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Jessie took that ribbon. Folks left him, first stake at love was toxic and died. The new love murdered and her son was poisoned besause of his business partner. Constantly trapped after escaping the drug bust. But gets peace through it all. But he deserved it in my opinion.
@@totallynotclickbait6114 in breaking bad when gus was laudering his money he actively participated in madrigal even when he was specifically told not to do so. With that we can conclude that he was actually bored. He had enough money.
I always thought Nacho always intended to short change 20 dollars to see if Daniel would be gullible or forgiving enough to later take advantage of, which is why he conveniently has a 20 dollar note in his wallet
I'm not sure is this true it may as well be true. But again it was in Natchos best interest that things went very smoothly on the deal so that Tuco does find out. But I guess we will never know for absolute sure.
Mike really did believe he was doing it for his family, and he was, but it was wrong. Pride wasn't his fault like Walter, but instead it was guilt/shame. He should've kept his job as the parking attendant and enjoyed his time with his family. Even after robbing Hector he was able to buy his family a new home and support them while getting no-show benefits of working for Madrigal. In another life he could've done that and helped the church and survivors support group and lived to see Kaylee grow up. Kaylee and her mama would've given back every dollar just to have Pop-pop in their lives. In the end everything he did for Gus and Walt destroyed him and hurt his family.
You can argue that his daughter-in-law used him. She was kind of a grifter in a sense. You can argue she made up a story of shootings near her house (though it could've been just newspapers being thrown), which forced Mike to take a side-job committing crime to buy her a new house. She manipulated Mike's guilt to get money out of him, maybe not even being fully aware of it. She pushed Mike on the path of crime.
I didn't realize that Mike being stuck in Mexico is how Walt was able to kill Gus. Walt might not have been able to pull that off if Mike was alongside Gus.
it’s so sad on how his story ends. he definitely was my favorite character and he got the worst end of the stick in every way with his death and his family
Killing the cops who murdered his son was forgivable. Robbing Hector was even forgivable. His guilt from getting an innocent man killed is what draws him back into the game. But he went too far and should've never got involved with Gus beyond that.
@beerrrrs yes but Gus got him to murder probably the one man he could call a true friend since arriving in Albuquerque. He also got Mike to help march a young man who Mike himself described as a good hearted person, into certain death. Then it only gets much worse once Walt joins the party. Mike should've kept his no-show security consultant job or his parking attendant job, while doing PI work on the side. His family would've rather had him than the blood money he didn't even get to give them anyway.
@@beerrrrs2158 Good point. Had Walt not killed Gus, Mike would have still had a job and everything would have operated like clockwork. Just my two pennies worth.
@Doortrash Wasn't his motivation to stick with Walt primarily to get not only money back to his granddaughter (even though they had gotten that nice house and at least had that security) but also the legacy costs to honor the deal of the men remaining in Fring's operation? Seemed like he was trying to be honorable, albeit in a flawed way.
I love how every main character in the BB/BCS universe is so complex and how their actions led them down their paths which decided their fate can be analysed for up to 2.5 hours further proving that these where the best shows ever created. Bravo Vince.
I always thought the "you're not the guy, we had a guy" was a reference to Victor, since he had just died. He did the dead drops, implied by victor being the guy to pick up the pickup from los pollos on his first appearance in BCS.
I believe Victor was too. Mike wasn't exactly happy about a good soldier being killed unjustly. Gus basically figured that Jesse could switch roles and help Mike and replace Victor temporarily and win him over and eventually completely replace Walt.
Yep he 100% was talking about Victor. He's mad when talking to Jesse about it because Walt and Jesse killing Gale caused Victor's death (in a roundabout way since Gus ended up killing him when frustrated)
Jesse using his insight as to how meth addicts behave definitely upped Mike's respect for him. I can tell Mike appreciates those who can take a negative experience and channel it for something more positive.
1:44:36 “Although Jesse and Nacho have their differences, they are comparable characters between the 2 shows as they give off a similar vibe.” Truly scholarly
My only problem with this video is you loop that short music track for the entire thing, it starts to become like having to listen to Christmas music in retail
1:44:19 Correction Gale was not the guy it was most probably Victor as he just got killed by Gus. (The guy is referred to as the backup guy to watch your back while doing pick ups.)
Yeah how did he screw that up?.. Gale was literally just a backup cook. He wasn’t the guy. The guy was the person that got his throat cut by Gus after trying to cook. Hopefully it was just a slip of the tongue and getting names mixed up, because that’s just a big mistake to make when you’re supposed to be a superfan making in-depth videos on specific details in a tv show..
@@SPFLDAngler he messed up the name because it's a 2.5 hour video, lol. Give the man a break, it's a big undertaking (and a great result btw) - slip-ups will happen
@PayneToThaMax I agree just wanted to correct the record since I generally thought he ment Gale. But tbh after watching BCS I struggle a bit to comprehend how Victor was Mike's guy. Seemed like he didn't get on well with either Victor or especially Tirus
@@PayneToThaMax no, he didn't just mess up names. He even says Jesse killed "the guy" which is why he had to help Mike. Meaning he actually thought that Gale was Mike's backup and going out on pickups lol
I always saw Walter as the villian but I never actually hated him until I watched this. I love how much story is behind Mike. And from his perspective, I love how much work he put into his goal just for Walter to come in and screw everything up. Having better call Saul give more story to Mike was extremely successful towards making many memorable lines and scenes from breaking bad that much more impact full.
I think the death of Verner and Nacho are some of the best scenes in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Verner's acceptance of his death is extremely depressing and tragic. Nacho's death is just as tragic and depressing for completely other reasons.
Walter went as long as he did based on luck. his impulsiveness almost got him caught many times but his luck is what made him cocky and he eventually got caught because of it.
