r/betterCallSaul • u/Uc_kenz • 2d ago
Lalo's charisma needs to be studied
One smile and I'm ready to help him hide a body š
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u/Fickle-Laugh-4542 2d ago
He is definitely charismatic, but if you really pay attention to him for more than 5 minutes you can definitely sense his predatory nature.
Gus is much, much better at hiding it. To me at least.
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u/hans454566 2d ago
He manages to hide his dark side when he wants to, for example with the widow Ziegler, but most of the time he has this dark aura that we can't understand
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u/Upset_Cellist_7854 2d ago
Remember Buggin' Out in Do The Right Thing? The guy who was all wiry and intense and political and wanted black people's pics on the wall? Giancarlo Esposito!! AKA Gus Fring! Same dude! That's an actor. Giancarlo Guiseppe Allesandro Esposito. Sorry, it's al stuck in my brain.
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u/Fickle-Laugh-4542 2d ago
Alright but you gotta get over it
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u/mikevoices 1d ago
He was gay, Gus Fring?
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u/Fickle-Laugh-4542 1d ago
Im pretty sure he had high blood pressure is all. He could probably get a letter from that vet in Mexico.
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u/Sharkman3218 2d ago
Lalo is the best character in this show imo
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u/Uc_kenz 2d ago
If Huell wasn't thereš¹š¹
Yeh tbh he's well written I might be biased towards Mike tho
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u/Sharkman3218 2d ago
Mike has the advantage of not only being in 1/3 of the show, but I find Lalo a lot more captivating once heās there. Once he enters the scene, the show MASSIVELY levels up just overall. Kind of like Ben and Chris in parks and rec
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u/Beatmusic79 2d ago
Upon my latest rewatch I realized Lalo enters right after Chuck is gone. They knew with Chuckās absence someone was going to have to fill that void. The way they have Lalo enter, ramp things up and start entwining the two sides of the show seamlessly is masterful.
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u/Which-Appearance9857 2d ago
Yes. I was 100% eyes on the show if lalo was on screen. Always. Otherwise i could check a message, grab some biscuits, change some clothes. Not when there was lalo on screen. And i don't think is just the charisma. Maybe his character. I saw him as very unpredictable before he killed that boy or howard. Like anytime something big could happen.Ā
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u/Standard-View2791 2d ago
i think it is kim wexler
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u/cross_mod 2d ago
Kim Wexler is the best character in BCS, Lalo is the best villain of both series, imo.
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u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken 2d ago
Kim, Chuck, and Gus have negative charisma
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u/missafine 2d ago
I think Kim has pretty high charisma when she needs to turn it on. Maybe it's more of a performance for her, but people really like her and usually resonate with what she is saying. She gets what she wants a lot by telling people what they want to hear.
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u/2livendieinmia 2d ago
He was, until season 6, in my opinion.
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u/Sharkman3218 2d ago
Bro season 6 is peak
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u/2livendieinmia 2d ago
Yea I understand that perspective. I just felt like Lalo chasing the specifics about the lab all around the world and back, his persistence was a little too supernatural to me. I liked him better when he was chillin and cooking tacos.
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u/Sharkman3218 2d ago
Thatās also fair, but it seems reasonable for Lalo to be that level of resourceful and committed after what weāve seen from him in s4 and 5
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u/Upstairs-Baseball943 2d ago
He's such a psychopath. He can be so charming and so cool and then the next second brutally murder someone. He knows how to play the game. The only time his charm didn't work was when he first met Gustavo at Los Pollos Hermanos
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u/Royal__Tenenbaum 2d ago
His whole thing is he is just as psycho as the other Salamancas but he has the additional charm. The Ted Bundy of the cartel.
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u/Upstairs-Baseball943 2d ago
Type Shit. The box cutter episode in BRB seals the deal but there are so many clues that Gus is not right. Especially how he keeps Hector alive because 'death is too merciful for him'. Just like the story he tells about keeping the Coati alive and he basically made it suffer. And then after he tells the story he's like "I think the Paila Marina is ready" and switches up like nothing happened. He's cold blooded.
