Sabrosito
Written by Jonathan Glatzer
Directed by Thomas Schnauz
Air date: May 1st, 2017
"Mine is a cartel business... but it is mine... and it is legitimate."
"Nice to fix something for once."
— Mike Ehrmantrout
In Don Eladio's hacienda sometime in 1998, Hector presents his profits from his drug running, introducing his mule and gifting the Don a bobblehead of his Eladio-inspired ice cream shop's mascot, "Sabrosito." Juan Bolsa arrives with a Los Pollos Hermanos shirt – and far, far more money than Hector, neatly wrapped in plastic sheeting. Eladio jests over his newcomer's success: Gus clearly has more favor than an envious Hector.
In the present day, Mike checks with Stacy as he watches El Griego Guiñador get raided by the DEA. She thanks him for buying a house in a safer neighborhood and invites him for dinner. Mike is unable to hide his worries from them.
Hector responds by walking into Los Pollos Hermanos with Nacho and Arturo, intimidating employee and customer alike. Nacho silently implores Arturo to let the customers go as Hector helps himself to soda and his cigars. Gus arrives from a fire station visit to find his customers gone and his employees held hostage. He sends them home and puts on an affable smile when he finds Hector in his office. "Mine is a cartel business," Gus accedes, but firmly states that Hector's actions have endangered civilians and risked exposing their business. "I am the cartel," Hector replies, and gives his demand: Gus must now transport his product across the border, concerns and cartel approval be damned. When Hector and his men leave, Gus begins cleaning his restaurant, playfully throwing some tinfoil away to celebrate the success of his plan.
Victor drives to Mike's booth with his payment for the job, but Mike throws it back through his window as he is leaving. As far as he's concerned, he and Gus are square.
The following morning, Gus compliments his employees on their handling of the situation and "explains" what happened: Hector and his men were shakedown artists that he had no choice but to pay off when he was getting started in Mexico, who fled across the border when they saw he wasn't going to concede. "Here, the righteous have no reason to fear," he patriotically states, as he promises them benefits and counseling to win their support.
Kim and Jimmy learn that Chuck has hired a repairman to fix his door after Jimmy broke it down. Sensing opportunity, Kim scans the phonebook to find the company he called and cancels the appointment, while Jimmy hires Mike to pose as the appointed repairman. Mike drives Chuck away with his drill and takes pictures of the house's interior. He passes them onto Jimmy the next day, along with "the other thing" he copied from Chuck's address book. He doesn't disclose his opinion of Chuck when Jimmy prods, though he admits that it was "nice to fix something for once."
That night, Gus visits Mike directly at his parking booth and asks why he refused his payment. Mike responds he wasn't doing it for him. "Perhaps you were trying to correct something which cannot be corrected," Gus observes when he figures that Mike is referring to the Good Samaritan Hector killed. Mike claims that he got the Salamancas out of his system and that he'd rather not work for a drug lord. Gus offers regardless, and sadistically reveals why he stopped Mike from killing Hector: a bullet is too merciful.
Jimmy and Kim meet with Howard, Chuck and Kyra Hay over the proposed PPD. They discuss Jimmy avoiding stating he destroyed the tape in his confession and a check for the restitution over the door, desk and – courtesy of a petty Chuck – the tape itself. Hay finds Jimmy's confession unremorseful and compels him to apologize directly to Chuck to finalize the PPD, which Jimmy does: "...no one should treat their own brother like that. Not ever." Jimmy storms out of the meeting while Kim tells Chuck and Howard that she will move to suppress the tape, assuming there's a duplicate. Chuck confirms it, but claims Jimmy destroyed the duplicate: regardless, a version of the tape will be played, as standard of proof is low at bar hearings. "Bingo," Kim tells Jimmy.
Tropes in this episode
- All According to Plan:
- Gus is told by Hector that Los Pollos Hermanos trucks will now be used to transport drugs across the border, and he has no say in the matter. From the smile on Gus' face after Hector leaves, he has no objection to this whatsoever, because this was his plan all along.
- Kim tells Howard and Chuck that a motion to suppress the tape will be put before the bar association. Chuck retorts, after confirming that a duplicate was destroyed by Jimmy and the original still exists, that the bar association's standards of proof are more lenient than a court of law and the tape will be played. After meeting with Jimmy she says "Bingo" as this seems to be the preferred outcome.
