The first episode I ever watched of Better Call Saul was Season 6, Episode 3 (‘Rock and Hard Place’). Yes, it was a pretty wild place to jump in - without getting too spoilerific- but I still couldn’t tear my eyes away. It was stunning TV; stylish, intentional, sharp… the list goes on. I started the show immediately after, and I’ve become a huge fan. I’m really hoping it’ll win big at the Emmys this year!
I’ve been thinking a lot about how fitting the astrological transformation of Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene Takavic is. I don’t think the creators did this on purpose, but damn! For the characters with birthdays, there’s a particular beauty to how well-placed they all are. And for those without specific birthdays, I took the time to fill in the blanks.
So without further ado, here’s a list of the assumed or actual zodiac signs of the characters:
1/ Camera Guy, Sound Guy, and Drama Girl - Aries, Libra, Gemini
These characters actually have names - Marshall, Phil, and Sherry. The three of them are film students at the University of New Mexico and they help Jimmy/Saul with his massive schemes. I think Marshall, the camera guy, is an Aries. That’s because he’s the leader of the group and he’s the least impressed by Jimmy’s ruses. I find Phil, the sound guy, to be a lot more impressionable. He’s definitely an air sign, and I’m going to place him as a Libra. Finally, Sherry aka Drama Girl is a Gemini. She’s cheerful, dramatic, committed to the craft, and multi-talented.
2/ Salamanca Twins - Capricorn
Ah, the silent enforcers, the twin killers, the I’ll stop while I’m ahead. Marco and Leonel are definitely Earth signs; there’s something about the way they move that screams it. They work hard, they’re detail-oriented, and they don’t make mistakes. I would have placed them as Virgos, but Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, and these two rarely ever speak. Capricorn's a lot more befitting to them - self-disciplined, the ends justify the means, and very much ‘my way or the highway’.
3/ Huell Babineaux (confirmed birthday) - Pisces
Huell is the best boy in this show. He’s hired as Jimmy’s bodyguard and even though he’s not the most suited for bodyguard work, he’s still a valued member of the operation. Huell is really emotionally aware, which contrasts beautifully with Jimmy, who is not. He’s easy-going and a good friend, and like a lot of Pisces, he’s really good at giving help and not so great at taking it. I have a hard time pinpointing Pisces, so I’m glad the show gave this to us.
4/ Howard Hamlin - Libra
Apart from Jimmy, Howard’s the most extroverted person on the show. You go through cycles of loving and hating Howard, but at the end, he always comes up as someone you care for. I think he’s Libra for the obvious reasons - a friendly, smart, charming, pretty lawyer who’s filling in some big shoes and finding his own balance in this world. Sometimes, it’s like the face is painted on, but Howard is an upstanding lawyer and a pretty darn good person. He’s got a strong moral compass, and while he may dither, he makes the right choice.
5/ Hector Salamanca - Aries
The patriarch of the Salamanca family! He’s an Aries because he’s ambitious, The Leader, and rather impulsive. He does whatever the hell he wants to do because he’s Hector Salamanca! He’s short-tempered and a little self-centered; his ego does come first, and sometimes he takes his eyes off the prize for that reason. He’s stubborn and has the willpower of a younger, healthier man. He’s such an Aries! He’s also interesting to me because I watched Nacho sabotage his heart medication and to see him deal with his stroke, recover and struggle to communicate via his bell.
6/ Lalo Salamanca - Leo
Ah, Lalo, our favorite resident sociopath! (There are many sociopaths on this show.) Personally, I’m a Leo and I see a lot of the core Leo traits in him. He’s charismatic and smart, quick on his feet, and good in leadership positions. He cares deeply about the Salamanca business and the family. When he first enters the show and has that casual, threatening conversation with Nacho… that is evil Leo energy!
Lalo also misuses his talents to coerce, harass and extract the information he wants from people; something that evil Leos do often. You see him do some messed up things but Tony Dalton is a talented actor and Lalo is so well-written, that you’re rooting for him!
7/ Nacho Varga (birthday confirmed) - Sagittarius
This is a bit of a surprise honestly; I’d assume Nacho was an Earth sign, but being a Sagittarius makes sense. Nacho, like Lalo, is a brilliant and charismatic person. He’s so quick-witted and resourceful, and he’s got this trait I see as a core Sag thing: he really just wants to go elsewhere. He desperately wants to secure freedom for himself and his father. He’s a principled person; a fair arbitrator; and he's an electric character. It’s tragic how many times he nearly escapes, only to meet his dark end. That episode was the first one I ever watched of Better Call Saul; totally not ready to watch the last season.
8/ Chuck McGill - Capricorn
Chuck is Jimmy’s older brother and a really good example of how two siblings can grow up in the same home and turn different. Chuck’s struggle with his “electricity allergy” is such a poignant way of exploring disability. I’ve got an essay about that somewhere in my drafts. Chuck really worked his ass off his entire life, going from his poor Irish-American family in Chicago to attending UPenn at 15 to building a massive law firm at his age. When we meet him, it’s a year into his unexpected hiatus because he can’t leave his house. Over time, we see him become more stubborn and watch his mental illness progress - we even see how his mistrust of Jimmy leads to his own lonely death.
Chuck is so married to being a lawyer that it led him to lose sight of his personal life. Like a Capricorn, he’s an overachiever, he’s incredibly persistent, he prides himself on his practicality and he puts the same amount of effort into each avenue in his life. At one point, he was happily married and served as the senior partner of Hamlin-Hamlin-McGill; but because of his disability’s onset and the awful decay of his relationship with Jimmy; it led to his death. It was very painful for me to see this play out.
