*Spoilers Ahead*
After weeks of seeing Mike at work, doing what he does better than almost anyone, it was nice to finally see that model applied to his future boss. The first half of “Sabrosito” focuses almost exclusively on Gustavo Fring and the aftermath of Mike’s set-up last week.
As expected, Hector is not happy with the shutdown of his business and waltzes into Los Poyos Hermanos looking for Gus, out on a meeting with the local fire department, Hector threatens the staff and keeps them all there until Gus himself arrives. The key to this scene and the later scene where Gus attempts to explain away the situation to his staff is in the tone of Giancarlo Esposito’s voice. In the first scene, he keeps his calm despite Hector’s brazen disregard for him and his business, he simply accepts Hector’s actions, giving him the rope to hang himself with by going over the head of their boss.
In the second scene, Gus masterfully wins back the trust of his staff by telling them a story about the first restaurant he opened in Mexico and how these men demanded money from him at the time. Esposito tells the story with such conviction that the viewer almost buys into the lie.
Gus is great at his job because he focuses on the details, it’s not about telling the first lie in his head that will get him out of the situation it’s about crafting a story that is believable and understandable. That attention to detail is what makes Gus a good businessman, both illegal and legal and that detail impresses Don Eladio much to the chagrin of Hector.
We already know why Gus is messing with Hector but he isn’t the only one interested in revenge. Mike might have finally finished his quest for vengeance on Salamanca but Gus is far from finished and that vengeance will eventually be his undoing. Similarly, Jimmy is also after revenge, he’s not just looking to wiggle his way out of Chuck’s attempts to disbar him but he wants to show his brother up and what better way to do it than in a court of his peers.
Now, a fair bit of this is speculation, part of the joy of Jimmy’s half of this episode is that we don’t really know exactly what he and Kim are planning but we do know that Chuck appears to be falling for it, just as Jimmy fell for his ruse. Chuck knew Jimmy enough to lure him into a trap but Jimmy knows Chuck just as well and Chuck’s own quest for vengeance against his brother might be the thing that does him in.
Finally, with his mission against Hector over, Mike begins the transition into his role as “fixer.” Jimmy has him enter Chuck’s home under the guise of a repair man and take photos, keeping Chuck from snooping by using an electric drill. Later, Mike meets with Gus, having rejected money for the job and is offered a future position with him. Mike doesn’t accept one way or the other but he can’t run away from fate. As this episode shows, Gus and Mike think alike, they focus on the details and it’s why their partnership means doom for Hector and his operation.
Bits ‘n Pieces
- The shots of Don Eladio’s pool hold an eerie quality to them due to the viewer’s knowledge of past and future events and the show plays with it well.
- I made it pretty clear up top but this episode made me so happy to have Giancarlo Esposito back on my TV. His presence this week was commanding in every scene he was in.
- Another thing that made me happy, Mike pestering Chuck with the power drill.
- “You’re the Ansel Adams of covert photography.“
- “Nice to fix something for once,” I see you, Mike. I see you.
Jesse Swanson is a would-be writer, podcaster and funny guy who covers TV shows of all shapes and sizes. You can find him on Twitter @JesseSwanson