- Batman Gambit: We don't know what angle they are playing at yet, but from Kim's "Bingo", Chuck and Howard are acting exactly how she and Jimmy want them to.
- Benevolent Boss: Gus compliments his employees on how they handled the Hector situation and promises to give them compensation and counseling for the distress of the previous day's events.
- Best Served Cold: We learn that Gus prevented Mike from killing Hector in a previous episode because a bullet to the head would be too humane.
- Briar Patching:
- Kim ensures the tape gets played to the bar association by telling Howard and Chuck that she will be filing a motion to suppress.
- Hector takes Los Pollos Hermanos hostage, and intimidates Gus into taking on Hector's drugs now that Hector's business has been compromised, not realizing that Gus had intentionally had Mike sabotage his operation with this goal in mind.
- Call-Forward:
- Mike's method of refusing Gus' payment? Chucking the bag through Victor's car window.
- After Juan Bolsa embarrasses Hector in front of Don Eladio by bringing Gus's bigger profits in, Hector looks uneasily down into Eladio's pool. Anyone who's watched Breaking Bad will know what that pool means to Hector and Gus.
- This won't be the first time that someone from the Salamancas wait inside Gus' restaurant to speak with him.
- The fire station Gus is visiting is the same one Walter White will eventually leave Holly inside.
- Consummate Professional: Mike, true to his "I had a job, and I did it" attitude, simply remains silent when Jimmy tries to goad him for his opinion on Chuck after having met him and seen his eccentricities first-hand.
- Crowd Panic: A bit downplayed, but every customer in Los Pollos Hermanos becomes terrified and desperate to leave when they notice Hector bullying Lyle, and Nacho and Arturo stationed at the doors to the restaurant.
- A Day in the Limelight: This episode is more heavily focused on Gus and Mike, with Jimmy being completely absent in the first half of the episode.
- Death Glare: Gus conducts himself carefully around Hector, but he gives the glare to both Nacho and Arturo.
- Death or Glory Attack: Jimmy and Kim's new angle. They appear to be going down the pre-prosecution diversion route, knowing that this will lead to a hearing before the Bar Association, which is filled full of Chuck's cronies. Between ensuring the tape gets played (by telling Howard and Chuck there will be a motion to suppress) and Mike getting pictures of Chuck's house and state of mind, they seem to be going for an outcome where Chuck's reputation ends up in the toilet and Jimmy retains his lawyer status with no jail time. Of course, if it fails then the conditions of the PPD may be violated (there is likely to be a 'don't harass Chuck' clause in there) and Jimmy will end up both jailed and disbarred. And we already have an inkling as to what happens.
- Double Entendre: As if the visual contrast between Gus' and Hector's tributes wasn't obvious (and painful to Hector) enough, Don Eladio rubs it in by proclaiming that: "Gus' bigger than yours, but yours is cute. Isn't "cute" good enough for you?"
- Double Speak: Ms. Hay, the outside prosecutor, obliges Jimmy to personally apologize to Chuck after signing off on the diversionary agreement. Jimmy does apologize to Chuck, and acknowledges that he had no right to break into Chuck's residence, threaten Chuck, and damage Chuck's cassette tape. He also acknowledges that no one should treat his own brother like that. But the way Jimmy looks at Chuck, and the tone he speaks in, it's obvious that he's just as much telling Chuck that he had no right to pull on his heartstrings to trick him into a recorded confession, and no right to constantly try to sabotage his legal career behind his back.
- Do Wrong, Right: Gus asks Mike if he wants to know why he was stopped from sniping Hector. Mike repeats that it "wasn't in your interest", and Gus clarifies what he meant by that:Gus: A bullet to the head would have been far too humane.
- Dramatic Irony: Although Jimmy was being forced to directly apologize to Chuck, one line makes it clear what Jimmy's true feelings are:Jimmy: No one should have to do that to their own brother.
- Eagleland: Invoked by Gus who tells his employees that he refused to be extorted because this is America where the righteous do not have to fear thugs like that.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- Defied; Although they had a minimalist interaction, Mike has nothing to say about Chuck, much to Jimmy's minor annoyance. Though Word of God states that Mike secretly does dislike Chuck for being so terrible to Jimmy, but refuses to indulge in it out of a sense of professionalism.
- When Arturo blocks a mother with a child from leaving Los Pollos Hermanos, Nacho signals him to let them walk away. All customers are eventually allowed to leave.
