Current Events > ITT: I rank every Breaking Bad character from worst to best. *SPOILERS*

(+) Yeah! (+)

Not virtually every character. Judge Papadoomian isn't on this list. They had to show up for at least a few episodes or be otherwise at least somewhat relevant to the storyline to be included here.

Actually, hang on. I firmly believe this show only had two bad characters so let's get them out of the way first.

#55 Ted Beneke
Ted is the worst. The absolute worst. He has no redeemable qualities and there's nothing remotely likable about him. He's poorly-written as well; his contribution to the story is one huge idiot ball that takes forever to reach a conclusion. The two good things I can say about him is that his storyline is given a very satisfying conclusion, with Walt in the crawl space being one of the most iconic scenes. He also gives us the rare glimpse into white collar crime that we get. Still not enough to save him from being the worst character in the entire show.

#54 Lydia Rodarte-Quayle
Lydia is an awkward character who never really finds her dynamic with the rest of the cast. Walt kills her with ricin, but because she's not set up that well as antagonist the murder comes across as more of tying up a lose end than anything else. Her relationship with Todd in season 5B kind of feels like ham-fisted in to give the neo-nazis motivation not to kill Jesse and she doesn't do much else during the final part of the show. But Jack could've just said "Jesse's meth makes us money so he lives" and left it that.

All the Aryan nation, or whatever they were supposed to be, characters seemed a bit half baked except for Todd.

I liked Lydia!

This next batch of characters I'm meh on. I don't dislike any of them, but I don't feel strongly enough about them to put them any higher on the list. Also there are actually 56 characters here and I screwed up the numbering.

#54 Detective Kalanchoe
Very asshole detective who is passive-aggressive to Jesse at some point. Don't remember all that much about him except he was pretty mean.

#53 Dennis Markowski
The manager of the laundry mat who is burned alive in one of the most cruel deaths in the entire show. Other than that, not much else stands out about him.

#52 Matt
I agree that the neo-nazis are underbaked, though I kind of do have a spot for Jack. We'll get to him. I don't remember Matt at all which puts him below the rest of them.

#51 Kenny
Just another generic goon for Jack.

#50 Dr. Delcavoli
He's Walt's cancer doctor. He fulfills his purpose, telling us more about Walt's diagnosis. But he doesn't stand out enough as a character to be any higher than this.

#49 Frankie & Lester
They're a bit more memorable than Kenny & Matt, but not very much.

#48 Pamela Orbic
Skyler's lawyer. She has a smart head on her shoulders and actually gives some pretty good advice. Too bad Skyler doesn't listen at all.

#47 Juan Bolsa
Juan Bolsa is kind of bland and not that interesting compared to the rest of the cartel. In Better Call Saul, he's part of one of that show's best scenes (I'll try not to spoil BCS here in case anyone hasn't seen the prequel). But here in Breaking Bad, he doesn't do much besides be a bit suspicious of Gus and then dies a few episodes later.

COVxy posted...

I liked Lydia!

Same but only because she's Scottish

These characters are a mix of unlikeable and underdeveloped to just plain unmemorable.

#46 Elliot Schwartz
I think it's fair to put Elliot a little bit ways below Gretchen, as Gretchen actually has some nuance to her character. Elliot only appears in three episodes; he appears in the second episode and then the second-to-last episode and the finale. Therefore, his character never really gets time to develop. He just seems sort of an air-headed rich douche and not believable as some kind of chemistry genius. Though Walt did say that he and Gretchen just stole all his work, so maybe he was telling the truth there. Much more Zuckerberg than Bill Gates for sure.

#45 Diane & Adam Pinkman
Is it just me or do Jesse's parents seem pretty unlikeable? I get it, they had to teach Jesse some tough love. And sure, Jesse was cooking meth in the house that they owned, but throwing their own son on the street was pretty despicable. Who lets their own child go homeless? These two are just too underdeveloped and not likeable enough to rank any higher.

#44 SAC Ramey
Hank's higher-up who tells him to stop investigating Mike in 5A. Hank doesn't really listen. Not a super memorable or interesting character.

