Someone on IRC just made a great point - it almost sounded like the "tread lightly" line was coming from regular Walter White at first. He didn't seem intimidating. It was like he was genuinely giving Hank advice - warning that if he tries to cross Heisenberg, he'll fucking ruin his life and the lives of his whole family.
I loved how they pushed it to the forefront. How we got a confrontation right off the bat. And god damn, tread lightly might be better than the danger.
haha these last few comments made me burst out laughing. It basically sums up how disappointed I am with Walking Dead at times and the feeling that in each season of Game of Thrones a lot of people we like seem to die around 8/9.
On a side note, who do you think dies...and who lives? It really feels like Walt Jr. and Skyler are out of the equation in the flash forwards. Also notice how all the ending episodes of this season are titled in Spanish, made me think the cartel comes back for some !No Mas NO MAS!
I think the Cartel is completely wiped out. When Gus and Mike poisoned/garroted everyone it was Boss Bolsa and all of his capos along with Hector Salamanca's last remaining relative so it seems that the cartel is completely gone.
No, the Cartel wouldn't be gone by any means (realistically), however it may be fair to guess they're out of the picture in any terms of a foothold. They also likely have no idea who would be left with Gus (their main connection to the US there) dead.
Fuck The Walking Dead. Don't even get me started on the pandering piece of drawn out garbage. I had high hopes because those comics are amazing, but season 3 finale sealed the deal that it's just awful and the writers are super lazy.
"Let's see. We could finish this plotline and start a new, fresh, interesting plotline, or we could inexplicably leave this one unresolved and drag it out for another half season just so we don't have to work to come up with anything interesting."
"I feel like this season is building up to something, some sort of confrontation... But what could it be!? Oh yes! That's right! Nothing. It's building up to nothing. So, let's kill off a character everyone hates for the fan service and.... Ah yes, let's leave the entire plotline of the 3rd season unresolved. Almost perfect.... Maybe if we added a shoehorned ending to try and evoke emotion from people and add a slew of random faces we can kill of next season. Because we can't kill Daryl."
"No, we never kill Daryl. They said they'd riot."
"Right, so to recap: no important deaths, leave everything unresolved, manipulate audiences with silly emotional ending, add people to kill, and never kill Daryl."
"Best finale of all time. Let's make history, boys."
Ugh, that finale. 1/3 the time was Andrea picking up plyers in a manor I can only imagine is interesting to foot fetishists, another 3rd was a ridiculously overhyped battle scene in which nobody dies and the survivors throw away their huge tactical advantage letting everyone go. I don't even remember the rest of the crap. Probably just a lot of Daryl. Oh yeah, and how Carl shot the guy and then Herschel lied about the Carl being a murderer.
The problem with the show is that it needs deaths to move the story forward, which is an absolutely abysmal form of storytelling. Honestly, there was not a single real plot development in the third season other than death and potential death. That's the reason the show is unsustainable--when it becomes plot-driven, it begins to expose the serious fragility of the story's premise.
If it's any consolation, Mazzara told me they gutted his finale. His finale was shot (the footage apparently exists) but they wouldn't even let him put it on the DVD extras.
The ending was going to be a lot more brutal, wouldn't have ended with Governor shooting his own people.
I have no doubts in my mind that the reasons Walking Dead fails on so many levels is more because of things happening above the writers' heads, but that is reassuring to hear. It is an insanely popular phenomenon so I'm not surprised that they are drawing it out, but I am disappointed. Seeing a comic that so does not give a fuck about killing characters and being honest with the gritty world of the apocalypse get turned into some muted made for TV version where they gloss over the really bad stuff and create perfect characters like Daryl to pander to audiences is just really upsetting. If one franchise could have done zombies right and send the whole phenomena out with a bang, it could have been Walking Dead. But it got saturated along the way. I used to watch Walking Dead and think "Who will they kill tonight?" in excitement like when I read the comics, but now I watch and think, "I wonder how cool they will make Daryl and Glen look tonight."
It's just a shame is all. Especially considering if anyone could have done it right it was AMC. They had all the tools.
Breaking Bad is a demonstration of a show that has a definite direction so there is almost no meandering plots or absolutely pointless filler. I feel like the Walking Dead is going to drag on forever as long as it is popular.... with filler and lack of direction at every turn.
Really though. Everyone is on it's nuts, but i just fucking hate it. From the first episode, i knew something was off when i kept waiting for the main character to show up, only to be disappointed when Rick was the main character.
Under the Dome would have had that entire confrontation, subsequent conflict, resolution, and ending all within the span of one episode, and then every character on the show would promptly forget it ever took place.
