Sadly as of today, Mark Margolis, the man who portrayed Hector Salamanca, has passed away. One of the key characters not only in Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul as well. In which both shows he brought out stellar performances. To name a few, his performance in the season 3 finale of BCS, his scene in Rock and a Hard Place where he was shook by the Nacho reveal, his introduction episode in 2x2 of Breaking Bad, as well as Crawl Space when finding out about Don Eladio’s demise from Gus. I’m definitely missing some episodes, but those are some key moments I remember. But to me, this episode was his best, and certainly his most iconic performance.
I never thought someone in television could have such an impact without a single piece of dialogue, but Mark Margolis brought that out of Hector. His facial expressions and aneurisms were exceptional and brought so much intensity throughout this universe, and ESPECIALLY in this episode. When I first got to experience this scene 4 years ago, the moment his face lit up I blatantly remember my heart dropping. That 15-30 second duration of Gus getting ready to inject the needle into him as well as the aftermath were so tense and Mark brought so much to the table. Those finale moments as Hector will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic moments in the entire universe, and in television history.
And after finishing Better Call Saul last year, this scene has so much more power after getting the grander story that led up to Breaking Bad. I won’t spoil anything but if you haven’t seen Better Call Saul, I highly recommend it especially if you’re already a fan of Mark from Breaking Bad alone. His story in BCS adds so much to the moment in this episode. From his introduction, to his last lines, and to the moments that lead into this series. Not to mention BCS in general is one of the most intriguing stories in television and impossibly puts Breaking Bad on an even higher pedestal than it was already on.
In conclusion, Mark was outstanding in this role, seemed to be outstanding outside of it as a person, and will forever be remembered for his large impact on one of the greatest fictional universes of all time. May he rest in peace.
I never thought someone in television could have such an impact without a single piece of dialogue, but Mark Margolis brought that out of Hector. His facial expressions and aneurisms were exceptional and brought so much intensity throughout this universe, and ESPECIALLY in this episode. When I first got to experience this scene 4 years ago, the moment his face lit up I blatantly remember my heart dropping. That 15-30 second duration of Gus getting ready to inject the needle into him as well as the aftermath were so tense and Mark brought so much to the table. Those finale moments as Hector will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic moments in the entire universe, and in television history.
And after finishing Better Call Saul last year, this scene has so much more power after getting the grander story that led up to Breaking Bad. I won’t spoil anything but if you haven’t seen Better Call Saul, I highly recommend it especially if you’re already a fan of Mark from Breaking Bad alone. His story in BCS adds so much to the moment in this episode. From his introduction, to his last lines, and to the moments that lead into this series. Not to mention BCS in general is one of the most intriguing stories in television and impossibly puts Breaking Bad on an even higher pedestal than it was already on.
In conclusion, Mark was outstanding in this role, seemed to be outstanding outside of it as a person, and will forever be remembered for his large impact on one of the greatest fictional universes of all time. May he rest in peace.