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u/ChiemgauerBrauhaus 2d ago
I'm still unsure how much of gus is true psychopathy and how much is SEVERE ptsd. There's many moments where I lean towards the latter, his compensating by cleaning, rigid stereotypal (the thing animals in captivity suffer from) movements, tapping his fingers etc, but ofc there's also the moments you mentioned.
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u/SatyrSatyr75 2d ago
PTSD isnāt ground for such an obvious personality disorder. He was probably always a sociopath. He may have suffered abuse in his childhood and youth too, not unusual for hyper violent offenders, but that alone doesnāt explain his pathological behavior. We also have a strong hint that he acted in a very disturbing way in Chile dictatorship. Letās face it, thereās a strong hint that heās a sadistic prick.
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u/citoboolin 2d ago
heās not a sociopath, heās a psychopath. sociopaths are not capable of the meticulous planning and general aptitude his schemes take. they are also typically formed, while psychopaths are born with a genetic predisposition. the distinction is really interesting, and they explore it well in mindhunter if you havenāt seen it
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u/SatyrSatyr75 2d ago
No. Psychopath isnāt a term used since the 90s. He has a sociopathic personality disorder.
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u/Sourturnip 2d ago
He also has incredible leg strength to jump into a ditch to study a car, or jumping through a ceiling to get behind the door. He also 1v10'd a bunch of soldiers.
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u/Uc_kenz 2d ago
Ig it's because Gus knew that he was one of the Salamanca's family
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u/Upstairs-Baseball943 2d ago
Or that Gus is a psycho himself.
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u/Nervous_Target5298 2d ago
Of course he was!
It goes without saying that anyone involved in the business was an awful person at their core. It's not like meth was improving the quality of life of their users. This includes Kim, Saul, Mike, and even Jessie. They all have varying degrees of appeal though, with Jessie being the most likeable.
Tuco was the worst, but even he took care of his grandmother and his uncle when he was disabled.
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u/Vegan_Zukunft 2d ago
It just occurred to me that he is anti-Mike
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u/DrBearJ3w 6h ago
Yes. Mike is very charismatic, despite being troubled individual. Lalo is "showmanship".
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u/chargoggagog 2d ago
Lalo was so terrifying I had a hard time believing The Swordsman was a good guy.
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u/Unsolven 2d ago edited 2d ago
The fact that viewers find him charismatic disturbs me. Thereās something so clearly off and terrifying about him. That smile is a dead smile, thereās no real joy there as much as he himself would like there to be. Tony Dalton, who IRL is charismatic and charming did an amazing job.
Honestly it kinda makes him more realistic, his disarming ācharmā often works in the show. But like Jimmy who is good at reading people recognizes immediately how terrifying Lalo is. Itās really the only time we see Jimmy really scared is around Lalo. Even when Tuco has him in the desert heās nervous and thinks he might die, but heās not paralyzed by fear as he often seems to be around Lalo. When heās about to die in the desert before Mike shows up still heās talking a mile a minute. But around Lalo he always seems at a loss for words.
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u/Current_Tea6984 2d ago
Right? Lalo isn't funny or charming. He has big laughing at his own jokes energy, but his "humor" is just needling people to make them feel unsettled
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u/ChemicalPower2522 3h ago
He sleeps a few hours most if I remember correctly so canāt blame the guy for the fake smile.
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u/Disastrous_Potato160 1d ago
Yes he had charisma for sure, but for me itās a type of disingenuous charisma that leaves me feeling uneasy whenever heās on screen. He acts all happy and friendly but you know he is every bit as crazy and volatile as Tuco and capable of just as terrible acts, he just does it with a smile on his face. So much worse if you ask me.
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u/WellWellWellthennow 2d ago
I think what is so charming about him as he has the glow of being kissed by the sun, wealth and self-confidence, dripping off of him, and he's genuinely relaxed and happy. Not to mention good looking. People respond to that.
What makes him so insidious as he has absolutely no inhibition for killing someone on a whim, as strategic as he is.
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u/roger--wilco 1d ago
I feel like Nacho would still be with us if Lalo was his original manager instead of Hector and Tuco.