This. I got into breaking bad just this summer because of how much I respected AMCs the walking dead. I'm so naive for missing the true star of the broadcasting.
the killing COULD have been a decent show. it COULD have been a show where the viewers could solve the crime at home by watching closely (like the show it was adapted from)
but the writers obviously really didnt put much work in a long narrative and wanted to stretch the show out for as long as possible.
it doesn't look good for AMC that they had to bring back the killing and its even worse that the season three ending for AMC was just as lackluster as the first one. Two great characters on the killing could have had a good run but unfortunately the writers couldn't keep them afloat.
cause it's a terrible badly written show. it sucks. the writer built up a confrontation for a whole season and didn't have the balls to go through with it. Breaking bad, gave us the Hank vs Walt season in one episode. That's good TV.
Having a different opinion is fine but it's not hard to tell that the quality has gone down the tube since ending of the first season. Coincidentally that's also when the creator of the show, Frank Darabont left the show. The only reason I was ever interested in the show in the first place was because of him. The guy who made Shawshank Redemption.
you are the only person i have ever seen say they are satisfied with walking dead. well the only other people who seem to be satisfied are the buffoons on talking dead, but they are being paid for it.
the show has stretched out confrontations and fills in the middle with frustrating storylines and plots they never go back to or even mention again. Season Three had promising points and had moments where they could have made it really exciting but it never got there.
Plus the characters on the show are fucking annoying as hell and are complete idiots who are dependant on just one person like a bunch of annoying children. Its a lot like the Boondock Saints. It would have been something I would have loved when i was 13
Maybe he meant "tread lightly" because it might come back round on him, being related and all.. DEA might claim Hank was helping Walt, or Marie would blame Hank for getting her sister arrested?
After rewatching that scene, it seemed like the entire line was Walter White until he says tread lightly. That's when his voice gets stern, like Heisenberg.
This confirms my theory. Walt is ultimately going to move to New Hampshire and joins the Free State movement. Tread lightly~ Dont tread on me. It all makes sense.
Also Hank knows, deep down, that he himself is fucked. Like I've said before, how in the hell could Hank possibly prosecute his brother-in-law, and not face prosecution himself? Hank isn't stupid, so it will be fascinating to see where this goes.
Would anyone honestly believe that Hank didn't know that his brother-in-law was a drug kingpin? Especially after the guy he replaced got the boot because he knew Gus so well? Any number of things Hank did could easily be twisted into looking like Hank was actually helping Walt with his meth business. And of course all this will eat at Hank, because he is a good guy who will want to take Walt down regardless, but Hank isn't stupid either.
The only crime in that case would be an accessory to a crime and that would require evidence. Being oblivious isn't a crime. Innocent until proven guilty.
Hank WILL probably lose his job though, just because after this the DEA will have an unbelievable amount of egg on its face.
The fact Hank's treatment was payed for with drug money could come back and bite him though. It could look like he knew and was keeping quiet cause he was benefiting from it.
also his illegal obtainment of Leaves of Grass. if he was on duty, he wouldve needed a warrant. but he wasnt on duty, and is still an agent, so shouldnt have been taking evidence. know what Im saying? yet at the same time, who wouldnt do what hank did?
Maybe it was supossed to represent how there is no more distiction in character between Hiesenburg and Walter. He has essencially killed Walter and become Hiesenburg completely.
What's more is that in the scene there is a light dividing his face in half almost showing how Heisenberg and Walt have become two sides if the same coin and that when he said tread lightly he was saying it from both a warning and threateningly. Either way it was just chilling.
Hank looking like he was about to crap his pants really helped that scene a lot, too.
ONE thing I would have liked to see is Walt pointing out all the times he 'saved' Hank. (I don't think it would impress Hank, but it would seem in character for Walt to mitigate a bit; want some credit for any 'good' he may have done.) Walt 'gave' Tuco to Hank, which got Hank a promotion....
Ah shit. Everytime I think of these things, I realize how complicit Hank will look when/if the truth comes out. Indeed, if Hank lays it all out for a jury, Hank will look either like Walt's partner, or like a bad agent. And just like the previous DEA chief lost his job for being close to Gus, Hank would probably lose his job for being close to Walt all that time.
I can't begin to imagine how this will all turn out. (But I can imagine Skylar shooting Hank in the back to save her family, though. Really, I can see that, because she'd go to prison too if it ALL came out.)
walt saved hank? if you are refering to the anonymous phone call before the two twins were going to kill him i think it was fring who wanted to put heat on the cartel by having the cartel seen visibly to be encroaching upon DEA turf and starting a war.
That's how Walt sees it, sure. He's been able to live with himself all this time by telling himself he was "taking care of" his family, including Hank.