#43 Tim Roberts
Roberts is a nice guy. Very helpful, accommodating, and patient family friend. The kind of guy we all wish we had in our lives.

#42 Gaff
Again, underdeveloped. He's supposed to be the cartel counterpart of Mike. But he gets so little screen time and development that he's just generic muscle.

#41 Carmen Molina
Something about Carmen makes me feel icky. I don't think it's her, I think it's just residual from the way Walt forced her to fire him from the school. Carmen herself is cool, but I don't think she's compelling enough to break into the top 40.

#40 Tortuga
His severed head on a turtle? The cartel just doesn't play around, and it's something the real life drug cartel would do also. But for some reason, I just don't find Tortuga that memorable.

#39 Kaylee Ehrmantraut
She does what she's supposed to do, which is humanize Mike. But as a character, she's pretty much just your typical child, though pretty cutesy and clever.

#38 Holly White
Holly has two stand-out moments in the series. The first of which is her birth, in which Walt has to choose between the birth of his daughter and making a drug deal. The second which is that crazy moment in Ozymandias where Walt runs away with her and then drops her off at a fire station. Between those two moments, Holly doesn't do a whole lot and unlike Kaylee, she doesn't humanize her parents at all. She feels more like a prop at times than a proper character.

Skylar is such an awful character. Bottom 10 easily

TheHoldSteady posted...

#54 Lydia Rodarte-Quayle
Lydia is an awkward character who never really finds her dynamic with the rest of the cast. Walt kills her with ricin, but because she's not set up that well as antagonist the murder comes across as more of tying up a lose end than anything else. Her relationship with Todd in season 5B kind of feels like ham-fisted in to give the neo-nazis motivation not to kill Jesse and she doesn't do much else during the final part of the show. But Jack could've just said "Jesse's meth makes us money so he lives" and left it that.

Yeah but she's hot as fuck

Now we're getting to the actual decent characters. I actually like every single character from here on out.

#37 Declan
Wish we got to spend more time with Declan. He had a cool vibe. But we don't, and so he ends up pretty low on this list.

#36 Combo
Not too much to say about Combo, really. He dies early on as a catalyst for Jesse's arc with Gus. His death fills his purpose, but he's just not as loveable as Badger or Skinny Pete.

#35 Andrea & Brock Cantillo
These two share a spot because they're two sides of the same coin. These two are just...sad. Andrea gets shot in the head and Brock is poisoned and almost dies. It's like their entire existence is to show that the drug trade harms more than just criminals. Andrea and Brock don't break the law, and they're not even addicts (okay, Andrea is, but she's not as gone as say, Spooge). But they end up hurt just because they got too close to Walter White. Easily two of the most tragic characters in the entire series.

#34 Wendy
I like Wendy. She's a loyal, good friend and seems like a nice person. Her appearances are the first hint that Hank is kind of un-empathetic when it comes to dealing with addicts. But the more I think about her, the harder it is to justify her being any higher on this list. She's a bit one note and just lacks the complexity of the series truly great characters.

#33. George Merkert
Merkert is easily my favorite of the DEA crew (besides Hank and Gomie, of course). Just like Walt is Hank's blind spot, Gus is Merkert's. And in the background of everything else happening in season 4 we see the fallout that happens because of Merkert's blind spot. And there's just something genuine likeable about Merkert. When he realizes who Gus is, he doesn't try to blame Hank or make excuses or anything like that. He owns up to his failure and resigns on the spot. There's something admirable about taking it on the chin the way he did.

#32. Emilio Koyama
The first one to fall, literally. It's interesting how a character who only appeared in two episodes of the series some odd fourteen years ago can still be so memorable to this day. I don't think anything about Emilio's characterization itself sticks out; himself, he's a bit bland. But as the antagonist of Breaking Bad's pilot, he works very well. He's brooding and menacing, but he's just a street level dealer and goes down evil. And as it turns out, Walt ends up with bigger fish to fry. One thing that doesn't quite click is his relationship as Jesse's old friend who they'd known for their entire lives. Because of how hostile Emilio is towards Jesse, this seems a little hard to buy.

