photo: amc
Hermanos
Original Air Date: Sep 4, 2011
MjL – TwoCents Reviewer
MjL@thetwocentscorp.com
Walt has been under Gus’ thumb for a while now. Gus gives Walt no slack and makes its impossible for Walt to get the upper hand. It’s been said that there’s no honor among thieves, but can there be something like it among drug dealers? Based on past actions, you might think that Gus considered Walt a brother in the industry he controls. After all, Gus did prevent the brother assassins from killing Walt as retribution for Tuco’s death.
Hermanos means brothers in Spanish, but in Albuquerque this week it means so much more.
As we recall, Hank became the brother assassins’ target as an acceptable replacement to Walt, only to fail in carrying out their retribution when Hank gets a tip before the ambush. The tip that cost the two brothers their lives came from Gus he reminds their decrepit Uncle Hector as an act of blood for blood. So what blood could have been lost by Gus? It would seem that Walt has cost Gus more blood than Hector, right?
Well, Walt seems contained at the moment. This becomes fairly humorous when he delivers his live your own life speech to another cancer sufferer, then later quietly continues his labors for Gus under a watchful eye. That watchful eye then receives a request for an interview from the DEA’s office.
Hank, his partner, his boss and the homicide detective that brought him in on Gale’s case proceed to get Gus connection. Gus calmly and politely responds with their history together. The only thing that throws off Gus’ composure (ever so slightly mind you) is Hank’s question regarding Gus’ Chilean roots. Only Hank is not convinced by Gus’ testimony after all is discussed.
Gus then recruits Walt to help obtain more evidence, only Walt doesn’t know he’s recruited until it’s too late. The too late part is the moment Walt sees Mike pull up next to the Aztek indicating Gus is aware of the it as well. Walt takes a GPS tracker and hides it on Gus’ car, but only after Gus gives permission.
Walt then heads to the lab and pleads to the camera to leave the situation to him, where he will solve the problem without exposure of the truth or the need for blood shed. After he heads to Jesse for a progress report on his mission. He tries to get Jesse to expedite the assassination, but realizes from a text he sneaks a peek at that he might be on his own to get rid of Gus.
Gus, on the other hand, is calculating how to handle the cartel’s aggressive acts along with Hank’s nosing around. Mike assures him that Hank is treading of fine line of legality and it could possibly be his own undoing, but any crossover of the two situations can cause a greater problem. Gus takes Mike’s advice, hides the GPS tracker and then goes to Uncle Hector a visit.
Gus gets Hector up to date in a gloating manner (much in the same way I do for you). Up to this episode, we are given a small glimpse of Hector. It’s appeared that he’s a stand-up old-time criminal with honor and pride, crippled by the years. However, impressions change quickly once Gus leans in and whispers, “Is today the day, Hector?”
Back in the day, Hector seemed to be an enforcer of sorts for the Mexican cartel when a young entrepreneurial Gus first met him. Gus and his partner were gaining ground with their restaurant Pollos Hermanos and caught the attention of the cartel with the meth samples they gave to the bosses’ men they handed out from the restaurant. They did this to try to get a meeting to develop a partnership with the cartel. Unfortunately, the machismo of the boss and his men could not be satiated until blood spilled. They felt wronged and as punishment Hector put a bullet into the head of Gus’ partner, the cook, and forces Gus to watch him die.
There was no amount of pleading that was going to save them from the permeating arrogance the cartel had towards the upstart meth business. Hector was the cause of Gus’ steel demeanor, but the incident sheds light on a key piece of Gus’ values. Gus respects loyalty. When he sees it, he embraces the exhibitor like Jesse the last few weeks and tries to mold it into his own construct. Well, that’s what I see at least.
So what’s been happening with Jesse? Well, he’s been taking care of the family so to say. He is supporting Andrea and her boy (from earlier in the season as well as last), and Saul is tasked as the liaison for the situation. It seems like Jesse still does not feel like he’s good enough to have someone in his life yet. Poor Jesse. And poor Skyler.
She continues to try find ways to deal with Walt’s income – this week is Space Bags and crawl space.
So does anyone now have sympathy for Gus after learning what we did? The calculated attention to detail and restraint of almost any emotion all derived from one tragic meeting with Hector and his boss. We get a bit of satisfaction knowing that Hector’s witnessing his family disintegrate at the hands of Walt and Gus, while being imprisoned in a form that prevents him from doing anything more than drool with rage. Brother Karma makes a cameo.
What will Walt do in his quest to rid himself of Gus’ shackles now that it appears he’s by himself? Can Gus keep all his problems segregated? Where does Gus’ sense of brotherhood stop with Walt and Jesse? Let me know below.
Next Week: Bug
photo: amc
TheTwoCents 
Bloodshed is one word in the context in which you used it.
Whoops, my mistake, as it seems I forget an article. I meant I wanted a shed completely filled with blood. That was my context, but thanks for reading and leaving a comment.