I was just wondering to myself, how would I react if I was told that my brother, or my wife, or just someone really close told me that they had been heavily involved in something like Walt and Jesse have been involved in over the last couple of years. . .
I believe I would be incredulous but I would probably not be that horrified. I think I would be more fascinated than anything, more like “Holy shit?! Really?! Tell me about it!” But, there would likely be some lingering, nagging questions or distrust, fear, as time went by. . . but, I’m not sure I would condemn them.
How do you honestly think you would generally react to something like that?
I’m sure it depends a little bit on what you know and your relationship to the person, but if you know this person has been responsible for bunches of murders and lots and lots of human misery and that their actions could endanger you, too, the whole thing becomes a lot less fascinating and a lot more horrifying. And I think it might be harder for a viewer to consider what the characters go through when they find out they’ve been lied to and used by someone close to them.
I have always kind of half expected Junior’s reaction to be along the lines of "That is so cool! I mean it’s horrible! But wow that’s awesome! I mean it’s terrible of course but…)
Junior’s actual reaction on the show was a bit of an anticlimax for me, I have to admit. I think it’s because he tends to react that way anyway to just about everything anyone ever says to him. They don’t call him “Emo McGee” for nothing, I guess.
“Dad is a drug dealer? Whaaa? And we’re out of cereal?! Whaaa?”
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing in another thread. Everyone is condemning Walt. But if he were my friend a priori, I think he would still be my friend even if I found out everything. Maybe the thing with poisoning Brock would be a problem, but everything else I think I could look past in a friend.
I think it was Vince on the podcast that made the point that love between adults is always conditional. “I love you forever! Wait, you killed someone? OK, we have a problem.”
She knows he made meth for Gus and killed him. She knows the hit on Hank was connected to what he was doing. I’m pretty sure she knows he’s behind the 10 prison murders. That’s a significant chunk of what he did.
We don’t really know what he thinks about the meth cooking. We know what he thinks about being lied to by his parents (remember the gambling story?), and maybe he realizes that Walt used his cancer diagnosis to manipulate his emotions. Oh right- and Walt also used his son’s “Save Walter White” page to launder money.
Yeah, but she didn’t witness those events (like we did). That’s a big difference.
“. . . and son, we had to use “Save Walter White” web-site to launder all of the drug money that was coming in, you see? It was the best thing to do and we did it for you. So, you played an important role in all of this. Thanks, son.”
“That’s OK, Dad.” (Smiles and hugs. . . end scene!)
I am very surprised. I would be friends with Jessie over Walt without hesitation. What is it that makes you guys see Walt as friend material, and Jessie as not friend material?
I wouldn’t be friends with Walt if you paid me. My life is ruined enough as it is. Besides, who wants to hang out with a 50 year old chemistry teacher with a giant stick up his ass? It’s Jesse who has all the cool parties with all the hot chicks, and who knows how to score the good drugs.
…
OK, actually, maybe I’ll pass on the drugs.
You were asking what she knows, though. I’m pretty sure she knows all of those things. She didn’t see them happen, but she knows a pretty significant amount. And being aware your spouse is responsible for a bunch of murders and a huge drug business should probably be horrifying enough even if you didn’t see any of it firsthand.
I think not. My recollection is that if there’s one thing teens hate, it’s when they find out their parents haven’t been honest with them. And of course just a little while after he finds out his father is a drug dealer and his mother has been laundering his money, he finds out that his uncle is dead because of them. That’ll get the angst going.
Scenario A: Your father is under arrest for being a drug lord.
Reaction A: (later) I hate you, Dad!
Scenario B: Son, I’ve been keeping secrets from you for a while now. I did it because I’m dying and we had no money so I did some things I’m not proud of. I did it in order to ensure our family had a future after my death. Here’s a duffel bag filled with $1 million in cash. I have 10 more just like it. We need to leave town right now to leave the past behind us and start a fresh life.
Reaction B. I love you, Dad!
So, I ran it by my wife, and “we decided” that I would just leave a million on the chicken coop, and then take the rest and head straight for the coast. . . I think I’d have a few more questions if she approached me in the same scenario.