#31 Krazy-8
Krazy-8's arc is fantastic. The way Walt draws out having to kill him while they slowly bond, then the scene where Walt panics when he realizes part of the glass plate is missing, and then his death...yeah, Krazy-8 is great. He's likeable enough to be tragic despite clearly being far-south of good. But do you blame Krazy-8? This old guy just murdered his friend, nearly killed him and then chained him up in a basement. I'd want a little payback too.

What was the name of that hooker that randomly appeared a few times at that hotel? The one Hank tried to scare Walt Jr. straight with?

30
fat black dude with the bullet head

R1masher posted...

30
fat black dude with the bullet head

The fuck you hating on Huell for?

jumi posted...

What was the name of that hooker that randomly appeared a few times at that hotel? The one Hank tried to scare Walt Jr. straight with?

Everyone knows its Wendy.

Is Tim Roberts the APD guy that asks Hank for help on Gale's homicide?

#30 Eladio Vuente
Eladio had some potential. He's jovial, charismatic, charming, but also sadistic and cunning. He'll have you watch your best friend/lover bleed to death, and then invite you to a party and act like you're his best bud. Steven Bauer is a gem and plays the role very well. Unfortunately, his character presence is almost non-existent. He only appears a handful of times and it's clear they only created the character to have someone in the cartel hierarchy above Gus/Juan/Hector.

#29 Spooge, Spooge's Lady, Spooge's Kid
The Spooge arc kicks off a very important and heartfelt story of character development for Jesse. For those who don't remember, Spooge robs Walt's operation of some meth or something and Walt sends Jesse to send a message. But when Jesse gets there, it becomes clear that Jesse is far from some cold, unfeeling iceman. When Jesse realizes he has a kid, he starts turning his attention more towards spending time with the kid and trying to come to a grasp with how poor of a hand that kid has been dealt, living a lonely and impoverished life with two meth heads. Then of course, Spooge gets crushed to death with an ATM and Jesse calls the police to help find the kid. The entire storyline helps establishes early on that Jesse has a good heart, and gets along well with kids. It's also just pretty darn heart wrenching since you know, there are many kids out there just like that little redheaded boy.

#28 Gretchen Schwartz
I think the best thing about Gretchen is that she doesn't really do anything wrong. She's happy to help Walt with paying for his cancer treatments. Even when she finds out that Walt is lying, she doesn't rat him out to Skyler and instead finds a way to quietly exit herself from the scenario. When she denounces Walt on that talk show, what else is she supposed to do? I think Gretchen is a good character because she seems like actually a decent person who highlights just how prideful Walt can be. Walt will whine and cry about how awful she is, but when do you actually see her doing anything that bad?

#27 Bogdan Wolynetz
There are only a couple antagonists in the world of Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul who never break the law. One of them is, interestingly enough, Bogdan. He's just such a relatable, annoying prick. So many of us have worked menial jobs with hard-ass bosses. And Marius Stan plays this role with such a distinct smugness and self-righteousness. But even then, it's hard not to feel a little bad for him when Walt uses his first dollar to buy a soda.

#26 Victor
Victor is a bit of a hotheaded dick, but boy when Gus gets that box cutter out you still sort of feel for him. One mistake and he ends up a bloody, mutilated mess on the floor of the lab. He's an extremely loyal foot soldier, but you see through him what Gus does to people he thinks are loose ends.

#25 Tyrus Kitt
Tyrus is a bit more interesting than Victor. Whereas Victor is an abrasive hothead, Tyrus runs more cold. He doesn't say much, doesn't make many facial expressions, but you can feel his smug contempt in everything that he does. Oh and his idiot ball leads to the death of Gus Fring. Seriously how could you not have thought to peek your head around that corner?

Tagging this.

Good list this far, except I don't remember dude getting burned to death in a laundry mat. What episode was that?