Also, Stacy and Kaylee most certainly learn about Mike’s career as a criminal. Kim confessed using Mike’s name and the Heisenberg/Saul Goodman case was national news. Also, I assume that the tape of Jesse’s confession was found at the scene with Walt’s body. We could probably assume the countless documentaries and articles were written about everyone involved. Just makes me sad that he tried to protect them from all of it but ultimately will probably be seen as a monster by them. 😢
@@sludgerat444 nice to think of but most dead gangsters never truly get sympathy from the public, even if they did some sympathetic things. Different when you’re watching their life though.
I don't think Mike's daughter in law or his granddaughter would hate him even after learning he disappeared after being involved with Fring and Heisenberg. Stacey knew Mike was "on the take" and talked Matty into taking dirty money too. She also knows he killed the 2 men who killed Matty. Stacey wouldn't be shocked to learn Mike was involved in crime nor do I think she would condemn him for it.
In retrospect it's a bit odd that Gus didn't have at least one person watching Gale's apartment considering how valuable he was to him lol. I loved this video. You always pick up on all the little details the writers put in there and some of the arcs that went over my head lol
@@slinkerdeer I mean duh. He's the star of the show and they're writing a story that results in him surviving an execution order. The term "plot armor" has a derogatory connotation that I don't think is deserved here.
@@jmwild1 plot armor is something most of the main character in breaking bad have to some extent. Our main cast by season 5 is white guys who probably never would’ve gotten involved in the drug game without some weird event in their life happening
Great job creating this timeline! There is so much going on that it's easy to confuse many elements of the story. I also appreciate you adding the time period for each season. Subscribed!
It's really about how destructive vices and toxic relationships are imo. Obviously addiction and violence but also greed, pride, ego, revenge, manipulation, etc. Most characters downfall is directly tied to their own bad behavior.
It took me 2 weeks to finish it. I’d listen to it going to and from work. Great job. Kept me entertained on my commute. You have my thumbs up. You earned it.
Mike is honestly, truly, the greatest character I've seen on TV. Finely tuned and honed over two whole shows... JB's acting chops only got better and better as time went on. He IS Mike. Anyway, I'm only seven minutes in and can tell this is probably the best thing on YT at the moment for people like me. Thank you. // Edit // 20 mins in... holy shit this is top-tier content! Very, VERY well made.
A murderer with a heart of gold. When Mike is at the diner, everyone know him. When he isnt at work, he is a likeable man, very emotional. He saved some lives and his going to bat for nacho proves he isnt heartless. Its his work ethic. He does what he is called upon to do. A remarkable, complex and layered performance. He accomplishes it all with few words and no explanation.The most interesting character in either show. Second is Kim Wexler.
Mike may not be heartless, but he is pretty far from having a heart of gold. When he isn’t at work, he seems pretty bad at dealing with people (shown by his fleeting relationship with Anita), he’s complicit in the death of Ignacio, stayed loyal to the man who caused Ignacio and Werner’s deaths, was okay with Gus using kids to deal drugs, etc. Mike has a moral code, competency, and loyalty, but a lot of people forget that both of these attributes do not inherently make you a good person
This video is hella long but it’s honestly awesome. You put in a ton of work and anybody interested in this, would truly be rewarded by your work… keep it up, you deserve recognition for your analysis and attention to detail
Wow, I just watched this for 2 1/2 hours straight. I never have that kind of time, but definitely worth it. Thank you for putting this together. Better spent than any other boring movie out there.
I'm impressed by how informative your video is. You've definitely earned my subscription. Mike is my favorite character across both shows, and it is very cool to have all of this information in one place.
So out of all of this. The only person who got what he wanted was Walter White. He had lost everything but had accomplished everything he wanted to do.
there were some unintentionally funny bits here and there, but they just added to the charm of the video. You made a huge effort for this and I think it payed off. there were so many greats bits I didn't register while watching the show, so videos like this are a blessing.
mike understood what he was doing was wrong, but in the end he didn’t care, he did it all for his granddaughter. he didn’t care about gus fring or walter white, he cared about his granddaughter. (and jesse 😊)
I haven’t watched yet, but I just wanted to say thanks for your hard work dude. You do a truly phenomenal job and these videos contain analysis of some of the best tv characters of all times. What you do here is truly art and I appreciate it and you ❤
Hiya, just finished this fine and thoughtful retrospective of Mike. It's amazing how linear these two shows were. As for the next character spotlight, I know you'll do Kim, but I hope when you do, you'll include the backlash against the Skyler character, as I really believe, and hope you do too, that Kim was born out of everything good about Skyler, without the bad "why did you put a ream of paper on the Mastercard" bad hand job vibe. You're excellent at what you do, my friend. Thank you so much for putting them out. It's clear you put a lot of time and effort into them. Cheers.
Just a short note on Mike's loyalty to Gus: I feel that it goes far beyond anything to do with Gus and Mike's personal relationship-->Mike and Gus both know that the cartel consists of 'animals', and considering Mike has his last remaining family living in the region it seems natural that Mike would pick Gus over the cartel running the drug-trade in ABQ. Well organized crime brings less violence, business over bloodshed.
I dont think Mike drank because he was depressed after his son's death. I think he did the whole drunken samurai thing. Let his enemies think he's just a drunk to bring their defense down. 12:42
Thanks so much KiWi for your analysis of a complicated and fascinating character. Yes, Jonathan did a stellar job of portraying him. Seeing his background story in BCS was illuminating 🖖
The is a divine wind with Mike's presence. Watch carefully in his scenes, and there is always wind in the forefront, or background of the scene. Especially when he meets his end.
21:00 "It was clearly an accidental miscount" No it wasn't. There's nothing clear about that. It's the kind of thing Nacho would do to test them. If he can get away with being $20 short this time, why not $200 or $500 next time?
