Better Call Saul: 10 Hidden Details Fans Missed About Gus Fring’s Lab

In Breaking Bad, the Superlab was a large-scale laboratory facility owned by drug lord Gustavo “Gus” Fring. The lab which was capable of producing between 100 to 300 pounds of meth a week was located under an industrial laundromat in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is at this lab that the main characters Walt and Jesse manufactured illicit methamphetamine while working for Gus.

In the prequel Better Call Saul, Gustavo’s meth lab has been explored a bit more. The construction process was covered in detail and so were the challenges that came with it. The following are details about the Superlab that fans of the Breaking Bad universe might have missed while watching Better Call Saul.

10 Lydia Came Up With The Idea

Gus didn’t come up with the idea of constructing the Superlab. The idea was proposed by Lydia Rodarte-Quayle. In Season 3’s sixth episode titled “Off Brand,” Gus enters Lydia’s car and tells her that her idea could work and that it was okay to begin working on it. Lydia worked for Madrigal Electromotive, which was the parent company of Los Pollos Hermanos.

Lydia and her boss Peter Schuler were both secret partners in Gustavo’s drug empire. After Gus confirmed that the idea was viable, he began making plans to construct the Superlab, including appointing Mike as the supervisor of the project.

9 Why The First Structural Engineer Wasn’t Hired

In Season 4, Mike got a French structural engineer to assist in constructing the Superlab. After assessing the area, the Frenchman appeared overconfident as he told Mike that he could do the job in less than six months, which was about the same amount of time he used to construct a tunnel under the U.S.-Mexico border. Mike didn’t seem too pleased, so in the episode “Quite a Ride,” he sent him back home.

The reason why the Frenchman wasn’t hired isn’t clearly stated but two conclusions can be made from his interaction with Mike. His prior border tunnel project means he must have worked for a rival Mexican drug cartel. This meant he couldn’t be trusted. And the fact that he revealed his former gig meant he could tell someone about the Superlab too. The job was eventually given to German engineer Werner Ziegler.

8 The Laundry Business

Lavandería Brillante was the name of the industrial laundromat that acted as a cover for the Superlab. Plenty of Hispanic workers ended up being employed at the premises. These workers were only tasked with doing normal laundry work. They weren’t given any other assignments and neither did they speak English.

According to the episode “Off The Brand,” Gus didn’t construct the laundromat at the same time he was constructing the Superlab. The laundromat was already existing. Gus bought it after scouting several locations.

7 The Lab Layout

The Superlab’s layout was designed by German-American chemist Gale Boetticher, who Gus had sponsored through school. Gale wrote down every detail and even stated the apparatus that would be required.

Despite being initially reluctant to let him into the business, Gus finally took Gale to the location where the excavation was going on. This all happened in Season 4’s tenth episode titled “Winner.” Gale was more than excited about the project and even wanted to start cooking immediately but Gus told him that cooking would only happen after the project was complete.

6 The Cost

Construction of the lab cost approximately $8 million dollars. This little detail was revealed when Gus convened with Lydia and Schuler in a hotel suite after a meeting of the CEOs of Madrigal’s restaurant chains. The events happened in Season 5’s seventh episode titled “JMM.”

In the episode, Schuler aired out his lamentations about the slow pace with which the Superlab was being constructed. The three also talked money with Schuler stating that he wouldn’t be able to get any more funding without raising suspicion. The agreement was thus made to keep the budget at $8 million.

5 Construction Began In 2003

According to the show’s timeline, the year was 2003 when Gus and Lydia were first seen discussing the Superlab. At this point, Lydia was already the Head of Logistics at Madrigal Electromotive GmbH. She was based at their branch in Houston, Texas.

Construction was meant to take eight months but it took longer due to unforeseen circumstances. Construction was also halted indefinitely due to the threat of Lalo Salamanca. Future seasons will determine when exactly the construction will resume.

4 Loyalty Of Ziegler’s Men

It appeared Ziegler, the German structural engineer who was eventually hired by Gus, didn’t exactly know who was loyal to him and who wasn’t. When Ziegler got homesick and fled in an attempt to meet his wife, he was caught by Mike. But he had already revealed crucial information to Lalo hence Gus ordered his death.

After his death, the crew was lied to about the reason for Ziegler’s disappearance but they knew the truth. Kai, who Ziegler had defended before, seemed quite glad that his boss had been killed. This was strange considering the fact that Ziegler had vouched for him when Mike wanted to send him back to Germany. Casper, on the other hand, was quite heartbroken about Ziegler’s death.

3 The Laundry Workers Didn’t Know What Was Going On

Despite the fact that the laundromat was owned by Gus, the workers there had no idea what was going on underneath. Gus probably kept things this way for purposes of discretion. In case the workers were grilled by the feds, they’d say the place was just a laundromat.

In Season 4’s fifth episode titled “Quite a Ride,” Gus met with Werner Ziegler and asked him whether it would be possible to excavate the ground beneath an industrial laundry without any of the people above knowing what was going on. Ziegler stated that the job would be difficult and expensive but he would get it done.

2 The Lab Probably Wasn’t Used For Years

As per Breaking Bad‘s timeline, it was around 2008. when Walt was brought in to begin cooking meth in the lab. All the equipment was new and Gale has just finished setting up the place. Given that construction began back in 2003, it’s possible that the lab lay dormant for about five years.

Alternatively, it might mean that it took years for construction to be completed. After Lalo began poking his nose into Gus’ business, the construction was halted. Perhaps it would take years again before construction resumed.

1 A Couple Of Other People Might Know About The Superlab

When Mike too Ziegler and his crew to have fun at a strip club, Ziegler drunkenly divulged details about the construction to a bar patron he had met. The details divulged to this patron might prove critical in future seasons.

Later on, Mike also confronted Ziegler about a diagram he had drawn on on a coaster at the strip club. He warned Ziegler not to do that again otherwise Gus might kill him. The warning didn’t help as Ziegler continued being reckless. Given how every little detail counts for showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, the details Ziegler divulged might prove crucial in the future.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1216 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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