*tracking*

tag

#24 Jack Welker

Ah, Uncle Jack. So I'll start with what I like about him. He's just downright cool. He's extremely no-BS, straight and to the point. He's the antithesis of Walt in some ways. Walt is highly intelligent, and his intellect allows him to outsmart everyone he meets in the drug trade. But he's not street smart, and he tends to be greedy. Jack is very much street smart, and he is by no means greedy. Jack has his own code, too. He doesn't like it when people get greedy, and he absolutely hates snitches. He genuinely cares for his gang, and really wants to see Todd happy. As Walt's hired private gun who are capable of whacking a dozen men in prison at the same time, Jack is downright terrifying. But as it turns out, Walt doesn't have the control over Jack that he thought he did. Which leads me to...

Now, here's what I don't like about him. In season 1 or 2, Jack would've been a great antagonist for Walt to have to deal with. Imagine Walt, still getting his feet wet in the criminal underbelly, comes across this coldblooded gang of neo-nazis. But season 5B Walt? This is the Walter White that already took down Gustavo Fring. This is the Heisenberg that is revered and feared by criminals everywhere in the southwest. But somehow Jack doesn't seem to see that? Does he not know everything this man is done? Why would anyone underestimate Walter White at this stage in the game? We had a chain of antagonists from season 1-4 that showed up, and then died and got replaced, starting from Emilio and Krazy-8 all the way to Gus. But it worked and made sense, because each antagonist was higher and higher up in the meth trade, until there was nobody left and Heisenberg was on top. Introducing yet another antagonist for the final episodes just felt like taking a step backwards.

On top of that, Jack is never given any sort of backstory or hint of where he came from. And it's not in a mysterious and good way like Gus. It's in a way that makes him feel incomplete. Does Jack have any family besides from Todd? How did he get into the criminal underworld? Where are Todd's parents anyway?

Anyway, I think #24 is more than fair for Jack. His character is well-designed, even if its not all that well-executed.

#23 Walter White Jr.
Walt Jr is the second main cast member to fall, though it's more for what he could've been than what he is. Overall, we see Flynn's character evolve from a sweet, average teen who worships the ground his father walks on into the one who is willing to leap from his crutches to protect his mother from Walter and call the police on him. That scene is absolutely grueling, and a heartbreakingly beautiful tale of what became of this once normal family. Walt Jr is the very last member of the White/Schrader family to find out Walt's secret, but he's the only one who calls the police on him instead of keeping it secret and he does it immediately. Props kid, props.

But...man, it's Walter White, one of the greatest TV characters of all time. You've got his son and I can just think of a thousand angles you could've taken with Walter White's son. The direction they took isn't bad, but it definitely feels like they could've done more with the character concept.

marie already way too high

I think Jack works because Walt just didn't understand the criminal element, even that late in the game. His intelligence and underhanded method of dealing with his opponents meant he never got down and dirty. He went from behind-the-scenes street dealer to behind-the-scenes cook to gang boss without the mundane criminal experience that someone like Gus or the cartel leaders had.

Even at the very end, he doesn't understand that there's no situation where Hank walks out of that desert. He thinks he can wheel and deal his way out, but that's just not going to happen.

And speaking of Hank, that's also why Jack "beat" Walt at all. If it were just one vs the other, Walt would take it, but Hank had already beaten Walt. Jack just stepped in and took control of a situation that had already fallen apart.

tag

Tag. I don't remember most of these lower characters lol

#22 Marco and Leonel Salamanca
The first of the Salamancas to fall, and justifiably so. Don't get me wrong, these guys are pretty great. They're just the mold of brutal, cold assassins that the cartel needs to have around to be threatening. You're not going to make sure you lock your doors to keep Juan Bolsa out. But you have to worry when anyone messes around with the Salamancas because these two could be lurking around any corner with their signature axe in hand. The scene with Hank defending himself in the parking lot is brilliantly tense and I don't think they could've made that scene work without the Cousins. But they just don't reach the lofty heights of Tuco, Lalo (who isn't on this list, BB only), or even Hector.

