@@VIK_1903 he wasn't a substitute. He was created because Bob Odenkirk had a scheduling conflict. Hell Jesse was supposed to die before the end of season 1.
I think that Nacho's moral inconsistency is mostly down to the writers latching onto the empathetic aspects of his character over time. Like how they realized that they "didn't want Jimmy to become Saul", they probably started to think that maybe Nacho isn't just a one-note bad guy like it initially seems, and maybe there's more to him.
Yeah you can clearly tell where the writers decided to shift course with some of the characters and storylines. Kim is the most obvious example, she started playing an indispensable role in the show in season 3 and 4 after they decided Jimmy and Kim's relationship should be the focal point
This is true. The writers have stated they wanted Saul to get involved in the cartel much earlier so they planned for Nacho to be the antagonist of season 1. However when they realised making Chuck the villian was more unique and interesting.
@@LuxsorFlare Honestly the worst moment of season 1 is Nacho teasing "consequences" that literally never happen. They should have edited that out of the final episode, it feels like one of those Marvel post-credit scenes that goes nowhere
I have to disagree. I dont think that they changed his character. I just think that the more you analyse a person, the more complex and contradictory they become. Shit, even Hitler was a vegetarian
Don't worry. Nacho survived his gunshot. But it made him crazy and eventually he would lead an island of pirates against his sister and take on the mantel of Vaas.
"The entire test of morality isn't meant to be easy. It is meant to disrupt practicality, and require sacrifice" This is one of the greatest quotes I've ever heard in an original video essay.
Do you plan to do anymore Breaking Bad/ Better Call Saul content in the future? It depends if you think there's more to say. I think Howard Hamlin and Hank Schrader are both interesting characters to look at, as they are the opposite to the main protagonist of their respective series. Whereas we start off sympathetic towards Jimmy and Walt only for them to turn into monsters, Howard and Hank start off as unlikeable only to become characters we root for and sympathise with by the end. Edit: Or a look at the morality of Jesse/Kim
Hank! He starts as an a.hole, sort of redeems himself, but still admits he has no issue if Jesse gets killed when he sends him to Walt as bait. Then he dies a hero....what a ride! That's why BB/BcS are amazing.
An interesting perspective John from Ological pointed: Nacho is a bit like if Matty had become a dirty cop with Mike, and Mike is a bit like if Manuel went into the game with Nacho.
In the end, Nacho did give itself to the authorities trying to make things right. Just not the kind of authorities nor the kind of right his father conceived.
I'm a year late to this comment thread. I just finished Saul and I'm rewatching breaking bad again. Nacho is a bad guy. However, I think he regrets the decisions and the road that takes him to where he is and if he were allowed to evolve into a boss he would probably carry himself much like Gus. He does have ethics within the world he operates in and he feels the waste of life.
nacho is Jesse down a different path. He’s not an innocent person, but he’s good at heart. Jesse gets out, nacho doesn’t, and its what makes mike look at Jesse differently than he would otherwise
You could also assume that Mike was so impacted by his inability to free Nacho from Gus" grip, that he put even more effort into helping Jesse. That's how I viewed it anyway...
I don’t think so. I think Mike sees them very differently. I think he respects Nacho and recognizes he’s intelligent and that at the very least he’s the antithesis of the Salamancas. But he also knows he’s a player in the game and made his own choices. I don’t think he really even cares all that much about Gus’s use of him initially as he points out directly to him that he warned about going after Hector but nacho did it anyway with eyes wide open. It’s only when nacho tells him the situation with his father that his attitude changes. Mike sees threatening nachos father as dirty pool and would prefer Gus leave him out of it and bring nacho is legitimately or cut him loose. Jesse on the other hand I think Mike sees initially as a small time idiot playing games and he gets pulled into Walt’s orbit and thrust in way over his head. It’s his absolute distaste for Walt that softens him to jesse’s situation. He pity’s him and then over time sees that he’s a loyal guy just looking to belong and unfortunately Walt got to him first. So he takes extra steps to pry him away from Walt and tie him more closely to Gus’s operation both to benefit Jesse and make things easier on Mike and Gus. Ultimately I think Mike came to like Jesse and he only ever respected nacho and felt bad for the situation he fell in regarding his dad.
Agree. Though Jesse was a lot more selfish as compared to Varga. Varga lived to die for his father, whereas Jesse didn't look out for noone other than himself.
I think Nacho was somewhat redeemed at the end. He could have chosen to keep running, but instead decided to stick to his guns to protect his father, even if it meant dying.
Relatively speaking he ever so slightly redeemed himself. He beat up people and helped run a local illegal drug operation. A bad guy who didn’t want his father killed.
i found that silly. what stops the salamancas from going after nachos dad? mike? but if mike gets involved then they know gus was involved...which is why nacho killed himself to draw attention away lol
Nah he was a murdering drug dealer. Nobody on Breaking Bad was a good person except maybe walts baby daughter and walt JR. Even the cops are shown to break rules/be corrupt.
@@brochacho. you’re right, but I think Nacho had to trust that his father would be okay. He knew that Gus wouldn’t hesitate to kill his father to protect his empire, and making a deal with the devil was his only remaining option. Sure, the Salamanca’s could have gone for his father, but it was clear that Gus was in the process of making moves to destroy them. So Nacho had the choice to cross Gus (guaranteed death of his family) or to work with Gus and hope that Gus’s interests aligned enough with his that his family would be safe.
@@pixel3042 I can agree with that. They are certainly much different characters. You can say the very menacing presence of Vaas stands next to the complexity of Nacho
@@qjames0077 Imo it depends on the criteria. If you simply judge by the impact it had on the audience, I think Vaas easily wins because come on, it's one of the most memorable video game performances of all time. But, if we judge by skill, I think Nacho is way more impressive. I think the reason why Vaas had such an impact is because of the nature of the performance: Explosive and emotional performances always tend to resonate with us more. That's why most great acting compilations on YT feature actors raging, lashing out (basically Vaas) and crying. But most actors agree those are not the hardest performances because you're just basically letting it all out. I mean, obviously that's not easy, but performances like Nacho often require more effort and control by the actor. In my opinion Nacho is just a slightly better mix of both, but I really wouldn't blame anyone if they said Vaas is better. They're both incredible.
I may be reading into things, but I think it's worth mentioning that Nacho doesn't have a mother in his life. This infers that she died at some point, and Nacho's father raised him alone. We see that Nacho's father is a hard worker running his own business. This means Nacho had plenty of unsupervised time growing up to get wrapped up with the wrong people. In a very realistic way, Nacho was probably groomed by the cartel as a young teenager and by the time he was mature and aware enough to understand his position, his was already in too deep.
