the local police, leading Nacho to seek Jimmy McGill's legal services to help free him. Jimmy, as Saul Goodman, creates a ploy that draws Hank to see Domingo, and through Saul's machinations, secures Domingo's release by assuring that he will be Hank's confidential informant. Lalo subsequently uses Krazy-8 to sabotage
Gus Fring Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel ''Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwester ...
's rival drug operations until Mike gets Lalo arrested for murder.


Jack Welker

Jack Welker (played by Michael Bowen) is Todd Alquist's uncle and the leader of a
Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
gang. Walter pays Jack to kill Mike's crew after they are arrested, because Walt fears they can identify him as a member of Gus' operation and may enter into plea bargains since the DEA has stopped the payments Gus had arranged for their families. Jack's gang kills nine of Mike's men and their lawyer Dan Wachsberger in three prisons, within two minutes, which prevents any of them from warning the others or law enforcement authorities from adding extra protection. Jack also heads his gang's massacre of Declan's at Lydia's behest after Declan refuses Lydia's request to replace his shoddy meth cook with Todd. Jack and his crew are later hired by Walt to kill Jesse in exchange for teaching Todd to cook meth one more time. When Walt is lured to the money's location by Jesse, he calls Jack's crew for help, but calls it off when he sees Hank and Gomez are with Jesse. Nonetheless, Jack and his crew arrive and engage in a shootout with Hank and Gomez. Following the shootout, in which Gomez is killed, Jack murders Hank and abducts Jesse (initially to kill him, then to force him to work as an enslaved meth cook). Jack then orders the gang to dig up Walt's barrels of money (containing approximately $80 million), but at Todd's behest he leaves Walt alive with one barrel (about $11 million). Several months later, Walt arrives at his hideout and remotely activates an M60 machine gun, the massive bullet spray kills Jack's entire gang except for Jack and Todd. An enraged Jesse strangles Todd with the chain that connects his shackles. A wounded Jack offers to trade the money he took from Walt for his life, but Walt coldly shoots him in mid-sentence, in the same manner that Jack shot Hank.


Kenny

Kenny ( Kevin Rankin) is Jack's second-in-command. He is killed by Walter White's M60 machine gun trap. Kenny later reappears in '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'' harassing the imprisoned Jesse alongside Neil Kandy.


Jesse's friends and family


Andrea Cantillo

Andrea Cantillo (played by
Emily Rios Emily Clara Rios (born April 27, 1989) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Andrea Cantillo on the AMC series ''Breaking Bad''. In 2013 she began portraying newspaper reporter Adriana Mendez on the FX series ''The ...
) is a love interest of Jesse Pinkman's. She is a recovering
meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...
addict and single mother to a young son named Brock (played by Ian Posada). Jesse meets her at a drug addicts' support group meeting and initially tries to get her to relapse so she will become a customer of his, but he reverses course when he learns she has a young son to care for. He engages in a romantic relationship with her, but ends it when he discovers that the 11-year-old boy who killed his friend "Combo" is her younger brother Tomas Cantillo (played by Angelo Martinez). After the break-up, she confronts Jesse at his home about a large sum of money he had left for her at her home. He tells her the money is for her to move out of her bad neighborhood and to help raise her son. Saul continues to deliver money to her, in her new home, on Jesse's behalf. In Season 4, she and Jesse reunite. When Brock is poisoned, Jesse rushes to the hospital and stays there until the doctors notify him that Brock will survive. In Season 5, Walt manipulates Jesse into leaving her, by advising Jesse that he would have to be honest with her about all the crimes he has committed. While Jesse does send them off again, he continues providing for them financially. Later in the season, Andrea is again contacted by Walt in a failed attempt to lure Jesse out of DEA protection. Walter assigns
Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
to watch over the house in case Jesse makes an appearance. Subsequently, Jack uses her as leverage against Jesse, who is kept prisoner by him and his team to cook meth for them. After Jesse attempts to escape from Jack's gang,
Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...
shoots and kills Andrea while Jesse is forced to watch.


Brock Cantillo

Brock Cantillo (played by Ian Posada) is
Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...
's eight-year-old son. Andrea is a recovering
meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...
addict and single mother. Jesse meets her at a drug addicts'
twelve-step program Twelve-step programs are international mutual aid programs supporting recovery from substance addictions, behavioral addictions and compulsions. Developed in the 1930s, the first twelve-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), aided its members ...
meeting and initially tries to get her to relapse, so she will become his customer, but he reverses course when he meets Brock and realizes she has a young son to care for. Jesse engages in a romantic relationship with Andrea, but ends it when he discovers that the 11-year-old boy who killed his friend "Combo" is her younger brother Tomas Cantillo (played by Angelo Martinez); however, Jesse continues to offer financial support to Andrea and Brock. In Season 4, Andrea and Jesse reunite. When Brock gets sick, Jesse rushes to the hospital, and warns the doctors about a possible ricin poisoning, then stays there until the doctors notify him that Brock will survive (it turns out that the boy was indeed poisoned, although not with ricin but with
lily of the valley Lily of the valley (''Convallaria majalis'' (), sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate No ...
; still, this timely warning put them on the right track). Jesse fears Brock was poisoned by a
ricin Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ''Ricinus communis''. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body ...
cigarette Jesse was carrying. Walt tries to convince Jesse that
Gus Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, or Augustus, and other names (e.g. Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Ghassan, Gustav, Gustave, Gustafson, Gustavo, Gussie). It can also be used as the adaptation into English of ...
poisoned Brock. This manipulation by Walt renews Jesse's loyalty to him rather than to Gus. In the final season's episode " Confessions" Jesse suddenly changes his mind about leaving town and assuming a new identity when he realizes Walt poisoned Brock. Jesse then rushes to Walt's house and attempts to burn it down, but is intercepted by
Hank Hank is a male given name. It may have been inspired by the Dutch name Henk,The Origins of 10 Nicknam ...
. Subsequently, Brock and Andrea are used as leverage against Jesse, who is kept prisoner by
Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...
and Jack's gang to cook meth for them. After Jesse attempts to escape, Todd shoots and kills Andrea while Jesse is forced to watch; Jesse is threatened with Brock's death if he attempts to escape again. In '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', Jesse prepares to leave for a new life in
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
and gives Ed a letter for Brock, who is the only person to whom he wants to say goodbye. After reading it, Ed promises to mail it from
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
the following month, ensuring that Brock will get it and that it cannot be traced to Jesse in Alaska.


Jane Margolis

Jane Margolis (played by
Krysten Ritter Krysten Alyce Ritter (born December 16, 1981) is an American actress and model. She came to prominence when she appeared as Jane Margolis in the AMC drama series '' Breaking Bad'' (2009–2010) and its spinoff film '' El Camino'' (2019). She the ...
) is Jesse's attractive neighbor, landlady, and lover. She is a prolific
drafter A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for m ...
, a skill that she has used to become a tattoo artist despite not having any tattoos. She is also a recovering drug addict. She discovers that Jesse also has a past interest in drawing, and they become intrigued by each other. They quickly become a couple, and she relapses into drug addiction, introducing Jesse to heroin. She later phones Walt and successfully threatens to expose him if he refuses to give Jesse his share of money from a major methamphetamine deal with
Gus Fring Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel ''Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwester ...
, a deal that Jesse's drug use had nearly ruined. After Walt drops off Jesse's cut of nearly half a million dollars at his duplex, she and Jesse discuss running away together to New Zealand to start new lives. They go into Jesse's bedroom and see the heroin, but instead of throwing it away as they had promised themselves earlier, they get high and fall asleep. That night, Walt returns to the apartment and finds the drugged-out couple unconscious in bed. In the process of trying to wake Jesse from his stupor, Walt accidentally turns Jane onto her back. She begins to vomit while asleep, and Walt silently stands at the bedside watching her choke and then
asphyxiate Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...
to death. Series creator Vince Gilligan explained Walt's motive for allowing Jane to die during a 2013 panel discussion about ''Breaking Bad'' at the
Film at Lincoln Center Film at Lincoln Center, previously known as the Film Society of Lincoln Center until 2019,Aridi, Sara (April 28, 2019).. ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019. is a film society based in New York City, United States. Fo ...
, stating that Walt was afraid Jane's bad influence would lead Jesse to an early death from heroin overdose. Jane's death leads to significant repercussions throughout the rest of the series, and is largely responsible for Jesse's downward spiral in the first half of the third season, as well as her father
Donald Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...
's deep depression which affects him to the point that he fails in his duties as an air-traffic controller and causes a midair collision between a 737 and a King Air 350 ("
ABQ ABC Television in Brisbane comprises national programming on the ABC television network in or from Brisbane, Queensland which broadcasts on a number of channels under the ABC call sign. There is some local programming from the Brisbane studio ...
"). In the episode "
Fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
", while under the influence of sleeping pills, Walt is tormented by his guilt over his inaction the night of Jane's death; he reveals to Jesse that on the same night she died, he unknowingly met her father in a bar (realizing it was him only after seeing him on the news following the plane crash), and questions the statistical improbability of that sequence of events, but stops shy of revealing his involvement. Walt finally reveals the full extent of his role in Jane's death to Jesse in the series' ante-penultimate episode, "
Ozymandias "Ozymandias" ( ) is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of '' The Examiner'' of London. The poem was included the following year in Shelley's co ...
", as a final blow after he ordered Jack to kill him, deeming him responsible for Hank's death and the loss of his fortune. Jane appears in a flashback in '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', reminding Jesse that sometimes the universe takes people towards bad places, and despite her freespirited nature she considers it better to make life's important decisions by yourself.


Brandon Mayhew

Brandon "Badger" Mayhew (played by
Matt L. Jones Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
) is
Jesse Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ( ...
's friend. Despite being on probation, Badger still uses drugs. He had a job as a street advertising mascot for an Albuquerque bank. During Season 1, Badger leaves the job to cook crystal meth with Jesse. Disagreements soon occur and they bitterly part ways. In Season 2, Badger and Jesse reconcile, and Badger helps clear the meth lab from Jesse's basement, then assists in hiding Jesse's RV, which previously contained the meth lab. Walt and Jesse later employ Badger to sell their product, but he is quickly arrested. Once released, Badger flees to California. After Badger returns to New Mexico, Jesse persuades him to start selling meth again. Badger later attends
Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subst ...
meetings with
Skinny Pete ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...
, where they intend to find new buyers by informing a group of recovering drug addicts that "Blue Sky" (
Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt Bel ...
and Jesse's product) is again available. Badger and Pete begin to find the meetings helpful and continue to attend regularly. Badger helps Jesse several more times, and is in attendance at Jesse's house party, which lasts several days. He is also the lead singer for TwaüghtHammër, the band in which he plays with Jesse. Badger is a science fiction fan and discusses at length his idea for a ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' script in the episode "
Blood Money Blood money may refer to: * Blood money (restitution), money paid to the family of a murder victim Films * Blood Money (1917 film), ''Blood Money'' (1917 film), a film starring Harry Carey * Blood Money (1921 film), ''Blood Money'' (1921 film ...
." He and Pete help Walt threaten the Schwartzes in the series finale, " Felina", by holding laser pointers to imitate the laser sights of
sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
s. The ruse enables Walt to compel the Schwartzes to use Walt's remaining money to establish a trust for Walter Jr. Badger and Skinny Pete appear in ''El Camino'', helping Jesse hide for the night after he flees Jack's compound in Todd's El Camino and distracting police to give Jesse time to get away. As part of Pete's plan to aid Jesse, Pete stays at home and waits for police to respond to the El Camino's
LoJack LoJack is a stolen vehicle recovery and IoT connected car system that utilizes GPS and cellular technology to locate users' vehicles, view trip history, see battery levels, track speeding, and maintain vehicle health via a native app. Prior to se ...
so he can tell them he traded his
Thunderbird Thunderbird, thunder bird or thunderbirds may refer to: * Thunderbird (mythology), a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture * Ford Thunderbird, a car Birds * Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds ...
to Jesse for the El Camino. Badger drives Pete's Thunderbird several hours south of Albuquerque to make it appear that Jesse fled to Mexico. Jesse leaves Badger and Pete's house in Badger's
Pontiac Fiero The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engine sports car manufactured and marketed by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac for model years 1984-1988. Designed by George Milidrag and Hulki Aldikacti as a sports car, it was the first two-seater Pontiac (automobile) ...
. After saying goodbye to Badger and Pete, Jesse continues to drive Badger's Fiero until he leaves Albuquerque with Ed to start his new life in
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. As later revealed by Francesca Liddy in ''Better Call Saul's'' "
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
," Skinny Pete and Badger's plan worked and the authorities later found the car by the Mexico border and as a result, they believe that Jesse has fled to Mexico.