#21 Clovis
Uhm yeah anyone remember this guy? He's Badger's cousin who has the towing company. I loved this guy. There's just something so endearing and realistic about him. Like he's just a person you'd meet in real life and think nothing weird about. He's nothing like his cousin. Clovis is cold, tough, dry, and a serious businessman. He's the perfect foil for when Jesse is trying to get his life back in order after his dickhead parents put him on the street. Because Clovis isn't a villain, and he's not even that bad of a guy. He's just very, very stern, doesn't have a lot of sympathy for Jesse or time for his emotional appeal. The only way through to his heart is cold, hard cash. So Jesse has to fight tooth and nail to get the cash he needs to give to Clovis. So yeah, love Clovis. He doesn't make enough appearances to warrant being in the top 20 IMO, but he's one of the only minor characters to make it this high.

Tag.

#20 Gale Boetticher
Talk about flying too close to the sun. Gale's character is well-crafted. He's a meth cook, sure, but he's innocuous and polite enough that his death carries a lot of weight. He's the first person Jesse kills, and he's the first victim of Walter White that you might say didn't have coming. There's a good deal of depth to Gale's character, even if we never have time to explore it, and his justification of having a meth cook who chooses to manufacture meth because consenting adults are going to do what they please and he can at least provide a safe product is interesting. He has an educational background similar to Walt, as well as a history with Gus, and comes across as a bit of a nerdy, absent-minded artist. There's nobody else in the show quite like him. Overall, Gale is a solid entryway into the top 20 because he's not the best character this show has to offer, but he is a really good one.

#19 Francesca Liddy
I think I'm just a Saul fanboy because I put all of his satellite characters in the top 20. Franny is the perfect foil to Saul Goodman. The ornery, jaded secretary to the sleazy, jovial lawyer, and they play off each other perfectly. I enjoy seeing her in Saul's office among the crowded ambience of ABQ's finest denizens just counting the hours until she can go home, and I think most of us have had a job where we can relate to her.

And this scene is fantastic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6LzaoGBeqE

#18 Marie Schrader
Jesus Christ, Marie. Where Marie works best is when she's interacting with Hank. She's incredibly loyal to her husband until the very end, staying by his bedside, helping him shit into a bucket, and putting up with his verbal abuse during his grueling recovery from being shot up in the parking lot. When Hank discovers Walt's secret, she backs Hank completely and to the bitter end. Okay, so her kleptomania storyline isn't the most interesting thing in the world to watch, but it shows us that Skyler doesn't tolerate crime, even from her family members. She balances out the family by being the emotional connection between Hank and the White family. Marie isn't the type of character you'd center a show around, but in one like this one she performs her role and seems like a nice enough person and a sweet, caring family member.

#17 Huell Babineaux and #16 Kuby
Aw come on, it's the A-team! Huell is just a big, chill
guy who is always willing to land a hand with his special
ability. And Kuby is Bill Burr. Who doesn't love Bill Burr? Kuby
is even competent enough to help along with robbing trains.

#15 Badger & Skinny Pete
Jesse doesn't have too many friends or even allies in
this show. There's Walt, but Walt is just as likely to
manipulate or take advantage of him than he is to show
an act of friendship. There's Mike, but Mike only befriends
him what, some seven episodes before Walt puts a Belieze in his
stomach?

These two always have Jesse's back. They have no intention
of ever taking advantage of manipulating him. They're loyal, solid
friends and they're just so fun and endearing. They're all but
but non-existent for the final season which is a shame because they're
a blast to have around.

#14 Steve Gomez
It's Gomie! Talk about loyal. When your brother-in-law decides to
cook meth and kill people, go and see if your best friend will have your
back. Go see if your best friend will take a bullet in the head for you.
Gomie isn't the most competent cop. And Steven Michael Quezada isn't the
greatest actor. But damn it if in a series full of people that range from questionable to horrific, Gomie isn't a decent, likeable guy.

Really curious to see where Skyler shows up on TC's list. We're almost at the top 10 and no mention of her yet >_>

NoxObscuras posted...

