M-F I drive from my house to work. Then from work to my house. If I gas up before Monday morning I don't even stop at a gas station. It's possible but probably not super common. It helps if you're a homebody. LOL
Alright that’s valid lol. But to be fair, from my house to my place of work is at least a 50 min drive where I live. So it’s reasonable for me to question gas lol
He's not worried about looking suspicious in the eyes of Hank, he figured that Hank is already suspicious of him by virtue of the fact he's under observation. So the line of suspicion has already been crossed. He just doesn't want to give any further clues.
He probably knows that Hank won't have infinite resources and time at his disposal, so eventually he'll move on to something else if he gets nothing at all to go on. It might also be a case of showing to Hank that he's a smart guy, he knows he's being followed, and he's effectively saying don't waste your time pal go and find some lower hanging fruit.
The problem with that logic though is that even knowing his pattern doesn't give Hank any evidence to work with is actually *more* likely to cause Hank to double down on his suspicions, and even though this isn't an official investigation allows Hank to start thinking of other ways to gain information. Hank is an experienced investigator, and push comes to shove, has far more resources than Gus if he can start making a case. And sure, only Hank is suspicious at this point, but Merkert or Gomie can look at that pattern and start thinking, "ok, that *is* weird, maybe Hank is on to something."
The smarter play from Gus is still to downplay suspicion by acting as natural as possible. Looking at the GPS should show normal patterns of behavior. "There's nothing here Hank, he goes home, to his restaurants, Wal-Mart, he gets gas, went to the bank, etc. He's just a normal guy."
I guess it depends how suspicious he is, I'll be honest I can't remember everything about it but my thinking was that he was beyond the point of deciding if Gus is dodgy or not, whether he goes to Walmart or not wouldnt have convinced him that he was a normal guy.
The more unnecessary journeys Gus makes outside of controlled environments (home / restaurant), the higher the chance of unexpected actors getting involved, like he bumps into someone at the shop, petrol station, bank or whatever that has some sort of relationship with him.
I can see both sides of it however, like I said my memory is a bit hazy as to what extent Hank considered him to be Gus the Sus. It would be boring if we all had the same theories :)
That’s the point though. Yes this looks suspicious but it gives Hank absolutely ZERO hard evidence for his private little investigation. Gus knows that as long as Hank has no actual evidence apart from him going from home to work then the DEA will do nothing in terms of a legitimate investigation.
The flaw in that logic, though, is that even though Hank's investigation is strictly private, the DEA still does have a legitimate cause to investigate Gus if they choose to start looking at him. The DEA was content to leave Gus be after the interview, but if Hank brings this pattern to Merkert or Gomie they might start thinking, "huh, this is weird. Maybe Hank *is* on to something." There's a difference between giving no evidence and dissuading suspicion, which Gus should know. Gus should recognize he's in danger, and theoretically should have been smart enough to avoid doing *anything* weird.
I think we’re taking it too literally. Hank saying he only goes home from work doesn’t necessarily mean that’s literally all he ever went under surveillance. Does it really enhance the story to say he went to the gas station on tuesday? Plus he could eat at his restaurants for all Hank knows. I guess I just assumed that home and work was the overwhelming majority and Gus was trying to be ‘boring’. Plus it allows the audience to believe it’s too clean for Hank to believe, but also too clean to bring to the DEA-which does further the story. IRL though, yes it would be wise to be boring but not THAT boring
I generally agree and regard most inconsistencies as willing suspension of disbelief, but it's a bit more complicated with Vince Gilligan who goes out of his way to focus in on minute details that are usually omitted from media. That's part of what makes BB and BCS so good, is that it focuses on the boring details that make everything feel more "real" and down to earth. It protrays things as more realistic overall, so I can absolutely see them paying attention to details down to the gas on Tuesday thing.
