# Breaking Bad 4.01 "Box Cutter" 7/17 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359 "2011-07-17T17:50:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/81 "2011-07-18T18:24:12Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > What’s up with Hank and the crystals? Do you think this is just how a badass cop who’s been paralyzed spends his time or is it somehow part of his investigation? They’re minerals. It’s not part of his investigation. It’s a hobby that he picked up to help pass the time. I don’t think he’s doing much of anything right now. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/82 "2011-07-18T18:48:13Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Not that it matters, but ever since [Beverly Hills Cop (1984)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086960/) when [Jonathan Banks](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0052186/) was as cold-blooded a hit man as I had seen up until then, every role he has had that I have seen was all you needed for menace. That’s why the humor these writers have given Mike is so fine. Next to Paul, I favor Banks for giving this show its edge. The one-upsmanship banter between Banks and Cranston on the DVD commentaries is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Stowed\_Bob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stowed_bob/32/3312_2.png) [@Stowed\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stowed_Bob)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/83 "2011-07-18T19:06:33Z")
Did anyone else think Skylar broke into Walt’s house to snoop around for his money in order to pay Hank’s medical bills? By then she had to weigh the possibility that Walt could be dead or missing for some time, and the medical bills would keep piling up. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/84 "2011-07-18T19:11:02Z")
I’m wondering how they’re going to document all the money they’re currently using to pay those medical bills. They haven’t set up a money laundering operation yet. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/85 "2011-07-18T19:11:52Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Hydroflouric Acid: I’ve never used this stuff before, does it work? It’s a very potent acid, ranking somewhere below perchloric acid, I would think. One use of hydroflouric acid is to etch glass (such as gin bottles), which is why it’s kept in plastic containers. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/86 "2011-07-18T19:18:48Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s a very potent acid, ranking somewhere below perchloric acid, I would think. One use of hydroflouric acid is to etch glass (such as gin bottles), which is why it’s kept in plastic containers. I was quoting Mike. Jesse’s response of, “Uhhh, yeah!” was one of the best lines from the night. He was referring to S1, when Walt told him to use it to melt the dude they killed in Jesse’s aunt’s basement. Yet it ate through the cast iron tub and two floors of the house. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/87 "2011-07-18T19:30:24Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > In the opener, Gus gives Gale the blue meth sample and tells him to dispose of it. Now I’m wondering if he kept it as some sort of souvenir. Along with the lab notes and the cell phone with all those numbers on it (it was ringing when he was killed), it could lead the cops close to Gus and his operation. And, maybe, Gale kept a very _very_ candid diary. _June 17th. Dear Diary. Well, it was another exhausting day at the **meth lab** , located of course at 10904 Tumbleweed Road, under the third dryer on the right as you walk in …_ > [@Stowed\_Bob](#): > > Did anyone else think Skylar broke into Walt’s house to snoop around for his money in order to pay Hank’s medical bills? By then she had to weigh the possibility that Walt could be dead or missing for some time, and the medical bills would keep piling up. I assumed that’s what she was doing, but they didn’t make it clear. She might also have been expecting and dreading she’d find his corpse. > [@davidm](#): > > I’m wondering how they’re going to document all the money they’re currently using to pay those medical bills. They haven’t set up a money laundering operation yet. I’m wondering this too, as well as where Walt is now stashing his income. Perhaps they’re paying Hank’s medical bills from their savings for the time being. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/88 "2011-07-18T19:50:49Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I’m wondering how they’re going to document all the money they’re currently using to pay those medical bills. They haven’t set up a money laundering operation yet. They’ve laundered some of it. In addition to the website, Saul mentioned a deal with a casino to report some of it as blackjack winnings (the casino gets to write off the money as a loss) though no idea how much. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/89 "2011-07-18T19:59:43Z")
Mike should have known that Victor might be killed soon as soon as Mike insisted on knowing if anybody saw him and Victor answered “yes”. With Gus, that makes Victor a loose end that needs cleaning up as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/90 "2011-07-18T20:31:46Z")
