How dramatic can a TV drama truly be without a compelling villain? If there's one major criticism to level at Breaking Bad, it's that its best antagonist was killed off at the end of Season 4, forcing the far inferior Jack Welker into the role of primary bad guy for the finale. Gus was every inch the perfect villain, a disarmingly polite fast food proprietor operating a secret drug empire behind the scenes. His calm demeanour made sudden outbursts of force or violence especially shocking, particularly the now-infamous box cutter scene, in which he offed a lackey by mercilessly slashing his throat. Like all good villains, however, Gus was occasionally a sympathetic character. His flashback sequences justified his vengeful hatred of the Mexican cartel, and although Giancarlo Esposito's performance will be remembered as a largely villainous one, he was far too complex a figure to pigeon-hole in such a way.
