Gus's Unorthodox Lesson: Fryer Cleaning As Punishment

In the fourth episode of the fifth season of Better Call Saul, Gus Fring, the owner of Los Pollos Hermanos, makes his assistant manager, Lyle, stay behind and clean the fryer. This scene is peculiar because Gus, who is usually highly professional, is taking out his emotions on Lyle, who complies with his boss's demands. The scene cuts between Lyle's tense cleaning of the fryer and the DEA's operation to intercept $700,000 of Gus's drug money. Gus is awaiting a phone call about the DEA capturing his drug money and takes out his anxiety on Lyle, who scrubbed the fryer tirelessly until Gus deemed it acceptable.

Gus was feeling out of control and exerted power over Lyle

Gus Fring is a meticulous and controlling character, who is usually highly professional and does not let his emotions get the better of him. However, in this instance, Gus was feeling out of control and exerted his power over Lyle, who was an assistant manager at Los Pollos Hermanos. Gus was awaiting news about a DEA operation to intercept $700,000 of his drug money, and he took out his anxiety on Lyle, who was closing up the restaurant for the night.

Gus, who was already in a vulnerable state, fixated on the fryer, which was not to his exacting standards. He pressured Lyle to clean it multiple times, despite Lyle initially deeming it clean. This was a way for Gus to feel like he had some control over a situation, by bullying a loyal employee. Lyle was collateral damage to Gus's pressing need to feel in control. Gus was gaslighting Lyle, making him believe the fryer was dirty when it was, in fact, perfectly clean.

Lyle was a loyal and dedicated employee, who went above and beyond for Gus and Los Pollos Hermanos. He even offered to give Gus a ride to the airport when Gus called about his absence due to a shootout with Lalo Salamanca. Gus did not reciprocate Lyle's loyalty, as he once considered letting Lyle perish in a staged restaurant explosion. Gus only deemed the fryer "acceptable" after receiving news that the operation had been successful, and then sent Lyle home.

Gus was gaslighting Lyle into thinking the fryer was dirty

Gus pressured Lyle, the assistant manager of Los Pollos Hermanos, to clean the fryer, even though it was already clean. Lyle, a loyal and dedicated employee, complied, scrubbing the fryer tirelessly until Gus was satisfied. Gus used his authority to make Lyle question his own judgement, insisting the fryer was dirty when it was, in fact, perfectly clean. This was a way for Gus to exert his power and control over someone, which made him feel better about the situation he couldn't control.

Gus's behaviour was out of character. He was usually highly professional and didn't typically take his emotions out on others. However, in this instance, he was harsh and let his frustration out on Lyle. Gus's actions can be seen as a form of gaslighting, as he manipulated Lyle into questioning his own perception of the fryer's cleanliness, even though it was, in fact, spotless.

Lyle's dedication to his job and his eagerness to please Gus made him particularly vulnerable to Gus's gaslighting tactics. Lyle went above and beyond for the company, even singing the Los Pollos Hermanos jingle cheerfully. His loyalty to Gus and the company blinded him to Gus's manipulation, and he obediently scrubbed the fryer until Gus deemed it "acceptable," despite it being clean from the start.

Gus's gaslighting of Lyle highlights the power dynamics between the two characters and Gus's need to exert control in a situation where he felt powerless. It also showcases Lyle's loyalty and dedication to his job, even when faced with the intimidating and unexpected behaviour from his boss.

Gus was compensating for his anxiety by fixating on something he could control

Gus Fring is a meticulous and controlling character, fixated on perfection and maintaining a sense of order in both his criminal and public-facing careers. In the scene where he makes Lyle clean the fryer, Gus is anxiously awaiting news about a DEA operation that will cost him $700,000. This situation is out of Gus's control, and he is left feeling powerless and vulnerable.

To compensate for his anxiety, Gus fixates on something he can control—the cleanliness of his restaurant. By making Lyle repeatedly clean the fryer, Gus exerts his authority and regains a sense of dominance. This is a way for him to channel his mounting frustration and feel like he has some influence over his environment. It's a way to cope with the stress and uncertainty of the situation.

Gus's behaviour is also a way to showcase his character and provide a contrast to his usually calm and collected demeanour. It humanises him and reveals a layer of vulnerability beneath his professional facade. The scene highlights that despite his outward appearance, Gus is still a person with flaws and emotions, and in this case, he takes out his anxiety on a loyal employee.

Lyle, being a dedicated and obedient employee, complies with Gus's demands, even though he knows the fryer is clean. This dynamic showcases the power imbalance between the two characters and further emphasises Gus's need for control in a situation where he feels powerless.

Gus wanted to give himself an alibi

In the *Better Call Saul* episode "Namaste", Gus Fring makes Lyle, the assistant manager of Los Pollos Hermanos, stay late to clean the fryer. This occurs while Gus is awaiting a phone call about the DEA capturing his drug money from the dead drops, which were exposed by Lalo Salamanca's plan.

One interpretation of this scene is that Gus wanted to give himself an alibi. He wanted to keep Lyle there until the dead drops were complete, knowing that the DEA were watching. This would not be the first time Gus has been careful to establish an alibi, as evidenced by a scene in *Breaking Bad* where he produces a diary full of his movements when questioned about Gale's murder.

By keeping Lyle at the restaurant, Gus has a legitimate reason for staying late at his restaurant—he could claim that he was training or teaching an employee. This would be a stronger alibi than if he were alone. Gus is a meticulous and cautious individual, always making sure he has strong alibis, so it would make sense for him to want to keep Lyle there as a precautionary measure.

Additionally, Gus may have wanted to keep Lyle at the restaurant because he was anxious about the outcome of the operation and wanted to ensure he had an employee there in case anything went wrong. This interpretation is supported by the fact that Gus is shown to be unusually tense and vulnerable in this scene, taking out his mounting frustration on Lyle.

Gus was waiting for a phone call and wanted to keep Lyle occupied

Gus Fring, the meticulous and controlling drug lord, was awaiting a crucial phone call—an update on the DEA's capture of his drug money from the dead-drops. Understandably, he was anxious and frustrated. To exert some sense of control, he fixated on something within his immediate sphere of influence—the fryer.

Lyle, the assistant manager of Los Pollos Hermanos, was closing the restaurant for the night. Before leaving, he noticed that one of the fryers was uncovered and offered to clean it. Gus, however, was displeased with the state of the fryer and demanded that Lyle clean it again, despite Lyle's insistence that it was already clean. This was highly unusual behaviour from Gus, who typically maintained a highly professional demeanour and did not let his emotions affect his treatment of others.

Gus's true motive for making Lyle clean the fryer was twofold. Firstly, he wanted to keep Lyle occupied while he anxiously awaited the phone call. By giving Lyle a task, he could also exert some sense of control in a situation where he felt powerless. Secondly, having Lyle in the restaurant provided him with a legitimate reason for staying late—an alibi of sorts. If anything were to go wrong with the DEA operation, having Lyle there would strengthen his cover as a law-abiding chicken restaurant entrepreneur.

Gus's manipulation of Lyle is a testament to his ruthless nature. He was willing to use his loyal employee as a pawn to ease his own anxiety and protect himself, even gaslighting Lyle into believing the fryer was dirty when it was, in fact, perfectly clean.

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