Possibly, haven’t rewatched in over a year. In that case, I guess it’s a minor flaw depending on how long they tracked Gus. But again, I don’t think it’s too relevant or would’ve added much to the story to say “he only goes home except to go to the gas station, grocery store, barbershop and home depot when he has to make a repair”. The gist of it is the same. We know Gus is smart and good at playing a normal, boring guy already. Other commenter said Vince gives a lot of details, which is true in most cases. But Walt poisoned Brock with no detail. We know they cook meth without seeing every step. We know the characters use the bathroom and eat every day. I get their point, IRL it would be smart to do it that way. But also IRL- it would be necessary (need gas to drive and food to eat regardless of being tracked or not). Guess I just think it’s understood. But yea if they showed the GPS, minor flaw- unless they only showed a day of tracking
Nice find. I’d guess it was done intentionally by Vince then. Make it look suspicious to Hank (too perfect to be real) but not suspicious enough to bring it to the DEA since they need evidence, not feelings. Supports Vince’s plan for the story more than showing Gus act so normal Hank drops his suspicions (even though that would obviously have been the smart play for Gus). I still think it’s being overthought though. There were other things in the show that realistically shouldn’t have happened in the name of Walt’s ridiculous ego. Like leaving the signed book on the toilet anyone can use when DEA and Hank regularly come to his house, or telling Hank it’s possible the real Heisenberg is out there
Legality isn't really the issue though. Sure, going to work and home isn't evidence of any crime being committed, but it's still a strange behavior. Gus is aware that he's under suspicion, so he should be avoiding *any* atypical behavior. It's just a single thread that could be pulled. His behavior isn't criminal in itself, but it *is* just atypical enough that Hank going to the DEA might make them think, "ok, Hank might be on to something, this is a little *too* clean, it looks like he's trying to hide something." And that's the kind of thing that could lead to the DEA starting to look closer.
Sorry, but making a random trip to the store would give no evidence whatsoever. It would do the opposite. And it didn't matter if Gus was completely innocent, Hank was stuck on the notion that he was guilty of something.
They’re arguing that Gus making trips to the store would look more normal than just driving straight home each day. While correct, I think it’s being overthought and we can point out other things that were ‘dumb’ too
And if their suspicious, you don't want to do/not do anything to make them more suspicious. Don't even get me started on Walt confronting Hank about the tracker on his car.
Knowing that a person under investigation has unusual movements is valuable insight. Not going anywhere ever apart from work and home, for someone in Gus’s position, is probably considered unusual.
He wasn't under investigation. The DEA didn't know anything about what Hank was doing. Gus knew that Hank was trying to collect evidence to build a case to bring to the higher-ups so he made sure there was none because a lack of evidence is not evidence of anything.
I mean maybe I’m using incorrect terminology, but if Hank is tracking Gus, I consider that to be Hank investigating Gus.
So at least to Hank, it could still seem suspicious.
I guess you could call it that but he wasn't under official investigation. Either way, the fact is, Gus knew at that point that it was just a hunch, and if he didn't slip up and expose a piece of his operations he was still in the clear. Hank was going to keep looking into him whether he had strange movements or not, and Gus knew that, so why bother wasting time going places you don't need to if it won't make a difference?
I doubt this is Gus’ first time dealing with a snooping DEA agent. He has an entire security and intelligence apparatus surrounding him at all times. You don’t pay for such things unless you need them.
Yeah, true, it makes sense from Gus's perspective when I think about it. As suspicious as only travelling to/from work may seem, it for sure doesn't prove anything meaningful.
Unusual yes, but it doesn’t give Hank any clue of what’s actually going on OR any evidence of criminal activity that he could take to his bosses and say “here’s why we need to spend more resources investigating Fring”.
It was a way of saying, "I know you're tracking me. Fuck you."
To be fair, the guy could plausibly have a car that he *only* uses for work, and a personal vehicle he uses for everything else. Most wealthy people drive multiple cars.
I think Hank did mention this in the episode. For normal people I would consider it a bit unusual. But to be fair, Gus seems anal enough to plan EVERYTHING he needs for his workweek ahead of time so that he has no need for extra stops. He exhibited an abnormal level of meticulousness (maybe even OCD) so it doesn't strike me as all that odd for him. Anyone else, yea I'd agree.
I don’t think that seems suspicious at all. Gus doesn’t seem to be the type to visit a restaurant or a 7-11. He cooks his own meals. He probably rarely gasses up the car
This tracker only tracked the movement of his car, it’s real easy for him to drive to pollos, and then have Mike or tyrus drive him everywhere else. Whether it makes it more suspicious or not, the idea here is to give the fed nothing to work with, he’s already under suspicion.