I totally agree with you. From Fandom (not cannon I know) we learn that Nacho was 30 at the beginning of BCS, meaning he did rise during is teenage years and his 20's. I can understand that a 30 years old man would want out, having seen enough. But It's not a job where you get to retire...most die young or in prison. So, no I wouldn't hang out with a man as Nacho in real live, I would say he wasn't as morally corrupted as other in that world. As for Jesse, he was 10 years younger when we meet him, and somehow what happen to him might have been for the best in the long run. I was headed to a low life, committing's crime of various degrees and would have probably continue to do so. The intense 2 years he had after meeting Walt and being a slave most probably cured him of the life style for ever, not because he wouldn't want to be cut, but because he was able to see the future.
With a skull from the Salamancas in one shoulder, and a bullet from Gus's men in the other, Nacho eventually finds the strength to end his story on his own terms - with a bullet to his own skull.
Wasn't the skull bit from one of Tuco's old friends who he thought was dealing behind his back? Still, Nacho has the literal blood of the Salamanca twin in him so this still goes hard
That was my take Nacho was a much tougher Jesse because he was Mexican all the racist people harder world for immigrants because forced to work way harder for less because most spent everything just to get here. He also grew up with kids born into the cartel so had the connections.
@@TheScott21385 Usually common for illegal immigrants, higher ups and organized crime take full advantage of the fact that they are not citizens or have any legal permit therefore can't get the minimum wage
I think it comes down what Mike told the squat cobbler: once you've stolen, you're a thief, and maybe you're not a bad guy but you're still a thief. Nacho is a murderer, even if he's a sympathetic character. He walked into the game eyes open because he wanted the money. For that matter, even Werner and his boys were willing to get into the game; maybe they didn't know precisely what Fring was up to, but when you work on a project like that, you know you aren't building a soup kitchen for the homeless.
@@roll14tideroll I don't think we did. Nacho seemed to be trying to make a distinction between those who were in the game and those who were not, sort of like Mike. But at the same time, Nacho followed orders, so there is no reason to think he wouldn't have murdered innocent people if so ordered.
I’m so glad you mentioned this, because I feel the same. How can anyone with such gorgeous eyes be a bad guy? (Sadly, this explains a lot about my dating life.😊)
I can't resist loving characters like Nacho, Jesse or if we go outside the BrBa universe then Arthur Morgan. These are characters with empathy, those who know the weight of their actions and have remorse. Yes we must remember and recognise their bad actions, but also with all three there's some sort of reason why they're stuck in their position in the first place - whether that be blackmailing or being forced into that life whilst young etc. There's a lot of nuance to this conversation, but in my head they're all good people in one way or another. As other comments point out, I think the inconsistency of his actions at the beginning may well be from the writers being unsure of which direction to take his character. I'm pretty sure that originally he was supposed to be the antagonist of the first few seasons but then they changed it to Chuck. Either way he's my absolute favourite, and I remember being in complete denial that he was about to die in 'Rock and Hard Place'. Such amazing acting from Michael Mando - I hope to see him in a lot more things in the future!
Remember Mike's advice to the Pharma dealer, 'You are now a criminal: good one or bad one; that's upto you' There are bad cops and good criminals. And this pretty much explains the morality of every character here.
@@tonis6347 You didn't fully comprehend then. There is a difference between rule of law(which decides who is a criminal) and morality ( which judges personal ethics). Thereby, good criminals and bad cops. For Chuck law was sacred and that was also his morality but for Jimmy there was a difference
@@tonis6347 You are making comparisons when I am just suggesting that Mike's dialogue is very relevant to the morality question in this video and the series. Instead you are going on about Mike's decisions. Although Mike too had been an imposter in this series like most characters justifying their actions with their own sense of justice. But that is a different argument altogether.
Mando said in an interview that his character was reborn when he dunked himself in the oil in the tanker when he was hiding. And that after, nacho was at peace with killing himself for his father.
I think it's bordering on selfish/human instinct (rather than heroic). He's forcing his father to live the rest of his life without his son. Surely the heroic thing would be to sacrifice his father and then go the rest of his life as the person who has to live without their loved one?
I don't think it matters. Nacho was the tragic Jesse. He fell for the quick buck, selling his soul to the devil and when he realized the cost for his choice it was too late. This small piece of his soul that remained grew again from the moment he felt how the game could affect himself and how it affected the world around him. He tried to leave the past behind to start again. He tried to end the Salamancas' reign of terror, tearing down the house of horrors he helped to build. In the end, he at least saved the one he loved the most, but could not save himself. Was he evil? Was he good? Before anything else he was one thing - human.
It is weird and cool how , at the start, the viewer would be made to believe that Nacho is just one of the many evil cartel criminals, but then ,the viewer is made to believe that Nacho is kind of a victim.
I don't know, Nacho looks very disturbed when he helps to kill those guys to protect the Twins, as if it was his first time kiling a person. It seems he gained Tuco's confidence before the events of the series by other ways but murder
I might be in a minority but in my book Nacho's side story overshadowed the main story of Jimmy in the final season. Or at least I had more reasons to root for Nacho since he genuinely wanted to turn his life around while Jimmy and Kim were on a petty revenge/prank against a dude who barely annoyed them at some point. For me Jimmy's story peaked when he was crying in his car after failing to get that girl the scholarship and the later stuff turned into "That thing we watch while waiting to see what Nacho is doing".
@@kiyomitsuri I thought Jimmy's plot was as intringuing and interesting when Chuck was around. Ironically Jimmy became less interesting when he embraced the Saul persona. Jimmy works as a main character but Saul only works as a side character.
@@RockoEstalon Saul's story felt like waiting for the moment everything would inevitably go wrong and seeing how far they were willing to go. We all knew the general outcome from the beginning but not the details of how it would all play out.
Just remember, that seasons 4-6 being super cringe was 100% intentional. This IS a breaking bad show. Jimmy becoming Saul, Nacho going the other direction. We see nacho almost make it back to reality... But to no avail. Saul on the other hand, slides into his position without too many thoughts about long term consequences. I think that Nacho is the foreshadow of the whole show universe. It doesn't matter if you are good or bad as a morality because if you are born into the cartel, being good means a completely different thing. Perspective matters a lot.
@@Robert_McGarry_Poems I get that, what I mean is that Jimmy's, vendetta?, for Howard is insanely petty, and it's kind of infuriating that he never took it out on his brother. Even when he refused to talk about him he was faking not caring about Chuck.
I think the writers always intended him to be this tragic villain that slowly realizes that the path he is going on is not good for him. You can see even in season 2 when Hector murdered that civilian, Nacho said it with disgust to Mike. In season 3 when they went to Pollos, Arthuro (the guy with the ponytail) didn't want to let the woman and his child leave but Nacho gave him a look to let them go and these 2 events happened when he wasn't in danger yet. Nacho was never evil, he was just very greedy, he wanted to have money and status. The main theme of both shows is how life has a lot of unpredictable consequences and sometimes you can get what you want, but the cost is too big. Walt got he wanted, but at what cost? Saul got what he wanted but at what cost? In the end, Nacho also got what he wanted, he was about to become one of Eladio's top men, he probably had more money than he ever needed. He could have also escaped, but the cost would have been his father's life and Nacho didn't want to pay that price. He is definetely one of the most interesting characters in both shows.
