Breaking Bad

[Debb70]

I get how people are upset that Hank died and don't like Walt. However, I see it differently. Walt was good to Hank and Marie. If not for their financial help Hank may not have ever walked again, according to the doctors. He needed the best in physical therapy for a certain amount of time. Their insurance wouldn't cover it.

Plus, nothing was to be gained by going after Walt. He was out of the business and he is dying from cancer. AND Hank would end up getting into trouble for all the laws he violated. He enabled Walt to commit lots of crimes by his violation of his duty to the DEA. So, Hank would have gone down too, perhaps not to prison, but loss of his career and retirement. And Hank was too bullheaded to realize that he was going in over his head. He didn't get backup. He didn't follow protocol. He didn't get warrants. He ran rogue. He didn't have plan B. He underestimated Walt. Just like Jesse warned him. So, no. I don't have much compassion for Hank.

[tango7]

Walt was good to Hank and Marie. If not for their financial help Hank may not have ever walked again, according to the doctors. He needed the best in physical therapy for a certain amount of time. Their insurance wouldn't cover it.

Walt was good to Hank and Marie?

How? By taking a break from cooking meth for Gus and visiting his brother in law in the hospital? By deceiving them? By allowing them to take care of his kids so he could go out and rob a train and dispose of bodies in barrels of hydroflouric acid?

Paying the physical therapy bills was Skyler's idea - she insisted on doing it and Walt grudgingly went along with it.

Walt deciding not to cook anymore doesn't earn him any awards in my book, and it certainly doesn't mean he should not be accountable for all his wrongdoing, which, as I previously pointed out, is substantial.

[tango7]

This srticle sums things up nicely.

'Breaking Bad' Presents 'Ozymandias,' The Great And Terrible : Monkey See : NPR

“. . . trying to locate the humanity inside a man who has killed and harmed and terrorized, all with the underlying goal of making a lot of money and avoiding consequences is a fool’s errand. . . “

[Florimel]

Interesting article, tango7. I find myself in agreement with most of it.

[Debb70]

Walt may go down in the end, but I won't be happy about it. He's done some bad things, but I still like his character the best and don't want to see him die or get arrested, though there are worse things, like living without his family.

[Marlena_M]

I'm Team Walt and have no qualms in saying so. Everyone has their opinion and I have mine

Of COURSE Walt knew the police were listening as he was talking to Skyler on the phone. While there was a whole bunch of emotional honesty that came outta him in that call, his intent was to give Skyler a "get outta jail free card" as Saul would say Anyone who doesn't realize that intent should go back and re-watch the scene... more than once if necessary. Skyler even realized it - you could see her demeanor change.

One thing I did not like was how Marie lauded (what she believed was) Walt's arrest over Skyler and forced her to tell Flynn the truth... right there and then.

Excellent episode! Outstanding performances from a talented cast working from an amazing script borne of incredible storytelling. Kudos all around.

[Debb70]

Yeah Marie is the one I want to go down next. I don't like her. She was too quick to jump on the kill Walt train. She has done nothing but try to make things worse for Skylar and her family since she found out. It was not her business to tell Jr. about his dad. She didn't know enough to go that far.

[PhoneGrrrl]

I look at it from Marie's perspective. She know knows that Walt was instrumental in Hank's near death by the Twins, Walt paid reluctantly for Hank's rehab, and lied for well over a year about his meth industry involvement, compromising Hank professionally. The only one who willingly helped him out was Gus with the one minute warning, and Gus wasn't exactly a clean hands dude. If I were Marie, my vengeance would be far greater than taking down Walt. Yeah, she's a petty thief, but she didn't kill 10 people in 2 minutes. Sliding scale of morality aside, Marie is far less "guilty" than Skylar, and I don't think she should go down either because she wasn't in a position to prevent harm to Hank/Gomie.

[tango7]

Walt paid reluctantly for Hank's rehab,

With drug money. It wasn't like he cashed in his retirement pension. And yes, it was reluctantly.

Oh, something I forgot - Walt poisoned a child (Brock). Something else for his fans to cheer about. Then there was the time he got helpful janitor Hugo fired (indirectly, but still...)

I am hoping for a really bad ending for Walt who has degenerated into a monster,

I'm thinking a hydrofluoric acid bath might be fitting ....while he's still alive. SCIENCE, Mr. White!

OTOH, the actor Bryan Cranston~~>fabulous. The Walt character has had to be quite physical. Running, fighting, crawling, etc. BC does a great job with all that. (I was watching and old Seinfeld the other night....Dr. Tim Whatley... )

[Florimel]

Oh yes, Bryan Cranston is amazing and I'm looking forward to see him in other roles after this show ends. He put every bit of his considerable talent into playing Walt. I doubt the man will have trouble finding jobs. The fact that he can still keep fans on the side of that character is a testament to his talent. It was the role of a lifetime and he made the most of it. Bravo!!!

Still, would I want Walter White as a neighbor? Nope, I don't think so.