Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), the bone-chilling drug kingpin who first appeared in “Breaking Bad,” did not appear in a single frame of Monday night’s episode of the AMC series’ prequel, “Better Call Saul.” But the Emmy-nominated actor’s presence is still very much felt.
That’s because Esposito shelved his character’s piercing stare and deadpan facial expressions and instead put his behind-the-camera skills on display: “Axe and Grind,” the sixth episode of the show’s final season, marks his TV directorial debut. (Esposito isn’t a newcomer to directing, though. He’s also helmed two feature films, “Gospel Hill” in 2008 and “The Show” in 2017.)
It’s only the second time in 56 episodes that a member of its cast has sat in the director’s chair — earlier this season Rhea Seehorn became the first with “Hit and Run.”
