AMC series Better Call Saul, spin-off to Breaking Bad, is chocked full of smart characters, ranging from lawyers to drug cartel members, criminals, nurses, and restaurant owners.
No one on the show, which tells the story of sleazy lawyer and con man Jimmy McGill, a.k.a. Saul Goodman, prior to his meeting Walter White, is unintelligent. They all have their own skill set. Some are more book smart while others are very street smart.
So while we can't really call any of the characters unintelligent, here's a ranking from the least smart to the smartest among the main ones.
10 Stacey Ehrmantraut
Stacey is definitely smart, as a hard-working mother and nurse. But she is clearly not very perceptive. She didn't know that her husband worked with a bunch of dirty cops, including her own father-in-law Mike.
Even after Mike admits this to her, she still doesn't realize that Mike continues to be involved in illegal behavior, even though he is now retired. Maybe she knows but chooses to ignore it since she needs his help with her daughter Kaylee.
9 Howard Hamlin
Howard, a name partner in Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, is very book smart and a talented lawyer. But he has zero street smarts. He can't tell when Jimmy is making fun of him, giving him the run-around, or even attacking him with everything from a bowling ball to his car windshield to a pair of prostitutes interrupting his business lunch pretending he owes them money.
Focused now on trying to live a calm and peaceful life (namaste!), even trying to hire Jimmy for the firm, Howard is totally clueless as to what is really going on and what people like Jimmy truly think of him.
8 Paige Novick
Like others on this list, Paige is no slouch. She's a talented and intelligent senior counsel for Mesa Verde Bank. And she had the good sense to fight for hiring Kim to help represent them in legal matters.
But when things started to go awry with the building of the new call center, it's a wonder that Paige didn't put two and two together and realize what Kim was doing behind the scenes. Maybe she was pretending not to know with plans to talk with Kim privately once all was said and done? If not, she seems to lack intuition.
7 Hector Salamanca
Hector is dangerous, clever and resourceful, but he isn't smart enough to know when to hold back and how to treat people if you want them to truly respect you. That's why he was only ever the right-hand man to Don Eladio. While he was a high-ranking member of the cartel, he was never good enough to take over.
He ended up falling victim to Nacho's plan to take him out, which backfired. Instead of killing him, it resulted in him having a heart attack and stroke that left him permanently confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak.
6 Nacho Varga
Nacho teeters on the line, acting as a double agent and taking risks to try to get himself out of the cartel business and save his father from harm. He is smart and calculating, as a right-hand man to Tuco Salamanca. He is, in many ways, the brains behind the operation.
But he has made some mistakes, such as his botched attempt at killing Hector. Still, he has a way of calming the often impulsive Tuco and others. He's the voice of reason among the more terrifying criminals, making him smart enough to get along with both the bad guys and the good.
5 Mike Ehrmantraut
Always with a seemingly calm demeanor, Mike is constantly scanning every scene and person, analyzing the situation. It's the result of years of working on the police force. And even though he was corrupt, it took a lot of skill and smarts to pull off the things he did.
He continues to use his knowledge, skillset, and intuition to engage in criminal behaviors, always one step ahead of law enforcement and his competition.
4 Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman
Even though so many people underestimated Jimmy, included his brother, he really is extremely smart. He was able to study hard to pass the bar exam and has used his knowledge of the law to get all kinds of clients out of jams or to use loopholes to get what he wants.
Sure, he might not always use his knowledge in morally acceptable ways. But there's no doubt that he's one of the most clever, intelligent, resourceful, and quick-thinking characters on the show.
3 Gus Fring
Gus played a long game, waiting quietly until the perfect time to strike and try to take over the cartel. He perfectly plans out his business, using his fast-food restaurant Los Pollos Hermanos as a cover-up for his criminal activities.
He has patience, creativity, and can think outside the box. He works in plain sight as a seemingly nice and attentive restaurant owner while he is really a cold and calculating killer. He comes up with devious but very smart plans to take out enemies and make sure that he always gets what he wants.
2 Kim Wexler
She might be troubled and drawn to toxic relationships and thrilling but criminal behavior due to her unfortunate upbringing, but Kim is one of the smartest people on the show. She studied law alongside Jimmy and worked hard to become a successful lawyer.
She then went out on her own to start her own firm, securing a major bank as her client. While she doesn't always make the smartest decisions, she knows how to cover her butt. She's a risk-taker and a darned good lawyer, even if she feels bored with simply being a corporate figure.
1 Chuck McGill
Troubled as he was, purportedly suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) but likely more so suffering from mental illness, Chuck was a brilliant legal mind and a co-founder of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill alongside Howard Hamlin's father.
He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and became a widely sought-after criminal lawyer who won a precedent-setting case. He had refined tastes and loathed his brother, his con-man ways, and his ability to cut corners yet still earn respect by charming people. But when it comes down to nitty-gritty smarts, Chuck bested them all.
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