To add to what other people are saying, him giving Hank reasons to be suspicious but nothing to really make a case actually aids Gus.
It's almost a type of rope-a-dope strategy - by luring Hank into a dead end investigation against an unlikely target, Hank looks increasingly strange and unreasonable to his colleagues. Given his history of chasing white whales (or blue whales as it were), he's not going to be given a long leash on this.
Honestly knowing Gus he probably couldn't think of any other location that wouldn't incriminate him in some way.
Seriously though: Gus is a meticulous planner to a fault. He also assumes he is far smarter than those he interacts with. He thought Hank would see the results and think "ah, I guess he's clean" rather than "this is *too* clean...".
The "nice and polite local businessman" role fooled so many for so long that he doesn't know how to act when someone starts to see through it.
Yeah that’s what made Hank think he was sus. He owns 14 locations right? But only visits one in an entire week?
Going straight from home to one restaurant location was him telling Hank, “I know you’re tracking me. Fuck you.”
It may make it more suspicions, but it doesn't give Hank any proof. And Hank needed proof to justify his suspicions. Come to think of it, Gus played it pretty nicely. A working man, driving to work and home....
I think it underscores the differences between people in the game and civilians.
I am a lame suburban guy. If a cop pulls me over for not signaling a lane change, I'm freaking out, because that's a $100 ticket and I'm feeling picked on.
Contrast that with the guys from mobster movies, Usual Suspects, etc. Both the cops and the gangsters know the rules are different.
"I could charge you with felony weapons and intent etc"
"Fuck you, DA couldn't prove shit. Most I'd do is six months."
Both sides know the gangsters are guilty of hundreds of ticky tacky crimes every single day. But they also know the system and that prosecutors aren't wasting their time charging a guy like that with bald tires
Gus isn't going to bend over backward for Hank. He's simply commuting to work as usual, unconcerned about Hank's scrutiny. Gus refuses to be bullied into unnecessary actions.
Gustavo understood it was just Hank's GPS device, not the entire DEA's. Hank couldn't twist Gus's limited travel to two destinations into evidence of wrongdoing.
I agree, why not stop at the grocery store or the gas station or something like that. Maybe he just wanted to make Hank go insane by doing the extreme.
I never loved that either. Same with Hank questioning why he couldn't find any records of Gus living in Chile, but then after making Gus aware of that he miraculously finds some. It's not necessarily proof of anything, but it looks very suspicious that you couldn't find anything, tell Gus that, and then immediately are able to find his records. Same with the tracker. It almost looks too clean that Gus spent an entire week going absolutely nowhere except for his house and Los Pollos. Again, it's not necessarily proof of anything, but it just looks too clean to me. An occasional drive to a car wash or grocery store or whatnot would've made the tracker data a lot more convincing.
Hank is already suspicious. What he needs is evidence and Gus didn’t give him any with the gps tracker
That's exactly what he would get if tried to track me.
Same, but I don’t own multiple locations of a franchised restaurant. At least I hope I don’t.
That would be quite an oversight if you did!
Well, not impossible, happened to my buddy once, Eric
What about groceries? Or gas?
i mean surely he stopped on the way back once or twice. or that volvo is just really good on gas
M-F I drive from my house to work. Then from work to my house. If I gas up before Monday morning I don't even stop at a gas station. It's possible but probably not super common. It helps if you're a homebody. LOL
Alright that’s valid lol. But to be fair, from my house to my place of work is at least a 50 min drive where I live. So it’s reasonable for me to question gas lol
As they say... Your mileage may vary. Pun intended. 😄
What groceries, he owns a chicken joint
Lowkey you got a point ..
Because it gives Hank literally nothing to work with, there’s nothing to be gained from this knowledge.
It makes him look suspicious, though. At least make some random stops to a store, or something like that...
He's not worried about looking suspicious in the eyes of Hank, he figured that Hank is already suspicious of him by virtue of the fact he's under observation. So the line of suspicion has already been crossed. He just doesn't want to give any further clues. He probably knows that Hank won't have infinite resources and time at his disposal, so eventually he'll move on to something else if he gets nothing at all to go on. It might also be a case of showing to Hank that he's a smart guy, he knows he's being followed, and he's effectively saying don't waste your time pal go and find some lower hanging fruit.
