# Breaking Bad 5.03 "Hazard Pay" 7/29/12 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806 "2012-07-30T02:08:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/81 "2012-07-30T18:24:04Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > So would trying to take Mike out of the equation. Yes, but that’s much more direct than trying to get multiple other people whacked. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/82 "2012-07-30T18:25:49Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > ??? I don’t remember this. I remember Walt and Skyler getting it on various times, including once that could be an echo of last week’s creepo rapey scene. I believe Skyler said something like, “Walt, is that you?” Back when she didn’t shudder in revulsion to his touch. Good times. I saw the first season on DVD - I just learned here in this thread that this scene was cut in other formats (leading me to wonder what else got cut!). Too bad, It’s an amusing way to show how boring their domesticity was before Walt broke bad. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/83 "2012-07-30T18:52:00Z")
I thought this was definitely an episode where the show makes a tradeoff and goes with drama and great character moments over realism. There’s absolutely no reason for Mike not to make sure that everyone understands all the financial stuff ahead of time, not to mention taking all the cuts out before dividing things up into piles, etc. Mike doesn’t trust Walt (with good reason) and knows he’s a time bomb… so why do things in a way that maximizes hwo insulting it all seems? Unless he’s goading Walt into something? I do also wish they’d made it more clear what the deal with the “hazard pay” was. I can imagine that anyone in jail has a deal where Fring was going to pay them $x per month as long as they remained in jail. But are they all in jail? For any of them not in jail, I can see a one time payment to make up for what was stolen, but after that are they still on the payroll? Still a very entertaining episode, however. The whole house-tenting thing is at least superficially clever and plausible enough to be neat and cool. ---
**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 30, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/84 "2012-07-30T18:58:55Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I do also wish they’d made it more clear what the deal with the “hazard pay” was. I can imagine that anyone in jail has a deal where Fring was going to pay them $x per month as long as they remained in jail. But are they all in jail? For any of them not in jail, I can see a one time payment to make up for what was stolen, but after that are they still on the payroll? I thought it was clear. Each of the 12 had a Cayman Islands account with something like $2 million. Mike has promised to “make them whole,” which means restoring all the money that the D.E.A. had seized. That’s well into the tens of millions, and I thought it was pretty clear that Mike was restoring the money in installments. When he says it’s going to be something that happens “from now on,” I took it he meant that it’s going to happen “for a long time.” Say there was $24 million in those accounts total. He took something like $300,000 out of this stash for legacy costs. That means it’s going to take something on the order of 80 installments to make good. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/85 "2012-07-30T19:02:41Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > There’s absolutely no reason for Mike not to make sure that everyone understands all the financial stuff ahead of time, not to mention taking all the cuts out before dividing things up into piles, etc. Mike doesn’t trust Walt (with good reason) and knows he’s a time bomb… so why do things in a way that maximizes hwo insulting it all seems? Unless he’s goading Walt into something? Walt doesn’t trust Mike (or anyone) enough to let him divide up all the money in private without explaining where it’s all going, and Mike thinks Walt knows nothing about the business side of drug dealing (true enough) and wanted to put him in his place. I agree that it would have made more sense to hash all of that out in advance, but these guys have a shitty relationship. > [@](#): > > I do also wish they’d made it more clear what the deal with the “hazard pay” was. The deal is this: Gus was paying all of these guys because of their involvement in his meth business. As a result of the magnet caper and the picture frame, the DEA discovered the bank accounts where Gus deposited that money. All of that cash has been seized. So their pay from Gus is now gone - and spending that money (as all of them did except Mike) is also a crime, so their assets are probably also being seized. In effect these guys have lost all the money they made from Gus. Mike wants to be sure they are paid what they’re owed so they have less incentive to turn states’ evidence. They might be willing to sit in jail and stay quiet if they know they a big pile of cash waiting for them, but if they’re broke and looking at a long jail term, someone will talk to the DEA. It’s not [hazard pay](http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/hazardpay.htm) as such. I think that was just a metaphor on Mike’s part when he was explaining the risks everybody involved in this business is taking. ---
**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 30, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/86 "2012-07-30T19:18:52Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I smell a rat with Todd. How’s this scenario: perhaps he’s an undercover cop who was gathering evidence against the Vaminos Pest people and their crime contacts. Now he realizes that he’s stumbled into something perhaps much bigger, but doesn’t yet know what it is. He starts ingratiating himself with Walt in order to find out what it is they’re up to. I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s an undercover cop, and I think it’s just about as unlikely that they don’t already know exactly what Walt and Jesse are doing. They wouldn’t even need to be explicitly told that meth was being cooked, and they should still be able to instantly figure that out. What else could they be doing in the houses that required so much equipment and where they’d be willing to pay them so well? > [@SykoSkotty](#): > > And Todd is going to get fired (and maybe turn rat?) because he spoke to Walt - disobeying Mike’s strict orders for the crew not to speak to them unless spoken to first. I doubt