Skinny Pete

Skinny Pete (played by Charles Baker) is Jesse's friend. He served time in prison with Tuco and introduces Jesse to him. Jesse recruits Pete to deal meth, although Pete is on probation. When Pete is mugged by two addicts, Jesse is forced to get the money and product back. After Badger is arrested and Combo is killed, Pete quits dealing for Jesse, fearing being sent back to prison and for his own safety. He decides to sell meth for Jesse again, albeit on a smaller scale. He attends
Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subst ...
meetings with Badger. After following the program together and staying clean, they relapse when Jesse tempts them with meth. After a few days of heavy meth use they leave Jesse's house. In the
Season 5 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
episode "
Hazard Pay "Hazard Pay" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series '' Breaking Bad'', and the 49th overall episode of the series. Written by Peter Gould and directed by Adam Bernstein, it originally aired on AMC in the ...
," Pete is shown to be a talented pianist as he plays a small section of C.P.E. Bach's ''
Solfeggietto Solfeggietto (H 220, Wq. 117: 2) is a short solo keyboard piece in C minor composed in 1766 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. According to , the work is correctly called ''Solfeggio'', although the ''Solfeggietto'' title is widely used today. Owens ...
'' at a music store. He is also seen in the mid-season premiere "
Blood Money Blood money may refer to: * Blood money (restitution), money paid to the family of a murder victim Films * Blood Money (1917 film), ''Blood Money'' (1917 film), a film starring Harry Carey * Blood Money (1921 film), ''Blood Money'' (1921 film ...
," hanging out at Jesse's house and listening to Badger's ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' script. Pete is seen briefly in the series finale, when Walt compels Gretchen and Elliot to use his remaining money to establish a trust for Walter Jr. and Badger and Pete to use
laser pointer A laser pointer or laser pen is a small handheld device with a power source (usually a battery) and a laser diode emitting a very narrow coherent low-powered laser beam of visible light, intended to be used to highlight something of interest by ...
s to make them believe
hitmen Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
will kill them if they do not comply. Pete and Badger also inform Walt that his trademark blue meth is still circulating, which Walt realizes means Jesse is still alive. In ''El Camino'', Pete and Badger give Jesse a place to sleep after he flees from Jack's compound in Todd's El Camino. The following morning, Pete devises a plan to help Jesse evade police. Badger and Pete give Jesse the money Walt paid them for their role in coercing Gretchen and Elliot. Pete stays with the El Camino and waits for police to respond to its Lojack so he can claim he obtained it by trading his Thunderbird to Jesse. Badger drives Pete's Thunderbird several hours south to make it appear Jesse fled to Mexico. Jesse departs Pete and Badger's house in Badger's Pontiac Fiero. Pete is last seen moving the El Camino to his driveway so it will be visible from the street when the police arrive. As later revealed by Francesca Liddy in ''Better Call Saul's'' "
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
," Skinny Pete and Badger's plan worked and the authorities later found the car by the Mexico border and as a result, they believe that Jesse has fled to Mexico. Before the release of ''El Camino'',
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
dropped a teaser trailer showing the DEA interrogating Pete about Jesse's whereabouts. Though it was not used in the film, several critics speculated after the premiere that the scene likely occurred after Jesse left Pete and Badger's house, which would make the trailer his final chronological appearance.


Christian Ortega

Christian "Combo" Ortega (played by Rodney Rush) is Jesse's friend and a dealer of his methamphetamine. He is also revealed to have been the one who originally owned the RV that Walt and Jesse cooked meth in, which Combo had sold to Jesse for $1,400 without his family's knowledge, which provides a big clue for Hank when tracking down "Heisenberg". He once got in legal trouble as a juvenile for stealing a Baby Jesus from a Nativity display, but was helped by
Kim Wexler Kimberly Kim Wexler is a fictional Character (arts), character from the television series ''Better Call Saul'', a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Breaking Bad''. Kim is primarily portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, and was created by Vince Gilligan and P ...
who served as his public defender. Combo is later killed in "
Mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
" when a rival drug group corners him while he is dealing methamphetamine on "foreign turf." Combo calls his friend Skinny Pete to report two men are "mad eyeballing" him. As he hangs up the phone, a kid on a bicycle shoots him several times, killing him on the street. Combo's death drives Jesse to spiral into drug addiction. Jesse eventually learns that the kid is Tomas Cantillo, the little brother of his new girlfriend Andrea and that Combo was murdered as part of a
gang initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
. Jesse subsequently seeks retribution upon the dealers for Combo's murder and the murder of Tomas, putting him at odds with Gus Fring.


Adam and Diane Pinkman

Adam Pinkman (played by Michael Bofshever) and Diane Pinkman (played by
Tess Harper Tessie Jean Harper (''née'' Washam; born August 15, 1950) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in 1983's ''Tender Mercies'', and for the Academy Award for Be ...
) are Jesse Pinkman's parents. Due to Jesse's drug abuse, they have a strained relationship with their son, kicking him out of his late aunt's house (where Jesse had been living after serving as his aunt's caretaker and friend) after discovering a makeshift meth lab in the basement. Adam and Diane renovate the home, preparing it for sale. Unbeknownst to them, Jesse works with Saul Goodman to reacquire the home. Claiming to represent an anonymous buyer, Saul presents an offer significantly under market value. Offended, the Pinkmans begin to leave the negotiating table. As they are leaving, Saul reveals he knows the home used to host a meth lab, which is not revealed as required in the property disclosures; he then informs them that not declaring this is an illegal act. Realizing that the home price will plummet and they may be sued, Adam and Diane Pinkman reluctantly accept Saul's offer. On the closing date, Jesse visits his parents at the newly renovated home. When Jesse heads to the front door, Diane tells Jesse that the house has been sold, and that he needs to leave, as the new owners will be stopping by shortly. When Jesse does not stop, a confused Mrs. Pinkman asks where he is going. Jesse reveals that he is the new owner. The Pinkmans appear in ''El Camino'', requesting in a news interview that Jesse turn himself in. Knowing his parents are probably being monitored by the police, Jesse calls, indicates a willingness to turn himself in, and asks them to pick him up. Before hanging up, Jesse tells his parents they did their best when raising him, and the life he has led and the problems he has caused are his fault, not theirs. After his parents leave, Jesse's call is revealed to be a ruse to draw them and police away from the house. Jesse enters unobserved and recovers two handguns from his parents' safe, a
Colt Woodsman The Colt Woodsman is a semi-automatic sporting pistol manufactured by the U.S.Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1915 to 1977. It was designed by John Moses Browning. The frame design changed over time, in three distinct series: series one being 1 ...
and an Iver Johnson Hammerless.


Jake Pinkman

Jake Pinkman (played by Ben Petry) is Jesse's younger, over-achieving brother. Jesse accepts the blame for a joint belonging to Jake, which results in Jesse being thrown out of his parents' house. After apologizing to his brother, Jake asks for his joint back; Jesse responds by crushing it on the sidewalk and informing his brother that the marijuana is of poor quality anyway. In ''El Camino'', when Jesse calls his parents he asks about Jake, and they tell Jesse that Jake is attending a band camp in London. When Jesse attempts to open his parents' safe, he correctly guesses that the combination corresponds to Jake's birthday.


Wendy

Wendy (portrayed by Julia Minesci) is a meth-addicted street prostitute, who associates with Jesse Pinkman and is featured in the online promotional material as one of Saul Goodman's clients (as "Wendy S."). In ''Better Call Saul'' ("
Hit and Run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...
"), Jimmy and
Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
hire her to help run a con against
Howard Hamlin Howard Hamlin is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off prequel of '' Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Patrick Fabian and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Hamlin i ...
. Wendy alerts Kim to a car following them, which Wendy believes to be undercover police; Kim later discovers that she and Jimmy are being monitored as part of
Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
and
Gus Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, or Augustus, and other names (e.g. Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Ghassan, Gustav, Gustave, Gustafson, Gustavo, Gussie). It can also be used as the adaptation into English of ...
's manhunt for
Lalo Salamanca Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca is a fictional character on the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a prequel of '' Breaking Bad''. Introduced in the fourth season, he is portrayed by Tony Dalton and was created by Peter Gould and screenwriter ...
. In ''Breaking Bad'' Wendy helps Jesse maintain an alibi and withstands an intense interrogation from Hank Schrader on Jesse's behalf. Recognizing her loyalty to him, Jesse tries to convince her to help him kill two drug dealers who convinced an 11-year-old boy to murder Combo on Gus's orders. She declines at first, fearing the repercussions, revealing that she has a son whom she needs to protect, but Jesse persuades her to help by drawing a comparison between the murdered boy and her own son. At the last moment, she is spared the ordeal by Mike, who intervenes to take Jesse to a meeting with the drug dealers. In the
cold open A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In Ameri ...
of "
Half Measures "Half Measures" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the Breaking Bad (season 3), third season of the American television drama series ''Breaking Bad'', and the 32nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC (TV channel), AMC ...
" which focuses on Wendy, the song " Windy" by
The Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...
plays in the background, which is a pun on her name.


Associates of Saul Goodman


Marco Pasternak

Marco Pasternak (portrayed by
Mel Rodriguez Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor, best known for starring as Nurse Patsy de la Serda on the HBO comedy '' Getting On'', as Todd Rodriguez on the Fox comedy '' The Last Man on Earth'', and as Ernie Gomes on the S ...
) is a scam artist and one of Jimmy McGill's lifelong friends. A high school classmate of Jimmy's in
Cicero, Illinois Cicero (originally known as Hawthorne) is a suburb of Chicago and an Incorporated town#Illinois, incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was ...
, they frequently worked cons together, including the "fake Rolex". After Chuck helps secure Jimmy's release following his arrest for the "Chicago sunroof" incident, Chuck requires Jimmy to move to Albuquerque and work a legitimate job. Jimmy stops by his and Marco's favorite bar to say goodbye, leaving Marco disappointed. After suffering a breakdown because of Chuck's attempts to prevent him from rising in the legal profession, Jimmy returns to Cicero and reunites with Marco, who now works for his brother-in-law as a standpipe installer. After a week of running successful scams, Jimmy informs Marco he is an attorney and needs to return to Albuquerque. Marco begs Jimmy to pull one more scam before he goes, and Jimmy agrees. While running the "fake Rolex" con, Marco suffers a heart attack. Before he dies, he tells Jimmy that the week they spent together was the best of his life. Jimmy inherits Marco's pinky ring, which is too big for him. Despite the poor fit, Jimmy begins to wear Marco's ring as a symbol of his newfound willingness to cut corners to get ahead in the legal profession.


Ernesto

Ernesto (portrayed by Brandon K. Hampton) is an employee of HHM and a friend of Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler. After Chuck McGill told Jimmy that he disapproved of his legal career and did not view him as a peer, Jimmy asked Howard to ensure Chuck continued to be looked after, including bringing him groceries and newspapers. Howard assigned Chuck's daily care to Ernesto. After Chuck suspects Jimmy of altering Mesa Verde documents to regain the bank as a client for Kim, he enlists Ernesto to investigate, and Ernesto eventually finds the all-night copy store where Jimmy carried out the alterations. Ernesto brings Chuck to the store to interview the clerk but Chuck's EHS symptoms cause him to faint and hit his head on a counter. Jimmy was hiding nearby after bribing the clerk to deny having seen him on his earlier visit, and enters the store to provide first aid to Chuck. At the hospital, Chuck wonders how Jimmy happened on the scene so quickly. Ernesto covers for Jimmy by falsely claiming that out of concern for Chuck's health, he called Jimmy after identifying the store but before bringing Chuck to the location. As part of his plot to get Jimmy disbarred, Chuck manipulates Ernesto into hearing part of Jimmy's recorded confession to altering the Mesa Verde documents, assuming that even though Chuck has sworn him to silence, Ernesto will inform Kim and Jimmy. Ernesto informs Kim, who in turn informs Jimmy. After Jimmy angrily breaks into Chuck's house to destroy the tape and is witnessed by Howard and a private investigator, which enables Chuck to have Jimmy prosecuted, HHM fires Ernesto for disclosing confidential information.


