Why did Gus Fring kill Victor? The overlooked player

[@bullywhispers9544]

So, why do you think Gus killed Victor?

[@redrumnoir7552]

Because he risked them getting caught by walking into a crime scene and being seen by everyone else standing in Gale’s doorway.

[@jonathanshihadeh]

Because he wanted to kiss him but felt weird about the employer / employee power dynamic that was going on.

[@SuperJutah]

There are several reasons why Gus had to kill Victor… Firstly someone had to die to pay for Gale’s death.. Mike was too valuable and high up, Jesse and Walt would’ve refused to cook and would’ve cost Gus $300 Million a year to kill so the easiest choice was Victor. Second Reason Victor was seen at the scene of the crime and someone sketched him so either Victor would’ve had to of been let go which doesn’t happen in that world but it would’ve been easier to simply kill him Third Reason Victor was never ordered to watch how Walt and Jesse cook, this is a BIG one! Gale tells Gus that going between 96% and 99.1% is a BIG difference in quality of product and despite watching Walt cook, Gale struggled to get past 96%… Victor becoming a cook isn’t as easy as following a recipe because Walt asks him a LOT of questions on how to cook and Victor can’t answer them… Victor doesn’t understand the fundamentals… He is a subpar cook. Fourth Reason Gus NEVER ordered him to watch how to cook and this is the BIGGEST reason to me, Gus is a VERY methodical person and as we know he is planning on making about $300 Million a year, it took Gus years to find Gale so for him to use Victor in his place who is just a regular thug makes no sense ALSO if Victor started taking his own initiative then what happens if he starts to blackmail Gus by refusing to cook or if he is incompentent! Also I want to point out that Gus is proven correct in his instincts for when jesse has to cook for the cartel.. The cartel tested Jesse / tried to punk him by first not having his acid ready when he was down there then their chemist tried to berate him for saying he is an ameteur in spanish and then said I know how to speak english and Jesse was unphased.. Then Jesse demanded they clean the area for any sources of containmation before they started cooking.. Imagine Victor was in that scenario, When they didn’t have the acid, Victor wouldn’t know what to do then when the chemist starts berating him, Victor would’ve been punked and unsettled then Victor most importantly wouldve NEVER cleaned up the site and got rid of any containmation… I guarantee if Victor was in that situation, Gus Mike and Victor would’ve failed the cook and ended up in the desert!

[@Angeluzzo2]

Victor was a loose end. He was seen at the crime scene and left his car there. That's reason enough. Since there was no pressing reason to keep him alive, and killing him in front of Walt and Jesse was an extra opportunity for Gus to show his savagery, this moment just presented itself.

[@SuperJutah]

@@Angeluzzo2 Victors job was also to protect Gale… He failed his job and then took the liberty to start cooking without permission!

[@spaceace4387]

I thought the series made it pretty clear: - Victor was seen at the crime scene meaning the police would be looking for him - To scare the living hell out of Walt and Jesse

[@BroadwayRonMexico]

Also, a warning to Mike as well. Gus probably considered it a huge failure on Mike's part too. Mike had one job: to kill Walt, and had he done the job quickly like he was asked and refused Walt the phone call, Jesse wouldnt have killed Gale.

[@TheDeDuos]

​@BroadwayRonMexico one could say mike took a half measure, when he shouldve went all the way.

[@TheGillenium]

@@TheDeDuosyes, and it ultimately results in his own death.

[@stancartmankenny]

Yeah, Mike specifically asks him if he was spotted, and when Victor says yes, Mike gives him that "well, someone's gonna have to kill you then" look.

[@omegablackzero]

I figured it was punishment for letting Gale die.

[@secondhandsmoke10]

He pressed the melee button by accident when he stood right behind him

[@madhouseslayer]

I hate when I do that too

[@alyssiagonz0]

😂

[@Stan_Castan]

Bro thought he in CoD

[@bjornblackman2337]

lol my g

[@thecamocampaindude5167]

MISSINPUT IT WAS A MISSINPUT CALM DOWN?!!!!1!11!1

[@sifatshams1113]

I love how Mike's reaction to Victor's murder basically tells the Bettter Call Saul audience that Gus will NEVER do anything so unpredictable throughout the show.

[@justthinking650]

not in front of mike

[@MetaDHedge28]

I mean he killed Nacho's partner in front of him, but Mike wasn't there so like

[@DarthCrimsonDeath]

Gus did kill Lalo in the most unpredictable way because he sensed that scenario was the very real possibility. Mike then admonishes for doing and provoking something something so brazen. Goddamn I love Better Call Saul.

[@Siddios]

@@MetaDHedge28 It's unpredictable in Breaking Bad because we know he has changed his perspective of using fear to achieve a goal even when watching Better call Saul first. In Breaking Bad he never breaks this habit and explains in one episode he believes "fear to be a poor motivator". But he had nothing else for Jesse and Walt because he underestimated the ego of Walt, so he directly reverts back and threatens Walter's family because that's the only hook he had. Walter's ego of being a man and a man doesn't get his family killed. Also he showed Mike his failure, he should've killed Walt but hesitated to let him make his phone call, so Victor got seen and was a possible leak in Gus's projects. Again, so he reverts back, shows he is not afraid to kill his most loyal underlings if it gets the job done, using fear.

[@cashnelson2306]

You have a strange way of watching TV, and one that is at odds with the way these shows were made

[@feller6766]

He killed Victor because he forgot if Catalytic hydrogenation is protic or aprotic

[@Diminisherrr]

Because he forgot as well.

[@mrmarr8308]

😂😂

[@Phatcatluvr]

He also forgot which chiral center was eliminated due to the reduction of methamphetamine

[@jek4837]

That's why I never tried cooking meth for the cartel. I always forget which is which.

[@Anthony-jo7up]

I can't believe Victor forgot that if a reduction is not stereospecific, it cannot be enantiomerically pure.

[@davidsmyth4184]

Gus was 10 steps ahead. Victor was going to jeopardise the whole operation. Also a perfect opportunity to make his point. Great show as usual.

[@PimpofChaos]

At this point, I don't know if this is a "Bravo Vince" shitpost or not. People are interpreting every small detail in a way to praise showmakers, as if this show doesn't have any mistakes.