- Evil Is Petty:
- Don Eladio blatantly stokes Hector's rivalry against Juan Bolsa and Gus by humiliating him at every turn during the tradeoff, from refusing Hector's offer of a hug in favor of a handshake (while embracing Bolsa), to joking that the mascot designed as a tribute to him is insultingly fat, to mocking Hector's take as inadequate and even preferring the way Gus's money is packaged ("no màs ligas"). As he walks away, he puts on the Los Pollos Hermanos shirt so the logo on his back is the last Hector sees of him, letting him stew in his failure.
- Everything about Hector's visit to Los Pollos Hermanos is delightfully rude. Smoking a cigar indoors while not only acknowledging, but mocking the no-smoking sign? Going behind the counter to grab a cup and pour himself some Diet Coke? Waiting in Gus' chair, filling the office with cigar smoke, and putting his feet up just as he sees Gus arrive, then using Gus' pen to scrape dogshit off his shoe while talking to him? Petty to the umpteenth degree.
- Even after Jimmy is required to look him in the eye, apologize and pay for the damage he caused to the door and desk, Chuck insists on upping the bill by a couple of dollars just to cover the cost of the tape Jimmy destroyed; this serves a double purpose, since it helps Chuck get the existence of the cassette tape on the record after his first try turned into "destroyed a personal possession" and Jimmy deliberately avoided mentioning it in his apology. However, this backfires as it's raised by the very specific sum of $2.98, suggesting a combination of two items as prices usually end with 49 or 99 cents — thus, two cassette tapes, giving solid evidence that a duplicate exists.
- Failure Gambit: Hector, now deprived of his front following Mike's sabotage, forces Gus to supply his method of transporting product, refusing any objections and trying to bully him into accepting. Gus merely pretends to protest, as this means the cartel will be reliant on his methods from now on.
- Faux Affably Evil: A deleted scene in the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant has Hector interacting with the customers in a seemingly friendly fashion, but it amounts to Hector bullying them and enjoying it underneath a very transparent veneer.
- Foreshadowing:
- Hector thinks he's going to really impress Don Eladio with his bag of rubber banded rolls of cash. He's upstaged when Juan Bolsa brings three bags of neatly plastic packaged cash, courtesy of Gus Fring. Don Eladio is so impressed he now requires Hector to package his money the same way. It won't be the last time Hector gets shown up by Gus, and with the result that The Don will require him to follow Gus' better way of doing things.
- Hector is fuming and not wanting to join Eladio and Bolsa for lunch. Bolsa warns him not to insult The Don, and again it won't be the last time.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Hector clearly isn't happy that Gus made more money than him, and that Gus has won the favor of Don Eladio as a result.
- "Hell, Yes!" Moment: Gus cleans up after Hector has left the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant. He crumples up a food wrapping and places it in a distant garbage bin with an overhand throw similar to a basketball player scoring a field goal. His face takes on a smug smirk in the knowledge that Hector has taken his bait and fallen in with his plans without even realizing it.
- Hidden Depths: While it's not impossible for an ex-cop to know how to hang a door on a doorframe as well as repair said doorframe, it's still a surprise Mike can do it well enough to pass as a repair company employee.
- I Am the Noun: Hector says "I am the cartel" while sitting in Gus's office.
- Insulted Awake: Kaylee wakes up when her mother brings ice cream to the living room.
- Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: Mike is hired by Jimmy and Kim to sneak into Chuck's house posing as a repairman and get photographs about his mental health condition.
- My New Gift Is Lame: In addition to the rather small take from El Griego Guiñador, Hector gives Don Eladio a bobblehead of the mascot inspired by him, immediately realizing it's not being taken as a compliment when Eladio passive-aggressively needles him over how "gordito" it is. Bolsa then shows up with a LPH T-shirt and a massive monthly cash haul, making Hector's gift look pathetic by comparison.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Mike, who shows up at Chuck's doorstep pretending to be an aloof repairman. Chuck left specific instructions to not bring any power tools due to not using electricity in his house, which Mike pretends to have adhered to by showing that he brought his cordless electric drill.
- Pet the Dog:
- Though it's more Condescending Compassion than anything, Hector doesn't seem to hold a grudge against Gus's assistant manager Lyle, knowing the kid has no idea who Hector really is and is just trying to politely but firmly explain the rules to what he thinks is an obstinate old man causing trouble. He even gives him a patronizing little back-pat as if to say "yeah, good job, but don't stand in my way".
