With the finale of Breaking Bad coming next Sunday, now is as good of a time as any to look back on all of the great characters that have been created for the show. From "Pilot" through "Granite State," this is the list of those who went above and beyond to make Albuquerque the drug capitol of the southwest and milquetoast Walter White into the scariest guy in the world. It wasn't a pretty ride, but at least we have these 50 memorable characters to share the memories with.
10. Gale Boetticher
Actor: David Costabile
First Episode: "Sunset"
Status: Dead
The show's second deux ex machina. The man who could have taken the fall for the entire Heisenberg operation in season four, had Walter's ego not gotten the best of him. What makes Gale particularly interesting was that he did more in death than he did in life. The coffee-making, Walt Whitman-quoting, Italian singing maestro didn't necessarily have a lot to do on the show, but he made up for it with his charming nature. A full on nerd who gave the show an iconic karaoke scene, Gale was probably the most under-appreciated character in the series' existence. Still, it is great that he sought his revenge from beyond the grave by consistently dropping clues to reveal that Walter was in fact Heisenberg. Turns out it does pay attention to take notes.
9. Tio Salamanca
Actor: Mark Margolis
First Episode: "Grilled"
Status: Dead
Silent characters are hard to pull off nowadays. However, when Tuco's Uncle hit the scene, it only took a few rings of his bell to make him a series favorite. Such a hardcore member of the fallen Juarez Cartel, his back story is bittersweet, but doesn't take away from the fact that his face could scare you just by tightening up. It is easy to admire him for his dedication, but even more as the guy with a moral code that could have easily ratted out everyone on the show at differing points. Instead, after giving the D.E.A. an obscene farewell message, via a bell translator, he will go down in history as being part of the show's most iconic moment and the height of the Heisenberg empire. By blowing up Gus Fring in a nursing home, the Juarez Cartel legacy came to a complete finish and Fring ceased to exist, though not without a phenomenal exit.
8. Jane Margolis
Actor: Krysten Ritter
First Episode: "Breakage"
Status: Dead
While season five has proven to be as great as the show has ever been, season two has remained my personal favorite. The large reason is because the relationship between Jesse and Jane is one of forbidden pleasure. Her love of Georgia O'Keefe paintings and tendency towards heroin didn't stop her personality from bubbling to the point that she became one of Walter's first imminent threats. Fans have long argued that Jane's death was the turning point into pure evil, and with good reason. The junkie who dreamed of going to New Zealand and starting a new life managed to give Jesse a reason to live, and simply being together brought the show into a perverse sense of joy. Crackling with life, I felt like her death was something critical to the way that the rest of the show was perceived. There is a reason that the line "I watched Jane die" held resonance in "Ozymandias." It was that moment when Jesse's world went from light to dark. It crumbled lives, gave us the brilliant "ABQ" finale, and just made Jesse all the more sympathetic.
7. Skyler White
Actor: Anna Gunn
First Episode: "Pilot"
Status: Alive
Skyler deserves applause at very least for putting up with Walter's shenanigans for as long as she did. She may have even gotten into the laundering business to protect him, but it just shows how much she doesn't want things to ruin the family. Some would consider her shrewd and a block to Walter's interesting lifestyle, but someone had to be. I think as the series progressed and she went from "I.F.T." to standing by her man, she was the show's real glue. A tragic figure who wanted nothing more than to stay home and write and instead has given birth to the character who has been on most people's death watch, only second to Jesse. In season five, she steps things up, going from bystander to abused supporter. It is no wonder that she recently won herself a Best Supporting Actress Emmy. She is that charismatic and to see her cry in the streets as Walter drove away for, so far, the last time is as surreal as the show has ever got. Thanks must be given to that dynamic, amazing performance.
6. Saul Goodman
Actor: Bob Odenkirk
First Episode: "Better Call Saul"
Status: Alive
How great is Saul Goodman? His debut episode is one of season two's best and he is getting his own spin-off prequel show. He may have the craziest loophole strategies in existence to save his clearly guilty clients, but this Old Yeller-referencing lawyer has had his share of memorable moments. Starting off as comedic, he has slowly become more and more dramatic and proves to be the perfect balance, almost as a guru to Walter's growing egotistical rage. He has kept a lot of things from falling apart, and all while harassing his secretary and sporting a billboard by the A-1 Car Wash. He is a legend in the mixture of shady policies and charisma that has produced some of the show's most memorable moments of dialogue and at very least should be thanked for introducing the catalyst for Walter that was "the vacuum repair shop."
