In Better Call Saul, former police officer and parking lot attendant Mike Ehrmantraut vacillates between being Gus Fring's chief lieutenant and doing favors for sleazy lawyer Jimmy McGill. The character is also prioritized a lot more by being granted scenes that are more wholesome compared to his appearances in Breaking Bad.
Unlike his associates in the Albuquerque underworld, Mike is mostly goodhearted and reasonable. It's his levelheadedness that mostly inspires his remarks though on occasion, he surprises fans by saying things that don't align with who he is. Nonetheless, a Mike statement always leaves plenty to ponder. Better Call Saul is one of TV's most quotable shows, and Mike is one of its most quotable characters
Pryce, an IT specialist at a pharmaceutical company, hires Mike as his bodyguard when he begins supplying prescription drugs to Nacho. After a deal almost goes wrong, Mike advises him to always do his homework first. Pryce claims he shouldn't be doing such deals because he is a good guy. Mike then explains to him that being a criminal and a good guy are two different things.
Mike makes an important point because it's how evil one's actions are that determine whether they are good or bad, not their legality. He figures that someone like Pryce is only money-hungry with a thirst for adventure and that's why he does what he does. Since he always keeps his word and never considers harming anyone, he still qualifies as good.
During his days as a public defender, Jimmy once tries to drive off without paying for his parking ticket. He explains to Mike how tough his day in court has been in but the attendant insists on a ticket.
Mieke and Jimmy go on to be tight friends as the series progress but initially, they butt heads because none respects the other's job. They both happen to be very frustrated with their current status too and that only adds to the animosity. Mike has never been one to let people off easy and this moment serves as a reminder of that fact.
Mike heads over to Chuck's house on Jimmy's behest in order to gather information for him. Aware that Chuck fears electric currents, he claims to be a handyman with an electric drill. Chuck thus goes far away, allowing Mike to take pictures.
Chuck isn't allergic to electricity like he thinks he is so it's clever of Mike and Jimmy to take advantage of this. The two brothers keep trying to outdo each other but Jimmy's plans always seem so much better. Mike is also smart to include a Flintsone reference. It's his way of explaining that the job will take too long to complete if electric tools aren't used.
When Jimmy and Mike get stranded in the desert after one of the most intense shootouts in Better Call Saul, they talk about life. The lawyer asks the enforcer if his family is okay with what he does.
Mike's pronouncements on this occasion sound a lot like things Walter White would say. He is a bit overconfident by claiming that his family will never find out what he does. The person he cares about the most is his granddaughter Kaylee, and since she is very young, Mike figures that she might never know about the little details.
Jimmy spots Mike reading a book and makes fun of him, claiming he is studying about parking. In return, Mike throws an even bigger burn by stating that parking rules don't need to be studied and that most people get them right from the go.
Mike is smart to get back at Jimmy by referring to the lawyer's first day as a public defender when he tried to drive off without a sticker. Banter like this is part of the reason why the two end up bonding so well in the future. They won't admit it but they admire each other. Most importantly, they always find themselves needing each other.
Everyone is shocked when Pryce shows up at a meeting spot in a bright yellow Humvee. After the deal has been made, he offers to drive Mike home but he refuses.
Once again, Pryce proves that he isn't the smartest criminal. Expensive vehicles attract attention. Nonetheless, Pryce can't be fully faulted for his choice of car. He is new to crime therefore he doesn't know all the riles. He is also pretty excited after making six figures on his first business deal hence the need to spoil himself.
Having grown tired of Tuco's erratic behavior, Nacho proposes killing him at El Michoacano restaurant. Mike isn't too sure that it's a good idea.
Nacho isn't entirely unreasonable for contemplating having Tuco killed. The manner in which he shot Dog Paulsen at point black range left the rest of his associates worried. Attempting to harm partners also appears to be in nacho's DNA as he later makes attempts on Hector and Lalo, one of the best Better Call Saul characters introduced after Season 1.
Mike's daughter-in-law, Stacey once forces Mike to tell her what kind of dirty deals her late husband was involved with. Mike tells her that he was in bed with some dirty cops who caused his death. Mike was then forced to kill them in revenge.
The new information is hard for Stacey to bear since she initially had the wrong impression of her husband. Having initially thought that he was the dirty one, she regrets choosing negative thoughts over positive ones. And since her life doesn't require her to roam around the underworld like Mike, she isn't used to receiving shocking information on a regular basis like Mike.
Jimmy can't help but wonder what he got himself into when he almost gets himself killed while on the mission to collect Laolo's $7 million bail money. To console him, Mike gets all philosophical with him.
Seeing Mike get all philosophical is strange since viewers are used to him being an enforcer. Nonetheless, he is totally spot on about choices and where they lead those who make them. For him, he was once a police officer but chose to be a criminal and he's now okay with that. He is therefore of the opinion that Jimmy should embrace his choices and the fate that comes with them too.
Unable to clean the $200,000 that he got from a truck robbery, Mike approaches one of the most powerful Better Call Saul characters, Gus Fring, at Los Pollos Hermanos. He offers to help the drug lord out if he helps him launder the money.
Partnering up with Gus is the best decision Mike ever makes as it elevates him from a parking lot attendant and part-time criminal to a chief-henchman in one of the biggest drug organizations in America. His career growth is so huge that the $200,000 that he was worried might not reach his family soon becomes pocket change to him.
source https://screenrant.com/mike-quotes-best-quotes-better-call-saul/
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