that, too. It would be pretty stupid to fire him for being smart and helpful, and since he knows of their wrong-doing, it would be even more stupid to just cut him loose. ---
**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 30, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/87 "2012-07-30T19:24:54Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s an undercover cop, and I think it’s just about as unlikely that they don’t already know exactly what Walt and Jesse are doing. They wouldn’t even need to be explicitly told that meth was being cooked, and they should still be able to instantly figure that out. What else could they be doing in the houses that required so much equipment and where they’d be willing to pay them so well? > I doubt that, too. It would be pretty stupid to fire him for being smart and helpful, and since he knows of their wrong-doing, it would be even more stupid to just cut him loose. Supposing isn’t proving. And most police stings would like to net suppliers and distributors along with the manufacturer. I could see this being a season-long sting operation, but am probably grasping at straws. I just wanted to propose it, because if it turns out to be right I can crow about how clever I am. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/88 "2012-07-30T19:32:15Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > The house wasn’t fumigated until they left. I think it was just setting. They really were working in a bug infested house. > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > That’s the thing about roaches, right? They’re survivors. Plus, they hadn’t fumigated yet. They turned the foggers on after they were done with the cook. > [@obfusciatrist](#): > > The cockroach wasn’t inside the tent, was it? I thought it was on the kitchen counter in teh foreground as the establishing shot of Jesse and Walt watching TV. I don’t know if it was in the tent or not. But they might close the tent during the actual fumigation to keep their equipment from getting contaminated. I don’t know if it’s significant, but little things are plot points in this show. > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > But he is, so it doesn’t, so what’s the problem? I don’t have a problem because he’s there. But Walt is pretty dull so far in this season. Things are working out to well for him. There’s obviously a power struggle with Mike coming up. I hope Mike doesn’t end up dying, they could continue this with him in a different series, and I think it would be better. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/89 "2012-07-30T19:34:30Z")
For anyone wondering, the song playing over the cook sequence (which was amazing) was [“On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” by The Peddlers.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxf1IFgPH5s) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/90 "2012-07-30T19:36:21Z")
The cockroach was on a table outside the tent, and they did definitely bug bomb the area inside the tent after they finished. I thought perhaps the roach was supposed to illustrate the different conditions Walt and Jesse are working in now: in the state of the art lab, Walt was willing to stop everything to kill a single fly in an enormous lab. (That may be my favorite episode the series, by the way.) Now they’re cooking in a tent in bug-infested houses. So it sort of feels like the show has dealt with the contamination issue before, but maybe some meth will go bad and they’ll have _that_ on their hands, too. ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/91 "2012-07-30T19:43:26Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > And the pest guys set up the tent, of course they’ll take it down. They’re getting $10,000 a cook - I don’t think they’re going to complain. Yeah, the pest guys cart everything in and set up the tent itself – Walt and Jesse come in, unpack and assemble the gear, cook, then they clean and repack the equipment. After they leave, the pest guys come in, take down and pack the tent, and cart everything out. Seems that, between the Pollos Nine (I love that), Badger and Skinny Pete, the Pest Guys, the crew at Joe’s wrecking yard (who not only helped with the magnet, but apparently machined some of the new equipment), and Skyler (I hope I’m not forgetting anyone) the loose ends are starting to pile up. Someone last week mentioned the assistant manager (and for what it’s worth, the entire crew) at Gus’ favorite LPH restaurant. They have to have been questioned, and someone has to have mentioned the crazy bald goateed guy who seemed to come in from time-to-time demanding to see Gus, one time jumping over the counter to rush Gus’ office. I bet she could give a better description of Heisenberg than they’ve got – hell, wouldn’t he show up on the regular restaurant security cameras (as opposed to Gus’ secret cameras – seems if the restaurant were robbed he would want security footage separate from his surveillance network to give the APD access to)? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/92 "2012-07-30T19:52:51Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The cockroach was on a table outside the tent, and they did definitely bug bomb the area inside the tent after they finished. I thought perhaps the roach was supposed to illustrate the different conditions Walt and Jesse are working in now: in the state of the art lab, Walt was willing to stop everything to kill a single fly in an enormous lab. (That may be my favorite episode the series, by the way.) Now they’re cooking in a tent in bug-infested houses. So it sort of feels like the show has dealt with the contamination issue before, but maybe some meth will go bad and they’ll have _that_ on their hands, too. I didn’t catch exactly where the bug was, or if the tent was open when the fumigation started. But there were problems with every cook site they’ve had so I expect something to go wrong here. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/93 "2012-07-30T20:00:03Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Say there was $24 million in those accounts total. He took something like $300,000 out of this stash for legacy costs. That means it’s going to take something on the order of 80 installments to make good. Mike had 2 million in _his_ grand-kid’s account which, IIRC, he hadn’t touched. But the other 11 were _his_ guys, not co-equals, so almost certainly they were paid much less. Sorta confirmed by the fact that after Lydia approached him first with the list of 11 names and was rebuffed, she took out a hit on him for three times the bounty of the other guys. So out of the 12, two are dead, Mike’s relying on his direct cut, and the remaining 9 got a legacy cut of 39K each out of the first installment. So probably 20 installments. Of course, with only 13 episodes to go, and Walt in no mood to acquiesce, bean counting is the wrong angle here. ---