[@b_delta9725]

​@@PimpofChaos You have a scene of a villain killing one of his subordinates without voicing his reasoning, something he's never done before and never does again, obviously there's some meaning right? Or where is the mistake? You assume the writers were high and thought Gus killing Victor cuz it looked cool, in the show where a lot of attention is given to detail? Or that they just fucked it up by not explaining, despite all the characters having a distinct reaction and concluding stuff after he kills him? Like, I'm serious, I wanna know the reasoning for your comment. God forbid people who pay attention to what they watch right?

[@hastensavoir7782]

So Tod has his reasons and point too when he killed his maid?

[@JakeKoenig]

If Gus had been 10 steps ahead, he would've chained Walt and Jesse to the equipment in the meth lab and made them cook under threat to murder Walt's whole family if he doesn't comply. He took this tactic later on just to get Walt to leave his organization. If I'm Gus, there's zero chance that Walt or Jesse ever walks out of that lab alive. You keep them cooking, and bring Walt a body part of one of his family members every time he doesn't make a batch of meth on time.

[@davidsmyth4184]

@@JakeKoenig Harsh. But probably very effective.

[@boxmonkey1]

He killed him to show he has zero issues killing anyone that can be replaced, even if they have some value. A warning to Walt

[@nahor88]

More importantly, Gus states he doesn't find fear to be an effective motivator. With Walt, he realizes that the only way to motivate him IS to scare the crap out of him. However, he like many of Walt's adversaries ultimately underestimates his cunning. Hank blatantly refuses to think of Walt as any sort of criminal mastermind, and doesn't account for the fact a man that managed to maintain a drug empire for this long would have some kind of muscle backing him up.

[@robpolaris7272]

A warning to Walt, Jesse and Mike.

[@eredi]

Walt basically has nothing else to lose, except his life. So naturally, he had to show him he is capable of killing and willing to cut his life shorter if he steps out of line again.

[@Ämyr2006]

@@eredi he still cared about his family at that time.

[@JarinCOD]

No. Gus didn't believe fear to be a valid motivation at this time. So killing Victor to scare Walt makes no sense. Edit: Gus could have slipped into his old ways after getting mad about Gale.

[@Goldlibarm]

Simple. Victor never had the makings of a varsity athlete.

[@freddiejones4680]

What ever happened to Victor? You know, the strong silent type.

[@thehalfmanTL]

The creepy sh is that I just clicked over from a sopranos video and this was the top comment

[@chrisd3676]

​@@thehalfmanTLsame, the algorithm is telling us something 😂

[@willatano1464]

Of a varsity chemist*

[@FelineLegion]

Whatever happened there...

[@jamone5]

Mikes initial reaction in raising his gun is interesting to me every time.

[@Spanner249]

I wonder if that was the direction or the actor's choice because it's a wonderful bit of storytelling.

[@ShadowKamehameha32]

To me, it showed just how out of character it was for Gus to act this way. Gus was clearly a ruthless man, but he was calcuating, and rarely if ever got directly involved in matters concerning his meth empire. Giving the impression, especially to the Salamancas, that he wasn't as much of a threat as say, Tuco was. So for Mike to see Gus be so vicoious, without warning, without flinching, and never changing his demeanour, must've been terrifying. Because for Mike, it just confirmed that Gus was a legitimate physical threat, not just a tactical one.

[@gogetavsvegito]

I think that was the moment he realized that no one is safe. Gus knew victor longer than Gus, we never get a backstory to how Victor and Gus met so we never truly know what it was Gus saw in him to deem him trustworthy.

[@supersaiyanzero386]

Possibly to shoot Victor tbh. He was surprised but also if Victor SOMEHOW got the upper hand Mike could have fired a shot

[@firstnamelastname6216]

​@@supersaiyanzero386damn, how did I not think of that possibility? Right on.

[@patanderson5716]

3:01 Victor could do a basic cook, but the things that made Walt’s cook 99% pure was extremely difficult. Todd worked with Walt for months and still only made a 60% pure product.

[@ChunLo21]

I think you got the percentage wrong here

[@ghillieshark6437]

@@ChunLo21 99.19%*

[@GeorgeMonet]

That is because Todd wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Also yes, Victor could follow steps like a trained dog, but he could not come up with a new method or deal with or even know about possible problems with the chemicals being used.

[@Jester_Jingles]

Jesse also was only able to get to 96.1%. We are shown that Walt is the best meth cook in the series.

[@tinygreencreature5167]

​@@Jester_Jinglesin the finale, badger and skinny Pete say that the product is "as good or better" and everyone believes Heisenberg is still around for that reason. So either jesse matched/surpassed Walter's 99.1, or he started adding some chili p to the recipe

[@BoyPadForDan]

It was also a message to Mike that if he over-steps he won’t hesitate to kill him as well. Mike had a simple job, to kill Walt. They had him at the laundry “dead to rights” when Mike allowed Walt to make the phone call telling Jesse to kill Gale.

[@spikester]

Victor's fakery about a chemical leak at the lab to get him in the car already gave walter the heads up he was dead, walter thus had plenty of time to formulate what to do before he got to the laundry. Victor could have drove him anywhere else and had him killed just as quietly, having Mike do it was a bad play by gus, completely underestimated Heisenberg.

[@Zoroaster4]

I don't think so. In better call saul it's shown gus almost trusts Mike's opinion on the security related matters more than his own. I think that he would be more than fine with letting Mike decide to let Walt make the phone call. He wanted Jesse dead and put Mike in charge of finding him. It was kinda is a stupid decision though. In Better Call Saul we see Mike let Werner call his wife saving her from certain death which was completely against what Gus wanted him to do, in that instance Gus just shovels more money at Mike and eventually saves his life instead of trying to send a message that he'll be killed. Now that I think about it though I don't get how that situation worked. Mike was walking home from a bar late at night and gets beaten and stabbed and wakes up in Mexico. Unless he was being followed by someone (somehow without him noticing) then what happened, he took a 8 hour ride to Mexico and somehow didn't die but was in critical enough condition the Dr. could claim to have saved his like? That whole story just doesn't add up.