Really curious to see where Skyler shows up on TC's list. We're almost at the top 10 and no mention of her yet >_>

I felt bad for her for having to have sex with Ted and gave her the number one sorry folks.

TheHoldSteady posted...

when Walt uses his first dollar to buy a soda.

God, this was the most cold-hearted and brutal moment in the entire series (so far) for me. I'm only at the start of season 5, so maybe it'll be topped, but damn...holy shit, Walt is truly irredeemable after this.

Lydia isn't one of the greatest characters of the show, but damn at being that low. I like the fact that she's awkward with all the criminal-ness. She's normally the one who's far from the down and dirty criminal elements, but then is forced to be in the middle of it in some fashion. Her being stuck up and hypocritical also works for her as a character. I like how Mike, who has dealt with all sorts of scum in his past, just hates her and is disgusted by her.

pegusus123456 posted...

I think Jack works because Walt just didn't understand the criminal element, even that late in the game. His intelligence and underhanded method of dealing with his opponents meant he never got down and dirty. He went from behind-the-scenes street dealer to behind-the-scenes cook to gang boss without the mundane criminal experience that someone like Gus or the cartel leaders had.

Even at the very end, he doesn't understand that there's no situation where Hank walks out of that desert. He thinks he can wheel and deal his way out, but that's just not going to happen.

And speaking of Hank, that's also why Jack "beat" Walt at all. If it were just one vs the other, Walt would take it, but Hank had already beaten Walt. Jack just stepped in and took control of a situation that had already fallen apart.

Well said.

I do like the fact that Walt goes from associating with this cold, careful, calculating, super intelligent drug kingpin to a scuzzy biker gang. Walt associating and working with freaking neo-nazis of all people help shows how low he's gone too.

tag

Jack can't match Walt's competence, but he caught him with his hands (literally) tied behind his back. And Walt didn't seem to realize that your money can't buy loyalty or control with Jack, that's not how he operates. They patted him down at the end but can't really blame him for not seeing the remotely controlled gun in the car coming. It was a pretty out-there scenario. I just wanted someone with a little more umph as Walt's final enemy. It's all good and he's a good character, that's why I put him in the top 25

At no point was Jack intimidated by Walt, nor should he have been. He and his crew are every bit as formidable as Walt. When Walt tries to project authority, Jack doesn't bow to it. Sometimes he'll humor him and go along without arguing, as he sees no need establish dominance and potentially mess up a fruitful relationship. He has no qualms standing up to Walt and demanding a cook as payment, despite Walt's insistence that wasn't for sale.

I really like Jack not just as a rival to Walt, but as a catalyst to create more parallels between Walt and Gus. Walt insists on respect, Jack's crew gives it out of courtesy. Gus commands respect with his mere presence. Walt contracts them to do his dirty work, Gus has an elaborate network of unquestioning subordinates. And compare how Walt deals with Jack versus how Gus handled the cartel. Walt has to Walt came up with a plan to kill them that relied on luck, Gus thought of every contingency with the mouth coating and fridges full of blood. Walt managed to score a mutual destruction, Gus completely eradicated his enemy while surviving, along with his men. Season 5 is all about comparing Walt to Gus (like the with the throwing up scene), and Jack demonstrates perfectly why Walt was never as good as Gus, he didn't even come close to his level.

DarkChozoGhost posted...
Season 5 is all about comparing Walt to Gus (like the with the throwing up scene), and Jack demonstrates perfectly why Walt was never as good as Gus, he didn't even come close to his level.

I agree. Walt is just good at making moves from Gus's blind spots, which lets him take Gus down. But when it comes to succeeding in the empire business, Walt doesn't hold a candle.

DarkChozoGhost posted...

At no point was Jack intimidated by Walt, nor should he have been.

Not intimidated, but he should have been at least a bit on guard. Walt is a man who has left every enemy he's ever crossed dead and buried. It's not hard to think that by the end of season 5B, you have every good reason not to trust Heisenberg after you just executed his sibling. I think any competent villain would have never left Walt leave the desert.