The "short 20 bux" thing has more angles than u think. Yes, purposely shorting $ on the first deal is something that def happens...it's a test of multiple things. 1. Will they actually count it(sometime people actually trust esp in long term deals) and 2.) If they push the issue if they get caught. This tests if they are dealin with bitche$ or if they have backbone, and why the second mike was gone nacho opted to rob him and cut ties
Loooooooove this. Great video. This is just what I needed. This kind of video concentrated in only one character is a great idea. Keep them coming please. 🙏🏽
Very well done. I have always loved this character, and this piece has absolutely done him justice. I loved every minute of this spotlight and am very thankful for the work you have done to bring it to life. Superb work.
About Mike "abandoning" Kaylee, I always thought he also didn't want her to see him be arrested or even just confronted by the police. So in a sense his move was still in protection of Kaylee.
as a german electrical engineer I take high offense on the floor socket tanks in lydias office being so high from the ground and missing their inlay. this is a tripping hazard! TÜV sagt NEIN!
I would love to see Fring navigating what, a Communist takeover of his country? Surviving as a homosexual where the stakes are deadly. I can't recall where he was originally from, if it was a communist/domino theory conflict, but it would be a great story. Only issue I see is Giancarlo IS Gus. And he would need to be _significantly_ aged down for the entire series [$$]. I wouldn't be as excited about a spinoff that didn't include G. Esposito.
I love his character, everyone has a story. People forget every criminal has a timeline that causes them to be where they are, people don't just go bad, a good portion of criminals don't just go bad, little or big decisions usually slowly turn them into who they eventually become, as a good human with a colorful past i really connect with characters like Mike, people who are constantly changing, people who are generally good but are put in criminal situations.
If Mike was familiar with the M40a1 then it's most likely he fought for several years post Vietnam in smaller asian conflicts, probably as well. The original design saw extensive use and by about 1973 they had only about 400 left. The biggest changeup was that due to the wood stocks warping they switched to the composite design. Chances are after that fighting dried up he became a cop. Common move back then. Great video btw, Keep up the great work!
I think you are right as far as the retocon goes about Mike's later treatment of Saul in BB vs how he treats Jimmy in BCS is that he loses more and more respect for Jimmy over time as he becomes Saul Goodman full-time. Mike may have sympathy for Jimmy and what they have been through together, he make even like Jimmy, but when it comes to business and Gus, he has no patience for Saul Goodman after dealing with him in the Saul Goodman persona for four years.
Minor point- Mike’s “guy” that he tells Jesse about is implicitly Victor, not Gale. There is 0 chance Gale was being used by Mike and Gus in a security capacity, and Victor, who definitely would have been used in that capacity, is now dead because of Jesse and Walt killing Gale and, in particular, because Victor got IDed by a witness to the cops. This also explains why Mike doesn’t feel threatened by Gus’ creative use of a box cutter, as he understood exactly why Gus did what he did (it wasn’t just about intimidating Walt and Jesse; it was about Victor having messed up in a way that turned him into a liability, and also intimidating Walt and Jesse.) Whether or not Mike may have subconsciously been thinking about Nacho when he said it (which I don’t think is the case; if anything I think he could be talking about being a cop where he would have a partner he worked with) is debatable but in any case none of this changes how the line definitely has nothing to do with Gale and is most likely about Victor.
This video is so well done definitely gonna listen to it again in the future. I love listening to these types of videos while doing my homework. I think a video on Jessie and Janes relationship and how it impacted him in the long run and how things could have been different would be really interesting.
Breaking bad ad better caul saul was a really special show. It was really awesome getting to watch the last episodes and discuss them together on your channel. Thank you for putting these together
as the things to discuss kinda dry out for this show, I look forward to whatever you do next with the channel and wish you the best luck making a living doing what you love.
Dubiously canon information here, but in a tie-in comic book it's revealed that Mike found out about Walt's identity was by following Badger to Jesse's house, following Jesse to the RV, finding the school's gas masks in the RV, and then going to Walt's school and asking about him there. In the next issue of the comic he has a boxing match against a kangaroo so take everything with a grain of salt
To the Vivid Kiwi, I just want to say your commentary is absolutely brilliant. It's one thing to have sensible opinions and takes on a sublect, but entirely another thing to articulate it with such clarity and finess. I pretty much agree with all of what you'e said, but also gave some thought to aspects I hadn't before. Hats off to you for a truly great, worthwhile analysis. I'd be very interested in your other work. Great. Great!
In Breaking Bad Saul actually says he "knows a guy who knows a guy... who knows another guy" Who's the third guy? Saul obviously knows Mike who directly works for Gus Hadn't they planned for Mike to be Gus' guy at this point in time? I mean his whole character was just an emergency solution bc Bob was on HIMYM
I also think the “I Dont believe fear to be an effective motivator” line isn't a callback (or call future based on air dates) to anything Mike he says. I think it is just Gus’s modus operandi. He thinks people work best when he convinces them that everything runs like a business. He doesn't want to be seen as a criminal to his employees (except security and hit men)but rather an opportunity. I personally think that the first scene in BCS that mike and Lydia share shows this. She has an almost cult respect for him. He wants to be seen as a shrewd business man by everyone until the cross the line. By that time they are in too deep.
I hope they eventually apply de-aging technology to the characters in Better Call Saul and re-release the series. Oh. And don't forget to replace the 2nd Jeff actor with the original actor who played him at the start of Season 5.
This is not necessary. The only time the age becomes an issue is if you're literally comparing pictures of BrBa to BCS. It never takes away from the series at all and we still totally believe this is a prequel to BrBa. I think the Jeff replacement did a fine job and he was in the film Cheap Thrills.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 it's better to further immerse into the series. I couldn't take the flashback part of Kim and Jimmy seriously, they were acting young but didn't look young at all
@@alexjustalexyt1144 when? Jimmy was like 40 by the time he joined the mail room and went to online school. Kim was likely a late achiever too. I assume Kim is about a decade younger than Jimmy. You're wrong. De-aging sucks.
a _very_ cool Thanksgiving surprise! Mike is such an interesting character and Jonathan Banks does an amazing job. another great video, well done and happy Thanksgiving. 😊
Also , Mike is by far the best character in both series even though the rest of cast are absolutely brilliant . As an older guy , I really relate to Mike and my own regrets with mistakes I've made . If there is ever a better universe out there ,I' hope I don't miss it . This universe transcends those of LOTR , The Sopranos ,peaky Blinders ,the Harry Potter legacy and is maybe only matched by the Star wars canon universe . You have a future as an analyst for a high level private or Govt capacity . Or you can just keep dissecting films and series. Would love to watch you dissect Peaky Blinders. Very amazing series ,with a film being in production to wrap up loose ends.
