Better Call Saul‘s showrunner confirmed one particular detail…
*Spoilers ahead*
Better Call Saul showrunner Peter Gould has confirmed that the character of Gus Fring is gay following discussion surrounding scenes in the most recent episode of the show’s sixth and final season.
One of the leading antagonists in both Vince Gilligan‘s smash-hit drama and its highly popular spin-off, Gustavo Fring (played by Giancarlo Esposito) was first introduced in episode 11 of Breaking Bad‘s second season entitled, “Mandala”.
Although we get the luxury of a few flashback in season four, the audience has known largely nothing about the mysterious manager of chicken restaurant-turned-meth-hub Los Pollos Hermanos and drug cartel kingpin sometimes known as ‘The Chicken Man’.
However, recent scenes in the latest episode of Better Call Saul hinted at a specific aspect of his character that perhaps most will not have picked up on previously – and writer, director and producer Gould has now confirmed what many picked up on in season six episode nine, “Fun and Games”.
During the episode, after convincing long-standing enemy Don Eladio (Luis Politti) that he had nothing to do with Lalo Salamanca’s (Tony Dalton) death, Fring ends up getting involved in some subtly flirtatious behaviour with a waiter at a wine bar before composing himself and quickly exiting.
For many, this was all they needed to confirm what many had been thinking for a while.
Why am I saying pretty sure
He is 100% gay with the episode of today.— GHASTLY GH 🎠(@Ghastly_GH) July 19, 2022
HE WAS COMPLETELY FLIRTING W THAT GUY OR AM I GOING CRAZY
— bryansucks@bsky.social (@bryansmixtape) July 19, 2022
https://twitter.com/baruchcaz/status/1549206954219896832?s=20&t=7wVBm8bv_4y91D-JKUZPLQ
That being said, while appearing on The Ringer podcast ‘The Watch’, Gould broke down exactly what was going on in the palpably charged moment: “Gus is holding onto his rage, his desire for revenge, and maybe he’s holding onto this romance that he had, with his boyfriend Max [the slain business partner from Breaking Bad].
“We know that Gus had some kind of… we’ve never been very specific, he had some kind of violent past before that, but [Max’s death] seems to be the turning point for Gus Fring” he continued, adding that the character made a choice from that moment on to “hollow himself out and he can’t really be himself with another person.”
In case you can’t remember the scene he is talking about, it occurred in season four episode eight, “Hermanos” where Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) shoots Max Arciniega (James Martinez), who Gus only identifies as his “partner”.
Although there had long been speculation about the exact nature of their relationship, with many simply assuming the pair were business partners and others saying his maniacal storyline is literally driven by his search for revenge for his partner, Gould’s revelation has made Gus’ sexuality clear and part of the show’s canon.
We spoke to Gould all the way back in 2015 following the release of Better Call Saul season one and asked a series of questions about Breaking Bad and its equally successful prequel. You can read the full interview here.
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