Huell Babineaux

Huell Babineaux (played by
Lavell Crawford Lavell Crawford (born November 11, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Huell Babineaux in ''Breaking Bad'' (2011–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2017–2022). He also played the role of ...
) is Saul Goodman's bodyguard, who also executes various intimidation tactics and performs other errands. Hired more for his size and
pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...
ing skills than his intelligence, he has a condition approximating
narcolepsy Narcolepsy is a long-term neurological disorder that involves a decreased ability to regulate sleep–wake cycles. Symptoms often include periods of excessive daytime sleepiness and brief involuntary sleep episodes. About 70% of those affec ...
(e.g., he falls asleep at odd times, such as when standing up or while on security detail), and has digestive problems that keep him from being as stoic as Saul would like. During the bar association hearing considering Jimmy McGill's disbarment over his break in at Chuck's house, he hires Huell to plant a cell phone battery in his brother Chuck's pocket as part of a strategy to discredit Chuck's claimed
electromagnetic hypersensitivity Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a claimed sensitivity to electromagnetic fields, to which negative symptoms are attributed. EHS has no scientific basis and is not a recognised medical diagnosis. Claims are characterized by a "variet ...
, as Chuck believes he suffers from EHS. Jimmy later hires Huell to serve as a bodyguard while Jimmy conducts his business re-selling pre-paid cellular phones. Huell is arrested after he inadvertently assaults a police officer while protecting Jimmy, and faces up to two and a half years in prison as a result. Jimmy's law license is still suspended, so he brings in Kim Wexler to defend Huell. Huell plans to flee rather than go to prison, so Kim and Jimmy forge dozens of letters describing Huell as a hero and denouncing his arrest. The con forces the prosecutor to accept a plea bargain that ensures Huell does not go to prison. As part of their plot against Howard Hamlin, Jimmy and Kim enlist Huell's help to make a copy of Howard's car keys with the help of one of Huell's associates. After successfully making the keys, Huell questions why Jimmy and Kim are bothering with such illegal activity when they have legitimate jobs as great lawyers. In ''Breaking Bad'', when
Ted Beneke ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...
goes on a spending spree with the money Skyler arranged to give him, rather than paying his IRS debt as she intended, Huell and Kuby intimidate him into paying the IRS. Though they did not intend violence, Ted attempts to flee, falls, and suffers head and neck injuries that leave him
paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...
. In "Buried", Saul sends Huell and Kuby to collect Walt's money from a storage locker, and in "Confessions", Saul tasks Huell with pickpocketing Jesse's marijuana so Jesse will not be high when he contacts Ed the "disappearer" for a new identity. It is while Jesse is waiting for Ed that he realizes his marijuana is gone and understands that Huell had earlier pickpocketed from him the ricin cigarette that Walt had intended for Jesse to use in killing Gus. Jesse's realization that Huell stole the ricin cigarette enables him to understand that Walt must have poisoned Brock in order to turn Jesse against Gus (which is true, although Walt did not use ricin). Hank and Gomez later interrogate Huell to learn where Walt hid his money, telling him falsely that Walt intends to kill him to ensure that no one can trace Walt's drug-dealing past. They use a staged photo of Jesse, who appears to have been killed with a gunshot to the head, to coax Huell into revealing that he and Kuby packed Walt's money into seven barrels, then loaded the barrels into a rented van. Huell also reveals that the van was so dirty on the outside when Walt returned that they washed it before returning it, implying that Walt's money was buried somewhere in the desert. Hank and Gomez tell Huell to wait until they come back for him, but they are killed and never return. Six years after Huell's final appearance on ''Breaking Bad'', and three days before the release of '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', a countdown was shared on ''Breaking Bad's'' social media channels. Throughout the countdown, multiple videos were shown of Huell still sitting impatiently in the safehouse where Hank and Gomez left him, watching the events of " Felina" on the news. Upon the countdown's conclusion, Huell, now tired of waiting, says "screw this", puts on his jacket and leaves the safehouse as the title credits of ''El Camino'' appear on his television. In the ''Better Call Saul'' episode "
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
," Francesca tells Saul that Huell is back home in New Orleans now. As the DEA had taken him in under false pretenses, they were forced to let him go in the end.


Ed Galbraith

Ed Galbraith (played by
Robert Forster Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in ''Medium Cool'' (1969), Captain Dan Holland in ''The Black Hole'' (1979), Abdul Rafai in ''The Delta Force'' (1986), ...
), also known as "the Disappearer", specializes in providing fugitives with new identities and new places to live. Ed operates a legitimate vacuum sales and service center, Best Quality Vacuum, as a front for this criminal business. Though mentioned in earlier episodes (such as in "
Crawl Space A crawl space is an unoccupied, unfinished, narrow space within a building, between the ground and the first (or ground) floor. The crawl space is so named because there is typically only enough room to crawl rather than stand; anything larger t ...
"), Ed first appears in " Granite State". As Walter is identified as Heisenberg and becomes the target of a manhunt, both Walt and Saul seek Ed's criminal services. Ed first helps Saul escape to
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
. He later takes Walter White to
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, hiding him away in a cabin in a rural area. During Walt's time in hiding, Ed often visits Walt, bringing him supplies and chemotherapy, though he warns that if Walt leaves the location, their business relationship will be over for good. A lonely Walt also takes to paying Ed to spend time with him and play cards. In ''El Camino'', Jesse approaches Ed for relocation. Ed demands $125,000 to aid Jesse, plus $125,000 for the previous occasion Jesse was supposed to use his services, but failed to appear. Jesse is $1,800 short and Ed refuses to help. After Jesse obtains the money, Ed smuggles him to a car parked near
Haines, Alaska Haines (Tlingit: ''Deishú'') is a census-designated place located in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. It is in the northern part of the Alaska Panhandle, near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...
and provides him with false identification and a cover story. Jesse gives Ed a farewell letter for Brock Cantillo, which Ed promises to mail from
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
in the near future, wishing Jesse luck on his new life and noting that not many people like them get a fresh start. In ''
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'', in the flashforward at the beginning of season 5's "
Magic Man "Magic Man" is a song by the American rock band Heart released as a single off their debut album, '' Dreamboat Annie.'' Written and composed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by a ...
", (set after the events of ''El Camino'') Saul (in his new identity as Gene Takavic) calls Ed for a second extraction after a cab driver named Jeff recognizes him. Ed recognizes Saul's voice and agrees to a second extraction, warning that it will cost double. Saul agrees and Ed schedules the extraction and location, but after a moment of consideration, Saul changes his mind and tells Ed that he will "fix it imself instead. In ''Better Call Saul'' season 6's "Axe and Grind," Saul and Kim Wexler look at Dr. Caldera's little black book of criminal contacts which are all coded. However, amongst the pages, are several Best Quality Vacuum business cards, revealing that Caldera has connections to Ed and also possibly explaining how Saul ultimately first becomes aware of Ed and his services. Kim looks at one of the cards with confusion and interest for a moment before putting it away again. Robert Forster's appearances as Ed in ''El Camino'' and ''Better Call Saul'' were among his final roles. He died of
brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...
on October 11, 2019, the same day the movie was released, though he appeared in ''Better Call Saul'' as Ed posthumously. Ed is one of the only five characters to appear in ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'', ''
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'', and '' El Camino'', along with
Mike Ehrmantraut Michael Ehrmantraut () is a fictional character in '' Breaking Bad'' and its spinoff prequel ''Better Call Saul'', portrayed by Jonathan Banks. Mike is a former Philadelphia police officer who works for Gus Fring—and, on occasion, Saul Goodm ...
,
Walter White Walter White most often refers to: * Walter White (''Breaking Bad''), character in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' * Walter Francis White (1893–1955), American leader of the NAACP Walter White may also refer to: Fictional characters ...
,
Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...
, and Austin Ramey. The ''Better Call Saul'' episode "
Magic Man "Magic Man" is a song by the American rock band Heart released as a single off their debut album, '' Dreamboat Annie.'' Written and composed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by a ...
" was dedicated to Robert Forster.


Francesca Liddy

Francesca Liddy (played by
Tina Parker Tina Parker is an American actress and director known for her role of Francesca Liddy, Saul Goodman's assistant on ''Breaking Bad'' and ''Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by ...
) is Saul Goodman's outspoken receptionist and secretary. Originally employed at the
New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division The New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) is a state-level government agency based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The MVD operates 32 field offices across the state, along with 39 contracted offices through local municipalities. The agency is responsib ...
, Jimmy hired her for the Wexler-McGill law firm. After Kim's car accident, Jimmy and Kim closed their office, and Francesca returned to the MVD. When Jimmy started practicing as Saul Goodman, Francesca returned to work for him. In "
Quite a Ride "Quite a Ride" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off series of '' Breaking Bad''. The episode aired on September 3, 2018, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States, ...
", a flashforward to 2010 shows Saul and Francesca frantically clearing out his office. She agrees to be at a telephone booth on November 12 (Jimmy's birthday) at 3 p.m. to receive a call. He gives her money and an attorney's business card and tells her that if she needs help she should say "Jimmy" sent her. As she leaves, Saul claims the last few years have been "quite a ride", then calls Ed Galbraith for a new identity. In the ''Better Call Saul'' episode "
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
," in a flashforward, Francesca is now an apartment building manager and she answers the prearranged phone call which proves to be from Saul himself. After getting paid via money that Saul had left behind for her, Francesca reveals that the DEA had found and seized all of Saul's hidden assets. With Walt dead and
Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...
having supposedly fled the country, Saul is now their sole target. At Saul's request, Francesca tells him about what became of Skyler White and Huell Babineaux before revealing that Kim had called her asking after Saul.


Patrick Kuby

Patrick Kuby (played by
Bill Burr William Frederick Burr (born June 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. He has released multiple stand-up comedy specials, most notably ''Why Do I Do This?'' (2008), ''Let It Go'' (2010), '' You People Are ...
) is one of Saul Goodman's hired hands. He assists in facilitating the car wash sale to the Whites by impersonating an environmental inspector, and later intimidates Ted Beneke with Huell's help. He also aids Walt, Jesse, and Mike in their
train robbery Train robbery is a type of robbery, in which the goal is to steal money or other valuables being carried aboard trains. History Train robberies were more common in the past when trains were slower, and often occurred in the American Old West. Tr ...
and helps Huell collect Walt's money from storage. Before moving to Albuquerque, Kuby was involved in organized crime in Boston.


Joey Dixon

Marshall Joseph "Joey" Dixon (played by
Josh Fadem Josh Fadem (; born July 19, 1980) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. Early life Fadem was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended Booker T. Washington High School. He has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 2000. Career ...
), aka Camera Guy, is the cameraman of the college filmmaking crew Jimmy McGill occasionally uses to shoot TV ads and other events. Jimmy originally referred to him only as Camera Guy. Jimmy usually refers to the others only by the functions they perform. After graduating, Joey is shown guest lecturing at the college and working at their equipment center. He (along with Phil and Cheri) would go on to create the "
Filmmaker Training The sixth and final season of the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'' premiered on April 18, 2022, in the United States, and concluded on August 15, 2022. The thirteen-episode season was broadcast on Mondays at 9:00pm (Eastern) in the U ...
" series of videos of informational tips and tricks for filmmaking. Kim would also make an appearance in the series.


Phil

Phil, also known as Sound Guy (played by Julian Bonfiglio) handles the microphones and audio for the college filmmaking crew Jimmy sometimes hires.


Cheri

Cheri, also known as Drama Girl or Make-Up Girl (played by Hayley Holmes), assists Joey's film crew and also arranges hair and make-up for individuals preparing to appear on camera. First referred to as Make-Up Girl, she later indicates she has been attending acting classes. After she impersonates several individuals on the phone to provide testimonials for Huell in "
Coushatta The Coushatta ( cku, Koasati, Kowassaati or Kowassa:ti) are a Muskogean-speaking Native American people now living primarily in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. When first encountered by Europeans, they lived in the territor ...
", Jimmy begins referring to her as Drama Girl. In "
Winner Winner(s) or The Winner(s) may refer to: * Champion, the victor in a game or contest *The successful social class in winner and loser culture Film * ''The Winner'' (1926 film), an American silent film starring Billy Sullivan * ''The Winner'' ...
", Jimmy and Kim fake several events designed to show Jimmy's remorse over Chuck's death, hoping this will lead to reinstatement of his law license. During a catered celebration to mark the dedication of a law library in Chuck's name, Cheri works as a waitress and aids Jimmy and Kim's deception by spreading the story among guests that Jimmy anonymously financed the project. When Jimmy and Kim need to re-shoot their photos of the actor pretending to be the Sandpiper case mediator, Cheri arrives on short notice to work on his hair and make-up. Because she has been pulled from a dress rehearsal for a stage adaptation of ''
The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The J ...
'', she arrives in her
Kira Kira may refer to: People * Kira clan, a Japanese clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) * Kira (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Kira Chikazane (1563–1588), Japanese retainer * Kira (German singer) (Janine ...
character's make-up and costume.


Lance

Lance (played by
Elisha Yaffe Elisha Yaffe is a comedian, actor and writer. He has appeared in television shows including ''Better Call Saul'', '' The Newsroom'', ''Mad Men'', ''Southland'', '' Up All Night'', '' The New Normal'' and '' CSI: NY'' and voiced the characters of ...
) is a cashier at the copy shop where Jimmy doctors Chuck's Mesa Verde documents. To cover his tracks, Jimmy pays Lance to lie for him when Ernesto brings Chuck to the store to question him.


Lenny

Lenny (played by John Ennis) is a grocery store employee and amateur actor hired by Jimmy and Kim to impersonate judge Rand Casimiro in still photos, as part of their ploy to discredit Howard Hamlin and force a settlement on the Sandpiper Crossing class-action lawsuit.


