In many ways, Tuco is the gateway drug of Breaking Bad. He was the first major antagonist Walt and Jesse encountered, a permanently angry kingpin with ties to the Mexican cartel. A pitbull-like thug, constantly in danger of exploding into violence, Tuco introduced himself by pointlessly killing one of his own henchmen during a drug deal. Raymond Cruz played the part to perfection, breathing life into Tuco's billing as a snarling, dangerous villain. He eventually met his fate at the hands of Hank, a shooting which, like Jesse's killing of Gale, had a lasting psychological impact upon the DEA agent. In fairness, Tuco's early death was probably a fair one, given his character's limited room for development. He was a tad one-dimensional, but a brilliantly effective bad guy nonetheless. The intoxicating nature of nostalgia often makes it easier for earlier characters to ascend to cult hero status, and Tuco is early Breaking Bad through and through. However, this shouldn't diminish his popularity in the eyes of fans, given the fantastic performance of Cruz, and the crucial introductory role he played, introducing Walt and Jesse to a world which came to consume them.
