# Breaking Bad 5.02 "Madrigal" 7/22/2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089 "2012-07-23T00:09:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/241 "2012-07-25T01:34:30Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > The only character who seems to have started as just a doofus and stayed that way is Ted. And Walt Jr. He had better turn to the dark side soon, or become irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/242 "2012-07-25T02:06:25Z")
Could a DEA agent really afford that house that Hank has? ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/243 "2012-07-25T02:40:36Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I’ll stop spelling it “Chow” as soon as people stop spelling Skyler as “Skylar” - shit, we’ve even had a “Schuyler” spelling! Dude, I was posting from my phone while standing in line. Not really in a position to double check the spelling even though I knew Schuyler was wrong. Get over it. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/244 "2012-07-25T03:03:06Z")
> [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](#): > > Dude, I was posting from my phone while standing in line. Not really in a position to double check the spelling even though I knew Schuyler was wrong. > > Get over it. Dude, if I needed getting over it, I would have mentioned it originally, instead of jokingly mentioning it when someone corrected my spelling of Chow. Chill out. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/245 "2012-07-25T03:11:56Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Could a DEA agent really afford that house that Hank has? In New Mexico, you can get a house like that for a sack of enchiladas and two potted cacti. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/246 "2012-07-25T03:22:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The question was answered (by someone else), and he was not trying to trip you up. He asked you to explain your thinking, and it’s time to let the whole thing drop. Do not accuse other posters of trolling unless you are in the Pit, no exceptions. I was happy to let the whole thing drop with my first answer which was more than self explanatory. Just wondering why I was taken to task on a point that was made with my first post. Moreover, to my point about rudely letting a question go instead of answering. The question was asked of a specific poster. If someone else answers a question that was asked the courteous thing to do is to at least acknowledge it. That’s it. I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/247 "2012-07-25T05:07:40Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > In New Mexico, you can get a house like that for a sack of enchiladas and two potted cacti. Don’t forget his wife Marie is a nurse. Double income, no kids. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/248 "2012-07-25T05:13:03Z")
I think Mike knew full well he was going against his own code and taking a ‘half measure.’ Since all went to pot (heh) because of Walt, all that money he saved for his granddaughter is gone. He’s doing this knowing full well it’s going to do him in, but if there’s anything he’s sure not to do, is leave this earth with nothing from the only thing in his life he truly loves, so, he’s going into this for her. I think that moment when he decided not to shoot Lydia was his watershed moment. He’s taking a ‘full measure’ out on himself. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/249 "2012-07-25T05:26:35Z")
It was established that Hank owns up to his mistakes, even if it means his job or reputation is on the line when he decided to take his lumps and confess to beating the tar out of Jesse when he found out he was duped with the fake ER call about Marie in a car accident. He was suspended, but knew the likely scenario was he’d be fired. Whether that Hank is still in there after the shoot out with the twins, his dignity on the low, and his depressed disdain for Marie lately, we’ll find out how he’ll react when the bomb’s dropped. I don’t think it’s gonna be pretty. He can Hank-Out like he did with Jesse, or suck it up and be a good DEA agent. Whatever the outcome, it’s gonna get ugly, and I can’t wait, more than any other development, to see how Hank is going to react. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/250 "2012-07-25T05:33:54Z")
Acccording to IMDb and closed captioning, it’s “Chow”. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/251 "2012-07-25T05:53:31Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Acccording to IMDb and closed captioning, it’s “Chow”. Judging from the hole in his head, shouldn’t it be “Ciao?” 😃 Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/252 "2012-07-25T05:55:14Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Don’t forget his wife Marie is a nurse. Double income, no kids. And… she’s a thief. Skyler has Ebay, Walter Jr. (Flynn) has Paypal web-begging thing and Marie’s a kleptomaniac. Everyone pitches in. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/253 "2012-07-25T06:20:04Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > And… she’s a thief. Skyler has Ebay, Walter Jr. (Flynn) has Paypal web-begging thing and Marie’s a kleptomaniac. Everyone pitches in. I almost mentioned that, but I can’t imagine souvenir spoons and shoes help with the bills all that much. 😉 Okay, well, shoes can be expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/254 "2012-07-25T10:51:22Z")
