How Gus Fring Manipulated Everyone in Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul

[@Horror-Man]

Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, El Camino...whatever man, just keep bringing me that, 'cause these analysis videos are TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT!!!

[@andremeyer6596]

Underrated comment😂

[@GuinDog4]

YEAHHHH WOOOOHHHHH THATS WHAT IM TALKIN ABOUT

[@UreBand]

Just don't forget who you're working for

[@maurop7991]

@@UreBand👊💥

[@552porotogym]

​@@UreBand [Silence] What did you say?

[@bigyoshi5170]

“Unfortunately for you Lalo, I’ve read the script.” -Gus Fring

[@Donald915]

Unfortunately for you Lalo I’m in breaking bad

[@Sackbear_Social]

Very amusing and ironic comment, Big Yoshi.

[@aychelleff]

@@Sackbear_Social I respect Big Yoshi because he is Big Yoshi

[@robindabank9062]

pay your taxes

[@yggdrasil2]

"Nice argument, kid."

[@mickvd4]

Please don't ever give up on this channel... I know views are down, but your analysis is one of a kind, and very conforting and satisfying to listen to. Sending love ❤️

[@heresplague3672]

Facts

[@andremeyer6596]

I second this

[@shawnwebb4594]

Here here

[@youaredednotbigsouprice5692]

Yessir

[@reygok0]

Agreed

[@BRTKW88]

When Gus was interrogated by Hank it felt like he was some evil creature pretending to be a human being and blend in among people. I think about this character a lot

[@heresplague3672]

The way giancarlo esposito (i looked his name up) plays him is unbelievable its like your watching someone act out a character who acts out characters in the same way we see Saul do it, gus performance is really impressive cause we dont even have characters to distinct his acting at every moment it truly feels like guess work

[@123shotas]

Yeah Zuckerberg took notes on this one

[@MrOtistetrax]

One of the truly great things about these shows is how often we’re watching great actors performing the role of a character who is also putting on a performance; sometimes a good one, quite often a bad one, occasionally one that everyone can see straight through, but doesn’t have a choice but to go along with. Deception runs right through the very core of all three manifestations of this story.

[@qhoulbow]

He simply tore his shirt off and showed off his abs. It worked every time.

[@untitled568]

Look at me Hector..

[@gregbors8364]

@untitled568 Hector got Fring’d

[@jackfrost3096]

I would love your analysis on Jesse Plemons as Todd Alquist; one of the most realistic depictions of a sociopath in fiction

[@johnathandoe6034]

While Sociopath and Psychopath aren't really real things in Psychiatry (At least not officially, speaking as someone in med school right now for Psychiatry) Todd in many ways PERFECTLY fits the common idea of a sociopath... In much the same way Anton represents a psychopath, Tod is honestly the perfect reverse side of the coin for him

[@MusicForHourss]

I could not be more eager to watch a video! Breaking Bad + the butter smooth voice = a godly video

[@MP-nc9tn]

“Think of these as load bearing facts that can accommodate his lies” ❤love your descriptions

[@mbryson2899]

I was once told "always have a reason for being where you are. Then you can fill in the blanks and never be caught out." Questionable advice to give a 12 year old, but my neighborhood was like that

[@Ferdinand_VonAegir]

Babe, wake up. Just An Observation just posted a Breaking Bad video

[@monkiking778]

Gus is honestly one of the smartest villains in all of fiction cause it next to never feels like he is doing anything out of impulse he does everything carefully and accounts for the next 20 moves

[@damonlam9145]

unfortunately his ego and obsession for revenge end up being his down fall as keeping Hector alive to torture him clouded his judgement as he chose to bring Jesse with him when visiting Hector to brag about Jesse killing his grandson when he didn't need to, a picture of Jesse would have brought the same result but because of his hatred for Hector he became a bit careless which allow Walt to know that Hector was Gus's weakness and since Hector was in a wheelchair it made him drop his guard when he should have kept it up, literary refusing Tyrus offer and instead doing it himself. How ironic that the Cartel sparing Gus lead to their downfall, but unfortunately Gus didn't learn the same lesson as sparing Hector and Walter's lives lead to his downfall.

[@nec3f]

Someone once said to me 'sometimes you win by letting the other person think they won'. I find it to be true over and over again.

