In Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s Better Call Saul, when Mike Ehrmantraut (played by brilliant Jonathan Banks) was witnessing the final moments of Ignacio Varga aka Nacho (Michael Mando) from a distance, all my thoughts raced to how he shared a similar father-son rapport with another iconic character in the Breaking Bad Universe, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Mike Ehrmantraut being forever depressed with the death of his biological son getting involved in the wrong place at the wrong time explains why he was protective regarding both his (kind of) adopted sons Nacho and Jesse.
We see Mike helping Nacho in Better Call Saul to escape the wrath of the Salamancas. But fate got Nacho tied to an even bigger guy in the form of Gus Fring. When Lalo’s assassination attempt failed, we already knew what is gonna be the end of Nacho. Even then, Mike was not ready to let Nacho suffer. He was trying it make it easy. Whatever easy way he facilitated for Nacho, he failed to save him. Even a tough guy like Mike surely might have been heartbroken when Nacho took a bullet to his head.
Cut to Breaking Bad and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Mike grows fond of Jesse day by day. He and Jesse share the same father-son rapport and things go haywire after the infamous train incident. Mike and Jesse want to leave and we see Mike suggesting Jesse go to Alaska, if he can. Mike tells it was his wish once to go and settle in Alaska and since he was not able to fulfil it, he passes the wish and wisdom to his adopted son. Maybe Mike didn’t want Jesse to be facing the same fate as Nacho. Mike was not gonna let the fate of Nacho be repeated to Jesse.
That was some great writing. I don’t know how Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould did this. To add essence to why a character behaved the way he did with some detailed storytelling in the prequel. Man, I am so out of words to explain the writing. G.O.A.T. stuff without a doubt.🐐
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