Jeff

Jeff (portrayed by Don Harvey in seasons 4–5 and
Pat Healy Patrick Healy, Pat Healy, Patrick Healey or Pat Healey may refer to: * Felix Healy (Patrick Joseph Healy, born 1955), former Northern Irish football player and manager * Pat Healy (actor) (born 1971), American actor, writer, and director * Pat H ...
in season 6) is an eccentric and suspicious cab driver from Albuquerque who recognizes Jimmy under his Gene Takavic identity in Omaha. Jeff approaches Jimmy on his lunchbreak with a friend and asks Jimmy to do his iconic "Better Call Saul!" catchphrase and point. Although initially hesitant Jimmy gives in and Jeff tells him to ask for him whenever he needs a ride. After being recognized, Jimmy calls Ed Galbraith to request another identity change, but changes his mind and resolves to fix the problem himself. Jimmy finds and befriends Jeff's mother, Marion, and she invites him back to her house. While there Jeff asks Jimmy what he is doing there and Jimmy offers to get him into "the game". Jeff, Jimmy, and one of Jeff's friends plan a robbery at the mall where Jimmy works. Jimmy creates a floor plan of the store they will be robbing and recreates it in an open field for Jeff to practice his route. When the day of the robbery arrives, Jimmy distracts the security guard while Jeff robs the store. All is going well until Jeff slips and knocks himself out, forcing Jimmy to fake a depressive episode until he can regain consciousness. Eventually, Jeff wakes up and completes the robbery. Afterward as the three of them are celebrating, Jimmy reveals that he purposely set up the robbery in such a way that if Jeff tries to snitch on his true identity they will both be arrested. As he leaves, Marion tells Jimmy that she thinks he is a good influence on Jeff. Jimmy later resumes working with Jeff and his friend Buddy in a new series of scams involving identity theft. Buddy backs out when he learns their latest target has cancer; Gene cuts him out of the operation and forces Jeff to drive him to the man's house so that he can break in himself. While Gene is inside, Jeff panics when he sees a police car idling behind him and crashes his taxi into a parked vehicle, leading to his arrest. In addition, the homeowner came out and accused Jeff of robbing him, adding to his legal troubles. Gene promises to bail out Jeff and calls Marion asking her to accompany him, but Marion becomes suspicious and uses the laptop Jeff bought her with the department store money to discover Gene's true identity as Saul Goodman. When Gene is arrested, no mention is made of his crimes from Omaha so it's unclear what happened to Jeff afterwards, but Gene had told Jeff that there was no proof of Jeff having committed the robbery and he could likely get those charges dismissed.


Buddy

Buddy (portrayed by Max Bickelhaup) is a friend of Jeff's who accompanies him to the mall when Jeff approaches Jimmy under his "Gene Takavic" alias and has him admit his true identity. Jimmy later offers to get Jeff into "the game" by training him and Buddy in robbing a department store at the mall where Jimmy works. Buddy sneaks Jeff into the mall by having him lay in a shipping container and transporting it into the department store's loading dock. Jimmy convinces the store's supervisor over the phone to hold the container overnight, allowing Jeff to enter the store during after-hours and steal expensive merchandise. After the robbery is complete, Jimmy warns Jeff and Buddy to stay away from him lest he report the crime to the authorities. Jimmy later re-enlists Jeff and Buddy in a new series of cons where Jimmy befriends wealthy single men at bars and gets them drunk, Jeff drives them home while giving them water laced with
barbiturates Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as ...
, and Buddy breaks into the marks' homes while they are unconscious and photographs their IDs and financial records, which Jeff later sells to a broker. However, Buddy backs out of the con when their latest target is found to have pancreatic cancer, which Buddy's father suffered from. Jimmy cuts Buddy out of the operation and forces Jeff to drive him to the target's house so he can break in himself.


New Mexico legal community


Bill Oakley

William "Bill" Oakley (portrayed by Peter Diseth) is a deputy district attorney. When Jimmy goes to work as an associate at Davis & Main, Oakley expresses envy at his salary and fringe benefits. When Jimmy is arrested for the break in at Chuck's, Oakley first appears to gloat at Jimmy's booking, but then offers to expedite the proceedings by getting Jimmy's first court appearance moved up on the docket. After Jimmy's law license is reinstated, he employs his camera crew to stage a phony news interview with a surprised Oakley, generating publicity for Jimmy's new Saul Goodman persona. After Jimmy becomes a pariah at the courthouse, Oakley tells him it is because word of his representation of the Salamancas has become widespread. In the flashfowards in the episode "
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
," Bill is revealed to have eventually left the DA's office and become a defense attorney. In the series finale "
Saul Gone "Saul Gone" is the series finale of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of '' Breaking Bad''. It is the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth season and the 63rd episode of the series overall. Written and directed by Peter ...
," Saul hires Bill as his defense attorney after getting caught.


Rich Schweikart

Richard Schweikart (played by
Dennis Boutsikaris Dennis Boutsikaris (; born December 21, 1952) is an American character actor who has won the Obie Award twice. He is also a narrator of audiobooks, for which he has won 13 Golden Earphone Awards and 8 Audie Awards. He won Best Audiobook of the Y ...
) is the co-founder of the Schweikart & Cokely law firm. Rich is the lead attorney for the Sandpiper retirement homes in HHM's lawsuit against the company. He observes that
Kim Wexler Kimberly Kim Wexler is a fictional Character (arts), character from the television series ''Better Call Saul'', a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Breaking Bad''. Kim is primarily portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, and was created by Vince Gilligan and P ...
is both highly skilled and underappreciated at HHM, and offers her a job at S&C, which she declines. Kim later starts a solo practice with Mesa Verde Bank as her only client, but begins to spend more time and effort on ''
pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...
'' criminal defense cases that she finds more appealing than banking law. She approaches Rich about joining S&C, and becomes a partner in charge of the firm's new banking division, including the Mesa Verde account. Kim devotes increasing time and effort to her ''pro bono'' cases, which eventually causes her to quit S&C and her representation of Mesa Verde. When Jimmy and Kim's tricks lead to Howard's erratic behavior at a mediation session for the Sandpiper case, Rich succeeds at compelling Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill and Davis & Main to accept a lower settlement than what they wanted. After Howard's death, Rich attends his funeral at HHM, expressing his admiration and respect for Howard and revealing to Jimmy and Kim that HHM is downsizing, moving to a smaller office and changing names.


Cliff Main

Clifford Main (played by Ed Begley Jr.) is a senior partner at the Davis & Main law firm in Santa Fe. When the Sandpiper case becomes too big for HHM alone, they affiliate with D&M. Kim recommends Jimmy to Cliff, and D&M hires Jimmy as an associate. Jimmy's unauthorized airing of a television ad soliciting clients for the Sandpiper lawsuit angers Cliff and the firm's partners. The ensueing scrutiny of his work motivates Jimmy to quit, but at the thought of losing his benefits, Jimmy opts on gradually angering his colleagues until Cliff eventually fires him, fully aware it was Jimmy's intention for him to do so. The firm continues to work with HHM on the Sandpiper case. When Jimmy and Kim decide to obtain Jimmy's share of the settlement or judgment sooner by forcing a resolution of the Sandpiper case, they take advantage of Cliff's friendship with Howard to smear the latter's reputation. In the process, Kim impresses Cliff who offers to use his connections to help build her ''pro bono'' law firm legitimately which she at first accepts. However, Kim ultimately puts the con over the chance at legitimacy and turns her back on the meeting that Cliff had set up for her. The con is successful, Kim and Jimmy are able to convince the counsel for Sandpiper and Cliff that Howard is an unstable cocaine addict. Following the con, Cliff cuts ties with Howard and settles the Sandpiper case himself. Following Howard's unexpected murder, Cliff and the New Mexico legal community are fooled into believing it was a drug-driven suicide. Cliff comforts Cheryl, Howard's widow, at the memorial service. Kim lies to Cheryl about the addiction and Cliff regretfully informs her of the late Howard's erratic behavior, convincing her of the farce.


Erin Brill

Erin Brill (portrayed by Jessie Ennis) is a first-year associate at Davis & Main. She is assigned to supervise Jimmy after he runs afoul of his D&M bosses, which serves as one of the motivations for him to quit. When Irene, the class representative in the lawsuit against Sandpiper Crossing, turns down a proposed resolution because the lawyers convince her waiting will result in a bigger settlement, her friends turn against her. Jimmy wants his share of the judgment sooner, so he tricks her into accepting, but her friends remain distrustful. Jimmy then arranges for Irene and her friends to overhear him confessing his tricks to Erin, which prevents the case from being resolved immediately but restores Irene's friendships. As the case continues, a meeting of residents at Sandpiper's Albuquerque facility reveals they are considering accepting the company's offer. Erin's attempt to mollify them begins to go off track, but Howard's timely intervention causes them to agree to continue holding out for a bigger settlement. Erin manages the conference call during the Sandpiper mediation conference and is the first to notice that Howard Hamlin's eyes have dilated from contact with the drug Jimmy and Kim procured from Dr. Caldera. After the case is settled, Erin is the one to announce it to everyone on the phone.


Paige Novick

Paige Novick (portrayed by
Cara Pifko Cara Pifko (born March 15, 1976) is a Canadian actress known primarily for her work on television shows produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Life and career Pifko was born in Toronto, Ontario. A graduate of the National Theatre Sch ...
) is the senior counsel of Mesa Verde and one of Kim's clients. When Kim is relegated to menial document review work at Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill, she works her professional, personal, and law school contacts in hopes that landing a major new client will help get her back in Howard's good graces. Paige and Kim were law school classmates, which leads to Paige and Mesa Verde CEO Kevin Wachtell bringing the bank's business to HHM. When Kim leaves HHM, Kevin and Paige agree that Mesa Verde will be a client of her new firm, but Chuck succeeds at winning them back to HHM. Jimmy's sabotage of Chuck's Mesa Verde work causes Kevin and Paige to return to Kim. After Jimmy and Kim humiliate Chuck at Jimmy's bar disciplinary hearing in order to prevent Jimmy's disbarment, Paige gloats over Chuck's demise, which causes Kim to feel guilty and visibly angers her. As Kim becomes disillusioned with Mesa Verde's tactics, she and Paige are put somewhat at odds. Later, after surrendering her law license, Kim mentions that Paige has agreed to take on her clients.


Suzanne Ericsen

Suzanne Ericsen (portrayed by Julie Pearl) is a deputy district attorney. When Huell is arrested, Suzanne refuses to negotiate, so Jimmy and Kim trick her into agreeing to a plea bargain. When Jimmy, now practicing law as Saul Goodman, attempts to negotiate several plea deals at once, Suzanne refuses, so he arranges a situation that enables him to trick her into accepting. Suzanne and the detective investigating the murder Lalo committed under an alias later connect Jimmy to Lalo and Nacho, and Suzanne asks Kim to persuade Jimmy to inform on the Salamancas. In ''El Camino'', Suzanne is visible on a television screen as she stands behind SAC Austin Ramey while Ramey briefs reporters about the events that took place at Jack's compound. In "
Saul Gone "Saul Gone" is the series finale of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of '' Breaking Bad''. It is the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth season and the 63rd episode of the series overall. Written and directed by Peter ...
," she calls Kim to inform her of Saul's arrest and that he is going to give testimony that impact Kim herself.


Viola Goto

Viola Goto (portrayed by
Keiko Agena Christine Keiko Agena (born October 3, 1973) is an American actress. She is mostly known for playing Lane Kim in ''Gilmore Girls'' and NYPD medical examiner Dr. Edrisa Tanaka on FOX's crime drama ''Prodigal Son'' (2019–2021). Personal life Ag ...
) is a paralegal who works for Kim Wexler. When Kim leaves Hamlin Hamlin & McGill to begin a solo practice, Mesa Verde Bank retains her as their outside counsel and Kim hires Viola to assist her. When Kim becomes bored with banking law and begins to accept ''pro bono'' criminal defense cases, she hands off more and more of her Mesa Verde work to Viola. Kim later convinces Schweikart & Cokely to hire her as a partner in charge of their new banking division, with Mesa Verde as their major banking client, and Viola follows Kim to S&C. When Kim aids Jimmy to defend Huell Babineaux during Jimmy's law license suspension, Viola assists Kim in researching the relevant statutes so Jimmy and Kim can plan their defense. After Kim asks Jimmy to represent Everett Acker to prevent Acker from being evicted by Mesa Verde, Viola provides Kim frequent updates about Jimmy's machinations. Viola is present at the meeting between Kim, Kevin Wachtell, Paige Novick, Rich Schweikart and Jimmy (as Saul Goodman) when Jimmy shocks everyone by making exorbitant demands of Kevin, then pressuring Kevin to agree to a better deal for Acker than what Kevin had previously been willing to accept. When Kim leaves S&C, Viola continues to work there as a paralegal. After Jimmy and Kim decide to force a settlement of the Sandpiper case by ruining Howard's reputation, Kim meets with Viola, ostensibly to apologize for abruptly leaving S&C. Viola tells Kim she admires Kim's commitment to helping ''pro bono'' clients who have nowhere else to turn, but the meeting is a ploy. S&C represents the Sandpiper Crossing nursing home chain, and Kim uses her conversation with Viola to obtain the name of the retired judge who will mediate the Sandpiper case.


