Mandala by David Hildreth in Rochester, NY

2x11: Mandala

Fun Factoids: This episode is the first time we're introduced to Gustavo Fring. Creator, Vince Gilligan explains: "The original intention was to have [Tuco] be the main bad guy for that entire season, but unfortunately, he had prior commitments after the first episode on The Closer. It was a real bummer for us, and I heard through the grapevine a real bummer for him too because he was enjoying his time with us. But, as an actor, he had to honor those contractual commitments. 

"So he became unavailable to us and we thought, ‘Man, we’re never gonna have a character as good and interesting as he was’, but we then thought to ourselves, ‘Why don’t we go in the complete opposite direction?’ – why don’t we have a bad guy who doesn’t snort meth off the end of a bully knife? Who isn’t a screaming lunatic? “[We wanted] a bit of a buttoned-down, cold-blooded, soft-spoken businessman, so we came up with the character of Gustavo Fring. Once we found Giancarlo Esposito, we were so very happy. We had this wonderful, unforgettable character because of this great actor and because of this happenstance that brought us to that place."

2x11: Mandala

2x11: Mandala

Fun Factoids: "Mandala," is named after a Sanskrit word of Hindu origin, meaning "whole world" or "sacred circle," often referred to as the "Circle of Life." The idea crosses over into the next episode, "Phoenix," and has very specific, intentional representations of this idea.