Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) have a brilliantly written and fascinatingly intertwined story that runs throughout the very fabric ofBreaking Bad, but the show already had another duo with a very similar arc before Walt and Jesse entered the fray. There are a few differences between the duos, but it’s uncanny how much one foreshadows the other.
Some ofBreaking Bad’s best episodesare so great because of the relationship between Walt and Jesse. Their on-screen chemistry is part of what contributed toBreaking Badbecoming not just one of thebest shows available on Netflixtoday, but one of thebest TV shows of all time, regardless of platform. Still, someone technically beat them to the punch.
Gus & Max’s Relationship In “Hermanos” Mirrors Walt & Jesse’s
Some of the pre-BreakingBadlife of Gustavo “Gus” Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) is available to witness inBetter Call Saul, with the latter serving as a prequel to the original show. However,Breaking Baddid occasionally show sequences that took place even earlier than that.One of Gus' most formative moments can be witnessed inBreaking Badseason4, episode 8, “Hermanos.”
The flashback in question shows a slightly younger Gus and a previously unseen business partner named Max Arciniega (James Martinez).Max doesn’t survive the encounter and is gunned down by the cartelfor daring to approach the most notorious drug lord in Mexico. Martinez’s character is the meth (and chicken) cook of their operation, and Gus is the businessman.
Similarly, Walt is Max’s counterpart in his partnership with Jesse, and Aaron Paul’s character is essentially the Gus of his duo. Plus, Gus' arranged meeting with Don Eladio (Steven Bauer) feels very much like Walt’s plan to work with Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz), with Gus and Max being too ambitious like Walt and Jesse were.
Jesse obviously isn’t the same level of businessman as Gus, but Aaron Paul’s character and his knowledge of the drug trade were instrumental early in his team-up with Walt.
Both sets of characters also had their own close, personal relationship. In many ways, Walt and Jesse had a sort of toxic father/son dynamic, but there was a strong element of affection from both sides. Gus and Max, however, have been confirmed to have been romantically entangled, as stated byBetter Call Saulshowrunner Peter Gould in an interview referenced byNME.
How Gus & Max’s Partnership Differs from Walt & Jesse’s
Even though there are several parallels between the two partnerships, there are differences too. For starters, Gus, the businessman, very much seems to be the one who brought his partner into the drug trade. Inversely, Walt - the chemist of his duo - was the one who pulled Jesse into the criminal underworld proper, as Aaron Paul’s character was only previously a small-time player.
Furthermore,Walt and Jesse manage to get their criminal endeavor off the groundand end up becoming the best meth cooks in the business, with their product being highly sought after. They arguably get very lucky on several occasions and manage to avoid being killed at various points in the show. Of course, Walt’s luck eventually runs out at the end ofBreaking Bad.
While Gus does go on to become a prominent figure in the meth business north of the border, he does so without the man he loved and trusted.
Gus and Max, on the other hand, are nowhere near as fortunate. While Gus does go on to become a prominent figure in the meth business north of the border, he does so without the man he loved and trusted. So,Gus was forced to work with other chemists once Max was killedin “Hermanos,” one of whom ended up being Walt.
Gus partnering up with Walt and Jesse years after Max was killed brought the story of both duos full circle. Taking on Walt as a professional replacement for Max felt likeBreaking Badsubtly acknowledging the shared origin story that existed between the two sets of characters, and it was brilliantly executed.
Gus probably saw himself & Max in the two meth cooks
Gus initially refuses to work with Walt and Jessebecause they don’t seem like “professionals.” While Walt eventually wins him over, the business arrangement that forms between them quickly turns sour for various reasons. Gus is a patient man, but he gives Walt and Jesse far more leeway with their missteps than he gives his other employees.
This may seem like a flaw in the writing at first that allows Walt and Jesse to have greater agency withinBreaking Bad’s story, but “Hermanos” proves that not to be the case. Rather than Gus just endlessly giving Walt and Jesse second chances for no reason, it makes sense that he would be so relatively lenient with them after the show’s Max reveal.
Walt’s dynamic with Jesse and Gus' similar relationship with Max isn’t just made evident for the viewers to notice. Gus is a smart and observant man, so I’m convinced he saw himself and Max in Walt and Jesse, which would explain why he let them get away with a great many more mistakes and indiscretions than others he employed.
Gus respects the intense loyalty between Walt and Jesse, despite how one-sided it might be at times. The death of Max is likely still raw for Gus, and so it would make sense that he couldn’t put his cooks through the same pain he experienced when his partner was murdered in front of him beforeBreaking Badbegan.
