Better Call Saul Season 2: Mike's Story
Mar. 12th, 2025 06:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerSupporting character Mike Ehrmantraut continues to be more intriguing than main character Jimmy McGill in season 2 of Better Call Saul. I've written before about how maybe the show could be called Better Call a More Interesting Character or just Better Call Mike. Mike's backstory in season 1 about how the cartel hit-man we see in Breaking Bad who used to be a cop was a parking lot attendant in between lives of crime definitely was interesting— and was arguably the best episode of season 1. At least it's not as imbalanced as The Book of Boba Fett with a supporting character completely taking over the titular character's show. See my blog Boba Fett Writes a Book About a More Interesting Character. 🙄 Jimmy's story is interesting, and it stays interesting, and the writers keep moving it forward instead of running out of plays and punting the ball. But yeah, Mike's interesting. And in season 2 his story moves forward.
In late season 1 Mike started taking shady jobs to get money to support his daughter-in-law and granddaugther. In his first job he worked as a bodyguard for goofball "Pryce" who was stealing prescription drugs from his pharmaceutical employer and selling them to a gang dealer, Nacho Varga. Mike's story in season 2 continues from there.
In episode 2.01 the goofball fires Mike after a few handoffs, foolishly thinking he can manage deals on his own. Nacho tricks him and steals from him. In 2.02 Mike sees the noob going to the police station— he's working days as the parking lot attendant— and warns him the cops are only doing a followup interview on his stolen items because they suspect he's a drug dealer and want to trick him into incriminating himself. Mike offers to retrieve the stolen items back himself. Mike then shakes down Nacho to return some of what he stole— but makes that the noob trades his fancy new car for it instead. Nacho develops respect for Mike as a fixer.
In 2.03 Mike is looking for more illicit work to support his family but sets limits on what he'll do. The guy who brokers shady jobs tells him of a loan shark looking for an enforcer. Mike seems to want to avoid violence. The broker cautions him, "You want next-level pay, you've got to do next-level work." Later that episode the broker tells him there's a high paying client who's requested him by name. It's Nacho Varga!
In 2.04 Nacho tries to hire Mike to murder his boss, Tuco Salamanca. Nacho is loyal to the gang but frets that Tuco uses drugs and gets too crazy and is a threat to the whole operation. Mike considers the job, even planning out many of the details of how he'd commit the murder and escape undetected— but backs out the next day after realizing he doesn't want to kill. Instead he offers to put Tuco in jail for 10 years for the same money. That'll make the gang safe from him and give Nacho an opportunity to move ahead. Mike does that by provoking an encounter with Tuco where Tuco gets enraged over an "accident", robs Mike's wallet, threatens him with a gun, and beats Mike up— all while the police are coming. Tuco gets arrested on charges that'll send him to jail for a long time— and Mike's face is wrecked. He took a beating for the money instead of killing a drug dealer.
Mike's entanglement with the Salamanca gang worsens from there. In episode 2.05 street boss Hector Salamanca offers Mike $5,000 to recant part of his story to police, (falsely) claiming that Tuco's gun was actually his. Mike refuses. In 2.06 Hector sends a couple of thugs to Mike's house; Mike beats them. Tuco then brings in the Murder Twins to intimidate Mike. Mike, realizing that Hector is willing to kill his family if he doesn't make a deal, agrees— but pulls a gun on Hector and demands $50,000. The gang members are begrudgingly impressed that he's got serious balls. Hector pays.
From there Mike starts to go to war with the Salamanca gang. In episodes 2.07 and 2.08 he spies on the gang's operations to watch how they move money around. In episode 2.09 he stages a daring attack on a driver covertly transporting drug money back to Mexico. He captures $150,000. Nacho approaches him secretly, revealing he suspects Mike. Mike admits it. His intent, though, was to attract police attention and have law enforcement take down the gang. But Hector's crew got to the scene of the raid first, murdered a Good Samaritan who stopped to help the driver, and later murdered the driver.
In episode 2.10, the season finale, there's also a season finale— complete with cliffhanger— for Mike's story arc.
Mike has gotten over his unwillingness to commit murder. He buys a sniper rifle from a black-market arms dealer and plots to kill Hector Salamanca. His plan is sound— he's got the right weapon, he's skilled with using it, he's studied his position for taking the shot, and he can do it all seemingly undetected. But at the moment of truth, things go wrong.
Just as Mike's ready to shoot, Hector coincidentally stands behind another gang member. Mike is unwilling to shoot booth. Then Mike hears his car horn blaring! While he's been in sniper position over 100 meters from the gang, someone has found his car, wedged a branch against the steering wheel to jam the horn, and left a one-word note on the windshield: "DON'T". It's quite a mystery who could be doing this, how they figured out what Mike's doing, and how they snuck in behind him. It's mysterious because it's not Nacho or even the Murder Twins. They were all with Hector as Mike was preparing to shoot. It's like someone outside the gang is also spying on them and is better at skullduggery than Mike is!