What I wanted to know was whatever happened to Stacey and Kaylee. They must have been devastated to find out what Mike was involved with. Mike's so-wrong comment about providing for his family, "They'll never know what I did," comes back in spades to haunt his family. Kaylee loved her Pop Pop so much.
1:51:00 whats crazy about all of this is that Mike is like the second best character of the show, after Gus. Maybe even the best on some days. Then after Gus dies hes definitely the best. Maybe not shows, but they should make a stand alone movie for each character of Gus and Mike telling a story of them when they were younger. Maybe their origins, maybe something else.
I never understood why Mike hated Walter so much when essentially they both got involved for the same reasons. Mike didn't seem to have as much animosity to Gus as Walter who was equally brutal and more calculating
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Vessi should come with accessories for your soles, called Vadgers or Vinny Vetes
I was thinking of getting a vessi, until I saw the clean white shoes and them ruining it on the sandy beach, now my day is ruined
No
@@nolangrayson1817 is u
Ugu
Guugu
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@@nolangrayson1817 0😊00😊0😊
The way Mike's story ends is genuinely the most heartbreaking part of Breaking Bad
Mike was working toward this in one way or another; this is part of what made him such a tragic and heroic figure.
Jessie took that ribbon. Folks left him, first stake at love was toxic and died. The new love murdered and her son was poisoned besause of his business partner. Constantly trapped after escaping the drug bust. But gets peace through it all. But he deserved it in my opinion.
Heartbreaking bad
Not for me, a stone cold killer gets killed, hardly unjust and any liking I had for the character was always tempered.
@@joe_8699 he didnt necessarily get peace, because he'll forever live with the events of breaking bad
Mike was the only character who ACTUALLY did it for his family.
I don’t think so man
@@anon2427 why else
@@totallynotclickbait6114 he was bored
@@thescoobymike that must be it, never have i felt more stupid in my entire life
@@totallynotclickbait6114 in breaking bad when gus was laudering his money he actively participated in madrigal even when he was specifically told not to do so. With that we can conclude that he was actually bored. He had enough money.
I always thought Nacho always intended to short change 20 dollars to see if Daniel would be gullible or forgiving enough to later take advantage of, which is why he conveniently has a 20 dollar note in his wallet
I've never thought of that but that makes so much sense
Yeah that seemed obvious to me
That's what I thought.
Good catch. I never looked at it that way
I'm not sure is this true it may as well be true. But again it was in Natchos best interest that things went very smoothly on the deal so that Tuco does find out. But I guess we will never know for absolute sure.
I genuinely watched a two hour long vid explaining two shows I've already watched... And I loved every second of it
This chap is a little like the cineranter; his research is excellent and his observations very insightful indeed.
real
What about the movie
How could you love it? The narrator is the most annoying one I’ve ever heard, literally.
Without a doubt.
@@aureliogama7208 Why are you here then?
And to think, Mike was originally a "placeholder" character in Breaking Bad.
Similar to how Jesse was supposed to die at the end of season 1 but ends up being the only one to make it out alive.
This show was quite literally lightning in a bottle, so many coincidences like that and now we have one of the best television characters of all time.
@@Snarl_MarxSaul was also supposed to only appear in 3 episodes,
Wasn't Gus supposed to be just a restaurant manager, only to have the showrunners figure that the character looks like he has something to hide?
Imagine how cool Emilio would have been if they didn't kill him
Mike really did believe he was doing it for his family, and he was, but it was wrong. Pride wasn't his fault like Walter, but instead it was guilt/shame. He should've kept his job as the parking attendant and enjoyed his time with his family. Even after robbing Hector he was able to buy his family a new home and support them while getting no-show benefits of working for Madrigal. In another life he could've done that and helped the church and survivors support group and lived to see Kaylee grow up. Kaylee and her mama would've given back every dollar just to have Pop-pop in their lives. In the end everything he did for Gus and Walt destroyed him and hurt his family.
This. This right here. Great comment!
Ok buddy 🤓
hmm.... [stares stoicly]
You can argue that his daughter-in-law used him. She was kind of a grifter in a sense. You can argue she made up a story of shootings near her house (though it could've been just newspapers being thrown), which forced Mike to take a side-job committing crime to buy her a new house. She manipulated Mike's guilt to get money out of him, maybe not even being fully aware of it. She pushed Mike on the path of crime.
Mike also like the security life style Gus brought him a sense of worth and him being his guard Mike enjoyed doing that .
I didn't realize that Mike being stuck in Mexico is how Walt was able to kill Gus. Walt might not have been able to pull that off if Mike was alongside Gus.
it’s so sad on how his story ends. he definitely was my favorite character and he got the worst end of the stick in every way with his death and his family
Killing the cops who murdered his son was forgivable. Robbing Hector was even forgivable. His guilt from getting an innocent man killed is what draws him back into the game. But he went too far and should've never got involved with Gus beyond that.
@beerrrrs yes but Gus got him to murder probably the one man he could call a true friend since arriving in Albuquerque. He also got Mike to help march a young man who Mike himself described as a good hearted person, into certain death. Then it only gets much worse once Walt joins the party. Mike should've kept his no-show security consultant job or his parking attendant job, while doing PI work on the side. His family would've rather had him than the blood money he didn't even get to give them anyway.