I don’t see Victor at the scene as the reason. Like he said, he was just another looky-loo. How is that suspicious? If he was the killer (or associated with the killer), he wouldn’t have been hanging around. There’s nothing distinctive about Victor, he’d be hard to find. And even if he was found, the cops have nothing to tie him to the killing. Unless he has a record, he’s got nothing to worry about, certainly not enough to worry Gus. Unlike Walt and Jesse. The only reason Gus didn’t kill Walt was because Walt has a deep understanding of the process and the equipment. It’s more than just a recipe. Victor could have cooked until something went wrong, and he wouldn’t know how to fix it. Plus, Victor was getting uppity, and I think that made Gus uncomfortable, an employee thinking on his own. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/91 "2011-07-18T20:37:28Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > No, I don’t think so. Victor was killed because he can be linked to Gale’s murder. That was the only reason. He showed up at the crime scene and there were witnesses. The police would have a make on Victor (who has a pretty distinctive look) and that trail can lead back to Gus… This idea ignores the entire dialogue between Walt and Victor as well as Victor’s cooking. Weighing that against a throwaway line to Mike (not Gus) about being seen at the crime scene, I’ll say it’s more likely that Victor’s cooking–an overly-ambitious move–was the primary reason why Gus killed him. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/92 "2011-07-18T20:50:10Z")
Meanwhile, how are things over at the chicken restaurant, do you suppose? Just as intense? Maybe that little toad who thinks he’s master of the shake machine needs to be made an example of. Eh, Gus? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/93 "2011-07-18T20:50:46Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I was quoting Mike. Jesse’s response of, “Uhhh, yeah!” was one of the best lines from the night. He was referring to S1, when Walt told him to use it to melt the dude they killed in Jesse’s aunt’s basement. Yet it ate through the cast iron tub and two floors of the house. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/94 "2011-07-18T20:54:21Z")
> [@CJJ](#): > > This idea ignores the entire dialogue between Walt and Victor as well as Victor’s cooking. Weighing that against a throwaway line to Mike (not Gus) about being seen at the crime scene, I’ll say it’s more likely that Victor’s cooking–an overly-ambitious move–was the primary reason why Gus killed him. Mike called Gus after Victor told him he was seen at the crime scene. Mike probably told Gus that Victor was seen. I think Gus killed Victor because Victor was spotted. The way he chose to kill Victor was designed to send a message to his employees. It was a way for Gus to solve two problems at once, which is consistent with his character since we know Gus is a very efficient man. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/95 "2011-07-18T20:54:34Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Plus, Victor was getting uppity, and I think that made Gus uncomfortable, an employee thinking on his own. I agree. Victor was overstepping his bounds. What was he doing learning the process anyways? That wasn’t his job. Gus had to respond. That killing Victor made Gus look like a bad ass and scared the shit out of Walt and Jesse was a nice bonus, but not the primary reason. ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/96 "2011-07-18T21:01:00Z")
From [a Grantland.com interview with Vince Gilligan](http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/30856/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-on-last-nights-season-premiere) > [@](#): > > Q: At first viewing, slashing Victor’s throat seems strictly like Gus making a brutal point to Jesse and Walt, but Victor wasn’t totally undeserving of punishment. > A: The audience has every bit as valid an opinion as I do, but for what it’s worth, I think what happened was that Victor made two mistakes: He let himself get seen at the house, and we can tell from the early going that that seems to worry Mike. The other thing is, it’s a bit of an affront to Gus that Victor added insult to injury by thinking he could cook Walt’s formula. This is a guy, we learned from the teaser, who wants the best. He doesn’t want just some well-intentioned schmo who’s not a chemist cooking the formula. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/97 "2011-07-18T21:12:19Z")
Gale uses his new box cutter to open the shipped cooking equipment. Fringe asks him if he has everything he needs, Gale replies he needs Walter to make quality, Fringe gets Walter with reservations, Walter has reservations but convinces Fringe to get Jesse, Jesse kills Gale, Fringe’s goon watched Jesse and can now cook replacing Gale. Fringe kills goon with box cutter. On the exact spot it was first used. The writers on this show are masters. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/98 "2011-07-18T21:19:18Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Meanwhile, how are things over at the chicken restaurant, do you suppose? Just as intense? > > Maybe that little toad who thinks he’s master of the shake machine needs to be made an example of. Eh, Gus? You know, a whole spin-off series about Gus’ brutal rise to power within Los Pollos Hermanos would be awesome. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/99 "2011-07-18T21:48:13Z")
> [@ekweizn](#): > > From [a Grantland.com interview with Vince Gilligan](http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/30856/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-on-last-nights-season-premiere) Thanks for posting this. **Now** what can we talk about? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/100 "2011-07-18T21:54:01Z")
> [@kenetic](#): > > You know, a whole spin-off series about Gus’ brutal rise to power within Los Pollos Hermanos would be awesome. Depending on the ending, it could be similar to Scarface. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359.md?page=6)