[@trulskarstensen]

@@Zoroaster4 Gus was having him followed. Mike didn’t notice because he wasn’t in his right mind, having just killed Werner and being “estranged” from his granddaughter and daughter-in-law after a rather dramatic episode.

[@sakatababa]

@@Zoroaster4 it wasn't that he trusted him for security, he was manipulating him. if you give your followers appearance of such trust, that you value their opinion more then your own, they stay your followers and become even more loyal. also, gus didn't waste resources. mike was clearly a vet that knew both sides of the law intimately. that is good to nurture. both shows proved gus right on that part.

[@Reypstraptor4269]

I dont think so.Mike was also given the job of finding Pinkman.The phone call was not a mistake. If anything it was Gus fault because he gave his intentions away to Walt and Jesse that he would kill and replace Walt so they made the plan to kill gale and Gus did not anticipate it. Gus knew mike is hes biggest asset and Victor proved to be liability.

[@cyrax9226]

I was at a Comic-Con where Giancarlo Esposito was there doing a panel and he said that Gus killed victor because Victor was seen at Gales house. Victor was specifically told not to get seen, so Victor became a loose end.

[@taddad2641]

Be fair it was also cause he failed to save gale. i imagine if it was a case of 'managing to save gale but got seen' he'd have a different tune to it. probably have him hidden away somewhere though no longer serving a purpose directly. he ultimately did his job. the combination of failuers made him a loose end he wasn't gonna waste time with. basically 'fierd' him.

[@TheBest0704]

@@taddad2641what do you mean be fair? He just told you he got the correct answer directly from Giancarlo Esposito. Anything else is just fans conjecture

[@Mewse1203]

Guancarlo also says it in the AMC featurette for the episode.

[@PDoctressScar]

I think it’s all of them. Victor was clearly becoming less careful, as he left his car at the murder scene and was seen by many people. While Gus could roughly keep him out of trouble for some time, Victor had proven that it likely wouldn’t be his last mistake. Victor acted on impulse by trying to cook, just like he did by making Jesse drive him to the laundry instead of bringing him to his own car, and just like he did by running to a murder scene and then running away. Also, Victor had kept it from Gus that he had (seemingly) learned how they cooked. That means Gus couldn’t know what else Victor was capable of hiding, making him even more of a burden due to a newfound lack of trust in him. Gus is almost always rational and smart with his decisions. While he could keep and protect Victor, letting him cook a decent consistent product and stay out of trouble, he would be much more useful as a way to scare Walter and Jesse into doing what he wants. Not only that, but them then having to clean up afterwards serves to introduce to them that just like Victor, they could disappear, and there would be no evidence. Not only that, but it leaves them with an uncertainty of whether or not just watching them cook would be enough to learn how, meaning that if he had someone watch them next, they wouldn’t choose to do to them what they did to Gale. Not letting them find out only meant that the next person guarding them could possibly learn how to cook as good as them, without them knowing they had. So, Victor died for being rash and thoughtless, and to remind Walter and Jesse that they could easily meet the same fate as him if they didn’t stay in line. It wasn’t that he cooked alone or got spotted at the crime scene, it’s that those two things proved that he had went from an asset to the business, to a burden that could bring everyone down if put in the wrong situation. Let me know if I got any details wrong here, or if there are any holes in my reasoning- it’s 3am and I’ve been thinking and writing this for like 20 minutes. I could easily have gotten stuff wrong

[@A24BaTrA]

All correct bro

[@TheNheg66]

one very minor correction - watching them cook would have never been enough. According to the show Gale was a brilliant chemist and he couldn't match Walt. Sure, Jesse was never good at chemistry and he was *almost* at Walt's level and he matched Gale's, so Victor might have been able to get there *eventually*, but that would have required a ton of trial and error on Victor's part. ton of trial and error that Gus simply couldn't afford to bankroll.

[@theemotionalremix]

If Breaking Bad was realistic, Fring would've killed Walter and Jesse right there and then. He would've come to the conclusion that they're not worth the trouble and they would've tried to jeopardize everything at some point.

[@ryanhodin5014]

​@@theemotionalremixI think this is one of the times Gus isn't being a pure businessman. Sure, having an amazing product is good for business, but it's not necessary to sell 99.1% pure meth to get methheads to pay you. What he does need that quality for isn't business, it's personal - Being able to churn out industrial levels of astonishingly high quality meth is a cornerstone to his plan to use the superlab to take down the cartel - Later on, he uses the promise of selling Jesse to the cartel to produce the opportunity required to kill Eladio and his men. That was pretty much his goal all throughout Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad - Play the game, and arrange the pieces such that he can get his revenge in one fell swoop. He probably realized that killing Walt and Jesse would be a pretty big setback to that plan, since he'd also lost his original and fallback cook (Gale) - Like Jesse said in the same episode, it's hard to find a decent cook, and it's much harder to find a decent, trustworthy cook. Delaying the plan that was already in motion also meant that things could go wrong, and relations were already deteriorating, so he took the objectively unnecessary risk - By keeping Walt and Jesse alive, he ensured that he could have his revenge, even if it did cost him his life.

[@rolloxra670]

I agree hundred percent with you

[@RaptorJesus]

What I find fascinating about the Walter/Gus conflict is that it's one of the few times an antagonist is defeated because he *overestimated* his opponent. What do I mean by that? In the game of chess Walt & Gus were playing, Gus could see that there was no move Walt could make to win. There was no path to victory on the board. He assumed Walt would do the reasonable thing and let sleeping dogs lie. Gus would make no moves, Walt would make no moves. Walt was going to die from cancer anyway, no need to make a fuss. Walt gets the money for his family, Gus keeps making his own money and getting his vengeance on the Salamancas. Gus is a patient, reasonable man who understands the bigger picture and will almost always do the patient, reaasonable thing. So how did Walt win if there were no moves he could make? Did Gus miss something? Yes, but it wasn't a move. He assumed Walt was like him: patient, reasonable, and viewing the bigger picture. That Walt would recognize he'd been outplayed and do the thing that is in everyone's best interests and run out the clock. But Walt *isn't* those things. Walt pretends and plays at being the kind of maestro Gus is, but at his core, he isn't. He's petty, selfish, short-sighted and utterly consumed by his ego. So without any moves, and refusing to run out the clock, what does Walt do? He flips the table. Gus's desire for revenge didn't kill him. Assuming Walt was anywhere near his level is what killed him.