Nacho had the most interesting arc in all of Better Call Saul. He was the only one that connected the cartel, the Salamanca family and Gus' empire. His death was the beginning of the end for them. In my opinion, his death was the show's biggest tragedy.
@@L3RNA3AN and the saddest. Howard never did anything tu Hurt their career. He actually helped Jimmy with Clifford Main and Jimmy just backstabbed him for no reason other then Jimmy being a asshole
He’s the same with Mike, he’s a criminal but not a bad guy. Does horrible things, but does it because he’s has too. He’s like mixture of Mike and Jesse, morally he’s similar to Jesse, and for Mike he does the things he does for someone else, to protect and minimize damage, no matter the cost.
This moral question discussed (hurting someone else because someone is threatening you) does have a legal term (just like self-defense also known as lawful force) it is a form of defense called "duress".
Your videos explore such a great range of topics. Your passion for film and Tv really shines and it seriously helps me when it comes to script writing. Keep it up bro!
Nacho is such a fascinating and compelling character in a way that reminds me of Jesse; while also creating something brand new for his character. Another iconic role in Michael Mando's pocket 👏
Nacho is my 2nd favorite character in BCS behind Lalo, but I think he's probably one of the deepest and most tragic in either show. This was a great analysis!
Come to think of it, I think Domingo was Nacho’s successor in a way. He was much more pure when Nacho was alive. When he’s dead, Domingo was technically there to take over the throne. Perhaps Domingo could have actually been Nacho in the BB universe after BCS?
I think it's also worth noting that while we assume Nacho's father is being simple-minded in regards to his "go to the police" position, he might not be. He may not understand the true danger of the situation, but there is another option. He may have such a high moral standard and drive to do what's right, that he doesn't care if that puts him in danger or results in his death. Nacho's father isn't a rationalist materialist. He believes in higher metaphysical principles where most of the characters in the Breaking Bad universe do not.
I imagine that Nacho probably started out as a rebellious teenager when he first go involved in the cartel, (wasn't he related to the Salamancas), probably did fairly well in that life, but was in too deep by the time he really matured and couldn't find his way out.
I liked the fact that Nacho didn’t kill the boss when he had a gun to his head so they wouldn’t take it out on his dad. It showed that he had a heart. He took his own life so they wouldn’t take revenge and to have a quick death.
It's not exactly spelled out like this, but Nacho had a case of "thought he was smarter than everyone around him." He knew he was smarter than Tuco, and thought he could manipulate their "friendship" to make money without really being committed to the Salamanca gang, then slip out whenever he wanted. When he realized that his intelligence was no match for Tuco's unpredictability, Nacho hires Mike to blow Tuco's brains out...Nacho's childhood friend. Despite his love for his father, Nacho ends up where he is because of his drive to outsmart, cheat, rip off, and murder the people around him.
One of the most amazing redemption arcs on TV! I loved it soo much, the final scene of Nacho was theatrical and I balled my eyes out. Fantastic directing and the actors are all top notch! Thanks for the essay.
The fact that there aren't any easy answers about Nacho's character and morality is just one reason why he's such a great character. Another reason is that in spite of all the complexity, you just know that deep down, Nacho _was_ a good person, because so much of what he did was to protect his father, whom he lived more than his own life. Nacho and Kim Wexler are the heart of Better Call Saul. All of this show's characters were fantastic. Every writers' room should be studying why these characters worked so well. Their actions spring from their nature and their motivations, not because it would be cool for some spectacle to happen. If you want something cool to happen, you have to connect the dots to make it not only seem plausible, but _inevitable_ that your character would do the things they do. _Better Call Saul_ did that better than any show since _The Wire._
Its pretty amazing how we got a whole ass spin-off prequel series made up of it's own unique and in depth characters based on a few lines of dialogue from season 2 of BB
Although Tuco “listens” to Nacho, we’ve seen what happens to the people he listens to push it too far. Tuco is too unstable to blame others for any of his actions, you can try to save someone but it might just end up with both of you getting killed.
super super early! nacho is a very complex character I think, he reminds me a lot of jersey in the sense that they were both wrapped up in something they didn't at first understand the full scope of and were strung along by a series of events after that
Nacho is not a good person. He was completely content with being a cartel member until it affected his own personal life. He didn't want out until it was affecting his father's business also affecting his father's approval of him. Nacho even told his father that he went to go work with the Salamancas, AGAIN. Which means he was able to get out of the game, but still chose to return to it. He's a grown man who made his decision and doubled down on it. Nacho is also the one who keeps forcing Jimmy to work for the cartel. Nacho is the one to create the domino effect that ends with Howard being killed by Lalo. The hypocrisy that Nacho wants out of the game, but keeps forcing Jimmy in. Also you can mention the fact that Nacho is exploiting those girls' drug addictions to be his "girlfriends". Just because Nacho loves his dad, doesn't mean he's suddenly some Shakespearean anti-hero.
Nacho wasn’t a good person. He just wasn’t a murderous, soulless pig, to use his words. That does not make him good. That why mike adds the “not really” after saying he wasn’t like the cartel when talking to his father. You can be a criminal and a bad person and still have a decent heart and not go around murdering people.
His domestic life as a successful drug dealer is the ickiest thing about him. You can see why his father despised him, though that was really only a minor facet of Nacho's life.
Watching series with video making a good writer and helping to understand things about moral gray area of life empathy and sympathy for the character choices , the arc and much more this is priceless man thanks for this video's you are doing a superb job man Q. Can you tell me how to improve as a screenwriter ? More than a advice write daily thing you told you are screenwriter can you explain me how ?
The problem is, by the time you get to punching the third innocent person the first person you punched is going to have recovered and start punching you back... So there's a practical limit on how many people you can punch before you're overwhelmed. So beyond a certain point it doesn't matter how imperiled you are, it becomes an impossible task.
Should you kill someone that has killed many, may kill you later and will continue to kill others? Id say yes. Its not just self defense. Its in the defense of others. Of course nacho is no saint and does many terrible and selfish things but tuco dying is just good
To be fair, Nacho did ask, twice, to spare the innocent staff members in Lalo's compound, but obviously no one would listen, since he was dealing with completely ruthless criminals (something he wasn't, at least not entirely).
I always enjoyed the moral ambiguity of the series, both BCS and Breaking Bad. Nacho’s plight while tragic was very compelling and yet hard to watch at times.
