Now you’re going to see what I hippie I am, but I felt bad for that turtle, who was likely a century old and didn’t deserve to go out like that.
I think they might be setting up Skyler to leave Walt for Mr. Benecke. Walt is in a slow spiral to dying alone, having turned into an evil, bitter man. If the Mexican cartels are aware of him, he’s either going to have to step up his operation (and hire some professional muscle) or he’s going to be taken out. How long does he really think they can coast on the whole “Jesse dropped an ATM on a guy’s head” story?
I also think they’re setting up Jesse to want out of the drug business. Now he has a cute little goth girlfriend, he might want to straighten up. If things get any more violent, I don’t think he’ll be able to handle it, while Walt seems to be getting harder and harder.
There’ll be some tension for sure. Skylar must have lied to Walt about why she left the job (welding fumes?). It wasn’t spelled out, but I think she left because of the pass. If I wank that a bit further, she didn’t tell Walt because she was afraid of his reaction – he’d have gone after the guy.
Benecke’s cute but he seems to be a bit of a wimp. Skylar’s upset with Walt right now, but he’s a strong personality and I think that appeals to Skylar. Benecke’s not a match for her, and Walt is.
I was glad that Walt called off the hit on Skank and Spooje, even if he waited a bit too long.
Poor Jesse. I keep hoping he’ll stop doing drugs because he’ll realize first hand how it ruins people. I worry for him because his three ‘captains’ are complete idiots. At some point they’re going to screw something up. I’m concerned that ‘Eisenberg’ should NOT have shown his face to those three stooges.
I think Skylar will definitely will have flirtations with her new boss, but not until after the baby is born. I hate buddy, but I actually felt sorry for him this episode. No one liked him… he just wanted to fit in.
Jesse seems to notice other people’s feelings more than Walt does. He protected the little child last week and his own little brother before that. Walt doesn’t seem to notice what his actions are doing to the people around him. Either that or he doesn’t care. His actions have already killed a few people, does he think selling more meth will be harmless? That his family isn’t in any serious danger because of this?
Hank came off as pretty obnoxious in the first episode, but he is becoming more likable now. For all his retarded jokes he’s a good DEA officer when he gets serious.
I don’t know why but the writers are showing Walt become more sloppy in his thinking & also more “gangster” in his ambitions, but without precedent. Earlier, he let Jesse walk with him in daylight to his house with an unmissable RV parked right outside. For someone who insisted that Pinkman not even call his place, that’s a huge slip; he should have forced Jesse to not show himself outside the RV. Next, he gets all mafia and asks Jesse to show the clients who’s boss. Then when he hears the rumors about Jesse, he decides to exploit that, not stopping to think that the rumor makes Jesse very vulnerable to ratting him out should the police ever put the squeeze on him. Finally, he’s seen in public and has revealed himself as Heisenberg. Oh, also that expansion plan (“sub-dealers”), a smart guy would realize that Jesse’s friends are in no position to maintain their own personal turf when push comes to shove, let alone anything grander.
I don’t know if all this is sloppy writing or deliberate setup, but for a guy of Walt’s cerebral calibre, it seems awkward.
It does – even for a desperate, terminally ill man. Do you think he’s getting a God complex or something? Is he feeling invincible? He’s gotten himself out of everything so far.
Walt has no experience with the drug trade, and I think his street-level maneuvering is entirely appropriate to the character. It’s no surprise that he’s acting like a character from Scarface or The Godfather - picking up new territory, expanding into new markets, who is he kidding? He’s channeling two decades’ worth of pent-up aggression into his operation.
If Jesse wasn’t there to act as a buffer between Walt and the street, I think Walt’s behavior would adjust accordingly. But Jesse’s been a pretty unsuccessful check against Walt’s behavior so far, and if he continues to allow himself to be lead around, even his experience with the trade is going to prove inadequate.
I actually think it is somewhat possible Walt is just a sociopath. Even from the first season I’ve never truly seen this as a quest to provide for his family. Sure, that is Walt’s ultimate intentions, but that isn’t his motivation. I think at a deep, dark level Walt wants to leave his family a ton of money because it’s a way to glorify himself.
I think Walt has a huge amount of pent up rage due to the fact he had a shit life and a shit job prior to getting cancer, and his explosion at Gretchen in the restaurant gave us a glimpse at that. Walt wants more that’s his motivation right now, he wants it for himself and for his own aggrandizement.
I actually like the Walt character because of the fact he is so severely flawed. Very early on you just get the impression he’s a somewhat depressing, middle aged, middle class guy doing pretty much all he can think of to provide for his wife, son, and his unborn daughter. But as season one progressed I think you really start to see that it’s not something so simple, for Walt it quickly becomes (or was always about) his desire for personal success.
I think so far Walt has seen some early successes in the drug business and wants to see how far it can go.