Rand Casimiro

Rand Casimiro (portrayed by John Posey) is a retired judge and former colleague of Clifford Main, who is enlisted as the mediator in the Sandpiper Crossing class-action lawsuit. Kim and Jimmy hire an actor to impersonate Casimiro and stage photos depicting Jimmy offering Casimiro a $20,000 cash bribe, which they pass onto Howard Hamlin via his private investigator (who is in fact a con man working for Kim and Jimmy). Howard recognizes Casimiro from the photos during the settlement conference and embarrasses himself in front of his peers by accusing Casimiro of corruption, derailing the meeting and forcing HHM to accept a lower settlement than they initially sought.


Other characters


Hugo Archilleya

Hugo Archilleya (played by Pierre Barrera) is a former custodian at JP Wynne High School. When Walt had to leave class to vomit (a consequence of his chemotherapy), Hugo comforted him and cleaned up after him. After the DEA connects missing school equipment to methamphetamine production, Hugo is one of the initial suspects because of the access his custodial duties afford him. Hugo is soon placed under arrest for possession of marijuana and fired; after a search of his home, more marijuana is found but no methamphetamine or items that could connect him with the meth investigation.


Ted Beneke

Ted Beneke (played by
Christopher Cousins Christopher Maher Cousins (born September 27, 1960) is an American actor who has been acting in television since 1986. He is best known for playing conman Cain Rogan in forty-one episodes of the soap opera '' One Life to Live''. Between 2009 and ...
) is the president and owner of Beneke Fabricators. He gives Skyler her old job back as his accountant during the second season. Ted has always been attracted to Skyler but does not make any advances after she returns. Ted commits
tax fraud Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...
to keep the company alive and save everyone's jobs, which he admits to Skyler when she finds irregularities in the company's books. Skyler has an affair with Ted in season three to exact revenge upon Walt, but ignores Ted's offer to leave some of her things at his house. When Walt finds out about their affair, he tries to confront Ted, who hides in his office. This escalates into a scene where Walt is escorted out by security guards and the company staff becomes aware of Skyler's relationship with Ted. Skyler gets angry at Ted when he shows up at her house to ask about their relationship, and she later severs both her personal and professional ties with him. In season 4, Ted meets with Skyler, who is now running a car wash, and notifies her of an
Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...
(IRS) investigation into his company's taxes. Since Skyler kept the books, she can be linked to Ted's tax fraud, likely placing her entire family under surveillance, so she intervenes by pretending at Ted's meeting with the IRS to be an unqualified bookkeeper hired only for her looks. Her supposed incompetence forestalls a full investigation, provided Ted pays the back taxes and penalties. Skyler arranges to provide Ted the money by using the proceeds from Walt's meth production to have Saul pretend a long-lost dead relative in Luxembourg left Ted an inheritance. Saul discovers that instead of paying the IRS, Ted leased a new Mercedes and is using the funds to reopen his business. When Skyler urges Ted to pay the IRS first, he refuses, so Skyler tells him the money came from her. Ted still refuses to pay the IRS and Skyler perceives him to be blackmailing her into paying both his tax bill and the costs to reopen his business. Skyler has Saul send two of his men— Huell and Kuby—to force Beneke to write the check to the IRS. They succeed, but Ted panics and attempts to flee, tripping on a loose rug and crashing headfirst into a counter. At the start of the fifth season, Saul informs Skyler that something happened to Ted, causing her to conclude that he died. Saul tells her that Ted is alive, but hospitalized. When Skyler visits him, she sees that Ted is rigidly sitting upright and wearing a
halo brace Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * Halo (franchise), ...
. Ted tells Skyler he lied to medical personnel and police, claiming his broken neck resulted from an accidental fall, and that because he fears for the safety of his family, he will never mention how the injury occurred. Recognizing that Ted has been intimidated into keeping quiet about the source of his money, Skyler goes along with Ted's perception by coldly replying "Good" to his promise of silence.


Rebecca Bois

Rebecca Bois (played by
Ann Cusack Ann Cusack (born May 22, 1961) is an American actress. She had minor roles in ''Multiplicity'' (1996), ''A League of Their Own'' (1992), and ''The Informant!'' (2009). Additionally, she has made guest appearances in a number of television series, ...
) is Chuck McGill's ex-wife and a concert violinist. Although their divorce was amicable, it is stated that Chuck's electromagnetic hypersensitivity started soon afterwards. In 2002, Chuck attempted to reconcile and reconnect with Rebecca over dinner with Jimmy's help. He lies to Rebecca about his symptoms and becomes overwhelmed when Rebecca takes a phone call. Chuck slaps the phone from Rebecca's hand in a fit and rather than apologizing, calls Rebecca rude for taking at call at dinner. Rebecca leaves soon after. Later Jimmy invites Rebecca to his disciplinary hearing while Chuck is on the stand. Chuck apologizes for hiding his disability from her to which she shows complete sympathy and understanding, wondering why he didn't just tell her in the first place. However when it is shown that Chuck does not in fact suffer from EHS, Rebecca watches in horror as Chuck rants about Jimmy. After the hearing Rebecca tries to talk with Chuck in his house but he refuses to talk. She visits a celebrating Jimmy and Kim in their office and begs Jimmy to make amends with Chuck but Jimmy refuses. Realizing she was just a pawn to help his case, Rebecca tells Jimmy that Chuck was right about him. After Chuck's death Rebecca attends his funeral crying profusely. Afterwards as Chuck's will is being read it is revealed that Chuck left his house to Rebecca, although she allows Jimmy to take anything he wishes from it.


Dr. Caldera

Dr. Caldera (played by Joe DeRosa) is an Albuquerque veterinarian. He secretly serves as a middleman to put criminals in contact with each other. In one instance, when Daniel Wormald desires to have a bodyguard when he carries out a drug deal with
Nacho Varga Ignacio "Nacho" Varga is a fictional character who appears in the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a prequel spin-off of '' Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Michael Mando and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Dialogue ...
, he contacts Caldera, who puts three individuals including
Mike Ehrmantraut Michael Ehrmantraut () is a fictional character in '' Breaking Bad'' and its spinoff prequel ''Better Call Saul'', portrayed by Jonathan Banks. Mike is a former Philadelphia police officer who works for Gus Fring—and, on occasion, Saul Goodm ...
in touch with Wormald. In addition, Caldera sometimes renders "off the books" medical aid to criminals, enabling them to avoid having their wounds reported to the police. Individuals who visit his office for criminal activities often bring pets with them, enabling Caldera's examination of the animal to serve as a cover for the visit's real purpose. As revealed in season 6's "
Axe and Grind "Axe and Grind" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of '' Breaking Bad''. Actor Giancarlo Esposito directed the episode written by Ariel Levine. The episode aired on May 16, 2022, on ...
", Caldera has a connection to
Ed Galbraith ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its seq ...
, the "disappearer". In the same episode, Caldera reveals that he is retiring from his role as a middleman and shows Jimmy and Kim his encoded notebook of criminal contacts that he intends to sell. In a flashforward in "
Wine and Roses "Wine and Roses" is the first episode of the sixth season of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of '' Breaking Bad''. Michael Morris directed the episode written by Peter Gould. It aired back-to-back with "Carrot and Stick" ...
," Caldera's notebook is amongst the possessions being shown taken from Saul's mansion, suggesting that Saul is the one who eventually bought it from him.


Tomás Cantillo

Tomás Cantillo (played by Angelo Martinez) is Andrea Cantillo's younger brother. He murdered Jesse's friend Combo on the orders of rival drug dealers. After Jesse learns the truth, the dealers murder Tomás, possibly with the permission of their boss Gus Fring. Jesse's effort to seek revenge leads to a rift between Gus, Walt and Jesse.


Clovis

Clovis (played by
Tom Kiesche Tom Kiesche (born October 2, 1967) is an American film, television and stage actor, and novelist. In the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'', he played the role of Clovis in seasons 2 and 3. Television Kiesche has had recurring roles in ''Monk'', '' ...
) is Badger's cousin who operates a vehicle towing and repair service. When Jesse's RV quits running, Clovis charges him an exorbitant amount to tow and store the vehicle, due to its cargo. Clovis repairs the RV and catches Jesse sleeping in it after Jesse has scaled the fence (and destroyed a portable toilet in the process) after being evicted from his home. Clovis orders Jesse to pay for the repairs and property damage and then threatens to sell off Jesse's inventory to cover the repairs, when Jesse claims he cannot furnish immediate payment. Jesse again breaks into the gated lot and drives through the gate without paying for the repairs. He later returns to pay Clovis for the repairs and damages and arranges to store the RV inside Clovis' gated lot for $500 per week. Clovis later sells Jesse a used red
Toyota Tercel The is a subcompact car manufactured by Toyota from 1978 until 1999 across five generations, in five body configurations sized between the Corolla and the Starlet. Manufactured at the Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan, and sharing its platfo ...
hatchback. Jesse decides to retrieve the RV, but Walter has warned Clovis that the DEA is looking for it, forcing Clovis to bring it to a junkyard to be destroyed.


Louis Corbett

Louis Corbett (played by Kyle Swimmer in season one and
Caleb Landry Jones Caleb Landry Jones (born December 7, 1989) is an American actor and musician, known for his roles as Banshee in '' X-Men: First Class'', Jeremy Armitage in ''Get Out'', Red Welby in ''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'', Ty Carter in ''The ...
in seasons two and three) is Walt Jr.'s best friend. They both attend JP Wynne High School. He frequently gives Walt Jr. rides to school and helps him set up a
PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...
account for donations to Walt Jr.'s website.


Dr. Delcavoli

Dr. Delcavoli (played by David House) is Walt's physician during the first two seasons. He is said to be one of the top 10
oncologists Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...
in the United States.


Stacey Ehrmantraut

Stacey Ehrmantraut (portrayed by
Kerry Condon Kerry Condon (born 9 January 1983) is an Irish actress. She was the youngest actress to play Ophelia in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of ''Hamlet'' (2001–2002). She has since played Octavia of the Julii in ''Rome'' (2005–2007), St ...
) is Mike Ehrmantraut's widowed daughter-in-law and the mother of Kaylee, Mike's granddaughter.


Cheryl Hamlin

Cheryl Hamlin (portrayed by
Sandrine Holt Sandrine Claire Holt (born Sandrine Vanessa Ho; 19 November 1972) is a British-born Canadian model and actress. Early life Holt was born Sandrine Vanessa Ho in Croydon. Her middle name was later changed to Claire. Her father, Man Shun ("Horace" ...
) is
Howard Hamlin Howard Hamlin is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off prequel of '' Breaking Bad''. He is portrayed by Patrick Fabian and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Hamlin i ...
's wife. In "
Axe and Grind "Axe and Grind" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of '' Breaking Bad''. Actor Giancarlo Esposito directed the episode written by Ariel Levine. The episode aired on May 16, 2022, on ...
", Howard presents a
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...
topped with the
latte art Latte art is a method of preparing coffee created by pouring microfoam into a shot of espresso and resulting in a pattern or design on the surface of the latte. It can also be created or embellished by simply "drawing" in the top layer of foam. L ...
of a peace sign to Cheryl, from whom he is obviously estranged. She dismissively pours it into a travel mug, destroying the art. Howard tells her about the problem he has been having with Jimmy and says that he is attempting to solve it. Cheryl is widowed in the episode "
Plan and Execution "Plan and Execution" is the seventh episode and mid-season finale of the sixth season of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of '' Breaking Bad''. It was written and directed by Thomas Schnauz. It aired on May 23, 2022, on AM ...
" when Lalo Salamanca shoots and kills Howard. In " Fun and Games", Cheryl is present at Howard's HHM memorial service. Jimmy and Kim attempt to provide condolences, but she mentions that Howard informed her of their harassment campaign. When she expresses suspicions of Jimmy and Kim's story about Howard's death, because she does not believe he used cocaine, Kim then fabricates a story about seeing Howard abusing drugs while she was still at HHM. Kim then shifts blame by suggesting Cheryl was inattentive and failed to notice Howard's supposed drug problem, causing Cheryl to break down in tears. After deciding to confess in 2010, Kim visits Cheryl with an affidavit detailing Kim and Jimmy's destruction of Howard's reputation, as well as the real circumstances surrounding his death, keeping secret only her knowledge of Jimmy's identity and location. Kim says she has given a copy of the document to the district attorney, but surmises that she will not face prosecution given the lack of physical evidence and witnesses. When Jimmy hires Bill Oakley as his defense counsel, Oakley informs Jimmy of Kim's confession and suggests that Cheryl has ample grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit, stating that Cheryl is "out shopping for lawyers as we speak."


Old Joe

Old Joe (played by
Larry Hankin Larry Hankin (born ) is an American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer. He is known for his major film roles as Charley Butts in '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), Ace in '' Running Scared'' (1986), and Carl Alphonse in ...
) is the owner of a local junkyard. He aids Walt and Jesse on several occasions by using his car crusher in addition to sharing his knowledge of the legal limits on police procedure and evidence gathering. He also provides the magnet system used to wipe the evidence from Gus's laptop, and constructs the portable laboratory equipment used in the Vamonos Pest undercover meth lab operation. In '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', Jesse contacts him in order to get rid of Todd's El Camino, which Joe agrees to do for free. However, Joe discovers that the police just activated the LoJack GPS tracker, causing him to flee, while advising Jesse, Skinny Pete and Badger to do the same.


