“ | „ | |
― Huell's conversation with Jimmy McGill. |
Huell Babineaux is Saul Goodman's former employee and personal bodyguard, who also executes various intimidation tactics and performs other errands. He provided a variety of services to Saul, including personal protection, intimidation and pick-pocketing. Huell also worked as an accomplice of Saul's bodyguard, Patrick Kuby, who were referred to as Saul's "A-Team." Hired more for his size and pickpocketing skills than his intelligence, he has a condition approximating narcolepsy (e.g., he falls asleep at odd times, such as when standing up or while on security detail), and has digestive problems that keep him from being as stoic as Saul would like.
During the bar association hearing considering Jimmy's disbarment over his break in at Chuck's house, he hires Huell to plant a cell phone battery in his brother Chuck's pocket as part of a strategy to discredit Chuck's claimed electromagnetic hypersensitivity, as Chuck believes he suffers from EHS. Jimmy later hires Huell to serve as a bodyguard while Jimmy conducts his business re-selling pre-paid cellular phones. Huell is arrested after he inadvertently assaults a police officer while protecting Jimmy, and faces up to two and a half years in prison as a result. Jimmy's law license is still suspended, so he brings in Kim Wexler to defend Huell. Huell plans to flee rather than go to prison, so Kim and Jimmy forge dozens of letters describing Huell as a hero and denouncing his arrest. The con forces the prosecutor to accept a plea bargain that ensures Huell does not go to prison. As part of their plot against Howard Hamlin, Jimmy and Kim enlist Huell's help to make a copy of Howard's car keys with the help of one of Huell's associates. After successfully making the keys, Huell questions why Jimmy and Kim are bothering with such illegal activity when they have legitimate jobs as great lawyers.
When Ted Beneke goes on a spending spree with the money Skyler arranged to give him, rather than paying his IRS debt as she intended, Huell and his colleague Patrick Kuby intimidate him into paying the IRS. Though they did not intend violence, Ted attempts to flee, falls, and suffers head and neck injuries that leave him paraplegic. Saul sends Huell and Kuby to collect Walt's money from a storage locker, and Saul tasks Huell with pickpocketing Jesse Pinkman's marijuana so Jesse will not be high when he contacts Ed Galbraith the "disappearer" for a new identity. It is while Jesse is waiting for Ed that he realizes his marijuana is gone and understands that Huell had earlier pickpocketed from him the ricin cigarette that Walter White had intended for Jesse to use in killing Gustavo Fring. Jesse's realization that Huell stole the ricin cigarette enables him to understand that Walt must have poisoned Brock Cantillo in order to turn Jesse against Gus (which is true, although Walt did not use ricin).
Hank Schrader and Steven Gomez later interrogate Huell to learn where Walt hid his money, telling him falsely that Walt intends to kill him to ensure that no one can trace Walt's drug-dealing past. They use a staged photo of Jesse, who appears to have been killed with a gunshot to the head, to coax Huell into revealing that he and Kuby packed Walt's money into seven barrels, then loaded the barrels into a rented van. Huell also reveals that the van was so dirty on the outside when Walt returned that they washed it before returning it, implying that Walt's money was buried somewhere in the desert. Hank and Gomez tell Huell to wait until they come back for him, but they are killed and never return. As the DEA had taken him in under false pretenses, they were forced to let him go in the end, and Huell returned home to New Orleans.
History[]
Background[]
Huell Babineaux was born on March 20, 1968. His arrest report gives conflicting evidence as to his birthplace. It specifically lists "New Mexico" as his birthplace but gives him a Social Security number beginning in 331, which is issued to those born in Illinois. ("Coushatta") Huell's hometown is eventually established to be Coushatta, Louisiana, although Francesca Liddy later tells Jimmy that Huell went "back home to New Orleans" after he was released from DEA custody.("Breaking Bad (episode)") At some point before 2001, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he became connected with Caldera, a veterinarian with underworld contacts.
The cop who is assaulted by Huell says that he previously arrested him for pickpocketing in 2001. ("Something Stupid")
Better Call Saul[]
Season 3[]
Caldera puts Jimmy McGill in touch with Huell. Jimmy instructs him to slip the fully-charged battery from his cell phone into the breast pocket of his brother Chuck. Jimmy reveals this over an hour later in court, proving that Chuck's purported electromagnetic hypersensitivity is not real. The ruse causes Chuck to rant against Jimmy in front of the New Mexico Bar Association, making it clear he's desperate to get his brother disbarred. ("Chicanery")
Season 4[]
Huell and Clarence don masks and are hired to kidnap a trio of youths who had previously mugged Jimmy. They tie the teenagers upside down amongst a lot of PiƱatas and begin bashing one PiƱata after the other terrifying the three. Huell's baseball bat comes close to arriving at one of their faces, but stops just before it hits them. The three youths are left traumatised and never target Jimmy again. ("PiƱata")
Huell is hired by Jimmy to act as security for his business of selling burner phones. The two men work together over the course of several months and Jimmy asks for Huell's advice on his potential new office. Huell instead suggests the 40th floor of a high rise. Later, Huell assaults a police officer who is speaking to Jimmy, trying to get him to move his business. Due to his headphones, Huell doesn't hear Jimmy's warnings that its a cop and is arrested by the cop who reveals that he had arrested Huell three years before for pickpocketing and believes Huell attacked him on purpose. Huell is later offered a deal of two and a half years in prison for the assault, but contemplates going on the run instead. To keep Huell from running, Jimmy tries to get Kim Wexler to help Huell out as Jimmy himself still has a month before he can be a lawyer again. Though upset by Jimmy's business, Kim agrees to take Huell's case. Kim is unable to get the prosecutor to drop the case despite it being unequal justice to similar cases the prosecutor has handled. Recognising that Huell is almost certainly going to jump bail despite Jimmy's assurances to stop him, Kim suddenly comes up with a better idea to help him. ("Something Stupid")
Kim and Jimmy embark upon a con where Jimmy travels to Coushatta, Louisiana, Huell's hometown and writes hundreds of letters in support of Huell with the help of bus passengers. Jimmy mails the letters from Coushatta to Judge Muslinger with the letters making Huell out to be a hero. The judge places pressure upon ADA Suzanne Ericsen to make a deal with Kim and Ericsen checks out the letters, calling a few of the numbers which Jimmy has connected to his burner phones where he has hired Joey Dixon and his crew to help. With the added effect of Jimmy, posing as Huell's pastor claiming that Huell is a hero who saved several lives and claiming to be bringing in his entire congregation for the trial, Ericsen gives in. Ericsen agrees to allow Huell to plead out to a misdemeanour charge with a sentence of four months probation and time served. Though Kim and Jimmy commit several crimes in the process, including exparte communication, contempt of court and hundreds of counts of mail fraud, running the con to help Huell causes Kim to ask Jimmy to do it again with him. ("Coushatta")
Season 5[]
Huell acts as Jimmy's bouncer when he holds an event to sell his remaining drop phones. Huell congratulates Jimmy on his success, but Jimmy tells his friend that he's "just getting started." ("Magic Man")
Huell serves as a witness to Jimmy's marriage to Kim Wexler though Jimmy tells Huell that the marriage is just a formality. ("JMM")
Season 6[]
Huell is contracted by Jimmy in order to perform a "valet scam" on Howard Hamlin's Jaguar. After Howard hands his Jaguar to a valet driver named Tony at the Forque Kitchen and Bar, Huell bumps into him on the parking garage and pickpockets Howard's car keys without Tony knowing. Huell hands the keys to a criminal associate in the back of a van who proceeds to make a duplicate of the keys. They managed to duplicate the keys within their very short time and Huell leaves the original keys beneath the Jaguar for Tony to find when he realizes that he doesn't have them. Huell gives the duplicate keys to Jimmy inside his rental car and instructs him on how to operate the electronic device attached to them so that Jimmy could lock and unlock the Jaguar. After getting paid for his work, Huell asks why Jimmy and Kim are doing this scheme if they are "legit lawyers", to which Jimmy replies that what they are doing will help people down the road, Huell voices his skepticism to that before leaving. ("Rock and Hard Place")
In the five years that follow, Huell gains upwards of a hundred pounds.
Breaking Bad[]
Season 4[]
After Mike Ehrmantraut threatened to break Saul's legs when searching for Jesse Pinkman ("Full Measure"), Saul hired Huell as a bodyguard to accompany him to most places ("Box Cutter").
Saul sent Huell and Patrick Kuby as part of his "A-Team" to force Ted Beneke to repay his IRS debts with the money Skyler White gave him. After Huell intimidates him into signing the check, Ted makes a sudden sprint for the door to escape, but trips on an area rug and crashes head-first into a wall, breaking his neck. Huell and Kuby believe Ted is dead, and flee the scene; When Saul asks how Huell and Kuby would let this happen, Huell states that it was an "act of God" ("Crawl Space").
Huell was involved in Walter White's plan to poison Brock Cantillo. He lifted the vial of ricin off Jesse during a pat-down when Jesse visited Saul's office. After Brock's poisoning, Jesse correctly guessed that Huell took the ricin, but was dissuaded by Walt, who blamed Tyrus Kitt. ("End Times")
Season 5[]
Two days later, Saul confirmed that it was Huell who lifted the ricin, stating that Huell has "fingers like hot dogs." ("Live Free or Die") Huell snores as he stands in front of Saul's office door while Mike eyes him with disdain from a chair in the waiting area. Saul opens the door from within to beckon Mike as Huell wakens and turns to Saul, appearing to be alert and on guard. Mike stops briefly beside Huell, displaying his contempt for Huell's lack of professionalism before walking into the office and closing the door firmly in Huell's expressionless face. ("Hazard Pay") When Jesse is smoking marijuana in Saul's waiting room, Huell is about to kick him out, but is overruled by Saul, who lets Jesse into his office. ("Blood Money")
Huell and Kuby later go to the storage unit where Walt's money is to collect it, and drive it to Saul's office.
Huell decides to lie on the bed of money, much to Kuby's annoyance, though he gives in, and lies on the bed with Huell shortly afterwards. While relaxing, Huell hints that they should take all the money for themselves and head to Mexico, though Kuby brings up Walt's killing of the prison inmates, dissuading the idea. After delivering the money to Saul's office, Walt gives Saul his cut of the earnings, to be shared with Huell and Kuby. ("Buried")
When Jesse comes to Saul's office to arrange for the guy who makes people disappear to give Jesse a new identity, Huell pickpockets Jesse's bag of pot, much like he did with the ricin. Jesse later realizes this and from this deduces the truth about the poisoning of Brock Cantillo. ("Confessions")
After Jesse's attempt to burn down the White Residence in Saul's stolen car, Huell comes to collect the car from Walt. Walt then tells Huell to stop by the high school to make sure Junior is okay. ("Rabid Dog")
Sometime after searching for Jesse, Huell gets taken to a safe house with a DEA agent. At the DEA safe house, Hank and Gomez tell Huell that Walt is getting rid of anyone connected to the poisoning of Brock and that Huell himself is next on the hit list. When Huell calls Hank's bluff, he is shown a fake picture of Jesse with his brains blown out. Huell panics and says that he and Kuby collected Walt's money, which was put into seven barrels and left inside a van; after Walt came back, Huell and Kuby cleaned the van and returned it to the rental agency. Hank and Gomez now have information on which van it was and where it was rented. The two agents leave, with Hank giving a warning to Huell not to use his cell phone or to leave the safe house. ("To'hajiilee")ā
El Camino[]
Huell does not make an appearance in El Camino, but does appear in two videos for the countdown to to the film's release.
In the first countdown video, Huell is shown hanging around the safehouse (as Hank and Gomez died before they were able to retrieve him), where he loafs impatiently and watches a news report about the events of "Felina".
Upon the countdown's conclusion, another video was shown of Huell, tired of waiting, putting on his jacket and eventually leaving the safehouse on his own accord as the title credits to El Camino appear on his television. Though he did not appear in the film, it is humorously implied, through this breaking the fourth wall moment, that the length of time he waited for Hank and Gomez to return was long enough for the film to air.
Post-Breaking Bad[]
Saul asks Francesca Liddy about Huell and she reveals that Huell is apparently back home in New Orleans. As the DEA had held him under false pretenses, they were forced to release Huell in the end. ("Breaking Bad")
Personality[]
Huell is a stoic man who cares little for the actions of his employers. He continued to work with Walter White's drug empire after Walt had ten of Gus's employees murdered in prison, and he showed no remorse for his involvement in the poisoning of Brock Cantillo. He seems to be motivated primarily by money; he could not understand why Jimmy continued with his schemes despite already having reliable sources of income, and, when presented with Walter's pile of drug money, he immediately took the opportunity to "channel Scrooge McDuck" by laying on the cash. As a pickpocket, he is also not above theft, and was more than happy to steal from Walter's money stash alongside Kuby, even suggesting that they steal the entire pile and flee to Mexico.
However, Huell does have his limits. He was visibly upset when he learned of Jesse's supposed death, and he seemed to disapprove of Jimmy's plot to defame Howard Hamlin. He is also very loyal to Saul, as he attacked a police officer to protect him and broke through a door to save him from Jesse.
Deaths[]
Murders connected to Huell[]
- Steven Gomez: Huell's information on Heisenberg directed Gomez to Tohajiilee, leading to his death in a shootout with Jack Welker's gang.
- Hank Schrader: Given information on the location of Walter White's money by Huell. With this information, Hank attempted to arrest Walt in Tohajiilee, where he was executed by Jack.
Quotes[]
Better Call Saul[]
- Jimmy: "(Points at Huell) Do you recognize this man in back? His name is Huell Babineaux, he's on our witness list. You've bumped into him on the stairway. He'll testify he planted this fully-charged battery on you over an hour and half ago."
- Huell: "An hour and forty-three minutes ago."
- Jimmy: "An hour and forty-three minutes. Thank you, Mr. Babineaux! (to Chuck) And you felt nothing."
- ―Jimmy tells to the court that Chuck wasn't affected by the battery in his pocket.[src]
- Huell: "Can I ask you sum'n?"
- Jimmy: "Sure, go ahead."
- Huell: "Personal, kind of."
- Jimmy: "Okay. What?"
- Huell: "You're a lawyer. You make good money, right?"
- Jimmy: "Good days and bad, but yeah."
- Huell: "Legit money, on the level."
- Jimmy: "Yeah, so?"
- Huell: "Your wife's a lawyer. A legit lawyer."
- Jimmy: "Yeah."
- Huell: "Why you do all this?"
- Jimmy: "Oh, I got you. IāI know from the outside that this looks like just another scam, but you're not seeing the bigger picture. Couple months from now, there are people whose lives are gonna be way better. Because of this. We're making a real difference. Trust me. We're doing the Lord's work here."
- Huell: "Hmph. If you say so."
- ―Jimmy and Huell's conversation as they sit in a car after duplicating the keys to Howard's Jaguar[src]
Breaking Bad[]
- Kuby: "I'll tell you what this is about Mr. Beneke. This is about you and me doing our best to keep Huell happy. This is Huell. Huell, you happy?"
- Huell: "Reasonably."
- Kuby: "What would make you unhappy?"
- Huell: "This little motherfucker not doing what he's told."
- ―Huell and Kuby attempting to collect a check from Ted Beneke.[src]
- Kuby: "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."
- Huell: "I gotta do it, man."
- Kuby: "What are you doing? Huell? Hey, quit screwing around. We are here to do a job, not channel Scrooge McDuck. You hearin' me?"
- Huell: "I hear ya."
- Kuby: "Ah, screw it."
- Huell: "Mexico. All's I'm saying."
- Kuby: "Guy hit 10 guys in jail within a 2-minute window. All's I'm saying."
- ―Huell and Kuby upon seeing the pile of money that Walt has instructed them to fill into barrels.[src]
Appearances[]
Breaking Bad[]
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Season 4 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||||
Season 5A | ✔ | ||||||||||||
Season 5B | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Better Call Saul[]
Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
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Season 2 | |||||||||||||
Season 3 | ✔ | ||||||||||||
Season 4 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||||||
Season 5 | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||
Season 6 | ✔ |
Trivia[]
- Huell's actor, Lavell Crawford, lost over 120 pounds between his appearances in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
- This, combined with the fact that Rhea Seehorn weighs about 119 pounds, led to a meme among fans where the ending of Better Call Saul was speculated to involve Huell eating Kim, leading to the weight difference between the two series.
- A recurring joke among Breaking Bad fans is that Huell is still waiting inside the safehouse, as Hank and Gomez died before they were able to retrieve him. The website Funny or Die made a joking video of a spin-off sitcom series called "Huell's Rules," showing Huell's life inside the safehouse. Of course, the video is not canon.
- Vince Gilligan later revealed in an interview that "Itās likely that Agent Van Oster keeps in touch with DEA headquarters. So, when he learns that Gomez and Hank have gone missing, he would in short order tell his superiors what they were up to. Within a matter of hours, really not that many in story time, Huell will be taken back to HQ. Theyāll question him, find out what he knows ā which isnāt much ā and heāll be let out on the street. Right now, heās doing what Huell does best, whatever that is. Heās out and about as a free man."
- However, in October 2019, multiple tweeted videos made by Samsung for the countdown to El Camino showed Huell hanging around the safehouse, where he loafs impatiently and watches a news report about the events of "Felina". Upon the countdown's conclusion, another video was shown of Huell, tired of waiting, putting on his jacket and eventually leaving the safehouse on his own accord as the title credits to El Camino appear on his television. Though he did not appear in the film, it is humorously implied, through this breaking the fourth wall moment, that the length of time he waited for Hank and Gomez to return was long enough for the film to air.
References[]