Breaking Bad is often considered as one of the best TV shows of all time and is usually bunched together with the likes of The Sopranos or The Wire in most top TV series lists. What does make the show awesome and award-winning are primarily its characters and suffice to say, we can’t get enough of their… chemistry… on-screen. One of them was even interesting enough to have his own spinoff show, Better Caul Saul.
While Better CaulSaul’s dramatic lawyer acrobatics did usher in some familiar faces from Breaking Bad, some characters from the latter are simply too memorable or popular to not appear again at least in a cameo role. Of course, just as there are some prominent characters in Breaking Bad, there are also unpopular ones, which admittedly, compliments the good characters. However, that doesn’t mean we want those unwanted Breaking Bad characters to appear in Better Call Saul.
So, by popular demand (sort of), here are five Breaking Bad characters we wish or hope to see again in Better Call Saul, along with five other characters that are best left out.
WANT: MARIE SCHRADER
Little Mrs. Purple. Marie is one of the most interesting characters in Breaking Bad for having a consistent personality. She initially comes off as a typical nosy aunt but her kleptomaniac tendencies and objective attitude are what make her show segments a delight.
Coupled with her sweet and patient side, Marie is quite a relief from the tense show. She’s the aunt everyone would want to have… just not right away. Imagine her meeting Saul Goodman for the first time, that would be a riot, though one we’d want to see nonetheless.
DON’T WANT: SKYLER WHITE
Well, this was a tricky one. Skyler is one of the most annoying characters in the show but at the same time, her plight is quite understandable. Still, her character’s decisions are not as virtuous as she makes it out to be (and she does like to take the moral high ground), making her something of a hypocrite. In fact, there has been quite a significant backlash against her character but that goes to show the actress’ prowess.
Despite that, a lot of us still probably don’t want her to appear again in Better Call Saul. She’s one of the most stressful characters from Breaking Bad. The fact that she got more hate than the actual villains of the show is probably proof that fans don’t want to see her again.
WANT: HANK SCHRADER
ASAC Schrader, special agent in charge of the Schraderbrau beer, and Walter White’s de facto nemesis. From the moment he appears on-screen, Hank is already an unforgettable character. He’s loud and macho yet responsible and secretly fragile. Underneath that obnoxious cop facade is a caring husband and uncle.
The thing is, we never really got to see the interesting romantic relationship between Hank and Marie. How they ended up together is a huge mystery and that’s something we would welcome in Better Call Saul. Apart from that, Hank’s drug enforcement escapades are probably good spinoff material too, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in an ice-breaker drug bust in Better Call Saul.
DON’T WANT: TED BENEKE
Mr. Grabby-hands. The man who singlehandedly made Skyler a contemptible witch. Turns out the two have history–awkward history and Ted got a little too touchy with Skyler in the past. Skyler seeking him out after that and still trusting him is her worst decision ever.
Ted, for lack of a better world, is a dolt–at least compared to the show’s usual criminal geniuses and masterminds. What does make Ted worse than the usual fools and simpleton junkies of the Breaking Bad is that he’s a rich one by inheritance so he can disguise it. There’s no reason for this useless rich dude to appear in a spinoff/prequel, hopefully.
WANT: STEVE GOMEZ
If the Albuquerque criminal underground has Walter and Jessie, then the DEA has Hank and Steve (a.k.a. Gomey). Their chemistry is undeniable and often leads to entertaining cop duo banter and hijinks. Too bad this was shown only briefly in Breaking Bad and was never fleshed out that much.
Better Call Saul being set in the past will surely open up opportunities for a younger and fresher Hank and Steve law duo. Hopefully, we get to see Gomey again once Saul becomes a full-fledged “criminal” lawyer where he starts defending all sorts of felons, some of which are involved with drug cartels.
DON’T WANT: BOGDAN WOLYNETZ
Fudge this guy… and his eyebrows. Before Skyler became a heavy cross to bear for Walter White (or vice versa), Bogdan was the top annoyance. He was cheap, toxic, and abusive, especially to Walter. Bogdan is that boss who makes you work overtime without extra pay and will not hesitate to fire you if you refuse his power-tripping.
It is good that this stingy Romanian got his comeuppance when he lost his carwash business. Seeing him again in Better Call Saul is not something we are all looking forward to given his penchant to be irritating.
WANT: WALTER WHITE
Not Heisenberg, not yet anyway. Just plain old “Mistah White” and his passive nerd days leading up to his breaking bad. Walter’s appearance in Better Call Saul, however, will probably be severely limited and mostly a fan service since the continuity and canon does not allow him any contact with Saul.
Still, seeing Walter White not as Heisenberg and before the eventual storm would be one heck of a nod to his great character. Granted, his appearance would be more of a checklist than anything dramatic. After all, there’s nothing really interesting about a chemistry teacher with burning regrets…
DON’T WANT: ELLIOT & GRETCHEN SCHWARTZ
Walter White’s scientist colleague from the good old days when he was relevant. Technically, Elliot did nothing wrong to him, ethically? Well, let’s see… He stood on Walter’s research and study as a foundation for a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical company. Elliot also married Gretchen, Walter’s ex, adding to Walt’s regret.
Elliot had everything Walt ever wanted or worked hard for. It’s easy to see that and it wouldn’t even take a genius such as Elliot. However, Elliot and Gretchen are somehow both insensitive or indifferent with what transpired and appear to not have any guilt whatsoever. Granted, Elliot or Gretchen never really stole anything from Walt. He was the one who left and sold his company shares to Elliot for $5,000 because of his pride. Regardless, can’t these two get a clue? They’re smart, they ought to figure it out– but no, they chose to wallow in their success instead.
WANT: JESSIE PINKMAN
Jessie Pinkman is all of us and is the most human character in Breaking Bad. Of all the mistakes in the show, he has made the most. Still, that does not make him an annoying or bad character because his mistakes are innocent, honest, and he’s usually only doing what he thinks is good– a hard feat especially for a kid whose parents did not give him enough love and appreciation.
Then, Walter White comes in and straightens Jessie up… while manipulating and using him as a tool. Poor Jessie. As for where he would be in Better Call Saul, probably too busy getting high or is still a budding “Cap’n Cook” whose specialty is chili powder flavored meth. Not bad for a cameo role.
DON’T WANT: TODD ALQUIST
Child-killer, neo-Nazi, or psycho Matt Damon look-alike, call him anything bad you like, it’ll fit Todd. He’s emotionless, insensitive, and amoral, the complete opposite of Jessie Pinkman, which makes him a dangerous criminal. Throughout the show, he’s killed without remorse or hesitation. Apart from that, he’s got zero personality or appeal, which isn’t to say that his actor was bad, of course.
No one in their right mind would vouch for a character like Todd–he’s a villain with no depth and motivation, unlike Gustavo Fring, or Tuco, or some of the striking cartel veterans. We’re just happy he’s gone and is not coming back like the rest of his bland white supremacist ilk.
