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As a Shakespearean actor born and bred on theater stages, Michael Mando had an immense well of resources to draw from while playing Nacho inBetter Call Saul. It was one of those iconic and perpetually unforgettable roles that are forever etched in pop culture history. Even as the villain, Mando turned his character into such a work of art that it would be remiss of us not to deify him.
However, beyond the Machiavellian villainy and the Senecan tragedy that underlined his narrative, Michael Mando’s Nacho was a character who could be studied inside and out, simply because of his brilliant backstory that was largely left unsaid.
In his death, Mando puts Nacho on the pedestal he belongs to as he reveals some of the symbolism that went into the creation of the iconic character.
Better Call Sauldelivers a fitting end to Nacho
Throughout the arc ofBetter Call Saul,Michael Mando‘s Nacho slowly crept into our lives and permanently carved out a spot in our hearts as a fearsome yet admirable character. His villain was not one to be undermined yet not so Machiavellian as to be hated. And to craft such a well-thought-out character arc, a lot of thought went into molding Nacho behind the scenes as well.
In the abrupt and shockingly good ending of Nacho’s story,Better Call Saullives up to its reputation by carving afitting goodbye to the characterwho moved an entire fanbase. Even as the character wades through a pool of goo, he tugs at the audience’s heartstrings as they watch the slow yet definite death of a legend.
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Mando, for his part, poured in just the right amount of personality and ethics into his character to make Nacho memorable, in life and in death. With the fans still reeling from the character’s departure, the actor lends a peek behind the curtain to dissect what went into creating Nacho and the subtle symbolism that was peppered throughout his final episode.
The subtle symbolism in the death of Mando’s Nacho
Throughout his tenure inBetter Call Saulfrom Season 1 Episode 2 to Season 6 Episode 3, Nacho Varga remains a conflicted character whose loyalties were tested, alliances shifted, and questionable choices led him down a path of no return.
In an interview withIndieWire, Michael Mando delivered an elaborate dissection of his character fromBetter Call Saulwho managed to leave a vacuum after departing from the series. While a lot still remains unexplained and unspoken about Nacho, Mando attempts to deliver a sly look behind the curtains to show the fans how much effort he truly put into bringing the character alive.
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Talking about his final episode,Rock and Hard Place, Mando revealed:
This episode was full of so many symbolisms, if you zoom in on Nacho’s shirt, or the last meal, or the last goodbye, or that moment where Nacho is free, but decides to walk back into hell to save his father. Gordon and I really spoke a lot before this episode. It was our final sendoff for me and him. It was the last time he was directing. We were very aware of this wonderful script that he had written. And we talked about detail stuff.
Mando further went into details about how he peppered in minute attributes to Nacho’s personality –“it was important for me that Nacho would eat with a knife and a fork, and that he would put salt on his food. It was about celebrating life, that this character felt whole doing this decision.”
This only goes on to prove that Mando’s final episode was not only a masterclass in performance but the sum of all the parts that made his antihero such a wonderful addition to the arc ofBetter Call Saul.
Better Call Saulis currently available to stream on AMC+.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2408
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
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