Michael Mando did such great face micro expressions that it was easy to identify with his constant anguish and inner turmoil on events that always get out of control and beyond what he foresaw happening. I think Nacho is like a Robin Hood character, who makes internal judgements on his victims to decide whether it's "fair" to steal from or hurt. He seems to think anyone "in the game" is a fair target, and innocents shouldn't be dragged into his world. *edit* Nacho is also scared the whole time
Just think.... If Saul had said any other two names out in the desert with Walt and Jesse, then they would have had to have chosen two completely different actors for the roles of Ignacio (Nacho) and Lalo.
nah its just we see him do stuff with no reward no appreciation from anyone but mike, lalo a bit its very disturbing when we see his fancy condo and sexy ladies cuz then for the only time in the show we're like, oh yeah he does have a lot to gain from all this hes not just selflessly saving his papa
what nacho? no no there's more to it than that. is it just me, or did the show portray that even though he has a house and girlfriends, he's still depressed and messed up? the girlfriends are clearly there as a .... i dont know what to call it. but it's the same as the condo. it has an emptiness to it.
bad and good...he clearly loved his father very deeply. And was concerned about the innocent people in Lalo's complex. He doesn't enjoy violence but is willing to hurt others if he has to for self preservation and do bad things for a buck, even kidnapping a family with kids. Perhaps if he had lived, he would've really turned it around and lived a good, honest life.
One point that you did not mention which is relevant is when Gus orders the hit on Lalo. He instantly says that there is innocent people in Lalo's compound and he showed real concern for this, but it fell on deaf ears. With all you have covered it could be easy to miss.
I never thought of Nacho is a good person. Just a person who wasn't as bad of a person as he thought he was. The realization hitting him when he got in with really really bad people. To the point where he justifies killing them off. Only to find out there's a worse person waiting in line and it's not him.
Narrator: (Long, eloquent analysis of the moral ambiguity of Nacho Varga, with quality editing and production) Me: Ahem. at 6:42, you referred to them as roller-skaters. They were clearly skateboarders.
Nacho is defenitively the most tragic character of the serie. He is from far the unluckiest char of the show too. Evrything he gets involved in turns bad, he falls into very hard spots but he keeps fighting hard no matter what comes next. Maybe he s not a very good person but he sticks to some honorables values (familly). Quite a selfish and lonely character otherwize put aside his desire to protect his father. Other men are potentials partners/victims, he s got 2 girls living at his place that he keeps with drugs...). Still, he is a key character in the serie and admirable in many ways.
It’s unclear when Nacho joined the Cartel, but it sounds like he made a ill advised decision at a pretty young age. Nacho probably hoped that his current path of the Cartel would become something of the past, eventually. But years went by, and Nacho is still in the cartel. He has a moment of realization that no matter what, he cannot simply walk away from the life of crime. We also have to examine the external forces that keep Nacho from leaving. His father. Nacho is willing to go to great lengths to move away and start a different live, if it means being with his father. Nacho could care less about the power and influence the Salamanca cartel has. He could care less about the twins, or Hector, or even Lalo. What stops him, what truly stops Nacho, is his attachment to his family, and that is tragic.
If you purposefully put yourself in a dangerous situations to benefit yourself, you cant really claim "self defense". In other words, you cant pick a fight with someone and then shoot them if/when they attack you. There are multiple factors to determine a self defense situation. Being a cartel member doesnt apply. Its a known job risk. He is an evil man that got in deeper than he wanted but HE made his own decisions. He has some redeeming moments but overall he is a force of evil not one of good. He does much more damage to the world than he ever could repay or repair. Hurting innocents to protect yourself isnt noble.
The intro to "Rock and Hard place" is so beautiful looking back. Nacho's dismembered corpse with flies buzzing around in the red desert, the royal blue and yellow flower growing from where he lay, and the solemn grey raindrops hitting the piece of glass he used against Bolsa
It's pretty amazing that both Nacho and Lalo's deep, compelling characters originated from a one-off line from season 2 of Breaking Bad
PIN THIS PLEASE
Also, Mike was supposed to be a substitute for Saul because he couldn't shoot a scene!
@@VIK_1903 he wasn't a substitute. He was created because Bob Odenkirk had a scheduling conflict. Hell Jesse was supposed to die before the end of season 1.
What line
@@thatman43 when Walt and Jesse kidnap him out to the desert and put him in front of a hole for bodies
I think that Nacho's moral inconsistency is mostly down to the writers latching onto the empathetic aspects of his character over time. Like how they realized that they "didn't want Jimmy to become Saul", they probably started to think that maybe Nacho isn't just a one-note bad guy like it initially seems, and maybe there's more to him.
Yeah you can clearly tell where the writers decided to shift course with some of the characters and storylines. Kim is the most obvious example, she started playing an indispensable role in the show in season 3 and 4 after they decided Jimmy and Kim's relationship should be the focal point
This is true. The writers have stated they wanted Saul to get involved in the cartel much earlier so they planned for Nacho to be the antagonist of season 1. However when they realised making Chuck the villian was more unique and interesting.
Yeah this is the way I see it too
@@LuxsorFlare Honestly the worst moment of season 1 is Nacho teasing "consequences" that literally never happen. They should have edited that out of the final episode, it feels like one of those Marvel post-credit scenes that goes nowhere
I have to disagree. I dont think that they changed his character. I just think that the more you analyse a person, the more complex and contradictory they become. Shit, even Hitler was a vegetarian
Don't worry. Nacho survived his gunshot. But it made him crazy and eventually he would lead an island of pirates against his sister and take on the mantel of Vaas.
"The entire test of morality isn't meant to be easy. It is meant to disrupt practicality, and require sacrifice"
This is one of the greatest quotes I've ever heard in an original video essay.
Do you plan to do anymore Breaking Bad/ Better Call Saul content in the future? It depends if you think there's more to say.
I think Howard Hamlin and Hank Schrader are both interesting characters to look at, as they are the opposite to the main protagonist of their respective series.
Whereas we start off sympathetic towards Jimmy and Walt only for them to turn into monsters, Howard and Hank start off as unlikeable only to become characters we root for and sympathise with by the end.
Edit: Or a look at the morality of Jesse/Kim
Hank! He starts as an a.hole, sort of redeems himself, but still admits he has no issue if Jesse gets killed when he sends him to Walt as bait. Then he dies a hero....what a ride! That's why BB/BcS are amazing.
An interesting perspective John from Ological pointed: Nacho is a bit like if Matty had become a dirty cop with Mike, and Mike is a bit like if Manuel went into the game with Nacho.
obviously he's not a good person, but neither he's not a monster like Gus, Lalo, Walt etc
Pryce: hE dEfeCaTed, ON my BasEBall cArDS!
In the end, Nacho did give itself to the authorities trying to make things right. Just not the kind of authorities nor the kind of right his father conceived.
I'm a year late to this comment thread. I just finished Saul and I'm rewatching breaking bad again. Nacho is a bad guy. However, I think he regrets the decisions and the road that takes him to where he is and if he were allowed to evolve into a boss he would probably carry himself much like Gus. He does have ethics within the world he operates in and he feels the waste of life.
Nacho varga is the jesse pinkman of better call saul
Hmm yes lore of breaking bad universe momentum 100
nacho is Jesse down a different path. He’s not an innocent person, but he’s good at heart. Jesse gets out, nacho doesn’t, and its what makes mike look at Jesse differently than he would otherwise
You could also assume that Mike was so impacted by his inability to free Nacho from Gus" grip, that he put even more effort into helping Jesse. That's how I viewed it anyway...
