Some characters are always destined to be doomed, and the power of hindsight suggests that Nacho in Better Call Saul may have been written with such heartbreaking intentions. From a passing mention in Breaking Bad to becoming one of the most endearing characters of its spin-off, Nacho’s journey has been the most beautiful in the show’s run.
From a small-time criminal to becoming an insider in the Cartel, Nacho’s character arc was forced by compulsions of the situations Michael Mando’s character often found himself in. While his tragic death left the fans heartbroken in Episode 3 of Better Call Saul’s final season, his fate had a redeeming quality.
Much like his life, he died on his own terms, however unpleasantly. Undoubtedly, Michael Mando’s Ignacio “Nacho” Varga was one of the best, if not the best, characters to blossom out of Better Call Saul. Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy McGill might feel a high level of relatability with Mando’s Nacho.
After being introduced as a minor antagonist to Jimmy McGill in Season 1, Nacho managed to quickly climb up in the hierarchy, partly due to circumstances of his own making by the final season. But Nacho’s every move further ensured that his ties with the cartel were being further tightened, to the point that leaving his crime-driven life was no longer a feasible choice.
Similar to how Nacho forced Jimmy to dupe the Kettlemans in Season 1, Episode 2, “Mijo” by suggesting that Jimmy was now “in the game” and did not have the option to decide whether he wanted to be a part of Nacho’s plan, Nacho rarely found himself in a situation in which he had a choice, although he tried to have one whenever possible.
The positive change in Nacho’s character arc began taking place at the moment in time when his preference started shifting from the pursuit of power to the safety of all whom he held close.
Nacho’s character deeply reflected the fate of others both in the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul universe who choose to opt for a life ridden with corrupt choices and morality. His courageous encounter with the Salamanca Twins in Episode 2, “Carrot and Stick,” was a remarkable tribute to someone who had one last fight left in him.
Nacho’s realization that he was never destined to survive Mexico became the deciding factor for him as he realized that he had no saviors and that he would be destined to live a life on the run, even if he managed to make it out alive.
The final moments of Nacho’s life in Season 6 gave a deserving sendoff to a fan-favorite character. The episode established Nacho Varga as a character that was flawed by all means but invaluable for his contributions to the story and the show. The cold opening in Episode 3, which shows a blossomed blue flower in the desert, captures the essence of Nacho as a character that had truly blossomed by the end of his run in Better Call Saul.
All episodes of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are now available to stream on Netflix.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.