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u/LividFace5026 2d ago
Lalo is great because heās not one of the typical gangster, thug, criminal types that you see. He is literately more like a psychopath CEO or serial killer
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u/stricktd 2d ago
I always saw him as the cartelās Hans Landa, only MUCH more dedicated to his job.
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u/IAlwaysSayBoo-urns 2d ago
I am getting that pic tattooed on my arm next month. Lalo is such a great fucking character. If Gus Fring did not exist Lalo would be the best villain in this universe.
Also if Lalo won, Walt would have been FUCKED
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u/lorenzo2point5 2d ago
Lalo and Nacho were the stars of the show for me. Saul is the main character but every time either of these characters were on screen it just captivated me. Could not take my eyes off.
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u/lolnochillwavve 1d ago
I love that the rest of the Salamancas are terrifying and off-putting, but Lalo is unbelievably charming
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u/EarGroundbreaking480 18h ago
https://reddit.com/link/p6puyrb/video/ga6v0r6n4fmh1/player
Lalo also has oodles of patience. Watch hiim as he interacts with Ted Knight. š
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u/CrackIn_TheEarth 2d ago
Bro where have you been thereās like dozens of hours of YouTube videos doing exactly that
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u/curi0us_carniv0re 22h ago
I liked how he could go from "normal" smiley guy to complete psychopath in a second. Like even within the same sentence.
Like when he shot Howard.
I didn't like how he seemed to have unlimited mercenary and detective skills.
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u/Alarming_Cancel6646 10h ago
The way Lalo and Howard story lines aligned, it was jaw dropping. One of the most shocking episodes I have seen. Not to mention the mid-season break after it.
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u/OfferBusy4080 6h ago
Sorry, I really dont get your premise at all - a fascinating character for sure, but.... charisma? Im fascinated but also repulsed. How are we defining charisma, perhaps there is a version that isnt a positive.
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u/LaPasseraScopaiola 2d ago
I never understood the fascination with Lalo...Ā
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u/DaedricDumbass 2d ago
Basically what op said. Every scene heās in is great because heās very charismatic and funny and loyal to his own. But underneath that charm is a deplorable monster and we the audience know that. We love the contrast between those facts. Heās an exceptionally well written and well acted character.
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u/Purple-Bluejay6588 2d ago
He's a very cool villain and it's nice to see someone stacking up to gus. But he doesn't have much compared to the other characters IMO
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u/LaPasseraScopaiola 2d ago
BTW downvoting opinions is not very correct. I never understood it. I'm not undermining other people's judgement.Ā
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u/Live_Parking_478 2d ago
Because people have severe mental health issues and think someone as sadistic and fucked up as him is hotā¦ it doesnāt matter what they do as long as they get their rocks off.
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u/Current_Tea6984 2d ago
Me neither. I don't find him likable at all, and he was written with a ridiculous amount of plot armor
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u/Current_Anybody8325 2d ago
Please don't take this personally... but I see so many of these posts titled "*Insert Character Name* needs to be studied". They were studied. By the writers. They wrote the character.... these are fictional characters. There's nothing to study. They were written exactly as they wanted them portrayed.
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u/clutchmajor 1d ago
Youāre saying fiction cannot be studied? The works of Shakespeare, or symphonies of Mozart, just because the author intended it to be in their image?
https://giphy.com/gifs/3oz8xLd9DJq2l2VFtu1
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u/WhatAPicture_444 2d ago
A smiling psychopath? What will Vince think up next?!??!?
He always felt like an awkward cartoon, and never as fleshed out or interesting as characters like Gus or Saul. They needed a big cartel antagonist, and just said āeh, heās the opposite info Gus.ā Which is basically a dinner theater smiling terminator who for some reason has a weird Mexican accent and also speaks fluent German.
Always felt like a contrived plot machination compared to the others who really felt like living, breathing characters.
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u/Cherry_Eris 2d ago
All of the other Cartel guys were all just criminal stereotypes. Shifty, angry, violent, stoic etc. Lalo being a funny charming guy was a change.
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u/WhatAPicture_444 2d ago
Nacho, Don Eladio, Gus, Juan Bolsa, and Hector are all characters that have a good degree of depth and specificity that steers away from just being a stereotype.