I also get the impression Walt has a plan for the cartel: involve Hank and the DEA. I’m not sure how he’ll swing it but I think Walt will, through his involvement in the drug business, find out information on the cartel’s operations and he’ll find a way to funnel that information to Hank who will use it to make busts on the cartel. In a sense, using the police as the “muscle.”
Also, while I thought of Jesse as a scumbag/idiot for most of season 1 and the first part of season 2 I’ve always thought Walt the more brutal of the two characters. Remember Walt is the only one of the two who has actually killed someone with his own hands. Walt killed a guy by strangling him with a bike lock, that’s quite brutal, and Walt has never seemed to have lasting issues over it.
The three dealers are morons who know who Jessie is and where he lives. They have also seen Walt. Jessie knows where Walt lives. They have no levels of protection put in place. They’re fucked.
A hard ass gangster could bust their operation and their heads in a easy days work.
Jessie has really grown on me over the run. I really like how they’ve moved him and Walt along. It’s such a great show.
This became one of my favorite shows from the very first episode. If only more shows were this good on network television.
I’ve always liked Jesse, he’s stupid but likable, and every so often tries to get through to Walt with some seriously good advice. He looks up to Walt in a weird way. When he found that old piece of homework from Walt’s class, with the remarks “Ridiculous –Apply Yourself. F” You could see he felt disappointed in himself for who he was then, and how Walt sees him now.
Anyway, awesome episode… the Tortoise scene was truly horrifying and shocking in a visceral sense. Loved the opening song. Very foreboding. And this on top of the B&W imagery we’ve had a few times of the pink teddybear in the pool, and all the evidence lined up (including Walt’s glasses).
Something very bad is going to go down. And the tension between him and Skylar is killing me. It pains me to see Walt keep a secret like that, when it’s obvious to her he’s hiding something. Now it’s only a matter of time before the other shoe drops, and it’s gonna be ugly.
Another vote for Hank growing on me. Sure he’s loud, obnoxious, and crass, but he’s smart when he’s doing his job, protective of his family, and he has a heart. Glad they’re not making him as 2 dimensional as I thought they would when the series first began.
More people need to know about this show. It’s absolutely the best thing on right now.
Also, two questions I’ve had concerning the science in the show.
I know it’s just TV, but they seem to actually go through the trouble of getting their chemistry right, and I couldn’t be happier. I love seeing science portrayed in movies and TV by a character that has a true passion for it. Especially a teacher.
Anyway, the Fulminated Mercury he used on Tuco when trying to get his money. Would a small nugget that size, really have blown out the side of a building like that?
Also, would the chemical process he’s using by avoiding Pseudo, really create baby-blue meth?
I think the name “Heisenberg” has something to do with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. I’m sure that people smarter than me will have fun with it.
Skyler taking the job looks to me like she is seeking attention from Handsy McGrabass, especially the way she stormed his office to get a personal interview. Consider how upset she is with Walt’s absences and her punishing Walt with the silent treatment. Handsy McGrabass is a sad and lonely guy and I can’t see this ending well for him.
I think Marv has been compensating for his short stature all his life. I think becoming a loudmouth and DEA agent are part of the pattern. Witness his panic attacks after the promotion; he’s insecure and doesn’t know if he can do this, but he has to be strong for his wife and extended family, even teh whole country. I think he’s an honorable man with good intentions.
I’m glad to see Jesse coming into his own re: taking the money back from Spooje and Skank and rescuing their kid. I’m glad to see him getting some attention from the hottie next door, but it’s a very lopsided power structure with her being the manager of the duplex and knowing that he’s there under an assumed name.
I also think things will end badly via Jesse’s 3 dealers and the Mexican cartel, but I had never considered Walt consciously using Marv and the DEA as muscle against the cartel. I thought he was just lucky that Marv was the Deus ex machina to save the guys from Tuco.
Walter is filled with rage which was clearly displayed in his lunch scene with Gretchen in last week’s episode. To me that was the most revealing scene about Walter’s true nature at this point of his life. It shocked me how he turned someone’s sincere attempt to help him into a profane tirade. This rage has been eating at him all these years, but after his cancer was diagnosed he felt liberated to take extreme risks with his life. I think that the opening song foreshadows the eventual fate for Walter.
I loved the opening to this week’s show. I’ve never seen another show do anything like it.
Jesse’s problem is that he knows the drug trade, but he’s not very smart, and in the end, he always does what Walt tells him to. Walt’s problem is that he’s smart, but incredibly naive about the drug trade, and he doesn’t have the good sense to listen to Jesse when Jesse knows what he’s talking about. He thinks the rumor that Jesse killed Spooje is going to protect him? Like none of the other drug dealers have killed people and they’re going to be shaking in their boots? It’s laughable, and I hate that Jesse is being bullied into it.
