boxcutter

An appreciation post for Gustavo Fring, a tragic figure in his own right, played with such brilliance by Giancarlo Esposito, the king of microexpressions. Now that we’re approaching the end of BCS, I think one of the central themes of the show is that the road to hell is often paved with love - love so deep and overwhelming that it hollows you out when it’s gone and leaves space for  darkness to crawl into you. Love put Mike, Jimmy, and Kim on the bad choice road, too, and Gus’s story fits in perfectly. We feel anger and heartbreak at their tragic decisions because we care, and we can’t help but think what might have been. 

Thinking of Gus and that scene. He always viewed Nacho as nothing more than a dog to be put down when he was no longer useful. But then, suddently Nacho makes this beautiful sacrifice, showing he was never just some animal. He sacrficed himself for love - something Gus never got to do.  Here’s Nacho, doing a brave and noble thing, and his expression is filled with such disgust and contempt for the others. Because he’s become better than them. Obviously this flies over the heads of the Salamancas, but Gus finally understands how he’d underestimated Nacho, and he’s also ashamed of himself and maybe jealous, becuase Nacho saved the person he loved most. Gus didn’t, couldn’t, and his revenge quest leaves him cold and empty.