@@beerrrrs2158 Good point. Had Walt not killed Gus, Mike would have still had a job and everything would have operated like clockwork. Just my two pennies worth.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 best description ive read. mike is a tragic tale
@Doortrash Wasn't his motivation to stick with Walt primarily to get not only money back to his granddaughter (even though they had gotten that nice house and at least had that security) but also the legacy costs to honor the deal of the men remaining in Fring's operation? Seemed like he was trying to be honorable, albeit in a flawed way.
I love how every main character in the BB/BCS universe is so complex and how their actions led them down their paths which decided their fate can be analysed for up to 2.5 hours further proving that these where the best shows ever created. Bravo Vince.
I am in the film industry myself, and I must say they have the best writers ever. Incredible weaving of many stories at once
Bravo Vince, bravo Peter, and bravo Thomas
I could not agree more! Excellent writing.
Vince and Peter!!
Wake up babe, new 2 hours+ kiwi video just dropped
You just made me realize I have dyslexia lol it’s been wiki in my head all this time.
@@TheLegendofGumby np fam
Who are all these coupled up people with African sleeping sickness?
Like waking up the kids for Christmas!
@@robbone4like baking up the kicks for chrism
"Matty's son Kaley, Mike's granddaughter" watched this like a half dozen times and just caught that lmao
I always thought the "you're not the guy, we had a guy" was a reference to Victor, since he had just died. He did the dead drops, implied by victor being the guy to pick up the pickup from los pollos on his first appearance in BCS.
I believe Victor was too. Mike wasn't exactly happy about a good soldier being killed unjustly. Gus basically figured that Jesse could switch roles and help Mike and replace Victor temporarily and win him over and eventually completely replace Walt.
Yep he 100% was talking about Victor. He's mad when talking to Jesse about it because Walt and Jesse killing Gale caused Victor's death (in a roundabout way since Gus ended up killing him when frustrated)
Why would he care about Victor??? Victor was a piece of shit and Mike heavily disliked him.
Yeah I’m really confused where this guy got the notion that gale was mikes guy considering they literally never even see each other in either show
I agree. I never thought for a second it was gale and nacho wasn’t known to anyone at this time
Jesse using his insight as to how meth addicts behave definitely upped Mike's respect for him. I can tell Mike appreciates those who can take a negative experience and channel it for something more positive.
Vrabo Bince
1:44:36 “Although Jesse and Nacho have their differences, they are comparable characters between the 2 shows as they give off a similar vibe.” Truly scholarly
My only problem with this video is you loop that short music track for the entire thing, it starts to become like having to listen to Christmas music in retail
fr
Losing my mind oh my god
It fades out after a while
1:44:19 Correction Gale was not the guy it was most probably Victor as he just got killed by Gus. (The guy is referred to as the backup guy to watch your back while doing pick ups.)
Yeah how did he screw that up?.. Gale was literally just a backup cook. He wasn’t the guy. The guy was the person that got his throat cut by Gus after trying to cook.
Hopefully it was just a slip of the tongue and getting names mixed up, because that’s just a big mistake to make when you’re supposed to be a superfan making in-depth videos on specific details in a tv show..
@@SPFLDAngler he messed up the name because it's a 2.5 hour video, lol. Give the man a break, it's a big undertaking (and a great result btw) - slip-ups will happen
@PayneToThaMax I agree just wanted to correct the record since I generally thought he ment Gale. But tbh after watching BCS I struggle a bit to comprehend how Victor was Mike's guy. Seemed like he didn't get on well with either Victor or especially Tirus
@@PayneToThaMax no, he didn't just mess up names. He even says Jesse killed "the guy" which is why he had to help Mike. Meaning he actually thought that Gale was Mike's backup and going out on pickups lol
@@SPFLDAngler he also called Kaylee a boy haha, I think its just doing 2.5 hours of VO work
I always saw Walter as the villian but I never actually hated him until I watched this. I love how much story is behind Mike. And from his perspective, I love how much work he put into his goal just for Walter to come in and screw everything up. Having better call Saul give more story to Mike was extremely successful towards making many memorable lines and scenes from breaking bad that much more impact full.
I think the death of Verner and Nacho are some of the best scenes in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Verner's acceptance of his death is extremely depressing and tragic. Nacho's death is just as tragic and depressing for completely other reasons.
Mikes guy wasnt gail or nacho. Mikes guy was victor, that's what he meant by, "I had a guy."
No more finger
For those who dont know: my nickname was "Mike ehramntraut"
omg hi Mike
Mike say Waltuh
Bruh ain’t you dead?
he's not mike anymore
Those who know
It's sad that Mike dies for nothing and his family will never know what happened to him
Walter went as long as he did based on luck. his impulsiveness almost got him caught many times but his luck is what made him cocky and he eventually got caught because of it.
Waltuh
Yes I liked when Jessie said he's luckyer than you
Also, Stacy and Kaylee most certainly learn about Mike’s career as a criminal. Kim confessed using Mike’s name and the Heisenberg/Saul Goodman case was national news. Also, I assume that the tape of Jesse’s confession was found at the scene with Walt’s body. We could probably assume the countless documentaries and articles were written about everyone involved. Just makes me sad that he tried to protect them from all of it but ultimately will probably be seen as a monster by them. 😢
I'm sure there's mixed feelings there. Monster sure but they would still care for him.
Considering Stacy forgave Mike for killing the crooked cops. But that's just my opinion
@@sludgerat444 nice to think of but most dead gangsters never truly get sympathy from the public, even if they did some sympathetic things. Different when you’re watching their life though.
@@oltimer3159 I'm not talking about the public. I'm talking about Stacey and Kaylee. It's deeply personal.
I don't think Mike's daughter in law or his granddaughter would hate him even after learning he disappeared after being involved with Fring and Heisenberg. Stacey knew Mike was "on the take" and talked Matty into taking dirty money too. She also knows he killed the 2 men who killed Matty.