[@jameslough6329]

What’s super ironic is that this is exactly how Walt is able to kill Gus in the end

[@andremeyer6596]

13:50 It's so funny how you described Gus's manipulative language used on Walt, cause it's literally the most reg flag thing I've ever heard. I'm still baffled how all of us watched this show and did not realise immediately just how insanely big of a walking red flag Walt is😂 On a more serious note, wow... once again you are proving you are easily the best tv series analyst on KZbin. Please never stop, keep these videos coming forever if you can, because they are genuinely incredible!

[@Turtlpwr]

Truly the most reg flag

[@SolarMechanic]

For April Fools, drop a 1 hour episode on Skinny Pete.

[@ultor__]

Concise, cerebral - excellent as usual. Thank you so much for those insights you keep bringing us.

[@CT-db8jl]

Your breaking bad analyses are done so well through all the examples and specific details. It’s amazing that you can note all these and make such strong character studies.

[@michaelmcinerney1425]

Perfect timing! Just re-watched both shows. 🙏

[@ClaireSamuelsVA]

Your videos are insanely good quality. Massive respect to the amount of thought and effort put into them!

[@starryeye6511]

These in-depth observations are excellent!

[@acreativename-nz1jl]

just started rewatching your videos today and nor you upload. perfect

[@ErikaRngl]

Thanks for making these amazing videos!

[@JustanObservation]

Thank you very much!

[@RietasB.Murunen]

"You hank your schrader, I gus my fring. We are not the same. "🥶🥶💀

[@Lingvort]

Love these analytical videos and what they present. Sending a comment to help combat the algorithm.

[@moe6702]

I honestly think this is your best video yet. No exaggeration. 🔥 🔥 🔥

[@tabishfire]

Loved all the past Breaking Bad character analysis videos, your points are so well thought out

[@robotube7361]

Walt is chaotic genius who improvises. Gus is the opposite of chaotic. And he doesnt improvise. Everything he does is meticulous and pre planned. Even when he improvises before he kills Lalo there is a plan there. Him placing a gun right at that spot knowing he might need it. So he was right. They are not alike AT ALL.

[@nont18411]

Walter is pure chaos. Gus controls the chaos.

[@Colddirector]

I'm convinced Gus' only serious blunder was trusting Walt. Like, sure Walt's meth was legendary but the man had "complete liability" written all over him.

[@jbrandonf]

I’d say it was his irrational hatred of Hector. He put aside his entire persona just to visit him every week and chide him. Walt was just smart enough to see that blindspot.

[@fissilewhistle]

@@jbrandonf Was his hatred irrational? Hector did shoot his boyfriend right in front of him.

[@logangustavson]

It was

[@aryankarmhe]

@@fissilewhistle The hatred was justified. It's just that it instilled ego in his mind which walt was able to exploit later

[@mr.whatsittoya533]

You should one day do an analysis on Giancarlo Esposito’s performance. The brilliant writing aside, it’s the other main reason this character has become the iconic villain he is today. Same thing with Jonathan Banks as Mike.

[@DizzyDaDon]

These manipulation videos are so good. Hands down, JAO is my favorite channel.

[@EverSinceMyExorcism]

Fantastic essay as always!! Really enjoy your content!!

[@jamez6398]

Literally, the only reason why Walter was able to defeat Gus is because he was willing to do something nobody would think he is capable of that is so deplorable and so reckless by poisoning Brock so that he can convince Jesse to help him take down Gus. Oh, and also managing to convince Hector to end himself despite the fact Hector despises Walter for getting Tuco killed, both of those things were completely impossible for Gus to predict and it was only because Hector killed his friend that he had to do it himself and his men did make sure that it was safe for Gus to go in, it's just that Walter managed to hide himself and his homemade IED on the windowsill of the next door neighbour without falling off and managed to rig it up and hide again without getting caught. Gus just got really unlucky and of course it is easy to underestimate Walter with him being a terminally ill and very sick middle-class, middle-aged suburban high school chemistry teacher and family man. Under more circumstances than not, Gus would have outplayed Walter. The writers knew how to being about a satisfying and justified end to a smart character without making him suddenly dumb. Other writers need to take note. This is how you make it feel reasonable for such a smart character to be defeated.

[@gustavglaase4665]

Man what a powerful video really prime work!

[@dagobahstudios3662]

“How Gus manipulated everyone” Walter: “Hey! That’s my line!”

