The Reason Some Fans Hated The Salamanca Twins In Breaking Bad

There's a lot of things Breaking Bad did right, but one of the most overlooked successes is how the show managed to create so many different memorable bad guys. 

Protagonist or not, Walter White himself is a noteworthy villain, but you also have the likes of Gus Fring, who managed to convey so much power with that icy stare. That's not even getting into the likes of Todd Alquist, Uncle Jack, Tuco Salamanca, Lalo Salamanca, and Lydia Rodarte-Quayle. They were all deadly and dangerous in their own unique ways, and the show did a superb job of never making any of their antagonists feel too similar. With each new season came a new foe and a new set of challenges Walt and Jesse had to overcome. 

However, as with most anything in pop culture, fans love to rank things, and to discuss who is the best — and who is the worst — even when it comes to Breaking Bad villains. One recent Reddit thread makes a pretty compelling case that when it comes to inferior antagonists on the show, the Salamanca twins take the cake.

In a Reddit thread started by ShadowRealm225, the user kicked things off by saying, "I hate the twins. They're so damn unrealistic. I know, this show isn't meant to be lifelike but those characters are straight out of a s***** horror movie. It really kills the immersion at times." The twins, Leonel and Marco Salamanca — more commonly known as "the Cousins" — appear throughout season 3 of the show. They begin a slow march into the United States from Mexico before finally making their way into Albuquerque, where they get into a shooting showdown with Hank Schrader, being silent the entire way through. 

It's a sentiment apparently shared by a number of fans of the show, with the overwhelming consensus being that the brothers just didn't fit into the overall tone of the series. Some of the comments in the thread included, "It does come off as a bit cartoonish at times for a show that seems to try to be fairly grounded in reality," and "They try to be so serious but they just come off as goofy."

On the other hand, Redditor AUGUSTIJNcomics tried to offer an alternative explanation for how the twins fit into the narrative, by suggesting, "I think the twins are bulls*** on purpose just to show that nothing is as it seems with characters in breaking bad. They seem like the danger because they are big guys with axes but in reality danger hides from within not from appearance." This does make sense. You would naturally assume these two menacing brothers, seemingly straight out of a James Bond film, would be the most powerful force in New Mexico — when in reality, Walter White was always the danger. 

However, if you think the Salamanca twins were great, then you'll want to tune into the final season of Better Call Saul to see if they reappear. You never know who might show up for one final ride.