Stacey wouldn't be shocked to learn Mike was involved in crime nor do I think she would condemn him for it.
In retrospect it's a bit odd that Gus didn't have at least one person watching Gale's apartment considering how valuable he was to him lol. I loved this video. You always pick up on all the little details the writers put in there and some of the arcs that went over my head lol
Call it hubris. I think after killing Lalo, Gus felt invincible much like Walt after he defeated Gus. For both of them, it led to a stupid mistake.
The writers themselves admitted Walter survived thanks to plot armour
@@slinkerdeer I mean duh. He's the star of the show and they're writing a story that results in him surviving an execution order. The term "plot armor" has a derogatory connotation that I don't think is deserved here.
@@jmwild1 yes it does
@@jmwild1 plot armor is something most of the main character in breaking bad have to some extent. Our main cast by season 5 is white guys who probably never would’ve gotten involved in the drug game without some weird event in their life happening
Nacho didn't miscount. He was evaluating.
Mike deserves a spin off called better not fight mike where we see him as a cop and stuff like that
Great job creating this timeline! There is so much going on that it's easy to confuse many elements of the story. I also appreciate you adding the time period for each season. Subscribed!
honestly this whole series feels like the message crime doesnt pay
It's really about how destructive vices and toxic relationships are imo. Obviously addiction and violence but also greed, pride, ego, revenge, manipulation, etc.
Most characters downfall is directly tied to their own bad behavior.
I believe that Mike was referring to Victor as his “guy” who he no longer has because he was killed due to Walt + Jessie’s actions
Agreed. I don’t think Mike would have had that much attachment to Gale, but Mike always showed immense loyalty to his “guys”.
It took me 2 weeks to finish it. I’d listen to it going to and from work. Great job. Kept me entertained on my commute. You have my thumbs up. You earned it.
Tuco's such a badass that he owned a Taurus Judge 3 years before they were released.
Bravo, vince.
I like to think he modded a Taurus Tracker and the Taurus company thought his mods were so cool that they manufactured a whole new line of revolvers
Mike is honestly, truly, the greatest character I've seen on TV. Finely tuned and honed over two whole shows... JB's acting chops only got better and better as time went on. He IS Mike. Anyway, I'm only seven minutes in and can tell this is probably the best thing on YT at the moment for people like me. Thank you. // Edit // 20 mins in... holy shit this is top-tier content! Very, VERY well made.
Lies. Mike didnt die, he went into witness protection and tought at Community college for a little while.
A murderer with a heart of gold. When Mike is at the diner, everyone know him. When he isnt at work, he is a likeable man, very emotional. He saved some lives and his going to bat for nacho proves he isnt heartless. Its his work ethic. He does what he is called upon to do. A remarkable, complex and layered performance. He accomplishes it all with few words and no explanation.The most interesting character in either show. Second is Kim Wexler.
Mike may not be heartless, but he is pretty far from having a heart of gold. When he isn’t at work, he seems pretty bad at dealing with people (shown by his fleeting relationship with Anita), he’s complicit in the death of Ignacio, stayed loyal to the man who caused Ignacio and Werner’s deaths, was okay with Gus using kids to deal drugs, etc.
Mike has a moral code, competency, and loyalty, but a lot of people forget that both of these attributes do not inherently make you a good person
This video is hella long but it’s honestly awesome. You put in a ton of work and anybody interested in this, would truly be rewarded by your work… keep it up, you deserve recognition for your analysis and attention to detail
Wow, I just watched this for 2 1/2 hours straight. I never have that kind of time, but definitely worth it. Thank you for putting this together. Better spent than any other boring movie out there.
I'm impressed by how informative your video is. You've definitely earned my subscription. Mike is my favorite character across both shows, and it is very cool to have all of this information in one place.
Aside from when hes hungover Mikes interactions with his grandaighter are so sweet. Letting her teach him things is just cute.
Keep it up with these long form videos analyzing just one character throughout both eras of the shows. Excellent.
Your analyses of the episodes and the writing is impeccable. I’m impressed every time with details I may have missed or overlooked. Props!
So out of all of this. The only person who got what he wanted was Walter White. He had lost everything but had accomplished everything he wanted to do.
i mean gus got his revenge, he just didn't live all that long after that
Jesse also managed to get the life he to, but I guess he didn't really go into the business with any actual ambitions besides some change.
My favorite Mike moment is when he said "Waltuh pull my finger"
there were some unintentionally funny bits here and there, but they just added to the charm of the video. You made a huge effort for this and I think it payed off.
there were so many greats bits I didn't register while watching the show, so videos like this are a blessing.
mike understood what he was doing was wrong, but in the end he didn’t care, he did it all for his granddaughter. he didn’t care about gus fring or walter white, he cared about his granddaughter. (and jesse 😊)
Amazing essay & extremely ambitious video 🫡
I haven’t watched yet, but I just wanted to say thanks for your hard work dude. You do a truly phenomenal job and these videos contain analysis of some of the best tv characters of all times. What you do here is truly art and I appreciate it and you ❤
I appreciate your kind words! Glad you enjoy the content. :)
Hiya, just finished this fine and thoughtful retrospective of Mike. It's amazing how linear these two shows were. As for the next character spotlight, I know you'll do Kim, but I hope when you do, you'll include the backlash against the Skyler character, as I really believe, and hope you do too, that Kim was born out of everything good about Skyler, without the bad "why did you put a ream of paper on the Mastercard" bad hand job vibe. You're excellent at what you do, my friend. Thank you so much for putting them out. It's clear you put a lot of time and effort into them. Cheers.
Just a short note on Mike's loyalty to Gus: I feel that it goes far beyond anything to do with Gus and Mike's personal relationship-->Mike and Gus both know that the cartel consists of 'animals', and considering Mike has his last remaining family living in the region it seems natural that Mike would pick Gus over the cartel running the drug-trade in ABQ. Well organized crime brings less violence, business over bloodshed.
