Breaking Bad

[scottie]

Watching this series the second time through is gonna be great, so will the third.

[Non Sequitur]

I'm calling BS on this one. That kid was out collecting spiders. All they had to do was wave and send the kid on his way. The kid would have had no concept of what was happening. There is literally nobody in that character's life who would bat an eye even if he related the whole story of four men hooking up hoses to a stationary train, collecting a fluid, and un-hooking as the train resumed its course-- let alone if he related what he actually probably saw, which was four men with a water pump and a hose high-fiving.

Say the kid asks a question-'what are you doing?' "We're testing for water contamination/collecting a deposit from this train. What's that you got there? A tarantula? Great! Have a nice day!" The kid's murder has been the biggest tragedy of the series, in my opinion, and one Walter was a reluctant party to, unfortunately. Much like the upcoming deaths of more innocents, he is not directly responsible for it, but is technically an accomplice.

No, that kid would have died regardless. Walt does not like loose ends.

[Commando]

No, that kid would have died regardless. Walt does not like loose ends.

Mike was running the show anyway, and, again, that kid was hardly a loose end.*




*and by hardly, I mean not at all. He had no incriminating knowledge, and even had he been aware of what the train contents were, those contents weren't on anybody's radar except higher-ups at DHS and the actual chemical company.

[SoCalCoug]

I think the writers have done a brilliant job with character development. It's one of the best-written shows I've ever seen.

[Non Sequitur]

Mike was running the show anyway, and, again, that kid was hardly a loose end.*




*and by hardly, I mean not at all. He had no incriminating knowledge, and even had he been aware of what the train contents were, those contents weren't on anybody's radar except higher-ups at DHS and the actual chemical company.

And the fly was never going to really contaminate the lab. It's all part of Walt's pathology.

[Commando]

And the fly was never going to really contaminate the lab. It's all part of Walt's pathology.

That's the best argument you could have possibly made right there. Good job.

[OhioBlue]

Watching this series the second time through is gonna be great, so will the third.

Amen. Had that same thought...and realized I don't know that I've ever thought that about any other TV show. There are shows I'm willing to watch again, or enjoy catching repeat episodes of, but I can't remember one that I've thought 'I can't wait for this to end so I can go back and start it all over.'

Of course, I haven't watched The Wire yet, so....

[wuapinmon]

Amen. Had that same thought...and realized I don't know that I've ever thought that about any other TV show. There are shows I'm willing to watch again, or enjoy catching repeat episodes of, but I can't remember one that I've thought 'I can't wait for this to end so I can go back and start it all over.'

Of course, I haven't watched The Wire yet, so....

I've watched The Wire twice now. It's still awesome.

[Commando]

Amen. Had that same thought...and realized I don't know that I've ever thought that about any other TV show.

I got the first season of Fresh Prince of Bel Air via Netflix and while the early 90s styles are super dated, it is still a damn funny, family friendly show. I was impressed with how well it's held up.

[wuapinmon]

This song is pretty entertaining. I think I'm gonna go watch that episode right now.

[Commando]

This song is pretty entertaining. I think I'm gonna go watch that episode right now.

I think this is when I fell in love with this show for reals. What an ingenious thematic plot device. These writers knocked this show out of the park inning after inning.

[Jeff Lebowski]

No, that kid would have died regardless. Walt does not like loose ends.

Exactly. And note what what Walt said when talking to Jesse afterwards. He never said "He made a mistake. He shouldn't have pulled the trigger." Rather he said, "It was unfortunate, but it had to be done. There was no other way."

That was one of the best episodes in the series. We watch these guys pull off this bold and ingenious heist with lots of close calls and just when we are all mentally high-fiving about it .... Boom! The kid steps out and gets shot. Back to reality. Brilliant.

The underlying theme of just about every mob/gangster movie or series is the escalating series of events where ethics, morality, and basic humanity have to be tossed aside in order to survive (or succeed) and the inevitable consequences of those choices.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I don't see Walt killing his wife, no way. The dude has a level of humanity that would disappear if he killed her.