@@RustCole01 My head cannon is that if Nacho started blasting instead of killing himself, Mike would have betrayed Gus and covered Nacho's escape.
@@RockoEstalon he had to die tho for the series to make sense
I don’t think so. I think Mike sees them very differently. I think he respects Nacho and recognizes he’s intelligent and that at the very least he’s the antithesis of the Salamancas. But he also knows he’s a player in the game and made his own choices. I don’t think he really even cares all that much about Gus’s use of him initially as he points out directly to him that he warned about going after Hector but nacho did it anyway with eyes wide open. It’s only when nacho tells him the situation with his father that his attitude changes. Mike sees threatening nachos father as dirty pool and would prefer Gus leave him out of it and bring nacho is legitimately or cut him loose. Jesse on the other hand I think Mike sees initially as a small time idiot playing games and he gets pulled into Walt’s orbit and thrust in way over his head. It’s his absolute distaste for Walt that softens him to jesse’s situation. He pity’s him and then over time sees that he’s a loyal guy just looking to belong and unfortunately Walt got to him first. So he takes extra steps to pry him away from Walt and tie him more closely to Gus’s operation both to benefit Jesse and make things easier on Mike and Gus. Ultimately I think Mike came to like Jesse and he only ever respected nacho and felt bad for the situation he fell in regarding his dad.
Agree. Though Jesse was a lot more selfish as compared to Varga.
Varga lived to die for his father, whereas Jesse didn't look out for noone other than himself.
I think Nacho was somewhat redeemed at the end. He could have chosen to keep running, but instead decided to stick to his guns to protect his father, even if it meant dying.
Relatively speaking he ever so slightly redeemed himself. He beat up people and helped run a local illegal drug operation. A bad guy who didn’t want his father killed.
Also you should be comparing him to the his piers the salamancas 😂
i found that silly. what stops the salamancas from going after nachos dad? mike? but if mike gets involved then they know gus was involved...which is why nacho killed himself to draw attention away lol
Nah he was a murdering drug dealer. Nobody on Breaking Bad was a good person except maybe walts baby daughter and walt JR. Even the cops are shown to break rules/be corrupt.
@@brochacho. you’re right, but I think Nacho had to trust that his father would be okay. He knew that Gus wouldn’t hesitate to kill his father to protect his empire, and making a deal with the devil was his only remaining option. Sure, the Salamanca’s could have gone for his father, but it was clear that Gus was in the process of making moves to destroy them. So Nacho had the choice to cross Gus (guaranteed death of his family) or to work with Gus and hope that Gus’s interests aligned enough with his that his family would be safe.
Nacho Varga is what made me love BCS, his last phone call with his father was heartbreaking
I cried at the scene, thinking about the regrettable shits I did that break my parent's heart
Every scene they shared together were truly memorable.
HIS SITUATION IS LIKE THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY, TOO MANY BAD GUYS.
"I just wanted to hear your voice..."
my favourite episode
Nacho is one of the most tragic characters in the BB universe. What a great performance by Michael Mando.
His best performance is easily Vaas from Far Cry tho
@@qjames0077 equal
@@pixel3042 I can agree with that. They are certainly much different characters. You can say the very menacing presence of Vaas stands next to the complexity of Nacho
@@qjames0077 Imo it depends on the criteria. If you simply judge by the impact it had on the audience, I think Vaas easily wins because come on, it's one of the most memorable video game performances of all time. But, if we judge by skill, I think Nacho is way more impressive. I think the reason why Vaas had such an impact is because of the nature of the performance: Explosive and emotional performances always tend to resonate with us more. That's why most great acting compilations on YT feature actors raging, lashing out (basically Vaas) and crying. But most actors agree those are not the hardest performances because you're just basically letting it all out. I mean, obviously that's not easy, but performances like Nacho often require more effort and control by the actor. In my opinion Nacho is just a slightly better mix of both, but I really wouldn't blame anyone if they said Vaas is better. They're both incredible.
No ones ready to hear this but Nachos best performance is Scorpion in Spiderman Homecoming.
I may be reading into things, but I think it's worth mentioning that Nacho doesn't have a mother in his life. This infers that she died at some point, and Nacho's father raised him alone. We see that Nacho's father is a hard worker running his own business. This means Nacho had plenty of unsupervised time growing up to get wrapped up with the wrong people. In a very realistic way, Nacho was probably groomed by the cartel as a young teenager and by the time he was mature and aware enough to understand his position, his was already in too deep.
I totally agree with you. From Fandom (not cannon I know) we learn that Nacho was 30 at the beginning of BCS, meaning he did rise during is teenage years and his 20's. I can understand that a 30 years old man would want out, having seen enough. But It's not a job where you get to retire...most die young or in prison. So, no I wouldn't hang out with a man as Nacho in real live, I would say he wasn't as morally corrupted as other in that world. As for Jesse, he was 10 years younger when we meet him, and somehow what happen to him might have been for the best in the long run. I was headed to a low life, committing's crime of various degrees and would have probably continue to do so. The intense 2 years he had after meeting Walt and being a slave most probably cured him of the life style for ever, not because he wouldn't want to be cut, but because he was able to see the future.
With a skull from the Salamancas in one shoulder, and a bullet from Gus's men in the other, Nacho eventually finds the strength to end his story on his own terms - with a bullet to his own skull.
That’s crazy symbolism! I hope it was intentional, but it probably wasn’t.
Thats just poetic as fuck.
@@gronkee540 It's probably something that started off as unintentional, but the writers realized they could put meaning into it
Wasn't the skull bit from one of Tuco's old friends who he thought was dealing behind his back? Still, Nacho has the literal blood of the Salamanca twin in him so this still goes hard
It just wasn't a salamanca skull
It should be noted that Nacho insisted on the assassins only killing Lalo.
And complained to Gus because there were innocent people inside too
thank you
I think that one of the reasons why Mike liked Jesse was because he saw Nacho in Jesse and he didnt want him to end up like Nacho did
That was my take Nacho was a much tougher Jesse because he was Mexican all the racist people harder world for immigrants because forced to work way harder for less because most spent everything just to get here. He also grew up with kids born into the cartel so had the connections.
@@TheScott21385 Usually common for illegal immigrants, higher ups and organized crime take full advantage of the fact that they are not citizens or have any legal permit therefore can't get the minimum wage
It's about Mike's son who he sees in nacho and jesse
@El Harvey i know its sad, and America just keeps that process going with its policies
@@RegularBaldGuy its both
I think it comes down what Mike told the squat cobbler: once you've stolen, you're a thief, and maybe you're not a bad guy but you're still a thief. Nacho is a murderer, even if he's a sympathetic character. He walked into the game eyes open because he wanted the money. For that matter, even Werner and his boys were willing to get into the game; maybe they didn't know precisely what Fring was up to, but when you work on a project like that, you know you aren't building a soup kitchen for the homeless.