Of course, this is all separate from the season 2 story arc and finale around Saul— aka Jimmy McGill. At this point in the series Jimmy and Mike know each other but have only worked together (as lawyer/client) briefly a few times.
In late season 1 Mike started taking shady jobs to get money to support his daughter-in-law and granddaugther. In his first job he worked as a bodyguard for goofball "Pryce" who was stealing prescription drugs from his pharmaceutical employer and selling them to a gang dealer, Nacho Varga. Mike's story in season 2 continues from there.
In episode 2.01 the goofball fires Mike after a few handoffs, foolishly thinking he can manage deals on his own. Nacho tricks him and steals from him. In 2.02 Mike sees the noob going to the police station— he's working days as the parking lot attendant— and warns him the cops are only doing a followup interview on his stolen items because they suspect he's a drug dealer and want to trick him into incriminating himself. Mike offers to retrieve the stolen items back himself. Mike then shakes down Nacho to return some of what he stole— but makes that the noob trades his fancy new car for it instead. Nacho develops respect for Mike as a fixer.
In 2.03 Mike is looking for more illicit work to support his family but sets limits on what he'll do. The guy who brokers shady jobs tells him of a loan shark looking for an enforcer. Mike seems to want to avoid violence. The broker cautions him, "You want next-level pay, you've got to do next-level work." Later that episode the broker tells him there's a high paying client who's requested him by name. It's Nacho Varga!
In 2.04 Nacho tries to hire Mike to murder his boss, Tuco Salamanca. Nacho is loyal to the gang but frets that Tuco uses drugs and gets too crazy and is a threat to the whole operation. Mike considers the job, even planning out many of the details of how he'd commit the murder and escape undetected— but backs out the next day after realizing he doesn't want to kill. Instead he offers to put Tuco in jail for 10 years for the same money. That'll make the gang safe from him and give Nacho an opportunity to move ahead. Mike does that by provoking an encounter with Tuco where Tuco gets enraged over an "accident", robs Mike's wallet, threatens him with a gun, and beats Mike up— all while the police are coming. Tuco gets arrested on charges that'll send him to jail for a long time— and Mike's face is wrecked. He took a beating for the money instead of killing a drug dealer.
Mike's entanglement with the Salamanca gang worsens from there. In episode 2.05 street boss Hector Salamanca offers Mike $5,000 to recant part of his story to police, (falsely) claiming that Tuco's gun was actually his. Mike refuses. In 2.06 Hector sends a couple of thugs to Mike's house; Mike beats them. Tuco then brings in the Murder Twins to intimidate Mike. Mike, realizing that Hector is willing to kill his family if he doesn't make a deal, agrees— but pulls a gun on Hector and demands $50,000. The gang members are begrudgingly impressed that he's got serious balls. Hector pays.
From there Mike starts to go to war with the Salamanca gang. In episodes 2.07 and 2.08 he spies on the gang's operations to watch how they move money around. In episode 2.09 he stages a daring attack on a driver covertly transporting drug money back to Mexico. He captures $150,000. Nacho approaches him secretly, revealing he suspects Mike. Mike admits it. His intent, though, was to attract police attention and have law enforcement take down the gang. But Hector's crew got to the scene of the raid first, murdered a Good Samaritan who stopped to help the driver, and later murdered the driver.
In episode 2.10, the season finale, there's also a season finale— complete with cliffhanger— for Mike's story arc.
Mike has gotten over his unwillingness to commit murder. He buys a sniper rifle from a black-market arms dealer and plots to kill Hector Salamanca. His plan is sound— he's got the right weapon, he's skilled with using it, he's studied his position for taking the shot, and he can do it all seemingly undetected. But at the moment of truth, things go wrong.
Just as Mike's ready to shoot, Hector coincidentally stands behind another gang member. Mike is unwilling to shoot booth. Then Mike hears his car horn blaring! While he's been in sniper position over 100 meters from the gang, someone has found his car, wedged a branch against the steering wheel to jam the horn, and left a one-word note on the windshield: "DON'T". It's quite a mystery who could be doing this, how they figured out what Mike's doing, and how they snuck in behind him. It's mysterious because it's not Nacho or even the Murder Twins. They were all with Hector as Mike was preparing to shoot. It's like someone outside the gang is also spying on them and is better at skullduggery than Mike is!
Of course, this is all separate from the season 2 story arc and finale around Saul— aka Jimmy McGill. At this point in the series Jimmy and Mike know each other but have only worked together (as lawyer/client) briefly a few times.
