WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Better Call Saul season 6, episode 8
Better Call Saul continues to sow seeds for major moments to come - most recently with Gus Fring and Hector Salamanca in "Point & Shoot." Played so memorably by Giancarlo Esposito, Gustavo Fring is not a man who wears his emotions anywhere near his sleeve. Some say he can watch the opening sequence of Pixar's Up without so much as a lip quiver. But face-to-face and completely alone with Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul season 6, episode 8, Gus knows without a shred of doubt that one of them is dying in the next few minutes. He takes the opportunity to unleash home truths in a rare display of rage, using the distraction to subtly sidle over to the lab's lighting socket.
Amid this shocking verbal volley, Gus takes special care to insult the Salamanca name personally. Starting off strong by calling them "vermin," Fring takes aim at their business practices and philosophies before finally focusing his ire towards Hector Salamanca. In a chilling speech, Gus speaks as if the bell-dinging cartel gangster is watching through Lalo's camcorder, warning, "I will save him to the last. Before he dies, he will know I buried every one of you."
This macabre promise is paid off in full by Breaking Bad season 4's "Crawl Space." Accompanied by Jesse Pinkman, Gus Fring visits Hector Salamanca at his Casa Tranquila nursing home. Breaking Bad's Chicken Man sits directly opposite his nemesis and gloats over how he murdered every last Salamanca during his attack on the cartel, listing off the victims by name without bothering to hide his glee. Better Call Saul season 6's superlab showdown proves just how long Gus was waiting to rub the crumbling of the Salamanca empire in Hector's face. All through Better Call Saul, Gus patiently waited to spit out those words, and probably even had the entire Breaking Bad speech memorized in advance. Gus Fring's verbal beat-down also confirms (if it wasn't already clear) that the real reason he didn't let Hector die from a heart attack in Better Call Saul season 3 was because he wanted the Salamanca patriarch to watch everything and everyone he loved die before kicking the bucket himself.
Why Gus Fring Hates Hector Salamanca In Better Call Saul
Gustavo Fring disagrees with the Salamancas' methods and attitudes, sure, but his personal hatred for Hector runs far deeper. As revealed by flashbacks from Breaking Bad, a young Gus first approached Don Eladio alongside his business partner and close friend (and possible lover), Max Arciniega. As punishment for actions interpreted as insulting to the cartel, Eladio ordered Hector Salamanca to shoot Max as Gus watched on. Revenge has remained firmly on Fring's mind ever since, fueling his desire to usurp the cartel's current leadership. Because Hector so ruthlessly took away what was special to Gus, Gus intends to take away what's special to Hector.
How Better Call Saul Season 6 Teases Gus Fring's Downfall
Gus Fring is infamously short of weaknesses through both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. Lalo Salamanca recently discovered first hand just how difficult Los Pollos Hermanos' boss is to kill. And yet where Lalo and many others failed, Walter White somehow succeeded, famously blowing Fring's face off in Breaking Bad season 4 - a mere two episodes after Gus boasted about the Salamancas' demise. Walt won because he astutely exploited Gus' intense personal feud against Hector Salamanca. The meth cook extraordinaire not only realized that Hector would happily give his life to kill Gus Fring, he also surmised that Gus ever-so-slightly dropped his guard wherever the bell-dinger was concerned.
By highlighting Gus' burning anger towards Hector Salamanca - the one emotional vulnerability in his otherwise cool demeanor - Better Call Saul season 6 foreshadows the flawed vengeful mindset that'll ultimately let Walter White blow Gus to smithereens. If Fring didn't harbor this grand plan to keep Hector alive, and had simply killed him with the same emotionless cunning other enemies receive, Walter White never would've found the leverage to defeat Gus in Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul continues Monday on AMC.