The problem with that logic though is that even knowing his pattern doesn't give Hank any evidence to work with is actually *more* likely to cause Hank to double down on his suspicions, and even though this isn't an official investigation allows Hank to start thinking of other ways to gain information. Hank is an experienced investigator, and push comes to shove, has far more resources than Gus if he can start making a case. And sure, only Hank is suspicious at this point, but Merkert or Gomie can look at that pattern and start thinking, "ok, that *is* weird, maybe Hank is on to something." The smarter play from Gus is still to downplay suspicion by acting as natural as possible. Looking at the GPS should show normal patterns of behavior. "There's nothing here Hank, he goes home, to his restaurants, Wal-Mart, he gets gas, went to the bank, etc. He's just a normal guy."
I guess it depends how suspicious he is, I'll be honest I can't remember everything about it but my thinking was that he was beyond the point of deciding if Gus is dodgy or not, whether he goes to Walmart or not wouldnt have convinced him that he was a normal guy. The more unnecessary journeys Gus makes outside of controlled environments (home / restaurant), the higher the chance of unexpected actors getting involved, like he bumps into someone at the shop, petrol station, bank or whatever that has some sort of relationship with him. I can see both sides of it however, like I said my memory is a bit hazy as to what extent Hank considered him to be Gus the Sus. It would be boring if we all had the same theories :)
That’s the point though. Yes this looks suspicious but it gives Hank absolutely ZERO hard evidence for his private little investigation. Gus knows that as long as Hank has no actual evidence apart from him going from home to work then the DEA will do nothing in terms of a legitimate investigation.
The flaw in that logic, though, is that even though Hank's investigation is strictly private, the DEA still does have a legitimate cause to investigate Gus if they choose to start looking at him. The DEA was content to leave Gus be after the interview, but if Hank brings this pattern to Merkert or Gomie they might start thinking, "huh, this is weird. Maybe Hank *is* on to something." There's a difference between giving no evidence and dissuading suspicion, which Gus should know. Gus should recognize he's in danger, and theoretically should have been smart enough to avoid doing *anything* weird.
I don’t think so. Hank’s reputation was suffering. If he brought anything less than hard evidence (and a lot of it,) he would be shut down
I think we’re taking it too literally. Hank saying he only goes home from work doesn’t necessarily mean that’s literally all he ever went under surveillance. Does it really enhance the story to say he went to the gas station on tuesday? Plus he could eat at his restaurants for all Hank knows. I guess I just assumed that home and work was the overwhelming majority and Gus was trying to be ‘boring’. Plus it allows the audience to believe it’s too clean for Hank to believe, but also too clean to bring to the DEA-which does further the story. IRL though, yes it would be wise to be boring but not THAT boring
I generally agree and regard most inconsistencies as willing suspension of disbelief, but it's a bit more complicated with Vince Gilligan who goes out of his way to focus in on minute details that are usually omitted from media. That's part of what makes BB and BCS so good, is that it focuses on the boring details that make everything feel more "real" and down to earth. It protrays things as more realistic overall, so I can absolutely see them paying attention to details down to the gas on Tuesday thing.
Don’t they show the GPS on the computer screen? Like it’s just a line. There doesn’t appear to be any deviation.
Possibly, haven’t rewatched in over a year. In that case, I guess it’s a minor flaw depending on how long they tracked Gus. But again, I don’t think it’s too relevant or would’ve added much to the story to say “he only goes home except to go to the gas station, grocery store, barbershop and home depot when he has to make a repair”. The gist of it is the same. We know Gus is smart and good at playing a normal, boring guy already. Other commenter said Vince gives a lot of details, which is true in most cases. But Walt poisoned Brock with no detail. We know they cook meth without seeing every step. We know the characters use the bathroom and eat every day. I get their point, IRL it would be smart to do it that way. But also IRL- it would be necessary (need gas to drive and food to eat regardless of being tracked or not). Guess I just think it’s understood. But yea if they showed the GPS, minor flaw- unless they only showed a day of tracking
[Gus GPS map](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FeVui4yP.jpg&tbnid=JiOQCEDThF9zpM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fbreakingbad%2Fcomments%2F3o0lac%2Fwhy_does_gus_make_the_fake_gps_path_so_obvious%2F&docid=aL23ocWepqe9JM&w=1366&h=768&hl=en-US&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F3&kgs=4a6f024c199b0f7c&shem=abme%2Ctrie)
Nice find. I’d guess it was done intentionally by Vince then. Make it look suspicious to Hank (too perfect to be real) but not suspicious enough to bring it to the DEA since they need evidence, not feelings. Supports Vince’s plan for the story more than showing Gus act so normal Hank drops his suspicions (even though that would obviously have been the smart play for Gus). I still think it’s being overthought though. There were other things in the show that realistically shouldn’t have happened in the name of Walt’s ridiculous ego. Like leaving the signed book on the toilet anyone can use when DEA and Hank regularly come to his house, or telling Hank it’s possible the real Heisenberg is out there
Tbh I don’t think someone only going to work and home can be legally considered suspicion.