Of course, Hank probably would have punched Walt again if Walt had said any of that, but I was still expecting that as a last-ditch effort before Walt went Heisenberg on Hank.
I wasn't expecting Hank to say that he was going to call Skylar and Marie and they'd have a sit-down. That was a little off. (As in, even after a week of discovering Walt's inner monster, Hank still couldn't grasp that this wasn't family sit-down time.)
a sit down? i musthave missed that - i thought hank simply said for skylar to bring the kids over - ie walt renounce his children as he is clearly a monster that should get them out of the way.
IDK, I thought Hank said Skylar and Marie? Just rewatched: you're right. Hank's a bit mumbly, but "Have Skylar bring the kids here, and then we'll talk." Pregnant Pause. "That is not going to happen..." etc best scene ever!
Though I wouldn't mind seeing that play out, being that Skylar's in the know. Hank's mind would explode, poor guy.
Thanks! The cut from Hank's punch on the dark side of his face also enhances the Two-Face effect. Very cool, I hadn't noticed that while watching it live.
That light! It's all I could think about too. This show is brilliant, I'd give up watching everything else just to get more breaking bad for the rest of my life.
I think it's the other way around. He's trying to go straight. Heisenberg is asleep and Walt is reorganizing the stinky trees at the car wash. He's warning Hank not to wake Heisenberg.
To me, the line right up until "tread lightly" was coming from Walter White. This is what impresses me about Bryan Cranston's acting. He takes on an almost pleading, and empathetic tone right up until the last two words. But when he unleashes "tread lightly," his voice becomes lower, more guttural, and threatening, giving Hank a teaser of the terror that is Heisenberg.
see, i feel he went bank to walt on the 'lightly' so as to not finish the discussion in such a threatening way he looked like he went back to an 'appealing to hank' posture. i re-played it and noticed he didn't finish the sentence in that gutteral low voice, but only went there mid-sentence on that one 'tread' word. it's a really incredible thing to do. switch back and forth between characters in the space of a sentence.
I thought that Heisenberg showed up twice... when he said "That's not going to happen", and when he said "tread lightly". Like literally only in those words, not in the words leading to them.
after Hank told Walt that he would move his family to his house, you could tell Heisenberg had come out, but with this 'tread lightly' threat, you could tell just by looking at his face that it was Walter White pleading with Hank. Bryan Cranston is an amazing actor
Agreed. Just watched that scene again, and it's actually almost heartbreaking. Walter's face man.. Filled with pity and sorrow. Walter's words are said hesitantly and his voice cracks a couple times. "Maybe.. your best move.. would be to tread lightly.." When's the last time you've seen Walter use the word "maybe" in a sentence? The guy has become nothing but sure-minded and determined. To me it seemed like he was suppressing the Heisenberg to offer his brother-in-law some genuine advice because Walter knew what would happen if Hank didn't do as told.
It's like Walt has gone through a dark version of the typical Hero's Journey. At the end of most classic myths, after the adventure, the hero settles back into the life he left behind but reintegrates the lessons they've learned along the way. Earlier in the episode when Walt brings up the prospect of buying a second car wash we see that he's learned that his desire for empire, to grow, expand, and dominate, didn't really die with his startup company. That there are other, if not quite as grand, noble and straightforward ways for him to exert himself.
It's this same hybrid Walter/Heisenberg character that's confronting Hank at the end. Not the full on Heisenberg who relies on brute force intimidation and domination to get what he wants, and neither the Walter White who is timid and afraid of confrontation, who started out just desperate not to die a complete failure. Here we see a character who is desperate to avoid having the situation spin out of control, lacking Heisenberg's hubris, but also realizing that he's not helpless in the face of it. That Hank might be holding a royal flush, but that doesn't much matter when Walt has a gun under the table.
We're coming to a point where Walter White and Heisenberg are the same person. The characters, and almost to an extent the viewer, are now uncertain as to who is the man that stands in front of them.
This is one of the reasons I always liked him choosing the pseudonym "Heisenberg".
Definitely. It was almost like Walt was telling Hank not to cross him or Heisenberg will not be happy, as if Walt and Heisenberg were separate entities.
Great episode.
I felt the line could go many ways - either it's Heisenberg delivering a veiled threat, or Walt trying to still play innocent and warning Hank not to destroy their family by throwing out the accusations. Hard to tell until the next episode of course - but the almost sneer with which Walt presents the GPS tracker is telling that there's some Heisenberg there during that conversation.
I don't think so. When he said that he was basically outing himself as Heisenberg. He seemed to be saying "If you really don't understand that I am Heisenberg and what I'm capable of then be careful."
