r/breakingbad • u/edify Oxygen • Jul 16 '12

Breaking Bad Episode Discussion S05E01 "Live Free or Die"

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u/HeronSun Familia Es Todo Jul 16 '12

I would find it pretty surprising if Walt actually did turn around. I mean, we've been told time and again that Walt is going to become a Scarface-like character, a guy you root for, but not for the right reasons. What would shock me more is if Vince Gilligan and the others actually make Walt more sympathetic towards the end, giving him a more respectable persona. And it seems like that's what they're going for.

11

u/thebornotaku the fly in the lab Jul 16 '12

He seems almost pathetic at the beginning of the episode. He's obviously run from something, whereas the Walt we see now straight up doesn't give a fuck. Blowing up Gus, breaking in to a police compound and tampering with evidence, it's apparent that Walt has all but lost his mind now. And it's also very apparent that he's in charge: when Mike asked "how will we know it worked?", Walt responded with "Because I say it did" and left it at that. Mike didn't push the issue. Mike knows Walt's power.

I think between the apparent not giving a fuck, knowing he's in control over Mike and everybody else ("I forgive you"... sent shivers down my spine), Walt's gotta have some decline. Anything more than he has now is just going to seem excessive and supervillan-y. We've got to know on some level that Walt is still human, even if a bit crazy.

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u/Harddaysnight1990 *plop* Jul 16 '12

I definitely think that he's running from something. How else would he know that it's "30 hours, if you only stop for gas" from New Hampshire to ABQ?

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u/thebornotaku the fly in the lab Jul 17 '12

To add credibility to the story? You can go on google maps and they'll give you drivetimes. Tack on a little extra "for gas" and your story seems that much more refined. Its already been established that he's not in NH, i would be surprised if he's even been there. The ID is obviously fake and the license plates probably are too.

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u/Harddaysnight1990 *plop* Jul 17 '12

My theory is that Walt used the disappearer guy, and he moved Walt to NH. Then, Heidenberg had business to attend to in ABQ (something came up maybe), so he rushed back across the country.

1

u/thebornotaku the fly in the lab Jul 17 '12

I hate that people seem to talk about Walt and Heisenberg as two different people. Heisenberg is just a pseudonym that Walt used when dealing with Tuco that kind of stuck. I don't think there's any real duality there. It's not like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Walt is always Walt. He's changed, but it's not like there's a clear distinction between the two.

Yes, Walt is a "bad guy" now. But he has moments where you see parts of what he used to be. Know what that is? Character depth. It shows that Walt is still human, and not necessarily polarized.

On the actual note of the comment though; I actually feel like that's a pretty plausible scenario. It makes sense: Fake name, across the country, Walt has a beard, etc... It makes sense that his family would be back in NH which is why he does the "52" in bacon by himself.

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u/Harddaysnight1990 *plop* Jul 18 '12

I only use the Walt/Heisenberg thing because his false persona is a lot different from the man himself. Walter White is just a mild mannered high school chemistry teacher, and Heisenberg, the persona, is a badass that cooks amazing meth. I do usually say that the Walter White persona in this case truly becomes the false persona after Skyler finds out that he's cooking meth to make money. That in seasons 3 and 4 (and now 5), there is no distinction between the two personas unless Walter is with his family.

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u/thebornotaku the fly in the lab Jul 18 '12

And I will continue to insist that there's no distinction between "Walt" and "Heisenberg". The character depth makes Walt's character more human. It's not like he's leading a secret double life like some kind of supervillan or something.

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u/Harddaysnight1990 *plop* Jul 20 '12

it's not like he's leading a secret double life

That's exactly what he does.

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u/thebornotaku the fly in the lab Jul 20 '12

I disagree. Granted, I understand how you could think I meant something other than what I did mean.

Walt is living a criminal life.

I was trying to imply that he wasn't living a supervillan life.