Julius' fatherly relationship to the Boss and his sudden betrayal seem like they came out of nowhere. However, it makes sense once you realize Julius had been captured by the cops and they had him dead to rights. All of the stuff about cleaning up Saints Row was just justification for the fact that he was always in it for himself. It's further backed up by the fact Julius is taking over the Colombian drug trade after the Carnales are wiped out, when the Vice Kings consider it a Moral Event Horizon.
Shaundi gets a bit of flak for being a poor fighter and for her incompetence during the Sons of Samedi arc that nearly gets her killed. However, if you think about it, this is because she is constantly stoned and shagged out. A lot of jokes are made about the ridiculous amount of boyfriends she's had and more about her being baked. As shown in the same arc, when the Boss is drugged, they can't fight well either.
When speaking to Jane Valderamma before starting a Mayhem, she claims that one Zach Johnson is stealing her spotlight, being a "nut-job lawyer who gets hard at the idea of a lawsuit". She goes on to state that he's "been crusading against media he deems to be offensive" and that he "makes a big enough ass out of himself that whenever he pulls some stunt, people listen". When the Protagonist asks her if he has a lot of support, she responds "Not really". Now let's stop and think: Who does this sound like? Need a hint? The name rhymes with someone... The question is... who? It'sJack Thompson.
In addition to using the same colors as the three Stilwater gangs, the lyrics to the song "Karma Chameleon" also reference the plot between the Ultor Corporation and the Third Street Saints. "Lovin' would be easy if your colors were like my dreams: Red, gold and green". Ultor's takeover of Stilwater would've gone off without a hitch if the Saints had been as easy to control and to defeat as the Brotherhood, Ronin, and Sons of Samedi.
If you listen to the dialogue surrounding it, Johnny Gat's trial isn't to convict him. He was already convicted and sentenced to death. This was an appeal hearing to correct the number of murders he should've been executed for, using an argument that he should've known would never fly in any court, no matter how corrupt. What in the hell was Gat doing? Engineering his own rescue. Johnny knows Boss won't stay in jail, and that their escape would trigger a prison lockdown and make it more difficult for Boss to rescue Johnny before he got the chair. A little off-the-books lawyering from Legal Lee got Johnny an appeal, which moved him to the less-secure courthouse. And then Lee leaked the story to the press. Now all Johnny has to do is stall long enough for Boss to see the round-the-clock news coverage of the trial and come bail him out.
The Sons of Samedi are the only rival gang that are not directly in Ultor's pockets. Fitting, considering that the gang mostly operates through the drug industry rather than racketeering, aren't as organized as the other three gangs, are already implied to be making enough money through their own Loa Dust distribution and Veteran Child's DJing, and that The General and Mr. Sunshine prefer to get their hands dirty in comparison to Shogo and Maero. They're mainly held in check by the other two gangs rather than any orders on Ultor's part, which suits Vogel's objectives just fine.
When you think about it, Mr. Sunshine sending the junkies to steal drugs from the Saints was a pretty clever Xanatos Gambit. The junkies are fully devoted to getting their drugs, and will kill or die for them. Which means the Saints will have to either kill their most dedicated customer base or lose their product and a good deal of business (as the junkies will have pretty much everything they need). Considering that they can't really earn money through the dead-beat Brotherhood, and the protected cash of the Ronin, it could very well have stopped the Saints in their tracks.
Can cross into Fridge Humor, but do you know what you get upon completing both Instances of Septic Avenger? A discount in food items and improved weapons accuracy. Consider the fact that some of your targets were likely not only people that were eating at, say, Freckle Bitch'snote The Saints Row equivalent of Wendy's, but the sewage also blinded them and ruined their appetite. Living in Stilwater sure is rough.