- When a mother and her child try to leave the restaurant, Arturo steps in front to block their path. Nacho softly shakes his head from across the room, and Arturo, getting the signal, lets them pass.
- Although Jimmy had Mike be Chuck's repairman as to get incriminating photos, he still wants to know if Mike actually did the repairs.
- Subverted since Jimmy is asking if Mike covered his tracks well enough to avoid arousing Chuck's suspicion through a bad repair, especially if Chuck calls the repair company and they confirm their visit was cancelled, rather than for his safety and even try to have Mike badmouths his brother.
- Played straight with Mike's feelings on doing the job. He comments that it was actually "nice to fix something for once", and in his next scene, he's reading a magazine for handyman work.
- Gus praises his employees for their conduct, promises them compensation in the form of twenty-four hours' worth of overtime for the distress caused by Hector holding them hostage, and offers counseling to anyone who needs it.
- Plausible Deniability: Hector and his goons making a public scene at Los Pollos Hermanos has everyone working at the place shaken, Lyle especially. When he asks who they were (and by extension, what happened and why), Gus says they were thugs extorting him for money and did the same to him a long time ago. He then claims that he scared them off by standing up to them, motivated by the fact that they had no power across the border.
- The Reveal: Why did Gus stop Mike from killing Hector? "A bullet to the head would've been too humane."
- Reverse Psychology:
- In order to reinforce Hector's decision to use Gus' trucks, Gus feigns objections by claiming it can't be done and that Hector should decide against it. Hector simply doubles down, unknowingly doing as Gus wants.
- Kim and Jimmy carefully write the statement to the bar hearing to downplay the existence of the cassette tape. Chuck and Howard draw more focus to it so the cassette tape and the duplicate is on the record, later adding it to Jimmy's payment for damages.
- After the meeting, Kim meets with Chuck and Howard to protest the admission of tape into evidence and to express how she's intending on preventing the tape from coming into play. Chuck not only admits that there's a duplicate cassette tape, but also says that it will be played regardless of any motions she can file. When she gets back to Jimmy, she signals that everything is going as they're expecting.
- Rousing Speech: Gus gives one to his employees to motivate them after Hector's extortion visit.
- Saying Too Much: Kim trips Chuck up by tricking him into admitting that Jimmy only destroyed a duplicate tape and that the actual one is still intact.
- Spanner in the Works: Kim and Jimmy hire Mike to infiltrate Chuck's house in order to get photos of Chuck's state of being. There is also a piece of information written on a note Mike hands to Jimmy, copied from Chuck's address book (as Chuck would likely notice a missing page, especially with the information being important to current events) - possibly the details of the private detective Chuck used or the whereabouts of Chuck's ex-wife.
- The Chessmaster: Hector believes that he's bullying Gus Fring into an arrangement that works for him but inconveniences Gus. But he's falling in line with a Long Game that Gus has planned for him, part of which we saw when Mike set up Hector's drivers for a drug pinch at the Mexican border.
- There Are No Therapists: Defied. Gus offers counseling services to any of his employees if they need it following the events of the previous day.
- Title Drop: When Don Eladio has fun at the beginning of the episode by referring to the bobblehead by its name, "Sabrosito".
- Trojan Horse: Jimmy and Kim need to get pictures of Chuck's house to document his state of living for their case. To do so, they secretly cancel the appointment Chuck has made to get his door repaired, and send Mike in as the replacement. Mike then breaks out a drill, which is enough to cause Chuck to panic and hide upstairs, but not to the point of shooing Mike away. Chuck had just exploited his own illness to get at Jimmy, and Jimmy is now acting in kind.
- Trespassing to Talk: Suspecting Gus to be behind the recent hit on his business, Hector and his goons Nacho and Arturo go into Los Pollos Hermanos and intimidate the customers into leaving, then hold the employees hostage until Gus arrives.
- The Villain Knows Where You Live: A deleted scene in the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant shows a customer pleading with the staff to call the police. Hector walks up to him and reads the name, "Nolan Miller", from the staff card he's wearing from his own job. Hector promptly tells the customer to end his lunch break and leave, with the implication that he can find the customer if he decides he wants to.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Gus is introduced in this episode handing out Los Pollos Hermanos food to local firefighters as PR. Hector nearly threatens Gus' status with this, forcing him to meet up at one of his restaurants taken hostage.
- Wham Line: "Well?" "Bingo."