I dont think Mike drank because he was depressed after his son's death. I think he did the whole drunken samurai thing. Let his enemies think he's just a drunk to bring their defense down. 12:42
I never thought of Mike having a potential love interest on the show. That’s really interesting.
This channel is truly criminally underated, love your contents, been binge-watching for days now, keep up the good works!
2:18:00 "I can't believe there's a billion people on this planet, and the only one I get to die with is you!!"
He played mike amazing. Could never picture anyone playing mike besides him. 👏🏻
kid named finger
Very thorough, dude. Excellent stuff.
We all know that this show was really a spin off for Mike. They just needed Saul to fill the time between Mike scenes.
Big props to you for not putting midroll ads on your videos 🙌🏼
Thanks so much KiWi for your analysis of a complicated and fascinating character. Yes, Jonathan did a stellar job of portraying him. Seeing his background story in BCS was illuminating 🖖
Better Call Daul?
The is a divine wind with Mike's presence. Watch carefully in his scenes, and there is always wind in the forefront, or background of the scene. Especially when he meets his end.
21:00 "It was clearly an accidental miscount"
No it wasn't. There's nothing clear about that. It's the kind of thing Nacho would do to test them. If he can get away with being $20 short this time, why not $200 or $500 next time?
The "short 20 bux" thing has more angles than u think. Yes, purposely shorting $ on the first deal is something that def happens...it's a test of multiple things. 1. Will they actually count it(sometime people actually trust esp in long term deals) and 2.) If they push the issue if they get caught. This tests if they are dealin with bitche$ or if they have backbone, and why the second mike was gone nacho opted to rob him and cut ties
Loooooooove this. Great video. This is just what I needed. This kind of video concentrated in only one character is a great idea. Keep them coming please. 🙏🏽
Very well done. I have always loved this character, and this piece has absolutely done him justice. I loved every minute of this spotlight and am very thankful for the work you have done to bring it to life. Superb work.
About Mike "abandoning" Kaylee, I always thought he also didn't want her to see him be arrested or even just confronted by the police.
So in a sense his move was still in protection of Kaylee.
This was fantastic! Thank You for uploading this. Mike as a character deserved this for his fans.
as a german electrical engineer I take high offense
on the floor socket tanks in lydias office being so high from the ground
and missing their inlay. this is a tripping hazard!
TÜV sagt NEIN!
What I really love about BB and BCS is every character can have their own story. Bravo Vince.
If Gus had 5 Mikes, he'd be running the whole world. Cant find a better guy than Mike
I’m a Fring fan. He was an enigma, and we need a series dedicated to fring.
i think he said fring is his next one!
We need to see how he went from a dictator to the chicken man
I would love to see Fring navigating what, a Communist takeover of his country? Surviving as a homosexual where the stakes are deadly. I can't recall where he was originally from, if it was a communist/domino theory conflict, but it would be a great story.
Only issue I see is Giancarlo IS Gus. And he would need to be _significantly_ aged down for the entire series [$$]. I wouldn't be as excited about a spinoff that didn't include G. Esposito.
@@knuckle12356 he's from Chile, which is still a communist dictatorship
@@knuckle12356 they aged him down in something recently didn’t they?
great video kiwi! 1.5m views nice work
One of my my favorite characters, if not my favorite. 2 and a half hours of Mike, thank you lord for this sweet present on thanksgiving. Amen
Same, Mike is up there as one of the 🐐s. Also your profile pic = good because it's from the most underrated SW movie
Just found your channel on my recommended page. Do not regret at all. Idk what it is about your voice but it's very relaxing.
I love his character, everyone has a story. People forget every criminal has a timeline that causes them to be where they are, people don't just go bad, a good portion of criminals don't just go bad, little or big decisions usually slowly turn them into who they eventually become, as a good human with a colorful past i really connect with characters like Mike, people who are constantly changing, people who are generally good but are put in criminal situations.
Not going to lie this is exactly what Iv been hoping someone would make a video like this. Yessss this is perfect
If Mike was familiar with the M40a1 then it's most likely he fought for several years post Vietnam in smaller asian conflicts, probably as well.
The original design saw extensive use and by about 1973 they had only about 400 left. The biggest changeup was that due to the wood stocks warping they switched to the composite design.
Chances are after that fighting dried up he became a cop. Common move back then.
Great video btw, Keep up the great work!
The best part of these shows is that they don't beat you over the head with the information. They trust the viewer to be smart enough to get it.
I think you are right as far as the retocon goes about Mike's later treatment of Saul in BB vs how he treats Jimmy in BCS is that he loses more and more respect for Jimmy over time as he becomes Saul Goodman full-time.
Mike may have sympathy for Jimmy and what they have been through together, he make even like Jimmy, but when it comes to business and Gus, he has no patience for Saul Goodman after dealing with him in the Saul Goodman persona for four years.
Minor point-
Mike’s “guy” that he tells Jesse about is implicitly Victor, not Gale. There is 0 chance Gale was being used by Mike and Gus in a security capacity, and Victor, who definitely would have been used in that capacity, is now dead because of Jesse and Walt killing Gale and, in particular, because Victor got IDed by a witness to the cops. This also explains why Mike doesn’t feel threatened by Gus’ creative use of a box cutter, as he understood exactly why Gus did what he did (it wasn’t just about intimidating Walt and Jesse; it was about Victor having messed up in a way that turned him into a liability, and also intimidating Walt and Jesse.)
Whether or not Mike may have subconsciously been thinking about Nacho when he said it (which I don’t think is the case; if anything I think he could be talking about being a cop where he would have a partner he worked with) is debatable but in any case none of this changes how the line definitely has nothing to do with Gale and is most likely about Victor.
This was the best timeline flow/recap I've seen anywhere on TH-cam
This video is so well done definitely gonna listen to it again in the future. I love listening to these types of videos while doing my homework. I think a video on Jessie and Janes relationship and how it impacted him in the long run and how things could have been different would be really interesting.
