Better Call Saul: 10 Questions About Mike Ehrmantraut, Answered
Better Call Saul has given fans a closer look at what makes Mike Ehrmantraut tick, but how well do we really know him?
If there’s one thing that fans and critics have loved about Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, it is the character development seen in the show that has made some side characters become absolute fan favorites. One of them is Mike Ehrmantraut who was introduced as one of the members of Gustavo Fring’s drug den in Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul reveals the origin story of Mike and how he came about to know Jimmy McGill and join Gustavo Fring’s illegal drug syndicate. The hit crime-drama reveals a lot of unflattering truths about Mike as a person and here are some questions about him, answered.
Was He A Police Officer?
Mike Ehrmantraut is a specialist in stealth tactics, thanks to him serving in Vietnam before making his way to the Philadelphia police department.
He worked for the Philadelphia police department for almost 30 years as a beat cop, who had to deal with break-ins and domestic disputes, among other things. His whole career was full of corruption as he and his colleagues accepted bribes and participated in protecting criminals who paid handsomely.
How Did He Meet Jimmy McGill?
When Mike came to Albuquerque, he started working as a parking lot attendant at the Albuquerque courthouse and he met Jimmy when the latter came there in search of work.
While both of them hated to even look at each other, Mike wanted Jimmy to represent him in a case concerning the death of his son, Matty, and his two fellow police officers. Jimmy decided to represent him but only if Mike did a favor for him in return.
What’s The Worst Thing He Has Done?
There aren’t enough words to explain the kind of pain Mike goes through every day. Mike’s son, Matt, idolized his police officer father growing up and he decided to become a police officer too. But, then, he learned about the corruption in the police force and he asked his father for advice.
Mike told his son to take the money or else his family could be in danger. Matty took the money and despite that, his fellow police officers killed him. To this day, Mike bears the guilt of not telling his son to go after the corrupt police department, instead of accepting it the way it is.
What’s The Best Thing He Has Done?
After Matty’s death, there was only one way Mike was redeeming himself and that was by aiding his son’s wife, Stacey, and daughter, Kaylee. He wanted to provide for them and after some initial bitterness, Stacey was able to accept Mike back into her life.
Everything that Mike did afterward was for them, although he did enjoy working for the biggest drug kingpin in Albuquerque. Mike’s guilt is never going away, though, no matter what he does.
How Did He Meet Gustavo Fring?
Watching Breaking Bad, fans always wondered how Gustavo Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut became a duo and in Better Call Saul, that question was answered. Mike came into the crosshairs of Hector Salamanca and in the process, he decided to take out the Mexican drug lord for good.
Of course, Gustavo wasn’t having any of it, so he decided to meet Mike discreetly. Soon enough, Mike got a handsomely paid job from Gustavo.
Did He Suffer From Depression?
Mike has gone through some tough times and he would like to think that he deserved it. After Matt’s unfortunate death, Mike didn’t know what to do, so he gave into alcoholism before falling into depression. Things got so bad that he decided to kill the culprits who took his son’s life.
First, Mike announced his retirement from the police department before staging the murder to two police officers, Hoffman and Fensky. He made it look like a double suicide and he came clean to Stacey about this.
How Is He So Calm?
Despite everything that’s happened to him, Mike seems to be incredibly calm about every situation, be it someone trying to kill him or him trying to get rid of someone else.
Almost every job he does in the series is executed to near perfection (like being stuck in a desert for a whole day) and the reason for that is his experience. Mike has worked both for the law and against it, so it’s not a surprise that he knows exactly how to cut corners. However, his calmness overshadows his fears for Stacey and Kaylee.
What Was His First Experience Of The Albuquerque Drug Game?
Mike had some connections to the underworld and using those, he got himself a job which paid well and that’s exactly what he needed to provide for Stacey and Kaylee. He had to act as the bodyguard of Daniel Wormald, who was selling illegal pills to Nacho Varga.
At the time, Mike didn’t know Nacho worked for the Salamancas and that’s the first time he met someone with his hands in the drug game. Things got messy between Daniel and Mike pretty soon, though.
How Did He Come To Care For Nacho Varga?
Mike is someone who doesn’t bring his feelings to the table that easily and there aren’t many people he has come to care for in the Albuquerque drug game. But Nacho Varga has, seemingly, had an effect on Mike.
As mentioned above, they met first by chance, and then, Nacho’s worry for his father’s life and the hate for Salamancas brought them together again. Even when Nacho was being used for his personal gain by Gustavo, Mike was the one who calmed him down and tried to reason with Gustavo about letting Nacho go.
Does He Hate Hector Salamanca?
Mike absolutely despised Hector. Nacho approached Mike to help him get rid of Tuco Salamanca and the two proposed a plan that sent Tuco to jail. Of course, Hector Salamance didn’t like this one bit and he threatened Mike’s family.
As a result, Mike had to take back his statement to the police but it didn’t end there. He wanted revenge, so he started causing shockwaves in the Salamanca drug business before deciding to kill Hector.
