# 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:** 8
**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 19, 2011, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/141 "2011-07-19T09:46:17Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > So the conclusion to the “whats Gus gonna do” cliffhanger from last season was “kill some random henchman for no good reason”? I’m kinda underwelmed. Felt like the writers just wanted him to do something crazy and shocking because they’d been building up the tension so much. Reactions like this puzzle me. What in the world can you imagine that is leagues better than this AND makes actual sense? (The last is critically important in the BB universe, and it is one of the things that makes the show so great: no cheating. No bullshit. No demanding that the audience suspend all awareness of real human behavior and emotion and physical reality in order to continue watching) I’m very genuinely curious at what you think you are watching that you can find this so unsatisfying. (You being you and some others that are giving this a “meh”.) What are you hoping for, imagining, longing for that actually connects to this show? What would, could these characters do at this point that would be thrilling, meaningful, and not somehow lead to the end of the show immediately? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/142 "2011-07-19T10:07:01Z")
> [@quixotic78](#): > > I usually don’t like the methodical, almost plodding nature of this show, but I really like how it took Gus five minutes to prep to kill Victor. I only wish they hadn’t telegraphed it so much. Having Victor say more in this episode than all other episodes combined was suggestive, but the cheesy grin he gave as Gus entered the room just totally gave it away. I’m just glad it was Victor who died and not Mike; I like Mike. Apparently I’m a bit thick and I like it that way 😉 I honestly expected Gus to take over the cook, possibly answering some the questions Walt was shouting at Victor, and thus showing that is push came to shove he could take over the cook for a while. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/143 "2011-07-19T13:23:41Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > It was actually Mike that called over and over again, so that’s still a loose end. Ah, good call. I forgot that. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/144 "2011-07-19T13:34:21Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I think that would depend on if they were on duty or not. I would guess the workers comp auditor would ask to see their time cards or schedules to prove they were on duty if there was a question. Federal law enforcement is quite different from local law enforcement. The former are salaried employees who are pretty much ‘on the clock’ as long as they are in the country. That’s not to say they would get worker’s comp if they sprained their ankle playing a pickup game of basketball, but any action related to law enforcement is considered part of the job. I have no idea how a suspension would factor into this. All that to say the point is moot. Marie wanted the very best of everything to give Hank the best chance of walking again. The very best are almost never on insurance plans of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/145 "2011-07-19T13:44:11Z")
Only 2.1 million people tuned in?! - [Dotdash Meredith - America's Largest Digital & Print Publisher](http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/07/18/breaking-bad-ratings/) Wow… somehow that seems such a small number. But, for a violent TV show, not all that bad? ---
**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 19, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/146 "2011-07-19T15:52:46Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > 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. You’re right. I’d forgotten about Saul mentioning the Casino. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/147 "2011-07-19T16:36:49Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > I found her (Skyler’s) scenes interesting because it’s showing her continued slide toward being dishonest in her own ways. She put on a production for the locksmith in order to essentially break into a home that is not hers. She is no longer the innocent that she was in Season 1 and she is continuing down the path she was on in Season 3. I think this is foreshadowing a deeper involvement in Walt’s criminal activities this season. Absolutely correct. I liked the fact that she found the eyeball, which in previous scenes with Walt served the same purpose as the optician’s billboard in “The Great Gatsby”. Now God is looking at her. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/148 "2011-07-19T16:54:22Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > It’s true that Gus stressed that if the production stopped, even for one week, the whole operation would come crashing down. If something went wrong, they’d be boned. I didn’t quite understand this. I can see how he’d be out the money of course, but what’s the expense if it slows down or stops for a week? Surely he didn’t buy the machinery with borrowed money he has to make payments on, and surely there’s enough profit to make up for some slack time. ---
**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 19, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/149 "2011-07-19T16:57:57Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I didn’t quite understand this. I can see how he’d be out the money of course, but what’s the expense if it slows down or stops for a week? Surely he didn’t buy the machinery with borrowed money he has to make payments on, and surely there’s enough profit to make up for some slack time. Maybe he’d be unable to pay the salaries and overhead for the restaurants that he’s using to launder his money. Or maybe a sudden temporary and dramatic drop in the reported income from those restaurants might look suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/150 "2011-07-19T17:22:15Z")
[Clip from next week](http://www.amctv.com/breaking-bad/videos/breaking-bad-sneak-peek-episode-402-thirty-eight-snub). Jesse realizes he’s “outgrown” his friends. “Dude, you are so historically retarded!” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/151 "2011-07-19T17:34:51Z")
