# Better Call Saul (Season 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2017, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040 "2017-04-08T04:28:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 48
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/941 "2017-06-10T19:15:14Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I just streamed the beginning of “Box Cutter” and you are right. What I was recalling as a separate flashback was in fact Gale unpacking equipment and then reporting to Gus how pure the sample he gave him was, a sample of Walt’s stuff. > > Which does not mean that Gale is not involved earlier in the planning stages … In BB, Hank connects Gale to Pollos Hermanos because of a napkin that he has taped to his wall. Hank figures that a vegan like Gale wouldn’t normally go to a fried chicken place. The napkin has a part number for an industrial air-filtration system for the lab that it turns out was supplied by Madrigal. I wouldn’t imagine that Gale would have a napkin from Los Pollos taped to his wall for 5 years, so it would seem he had ordered the equipment fairly recently in order to set up (or perhaps expand) the lab. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/942 "2017-06-10T19:38:06Z")
My recollection of BB, corroborated by some posts looking back at it, was that Gus’ lab project was new. Gale was setting it up. That could have taken perhaps a year or more of planning, purchase and installation, but Gale would not have been working on it in BCS season 3, still ca. 2003. We saw the commercial laundry cover property in BCS, but seems to me Gus could have used it for storage and transhipment of ‘product’ from Mexico for awhile before deciding to become a meth manufacturer himself. I also don’t see how Gale would really fit into BCS other than as ‘Easter egg’ for BB fans. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/943 "2017-06-10T20:25:20Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I wouldn’t imagine that Gale would have a napkin from Los Pollos taped to his wall for 5 years, so it would seem he had ordered the equipment fairly recently in order to set up (or perhaps expand) the lab. Well he could have kept it as a souvenir, creating the lab would be quite the fun little project. Or he was just replacing/upgrading that unit. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/944 "2017-06-10T23:05:00Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well he could have kept it as a souvenir, creating the lab would be quite the fun little project. Or he was just replacing/upgrading that unit. Seems very far-fetched to me. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/945 "2017-06-10T23:20:25Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Seems very far-fetched to me. Especially since if Gale was going to keep it as a memento, he would have pasted it in his scrapbook, not left it on the wall. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/946 "2017-06-10T23:44:41Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Seems very far-fetched to me. The souvenir thing, sure. The replacing/upgrading, not remotely. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/947 "2017-06-11T00:12:39Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > The souvenir thing, sure. The replacing/upgrading, not remotely. It is possible an earlier small lab was upgraded to the superlab shortly before Walt joined Gus. It’s not impossible that Gale turns up to cook for Gus. But all the evidence points to the superlab being pretty new when Walt entered the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/948 "2017-06-11T00:51:46Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It is possible an earlier small lab was upgraded to the superlab shortly before Walt joined Gus. It’s not impossible that Gale turns up to cook for Gus. But all the evidence points to the superlab being pretty new when Walt entered the picture. Why would you assume Gus only started cooking meth when the superlab came into being. I was under the impression that he’d been in the business for some time but wanted to find out how to match or beat his competition in terms of purity. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/949 "2017-06-11T01:46:25Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Why would you assume Gus only started cooking meth when the superlab came into being. I was under the impression that he’d been in the business for some time but wanted to find out how to match or beat his competition in terms of purity. I think you misunderstood. Colibri was suggesting a smaller meth lab was upgraded, not that Gus started with the Superlab. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/950 "2017-06-11T03:34:23Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I think you misunderstood. Colibri was suggesting a smaller meth lab was upgraded, not that Gus started with the Superlab. Do you think they hollowed out the basement or do you think the basement was already there. I think the key here is that they needed a secret location to work with before trying the meth business, and this place provided that. I think Gus is scouting it out to start using it right away. Then again, Gale does have a bit of a tidiness compulsion and the basement may not be quite up to snuff yet. Still, the thing about Gus is privacy and not being discovered. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/951 "2017-06-11T03:51:24Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Why would you assume Gus only started cooking meth when the superlab came into being. I was under the impression that he’d been in the business for some time but wanted to find out how to match or beat his competition in terms of purity. In the distribution business, sure. In the manufacturing business? Not so sure. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/952 "2017-06-11T22:13:25Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Nope. You strongly suspect it was the dog. No other explanation seems likely, but you didn’t bear witness. real world experience…I was a young supervisor during a driver’s strike. I had to move a truck out of our plant, through a picket line. A young driver followed me in his car. I went over a speed bump and my load sounded ‘loose’, so I stopped, crawled up into the bed of the truck and recinched the load. Young driver drove past me. I soon heard a ‘pop’ and when I returned to the cab, the young driver was gone and the windshield was broken from a ball bearing laying on the front seat. IN court, I described the sequence, and the judge let him off since I didn’t actually see him commit the crime. Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/953 "2017-06-11T22:23:57Z")
There ya go! ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/954 "2017-06-11T22:42:57Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > real world experience…I was a young supervisor during a driver’s strike. I had to move a truck out of our plant, through a picket line. A young driver followed me in his car. I went over a speed bump and my load sounded ‘loose’, so I stopped, crawled up into the bed of the truck and recinched the load. Young driver drove past me. I soon heard a ‘pop’ and when I returned to the cab, the young driver was gone and the windshield was broken from a ball bearing laying on the front seat. > > IN court, I described the sequence, and the judge let him off since I didn’t actually see him commit the crime. > > Fair enough. That fucking sucks. But there’s that whole reasonable doubt thing again. If there were others around, it’s pretty hard to prove it was him. A lot of perps get off that way. I wish it worked for photo radar tickets. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/955 "2017-06-11T22:52:07Z")