**Author:** ![HenryGale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HenryGale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HenryGale)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/94 "2012-07-30T20:00:50Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I don’t like the tent labs. Is Todd always going to find the nanny cams? I also think the bug-bombed houses are a horrible idea. Forget the extra labor/expense of having to put up and break down the lab every week. Every week is in a new, unfamiliar, uncontrollable environment. Nanny cams, nosy neighbors, burglars who can’t help themselves, suspicious homeowners, there are countless variables that can’t be 100% managed. The fact that it was Walt himself who came up with the idea doesn’t ring true to me. Even Saul would know better. > [@edwards\_beard](#): > > What do you think was going through Walt’s mind when they were entering the house for the first time and the guy (Todd?) stopped him to tell him there was a nanny cam but he disabled it. He simply asked his name and turned away. I loved that moment, because it could be interpreted either way, depending on how callous you think Walt has really become. It could be “Good work, I might need you later” or it could be “Day one and you’re already speaking out of turn. Don’t think I’m going to forget you.” Overall, this season is building slowly just like the last few have.. but I’m really worried that it isn’t going to hit full stride until the half-season is over. Cutting the season in half over two years is really a dick move on AMC’s part. I think it’s going to hurt the show in the end. ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/95 "2012-07-30T20:35:58Z")
> [@HenryGale](#): > > Cutting the season in half over two years is really a dick move on AMC’s part. I think it’s going to hurt the show in the end. In fairness to AMC, they gave Gilligan a 16-episode final season. He chose to split it into two 8-episode seasons, at least partly because they can leverage the production schedule to give themselves roughly three weeks per episode rather than two weeks, as they had in the past I’m sure that AMC is fine with that, since they have a critically-acclaimed show to tout that’ll be Emmy eligible for an extra season, and it doesn’t cost them any more. ---
**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 30, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/96 "2012-07-30T20:45:10Z")
I find the whole pest control thing interesting. Recall that Walt went absolutely nuts over the fly in the old lab. He was convinced it would “contaminate” the batch. So now they’re working in infested buildings. Is Walt going to freakout over a bug again and cause some kind of problem? Or is it a symbol of how Walt’s changed and how hardened he’s become? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/97 "2012-07-30T20:46:02Z")
> [@II\_Gyan\_II](#): > > Mike had 2 million in _his_ grand-kid’s account which, IIRC, he hadn’t touched. Speaking of, do accounts in the Caymans (and other famous international hidey-holes) really have names on them? I thought they were numbered and accessible only with a series of passwords and the like for the specific reason of not being traceable to an individual. ---
**Author:** ![HenryGale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HenryGale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HenryGale)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/98 "2012-07-30T20:53:09Z")
> [@jrepka](#): > > In fairness to AMC, they gave Gilligan a 16-episode final season. He chose to split it into two 8-episode seasons, at least partly because they can leverage the production schedule to give themselves roughly three weeks per episode rather than two weeks, as they had in the past > > I’m sure that AMC is fine with that, since they have a critically-acclaimed show to tout that’ll be Emmy eligible for an extra season, and it doesn’t cost them any more. I was under the impression this was AMC’s decision. But, I couldn’t find anything about it with a quick Google search just now, so you’re probably right. Anyway, the little bit of reading I was able to do says that Gilligan at least knew about the split season from the start of filming, and it’s been written and filmed with that in mind. I didn’t think that was the case. So at least he and his writers can pace the two half-seasons as they see fit, instead of it just getting hacked in half by AMC, pacing be damned. All in all, I’m just bitter because I want all 16 now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/99 "2012-07-30T20:53:15Z")
> [@II\_Gyan\_II](#): > > Mike had 2 million in _his_ grand-kid’s account which, IIRC, he hadn’t touched. But the other 11 were _his_ guys, not co-equals, so almost certainly they were paid much less. Sorta confirmed by the fact that after Lydia approached him first with the list of 11 names and was rebuffed, she took out a hit on him for three times the bounty of the other guys. Well, plus the fact that he’s _Mike_. I think we’ve learned by now that you shouldn’t fuck with Mike. Wonder if Mike will team up with Homegirl now against Walt? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806/100 "2012-07-30T21:06:18Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I find the whole pest control thing interesting. Recall that Walt went absolutely nuts over the fly in the old lab. He was convinced it would “contaminate” the batch. > > So now they’re working in infested buildings. Is Walt going to freakout over a bug again and cause some kind of problem? Or is it a symbol of how Walt’s changed and how hardened he’s become? I could see the bugs maybe bothering him in the future, but if I remember correctly, it wasn’t just that there was a fly in the episode “Fly.” He was feeling guilty over Jane’s death and the fly was a convenient distraction. I don’t see the bugs being an issue unless they are just everywhere. And they might take that into account and not choose the house that’s completely taken over, along with choosing which has the best floor plan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-03-hazard-pay-7-29-12/629806.md?page=6)