Squat Cobbler XD
Did we ever see him kill anyone who wasn’t a gang member though?
@@roll14tideroll I don't think we did. Nacho seemed to be trying to make a distinction between those who were in the game and those who were not, sort of like Mike. But at the same time, Nacho followed orders, so there is no reason to think he wouldn't have murdered innocent people if so ordered.
Mike didn't kill tuco because he remembered he had to be alive to meet Walter
😂
So funny
Who killed him as well
Mike had already seen breaking bad
Ok but even if Nacho isn't a "good person" consider this: Michael Mando is pretty
Real
me when im right
the prettiest
I’m so glad you mentioned this, because I feel the same. How can anyone with such gorgeous eyes be a bad guy? (Sadly, this explains a lot about my dating life.😊)
@@teenageenaballerina8350 Y’know, that’s why people initially thought Ted Buddy was innocent.
I can't resist loving characters like Nacho, Jesse or if we go outside the BrBa universe then Arthur Morgan. These are characters with empathy, those who know the weight of their actions and have remorse. Yes we must remember and recognise their bad actions, but also with all three there's some sort of reason why they're stuck in their position in the first place - whether that be blackmailing or being forced into that life whilst young etc. There's a lot of nuance to this conversation, but in my head they're all good people in one way or another.
As other comments point out, I think the inconsistency of his actions at the beginning may well be from the writers being unsure of which direction to take his character. I'm pretty sure that originally he was supposed to be the antagonist of the first few seasons but then they changed it to Chuck.
Either way he's my absolute favourite, and I remember being in complete denial that he was about to die in 'Rock and Hard Place'. Such amazing acting from Michael Mando - I hope to see him in a lot more things in the future!
Arthur would've taken out the Salamanca twins and Tuco with his bare hands
you mentioned Arthur Morgan I love it! Arthur is best!
+ Bobby Baccaliari from Sopranos
Remember Mike's advice to the Pharma dealer, 'You are now a criminal: good one or bad one; that's upto you' There are bad cops and good criminals. And this pretty much explains the morality of every character here.
@@tonis6347 You didn't fully comprehend then. There is a difference between rule of law(which decides who is a criminal) and morality ( which judges personal ethics). Thereby, good criminals and bad cops. For Chuck law was sacred and that was also his morality but for Jimmy there was a difference
@@tonis6347 You are making comparisons when I am just suggesting that Mike's dialogue is very relevant to the morality question in this video and the series. Instead you are going on about Mike's decisions. Although Mike too had been an imposter in this series like most characters justifying their actions with their own sense of justice. But that is a different argument altogether.
@@pranjalmishra4867 The end of mike’s arc is nacho’s dad telling him all gangsters are the same.
Very true. Good cops bad cops, bad criminals and good criminals
@@BB-xx3dvI guess you could say, everyone *Broke Bad?*
Mando said in an interview that his character was reborn when he dunked himself in the oil in the tanker when he was hiding. And that after, nacho was at peace with killing himself for his father.
God I love this show
After that moment i knew Nacho wasn't going to make it 😢
Totally redeemed. Taking his own life to save his father's is pretty dang heroic.
I think it's bordering on selfish/human instinct (rather than heroic). He's forcing his father to live the rest of his life without his son. Surely the heroic thing would be to sacrifice his father and then go the rest of his life as the person who has to live without their loved one?
@@Rusty_Alex that's stupid. There were only two outcomes for nacho. He either dies to protect his father or flee and they both die
@@Rusty_Alex either you didn’t watch the show or have a.. interesting outlook on life i guess
@@Rusty_Alex wtf goes on in ur head
@@Rusty_Alex “he let his father live in exchange for his own life, but wouldn’t the morally ok thing to do is kill him while he lives?”
I don't think it matters. Nacho was the tragic Jesse. He fell for the quick buck, selling his soul to the devil and when he realized the cost for his choice it was too late. This small piece of his soul that remained grew again from the moment he felt how the game could affect himself and how it affected the world around him. He tried to leave the past behind to start again. He tried to end the Salamancas' reign of terror, tearing down the house of horrors he helped to build. In the end, he at least saved the one he loved the most, but could not save himself. Was he evil? Was he good? Before anything else he was one thing - human.
Jesse is just as tragic, except he survived.
@@TaysanGalovu I agree, I should have written more tragic in terms of his ending
Vravo Bince
@@tonis6347 they have tons of similarities 🤷♂
@@tonis6347 shut up
It is weird and cool how , at the start, the viewer would be made to believe that Nacho is just one of the many evil cartel criminals, but then ,the viewer is made to believe that Nacho is kind of a victim.
I don't know, Nacho looks very disturbed when he helps to kill those guys to protect the Twins, as if it was his first time kiling a person. It seems he gained Tuco's confidence before the events of the series by other ways but murder
We don’t know that
Better Call Saul is really good at making characters so complex
nacho really cared of the elders that was in lalo's house so I think that he's a good guy
Yeah but they still died
Including that kid cero
He sold drugs, I don’t think good guys sell drugs.
Nacho isn’t a “good” person, but he was as decent of a person as he could have been in his situation (for an enforcer for a brutal cartel).
I might be in a minority but in my book Nacho's side story overshadowed the main story of Jimmy in the final season. Or at least I had more reasons to root for Nacho since he genuinely wanted to turn his life around while Jimmy and Kim were on a petty revenge/prank against a dude who barely annoyed them at some point. For me Jimmy's story peaked when he was crying in his car after failing to get that girl the scholarship and the later stuff turned into "That thing we watch while waiting to see what Nacho is doing".
I agree. Nacho, Mike, Gus, and Lalo, all had far more intriguing plots than Jimmy, Kim, Howard, or Chuck.
@@kiyomitsuri I thought Jimmy's plot was as intringuing and interesting when Chuck was around. Ironically Jimmy became less interesting when he embraced the Saul persona. Jimmy works as a main character but Saul only works as a side character.
@@RockoEstalon Saul's story felt like waiting for the moment everything would inevitably go wrong and seeing how far they were willing to go.
We all knew the general outcome from the beginning but not the details of how it would all play out.
Just remember, that seasons 4-6 being super cringe was 100% intentional. This IS a breaking bad show. Jimmy becoming Saul, Nacho going the other direction. We see nacho almost make it back to reality... But to no avail. Saul on the other hand, slides into his position without too many thoughts about long term consequences. I think that Nacho is the foreshadow of the whole show universe. It doesn't matter if you are good or bad as a morality because if you are born into the cartel, being good means a completely different thing. Perspective matters a lot.
@@Robert_McGarry_Poems I get that, what I mean is that Jimmy's, vendetta?, for Howard is insanely petty, and it's kind of infuriating that he never took it out on his brother. Even when he refused to talk about him he was faking not caring about Chuck.