I don’t think it sucks. I strongly support a very high burden of proof for prosecutors. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/956 "2017-06-12T00:27:50Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > That fucking sucks. But there’s that whole reasonable doubt thing again. If there were others around, it’s pretty hard to prove it was him. A lot of perps get off that way. I wish it worked for photo radar tickets. “Those loopholes have a name, they’re called the Constitution.” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/957 "2017-06-12T13:18:45Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Nope. You strongly suspect it was the dog. No other explanation seems likely, but you didn’t bear witness. This seems like a high burden of proof for “knowing” stuff. “Hey I have 2 lungs!” “How do you know? Have you ever seen them?” “Hey, my grandpa was in WWII at Bastogne!” “How do you know? Did you see him there?” “Hey, there are 2 protons in a helium atom” “How do you know? Have you seen them?” I mean, come on now. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/958 "2017-06-12T17:06:21Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Do you think they hollowed out the basement or do you think the basement was already there. I think the key here is that they needed a secret location to work with before trying the meth business, and this place provided that. I think Gus is scouting it out to start using it right away. Then again, Gale does have a bit of a tidiness compulsion and the basement may not be quite up to snuff yet. Still, the thing about Gus is privacy and not being discovered. I suspect the basement was already there, maybe it used to house boilers - maybe to service the machines directly above? I got the feeling in BB that the two big machines that hid the entrance to the lab were old hulks not in use, so the steam plant for them could be ripped out. Also remember that there was a freight elevator - I don’t think you could realistically get one of them installed without a fair number of outside people involved. Other random thought WRT the superlab: (1) Gus would be careful enough to make sure that the laundry was a viable business before he would risk using it as a cover for meth production. The facility looked to be in pretty rough shape - it would take a while to get it into working condition, then some more time to get established as a business. (2) Gale certainly would need significant industry experience before he would have enough knowledge to be able to design and set up the superlab. (3) I really doubt that the superlab is the first place that Gus sets up a cook. I suspect that there is at least one predecessor lab (maybe in some other part of the laundry)where Gale sets up to cook Max’s recipe for “glass-like” meth. It would certainly take some time to perfect the recipe and the manufacturing flow. After this pilot lab is operational and profitable Gus might make an investment in a higher-capacity lab. (4) Remember the quantity of meth that the superlab needs to produce in order to break even. Gus would need to establish and expand his distribution channels (he is currently handling cocaine, which AFAIK is a different client base than meth). He also needs to convince Madrigal that he is capable of selling that much meth. A reasonable way to do this is a series of incarnations of the lab. (5) Possibly giving Gus the money to purchase the laundry is how Madrigal comes to invest in Los Pollos Hermanos. Lydia and Hr. Schuler would need to have a viable business plan to sell to Madrigal’s senior management and shareholders. The laundry would have to be successful enough to warrant enough capital investment from Madrigal that purchase of the equipment for the superlab can be hidden in a much larger capital budget. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/959 "2017-06-12T17:27:59Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > I suspect the basement was already there, maybe it used to house boilers - maybe to service the machines directly above? I got the feeling in BB that the two big machines that hid the entrance to the lab were old hulks not in use, so the steam plant for them could be ripped out. Also remember that there was a freight elevator - I don’t think you could realistically get one of them installed without a fair number of outside people involved. > > Other random thought WRT the superlab: > > (1) Gus would be careful enough to make sure that the laundry was a viable business before he would risk using it as a cover for meth production. The facility looked to be in pretty rough shape - it would take a while to get it into working condition, then some more time to get established as a business. > > (2) Gale certainly would need significant industry experience before he would have enough knowledge to be able to design and set up the superlab. > > (3) I really doubt that the superlab is the first place that Gus sets up a cook. I suspect that there is at least one predecessor lab (maybe in some other part of the laundry)where Gale sets up to cook Max’s recipe for “glass-like” meth. It would certainly take some time to perfect the recipe and the manufacturing flow. After this pilot lab is operational and profitable Gus might make an investment in a higher-capacity lab. > > (4) Remember the quantity of meth that the superlab needs to produce in order to break even. Gus would need to establish and expand his distribution channels (he is currently handling cocaine, which AFAIK is a different client base than meth). He also needs to convince Madrigal that he is capable of selling that much meth. A reasonable way to do this is a series of incarnations of the lab. > > (5) Possibly giving Gus the money to purchase the laundry is how Madrigal comes to invest in Los Pollos Hermanos. Lydia and Hr. Schuler would need to have a viable business plan to sell to Madrigal’s senior management and shareholders. The laundry would have to be successful enough to warrant enough capital investment from Madrigal that purchase of the equipment for the superlab can be hidden in a much larger capital budget. Excellent analysis, Marvin. You’re really done your homework! ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040/960 "2017-06-12T17:29:52Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > This seems like a high burden of proof for “knowing” stuff. > > “Hey I have 2 lungs!” “How do you know? Have you ever seen them?” > > “Hey, my grandpa was in WWII at Bastogne!” “How do you know? Did you see him there?” > > “Hey, there are 2 protons in a helium atom” “How do you know? Have you seen them?” > > I mean, come on now. Point taken. That’s why “knowledge” is a somewhat misleading term. What do you know for sure? Umm…I really have to use the washroom right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040.md?page=47) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-call-saul-season-3/784040.md?page=49)