Breaking bad didn’t fully explain why Gus killed Victor instead of Walt and Jesse at the start of season 4, and the answer reveals a lot about the formidable villain. Victor (Jeremia Bitsui) served as Gustav Fring’s (Giancarlo Esposito) henchman when the character made his series debut in Breaking bad Season 2. As Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), Victor was a violent enforcer of Gus’ drug empire and made sure everything went smoothly for his boss. Unfortunately for Breaking badVictor, Gus – the man he worked for and trusted with his life – ends his neck.
There is no shortage of murder and unexpected moments in breaking bad, And Gus Fring is the cause of much of it. However, that didn’t make street killing Victor in Season 4 Episode 1, “Box Cutter,” any less shocking. Breaking badThe box-boat scene with Gus and Victor is remembered for its visceral display of violence. However, this only really scratches the surface of the real meaning behind why Gus killed Victor. When you look back on the scene, it stands out as a defining moment for Gus Fring and cements him as the greatest villain in the world. Breaking bad Universe.
Why Victor was killed in Breaking Bad
Gus has shown that no loyalty makes mistakes
Gus kills Victor in Breaking bad is even more chilling given their history. As revealed in the prequel series, Better call Saul, Victor worked for Gus long before the events of Breaking bad. In season 3, Victor watched over the Met Superlab where Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse worked as part of Gus’ operation. When Gale Boetticher (David Costabile), another chemist, was introduced to the establishment, Walt worried that he would be killed and replaced with the newcomer.
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Walt devised a plan to kill Gale, making him the only person to lead the meth cooking, but Jesse wound up doing the dirty work. Jesse shot and killed Gale in his apartment before Victor arrived to stop him. in the Breaking bad Season 4 premiere, “Box Cutter,” Walt and Jesse are held hostage so that Gus can punish them for their actions. While waiting for Gus to arrive at the lab, Victor cooks his own batch of meth to prove that he learned Walter White’s meth formula.
Rather than target Walt and Jesse, Gus enters and cuts Victor’s throat with a box cutter before telling his employees to get back to work. Gus was unhappy with the fact that Victor was spotted at the scene of Gale’s murder by neighbors.Essentially putting the entire operation at risk. Ultimately, however, Gus killing Victor, his longtime ally, has a deeper meaning. As with everything Gus Fring does, it was a cold, calculated move.
Gus sent a message to Walt and Jesse by killing Victor
Victor’s death showed just how dangerous the street really was
Why did Gus kill Victor with such brutality? Although Gus did not directly threaten Walt or Jesse after Victor’s Breaking bad He didn’t have to execute anymore. The real reason Gus killed Victor in such a way is that it sends a crystal clear message to the two men: If they put the operation at risk, then Gus wouldn’t hesitate to kill one of them either.
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Although Jesse was the one to pull the trigger and kill Gale, Victor clumsily and needlessly allowed himself to be connected to the murder. Gus’ decision to kill his old ally was justified in his mind when he saw a composite sketch of Victor hanging in a police station later that season. Others may have learned to cook meth at potentially the same level as Walt and Jesse, but Gus was aware that they had the highest quality of the product.
This is another reason why Gus killed Victor instead of Jesse: Walt and Jesse’s partnership made them critical to the operation in Gustav’s eyes. in Breaking bad Season 5, Victor’s death was mentioned by Walt while talking to Jesse. He said Gus killed Victor because he “flew too close to the sun” and that greed caught Gus’ attention. In hindsight, Gus probably should have put more thought into taking Walt and Jesse out of the equation.
The box cutter breaking bad episode was almost unplanned
Victor’s brutal death in Breaking Bad was a last-minute decision
Breaking bad Showrunner Vince Gilligan has always been open about the creative process behind the show. An amazing behind-the-scenes reveal about Breaking bad Season 4 of Gilligan came in 2011. spoke to AV Club, Vince Gilligan explained that the infamous box cutter episode – and Gus killing Victor – wasn’t planned until season 4 was already in production.
“[Season 4] It was a little closer to the way we broke up season three, which is to say we knew we had a little bit of drama between Walt and Gustavo, we knew we had all the ingredients for a major game of chess, as it were. . But just like the chess game would have played out, we didn’t get it at the beginning of the season.”
It wasn’t just the moment itself that evolved naturally during the creative process, but many of the directorial decisions for how Gus murdered Victor were almost impromptu as well. Vince Gilligan was particularly particular about the sound design for the scene – a choice that was remarkably made in the moment, considering how sharp the effect was. As Gilligan revealed:
“It’s a very quiet scene, and yet what’s interesting about it is that it’s only quiet on one side of the equation. Walt actually talks wall to wall throughout the scene, like he’s basically pleading for his life and then toward the end Pray for his life. People remember that as a very quiet scene, but there’s a lot of dialogue.”
Notably, while entire sections of Walter White’s dialogue were removed and Gus was left with almost nothing, the impact was heightened. Gilligan has several theories about why it worked so well:
“You really have two choices in a scene like that: either the guy is screaming and ranting, and in a way that diffuses the tension – lets the air out of the balloon, dramatically – or you have a guy who gives you nothing, which is very Hard. To read and yet who puts on a raincoat. And that in itself, his act of putting on the rain jacket, speaks volumes. We felt like that was a more dramatic way to go.”
