‘Breaking Bad’: What Happened to Huell After Season 5? According to Vince Gilligan, He’s a ‘Free Man’
The fifth and final season of Breaking Bad revealed the main characters’ fates — whether they were tragic like Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) or somewhat ambiguous like Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul). There is one character, however, who never gets closure: Huell Babineaux (Lavell Crawford). One of Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) henchmen, Huell is seemingly forgotten about in the chaos of Breaking Bad Season 5. According to Vince Gilligan, he’s doing just fine.
Huell was last seen with Hank and Gomez in season 5
The last time Breaking Bad fans see Huell is in season 5 episode “To’hajiilee.” He’s picked up by Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) and Steve Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada) and prodded for information about Walter and his whereabouts. After the two get the information they need, they leave Huell with another DEA agent. And although they promise to come back, both die in their attempt to bring in Walt.
From there, Breaking Bad gets chaotic, and there’s little time to return to a supporting character like Huell. One couldn’t be faulted for thinking he was left in that room after Hank and Gomez’s deaths. But he eventually got out — and received a better fate than most of the people around him.
Vince Gilligan says Huell is a ‘free man’ after ‘Breaking Bad’
Although Huell gets pulled into Walter’s schemes through his connection with Saul Goodman, Crawford’s character never got too heavily involved. For that reason, he doesn’t need to disappear like his boss — or worry about serious prison sentences like Jesse Pinkman.
Per Uproxx, Vince Gilligan cleared up any loose ends surrounding Huell’s fate in Breaking Bad: The Official Book — and revealed he’s doing just fine:
“It’s likely that Agent Van Oster keeps in touch with DEA headquarters. So when he learns Gomez and Hank have gone missing, he would in short order tell his superiors what they were up to. Within a matter of hours, really not that many in story time, Huell will be taken back to HQ. They’ll question him, find out what he knows — which isn’t much — and he’ll be let out on the street. Right now, he’s doing what Huell does best, whatever that is. He’s out and about as a free man.”
That’s good news for Huell and fans of the character. But what could he be doing now that his employment with Saul Goodman is through? Fans might be able to guess based on his appearances in Better Call Saul.
Huell shows up again in ‘Breaking Bad’s prequel series
While fans never get to see Huell’s future play out on-screen, they do get a backstory for the character in Better Call Saul. The Breaking Bad prequel reveals how Saul and Huell met in the first place, giving more insight into their partnership. It also gives fans an idea of what Huell was doing before Saul — a lifestyle he possibly returned to after Breaking Bad Season 5.
That means Huell is likely still caught up in illegal shenanigans, but hopefully, nothing on the same level as doing Walter White’s bidding. After all, his initial schemes with Jimmy aren’t all that serious in comparison. And one has to imagine being questioned about Heisenberg left Huell somewhat worried.