Betsy and Craig Kettleman

Betsy Kettleman (played by
Julie Ann Emery Julie Ann Emery (born January 16, 1975) is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles in the television series ''Better Call Saul'', ''Preacher'', and ''Five Days at Memorial''. She has appeared in films such as '' H ...
) and her husband Craig Kettleman (played by
Jeremy Shamos Jeremy Shamos (born February 22, 1970) is an American actor. Early life Shamos was born in New York City but raised in Denver, Colorado. He has a M.F.A. from New York University. Career Shamos is a character actor, his most notable roles are ...
) initially appear as clients of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), and later Jimmy McGill. Craig, the county treasurer, is being investigated for the disappearance of $1.6 million in government funds and considers hiring Jimmy. He and his wife meet with Jimmy at a diner but Betsy is hesitant. They decide to go to HHM, which angers Jimmy. A few days later, the Kettlemans receive an anonymous tip that their family is in danger. The call was made by Jimmy, who fears Nacho might hurt the family to steal the stolen cash. The Kettlemans and their children decide to stage a kidnapping and camp out in the hills behind their home. Jimmy finds them and discovers they are in possession of the stolen cash. They pay him $30,000 to remain quiet. At a meeting with Kim Wexler of HHM, the Kettlemans consider a
plea deal A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant ...
that includes return of the money and a sixteen-month prison sentence for Craig. Betsy wants to go to trial but Kim tells her that Craig faces 30 years in prison if he is convicted. Betsy rejects the plea deal, fires Kim, and hires Jimmy. Jimmy counsels the Kettlemans to accept the plea bargain but Betsy once again refuses. She
blackmails Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fami ...
Jimmy into helping them by pointing out that returning the money will implicate him, since they gave him cash to maintain his silence. With Mike's help, Jimmy steals the cash from the Kettlemans and delivers it to the prosecutor handling their case. Betsy threatens to have Jimmy arrested by reporting the bribe he took but he responds that if he is guilty of taking a bribe, she is guilty of offering one. Betsy and Craig reluctantly accept the plea deal Kim negotiated, realizing that having one parent go to prison is a better alternative than depriving their children of both parents. After Craig's release from prison, the Kettlemans become proprietors of a shady tax preparation service. Kim and Jimmy scheme to ruin Howard Hamlin's reputation as part of their plan to force a resolution of the Sandpiper case so Jimmy can obtain his share of the multimillion dollar judgment or settlement sooner. To that end, Jimmy cons the Kettlemans into believing they have grounds for a lawsuit against Howard. They attempt to hire Cliff Main to represent them by claiming that Howard provided ineffective counsel during Craig's embezzlement case because he supposedly used cocaine. Cliff declines to take the case, but as Jimmy and Kim intended, he begins to wonder if Howard is a drug user. Jimmy subsequently attempts to bribe the Kettlemans to keep quiet about their role in smearing Howard, but when they refuse the cash Kim coerces them by threatening to report their tax preparation scam to the
IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
. The Kettlemans are cowed into compliance, but Jimmy disappoints Kim by giving the Kettlemans the money anyway.


Group Leader

The Group Leader (played by
Jere Burns Jere Eugene Burns II (; born October 15, 1954) is an American actor who has appeared in theatre productions and on television. He played the roles of ladies' man Kirk Morris on the television series '' Dear John'', DIA psychiatrist Anson Fullert ...
) is a counselor who leads group therapy sessions at Narcotics Anonymous. His actual name is not revealed. He takes a calm, non-judgmental approach to leading discussions and emphasizes that those attending his sessions are there not to improve themselves, but to learn self-acceptance. During an outdoor session at a campfire, he reveals to Jesse and other recovering addicts that in July 1992, while drunk on vodka and high on cocaine, he killed his six-year-old daughter by accidentally running her over with his car. Jesse, still reeling from Jane's death, asks the Group Leader how can he not hate himself for what happened. The Group Leader responds that self-hatred and guilt stand in the way of achieving true change. The Group Leader is seen again in Season 4, when Jesse returns to a session distraught about killing Gale. During the session, Jesse breaks down and yells at the Group Leader, claiming that his philosophy about "accepting yourself" for making mistakes is wrong and people should be judged for the things they have done. Jesse then asks the Group Leader if he just accepts himself for killing his daughter and admits to the whole group that the only reason he comes to these meetings in the first place is to sell meth to them. He asks the Group Leader if he is okay with that, to which the group leader responds, "No." Jesse retorts, "About time," and leaves the session, never to return.


Lawson

Lawson (played by
Jim Beaver James Norman Beaver Jr. (born August 12, 1950) is an American actor, writer, and film historian. He is most familiar to worldwide audiences as Bobby Singer in ''Supernatural''. He also played Whitney Ellsworth on the HBO Western drama series '' ...
) is Walter White and Mike Ehrmantraut's gun dealer. He sold Walt a .38 caliber snub handgun (a
Ruger LCR The Ruger LCR is a compact revolver built by Sturm, Ruger & Co. and announced in January 2009. LCR stands for "Lightweight Compact Revolver". It incorporates several novel features such as a polymer grip and trigger housing, monolithic receiver, ...
) with the serial number filed off, and previously an M40A1 sniper rifle which Mike intends to use in killing Hector Salamanca. Walt later purchases an
M60 machine gun The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
from Lawson, which he uses to kill Jack Welker and his gang.


Clarence

Clarence, nicknamed "Man Mountain", (played by David Mattey) is an Albuquerque hoodlum who hires himself out for illegal "muscle" work through
Dr. Caldera '' Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its ...
.


Sobchak

Sobchak (played by
Steven Ogg Steven Ogg is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Trevor Philips in the 2013 video game ''Grand Theft Auto V'' and Simon in '' The Walking Dead'', and has also appeared on ''Better Call Saul'', ''Westworld'', ''The Tick'', and ''Snowp ...
) is a criminal and "off the books" investigator. Pryce considered him, Mike, and Man Mountain as bodyguards when Pryce first met with Nacho. Man Mountain fled after Mike disarmed Sobchak. Kim and Jimmy later hire Sobchak (under his "professional" name Mr. X) to find "dirt" on Kevin Wachtell. He tells them that he could "take him out to the desert" to acquire more information to which Kim and Jimmy ask him to leave.


Donald Margolis

Donald Margolis (played by
John de Lancie John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor, television director, director, film producer, producer, writer, and comedian, best known for his role as Q (Star Trek), Q in various ''Star Trek'' series (1987–present); ...
) is
Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
's father. He owns the building his daughter managed for him. He sent Jane to rehab once before and goes with her to recovery meetings. Donald becomes furious when he discovers that his daughter is back on heroin, suspecting Jesse is at fault (in fact, it is the other way around; she initiated Jesse to heroin, although they are both enabling each other). He nearly calls the police but relents when Jane promises to go back into rehab. Depressed, he goes to a bar and strikes up a conversation with a stranger about the heartache of raising children—that stranger turns out to be Walter White, who has recently been blackmailed by Donald's daughter Jane, although he does not realize the coincidence at the moment. Donald's words inspire Walter to help Jesse get clean from heroin. Walt returns to Jesse's apartment and witnesses Jane choking to death on her vomit while intoxicated on heroin. Heartbroken, Donald is present when the
paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...
s remove Jane's body and hardly reacts to Jesse's presence. A month later, he returns to work as an
air traffic controller Air traffic control specialists, abbreviated ATCS, are personnel responsible for the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. Usually stationed in air traffic control centers and control ...
while still distraught and causes a mid-air collision of two airplanes just above Albuquerque. The collision kills 167 people—which explains the recurring images in the Season 2 flash-forwards of a burned pink teddy bear floating in Walter's pool. Shortly after the incident, Walter hears via his in-car radio that Margolis is rushed to the hospital after a self-inflicted gunshot wound; however, Walt turns the radio off before Margolis' fate is revealed. Later on, in the episode "
Fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
", Walter recalls that unlikely sequence of events, telling Jesse about the encounter at the bar (he only realized that this man was Jane's father after he saw him on the news following the disaster), and wonders about the possible meaning of the coincidence.


Carmen Molina

Carmen Molina (played by
Carmen Serano Carmen Serano (born Carmen Maria Robles; August 18, 1973) is an American actress. She played Assistant Principal Carmen Molina in the television series ''Breaking Bad''. She starred in the 2007 film '' Urban Justice'' alongside Steven Seagal, ...
) is the assistant principal at JP Wynne High School, where Walt teaches and which Walt Jr. attends. In Season 3, Walt makes an awkward pass at her (as an attempt at "revenge" for Skyler's infidelity with Ted), resulting in him being placed on an indefinite sabbatical. In Season 5, she has been promoted to principal.


Pamela

Pamela (played by
Julie Dretzin Julie Dretzin (born May 24, 1968) is an American actress and audiobook reader. She made her professional acting debut in the 1993 Broadway production ''The Sisters Rosensweig''. Her roles in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2010) and ''The ...
) is a divorce attorney hired by Skyler in the third season. Skyler confides in Pamela that Walter is a drug dealer, and Pamela urges her to contact the police.


Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz

Gretchen Schwartz (played by
Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht is an American actress and singer who played Gretchen Schwartz on '' Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', and Carol on '' The Boys''. She has also made numerous Broadway appearances. Early life and education Hecht was born ...
) is Walt's former college chemistry assistant and now co-owner of
Gray Matter Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), synapses, and capillaries. Grey matter is distinguis ...
, a successful
pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...
company. A former romantic interest of Walter's, she is married to Walter's former partner and friend, Elliott Schwartz (played by
Adam Godley Adam Godley (born 22 July 1964) is a British-American actor. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards and four Laurence Olivier Awards for his performances on the New York and London stages which include, ''Private Lives'' in 2001, ''The Pillo ...
), who co-created Gray Matter. During their relationship, Gretchen took Walt to visit her parents over a weekend. Soon afterwards, Walt suddenly left all his research and sold his ownership stake in Gray Matter. Gretchen married Elliott, Gray Matter became successful, and Gretchen and Elliott became wealthy, leaving Walt bitter about their success. When Walt begins chemotherapy treatments for his cancer, he conceals the fact that he is paying for it with proceeds from his drug dealing by telling Skyler that Gretchen and Elliott are paying for it. Gretchen finds Walt lied to his family, and is horrified when Walter angrily and bitterly blames her and Elliott for ruining his life. Gretchen promises to maintain the lie for Walt as long as he tells Skyler that the Schwartzes can no longer fund his treatments. Skyler becomes suspicious, contacts Gretchen, and learns that the Schwartzes did not pay any of Walt's medical bills, forcing Walt to admit to Skyler the true source of his money. In the series' final two episodes, " Granite State" and " Felina", Walt is in hiding in New Hampshire and preparing to turn himself in to the DEA. While at a bar, he sees an interview with the Schwartzes, who denounce Walt and minimize his involvement in starting Gray Matter. Instead of waiting for the police, Walt steals a car and returns to New Mexico. At Gretchen and Elliott's home, Walt claims to have snipers aiming rifles with laser sights at them, which he uses to coerce them into agreeing to use his remaining money to establish a trust for Walter Jr. while masking the source as a contribution from their charitable foundation. Unknown to the Schwartzes, the snipers are actually Badger and Skinny Pete, who are using laser pointers to simulate rifle sights. The threat causes Gretchen and Elliott to agree to Walt's demand.


Drew Sharp

Drew Sharp (played by Samuel Webb) is an inquisitive teen living in McKinley County in northwestern
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
. In the opening scenes, Sharp is on his motorcycle riding around the desert scrub. He finds a
tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
, which he places in a jar; he then hears a train coming down the tracks and sets off to see it, only to encounter
Walter White Walter White most often refers to: * Walter White (''Breaking Bad''), character in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' * Walter Francis White (1893–1955), American leader of the NAACP Walter White may also refer to: Fictional characters ...
,
Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...
, and
Todd Alquist ''Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its s ...
as they are celebrating their success in stealing the
methylamine Methylamine is an organic compound with a formula of . This colorless gas is a derivative of ammonia, but with one hydrogen atom being replaced by a methyl group. It is the simplest primary amine. Methylamine is sold as a solution in methanol, ...
from the tanker car on the train Kuby helped them stop. Walt, Jesse, and Todd turn off the engine to their pump and discover Sharp and his motorcycle on the other side of the trestle. Sharp waves hello, Todd waves back then pulls out his pistol and kills Sharp in cold blood, to Jesse's dismay. Sharp's body and motorcycle are hauled back to Vamonos Pest in
Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, where Walter, Mike and Todd dispose of them, once again using
hydrofluoric acid Hydrofluoric acid is a Solution (chemistry), solution of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in water. Solutions of HF are colourless, acidic and highly Corrosive substance, corrosive. It is used to make most fluorine-containing compounds; examples include th ...
, and Todd keeps the tarantula. Later on in that episode,
KOB The kob (''Kobus kob'') is an antelope found across Central Africa and parts of West Africa and East Africa. Together with the closely related reedbucks, waterbucks, lechwe, Nile lechwe, and puku, it forms the Reduncinae tribe. Found along the ...
Reporter Antoinette Antonio reports on the disappearance of Sharp and how the search for Sharp has now expanded beyond McKinley County. The killing of Sharp is a critical turning point for Jesse, who ultimately severs his ties with Walter's operation due to his horror and grief at the young boy's death. After Walter belatedly leaves Jesse his share of the buyout money, Jesse seeks
Saul Goodman James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his trade name, business name Saul Goodman, is a character (arts), character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad (franchi ...
's help to send half of the $5 million to Sharp's family, but is rebuffed as such a move would draw the attention of the authorities. The murder of Sharp is mentioned in the tape Hank and Gomez make of Jesse confessing to his and Walter's criminal history. In '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', it is revealed that Todd kept Drew's tarantula at his apartment.