Gus Killing Arturo in Better Call Saul shows a consistent approach to murder
The breaking bad spinoff establishes how brutal street has always been
in Better call Saul Season 4, the spinoff dives deeper into Breaking bad territory through several revelations, Including how Gustav Fring has always used murder to control people he would rather keep alive. Back in Better call Saul Season 3, Nacho plots to take over Hector’s position in the Salamanca drug operation by switching Hector’s medication with fake placebo capsules, causing Hector to have a stroke.
Although the cartel bosses assign Nacho and Arturo to replace Hector, Gus gets Victor to follow and investigate the two. in Better call Saul Season 4, Episode 2 “Breathe,” Gus confirms that Nacho is responsible for Hector’s stroke. When Nacho and Arturo strong-arm to get more drugs than they’re supposed to from Gus’ facility, Gus ambushes them and suffocates and kills Arturo with a plastic bag.
While Victor and Tyrus make Arturo’s death look like a gang murder, Gus informs Nacho that he is aware of how Nacho put Hector Salamanca in a wheelchair, but that the Salamancas do not. Similar to what Gus killed Victor in Breaking badGus killed Artois in Better call Saul To exercise full control over Nacho, which is more useful for him alive.
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Better call Sauls insight into Gustav Fring paints a truly horrifying figure – one that Eri kills not just as a form of punishment, but as a threat of punishment yet to come. While Victor S Breaking bad Execution was very different from Arturo’s death in Better call SaulThey discover Gus’ pattern of using brutal deaths to keep his men in line. Furthermore, Gus telling Nacho that Hector wasn’t supposed to die still reveals how much thought Gus has put into his long-term plans.
Gus Murdering Victor has more context thanks to Lalo
Lalo’s death proved just how brutal Gus Fring is
Breaking badVictor execution is even better after Gus killed Lalo in Better call SaulWhich shows that despite Gus’ facade of level-headedness and respectability, he was always the most dangerous person in his crew. Aside from making Victor look even smaller compared to the rest of Gus’ hit list, how Gus outsmarted Lalo Salamanca’s guerrilla-like tactics further Contextualizes how he can kill so quickly and without hesitation.
In many ways, Lalo was crucial to keeping Gus grounded. Beneath Lalo’s chaotic and charismatic exterior lies a level of methodical thinking that rivals even Gus, and only differs because of Lalo’s inherent hubris. After learning, dealing with and removing the horror villain that is Better call Sauls Lalo Salamanca, Gus was smarter for the experience. Just as Gus killed Lalo, Killing Victor in Breaking bad was the easiest and fastest way for Gus to ensure what was best for himself and the organization.
Street killing Victor is still his most brutal moment
Even compared to everything else he did, the Boxcutter episode was brutal
Better call Saul Continued to explore Gus Fring as a character, adding new elements to him and even giving a deeper understanding of his life outside the drug empire. While the prequel show also featured more examples of Gus’ cruelty and brutality, such as with his defeat of Lalo and the murder of Arturo, Street killing Victor remains his most shocking act. One of Gus Fring’s best qualities is his ability to hide in plain sight, and it causes a lot of people to underestimate him.
Although it was clear that he did not rise to power without resorting to violence when necessary, Gus killing Victor is a chilling moment that shows the rage and cold-bloodedness that hides under the unassuming persona he adopts. Once he executed Victor in this fashion, the mask was removed and the audience would never look at Gus the same way again. Although he still did shocking things Breaking bad And Better call Saul After Victor’s murder, it felt less impressive because the viewers now knew exactly what Gus was capable of.
This moment perfectly encapsulates Gus Fring
Victor’s death shows Gus’ strengths and weaknesses
At the time of Gus Fring dies on Breaking badHe established himself as the show’s best antagonist to go against Walter White. However, Victor’s death may have been the moment that truly cemented this reputation and it serves as a perfect display of everything that made the character so effective. It talks about his approach to business, the danger he presents, and his desire for revenge, which eventually leads to his downfall.
Gus was someone who operated in plain sight for so long because of his ability to keep a level head. He does not like to associate with unpredictable people or introduce an element of chaos into his business. It makes him an outlier in the drug world and vastly different from a loose canon like Tuco Salamanca. Even when killing someone is necessary, Gus goes about it in a practical and unemotional way, thinking about the mess and the best means to carry out the deed. His calmness makes the moment even more chilling.
Victor is one of the few people Gus is shown to personally kill in the series, choosing to get others to do his dirty work. however, This particular murder shows the determination he had when his mind was made up. Walter White has shown a brilliant ability to lie and talk his way out of many situations. However, as Walt is spending the entire scene talking, Gus is preparing for the inevitable. He enters the room knowing what he is going to do and immediately prepares for it. These are not words that will dissuade him.
However, this scene also shows Gus’ weakness. As much as he doesn’t show any emotion at the moment, he is clearly angry. Even if Victor was seen in Gale’s apartment, he didn’t need to kill him and could have found a solution. He wanted to scare Walt and Jesse, but he was also angry. He simply took out his anger on Victor because he was the one he could kill. Although it may not seem like it, Gus lost control in that moment and Walt recognized his anger as a flaw, exploiting it later in Breaking bad.