[@tinygreencreature5167]

Walt really is one of the dumbest characters in the show its pretty funny. Gus does him a massive favor by letting him leave without killing him and after he gets in a fight with jesse, gus says "youre not invloved anymore, leave jesse alone or we kill your family" And Walter's response is "this guys gonna kill my family". Like theres no possibility in his mind of him not reaching out to jesse to fight and therefore his family has a death sentence

[@jennyk9748]

Yes! Well said :)

[@chriscavanaugh1697]

Deep

[@jhupp8707]

@@tinygreencreature5167Walt never truly understood the world he was involved. Throughout the whole series he really thinks he can just up and quit if he wants to. He would never be able to get away from that life. It would rear its ugly head at some point. If it wasn’t Hank. Another part of that world would get him eventually.

[@dimitristelis5459]

Amazing analysis!

[@rmtrms]

In my opinion, Gus killed Victor not only to send a message to Walter, but also to find an outlet for his aggression, since his friend Gale was murdered, but he can't punish his killer directly. He is portrayed in the series as very cold or emotionless, but at this moment his hateful and uncontrolled nature seems to shine through

[@nathansmith3608]

Yeah, I read it that way as well. Gus was a control freak & things were spiraling out of control, risking the whole operation. He'd had enough of his subordinates "taking initiative" that night, so he killed Victor to reassert dominance, but also as an emotional outlet, beyond strictly pragmatic reasons

[@JoeMama-dt4jg]

Not emotionless, stoic

[@MalcolmCooks]

yeah I agree 100% Victor was just the least indispensable person in the room. all other motives are secondary

[@useraiaj234mp]

@@nathansmith3608 exactly

[@walterwilliams1791]

Triggered his PTSD from when his Chilean friend he trained to cook was killed in front of him.

[@HermskiTV]

My favorite detail was Mike instinctively pulling his gun on Gus. That muscle memory had him pulling his gun on his own boss for a second 😂

[@chernobylcoleslaw6698]

Yeah nice touch

[@jdl9679]

Law enforcement training

[@ThePatriots010304]

Gus' operation was starting to crack, and he felt like he was losing control of his men. Walt killing two of his dealers, Mike botching the handling of Walt that led to Gale's death and the icing on the cake was Victor overstepping by doing a cook without Gus' approval. It's not just that Gus slit Victor's throat, he held him up and displayed him while he was dying. It was a clear message to Walt, Jesse and Mike letting them know who's in charge, you work for me, you follow my orders and if you don't, this is what will happen. It was strictly a power move to try and reign in his operation.

[@TheNheg66]

This! This is so obviously the primary reason, finally someone in this comment section that understands it. I'd only add to it that Victor was also seen at the crime scene, left his car there and and seems to be completely unbothered by that, even seemingly smiling at Gus with a prideful look as he takes off the gas mask as if to say "look, you don't need those two fkers, I'm perfectly capable of doing this" when he wasn't even capable to do what he was hired for in the first place properly

[@based-ys9um]

​@@TheNheg66Walter had pride and ego

[@spaghettibird5135]

I always thought it was Gus slipping for a moment. He walks over and stands behind Jesse and Walter with the blade out, but can’t knows he can’t kill them. You can see in his face how frustrated he is. So, he takes it out on the least valuable target, Victor, while also terrifying the others.

[@TastyLemon123]

He also might’ve killed him because Victor was partially responsible for Gale’s death. He and Mike were meant to dispatch Walt, but instead they allowed him to call Jesse.

[@heisenburger1_]

To be precise it was Finger's fault as he let Waltuh make the call to Jesse

[@tylertheguy3160]

I think Gus is the only person that can truly understand why he does the things he does.

[@legion5938]

3:47 this is the exact moment victor became hector

[@343guardian5]

1. Victor was spotted at a crime scene (Signaling that Gus has been very careful for all these years, but his drug empire is now slipping, and his staff is becoming sloppy) 2. Walt and Jessi (Gus killed Victor to symbolize to Walt and Jessi and MAYBE even Mike that he was NOT above killing anyone if it was necessary)

[@Mewse1203]

I'm the AMC featurette for the episode, Giancarlo tells exactly why Gus kills Victor: #1. He was seen

[@bbeachball]

I’ve always thought that it had to do with the fact that Victor knew too much, and felt too comfortable himself. Victor both knew a lot of the inner-workings of Gus’s operation, and knew how to cook blue sky, but also could make the batch on his own, and took the liberty of making a batch just to prove a point to Walt. When Gus chose to kill Victor, I believed that it was because he saw that Victor was getting too powerful and independent, and was becoming too vital of one person.

[@ststst981]

Yea i believe the initiative is what he disliked, he doesnt want someone who takes initiative because that means they have bigger and better plans for themselves. He wants a dog who follows orders

[@reservoirfrogs2177]

Victor absolutely could not make it on his own, you see them dumping the batch he messed up in the next episode

[@2k12business]

Man, this is one of my favorite KZbin channels!

[@davidsmyth4184]

Big time. Serious effort man. Fair play. Greetings from the emerald isle

[@elzeyd8962]

0:13 mannn this is one of the channels ever

[@ExteriorsDoneRight]

Jesse's 92%, not Todd's, Todd barely broke 70% before they grabbed Jesse

[@TotalTech2.]

*HERE* is the real reason why It's revealed in Better Call Saul that Gus has an obsessive need for control. When he lost control here, he just couldn't handle it and had to blow off some steam. It's the same thing he did with the fry cook and over cleaning the deep fryer except this time he did it with a box cutter instead. The last reason is this. This is the one time. The *ONLY* time Mike disobeyed Gus. What he was really doing was sending a message to Mike saying "look Mike, I like you. We go way back, and you have done a lot of good work for me in the past. But *LOOK* at what happens when you disobey me. If you ever go outside of my orders again *this* could be you."