5. Hank Schrader
Actor: Dean Norris
First Episode: "Pilot"
Status: Dead
One of the great joys of Breaking Bad was that even at the start, it was a cat and mouse game among brother-in-laws. It was great because it gave us a chance to see Walter being charismatic and avoid revealing his true identity. Even if Hank started off as a wise-ass character, his evolution into top notch detective quickly made him one of the best characters to the point that you'd root for him to win, even if it would damage the show's progression. In fact, when he finally caught on, it made for some of the show's most memorable moments and we went from a beaten down Hank to an enraged, anything goes Hank that is just as fun as the season one primitive version. Even if he caught his culprit, his joy would be short lived, as he was dead by the beginning of "Ozymandias" in the show's most heart wrenching death. In a blaze of pride and dedication to his craft, Hank's rallying cry of "My name is ASAC Schrader, and you can go fuck yourself" rings as famous last words that changed the show forever. It was no longer a cat and mouse game. It was now about Walter, and accepting that his empire was crumbling under his feet.
4. Gustavo Fring
Actor: Giancarlo Esposito
First Episode: "Mandala"
Status: Dead
Gus Fring is responsible for the show's single best introduction largely because it stuck to a message later spoken: "I hide in plain sight." Upon first viewing of "Mandala," it is made clear simply because you don't know who he is, even if he was on screen the whole time. A manager at a Los Pollos Hermanos fast food chain, his dedication to both his meth empire and quality chicken is unmatched in terms of overall dedication. He was rich enough to afford a super lab for his employees to cook the purest of meth. He also was sadistic and not afraid to kill employees with a box cutter if they messed with his product. This Chilean immigrant managed to live the American dream while being a mysterious figure who handled his business without compromise. The only glimpse into his past, "Hermanos," remains one of the show's greatest episodes and finally connects why he has had a long feud with the Juarez Cartel. Everything about Fring has become iconic in the lexicon of hardcore villains. Don't mess with the king, as he will most likely kill your infant daughter if you do.
3. Walter White a.k.a Heisenberg
Actor: Bryan Cranston
First Episode: "Pilot"
Status: Alive
The protagonist of the show who has probably done more damage than good to everything that he has touched. What makes him compelling is how he slowly moved from a nervous, pudgy man into the scariest figure who gave passionately intimidating speeches about being the head honcho. Songs were written about him and he managed to become sympathetic, even when he was at his worst. The evolution is unlike anything ever seen on TV before and it is largely thanks to how he turned the American dream and dying of cancer on its head. It eventually became a lot of gray area and we don't know how he's really feeling, but he knows the chemistry, so stay out of his territory. He's gone from comedic to dangerous without losing momentum, which is quite impressive. Giving us a lot of memorable TV moments and plenty of amazing monologues, Walter will go down as one of TV's greatest characters from front to back, even if the most hardcore man in ABQ wears tighty whities and doesn't have the respect of his son anymore.
2. Mike Ehrmantraut
Actor: Jonathan Banks
First Episode: "ABQ"
Status: Dead
In season five, it became abundantly clear why Mike was one of the key characters. The former beat cop managed to have more of the loose ends tied up that Gus Fring ever did. He kept men in jail quiet and was a loving grandfather to Kaylee, which remains the show's purest and most endearing relationship. He is wise beyond his years and the grudging look on his face suggests experience beyond compare. He manages to be all this and more without losing the key to being just a great employee in the meth industry. His no-nonsense attitude and deadpan delivery makes for some zen comedic moments in the midst of dark drama. A character so compelling that he deserved his own spin-off show more than Saul Goodman. Instead, we'll always have the advice of Mike, and three little words: "No half measures."
1. Jesse Pinkman a.k.a. Cap'n Cook
Actor: Aaron Paul
First Episode: "Pilot"
Status: Alive
I have this theory that Walter represented a downward spiral of morality while Jesse represented the opposite. He may have started off as the show's smart-ass assistant who gave "bitch" plenty of inspired sentence placements, but he became so much more. His relationship with Jane is something that the show never quite topped, as it was his last moment of innocence before being thrown into a world of grieving and constant worry. It was even more tragic that the man who was doing it all, Walter, managed to weasel his way out of every moment of blame. Jesse's story is something of tragedy largely because he deserves to put this ridiculous life behind him. His battle scars have survived almost the show's entire run and right now, he is looking pretty haggard. The death of Andrea in "Granite State" made Todd into a scarier villain, though that was only because Jesse was at the point of redemption. He may still have to live with his past, but nothing seemed more noble than teaming up with Hank and tearing off the shackles of dedication to the Heisenberg empire. Sadly, with everything that has happened, he may be happier dead. Nonetheless, he has gone from comedic relief to the show's tragic example that even if you try to become a good man, you'll never be able to escape evil.
What did you think of the list? Who did I forget? Who should have been higher?
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