I think the writers always intended him to be this tragic villain that slowly realizes that the path he is going on is not good for him. You can see even in season 2 when Hector murdered that civilian, Nacho said it with disgust to Mike. In season 3 when they went to Pollos, Arthuro (the guy with the ponytail) didn't want to let the woman and his child leave but Nacho gave him a look to let them go and these 2 events happened when he wasn't in danger yet.
Nacho was never evil, he was just very greedy, he wanted to have money and status. The main theme of both shows is how life has a lot of unpredictable consequences and sometimes you can get what you want, but the cost is too big. Walt got he wanted, but at what cost? Saul got what he wanted but at what cost? In the end, Nacho also got what he wanted, he was about to become one of Eladio's top men, he probably had more money than he ever needed. He could have also escaped, but the cost would have been his father's life and Nacho didn't want to pay that price. He is definetely one of the most interesting characters in both shows.
Nacho had the most interesting arc in all of Better Call Saul. He was the only one that connected the cartel, the Salamanca family and Gus' empire. His death was the beginning of the end for them.
In my opinion, his death was the show's biggest tragedy.
Agree
Howards death was the saddest.
@@N0R5K It was the least expected and clearly the most shocking.
@@L3RNA3AN and the saddest. Howard never did anything tu Hurt their career. He actually helped Jimmy with Clifford Main and Jimmy just backstabbed him for no reason other then Jimmy being a asshole
He’s the same with Mike, he’s a criminal but not a bad guy. Does horrible things, but does it because he’s has too. He’s like mixture of Mike and Jesse, morally he’s similar to Jesse, and for Mike he does the things he does for someone else, to protect and minimize damage, no matter the cost.
This moral question discussed (hurting someone else because someone is threatening you) does have a legal term (just like self-defense also known as lawful force) it is a form of defense called "duress".
Your videos explore such a great range of topics. Your passion for film and Tv really shines and it seriously helps me when it comes to script writing. Keep it up bro!
Liked Nacho waaaaay more than walter and jesse combined.
This is why I live BCS so much it made me love everyone more than Walt my a mile😂
Micheal Mando was incredibly as Nacho.
Nacho is such a fascinating and compelling character in a way that reminds me of Jesse; while also creating something brand new for his character. Another iconic role in Michael Mando's pocket 👏
The real question is… where does he get his awesome shirts 😆
Nacho is my 2nd favorite character in BCS behind Lalo, but I think he's probably one of the deepest and most tragic in either show. This was a great analysis!
I love them too!!)
Come to think of it, I think Domingo was Nacho’s successor in a way. He was much more pure when Nacho was alive. When he’s dead, Domingo was technically there to take over the throne. Perhaps Domingo could have actually been Nacho in the BB universe after BCS?
I think he became harden overtime but Tuco took over where Nacho was
I think it's also worth noting that while we assume Nacho's father is being simple-minded in regards to his "go to the police" position, he might not be. He may not understand the true danger of the situation, but there is another option. He may have such a high moral standard and drive to do what's right, that he doesn't care if that puts him in danger or results in his death. Nacho's father isn't a rationalist materialist. He believes in higher metaphysical principles where most of the characters in the Breaking Bad universe do not.
Exactly!
It would be worth it to kill a hundred criminals to save Nacho's father.
The way you kept saying "that's bad" all the time reminded me of that Simpsons gag with the cursed Krusty doll lmao
Great video as always!
Nacho is the one of the best anti-villain character ı saw in tv history for me.
I imagine that Nacho probably started out as a rebellious teenager when he first go involved in the cartel, (wasn't he related to the Salamancas), probably did fairly well in that life, but was in too deep by the time he really matured and couldn't find his way out.
I liked the fact that Nacho didn’t kill the boss when he had a gun to his head so they wouldn’t take it out on his dad. It showed that he had a heart. He took his own life so they wouldn’t take revenge and to have a quick death.
It's not exactly spelled out like this, but Nacho had a case of "thought he was smarter than everyone around him." He knew he was smarter than Tuco, and thought he could manipulate their "friendship" to make money without really being committed to the Salamanca gang, then slip out whenever he wanted. When he realized that his intelligence was no match for Tuco's unpredictability, Nacho hires Mike to blow Tuco's brains out...Nacho's childhood friend. Despite his love for his father, Nacho ends up where he is because of his drive to outsmart, cheat, rip off, and murder the people around him.
One of the most amazing redemption arcs on TV! I loved it soo much, the final scene of Nacho was theatrical and I balled my eyes out. Fantastic directing and the actors are all top notch!
Thanks for the essay.
The fact that there aren't any easy answers about Nacho's character and morality is just one reason why he's such a great character. Another reason is that in spite of all the complexity, you just know that deep down, Nacho _was_ a good person, because so much of what he did was to protect his father, whom he lived more than his own life. Nacho and Kim Wexler are the heart of Better Call Saul. All of this show's characters were fantastic.
Every writers' room should be studying why these characters worked so well. Their actions spring from their nature and their motivations, not because it would be cool for some spectacle to happen. If you want something cool to happen, you have to connect the dots to make it not only seem plausible, but _inevitable_ that your character would do the things they do. _Better Call Saul_ did that better than any show since _The Wire._
Actor? That has nothing to do with things.
Its pretty amazing how we got a whole ass spin-off prequel series made up of it's own unique and in depth characters based on a few lines of dialogue from season 2 of BB
These character breakdowns have been so great! Thanks for your effort!
He’s a bad guy with honor. My third favorite character in the BB/BCS universe, behind Lalo and Mike.
Although Tuco “listens” to Nacho, we’ve seen what happens to the people he listens to push it too far. Tuco is too unstable to blame others for any of his actions, you can try to save someone but it might just end up with both of you getting killed.
Nacho is twice the man of any other man on the series, it's why he has 2 girlfriends
super super early! nacho is a very complex character I think, he reminds me a lot of jersey in the sense that they were both wrapped up in something they didn't at first understand the full scope of and were strung along by a series of events after that
Nacho is not a good person. He was completely content with being a cartel member until it affected his own personal life. He didn't want out until it was affecting his father's business also affecting his father's approval of him. Nacho even told his father that he went to go work with the Salamancas, AGAIN. Which means he was able to get out of the game, but still chose to return to it. He's a grown man who made his decision and doubled down on it. Nacho is also the one who keeps forcing Jimmy to work for the cartel. Nacho is the one to create the domino effect that ends with Howard being killed by Lalo. The hypocrisy that Nacho wants out of the game, but keeps forcing Jimmy in. Also you can mention the fact that Nacho is exploiting those girls' drug addictions to be his "girlfriends". Just because Nacho loves his dad, doesn't mean he's suddenly some Shakespearean anti-hero.
Nacho wasn’t a good person. He just wasn’t a murderous, soulless pig, to use his words. That does not make him good. That why mike adds the “not really” after saying he wasn’t like the cartel when talking to his father. You can be a criminal and a bad person and still have a decent heart and not go around murdering people.
I realize this is a very minor thing compared to everything else he did, but he enabled his girlfriends' substance abuse too.
His domestic life as a successful drug dealer is the ickiest thing about him.
