MovieChat Forums > Better Call Saul (2015) Discussion > Gus' 'wife and kids'

Gus' 'wife and kids'

posted 8 years ago by carstereobandits
16 replies | jump to latest

Now that we know that "FringsBack" I'm thinking that we're going to see a bit of Gus' family backstory revealed. I assumed the reference to his family in BB was a front, it's usually assumed that he's homosexual but I'm betting he's bi, which either way would be immaterial, other than the fact that I'd love to see a glimpse of a past Fring family, especially since there are a lot of rumors that Ernesto is Gus' son, and even Peter Gould gave out hints that could easily be interpreted as that being the case.

[–] danloki 8 years ago

since there are a lot of rumors that Ernesto is Gus' son, and even Peter Gould gave out hints that could easily be interpreted as that being the case.

Do you have a linky to him saying that? I missed it.

[–] Zingbot_9000 8 years ago

Bi or gay? What would lead you that way? He never hit on a man did he?

......Zing!

[–] InglouriousSister 8 years ago

Did he ever hit on a woman?

Gus is a man who had one Achilles Heel, as far as we know: His burning desire for vengeance against the people who killed Max, who was very important to him. We don’t tend to nail things down on Breaking Bad. It’s fun to be a little mysterious, and it’s nice to have the audience come up with backstories on their own. Having said that, I personally think Max was more than just a friend to Gus. I think they probably were lovers. And therefore it was understandably a very crushing, terrible loss for Gus, one that he would never forget. That one bit of emotion that he allowed himself ultimately proved to be his undoing. - Vince Gilligan on Gus.

http://www.ew.com/article/2011/12/18/breaking-bad-vince-gilligan-season-finale

I doubt we will get much of Gus' backstory. I rather hope we won't. I have a head canon as to what he was up to prior to the events of Breaking Bad, like many I believe he was involved in the Pinochet regime. In my mind his father was a gringo who moved to Chile at the time Allende was overthrown and got mixed up in the coup and the following atrocities (it would explain Gus' awful Spanish if he was actually from the US.) But somehow I feel like getting too deep into a tyrannical dictatorship on Better Call Saul would be a bit heavy.

I doubt he has a wife or children, it just made him look more reputable business man. Or who knows, but I do think he and Max probably were indeed lovers. I don't expect BCS to go deeper into this, since I assume Max was already dead by the BCS timeline.

Do you even know what honor is?
- A horse.

[–] ErgonomicSpliff 8 years ago

I don't expect BCS to go deeper into this, since I assume Max was already dead by the BCS timeline.

Indeed. Max was killed by Hector Salamanca quite some time before the primary events of BCS. Late 1980's-early 1990's.

[–] InglouriousSister 8 years ago

Thanks! I didn't remember at all when the whole cartel killing Max incident happened. Although since that was when Gus was still living in Mexico yeah it must indeed have been at least a decade before BCS.

Do you even know what honor is?
- A horse.

[–] supermancalculatorruler 8 years ago

Maxed was killed in '89, in that one flashback. That being said, I'd be surprised if we didn't get a flashback into Gus' past, back in Chili. We better , anyways.

[–] Moonlighty 8 years ago

I'd be surprised if we didn't get a flashback into Gus' past, back in Chili.

I couldn't help laughing. Mmm chili.

-
Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that I'll be over here looking through your stuff.

[–] darogr 8 years ago

I think people are putting way to much into this. Why couldn't Gus and Max be literally brothers as indicated in the business name Pollos Hermanos? One was darker and one was lighter which is not unheard of or maybe they were half-brothers. I think it makes more sense that they were brothers than that they were a gay couple operating a chicken business in 1980's/1990's Mexico. The Mexican Mafia would have most certainly known and probably just killed them both in a dark alley and stolen the chicken recipe.

[–] InglouriousSister 8 years ago

Apart from the show's creator saying he thought they were probably lovers?