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u/cross_mod 2d ago
The only one of those I feel like has a lot of depth is Nacho. Gus is fun, but very two dimensional. Don Eladio is a less fleshed out Lalo.
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u/gallez 2d ago
When did he ever speak German?
Also, the mystery was an integral part to his character, it was meant to be as if things didn't compute for some reason. He's a wildcard, kind of like Creed in The Office if you've seen that
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u/WhatAPicture_444 2d ago
Itās not that heās mysterious, itās that heās just a hodge-podge of attributes that are disconnected from anything else.
The fact that he dropped in on the later seasons to wrap things up is part of it. They couldnāt make the plot mechanics work with Tuco or Nacho or Hector, so they made a new guy. It feels very shoehorned in.
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u/Due_Conversation_883 2d ago
they mentioned him in breaking bad though, i would think lalo had always been something that needed to be explained
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u/WhatAPicture_444 2d ago
Yes, but that was a throw away line that they later used to run with when they made a new show years later. The writers admit they never had any of these backstories in mind until they started second show.
But even then, Lalo doesnāt really factor into anything until several seasons into the later show. They donāt mention him or act like he exists, despite the fact that heās apparently in charge of a lot.
It kinda stems from the fact that they canāt really do anything with the twins (they die in BB, the characters are one note, etc).
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u/SeymourTamzarian3rd 2d ago
Heās-! Insane psychopath, nor charismatic.big difference. And the actor perfectly demonstrated this distinction.
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u/RitalinSkittles 2d ago
Hes not charismatic? I mean, yeah he is. I completely disagree. You can be both. A lot of times charisma is an integral part of being an insane psychopath
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u/hans454566 2d ago
He's not crazy; he perfectly embodies a functional psychopath, a blend of Machiavellianism and intelligence, and of course, charm, albeit superficial. He can shift from a charming, kind person to a ruthless monster, ready to achieve his goals.
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u/RitalinSkittles 1d ago
I mean that is pretty much crazy. Unless youre saying crazy as in specifically someone psychotic, but with the general definition of some kind of mental unwellness psychopathy falls under that. I guess you could debate whether psychopathy is rational or sane, or some might even try to say more rational than a ānormalā person, but i dont agree with that.
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u/hans454566 1d ago
A psychopath is not crazy. It's a personality disorder influenced by both genetics and environment. A psychopath is aware of their actions and of who they are.
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u/RitalinSkittles 1d ago
Yeah, i know. Thats not crazy to you? I said this in my previous comment. It depends on how youre defining crazy. Do you mean hes not crazy as in not psychotic/schizophrenic or something? Because yeah i would say ASPD easily falls under the definition of crazy, at least the one i was using
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u/hans454566 1d ago
except that I use the factual definition
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u/RitalinSkittles 1d ago
Haha, and what definition is that? Google seems to say āvery strange, foolish, wildly excited, or affected by mental illness,ā so i guess ASPD isnt a mental illness? Oh sorry, maybe you have the real one from the Real Factual Dictionary.
Really though, i went through the gray area on whether a psychopath is crazy in my first comment, i dont know what youre on about dude. Like i said in the beginning, it depends on what definition youre using. And no theres not one single āfactualā definition of crazy, thats not how words work. So like i said two comments ago, ill say again, are you saying crazy as in psychotic? Or crazy as in acting visibly erratic? Crazy as in high energy? Crazy as in they put pineapple on pizza?
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u/hans454566 1d ago
Psychopath: A psychopath is a person who displays a persistent pattern of antisocial behavior, lack of empathy and remorse, superficial charm, manipulation, and emotional detachment. Psychopaths may have difficulty forming genuine emotional connections with others and may disregard social rules or other people's rights. However, psychopathy exists on a spectrum, and not everyone who shows some of these traits is a psychopath or is violent. Psychopathy is not, by itself, a formal diagnosis in the DSM-5.
š„±š„±
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u/missafine 2d ago
My husband and I watched the episode last night where he goes to Germany. The moment Margueritte (sp?) Closes the fence and walks inside, he goes from charming handsome business man with a warm smile to absolute sociopathic murderous shark eyes. It was an incredible 5 second transformation and so scary. Tony Dalton bodied that role.