[SPOILERS] Half Measures

Thought I would rewatch Better Call Saul after re-watching Breaking Bad and it's even better the second time around.

In BB, S3: E12 Half Measures, Mike surprises Walter with a visit to his house and tells him a story about confronting a chronic wife abuser back when he was a beat cop. Mike intervened, and almost killed the wife-beater, but gave in when the abuser promised to change his ways. Shortly thereafter the man beat his wife to death. Mike's mistake was to take a half measure when he should have taken a full one. "No more half measures, Walter," he says referring to Jesse.

Rewatching BCS for the second time, I see just how hard it is for Mike to kill and is shown multiple times through out the series thus far. S2: E4 Gloves Off, Nacho asks Mike to take out Tuco but Mike offers instead to just get him in jail, even though this would cause him physical harm. S2: E6 Bali Ha'i, after Hector's men leave Mike is visibly unsettled from the encounter. Finally, S2: E9 Nailed, Mike disarmed Ximenez, ties him up, blindfolds and gags him with duct tape. Nacho claims that he knows only one individual who would rip off drug money but leave a witness alive, only one criminal who is hesitant to kill: Mike.

In BB, Mike really was a stone hard killer and always took full measures when needed, without hesitation. However, in BCS, he is very timid of pulling the trigger. The story he gave Walter seemed way too real to be a theoretical metaphor and took place before he came to Albuquerque.

So my question: Why does Mike keep talking half measures?

I would love to know peoples thoughts and opinions on this.

Thanks!

Submitted August 30, 2017 at 07:55PM by err0r__ http://ift.tt/2vGSXkA