[@SolarMechanic]

There's one important thing I think this video missed, which is why Gus goes to such lengths in the first place, and it's when Max is killed. Obviously, this event forms the core of his motivation to wipe out the Cartel, and we learn in BCS that Gus was always a very calculating person, even from childhood, but more importantly, it shows why Gus is such a pathological control freak: Max died because Gus didn't account for every angle. Gus just assumed that Don Eladio would forgive the trespass of dealing in his territory once he saw it was just to get his attention in order to make him even more money. He didn't consider the personality of the man he was dealing with, so couldn't predict or control his behaviour, and it got Max killed. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on this being the root cause of Gus's OCD.

[@veronicab15]

yup

[@nont18411]

No room for unpredictability for Gus. Unfortunately, he underestimated Walter.

[@SolarMechanic]

@@nont18411 In Gus' defence, he had no idea Walt was the main character.

[@saparapatepete]

Walt's cancer gave him a limited time to run his operations which is why he was sprinting when it comes to drug dealings. That being said, after he surpassed his goals and provided for his family needs, he was still sprinting and in a rush, it was just the feel of empowerment.

[@johannvonbabylon]

I love your content. Keep at it!

[@Riz_Miah]

Bro I always get chills at the end of your videos, perfectly edited, scripted and voiced.

[@Brdlc01]

The goat posted again. Hey, by the way, will you do an analysis on the penguin?

[@Crocy]

9:40 I love the subtle poke at Hank at the end of the interrogation scene. Where Gus physically gives Hank his walker thing. I love noticing when Hank gets emasculated.

[@kknives36]

I know “Victor” (Jeremiah Bitsui) personally. Really hated his death. Kind of expected him to be a second Jesse.

[@ryactionary]

I've just started watching but I know it's gonna be fantastic already! Great work man. Ngl commenting for the sake of your algorithm oppression but it is what it is. Keep going man! I think you deserve way more subscribers

[@Granth-7]

The only one who truly gave a rough competition to Gus was LALO SALAMANCA...not Walter.

[@danyf.1442]

Eh ...not wrong ...but it's Walt who managed to kill him, with help but still... Honestly I'd like to be able to read his mind and know Gus' thoughts about this lol. Fascinating character.

[@youaredednotbigsouprice5692]

I think Walter did better against Gus because Walt beat him at his own game. Lalo got baited by the stick and never had a clear picture of Gus's plans whereas Walt managed to find Gus's weakness just like Gus would do to others. Also he manipulated Jesse to help him defeat Gus the same way that Gus manipulates people to get them to do what he wants. Still I see your point since Lalo got him so close to the breaking point. Then again, Walt made him feel so in control that he made a mistake

[@classicsnowguy2276]

Walt only took him by surprise

[@alsomasteruzi]

Walter had all the odds stacked against him and never stood a chance at even scratching Gus at any point in the show. However, managing to kill Gus almost single handedly was, in my opinion, more impressive then what Lalo achieved. Lalo brute-forced and outmaneuvered Gus, while Walter managed to kill him when Gus believed he was in full control and couldn't even suspect anything.

[@eh1600]

Lalo had help from his cartel associates and the vast cash reserves of his family, Walt only had Jesse as an insider and his chemistry knowledge.

[@Tawbzz]

Love your videos !

[@paulkingMotion]

What a consistently brilliant channel.

[@JoseFigueroa-b4k]

I will go as far as to say that much of the ignorance from Hank and the DEA is due to the amount of illusion Gus has built over the City of Albuquerque. So when you re-watch the earlier seasons can you see how lackadaisical the authorities can be kicking back and relaxing almost to an envious degree that was all due to Gus's influence. Walt really thought it was his territory. He was so wrong.

[@onefinegent]

i think "optics" might be the biggest key difference between walt and gus. walts ego would never allow himself to be in that kind of position without letting everyone know it. if walt owned los pollos, he would have a name tag with "owner" written on it, and would probably have his face on posters scattered across the stores, whereas gus can allow himself to look/act like another one of the workers.

[@jameslough6329]

I don’t think what you said about Walt is true. When Walt was running the car wash to launder money he never made it obvious to outsiders that he was the owner of said car wash. Walt most certainly has an egotistical side but he is willing to play down his ego when the situation calls for it (although definitely not to the same extent has Gus)

[@AshwinShrestha-ty9gm]

❤ never stop making these videos

[@kennethbowers2897]

Ever notice that throughout breaking bad and better call Saul the shadow that casts on one side of Gus's face. Such a great way to display that he has two sides to his character

[@SundownerMGRR]

How dare the algorithm hide this from me for 4 hours

[@Melsharpe95]

Superb acting backed up by fantastic writing.

