10 Best Performances In Better Call Saul

Gustavo Fring is an exercise in control - he is the epitome of hiding in plain sight, an impossibly buttoned down man whose square exterior masks ruthless ambition and an insatiable lust for control. The most remarkable thing about Giancarlo Esposito’s performance is that he manages to portray this deliberate dullness while maintaining an irresistible charisma.

Fring was Breaking Bad’s finest antagonist, the moment the show really caught fire, and similarly in Better Call Saul the chicken man’s appearance marks a significant upturn in quality.

Gus is even more professional in Better Call Saul, and the more deliberate pace of the prequel show fits with Esposito’s acting. Like the show, as Fring he is slow, contemplative, observant. Fring is an established drug lord at this point, but one with far loftier ambitions, and in his handling of the superlab’s construction Esposito has never been more frightening. He is cold and particular, suffering no fools, even butting heads with Mike.

There’s still much to learn about Gus - namely his backstory in Chile - and hopefully Espositio will get a chance to dig further into this. In Breaking Bad flashbacks he’s been able to exhibit a more tender side of the man - with luck he’ll get to do that again.