Spooge

Spooge (played by
David Ury David Brian Ury (born September 30, 1973) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, YouTuber, and Japanese translation specialist. Early life and education Ury was born and raised in Sonoma, California. He graduated from Sonoma Valley High Sch ...
) is a drug addict who steals meth from Skinny Pete at knifepoint. Jesse later accosts Spooge in Spooge's house and attempts to retrieve the stolen drugs or cash payment. Spooge attempts to repay Jesse by breaking open an ATM he has stolen from a convenience store. While attempting to drill into the machine from the bottom, he begins verbally abusing his girlfriend (played by
Dale Dickey Diana Dale Dickey (born September 29, 1961) is an American character actress who has worked in theater, film, and television. She began her career on stage, performing in the 1989 Broadway version of ''The Merchant of Venice'', before appearing ...
), who tips the ATM, crushing Spooge's head and killing him instantly. Jesse's associates and rivals attribute Spooge's death to Jesse, which strengthens his street credibility and reputation for ruthlessness until the girlfriend confesses. Spooge had a son, whose neglect causes Jesse to realize the negative consequences of the drug business. After Spooge's death, Jesse sits the boy on the front steps of the home, instructs him not to go back inside, having called 911 and leaves the phone line open so police can trace the call, making sure that the boy will be cared for. In ''Better Call Saul'', Spooge is one of the first clients seeking to engage Jimmy McGill as Saul Goodman after word gets out to Albuquerque's criminals about Saul's defense of Lalo Salamanca.


Manuel Varga

Manuel Varga (portrayed by Juan Carlos Cantu) is Nacho Varga's father and the owner of an
upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...
shop. Nacho has gone to great lengths to prevent Manuel from learning about his role in the Salamanca drug trade, but as Gus starts to undermine the routes the Salamancas use to smuggle drugs into the U.S., Hector Salamanca considers Manuel's shop as a front. Nacho is forced to reveal his role in the Salamanca organization to Manuel so Manuel will not put himself at risk by rejecting Hector's offer out of hand. When Nacho is shot as part of Gus's plan to undermine the Salamancas, a reluctant Manuel allows Nacho to recuperate at his house. When Gus forces Nacho to work as his mole, Nacho hides cash and fake Canadian ID cards for himself and his father so they can flee Albuquerque if necessary. When Lalo Salamanca arrives to take over the Salamanca operation, Gus threatens Manuel's life to coerce Nacho into providing inside information. Nacho attempts to protect him by having an associate offer to buy Manuel's shop for more than it is worth so Manuel can retire and move from Albuquerque. Manuel guesses that Nacho is behind the offer and confronts him, saying that if Nacho's drug dealing has made him fearful, he should flee or turn himself into authorities, but that Manuel will not sell and will not leave. After Gus's attempt to kill Lalo he deflects blame by implicating Nacho, and the cartel places a bounty on him. Nacho realizes telling the Salamancas and cartel leaders that Gus had no role in the attack on Lalo is the only way to protect Manuel, but will also result in his own death. He places a farewell call to Manuel, then surrenders to Gus in exchange for Mike's guarantee of Manuel's safety. Mike later informs Manuel of Nacho's death and promises revenge on the Salamancas. Manuel dismisses Mike's promise as a never-ending cycle of bloodshed and tells him he is no different from the criminals with whom he associates.


Kevin Wachtell

Kevin Wachtell (portrayed by
Rex Linn Rex Maynard Linn (born November 13, 1956) is an American film and television actor. He is best known domestically for playing the role of Sgt. Frank Tripp in the CBS drama ''CSI: Miami'' and more recently for playing Kevin Wachtell in the televi ...
) is the CEO of Mesa Verde Bank. He took over the bank from his father Don in the early 2000s and presides over its expansion into a large regional institution. Kim uses her acquaintanceship with Mesa Verde's counsel Paige to secure Mesa Verde as a client for Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill. When Kim leaves HHM, Kevin agrees that Mesa Verde will be a client of her new practice, but Chuck succeeds at winning them back. Jimmy's sabotage of Chuck's Mesa Verde work causes Kevin to take the bank's business back to Kim. Kim later uses her relationship with Kevin to become a partner at Schweikart & Cokely and lead the firm's new banking division. Kevin's stubborn refusal to accept Kim's advice on handling the eviction of Everett Acker causes Kim to turn the Mesa Verde account over to S&C and leave the firm to concentrate on ''
pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...
'' criminal defense work she finds more interesting than banking law.


Fred Whalen

Fred Whalen (portrayed by
James Austin Johnson James Austin Johnson (born July 19, 1989) is an American comedian and actor originally from Nashville, Tennessee. He has garnered attention for his impression of former President Donald Trump, sometimes being referred to as "the best Trump impers ...
) is an employee of Albuquerque TravelWire, a
wire transfer Wire transfer, bank transfer, or credit transfer, is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or entity to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account, or through a transfer of cash at a cash ...
agency. Mike Ehrmantraut questions Fred about Werner Ziegler's whereabouts in "
Winner Winner(s) or The Winner(s) may refer to: * Champion, the victor in a game or contest *The successful social class in winner and loser culture Film * ''The Winner'' (1926 film), an American silent film starring Billy Sullivan * ''The Winner'' ...
". Fred is initially hesitant, but after Mike claims Werner is his missing brother-in-law and has early-stage
dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
and
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
, Fred reveals that Werner made phone calls at TravelWire and left using a car service. Fred also lets Mike review
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
footage in hopes of learning Werner's destination. Lalo Salamanca later visits TravelWire and asks similar questions about Werner. Fred becomes suspicious and declines to cooperate. After Fred suggests that Lalo call the police, TravelWire gets a call. When Fred finishes the call, he sees that Lalo is no longer in the store's lobby. Just as Fred notices a loose ceiling panel inside his locked booth, Lalo drops in and trains a gun on him. Lalo examines the footage, murders Fred, and burns down the TravelWire to destroy the evidence. In "
Wexler v. Goodman "Wexler v. Goodman" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a spin-off series of '' Breaking Bad''. The episode aired on March 23, 2020, on AMC in the United States. Outside of the United States ...
", Mike works under an assumed name to persuade a witness who was outside TravelWire to identify Lalo's car to the Albuquerque police and Lalo is arrested under an alias. A police report reveals that Lalo had bludgeoned Fred to death, resulting in a skull fracture. In " JMM," Gus wants Lalo released, so he has Mike provide Saul details of the actions that led to Lalo's arrest. Fred's family attends the bail hearing, at which Saul accuses the police of witness tampering, evidence that results in the judge granting bail.


Holly White

Holly White (played by Elanor Anne Wenrich) is Skyler and Walt's infant daughter and Walt Jr.'s younger sister. Walt is not present for his daughter's birth because he is preoccupied with drug-related business, and he blames Jesse for making him miss the birth. Ted Beneke, Skyler's boss, takes Skyler to the hospital when she goes into labor. Skyler brings the baby on her trip to the
Four Corners Monument The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states, leading to the area being na ...
. Holly is seen learning to walk in Season 5. Holly and her brother spend three months in the home of their Aunt Marie and Uncle Hank while their parents work to determine the state of their marriage. After her Uncle Hank's unexpected death, which causes a nasty fight between Walter and Skyler, Walter kidnaps Holly to "punish" Skyler for attempting to stab him, but later has second thoughts and leaves her at a fire station. She is later returned safely to Skyler. Holly's last appearance occurs in "Felina" where Walter, via a request that is granted by Skyler, holds and embraces her for a moment before he leaves.


Bogdan Wolynetz

Bogdan Wolynetz (played by Marius Stan) is the owner and proprietor of the
car wash A car wash, carwash, or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior of motor vehicles. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possi ...
at which Walt is employed at the beginning of ''Breaking Bad''. He is abrasive and rude to Walter, who finds this job degrading and tedious. After Walt is diagnosed with lung cancer in the pilot episode, he angrily lashes out at Bogdan and quits. Bogdan does not reappear until the third season, when Walt and Skyler are trying to purchase the car wash in order to launder Walt's drug money. When Skyler is trying to negotiate the purchase, Bogdan brings up Walt's angry outburst and states that, if Walt wants to purchase the establishment it will cost him $20 million. When Saul suggests that Walt and Skyler could accuse Bogdan of harboring Islamist terrorists in order to force him to sell the car wash, Walt exasperatedly reveals that Bogdan is, in fact,
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
. Eventually, Walt and Skyler are able to purchase it for $800,000 after Skyler hires Kuby to perform a fake environmental audit on the car wash. When Bogdan hands the keys to the building over to Walter, he taunts Walter by implying that he needs his "woman" to do things for him. Walter, having been riled up by Bogdan, refuses to let him leave with his first American business dollar which had been framed and mounted in his shop. Subsequently, Walter spends that dollar in the vending machine to buy a can of soda.


Daniel Wormald

Daniel Wormald (played by
Mark Proksch Mark Proksch ( '; born ) is an American comedian and character actor. He is best known for acting in the television series ''The Office'', ''Better Call Saul'', ''Dream Corp LLC'', '' What We Do in the Shadows'' and as a fictionalized version o ...
), who uses the alias "Pryce", is a quirky, nerdy and naive man who works for a pharmaceutical company. To earn extra money, he steals some of his company's pills to sell to Nacho and hires Mike to provide security. Knowing that Nacho is going behind the cartel's back and wants to avoid attention, Mike assures that he abides by the terms of the deal. Daniel uses the money to buy a flashy
Hummer Hummer (stylized as HUMMER) is a brand of pickups and SUVs that was first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a sub-brand of GMC in 2020. ...
and when he arranges another deal, Mike refuses to be a part of it. Daniel still meets Nacho, but without Mike to protect him, Nacho obtains Daniel's address. Nacho later breaks into Daniel's home to steal Daniel's cash, pill stash, and a collection of baseball cards. Daniel calls police to report the stolen cards but his awkward behavior leads the cops to find the hiding place where he kept the cash and pills. To keep Daniel from talking, Mike brokers a deal that has Nacho exchange cash and the baseball cards for Daniel's Hummer. Mike also arranges for Jimmy to represent Daniel during an interview with police, in which Jimmy allays their suspicions by claiming Daniel has a fetish for "pie sitting" and kept videos of the act in his hiding place. Nacho breaks into Daniel's home again, this time offering Daniel $20,000 if he can procure empty capsules that look like Hector's angina medication. Daniel approaches Mike for help and Mike declines. Mike changes his mind after comparing the risk an unprotected Daniel will face to the risk Mike created for his daughter-in-law and granddaughter by his recent actions against the Salamancas. Mike delivers the empty capsules to Nacho, who explains his plan to switch Hector's nitroglycerin for a placebo. Mike warns Nacho that if Hector dies, Nacho should immediately take the fakes from Hector and replace them with the real medication so that the cause of Hector's death will not be obvious. According to the Better Call Saul insider podcast, the "Danny" referenced by Jimmy on his call to Francesca is intended to be Daniel, meaning he would go on to own the lazer tag arena/arcade Jimmy tells Walt and Jesse to launder their money through.


Werner Ziegler

Werner Ziegler (played by
Rainer Bock Rainer may refer to: People * Rainer (surname) * Rainer (given name) Other * Rainer Island, an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia * 16802 Rainer, an asteroid * Rainer Foundation, British charitable organisation See also * Rainier (disambiguation ...
) is a German construction engineer hired by Gustavo Fring to build his underground methamphetamine laboratory. After vetting by Mike Ehrmantraut, Gus chooses Werner over an overly confident French engineer because of Werner's frank explanation of the difficulties involved in the construction. When it becomes clear the job will take longer than anticipated and tempers flare among Werner's crew, Mike arranges an " R&R" outing to a strip club. Mike and Werner retire to a quiet bar for a personal conversation, but Mike has to return to the strip club to smooth over an altercation, and during his absence Werner drunkenly reveals construction details to other patrons at the bar. Werner later requests a weekend off to visit with his wife, which Mike denies. Werner then escapes by bypassing the security system where his crew and he are quartered. According to the note he left behind, he plans to visit with his wife and then return to finish the work. Mike tracks Werner down at a local spa, but so does
Lalo Salamanca Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca is a fictional character on the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'', a prequel of '' Breaking Bad''. Introduced in the fourth season, he is portrayed by Tony Dalton and was created by Peter Gould and screenwriter ...
, to whom Werner mistakenly reveals construction details before Mike ends the call. Mike asks Gus to let Werner return to work, but Gus understands that through Werner, Lalo could learn the secret of the meth lab's construction, so he says he will send men to kill Werner. Mike says he will do it himself and convinces Werner to contact his wife at the airport and send her home. He promises that Werner's death will have an explanation that satisfies the authorities, so that his wife will not wonder what happened to him, and to return Werner's crew to Germany unharmed. Werner tells Mike he wants to take a last walk to look at the stars, and Mike follows and shoots him in the head.