[@Cheldeo]

That's very true, I've never seen Mike so terrified before, and Gus could've given him a heads up before killing victor in front of him, really looks like it was a message directed to all of them

[@steveo4991]

You watched Better Call Saul but you think THIS is the first time Mike ‘disobeyed’ Gus? This isn’t even the worst time, much less the first. He knew about Nacho and didn’t tell Gus. He refused to kill Salamanca. He refused multiple times to do something he wasn’t comfortable with or he deemed unnecessary. He told Gus straight and Gus respected him for it and if anything Gus was a little less prone to indiscriminate killing from Better Call Saul to Breaking Bad and that seems like it was in no small part thanks to learning from Mike’s restraint from doings things that could draw unwanted attention and/or conflict.

[@TotalTech2.]

@@steveo4991 The difference between those situations and that is this. On those occasions everything worked out for the best. However, Mike *REALLY* *SCREWED* *UP* *HERE* It's because of Mike that Gale died. Someone Gus had been grooming for years and Jesse laments that he can't find another Gale. There is a difference between a harmless mistake like forgetting to buy something at a grocery store and a complete life changing event like this. The only reason Gus didn't kill Mike himself is despite is mistake Mike is still the best in the business and he couldn't afford to take any more losses at the moment.

[@akirosakuragi9279]

​@@TotalTech2.Can you explain the deep fry cook scene?

[@TotalTech2.]

@@akirosakuragi9279 Gus basically has an obsessive compulsion disorder for control likely due to his upbringing. When Gus is put in a situation he doesn't control he cleans to feel better. He does the exact same thing in another scene in Better Call Saul when he loses control and starts cleaning a bath tub with a tooth brush. In some ways he's similar to Walter and Saul Walter has to be the man he can't help himself Saul Goodman has to scam people he cant help himself Gus has to be in control he can't help himself. In all cases it's a compulsion that's impossible to resist

[@Grenn94]

I think he killed Victor because on top of failing to protect Gale, Victor's orders were to keep Walt and Jessie at the lab until gus had arrived. Victor's job wasn't to just decide himself that he'd be good enough to cook for Gus and start a batch without ever even speaking to him about it. While walt had a leg up on Gus and could (just barely at the time) afford to be insubordinate, Victor did not have that luxury even if he thought he was helping Gus. I think if Victor had just done his job like gus had told him he would have still been alive, in trouble, but alive.

[@TheNheg66]

He maybe would have, only if he wasn't seen at the crime scene and hadn't left his car there.

[@reservoirfrogs2177]

Victor was also seen at the crime scene, which is probably a much bigger contributing factor

[@taddad2641]

@@reservoirfrogs2177 eeeh honestly it was the failuer to save gale on top. essentaily a three strikes you out and these were big strikes.

[@wildtrickster4135]

For me the simplest reason is, he had to teach a lesson to EVERYONE in that room. At this point, ALL of them had overstepped their boundary or failed to do a major task that HAD to be done right. So he picked the most disposable one to be the subject of his lesson.

[@vlastelinprislic286]

Remind me, what did Mike do?

[@kollerwastaken1132]

He let gale die by not killing walt immediately ​@@vlastelinprislic286

[@Steelers4Life47]

@@vlastelinprislic286he didn’t protect what’s his name that Jesse killed

[@woahblackbettybamalam]

That intro music is so nostalgic to hear

[@diabolicallink]

I always saw it as a “OK FINE WALT. You want to be the only one who can do it? You want to kill everyone else who could take your place. Then I’ll just do the killing for you. Don’t forget that I am the one in charge here.” Not just to send a message to Walt that he could be the next one choking in his own blood, but also to say that no matter what happens Gus is the one in charge of the operation.

[@unknownbunga73]

He was identified at the crime scene, he killed him to cover his tracks. Genuinely thought everyone knew that

[@jonathanmays8203]

That's what I always figured

[@unknownbunga73]

@@jonathanmays8203 It’s common sense really. Guess that’s impossible nowadays

[@William-the-Guy]

I think he was multi-tasking. "if I have to kill this guy to cover my tracks, I might as well send a message at the same time. "

[@wuhlfzebayne]

@@unknownbunga73 not everything has to be a fault of the modern day you goof

[@szeddezs]

@@wuhlfzebayne True, most people have been retarded since forever.

[@shinyhntr4878]

It’s simple. Gus killed Victor to show Jesse and Walt that he was in charge, but that he recognized their scientific prowess of the process and that he actually needs them, but to stay in line

[@taddad2641]

mostly cause they killed gale.

[@Mewse1203]

On the behind the scenes feature for the episode, they say it was because he was seen.

[@paulc6060]

I think he was intentionally opening up the position for Mike's right hand man because he had already concocted the plan to separate Walt and Jesse which is his primary motivation throughout season 4. We know he is a meticulous planner and is always 10 steps ahead of everyone else and with Victor gone he now has a reason to utilize Jesse as he does in the episode Shotgun etc. I also think he was simply angry and out for blood so he chose the most expendable person in the room to take it out on.

[@philipsalama8083]

I don't think Gus developed that plan until Victor's murder - before that Gus thought of Jesse as nothing but a worthless junkie. Jesse stares Gus down after the killing, and you can see Gus' expression go from anger to surprise that Jesse has a backbone. I think it was there that Gus realised that Jesse was a potential asset.

[@paulc6060]

@@philipsalama8083 No Gus' opinion of Jesse changes after Gayle's murder. Mike even tells Jesse what Gus sees in him, "Loyalty... maybe for the wrong guy." Gus is impressed that Jesse is malleable, that he can be manipulated and that he will follow orders.

[@TheNheg66]

@@paulc6060 @philipsalama8083 I think both of you guys are kinda correct here.

[@GoblinAndLaserBeam]

Mad respect for not artificially inflating the video just to hit the 10 min mark

[@lichlord9838]

I think people overlook one of the more simple and obvious reasons. Gus, despite presenting himself as calm and collected at all times, is actually a total psychopath who needed to channel his murderous fury in that moment. Victor was, by far, the most disposable person in the room. It might also be worth mentioning that while we are never given a dollar amount those large cooks probably don't cost a few bucks a pop. By starting a cook that was unquestionably going to be lesser quality, probably a lot less quality, than Gus could use Victor was probably wasting Lord only knows how much of Gus's money.