Even Michael Corleone didn't kill his wife after her abortion.

I guess I'm misunderstanding what you mean when someone could kill his own wife and not be any worse of a human being. That sounds pretty black.

I'm not saying that you predicted you'd kill his wife. When I asked if he would be any worse morally if he did, you said no. I think he does, because I still see a shred of goodness in him. The question of whether I'm rooting for some redemption is a different one.

Huge difference between killing other people who are "in the game" like Mike and Gus and even Jesse's druggy girlfriend and killing the mother of your children.

Argh...

Do you folks never watch Dateline NBC or 48 Hours? People murder their spouses ALL THE TIME.

Here are some stats for you:

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mf.pdf

Among murder victims 6.5% were killed by their spouses, 3.5% by their parents, 1.9% by their own children, 1.5% by their siblings, and 2.6% by some other family member.

That adds up to about 16%.

Again, I am not saying it is likely. I am just saying that at this point, you have to concede that Walt is the kind of person that could do it under the right circumstances. Furthermore, the fact that Walt has fallen so far means that he is capable of anything. He may not do it, but you have to admit that he would be capable.

I don't think Walt is 100%, but killing Skyler wouldn't be any worse than what he has already done. Let's see, killing a woman who has enabled Walt in his drug trade and benefited from all that Walt has done vs. poisoning a child. Also, make no mistake Todd did exactly what Walt wanted when he killed the kid. If Todd hadn't acted so fast, Walt would have found a way to take care of the kid another way.

Well said.

Let's look at this a little differently. Look at what Walt has already done to Skylar through his actions. Her life is essentially over. Him asking her to spend the money on the kids is laughable. There is no way should she would ever be able to spend that money after he goes down. Furthermore, I still maintain that Skylar is dead by the end of the series. If any of you disagree, I would be willing to make a cash wager. Whether it happens by his hand or the hand of someone else, what difference will it make? He will have caused her death. So let's not pretend that this would be such a huge moral stretch for good old Mr. White.

[Pheidippides]

Argh...

Do you folks never watch Dateline NBC or 48 Hours? People murder their spouses ALL THE TIME.

Here are some stats for you:

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mf.pdf



That adds up to about 16%.

Again, I am not saying it is likely. I am just saying that at this point, you have to concede that Walt is the kind of person that could do it under the right circumstances. Furthermore, the fact that Walt has fallen so far means that he is capable of anything. He may not do it, but you have to admit that he would be capable.



Well said.

Let's look at this a little differently. Look at what Walt has already done to Skylar through his actions. Her life is essentially over. Him asking her to spend the money on the kids is laughable. There is no way should she would ever be able to spend that money after he goes down. Furthermore, I still maintain that Skylar is dead by the end of the series. If any of you disagree, I would be willing to make a cash wager. Whether it happens by his hand or the hand of someone else, what difference will it make? He will have caused her death. So let's not pretend that this would be such a huge moral stretch for good old Mr. White.

No bet. She's dead. I think the opening of Live Free or Die indicated that. I don't think Walt causes it directly, though, but I agree he's responsible.

[UVACoug]

Hanks boss lost his job because of his relationship with Gus. That's how Hank gets his promotion.

Hank absolutely would lose his job if and when it comes to light that his BIL is possibly the biggest drug dealer to come out of ABQ.

I don't know that that is necessarily true. If Hank was the one to bring Walt in, that would resolve a lot of the concerns the DEA might have with the situation. I think the problem with Hank's boss was that he wasn't following the evidence and investigating Gus because of their social relationship. That isn't really true of Hank, and won't be true if he is the one to crack the case (like he did with Gus ... which he should get credit for).

What is true is that Hank has good reason to think his job is in seriously jeopardy because of his situation. I find the way he is acting to be completely consistent with his character. Hank, while a decent law enforcement agent and detective, has always been somewhat of a doofus and has shown a tendency to put his own ego ahead of his family. I don't think we should be surprised that he is making the decisions he is making.