LogFAQs > #966001498

#6 Hank Schrader

Hank, Hank, how do you even describe Hank? Hes an extraordinarily competent detective, with fantastic deduction skills that somehow almost seem superhuman. His deduction skills almost seem unbelievable and unrealistic at times. This man, using nothing but his wits, uncovers the identities of the two biggest drug kingpins in the American Southwest. Hes one of the few men to stand face-to-face with Tuco Salamanca, Leonel, and Marco Salamanca and live to tell the tale. Hank is a badass who also happens to be funny and loveable. I enjoy seeing him geek out over his new collection of minerals just as Im excited to see him in a firefight. Im entertained by seeing him banter with Gomie at work just as I enjoy seeing him spend time with Walt Jr.

Now, Hank is far from perfect. But in his defense, he seems more self-aware of his flaws and shortcomings than most people are. He stops short of calling Jesse and apologizing for that ridiculous beating he gave him, but he does express sentiment that it wasnt the right thing to do. He doesnt seem to have much empathy for addicts in general, treating them condescendingly whenever he meets them. He can be proud, and in some ways his pride is what leads to his downfall. Hes the closest thing this show comes to having a hero an extremely flawed and unscrupulous hero, but the only one we have who is actively trying to do something that resembles the right thing.

Number six was the hardest cut to make, by far. Its because theres only Walt, Jesse, Hank, Gus, Mike and Saul left. All are fantastic, and someone has to go. Dont take this to mean that I dont think Hank is great. But I had to let go of somebody. Hank falls not because of his own merits, but because of the merits of other characters. Ill explain more about this in the next entry.

#7 Todd Alquist

Oh, Toddwhat a delightful, terrifying young man.

Todd Alquist is a late arrival into the series. We first meet Todd in the final season, where hes working for a pest control company that also robs its clients. Todd is a young upstart criminal, eager to learn and more than ready to get his feet wet. Walt, being a natural teacher at heart, picks up on this right away and takes this little demon under his devils wing.

Todd made it this far because his moral compass is complex and fascinating in a way that I never envisioned before and still have trouble wrapping my head around. Todd will chain you up in his basement and make you his meth slave, but treat you to ice cream for a job well-done. Hes polite, mild-mannered, and unsettlingly childlike, but foresees no problem in murdering children. He will shoot an innocent woman in the head, but apologize for it first as if what hes about to do is a mild inconvenience for her. Todd is like if Flynn were raised by neo-nazis. I cant call him ill-intended because I dont know if he realizes what hes doing is wrong. His entire character is like a walking uncanny valley. Todd almost looks, talks, and behaves like your normal average joe, but theres something there thats unsettling and creepy about him.

I wasnt quite certain who to put first, Todd or Tuco. Tuco has better highs (no pun intended), and I much prefer Grilled to El Camino. Todd has the fascinating moral complexities and unsettling creepiness that make him a marginally better character in my eyes. But if you think Im wrong and should flip them, theres a very good argument for that.