[@The-Game-Theory]

Fear, pride, and shame. It’s not surprising that almost all successful manipulations play on these emotions.

[@NullNala]

Man as f**king awesome those scenes are I am straight up scared of this villian, monster don't really agree with all the monster does.. but he did offer Walt a safe 3 million and helped Jesse. The writing for this character was truly incredible.

[@qjames0077]

Gus was a corporation incarnate The irony being, he became what he did for very human reasons

[@gandhithegreat328]

“No importan, neustros desacruedos”

[@Mjdemass]

Great video as usual

[@cloudbloom]

Such a great character. Glad you did a video on Gus, thanks

[@safakdogan1223]

Bravo!! Excellent video.

[@masongood8232]

It was an insane feeling watching breaking bad again after better call saul and being able to feel the events of BCS almost all the time past season 2

[@CelestialRedPanda]

I would like to see your takes on characters from It’s Always Sunny, they’re a very interesting bunch!

[@Blessing369]

Did you already watch Penguin? The character is surprisingly well written. I hope to see you breaking it down

[@wompwomp1658]

Yet another banger, you ever think about making a KoFi or using nebula to support your self?

[@riskzerobeatz]

Great analysis of a great character!

[@reuvenpolonskiy2544]

I have never seen Gus saying an explicit lie

[@judywright4241]

He said he had children and there is no way he ever had a wife OR children.

[@nicole3337]

I love your writing on who Gus is as a character, I always thought we was a sick villain for playing both sides of the game, his end really sucked I wish he got a sweeter revenge but yk it is what it is, you made a very great video.

[@jacobepp9820]

Gus may be better at manipulation in general, but nobody could manipulate Jesse like Walt

[@galacticglamourgirl]

17:02 - 17:11 The thing is though, I thought that moment doubled as both a silent threat to Walter and Jesse AND as a punishment for Viktor, because Viktor DID go against his wishes. He wasn't supposed to start cooking.

[@t221000]

Thank you 🙏 so much for another amazing 🥲 video. 😊❤ Gus Fring is a complex evil conniving character.

[@SaucyTUX]

Been a fan of your channel for a while. You should make a video on squid game and think it will do well in the algorithm.

[@Anas-ri9tu]

I really hope to see a video about how lalo Salamanca manipulate 🙏🏻

[@Dextuh27]

Gus has always been my favorite character. His manipulation and tactics were so intriguing to me, using every single detail to his advantage. I sometimes even wish he had gotten his way, had won the battle against Walter and the cartel

[@sunburntbone]

You gotta do one of these for the Apple TV show Severence

[@vladvlog9677]

Very well presented.

[@Jiro388]

Gus’s biggest motivation was revenge most the moves he made were to get back at the cartel but this also ended him. So I think he was being more honest with Mike than manipulative

[@ethanhawkins3391]

How Just an Observation manipulated 400K+ people to subscribe: -incredible analysis -crisp editing -engaging narration -lacing his videos with some of Walter White’s 99% pure baby blue to keep us coming back for more

[@RESTeasyrenos]

"If you only believe what you see or hear, you are easily fooled." - No idea, but its good words to live by

[@MattRandomnumber]

Probably the best villian in tv history, also brilliant to have him as more of an anti hero in bcs.

[@KatyWithAWhyyy]

Still one of the best shows and best villains of all time, period.

[@jedgould5531]

And remember Gus’s own ABQ residence is a decoy. He gets ‘home’ with access to his secret hideaway through a ‘load-bearing’ family who lived in his shell house.

[@skillet9141]

What’s the name of that tune in the end? It hits hard.

[@JohnReviews]

Nice one. Would you do acting videos on Anna Gunn and Michael McKean?

[@Sr.Estroncio38]

A a great analysis. It made me realize that gus fool me into thinking some of his plans failed

[@JimMilton-ej6zi]

Gus fring feels like what walt should've been. Gus went from mr chips to scarface, meanwhile walt was never even close to being as big as gus. I'd love to see the original idea of "mr chips to scarface" in a gus centered spinoff

[@heresplague3672]

Gus is like the walking Machiavelli, you should do an analysis with his boom the prince in mind.

