Breaking Bad 4.13 "Face Off" 10/9

Cafe Society
321

Yep. I think Walter can be held to account morally, if not legally, for pretty much everybody’s death on the show. Subtract him and none of it happens.

Still love him, though. He’s the most complex, believable character I can ever remember seeing on television, and an astonishing portrayal of how hideously damaging ego can be; all of this came about because of Walter’s messed up ego.

I say it loud, proud, and educated, because now I’ve seen the only other real contender, “The Wire”: Breaking Bad is the greatest television show in the history of the world. Flawless.

All the others are vying for second place. (And yeah, I’d be inclined to give that to The Wire)

322

So I’ve been reading these boards as I re-watch the show for probably the 5th time… and I’m just dying to get my thoughts off my chest:

First, no way Ted is dead. The dialogue went through at least two efforts to dance around the issue rather than confirm this assumption, yet everyone seems to think he’s absolutely a goner. Sure, there is the symbolism of the oranges (a la The Godfather), but I think that the oranges as a symbol of death is a common misconception. The oranges actually fell in GF1 when Vito Corleone was nearly killed, not actually killed. I personally think Ted will come back as a major plot device next season. If we go back to color themes here, the orange may actually represent the cops, maybe symbolizing that Ted’s accident will bring the DEA, FBI, IRS, someone, closer to Walt and Skyler.

Speaking of color, I’ve been paying way more attention to that after being informed of the symbolism behind it, specifically, what each character is wearing as we last saw them. Walt is in green, his traditional color for taking another step toward being a total criminal, which just confirms for me his eventual flip to total antagonist. I did notice a lot of pink when Walt was making the bomb as well, which seems to symbolize his rationalizing his actions as in his family’s best interest yet again. Jesse is actually wearing blue, previously Walt’s color for moving toward Skyler, and something we never see him wear IIRC. Seems to me Jesse is going to have almost no interest in continuing his life of crime. I can’t exactly see him heading back to the bank to do helicopter moves in a $100 bill suit, but I do see him trying to resurrect some sort of “normal” relationship with Andrea and Brock - he’ll have to do something for cash, but maybe he can let her buy uncut pizzas every night with the money he gave her.

Best thing that ever happened to the mole in the DEA was Hank getting shot. Now that he’s making a recovery, will his job be waiting for him? I’m subscribing to the theory that his boss (Merker?) is the mole, and the reassignment to El Paso and all that was just a way to get him off the blue meth trail he was so interested in following. He seemed pretty damn unqualified for that gig. Gomez would have been a better decision from the get go.

I think Walt will want to get out, but I think Skyler will actually pull him back in, and this is where Ted fits in. If Ted isn’t dead, he is definitely a problem - and Skyler has already shown twice that she has no problem spending Walt’s money to clean up Walt’s messes. Ted wasn’t Walt’s mess, but now that she’s in on it too, this is how I see her handling things. Maybe Ted is a paraplegic now, and he’s got a shit ton of bills that Skyler is paying to shut him up. Maybe he’s fine, but he’s pissed off, and he guilts her into giving him more money, so that he can drive a Benz, keep his business running, and pay off the IRS. She’s still not capable of murder, which would be the right move as a criminal, but I don’t think she truly breaks bad that hard unless she kills Walt at some point. Now I’m just ranting. I had some backup before, but really I just can’t wait the damn month for Season 5. I expect I’ll be proven wrong all over the map.

323

Ted’s body looked awfully dead to me.

324

[QUOTE=]

Lots of people echoed this sentiment, but Walt did more than watch. When he enters the house, Jane is on her side, spooned up against Jesse. As a result of Walt’s efforts to wake Jesse, she rolls onto her back.

And it’s that position that causes her to asphyxiate. There’s a good case to be made that if Walt never enters the apartment, the worst thing that happens to her is the embarrassment of throwing up in stupor on her boyfriend’s back.
[/QUOTE]

So glad that someone else noticed this. I’m ready to put Walt’s actual body count up to at least 10… probably higher if we can count shit that he did that caused people to die. Here’s my full list (with direct kills starred):

  1. Emilio*
  2. Crazy 8*
  3. ATM Guy (he ordered Jesse to “handle it”).
  4. Jane*
  5. Some kind of credit for setting in motion the events that caused the plane crash.
  6. Those 2 dealers in Season 3*
  7. Gail/Victor (he didn’t kill either one, but he should get half credit for each - ordering Gail’s death indirectly caused Victor’s).
  8. Gus*
  9. Tio*
  10. Tyrus*
  11. Two of Gus’ men at the laundry.*

I wouldn’t count Ted, not just because I don’t think he’s dead, but because even that’s a reach, and I wouldn’t count Tuco either, I only mention these examples to show where I can stop drawing a line between Walt’s actions and a character’s death.

325

I’ve tried to convince myself the same way, but it really does feel like they’re going out of their way to make the situation ambiguous. So far not a single person agrees with me… so I pretty much know I’m crazy. :slight_smile:

326

The notion that there’s a mole in the DEA is absurd and wholly unsupported by anything that’s happened in the show.

327

You’re probably right. And it doesn’t seem to be the writer’s style to introduce something like that after all this time. I think I’m just looking for an angle on Hank’s plot going forward, and I when read this theory in an old thread, it rang plausible to me. Gus had a lot of information up front, I realize he probably knew about the ricin from being legitimately on the board at the hospital, which may have made it easier for him to feel out Jesse before dodging the car bomb, but I still have no idea why he had Tyrus stationed at the DEA to witness Tio’s visit, especially since the DEA was probably looking for anyone suspicious with the threat against Hank. And Gus was a great liar, but his off the cuff alibi for being in Gail’s apartment could have come with prior knowledge. Again, not evidence, but one can speculate.

328

Interesting this should be revived, season four goes on sale next Tuesday.

329

I thought the voice that tips off Hank before the attack sounded a lot like Merkert. But it could’ve been any of Gus’ henchmen through a voice distortion unit.

330

You all thinking Ted isn’t dead are ludicrous. He’s dead. As a doornail.

The biggest questions left to me after watching the conclusion of the show (Walt, you devious bastard! Lilly Of The Valley indeed!) are:

How do Jesse and Walt get together again? It seems their common thread is done.

What happens with Mike? Does he end up being the strongman for Walt (and Jesse) if they start cooking again?

Where is their distribution network coming from if they cook again? All their connections are dead.

Where does Hank fit in now that the superlab he rightfully suspected as such is totally gone?

Its going to be interesting to see the writers explain all this after such closure at the end of season four.

Greatest show ever, by the way. The tension is SO palpable. Love it!

331

I’m concerned for the upcoming season though. The show has never been this wide open before. The last episode of last season could easily have been the series finale.

332

We will see. If he’s really dead, the writers truly missed an opportunity for Bob Odenkirk to say something awesome and hilarious.

I don’t think Hank is going to even assume that Gus is Heisenberg. Hank’s pursuit of Gus was predicated on the assumption that he was Heisenberg’s employer. Not that you suggested that, but the lab was just a means to an end (Heisenberg), not the end target. The pursuit of Heisenberg has given him a reason to recover, and I think he’ll be keeping an eye out for fallout from Gus’ demise.

+1,000,000. I used to think The Sopranos was great, this has surpassed it in every way imaginable, and yes, I’ve seen The Wire about 3 times now. Nothing else even comes close. Vince Gilligan has got to shoot to the top of some list somewhere after this is all said and done.