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Mike Ehrmantruat is one of the most beloved characters in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Unlike the power-hungry Walt or money-grubbing Saul, Mike entered the criminal world only to support his family. It’s clear that Mike’s daughter-in-law Stacey and granddaughter Kaylee are all that matter to him. That’s why one scene from Breaking Bad still doesn’t sit right with Jonathan Banks.

Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad. Mike stands in front of a river wearing a khakis, a white polo shirt, and a jacket.
Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut in ‘Breaking Bad’ | Ursula Coyote/AMC

Mike works with Gus to make money for Stacey and Kaylee

Better Call Saul filled in the blanks about what happened to Mike’s son Matt. The pair were both police officers in Philadelphia, and Mike was a dirty cop. When Matt was offered dirty money, he declined until Mike advised him to take it, but it was too late. The officers who attempted to give Matt money killed him out of fear that he would rat them out.

After Mike took his revenge, he moved to Albuquerque to be close to his son’s widow Stacey and his granddaughter Kaylee. He begins to take on shady bodyguarding work to provide for Kaylee and Stacey, which launches the chain of events that led him to his boss Gus Fring.

However, Mike proves over and over again that, unlike Walt, he truly only involves himself in criminal activity for his family. Mike takes no pleasure in killing. He isn’t interested in his own financial gain or boosting his ego. With that said, one Mike scene from Breaking Bad still doesn’t sit right with Jonathan Banks.

This Mike scene from ‘Breaking Bad’ still doesn’t sit right with Jonathan Banks

In Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 7, Mike sits on a park bench watching his granddaughter swing. Suddenly he receives a call from Walt informing him that the DEA are on their way to arrest him. Mike then flees the park without saying goodbye to Kaylee, leaving her alone in the park.

While speaking with The New York Times, Jonathan Banks was asked if he ever read a script and felt that a scene didn’t make sense for Mike. “There have been moments that I went, ‘Oh, I think Mike wouldn’t do that.’ But I found, quite honestly, a lot of the times that what the writers were telling me if I deferred to them, it made sense,” the actor stated.

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“The first thing that comes to my mind is in Breaking Bad when Mike left his granddaughter in the park and had to escape. And I was going, ‘No, Mikey would never leave his granddaughter.’ And of course, the reasoning is, the police department — they’re there in the park. They will take care of her, they will return her to her mother. I still have a tough time with Mike leaving his granddaughter in the park.”

Mike has one of the most tragic deaths in ‘Breaking Bad’

Mike’s death is one of the most tragic and senseless in Breaking Bad. The way this beloved character met his end is heartbreaking. Walt kills Mike in a fit of rage after he refuses to give him the names of Gus’ imprisoned men. To make things worse, it’s unlikely that Kaylee received the money that Mike intended for her because of the DEA raid.

All episodes of Breaking Bad are currently streaming on Netflix.

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