[@bennygerow]

I always thought it was pretty stupid considering you never want a single point of failure. Having a couple backup options that can do this job make Walt more expendable.

[@pIayingwithmahwii]

There already was a single point of failure. Maybe victor could’ve done a few cooks but if any one of those science machines in the lab malfunctions, Gus has basically no way of fixing that without walt. Even if it’s just a small malfunction and victor can still cook, but the purity’s down even a few percent because of that-that’s something Gus cannot allow while expanding his territory. He could have the machine put on the elevator and smuggled out to a repairman in the dead of night, but that’s going to take at least a few DAYS with NO cook

[@bennygerow]

@@pIayingwithmahwii non sequitur, completely separate issue I'm not discussing. Walt WAS a major issue already. The equipment was not.

[@hexagonproductions2019]

⁠@@bennygerownot a non-sequitur, Victor would not be an adequate back-up because his lack of chemical training/knowledge could easily cause an enormous methlab-explosion and literally blow the entire operation.

[@bennygerow]

@@hexagonproductions2019 yes, a non sequitur since he's talking about equipment and the video is about the people. It's pretty simple.

[@pIayingwithmahwii]

​@@bennygerow my reply was to your comment, not a first level comment on the video itself. you talked about a single point of failure and i said that gus would be trading one point of failure for another if he replaced walt with victor. if we're talking about points of failure in relation to gus' business, equipment is not a non sequitur because it still comes down to _"people"_ in that walt is the only _person_ who can properly maintain the equipment at least with walt he has options--like tuco said a family man has a lot of collateral. if he gets rid of walt he has no options if something goes wrong, he's almost guaranteed to lose days or maybe weeks with no cook, or he's looking at a rough loss of purity on what will already be less pure than walt and jesse's product (since best case victor will be adequate, there's no way his product will be as pure as theirs, even jesse and gale weren't at walt's level, and they've gotta be better than victor).

[@artheriford]

Gus knew that Walt, Jesse, and even Mike being scared was more useful than having Victor cooking.

[@stealthyoctopus3231]

I think in most of Victor's scenes he was shown to be kind of carless. I'm pretty sure in his first scene in Better Call Saul he's speeding on his way to Los Pollos Hermanos and there's some later scenes where he comes off as a hot head. After BCS I figured the idea was the way he acted at Gale's apartment was Victor's last strike, and Gus was going to get rid of him not matter what at that point, so he made the most out of it to send a message to Walt and Jessie at the same time.

[@leeroyjenkins6061]

Or perhaps Gus was pissed that Mike and Victor botched the hit on Walter which led to Gale getting killed. Gus then tied up the loose end from the crime scene by getting rid of Victor, killed him out of rage, and sent a serious warning to Mike, Walt, and Jesse in the process. This is later reinforced in the bar scene between Walter and Mike. "Surely I can't be the only one who feels this way."

[@darthjump]

The main reason for Gus killing Victor is to show the audience that Gus is a human too and his emotions can get a hold of him.

[@queefedworm]

human?

[@WickedKnightAlbel]

I like this interpretation cuz it foreshadows the lengths he'll go to for revenge, like how he was taunting Hector to the point of getting himself killed

[@JakeKoenig]

Gus should've done what Todd and his uncle did to Jesse, which is keep Walt locked in the meth lab with threats to kill Skyler, Walt Jr, and Holly if he doesn't keep cooking. Gus already threatened to kill his whole family later on when they were in the desert. Just chain him to the cooking equipment and make it official. Lock Jesse in there too.

[@jasondyrkacz8270]

Gus did end up doing that to Jesse.

[@SG-ku6kw]

That would be problematic cause Hank and the DEA would track Walter's cell phone location to the lab and find him there, which would ruin Gus' operation.

[@tomdalsin5175]

I think it was a combination of three things: 1 - Victor's presence at the murder scene has some chance of getting back to Gus. Gus could hide him, definitely, but at some cost. Victor adding cost and risk isn't enough, but it certainly contributes to the grand calculus. 2 - Gus wanted to end the infighting once and for all in his organization. Victor's behavior was strong evidence that he really really really wanted Walt to die. He wanted it so bad that he was willing to humiliate himself by trying to cook Heisenburg product. That kind of enmity started this mess, and Gus won't have any more of that. Especially when it risks so much. Killing Victor is a way for Gus to end the internal rivalries by demonstrating decisiveness and brutality. It asserts Gus as a ruler who won't passively let his employees engage in petty bickering. 3 - Gus was pissed, and wanted to express it in a way that didn't hurt his own future. Of all the people in the room, Victor was the most expendable. Add up those 3 things, and you have his justification.

[@quantumphaser]

Looks like Gus listens to Huey Lewis and knows Paul Allen

[@stampedetrail2003]

Right on. I hadn't heard the Machiavelli explanation before and that definitely makes a lot of sense. The answer that I had settled on, and which is the answer to the question that brought me to Quora actually, is that Victor had the job of protecting Gale -- with his life. When he failed to protect Gale, he had to pay with his life for it. The other answers - sending a message to Walt, and punishing Victor for trying to cook, don't quite arise to the level of Gus slashing his throat with a box cutter. Walt was already afraid of Gus, and Victor trying to cook could have been quashed by Gus simply telling him not to cook. Victor being ID'd at the scene is possible but I think it's a red herring. It is plausible Gus would have been just that paranoid and obsessive, but there are other ways of dealing with a possibly maybe identified henchman.

[@mr.estrada]

Gus killed victor for 3 main reasons 1) Because victor was seen and acted as an suspicious person in front of the entire witness/crowd not to mention that he is seen in his poster in the police department. 2) Victor was now seen as an liability, cooking without permission and acted cocky something that Gus has zero tolerance for. 3) This was the message for walt and jesse of what would happen if they fail him again. He's also angry for the fact that gale (his close alley was murdered) But that 3rd reason alone is the least of my worries

[@gann5264]

Yeaaaa. I feel like Victor was acting careless and confidant as like a panic response. He knew he was going to be in deep shit and it felt almost like a desperate attempt at appeasing Gus, even if he couldn’t consciously acknowledge that level of fear with his high stress job/ need to keep a level head

[@TheNheg66]

Second half of 1) is moot. He couldn't have seen no poster at the time when he killed Victor.