9/ Gus Fring - Cancer
guest-written by Zeff!
Some of you may be saying “Huh?”, right about now, and with good reason. At first glance, the cold, calculating, and cunning chicken CEO may be a far cry from Cancer. That is, however, exactly what he would have you think. Cancers are known for being driven by emotion, of which Gus shows none. Make no mistake though, it is there, bubbling hot under the surface like the chicken frying in his restaurants. Gus’ quest is a quest for revenge. Gus is the petty gay to end all petty gays.
As we learn from flashbacks in Breaking Bad and confirmations in Better Call Saul, Gus’ lover was killed by Hector Salamanca in front of his eyes as a warning. As a clipping of his Icarus wings for trying to hip the cartel to meth way back in the 80s. The image of his partner’s blood leaking into Don Eladio’s swimming pool is something that stayed with him, we even see him on more than one occasion stand in the very spot where it happened looking somberly into the waters and seeing only the reflection of what he has become. In season 5 where he makes a pitch to Mike about how he needs a soldier, calling to their cryptic and mutual understanding of revenge takes place by a water fountain with the words “Dedicado A Max” on a plaque. His pain hiding in plain sight, just like him.
Since then, he has dedicated his whole life to building an empire that will one day swallow the cartel whole, and leave the Salamanca family at his bitter mercy. In season four, we see him relate to a comatose Hector a story about him torturing a small animal for raiding his fruit tree as a child, letting us know that ever since he can remember he does not take pain lightly. When Gustavo Fring is slighted he will take his time and make sure that his enemies regret the day they ever crossed him. He holds this grudge silently in the back of his mind, and while he may do an excellent job of concealing his nefarious nature from both the civilians he helps at his restaurant with a perfect smile and his cartel associates who he slowly moves closer to superseding, there is no denying that the Salamancas, and by extension the cartel, are another coati to him. Another who has hurt him and must pay for the crime of taking his true love.
Even in a season six scene where the sexual tension between him and a familiar sommelier can be cut with a box cutter and we think we may see him yet in the arms of another, he steels himself and gives a bone-chilling look to the camera letting us know that his shift is not yet over, his revenge is not yet complete. These emotions eventually lead to his explosive end in the sister series, but throughout both shows, the meticulous brutality of Gus Fring teaches us that hell hath no fury like a chicken scorned.
10/ Mike Ehrmantraut - Taurus
I mean, look at the material… Mike is a stubborn, hypercompetent old man who has never recovered from what happened to his son. Mike’s got this streak of showing people kindness (that sometimes, he comes to regret). He’s single-minded about getting revenge, he really likes staying in that house and I’m not even going to get into the blood money thing. This one is shorter than the rest because Mike sure as hell wouldn’t give you a long answer, so I won’t either! Taurus for sure.
11/ Kim Wexler (confirmed birthday) - Aquarius
WEXLER SUPREMACY!!! That established, Kim is one strong and powerfully-written character. She has always felt so real and so situated in this American Southwest//rural American world the show inhabits. She’s really so driven and also the only person who ever had a chance of holding Saul Goodman accountable. #WexlerMcGill is one of my favorite ships ever and when things were good between them, it really was such a comfort.
Re: Kim being an Aquarius - as a lawyer, she is most motivated about helping people. She’s one of those types who really know they could change the world if everyone cared a little. She’s very good at compartmentalizing and she really did rebel against all these norms of her profession. She’s very much a badass.
12/ Jimmy McGill (confirmed birthday) - Scorpio
Jimmy enters this world a Scorpio and we never forget it. Someone told me once that Scorpios have the most difficult time in this western world because all of the things they stand for aren’t desired or acceptable. They also told me that Scorpios share a similar intensity to Leos, and that’s what I want to focus on.
Scorpios are passionate people, and when they set their minds to something, they get it done. Jimmy is someone with a singular drive and a deep commitment to the bit. Everything he chooses to do, he does, from scamming people to becoming a lawyer. He’s smart in a slick way, he has a fire lit within him that could soon be dangerous, and he’s loyal until he’s crossed.
The death of Jimmy follows the death of a major character, and in some sense, his moral compass.
Saul Goodman (confirmed) - Aries
On April 1st, 2004, Jimmy sheds his ties to the McGill name for good and changes his name to Saul Goodman; the lying, cheating, fast-talking lawyer we see in Breaking Bad. He lets go of his brother, stops caring about being an ethical lawyer, and really turns on that charm offensive.
I think you can see how he reflects certain Aries traits in his relationships. He’s a good boss to his assistant and wins cases for his clients in any way possible. He literally ruins Howard’s life because he wants to win. He needs to be the number one and since Saul grows into such a coward, he develops this awful need for control. And poor Kim!
Gene Takavic (confirmed) - Pisces
On March 20th, 2010 - during the events of Breaking Bad - Saul becomes Gene, a middle-aged, mild-mannered Cinnabon manager. During this time, he’s resentfully hiding away in Omaha, Nebraska; living in a house secretly filled with his Saul Goodman memorabilia. He develops this deep fear and paranoia about being discovered and sent to prison. It even flares up into physical symptoms, like collapsing on the mall floor. When he is inevitably discovered, he spends the days prior in this conflicted state - figuring out whether he will run more or face it. You sit terrified in the last few episodes, wondering what he will do; and then you breathe a sigh of relief.
As Gene, he’s deeper in his emotional realm and almost preternaturally aware of what’s going on. And in the end, it’s his heart (and Kim's) that leads him to a satisfying resolution.
*fun fact, there’s a Gene Takavic scene filmed in my hometown! Here it is: