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A Better Call Saul Returning Season 1 Character Makes The Show Way Darker
Better Call Saul has a lot of characters who want to escape their lives of crime, and the show's most recent example makes the story even darker.

A Better Call Saul Returning Season 1 Character Makes The Show Way Darker

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Better Call Saul season 6, episode 6!

Better Call Saul just brought back Dr. Caldera, a character that has appeared since season 1, and it makes the show way darker. Most recently popping up in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 6, “Axe and Grind,” the veterinarian seems to still have heavy ties to Albuquerque’s criminal underworld. While he’s been around for a while, the way that Dr. Caldera’s character seems to be going makes Better Call Saul even grimmer.

By day, Dr. Caldera acts as a regular veterinarian, generously helping puppies and kittens. By night, however, Caldera works for the drug cartel, using his medical knowledge to assist criminals with their health needs. Caldera also is known for his many connections, which he keeps written down in his coded black book. He can gain access to firearms, hitmen, relocation services, and a variety of other things. Caldera is even the one who initially got Mike Ehrmantraut connected to the drug trade. Although he is unassuming, Dr. Caldera is one of Better Call Saul‘s most powerful characters, and he only wants one thing: to get out.

As he told Nacho in season 4, Dr. Caldera wants to escape his life of crime and get back on the straight and narrow. He even expresses the same sentiment to Saul two seasons later in “Axe and Grind.” However, with the show coming to an end, and no sign of Dr. Caldera in Breaking Bad, it is likely that his wishes won’t come true. Caldera’s black book is shown to be in Saul’s house in the future, leading to questions regarding Caldera’s fate. Although it’s possible, it is unlikely that Caldera escapes, with Saul’s possession of the book foreshadowing a dour ending for Caldera.

As Nacho’s tragic death has shown, one of the main themes of Better Call Saul is how hard it is to escape the criminal underworld. Saul, Nacho, and even Mike talk about their desire to become good, honest people, but their dreams sadly do not pan out. Caldera is likely to be just another example of this trend. The world that Gus Fring and the Salamancas have created is nearly inescapable. Their drug trade acts like quicksand – only when a character struggles do they get sucked in even further. Now that Dr. Caldera has talked about wanting to get out, Saul or members of the cartel may see him as weak and use him for their advantage, much like Gus did with Nacho.

Since Dr. Caldera does have contact with Better Call Saul‘s vacuum salesman, it is possible that he could escape and live a happy life. However, with the paths that Saul, Kim, Nacho, Mike, and more go down, it is doubtful that Caldera will break the trend. While he has been wishing for freedom for a while, Better Call Saul probably has a sad ending in store for the veterinarian, making the show even darker.