[@apertureAI-jw1iz]

Victor could seriously fuck up the operation by being seen at a murder, he wasn't nearly as irreplaceable as Mike, and it would be easier and more frightening to Walt and Jesse to kill him on the spot instead of sending him to hide out somewhere. I think the real reason though, was that Gus was angry as hell, and had already decided on killing someone by the time he put on the hazmat suit.

[@stevenramos9391]

Peplople saw him at the scene, a couple episodes later they have a sketch of victor up when Schrader interviews Gus about the chemist. Its just good business.

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

The saddest part is the face Victor mix when he looks up at Gus. He thinks Gus is going to be proud of him

[@SquishyProductions]

I always thought that putting fear into Walt and Jessie was so essential to his operation that he was willing to off Victor to do it.

[@kingofthejungle3833]

@5:03 Victor left out a key ingredient, which, from memory kept the batch stable (the key point here being an unstable batch can cause a lot more damage than an occassional bad batch)

[@vengeance8924]

you are an absolute nerd for making this video and i love it.

[@Karras353]

In terms of cooking, I think a key difference between Gale and Victor is that Gale was a perfectionist in awe of the chemistry, whereas Victor was more of a pragmatist who would aim for "good enough". Gale wanted to be a chef who had mastered the theory and techniques. Victor was at best a cook who could follow a recipe. It is unclear at that stage what Gus was willing to settle for. I think being something of a perfectionist himself, he aligned more with Gale. But Gale was not going to consider himself "ready" until he felt that he was living up to Walter's standards and Gus appeared to prefer handling Gale as gently as possible. Victor also was not particularly special or irreplaceable. If he could actually complete an adequate cook by watching them work alone, no doubt so could others.

[@SheckBes]

The most likely reason is the same reason for why gus wasn’t killed by the cartel but his bf was; Some off screen plot line that was either cut/not mentioned to create mystery

[@rileypeters5055]

This is SUCH a good analysis video!

[@dandavis8300]

Gus was just pissed! Not especially at Walt and Jesse, but at himself and his henchmen. He'd already marked Walt and Jesse for execution so this failure was primarily on Mike. Mike was still too valuable but Victor wasn't.

[@WEAREALLJUSTMEAT]

Victor was seen at gale's apartment and gus was already mad

[@saladmashups1310]

1:10 the whole time I thought that sketch was of Jesse, not Victor. This scene makes more sense now

[@chickendipper4866]

The sketch looks absolutely nothing like Jesse wtf

[@DEATHxKAGE]

Great video, but at 3:50 , I don’t think Walt was warning Jesse. I think he was talking about Mike. Mike had just taken money out from the group to give to his men as hush money. It obviously pissed Walt off and almost led to a serious confrontation. That’s why Walt asked Jesse if he was okay with less money, because Mike was taking large chunks of money for men that Walt didn’t see the need to keep around. It was a foreshadowing of Walt killing Mike. By this time in the show, it’s established multiple times that Walt thinks of Jesse as a son, and when Saul and Skyler make attempts to convince Walt to k¡ll him later on, Walt outright refuses, not even letting himself consider the idea. So I don’t think Walt was trying to make a threat or warning towards Jesse, more rather, he was sick of Mike standing in the way of him having complete control, taking liberties that weren’t his ( taking portions of Walt’s and Jesse’s money to pay off guys Walt doesn’t even know or need )

[@ThePUNisher2112YYZ]

Hector? 3:49

[@Altorin]

Gus needed to show Walt just how pissed he was but knew he couldn't kill Walt.

[@jerryberry8181]

Clean intro, keep it up!

[@jackhartmann3273]

I think that gus always had the philosophy of having trustworthy and much more importantly loyal or dependent people on his hiring list. So when Victor used the opportunity to get a promotion he broke his trust. Rathermore his loyalty was definitely jeopardized, as he wanted to show off instead of just being a help to gus. The killing was probably already in his mind after seeing him cook and directly using materials, probably not as good as walt could which would mean losing money too. That he could scare off walt and jesse was probably the last drop of water together with him being seen at the crimescene.

[@flamethrowerflufsalisbury]

In that scene, its one of the first scenes that Mike genuinely looks nervous/scared in the BB/BCS series

[@AY-qy4jn]

He was kinda scared when he met Lalo. He kept looking at Gus like he was nervous

[@ZenShroud1]

I never thought about how Gus' decisions regarding Walt had the prospect of international "brand" exposure factored in. That's good. Ten years and countless rewatches later and there are still things about BB I never noticed.

[@benderisgreat95able]

I think it was largely a message for Mike. His mistake rocked the boat pretty hard as well.

[@RabbitBleed]

"A boss needs to be tough. Sometimes a boss needs to make cashiers wipe down cars." -Eyebrow carwash man

[@20tetsuo77]

3:46 just pointing out a small error, but here you said hector instead of victor. Enjoying these machiavellian videos!

[@bullywhispers9544]

I had to do several retakes because I made that mistake a few times lol. Didnt notice that one or I would have redone it. Thanks for watching!

[@Sophia_P999]

Gus did what had to be done. Victor was reckless at the crime scene so it had to happen

[@jasonvoorhees310]

I always thought is was cause Victor got himself seen at the crime scene. Especially cause later on we see him menacingly starring at a picture of Victor in the DEAs office.

[@CollaredConsulting]

*because

[@ReaverLordTonus]

I always figured the overstepping was the last straw, and the message to Walt and Jessie was for them not to overstep again themselves.

[@trilobite2500]

He just wasn't up to Los Pollos standards

[@YolatheFou]

😂😂😂

[@marks47]

What, he used an unauthorized double-knot in his shoelaces? 'Cuz that's a slicin'.