I'm not saying they were out and proud happily gay married. Them being brothers, well, it doesn't fit my head canon of Gus at all - because I maintain that if they even wanted Gus to actually be Chilean they would have hired an actor who didn't speak Spanish like a gringo on a Spring Break in Cancun. I always assumed his father was some US citizen who lived in Chile because he worked for the Pinochet regime. I'm aware that is just my own theory on Gus' past, but I also think this is why Breaking Bad never established a tight backstory for Gus, they wanted everyone to be able to draw their own conclusions.

Also, quite a lot is known about Max's past (for example where he studied in Santiago) whereas didn't Hank (or someone) say that no one could even ascertain if Gus had ever lived in Chile since there were no records of him even existing before his move to Mexico? If they knew so much about his actual brother, you'd think some records of Gus would survive as well.

Do you even know what honor is?
- A horse.

[–] darogr 8 years ago

I'm not aware of the show's creator saying he thought they were probably lovers. I heard that the actor felt maybe Gus was bisexual, but that's all I have ever heard. I just don't see Gilligan/Gould going that route, they don't touch anything "gay", but maybe they will.

[–] InglouriousSister 8 years ago

My post you were responding to had the exact quote from Gilligan, and the source linked. I doubt Gilligan has any issue "touching anything gay", well I would hope he doesn't. I always imagined Gus and Max as lovers but of course everyone interprets things how they like.

Do you even know what honor is?
- A horse.

[–] darogr 8 years ago

I do apologize for missing your source. I just don't see them ever going with a gay backstory line for Gus and Max, but one never knows. They have never had a gay character or story line up to now. Maybe they will. It would be something different anyway.

[–] InglouriousSister 8 years ago

I'm not sure if I want more Gus storyline or not... I'm afraid it would totally trash my head canon.  I like him a bit mysterious. I wouldn't mind seeing more of how he and Max got started but I didn't much like how Esposito was styled when they tried to make him look younger (since I assume he was supposed to be in his late-20s in those scenes) in Breaking Bad, and now half a decade later it would be even more difficult. Esposito is almost 60 and although I do think he looks younger than his age (in Breaking Bad I thought he was a good decade younger than Cranston at least, not almost the same age), passing him off as someone in his 20s/30s would be a bit too much.

I rewatched the Hermanos scene, and I don't think they even try to act like brothers. Even Max says about Gus "he's like a brother to me". Also, Hector does insinuate they're gay (when he's being all disgusting and peeing in the pool and saying something like Gus and Max "like what they see" or something) so maybe it was a common rumor that they were lovers, and the Cartel used it to make them uncomfortable (the Cartel seemed pretty fond of machismo.)

Anyways, the wife and kids thing seemed like something Gus would use to appeal to Walt. The house to me just doesn't look like there's an actual child living there.

Do you even know what honor is?
- A horse.

[–] darogr 8 years ago

I am also one of the few not that excited or sure about the whole "FRINGS BACK" thing. Then, I would like to see the show go an entirely different direction altogether, with either focus on Gene at the Cinnabon, or Saul and the ABQ Underworld.

Giancarlo Esposito looks great for his age. I hope they don't try to go back to the 80s or 90s with the character's backstory though, at least not with Esposito playing the role.

[–] UneedaMedicalSupply 8 years ago

One of the scenes left to interpretation during the BB run was when Walt visited Gus at his home and they had dinner together... there was a brief shot of children's toys strewn about in the living room. It implied he had a family, yet no wife or children were ever present, and we were never given an explanation. So I always imagined that either a) He is gay and the toys were just a smokescreen for anyone stopping by his home, and part of his whole "family man" facade, or b) He actually did have a family, it didn't work out or some tragedy occurred, and he kept the toys around because he can't let go.

It will be interesting to see if we get answers next season on BCS.

[–] darogr 8 years ago

I would bet $ that Gilligan/Gould are not going to go anywhere near anything "gay". I think Gus had a wife and children, we just never saw them on screen. BCS may be a good opportunity to introduce them.