Casper

Casper (portrayed by Stefan Kapičić), is a member of Werner Ziegler's construction crew. When Gus hires Werner to supervise construction of a meth lab under Gus's industrial laundry, Werner employs Casper and several other laborers. After Werner escapes the crew's living quarters inside an Albuquerque warehouse, which leads to his death at Mike's hands, Gus pays the construction crew and returns them to Germany. As Mike pays the crew and gives them their plane tickets, Casper confronts him and says that Werner "was worth 50 of you." Werner's widow Margarethe believes Werner died in a cave in, during which he saved his crew. The crew, whom Werner called "my boys" did not attend his funeral, but sent a Lucite sculpture which contained Werner's slide rule and an inscription indicating the gift was from "Your Boys". Under an alias, Lalo converses with Margarethe and learns of the "my boys" expression. When he breaks into Margarethe's house the next day, he finds the sculpture, which contains a manufacturer's label. This clue leads Lalo to Casper, and he soon arrives at Casper's remote home. In the ensuing confrontation, Casper strikes Lalo with the blunt side of an axe, but Lalo slashes Casper's face with a hidden razor blade, then uses the axe to sever his foot. Lalo gives Casper his belt for use as a tourniquet, then interrogates him about his work with Werner.


Mrs. Nguyen

Mrs. Nguyen (portrayed by Eileen Fogarty) is the owner of Day Spa and Nail, the nail salon in which Jimmy McGill's back room office is located. She frequently chides Jimmy for drinking the cucumber water
infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...
she makes available to salon customers and employees and objects to Jimmy's clients waiting in the area where she provides services to hers. When Jimmy is hired by Davis & Main, his company car is delivered to Day Spa and Nail, and Mrs. Nguyen's awestruck staff huddle around the new Mercedes sedan. Before he departs, he jokingly asks if Mrs. Nguyen is going to give him a goodbye hug and she shakes her head no before walking back inside. Jimmy finds himself unable to sleep in his new apartment, so he returns to the salon. Mrs. Nguyen discovers him the next morning, and when she refuses him a cup of coffee, he tells her that the sooner she gives him the coffee, the sooner he will leave. During the suspension of his law license, Jimmy starts a business reselling prepaid cellular phones. Mrs. Nguyen objects to him storing the phones at the salon, but Jimmy says that because he pays rent, he can do what he wants with the space. He appeases her by offering her a phone, which she accepts, but she also warns him that get rich quick schemes are usually unsuccessful. After Jimmy's first bar association hearing, when he discovers his suspension will be continued and argues with Kim, Mrs. Nguyen discovers him crying in his office. She assumes Kim and Jimmy are married, shares a drink with him, and offers him relationship advice. After Jimmy begins practicing law as Saul Goodman, and word of his representation of the Salamancas gets out, his office is flooded with potential criminal defense clients, causing an obviously annoyed Mrs. Nguyen to evict him.


David Brightbill

David Brightbill (portrayed by Jackamoe Buzzell) is a private investigator. After Jimmy sabotages Chuck's work for Mesa Verde Bank, Chuck hires David to find proof. When Chuck records Jimmy's confession and arranges for Jimmy to find out, David and Howard Hamlin spend time at Chuck's house because Chuck is sure Jimmy will try to steal the recording and wants them to observe firsthand. Jimmy later angrily breaks down Chuck's door and destroys the cassette, and David and Howard reveal themselves as witnesses, which enables Chuck to report Jimmy's crime to the police.


Lyle

Lyle (portrayed by Harrison Thomas) is the assistant manager of the
Los Pollos Hermanos Los Pollos Hermanos (; Spanish for The Chicken Brothers) is a fictional fast food restaurant chain specializing in chicken that was featured in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul''. In the fictional u ...
restaurant chain's Albuquerque store. He is loyal to Gus and takes great pride in his work, but is oblivious to Gus's role in the illegal drug trade. Lyle is temporarily promoted to store manager while Gus recovers after he is wounded in the shootout with Lalo and tells Lyle he is unable to come into work due to a family emergency.


Margarethe Ziegler

Margarethe Ziegler (portrayed by Andrea Sooch) is the widow of Werner Ziegler. When Werner was constructing the meth lab for Gus Fring, he escaped to rendezvous with Margarethe, and she planned to visit him in New Mexico. After Werner inadvertently revealed construction details to Lalo, Gus realized that Lalo could learn the whole plan and report him to cartel leaders, so he ordered Werner's death. Because Werner escaped on his watch, Mike took responsibility. After promising Werner his crew would be returned to Germany unharmed and that there would be a story about his death that satisfied his wife, Mike had Werner call his wife at the airport and convince her to return to Germany. Mike then shot Werner, and his death was made to look like the result of a construction accident. Lalo later uses an alias to converse with Margarethe at a bar in Germany and finds that she believes Werner died in a cave in, but saved his crew. The next day, Lalo watches Margarethe leave for work, then breaks into her home. Using a clue she provided in their conversation the night before, Lalo finds another lead that will enable him to find Werner's crew. Margarethe unexpectedly returns home to retrieve her cell phone, and her dog barks at something upstairs. Margarethe ascends the stairs to search, and Lalo prepares to kill her, but then escapes through a window without being seen.


Everett Acker

Everett Acker (portrayed by
Barry Corbin Leonard Barrie Corbin (born October 16, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Maurice Minnifield on the television series ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award ...
) is a retiree whose home is on land leased from Mesa Verde Bank. Kim Wexler represents the bank in its attempt to evict Acker so it can construct a new call center. When Kim becomes sympathetic to Acker's refusal to leave, she persuades Jimmy (as Saul Goodman) to represent him. As of 2004, Acker has lived at the same location since 1974. When Mesa Verde Bank begins buying out lessees in order to construct a call center as part of its regional expansion, Acker becomes the last holdout. Though his lease includes a provision for the bank to buy him out at fair market value plus $5,000, he considers the buyout provision to be unfair. Kim recommends to Kevin and Paige an alternate building site that will enable Mesa Verde to work around Acker's refusal to leave, but they insist on eviction. She asks Jimmy (as Saul) to represent Acker against Mesa Verde, and Acker agrees. Jimmy creates delays in Mesa Verde's eviction through several tricks, including changing Acker's street number and claiming the eviction notices are for the wrong address, creating fake Native American artifacts to be found by researchers, planting low-level radioactive material to have authorities test the site for hazardous waste, and passing off a spray-painted image of Jesus on Acker's home as a miracle that causes the religious faithful to consider it a shrine. Kim and Jimmy consider blackmailing Kevin into settling, but Kim changes her mind and offers an improved settlement, with her personally making up the difference between what Kevin agrees to pay and a $75,000 total. Jimmy says Acker already agreed to accept $45,000, so he concurs. Jimmy meets with Kim, Rich, Kevin, and Paige to complete the arrangement and stuns everyone by demanding $4 million. When Kevin ridicules this demand, Jimmy shows him rough cuts of commercials seeking plaintiffs for class-action lawsuits against Mesa Verde, which unfavorably depict Kevin's father, Don Wachtell. Jimmy also makes use of the blackmail material Kim declined to employ— photos that prove Mesa Verde's logo is based on an original photograph the bank did not obtain permission to use. Jimmy uses the threat of lawsuits and an injunction against displaying the logo to persuade Kevin to accept a settlement that includes $75,000 in cash for Acker and permission to remain in his home.


Marion

Marion (portrayed by
Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...
) is Jeff's elderly mother, whom Jimmy (as Gene) befriends as a ploy to gain the upper hand on Jeff. Gene puts on a kind and affable persona and lies about owning a missing dog. In addition, he claims to have never visited Albuquerque, where Marion says Jeff faced legal troubles. After Gene, Jeff and Jeff's friend Buddy secretly work together to rob a department store at the mall where Gene works, Jeff uses some of his money to buy Marion a laptop; Gene teaches her how to search on a web browser. While watching videos one night, Marion overhears Gene berating Buddy because Buddy has backed out of Gene's latest scam. Gene refuses to give up on robbing the mark, so he has Jeff drive him to the mark's home. Jeff panics when he sees a police car idle behind him and crashes his taxi, leading to his arrest. Gene asks Marion to accompany him when delivering Jeff's bail. Gene's knowledge of the legal process arouses Marion's suspicions, and she uses her computer to discover Gene's identity as Saul Goodman. Gene attempts to intimidate her into staying silent, but she uses her
Life Alert Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc. is a nationwide American company, with headquarters in Encino, California, which provides services that help elderly contact emergency services. The company was founded in 1987. The company's system consists ...
button to call the authorities, forcing Gene to flee. Marion provides the operator information on Gene's movements as he escapes that helps in his arrest.


Neil Kandy

Neil Kandy (portrayed by
Scott MacArthur Scott MacArthur (born August 6, 1979) is an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Jimmy Shepherd, a main character on the Fox comedy series '' The Mick''. Early life MacArthur was born in Chicago. He is an alumnus of The Second ...
) is the owner of an Albuquerque welding shop. In ''El Camino'' Neil and Casey pretend to be police officers so they can enter the now-dead Todd's apartment to search for his hidden cash. They encounter Jesse, who was already there searching and prevents them from killing him by revealing that he found the money. Neil and Jesse bargain over the cash, and in order to avoid raising the suspicions of Todd's neighbors Neil agrees to let Jesse leave with a third. As they depart Todd's apartment building, Jesse recognizes Neil as the welder who built the tether that held him while he was forced to cook meth for the Brotherhood. When Jesse realizes he does not have enough to pay for Ed Galbraith's new identity services, he secretly retrieves two pistols from his parents' house, a
Colt Woodsman The Colt Woodsman is a semi-automatic sporting pistol manufactured by the U.S.Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1915 to 1977. It was designed by John Moses Browning. The frame design changed over time, in three distinct series: series one being 1 ...
and an Iver Johnson Hammerless. He then drives to Neil's shop, where Neil, Casey, and three friends celebrate with
escorts Escort may refer to: Protection *Bodyguard, a security operative who accompanies clients for their personal protection *Police escort, a feature offered by law enforcement agencies to assist in transporting individuals *Safety escort service, a s ...
and cocaine. After the escorts leave, Jesse asks for the $1,800 he needs, and Neil refuses. Seeing the Woodsman in Jesse's waistband, Neil challenges Jesse to a
duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
for his share of the cash. Jesse agrees, and when Neil reaches for his gun, Jesse shoots Neil with the Hammerless, which was concealed in his jacket pocket. After killing Casey, Jesse collects the driver's licenses of the remaining men and lets them leave after threatening to return and kill them if they tell the police. He recovers Neil's cash and departs after setting an explosion to cover his tracks.


Casey

Casey (portrayed by Scott Shepherd) is an employee at Neil Kandy's welding shop. In ''El Camino'', after Casey and Neil confront Jesse during the search for the now-dead Todd's hidden cash, Jesse saves himself from being killed by revealing that he found it. Casey then distracts Todd's busybody neighbor Lou, which enables Jesse and Neil to bargain. To avoid alarming Todd's neighbors, Neil agrees to let Jesse leave with a third. When Jesse later arrives at Neil's shop to ask for the $1,800 he needs to pay Ed Galbraith for a new identity and relocation, Casey is incensed to learn that Neil allowed Jesse to keep a third of the money and demands that he not give Jesse any more. Neil challenges Jesse to a duel for his share of the cash, during which Jesse kills Neil. Casey then fires at Jesse, but Jesse kills him with Neil's gun.


Lou Schanzer

Lou Schanzer (portrayed by
Tom Bower Thomas Michael Bower (born 28 September 1946) is a British writer and former BBC journalist and television producer. He is known for his investigative journalism and for his unauthorised biographies, often of business tycoons and newspaper pr ...
) is a retired police officer and Todd Alquist's busybody neighbor. In ''El Camino'', he observed Neil Kandy and Casey arrive at Todd's apartment to search for Todd's hidden money, though Neil and Casey had planned their arrival for a time when they thought he would not be home. Believing Neil and Casey to be police officers, he offers information about Todd's activities. After he leaves, Neil and Casey confront Jesse. Lou then arrives with an old note from Todd, which he believes will help Neil and Casey in their investigation. Casey pretends to be interested to divert Lou's attention, which enables Jesse and Neil to negotiate over the division of the cash, then leave Todd's apartment building.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul characters Lists of American crime television series characters Lists of American drama television series characters