Getting down to the best of the best here. These next three characters are very, very good, and in due respect are better than many series best characters. But in a show as excellent as this one, they fall just a tiny bit short of being top tier.

#13 Jane Margolis
What a tragic relationship between Jesse and Jane. At the end of the day, they both desire the same thing in life - freedom. Jane wants to be free from her controlling, watchful, and protective father, and Jesse wants to be free from the pain the meth trade has caused him, and eventually free from the meth trade altogether. Neither of them get the control to make their own decisions in life, and they both are willing to rebel in order to do so. But all they do is pull each other further and further away from freedom instead of pushing each other closer to it. After months of sobriety, Jane relapses, and Jesse is pushed the deepest into his addiction that we ever see him in. There's no doubt that Jesse and Jane loved each other, yet they brought each other close to death in just a matter of weeks.

But I think the greatest impact Jane has on the storyline is as a posthumous character. In one of his many questionable acts, Walt accidentally pushes Jane over during a drug-induced sleep, causing her to choke on her vomit. Instead of attempting to save her life, Walt watches painstakingly as she chokes to death. This happened in season 2, and Walt doesn't tell Jesse until the third-to-last episode of the series. So for three seasons, there's an unspoken tension between Walt and Jesse because Walt just let the love of his life die, that adds an extra element of tenseness and sadness to their relationship.

Much is true-to-life of many addicts, Jane's personality seems to change when she's under the influence. When she's sober, she's inquisitive, thoughtful, playful and witty. When she's using, she's more impulsive, daring, emotional, and sometimes even a bit neurotic. Her flashback apperance in El Camino is a perfect send-off for this character. If she lived, they very much likely would have ended up the deaths of each other. But in the very end, Jesse finally got the freedom that they always wanted.

#12 Ed Galbraith
There's something remote and mysterious about Ed, the vacuum repairman. He's mentioned often during the series, but never appears in person until the penultimate episode.

He refrains from having personal relationships with his clients, only even bothering to meet with them if they've already paid up. He'll help you, and is very good at what he does -- but only if you pay. Ed has a very fatherly and professional personality, even if the only way to even speak with him is through cold, hard cash. Played by the late, great Robert Forester, Ed's commanding presence alone makes the episode Granite State worth watching. He agrees to playing cards with a lonely Walt, but only for ten-thousand dollars.

Ed's biggest contribution to the series is the unique concept of the extraction. The extraction means that any character in the series can escape from their doomed fate, but they have to pay for it. And they have to pay a lot of fucking money. $125,000, to be exact. So either you have enough to pay him, or you have to fight like hell to get the money. This means Ed brings a way out for these characters, not just death, prison, or an unending life of crime. As tragic as these characters are, there is a way out of them through Ed. But unfortunately, it doesn't come cheap or easy.

#11 Hector Salamanca

Hector has been with us as a character for a long time now, making his first appearance in the second episode of the second season. In his first appearance in Tuco's hut, you're not clued into how important he is, and I don't believe that he's even referred to by his real name. But you do get a hint that he's much sharper than meets the eye, when he's able to spot and alert Tuco that Walt and Jesse are trying to poison him.

Now, you learn soon enough that Hector is a terrible human being. He's extremely petty, spiteful, violent, explosively-tempered, and a cold and unfeeling murderer. But he's living in a wheelchair where he's constantly demeaned by nurses who speak to him as if he were a baby. He's unable to speak or even use the restroom without assistance. And Gus has been tormenting him for several years, taunting him about the deaths of his beloved nephews while he sits there, completely helpless.

That's the beauty of Hector's character -- the two sides, the evil and vicious cartel kingpin and the sad old man, sitting helpless as Gus taunts him about murdering his entire family. And yes, Hector struck the first blow, but Gus responds by slowly bleeding him out. The writers purposefully muddle the line about who is in the right and who is in the wrong. It's obvious they're both just two evil men caught in a tale of senseless violence and ruthless revenge. It's perfect that they end up being each other's undoings.

