Unless they reveal it through a flashback (and I wouldn’t be shocked if we get to see Giancarlo Esposito in a few more newly filmed flashback material) we’ll never know if Gus was gay. But for what it’s worth his first partner was clearly not black, while Gus clearly was, and the cartel even joked about that fact…mentioning how it was funny they were calling themselves brothers while one was white and one was black. You also have Hector accusing them of being gay, and you have the way Gus’ partner spoke about Gus in glowing terms when Don Eladio asked why he would need Gus’ services at all.
It’s entirely possible that they really were brothers (skin color wouldn’t necessarily rule out their being literal brothers), but it’s also entirely possible they were lovers and that Gus later fathered children. There is nothing at all inconsistent with taking a male lover and later fathering children, in fact historically I’m guessing most gay people have had kids.
It was certainly never stated explicitly that Gus and Max were lovers, but there was certainly subtext to the scene in the flashback. On the insider podcast, Gilligan was circumspect about it, implying that we’re at least meant to wonder though we may never find out for sure. Like Rawls in The Wire, I think whether he is or is not is not necessarily intrinsic to the plot.
When Walt was invited over for dinner in Abiquiu I felt that it was more about Gus feeling Walt out (same with Jesse’s invitation in season 4) than it was about Gus introducing himself to Walt. I don’t put it past Gus to lie or to make vague references to “kids” in order to make Walt (who’s weak point, Gus knows, is family) feel more comfortable with him without giving out any information about himself (note that the “family” Gus seems to imply is not present for either of the dinners).
I think the name “Los Pollos Hermanos” was picked by the marketing team at Madrigal Electromotive’s restaurant marketing division. I don’t believe that the name refers to Gus or any of his partners, blood relatives or no, specifically (aside from the fact that Gus was essentially Jack to LPH’s Jack In The Box – of course not a fictional head, but a better representative of the restaurant chain than a German business executive).
I don’t agree on the Los Pollos Hermanos name, the cartel referenced the “chicken brothers” concept in their meeting with Gus and Max in the 1980s. That was before Gus ever opened a restaurant in the United States, and before it was a chain…so I honestly doubt Madrigal was even involved that far back. My impression was Madrigal was integral to Gus restaurant operations when he relocated to the United States after his problems in Mexico.
You might be right, I’m making assumptions here. People had earlier suggested that someone within the Pinochet regime in the 70’s/80’s might have had the chance to make connections with right-wing German (and American) organizations. But it’s also possible that he started LPH down south, expanded into the U.S. and was bought out by Madrigal.
It is strongly hinted at in this episode however, that Herr Schuler, the head of Madrigal’s restaurant operations, was aware of the connections between Gus and the drug trade. And Lydia, a Madrigal executive based in the US southwest, was certainly involved. I suspect that the German connections come before the restaurant.
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As an aside, I’ve always felt that the restaurant, while a good cover for Gus’ more nefarious operations as well as a great place to launder drug profits, was a pretty stupid way to actually smuggle the drugs.
To move drugs through the southwest (not across international borders) any non-descript vehicle with local plates would work, with the bonus that if the cartel wanted to hijack a delivery they can’t just look for a refrigerated truck with the LPH logo on the side. Another bonus would be that if a delivery were busted or the vehicle were in an accident, the drugs couldn’t be immediately traced back to Gus’ distribution center.
Did the cops ever get suspicious of the two Los Pollos Hermanos trucks that were hijacked and left along the highway surrounded by dead guys last season?
That’s always bothered me, and to the best of my knowledge it was never explained how Gus and Mike were able to conceal the bullet-ridden trucks from the prying eyes of law enforcement.
The only possible advantage that I can think of to hiding the drugs in the batter buckets is that maybe dogs can’t smell through it.
Yes, that and not every bucket of batter had crank in it. In the second truck we saw, the one without Mike, there was only one bucket that contained the blue.