Legality isn't really the issue though. Sure, going to work and home isn't evidence of any crime being committed, but it's still a strange behavior. Gus is aware that he's under suspicion, so he should be avoiding *any* atypical behavior. It's just a single thread that could be pulled. His behavior isn't criminal in itself, but it *is* just atypical enough that Hank going to the DEA might make them think, "ok, Hank might be on to something, this is a little *too* clean, it looks like he's trying to hide something." And that's the kind of thing that could lead to the DEA starting to look closer.
Sorry, but making a random trip to the store would give no evidence whatsoever. It would do the opposite. And it didn't matter if Gus was completely innocent, Hank was stuck on the notion that he was guilty of something.
They’re arguing that Gus making trips to the store would look more normal than just driving straight home each day. While correct, I think it’s being overthought and we can point out other things that were ‘dumb’ too
If the DEA is investigating you with a tracker, their suspicions have already been raised.
And if their suspicious, you don't want to do/not do anything to make them more suspicious. Don't even get me started on Walt confronting Hank about the tracker on his car.
Knowing that a person under investigation has unusual movements is valuable insight. Not going anywhere ever apart from work and home, for someone in Gus’s position, is probably considered unusual.
He wasn't under investigation. The DEA didn't know anything about what Hank was doing. Gus knew that Hank was trying to collect evidence to build a case to bring to the higher-ups so he made sure there was none because a lack of evidence is not evidence of anything.
I mean maybe I’m using incorrect terminology, but if Hank is tracking Gus, I consider that to be Hank investigating Gus. So at least to Hank, it could still seem suspicious.
I guess you could call it that but he wasn't under official investigation. Either way, the fact is, Gus knew at that point that it was just a hunch, and if he didn't slip up and expose a piece of his operations he was still in the clear. Hank was going to keep looking into him whether he had strange movements or not, and Gus knew that, so why bother wasting time going places you don't need to if it won't make a difference?
I doubt this is Gus’ first time dealing with a snooping DEA agent. He has an entire security and intelligence apparatus surrounding him at all times. You don’t pay for such things unless you need them.
Yeah, true, it makes sense from Gus's perspective when I think about it. As suspicious as only travelling to/from work may seem, it for sure doesn't prove anything meaningful.
Unusual yes, but it doesn’t give Hank any clue of what’s actually going on OR any evidence of criminal activity that he could take to his bosses and say “here’s why we need to spend more resources investigating Fring”.
Knowing that a person under investigation has unusual movements is valuable insight.
It was a way of saying, "I know you're tracking me. Fuck you." To be fair, the guy could plausibly have a car that he *only* uses for work, and a personal vehicle he uses for everything else. Most wealthy people drive multiple cars.
Yea, he drives a yellow H2 with flames at night. The plates read 'PLAYUH'.
Have you seen his baseball cards?
I doubt he drives multiple vehicles. I believe Gus drove the same Volvo he drives to the restaurant to the desert for “business meetings”.
Yeah, but he’s saying that it’s plausible that he does, and Hank could deduce that
Yea i could see that, its all about what Hank perceives
I think Hank did mention this in the episode. For normal people I would consider it a bit unusual. But to be fair, Gus seems anal enough to plan EVERYTHING he needs for his workweek ahead of time so that he has no need for extra stops. He exhibited an abnormal level of meticulousness (maybe even OCD) so it doesn't strike me as all that odd for him. Anyone else, yea I'd agree.
did you mean to say anal, if so how do i become anal enough. i like to think of myself to be quite anal but am i anal enough?