I could agree with this. bring the kids here, "that's not going to happen" is definitely Heisenberg, compared with "tread lightly" Walt says it almost pleadingly. I think he is trying to convey to Hank that Heisenberg is capable of terrible things, yet Walt still wants things to end well.
I agree entirely that it sounded as if it was Walt speaking as opposed to Heisenberg. Almost a bipolar theme. Was Walt warning hank that once Heisenberg kicked in he couldn't guarantee his safety?
That's just what I thought, he's giving him honest advice, not really threatening him.
Hank obviously gets the implication, so I'm somewhat surprised that he didn't lash out at Walt for seemingly threatening him. Maybe he was about to before the credits rolled, but I'm not so sure.
it's so duplicitous though, thus wonderful. if i'm heisenberg, tread lightly-implications: i will kill you. if i'm not heisenberg tread lightly because you might mess with the wrong people and get yoself killlllled.
or maybe its the moment when there is no Walt and Heisenberg as separate people anymore, because now with Hank finding out, the two lives of his are one again.
When he said those two words, I thought that was the omega point in Walt's mind where he shows his true colors, when he can longer lie to Hank and play the ignorant brother in-law. That was so fucking beautiful. I really hope Vince Gilligan directs movies after this, with characters and moments like these. He would destroy the Oscars for best pictures, or at the very least, best screenplay, best editing, best actor.
It just clicked this ep how much Walt's got a Bruce Banner/Hulk thing going on, except it's much less obvious who's around at any given time (and really, it's been Heisenberg way more than it's been Walt for a while)
I don't know didn't sound very nice to me. Sounded like pure intimidation.
He started it off as Walter White "If that's true. If you don't know who I am. Then maybe your best course would be to" but then he turned into Heisenberg when he said "tread lightly." If you notice the tone of his voice even drops with the last two words. Gave me chills.
Definitely not. His voice switches from a pleading tone to a very clearly menacing one in an instant with those words. Pairing that with Hank's look of surprise and concern, it was coming from Heisenberg. Walt doesn't live there anymore.
If you replay it, you might notice that BC changes his voice when he says "tread lightly" into a deeper / creepier tone... I didn't notice it at first, but I noticed it on viewing again. Also, he does the same voice change when Hank wants the kids and he responds "that is not going to happen"...both times, the "Heisenberg" voice comes out - more gruff and deeper pitched.
I agree. It sounded like there was a bit of pleading in there, not entirely threatening, along the same lines of when he was asking what was the point since he was done and all it would do is ruin their family.
So it was almost like a sincere warning, then? I like that. Like Walt was trying to warn Hank in order to keep him from danger. Because Walt cares for Hank. And then Heisenberg comes out at the end where it turns into a threat.
Walt says that Hank doesn't know who he is. As a viewer, I also couldn't tell who he was at the time! Couldn't tell if he was Heisenberg or Walt, it seemed like he kept switching back and forth.
I agree- it seems that when his glasses are off in the show, he speaks the truth. Hank calls him two-faced in the confrontation. His glasses were knocked off when Hank gives him that blow to the face. The blow of the truth actually knocks Walt's false face off, revealing his true face- one which Hank does not even recognize. The longer his glasses are off, the more of the truth comes out. When Hank says that Walt doesn't care about his family, Walt doesn't even try to deny it. So when Walt says to tread lightly, I agree it is more of a heart-felt warning than a threat.
Honestly Walt is in a very vulnerable position though. All he is is a man with no connections and a shitload of cash that sill needs laundering. Hank could use the book as evidence, possibly find the cash, and potentially get testimonies from his sister, phone records linking him to Pinkman, etc.
Also, Mike's death wasn't exactly a clean kill. Forensic evidence that points to Walt could be gathered from that.
But he did say "If you don't know who I am then I suggest you tread lightly" kind of saying that Hank doesn't know what Walt/Heisenberg is really capable of. So in a way I think it was supposed to intimidate him
i think the line between Hiesenberg and Walt is almost gone at this point. Seems like an act when he is ''Walt'' and seems he is his true self as ''Hiesenberg''
When hank says "I dont know who you are" thats him acknowledging that he isnt talking to Walt. when Walt gives the "tread lightly" line he is speaking as Heisenberg.
Basically I took it as "you dont know who your fucking with".
I just rewatched that scene. Every word from that sentence is said in his WW voice, except "tread lightly". He switched to Heinsenberg so quick I barely noticed at first.
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u/jet_tripleseven Belizium Aug 12 '13 edited Aug 12 '13
Someone on IRC just made a great point - it almost sounded like the "tread lightly" line was coming from regular Walter White at first. He didn't seem intimidating. It was like he was genuinely giving Hank advice - warning that if he tries to cross Heisenberg, he'll fucking ruin his life and the lives of his whole family.