[@Aakino]

I'll tell you EXACTLY why Gus killed Victor. Both Victor and Mike failed to protect Gale, but between the two of them...Mike can take out entire groups of enemies using $20 worth of goods from Wal-Mart and a gun. Keeping Mike was purely economical! 😁

[@nickdiaz9661]

I thought this was pretty self explanatory. He was there at the crime scene and was spotted by everyone. The abruptness of it was to send a message to Walt and subsequently to Jesse

[@thomasbrown3356]

3. To show Walter and Jesse, anyone's expendable. 2. Victor didn't know his place. 1. Victor was exposed.

[@AnakinSkywalker-bp7qj]

It’s because he was not up to pollos standards

[@kingbeauregard]

Victor was observed at the scene of Gale's murder. If the police ever found him, it'd be all over for Gus: that'd be two people he had connections to on the scene (the other being Gale), and the fuzz would never let that go. Gus looks after himself first, and everyone else fourth or fifth.

[@Quack_attack_]

I always wondered how Gale who cooked at 96% couldn't account for the blue color but how the hell is that first batch Jesse cooks for Todd that's 92% is blue 🤔

[@PedanticPig]

The blue colour isn't just the purity, it's down to the particular process Walt used. Gale was a better general chemist than Jesse, but he didn't know Walt's method at that point; Jesse did.

[@GeorgeMonet]

Walt's process involved adding blue food coloring. That was the secret.

[@bpc610]

It was chili powder.

[@in4mus85]

Wasn't it because of the methlamine that they stole from the factory in barrels?

[@seadkolasinac7220]

@@in4mus85 no it was food colouring, Walt admits it in season 5

[@BigDancin]

It doesn't have to be one reason. Victor was getting reckless and sloppy, both with the Gale crime scene and the attempted cook. In cooking, he didn't even bother to put on the lab overalls, and pulled his mask up too easily early in the cook. But beyond that, it was Gus saying, "Walt, you think I am afraid of losing my guys who can cook? You think you have power over me because you can cook? Victor could cook (maybe), and watch how much I need him. You think you have power over me because you can cook meth and you got rid of my other guy who could do that? Watch." It would have been an abdication of that power to just put Walt back to work as Walt suggested. He put him back to work, and therefore restored his operation (and prospective deal with Lydia) but he also sent the clear message that the ability to cook is not a get out of jail free card going forward.

[@sydsour7338]

Any Top Boy fans in here , need some videos 🙏🏾

[@torrey88]

Gus didn’t build out that entire lab for Victor to be the cook. We see in S5 where Lydia stresses the importance of purity. Gus, a biz guy, knows this. Walter’s assumption was correct - he “flew too close to the sun”.

[@_zigger_]

Cucked "content creators": blur any hint of blood in their videos Based Bully Whispers: 0:15

[@Nimbus3690]

Cuz Gus felt disrespected by Walt and wanted to say, "oh you wanna cook? You think I'm stuck with you? No, you're stuck with me."

[@CIavis]

I can’t watch this video yet because I haven’t watched Breaking bad. But I’d like to recommend you a show called “Snowfall” I’m not sure if you’ve watched it but I would love a Machiavellian monday on Franklin saint or a character analysis on Leon, or Franklin's mom. I’m very fond of your videos as they’re quite informative

[@willdabeast567]

Very interesting insights and perspective. As a fellow breaking bad enthusiast who’s seen the show 6 times, think I learned something new

[@alyssarichardson2544]

There's precisely ONE reason that Victor was killed: he was seen at the crime scene. That's it. They wouldn't have made a literal scene of Mike asking "were you seen by anybody?", come on now.

[@maynardperalta3188]

Mike even tells Gus Victor was seen. Thought the show was pretty clear about it.

[@rydermccall3590]

That was a really good insight! I always wondered why Walt brought up Victor to Jesse, it seemed out of the blue: It makes sense that Walt was upset that Jesse was satisfied with higher percentage but lower amount of money and Walt did not want Jesse feeling secure. Great writing.

[@MrStalyn]

I think the writers sorta implied in S5 (when Mike and Walter fought over the "legacy costs") the reason for why Gus killed Victor. At the end of the scene Walter tells Jesse something like "you know all this time I thought Gus killed Victor to send a message but maybe he (Victor) just flew too close to the sun." Just like Victor, Mike was making decisions that were not for him to make, when he decided to pay his men with money from Walt's new venture. Gus never asked Victor to become a cook, and he probably considered the batch he was cooking as ruined. Gus was already mad because of the killing of Gale, so the writer's justification for killing Victor was probably meant to be a mix of those 2 reasons.

[@Gargamel_0]

he was a lvl1 player doing tasks that are usually unlocked at lvl 30 and gus did not appreciate smurfing so he killed him

[@0749Rockystar]

Victor was smarter than he led on. Gus saw how he took the first opportunity to cook and show off how he was able to memorize the recipe. Gus knew that Victor would be a threat to him if he let him live.

[@Quadster19]

The reason he was killed was to send a message to Walt. But the main reason is Victor was being fired. How else do you fire someone in a drug cartel?

[@patpackxl5352]

Dude don't stop posting breaking bad

[@bullywhispers9544]

I wont. Thanks for watching!

[@king_of_mortals]

Bruh it's simple, victor was seen at the scene, they confirm that when he looks at sketch of victor later on when he in the DEA office later on in the series

[@CrniWuk]

Another reason to consider is that victor maybe simply had to leave the show. So Gus, really had no choice or say in this and had to do it.

[@thelolcitygod]

i prefer the idea that it was just pure rage in Gus and he needed to release his anger and does it victor as he was either the closest or because he was expendable

[@laurenpeterson9510]

Lets go!

[@qgde3rty8uiojh90]

I think you're overanalyzing this. Gus either knew or felt he couldn't kill Walt. So out of pure frustration and on the spur of the moment, he just killed the expendable guy. That's it.

[@philipsalama8083]

Victor's judgement was slipping. At the same time, he was becoming ambitious and wanting to move up. That's a disaster just waiting to happen.

[@Deveshkha]

Love how short the video is. Normally these would be double to like 5 times the length (35 mins+)

[@aaronottermann5824]

I interpreted it as Gus showing Walt that he remains unpredictable after Walt was pressing all the right buttons to influence Gus in his decisionmaking. It was a 'be careful what you want to be right about' combined with a 'remember you're dealing with a man who is willing to do anything' to simultaniously keep Walt in line and agreeing to their future business arrangement.

[@Patthewwonis]

Victor was always to busy writing history to get his work for Gus done