Top ten tomorrow.

TheHoldSteady posted...

Top ten tomorrow.

This is a fun topic. You're doing a great job.

TheHoldSteady posted...

Top ten tomorrow.

Any thoughts on doing a BCS list? Obviously it's not over so it's subject to change but I doubt we're meeting too many new people in 6 episodes.

skyler is one of the most detestable tv characters of all time

Hector's a rare character who suffers such a horrific fate and completely deserves it.

Gobstoppers12 posted...

This is a fun topic. You're doing a great job.

I agree, I am actively enjoying the thought put into this thread. This is quality stuff.

NoMeLx22x posted...

Any thoughts on doing a BCS list? Obviously it's not over so it's subject to change but I doubt we're meeting too many new people in 6 episodes.

Yeah I'd like to. I'mthough i'm going to wait for the series to end -- not because we're going to meet new characters, but because my thoughts on those characters could easily be swayed by the ending. for example we still don't even know the final fate of kim wexler. we'll see though, we'll see.

Naysaspace posted...

skyler is one of the most detestable tv characters of all time

i don't disagree

Damn, No-Doze and Gonzo crack the top 10? Surprised you're so into them.

Jk, I respect not giving those two a spot (though the deserve it more than the 3 spots going to Jack's crew), but you're missing some characters. You've only got one minor character spot left, and neither Joe nor the Narcotics Anonymous guy should be left off this list. I'd argue Hugo, Jane's dad, and Tomas deserve a spot more than Tortuga. Even Chow is more deserving than Matt.

tag

Here's some honorable mentions before I start the top ten. I'm enjoying doing this, might as well milk it for all its worth. These are the characters I forgot to include, but I think are worth mentioning.

Max Arcinega
Very integral to the backstory of Gus Fring. But not all that interesting on his own. Ranking: top 40

Duane Chow
Chow is fun. Most of Gus's b-list underlings are forgettable but Chow is less so. He's a timid, cowardly Gus employee who has some fun chemistry with Mike. "He's gonna need his shoe!" Ranking: top 35

Barry Goodman
Gus's doctor is a confident, surely professional. Not much else to say about him. One of the few survivors from Gus's operation. Ranking: top 35

Chris Mara
One of Gus's men. Not very memorable. Ranking: top 45

Dan Wachsberger
I can't believe Mike used that hack Dan Wachsberger as his lawyer. He should've went to Saul! Ranking: top 40

Gonzo & No-Doze
Tuco is intimidating enough on his own that needing muscle behind him is just extra. But No-Doze fulfills his purpose of striking fear into Walt and Jesse because of what Tuco may do to them. Then Gonzo dies in one of the most bewildering, sad and out there ways imaginable. Ranking: top 35

Hugo Archuleta
Hugo seemed like a sweet guy who got dealt a pretty undeserved hand because of Walt. But honestly, just really forgettable. Ranking: top 45

Tomas
I feel the same way about him that I feel about Andrea and Brock and probably would've just grouped him with his family. Very tragic and deserved better. Ranking: top 35

Old Joe
Ehh he's fine, but I guess I just like Clovis better. Ranking: top 40

Group Leader
Damn. If there's one person I wish I remembered to include, it's the group leader from Jesse's therapy sessions. This guy has quite a sad backstory of his own. He ran over his own daughter when he was drunk and killed her. But he worked hard to get to get better and now where he is today is helping others. He's compassionate, even if by the book, and he's straight and to the point. But even he can't overlook Jesse selling meth to other addicts, and that's the last we see of him in the series. Damn good character. Ranking: top 25

Drew Sharp
Drew is the catalyst for taking season 5A into the end game, motivating Jesse and Mike to leave the empire business behind. He's yet another reminder that Walt's actions hurt more than just his enemies. This kid was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets a Belieze in the head for his troubles. It's just a good thing Todd didn't shoot Spooge's kid, because then Jesse would've done worse than strangle him. Ranking: top 35

Every single one of Group Leader's scenes is great.