[@BH-2023]

Not really. Gus is more like what Machiavelli suggested Cesare Borgia be like; that is, Gus is more like an idealized Borgia than Machiavelli. (The Prince was likely written as a suggestion for the Borgias based on their style of ruling rather than a reflection of Machiavelli himself).

[@DKCGaming339]

Video suggestion: How Darth Sidious Manipulated Everyone in Star Wars

[@dylanaruto20]

For your next video, can you analyze Frank Underwood from House of Cards?

[@p.b.4464]

Could be wrong, but he seems to be a great example of ocd.

[@zetester98]

I wonder, since you've done a few of these videos by now, who is the best manipulator in BrBa/BCS in your opinion?

[@CelAbration]

If he didn't let his vendetta get in the way, he would've nearly been untouchable. Who knows how long he could've continued; it would've been longer than Walt for sure

[@pwhitty3210]

Michael Corleone and Gus Fring are the same beast. Both display similar characteristics.

[@rikorobinson]

Gus is a great villain on so many levels. I think a great villain should be damn near unstoppable because it forces the writers to come up with clever ways for them to lose. Not just by losing a fistfight. Kind of like the Joker in The Dark Knight, who couldn't go toe-to-toe with Batman in a fist fight, yet still dominated him the entire film. Gus feels unbeatable the whole time, which makes him so captivating to watch, and it's his fatal flaw that does him in; his lust for revenge against Hector. Without that, Walt would've been cooked (no pun intended). This is why villains like the ones from, say, the Fast and Furious franchise are so goddamn boring. They just bring some muscle-head in and have him be a bad-ass. So lazy and uninteresting. There's a way to pull off having them be interesting while being physically imposing, like with Homelander from The Boys, but you rarely see that done well, unfortunately...

[@SocialBobcat]

21:53 / Ministry's " Just One Fix" has entered the chat

[@detective___mcnulty]

Can you do a video on Patty Hewes from Damages?

[@TheElcollin]

0:20 Manipulation on its own isn't necessarily "sinister". In Breaking Bad it's often used that way, but just trying to get someone to do something doesn't mean you have unsavory intent. Parents and children manipulate each other constantly, that's why babies cry. Kindly asking a friend for a favor is a manipulation, our brains manipulate our bodies to move, and our hearts to beat.

[@Lordidude]

Manipulation is sinister by default. Otherwise there is no reason to communicate transparently.

[@Jodus_MacGotuss]

that's not really what anybody means when they talk about manipulation. from my understanding, manipulation, from a social standpoint, pretty much always entails using deceptive tactics to compell someone to do something. It's really almost never positive, especially in this context.

[@TheElcollin]

@ Lying and manipulating can certainly go hand in hand, in wicked ways. But they don’t have to. Manipulation doesn’t always involve deceit. Maybe in a meeting with your boss you talk about all that you do in service of the company, and the time you sacrifice in attempt to get yourself a raise. This is a manipulation using appeal to emotion along with facts, but not deception.

[@Turtlpwr]

It feels like everyone has watched breaking bad at this point and the “spoiler warnings” make me laugh

[@thebigbadrooster]

didn't know ur views are down apparently :( milk the Albuquerque Cinematic Universe for all its worth if u must bc genuinely i see you make a breaking bad video essay and i watch no questions

[@MrOtistetrax]

Just wanna say that Giancarlo Esposito is one of the nicest guys you’re ever likely to meet.

[@Tin_Fed]

How could Gus have known that Mike killed the two cops to avenge his son to find common ground and entice Mike back?

[@saxmanphd]

Heisenberg got the last word by out manipulating Gus.

[@kevinmcqueenie7420]

So ultimately what undoes him is his own narcissism, in that he likes to gloat over what he did to Hector and his family in person. If he didn't need to rub that revenge into his defeated rival, Walt would have had a much harder time getting to him to kill him off. Those are two of the greatest shows ever. Probably due another rewatch about now!

[@Sackbear_Social]

Waltuh was like, "you're good, but I'm better", and then blew him up

[@veronicab15]

I dont think he was better, he just happened to find out, through Jesse, the one blind spot he had.

[@Sackbear_Social]

@veronicab15 yeah, because he's better!

[@blainejohnson8775]

The fact that Walt beat this man shows so much about Walt’s ability to defy all the odds against him