Giancarlo Esposito being the same general type as Barack Obama (they don’t really resemble each other but they’re both biracial, slim, 50ish, well spoken and obviously intellectual) I’m wondering if perhaps the Debt Ceiling would be raised if the President grabbed a prominent Republican and held up a box cutter. Unfortunately, Dems being what they are these days he’d probably settle for a half measure. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/152 "2011-07-19T17:46:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Giancarlo Esposito being the same general type as Barack Obama (they don’t really resemble each other but they’re both biracial, slim, 50ish, well spoken and obviously intellectual) I’m wondering if perhaps the Debt Ceiling would be raised if the President grabbed a prominent Republican and held up a box cutter. Unfortunately, Dems being what they are these days he’d probably settle for a half measure. This has nothing at all to do with your post, but have you considered how different _Breaking Bad_ would be if instead of Giancarlo, Gus was being played by: Samuel L Jackson Andre Braugher Don Cheadle Denzel Washington Forest Whitaker Ice T Ice Cube P Diddy any of the guys from _The Wire_ – especially Omar? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/153 "2011-07-19T18:16:30Z")
I can see Don Cheadle in the role, but I get your point. Being shallow here, but why does Walt Jr. (R J Mitte) always sound like he has a stuffy nose? Adenoids? Cleft palate? On another topic, in the last episode of S3 we see Walt and pregnant Skyler looking at their house, Walt wanting to aim higher, “Why buy a starter home?”. A deleted scene shows them getting into a Porsche convertible. Walter drove a Porsche! I think it’s cool and realistic that Walt and Jesse (and Skyler) have kept their nondescript automobiles, without talking about why they don’t drive something better. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/154 "2011-07-19T18:26:52Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > [Clip from next week](http://www.amctv.com/breaking-bad/videos/breaking-bad-sneak-peek-episode-402-thirty-eight-snub). Jesse realizes he’s “outgrown” his friends. > > “Dude, you are so historically retarded!” I liked that scene, but got something very different from it. A couple things, actually. First, it was a nice example of just what a toxic element Jesse is for the people around him. Badger and Skinny Pete are _actually trying to get clean_. When Jesse offers them meth, they refuse, until he pressures them into it. Admittedly, he doesn’t have to try very hard - but if he’d respected their initial hesitation, those two guys would probably still be clean. We also see just how damaged Jesse is. Badger and Skinny Pete are using meth as a social drug - they’re having _fun_. (Heck, while I wouldn’t try meth, I’d be happy to talk about zombie-related issues with them. It’s an AMC program, after all - these guys probably know their stuff.) Jesse’s not having fun at all - he’s just trying to stop himself from thinking. It’s a great little scene, actually. And it makes me want to buy a roomba. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/155 "2011-07-19T20:32:52Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > I liked that scene, but got something very different from it. A couple things, actually. Agreed. By “outgrown” I didn’t mean intellectually (intellect not being one of Jesse’s great selling points) but he’s now gone someplace they haven’t. He’s a killer now, or in Potter-speak he’s split his soul for the first time and he can’t enjoy the activities or the people he used to enjoy. > [@Zeldar](#): > > This has nothing at all to do with your post, but have you considered how different Breaking Bad would be if instead of Giancarlo, Gus was being played by: Or Tim Conway. As Dorf. Actually it would be a great role for somebody like Steve Carell (not that he needs any career boost at this time) to shake their ‘nice doofus’ exterior. A pity Andy Griffith is ancient as he’d be great in it; he plays “Janus villains”\* better than almost anybody. \*I use the term Janus villains for those who have two faces but, unlike most “two faced” characters, one face is just as real as the other. Gus really is as much a generous Civitan/Rotary Club businessman and philanthropist as he is a cold blooded druglord. You can imagine him feeding and babytalking a stray kitten while there’s a dead body in his trunk. The scene at his home established that he’s just as at home in one role as the other. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/156 "2011-07-19T20:35:52Z")
Question about Gus: do you believe he ordered the killing of Tomas (the 11 year old)? I think he more or less did, albeit implicitly. Basically a “take care of this- by any means necessary” that had plausible deniability to others in his organization, but I doubt he was upset when he learned the kid was dead. ---
**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 19, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/157 "2011-07-19T21:25:19Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Being shallow here, but why does Walt Jr. (R J Mitte) always sound like he has a stuffy nose? Adenoids? Cleft palate? Cerebral palsy. Very common, almost automatic in my limited experience - I don’t think I’ve ever met or seen someone who had CP who didn’t have imapaired speech that sounds like some version of Mitte’s speech. Cuz you know he has CP in real life, right? > [@Sampiro](#): > > Question about Gus: do you believe he ordered the killing of Tomas (the 11 year old)? No, because there’s absolutely no reason for him to. The kid hasnt’ done anything, nothing in his world changed. He was only a topic because Jesse made him a topic, not because the kid himself had somehow changed. Also, after making the peace with Walt over it and letting Jesse shove back like that, he had nothing to gain by pressing the issue that way, there was no purpose. It was his punkass henchmen, pissed off. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/158 "2011-07-19T22:21:35Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Question about Gus: do you believe he ordered the killing of Tomas (the 11 year old)? > > I think he more or less did, albeit implicitly. Basically a “take care of this- by any means necessary” that had plausible deniability to others in his organization, but I doubt he was upset when he learned the kid was dead. I don’t think his goons would’ve done it without Gus’ blessing. They know that it’s not good to piss off the boss. Gus may have even ordered it to force Jesse’s hand in confronting the goons which he assumed would mean the end of Jesse. Gus just didn’t expect Walt to do what he did. Just my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/159 "2011-07-19T22:23:31Z")
They might’ve misunderstood what “no more children” implied I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359/160 "2011-07-20T01:50:11Z")
Re: RJ Mitte- while the voice is his, the leg braces and canes belong to his character. In real life he only has a slight limp. I’ve seen him on the cover of various teen magazines at the supermarket and think it’s great that a kid with CP is considered a teen heart throb. His character’s never really been developed that much. I wonder if they plan on bringing him into the center board this season. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-4-01-box-cutter-7-17/589359.md?page=9)