Better Call Saul is in its final season (review here) and the series is not tired of springing surprises on us with each new episode. The Breaking Bad spin-off focused on one of its most fascinating characters- Saul Goodman. However, the show also includes a lot of other characters from the Breaking Bad universe. One of the very best being Gustavo Fring. The character previously appeared in Breaking Bad and had impressed everyone as a cold, shrewd villain. It also helped that the characters was played by Giancarlo Esposito, a veteran actor who also appeared in Star Wars as well as The Boys afterwards. His inclusion in the above these two franchises as a big villain, is a result of his Breaking Bad fame.
Gus as a character was never your typical gangster, he was someone who possess a class and intellect that helped him blend into the Albuquerque community without any problem. Although we did see a lot of Gus’ professional life that includes his life as drug lord or a fast food restaurant owner, we never got a glimpse of his personal life. We never saw his family, friends, lover- nothing. It was like the character only worked. However, certain scenes in Breaking Bad did tease fans about Gus’ sexuality. He had a decades- long grudge over the cartel for killing his friend and business partner Max Arciniega, however the passion with which he executed his revenge, did point towards that Max might’ve been something more to him.
Better Call Saul Season 6: Is Gus Fring Gay?
Better Call Saul breathed life into this suspicion by revealing that Gus had constructed a fountain in Max’s honor. Other characters like Hector and Laco Salamanca have often given out some veiled homophobic slurs and the former also mocked Gus about peeking whilst he urinated in a swimming pool. In one of the episodes, the former even referenced Max as his boyfriend. However, even with all these hints neither Breaking Bad nor Better Call Saul was able to clear the air about Gus’ sexuality as the shows never clarified whether these barbs were a dig towards Gus’ sexual orientation specifically, or examples of a more general homophobic attitude.
The years of speculation from fans regarding Gus’ sexuality is finally answered in Better Call Saul’s Season 6. In the episode “Fun & Games”, Gus Fring’s true sexual orientation is revealed. The episode saw Gus being cleared for Lalo Salamanca’s murder after a tense interrogation. Gus visits a bar afterwards. The interactions he has with the staff at the bar make it clear that he is a regular. Gus in the entire bar is seen eyeing one particular employee- David. Reciprocating to Gus’ gazes, David walks up to him and initiates the conversation that leads them to their mutual love of wine. Gus Fring, the drug lord who never has time for a casual conversation is strangely hypnotized by David.
The mundane conversation holds him. The scene further extends where Gus reveals how he once purchased an expensive bottle of wine based on a vivid story David told him. This gesture visibly touches David. The scene serves no other purpose than to confirm Gustavo Fring is romantically attracted to this wine connoisseur. I think with this scene it is safe to say that Gus was indeed in love with Max, as many of you’d suspected. This love was the reason he had such vile hatred against the cartel members, in particular Hector Salamanca who he pulled the trigger.
Although the mystery still prevails, were the Chicken Brothers actually a romantically involved before Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul? A flashback from Breaking Bad Season 4 did show Max defending Gus in an interaction with the cartel as he exclaimed, “I know Gustavo like a brother.” This line might mean that Gus loved Max from a distance and they were never really romantically involved. Maybe Max didn’t know about his feelings or maybe he did but act on those impulses. Though, there lies another possibility. Max’s address to Gus “like a brother” can be simple misdirection as the cartel isn’t really pro LGBTQIA+.
The passion with which Max defended Gus does suggest that he was emotionally attached to him and they were romantically involved but due to their line of work and the people they associate with, they were never allowed to express their love openly. The reveal of Gus’ sexuality does provide some diversity in the Breaking Bad Universe. The reveal also gives us a more complete vision of the character. The tragedy he’d faced in the form of his lover being killed and then his distanced relationship with David in Better Call Saul puts the character in a tragic light. For all his money and intelligence, one purely innocent desire forever eluded Gustavo Fring.
What do you think of this reveal? Did you suspect Gus’ Sexuality?
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