Thoroughly enjoyed this Kino! Excellent work!
Breaking bad ad better caul saul was a really special show. It was really awesome getting to watch the last episodes and discuss them together on your channel. Thank you for putting these together
as the things to discuss kinda dry out for this show, I look forward to whatever you do next with the channel and wish you the best luck making a living doing what you love.
Dubiously canon information here, but in a tie-in comic book it's revealed that Mike found out about Walt's identity was by following Badger to Jesse's house, following Jesse to the RV, finding the school's gas masks in the RV, and then going to Walt's school and asking about him there.
In the next issue of the comic he has a boxing match against a kangaroo so take everything with a grain of salt
Wish Nacho and Mike teamed up more. If they were gusses two main guys in breaking bad, that would have been so good
To the Vivid Kiwi,
I just want to say your commentary is absolutely brilliant. It's one thing to have sensible opinions and takes on a sublect, but entirely another thing to articulate it with such clarity and finess. I pretty much agree with all of what you'e said, but also gave some thought to aspects I hadn't before. Hats off to you for a truly great, worthwhile analysis. I'd be very interested in your other work.
Great. Great!
In Breaking Bad Saul actually says he "knows a guy who knows a guy... who knows another guy"
Who's the third guy? Saul obviously knows Mike who directly works for Gus
Hadn't they planned for Mike to be Gus' guy at this point in time? I mean his whole character was just an emergency solution bc Bob was on HIMYM
I think he’s just being deliberately vague, adding an extra layer to his process of actually finding Gus keeps Gus better protected.
I also think the “I Dont believe fear to be an effective motivator” line isn't a callback (or call future based on air dates) to anything Mike he says. I think it is just Gus’s modus operandi. He thinks people work best when he convinces them that everything runs like a business. He doesn't want to be seen as a criminal to his employees (except security and hit men)but rather an opportunity. I personally think that the first scene in BCS that mike and Lydia share shows this. She has an almost cult respect for him. He wants to be seen as a shrewd business man by everyone until the cross the line. By that time they are in too deep.
Everything else is spot on
I hope they eventually apply de-aging technology to the characters in Better Call Saul and re-release the series. Oh. And don't forget to replace the 2nd Jeff actor with the original actor who played him at the start of Season 5.
It would be a lot easier to just re shoot the season 5 Jeff scene with the new actor
This is not necessary. The only time the age becomes an issue is if you're literally comparing pictures of BrBa to BCS. It never takes away from the series at all and we still totally believe this is a prequel to BrBa. I think the Jeff replacement did a fine job and he was in the film Cheap Thrills.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 it's better to further immerse into the series. I couldn't take the flashback part of Kim and Jimmy seriously, they were acting young but didn't look young at all
@@alexjustalexyt1144 when? Jimmy was like 40 by the time he joined the mail room and went to online school. Kim was likely a late achiever too. I assume Kim is about a decade younger than Jimmy. You're wrong. De-aging sucks.
What a journey of a video!! Great analysis on Mike’s character, I love to see one on Saul, Jesse and Walter also. Keep up the great work!!
When Mike says "I had a guy, but now I don't" he's talking about Viktor - not Gale or Nacho.
Mike clearly had no emotional bond to Victor or Tyrus or even Gus. It was strictly business. He did have a bond with Nacho, Werner, and Jesse though.
I agree, I always assumed he was talking about Viktor. In fact, I think Gale and Mike have no direct interaction.
really good video, this was a two hours and a half I had already watched but have rewatched and still enjoyed every second of it
a _very_ cool Thanksgiving surprise! Mike is such an interesting character and Jonathan Banks does an amazing job. another great video, well done and happy Thanksgiving. 😊
What a coincidence, I’m watching this for the first time 2 days before thanksgiving 2 years later.
Magnificently narrated and analyzed. Thank you!
Also , Mike is by far the best character in both series even though the rest of cast are absolutely brilliant . As an older guy , I really relate to Mike and my own regrets with mistakes I've made . If there is ever a better universe out there ,I' hope I don't miss it . This universe transcends those of LOTR , The Sopranos ,peaky Blinders ,the Harry Potter legacy and is maybe only matched by the Star wars canon universe . You have a future as an analyst for a high level private or Govt capacity . Or you can just keep dissecting films and series. Would love to watch you dissect Peaky Blinders. Very amazing series ,with a film being in production to wrap up loose ends.
Hearing Kiwi say Traphouse is the funniest thing i heard today😭😭😭 great video👍🏿👍🏿
Definitely a story for Kim, Nacho, Howard, Gale, Gus, and eventually Walt and Jessie
Edit: Also Jimmy and Chuck McGill
Gale would be a fun side character to cover, and yea I'll eventually get to all the main characters for sure.
@@TheVividKiWi 2-hour Gale retrospective confirmed!😂
Bro!!!! The work you put into this is amazing and very much appreciated! This video is awesome man🙌🏾💪🏾
What I wanted to know was whatever happened to Stacey and Kaylee. They must have been devastated to find out what Mike was involved with. Mike's so-wrong comment about providing for his family, "They'll never know what I did," comes back in spades to haunt his family. Kaylee loved her Pop Pop so much.
1:51:00 whats crazy about all of this is that Mike is like the second best character of the show, after Gus. Maybe even the best on some days. Then after Gus dies hes definitely the best.
Maybe not shows, but they should make a stand alone movie for each character of Gus and Mike telling a story of them when they were younger. Maybe their origins, maybe something else.
I never understood why Mike hated Walter so much when essentially they both got involved for the same reasons. Mike didn't seem to have as much animosity to Gus as Walter who was equally brutal and more calculating
Mike and Gus had an agreement. Then hotshot Walter gets a taste of the power, and can't help but WANT to play chess with Gus.
Because from his POV Walter was a pain in the ass who made dangerous stupid decisions constantly that easily could have blown up in all their faces.