Okay, I surrender on “Chow.” Walt Jr. is a doofus? He seems like a realistic teen-ager to me. (Growing fast, though!) ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/255 "2012-07-25T10:57:15Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Don’t forget his wife Marie is a nurse. Double income, no kids. Pretty sure she is an [X-ray Tech](http://breakingbad.wikia.com/wiki/Marie_Schrader) - but they do make decent pay with enough experience and/or doing multiple midalities of imaging. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/256 "2012-07-25T12:10:48Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Dude, if I needed getting over it, I would have mentioned it originally, instead of jokingly mentioning it when someone corrected my spelling of Chow. > > Chill out. ::shrug:: Not the way it came across to me. No need for me to chill. ---
**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 25, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/257 "2012-07-25T15:14:58Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Don’t forget his wife Marie is a nurse. Double income, no kids. And I think Hank is a GS-13 - that’d be appropriate for a guy in his agency of his age and duties. A friend of mine in his early 30s in a more junior role is at GS-12, for example. And I think Hank’s partner mentioned a promotion to GS-14. A GS-13 at step 1 makes a bit over 80K in that part of the country: [Rest of U.S. - Annual Rates by Grade and Step](http://www.opm.gov/oca/12tables/html/RUS.asp) . If Hank’s been at GS-13 for a while, and he probably has, then he could be in the low nineties. Even if he’s only a GS-12, he’d be making mid-seventies after a few years in grade. So, yah - dual-income almost certainly pushes their combined income into the low six figures. Hank and Marie are doing quite well for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/258 "2012-07-25T15:24:54Z")
After googling “Franch dressing” turns out the second result is from this board in 2001 😃 [FRANCH - The new salad dressing!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=1133061&postcount=1) ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/259 "2012-07-25T21:23:03Z")
> [@singular1](#): > > Thank you so much for these links. I’m under the dual challenge of being a dish subscriber and recovering from a hip replacement - I have to get my BB fix on an iPod, and it’s a pain in the ass to try and get the previews and extras. Anything for a Doper… My apologies if you have already seen any of these, but if you need a fix…then here are some BB tribute videos…IMHO, these are the top drawer ones, but the list is by no means exclusive… [Breaking Bad - The Ecstasy of Gold (tribute video) Seasons 1-4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYBTX_GmSM8) [Hurt (Walt/Jessie Breaking Bad)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1XDhMJHC_Q) [Breaking Bad - DLZ - Tv on the Radio](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR4e19Fc98w) [Breaking Bad - Fresh Prince of ABQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbFP8Su8huU) [Breaking Bad: Requiem for a Dream](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evCS62BFnEE&feature=related) [Jesse Pinkman: Ever Since I Met You [Breaking Bad]](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzULZKyec-0) [Breaking Bad | The Transformation of Walter White | Sunshine | Tribute (HD)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=NuN-70bICR4&NR=1) [Breaking Bad - Ultimate Tribute](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJkIF4umzQI) [Breaking Bad Tribute - Hans Zimmer - Time [HD] Seasons 1- 4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79-1ALjuteA) [And for something completely different.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjqYlvUgJQ8) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089/260 "2012-07-25T23:23:10Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > And I think Hank is a GS-13 - that’d be appropriate for a guy in his agency of his age and duties. A friend of mine in his early 30s in a more junior role is at GS-12, for example. And I think Hank’s partner mentioned a promotion to GS-14. A GS-13 at step 1 makes a bit over 80K in that part of the country: [Rest of U.S. - Annual Rates by Grade and Step](http://www.opm.gov/oca/12tables/html/RUS.asp) . If Hank’s been at GS-13 for a while, and he probably has, then he could be in the low nineties. Even if he’s only a GS-12, he’d be making mid-seventies after a few years in grade. > > So, yah - dual-income almost certainly pushes their combined income into the low six figures. Hank and Marie are doing quite well for themselves. Plus we don’t know anything about Hank’s family other than apparently none are particularly clingy (i.e. don’t come stay with him when he’s been shot to pieces and in reasonable fear of being the target of a Mexican drug cartel). It’s possible he inherited a significant sum of money from his parents or some other relative. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-02-madrigal-7-22-2012/629089.md?page=14)