You can see why his father despised him, though that was really only a minor facet of Nacho's life.
They weren't his girlfriends
they were basically just prostitutes or concubines he wasn't really in love with them.
Bed wenches
man, i love these better call saul/breaking bad videos
Watching series with video making a good writer and helping to understand things about moral gray area of life empathy and sympathy for the character choices , the arc and much more this is priceless man thanks for this video's you are doing a superb job man
Q. Can you tell me how to improve as a screenwriter ?
More than a advice write daily thing you told you are screenwriter can you explain me how ?
I love this breaking bad/better call Saul videos they make me enjoy the show more and the reviews are fantastic thank you for the amazing content
The problem is, by the time you get to punching the third innocent person the first person you punched is going to have recovered and start punching you back... So there's a practical limit on how many people you can punch before you're overwhelmed. So beyond a certain point it doesn't matter how imperiled you are, it becomes an impossible task.
but the first person you punched might be an intellectual and punch the guy who made you punch him...
Should you kill someone that has killed many, may kill you later and will continue to kill others? Id say yes. Its not just self defense. Its in the defense of others. Of course nacho is no saint and does many terrible and selfish things but tuco dying is just good
To be fair, Nacho did ask, twice, to spare the innocent staff members in Lalo's compound, but obviously no one would listen, since he was dealing with completely ruthless criminals (something he wasn't, at least not entirely).
I always enjoyed the moral ambiguity of the series, both BCS and Breaking Bad. Nacho’s plight while tragic was very compelling and yet hard to watch at times.
I absolutely love your channel. Thank you for these vids, and 🪦 RIP to Nacho 😢
Such an incredible character.
Love how Vince Gilligan gets us to root for morally ambiguous individuals... Just the best.
Michael Mando did such great face micro expressions that it was easy to identify with his constant anguish and inner turmoil on events that always get out of control and beyond what he foresaw happening. I think Nacho is like a Robin Hood character, who makes internal judgements on his victims to decide whether it's "fair" to steal from or hurt. He seems to think anyone "in the game" is a fair target, and innocents shouldn't be dragged into his world. *edit* Nacho is also scared the whole time
Just think.... If Saul had said any other two names out in the desert with Walt and Jesse, then they would have had to have chosen two completely different actors for the roles of Ignacio (Nacho) and Lalo.
You forgot to mention nacho tried to negotiate with the hitmen to not harm any of the innocent staff when they call him
nah its just we see him do stuff with no reward
no appreciation from anyone but mike, lalo a bit
its very disturbing when we see his fancy condo and sexy ladies cuz then for the only time in the show we're like, oh yeah he does have a lot to gain from all this
hes not just selflessly saving his papa
what nacho? no no there's more to it than that. is it just me, or did the show portray that even though he has a house and girlfriends, he's still depressed and messed up? the girlfriends are clearly there as a .... i dont know what to call it. but it's the same as the condo. it has an emptiness to it.
bad and good...he clearly loved his father very deeply. And was concerned about the innocent people in Lalo's complex. He doesn't enjoy violence but is willing to hurt others if he has to for self preservation and do bad things for a buck, even kidnapping a family with kids. Perhaps if he had lived, he would've really turned it around and lived a good, honest life.
also, nacho kept those two girls in his home addicted to drugs, just to keep them dependent of him
One point that you did not mention which is relevant is when Gus orders the hit on Lalo. He instantly says that there is innocent people in Lalo's compound and he showed real concern for this, but it fell on deaf ears. With all you have covered it could be easy to miss.
Nacho was completely justified
I never thought of Nacho is a good person. Just a person who wasn't as bad of a person as he thought he was. The realization hitting him when he got in with really really bad people. To the point where he justifies killing them off. Only to find out there's a worse person waiting in line and it's not him.
Nacho Varga is one of the best characters in BB/BCS universe. Congratulations Michael Mando for your acting
Nacho was such a great surprise in BCS. A throwaway name in BB made into a killer plotline- idk how to feel about him morally but awesome character.
Jesse has only ever killed 5 times in breaking bad + el camino.
Narrator: (Long, eloquent analysis of the moral ambiguity of Nacho Varga, with quality editing and production)
Me: Ahem. at 6:42, you referred to them as roller-skaters. They were clearly skateboarders.
Nacho wasn’t good but did NOT deserve what happened. I’m glad he went out on his own terms as his final fuck you.
God the picture of the clouds in the end was PERFECT for your final thoughts!!!!
Nacho is defenitively the most tragic character of the serie. He is from far the unluckiest char of the show too. Evrything he gets involved in turns bad, he falls into very hard spots but he keeps fighting hard no matter what comes next. Maybe he s not a very good person but he sticks to some honorables values (familly). Quite a selfish and lonely character otherwize put aside his desire to protect his father. Other men are potentials partners/victims, he s got 2 girls living at his place that he keeps with drugs...). Still, he is a key character in the serie and admirable in many ways.
Nacho is easily my favourite breaking bad universe character
It’s unclear when Nacho joined the Cartel, but it sounds like he made a ill advised decision at a pretty young age. Nacho probably hoped that his current path of the Cartel would become something of the past, eventually. But years went by, and Nacho is still in the cartel. He has a moment of realization that no matter what, he cannot simply walk away from the life of crime.
We also have to examine the external forces that keep Nacho from leaving. His father.
Nacho is willing to go to great lengths to move away and start a different live, if it means being with his father. Nacho could care less about the power and influence the Salamanca cartel has. He could care less about the twins, or Hector, or even Lalo. What stops him, what truly stops Nacho, is his attachment to his family, and that is tragic.
If you purposefully put yourself in a dangerous situations to benefit yourself, you cant really claim "self defense". In other words, you cant pick a fight with someone and then shoot them if/when they attack you. There are multiple factors to determine a self defense situation. Being a cartel member doesnt apply. Its a known job risk. He is an evil man that got in deeper than he wanted but HE made his own decisions. He has some redeeming moments but overall he is a force of evil not one of good. He does much more damage to the world than he ever could repay or repair. Hurting innocents to protect yourself isnt noble.
Good people make the lives of those around them better. Every person who met nacho is worse for having done so.
I love how Nacho started out as an annoying side character but then became one of the best characters. Then just to lose him 😭
Nacho’s death shattered me I o more pieces than any other character in both series. I wanted him to get away with every cell in my body. 😢
No one is a good person in this universe. Maybe Nacho’s dad and Chuck.
Short answer, yes Nacho is a bad guy. However he knows this and is redeemable
Nacho might be my favorite character in the Breaking Bad Universe.
Nacho is better than any of the other characters.
In videos about Nacho Varga I've seen. Everyone ignores the fact Nacho keeps two drug addicted "base slaves" in his house.
The intro to "Rock and Hard place" is so beautiful looking back. Nacho's dismembered corpse with flies buzzing around in the red desert, the royal blue and yellow flower growing from where he lay, and the solemn grey raindrops hitting the piece of glass he used against Bolsa