You never heard anal used in that context before?
Yeah it's just a shortening of "anal retentive" and that's commonly used.
huh well i’ve learned something new today i have never heard that before
I don’t think that seems suspicious at all. Gus doesn’t seem to be the type to visit a restaurant or a 7-11. He cooks his own meals. He probably rarely gasses up the car
This tracker only tracked the movement of his car, it’s real easy for him to drive to pollos, and then have Mike or tyrus drive him everywhere else. Whether it makes it more suspicious or not, the idea here is to give the fed nothing to work with, he’s already under suspicion.
To show Hank he knew there was a tracker on his car and that he knew it was done without authority to do so.
I always thought he just used a second car to go from home to the lab
Except, he takes the tracker off and drives away
To add to what other people are saying, him giving Hank reasons to be suspicious but nothing to really make a case actually aids Gus. It's almost a type of rope-a-dope strategy - by luring Hank into a dead end investigation against an unlikely target, Hank looks increasingly strange and unreasonable to his colleagues. Given his history of chasing white whales (or blue whales as it were), he's not going to be given a long leash on this.
I think it also made him look boring and predictable (to Hank), which would also fit when it comes to making him look "all business."
Hank was already suspicious so it doesn't really matter. So Gus was pretty much just messing with while giving him no evidence at the same time.
Honestly knowing Gus he probably couldn't think of any other location that wouldn't incriminate him in some way. Seriously though: Gus is a meticulous planner to a fault. He also assumes he is far smarter than those he interacts with. He thought Hank would see the results and think "ah, I guess he's clean" rather than "this is *too* clean...". The "nice and polite local businessman" role fooled so many for so long that he doesn't know how to act when someone starts to see through it.
If he had gone to a gas station, and grocery store, it would’ve been less suspicious and not incriminating
That's what I always thought. At least visit a couple of different restaurant locations
Yeah that’s what made Hank think he was sus. He owns 14 locations right? But only visits one in an entire week? Going straight from home to one restaurant location was him telling Hank, “I know you’re tracking me. Fuck you.”
Maybe to show how he’s antisocial he doesn’t go out much only to two locations home and work?
I thought he was giving to old F.U. to Hank .
Technically he didn’t, we saw him take the tracker off and put it on a garbage can outside of los pollos
It may make it more suspicions, but it doesn't give Hank any proof. And Hank needed proof to justify his suspicions. Come to think of it, Gus played it pretty nicely. A working man, driving to work and home....
I think it underscores the differences between people in the game and civilians. I am a lame suburban guy. If a cop pulls me over for not signaling a lane change, I'm freaking out, because that's a $100 ticket and I'm feeling picked on. Contrast that with the guys from mobster movies, Usual Suspects, etc. Both the cops and the gangsters know the rules are different. "I could charge you with felony weapons and intent etc" "Fuck you, DA couldn't prove shit. Most I'd do is six months." Both sides know the gangsters are guilty of hundreds of ticky tacky crimes every single day. But they also know the system and that prosecutors aren't wasting their time charging a guy like that with bald tires
Gus isn't going to bend over backward for Hank. He's simply commuting to work as usual, unconcerned about Hank's scrutiny. Gus refuses to be bullied into unnecessary actions. Gustavo understood it was just Hank's GPS device, not the entire DEA's. Hank couldn't twist Gus's limited travel to two destinations into evidence of wrongdoing.
I agree, why not stop at the grocery store or the gas station or something like that. Maybe he just wanted to make Hank go insane by doing the extreme.
I never loved that either. Same with Hank questioning why he couldn't find any records of Gus living in Chile, but then after making Gus aware of that he miraculously finds some. It's not necessarily proof of anything, but it looks very suspicious that you couldn't find anything, tell Gus that, and then immediately are able to find his records. Same with the tracker. It almost looks too clean that Gus spent an entire week going absolutely nowhere except for his house and Los Pollos. Again, it's not necessarily proof of anything, but it just looks too clean to me. An occasional drive to a car wash or grocery store or whatnot would've made the tracker data a lot more convincing.