# Breaking Bad 5.04 "Fifty-One" Aug. 5, 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576 "2012-08-06T02:10:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/101 "2012-08-07T00:18:34Z")
Walt told Skyler about how Jesse wanted him dead but changed his mind. How did Walt turn Jesse around? By poisoning a kid Jesse cared about. Walt will try to turn Skyler around by poisoning a kid she cares about, one of their own. Walt may even try to be a hero and tell the doctors that it might be ricin. It won’t work on Skyler, but Walt will try anyway. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/102 "2012-08-07T00:36:53Z")
> [@Invisible\_Chimp](#): > > Walt will try to turn Skyler around by poisoning a kid she cares about, one of their own. For this to work Walt would have to be trying to convince Skyler that someone else was the danger and that Walt was her only chance of escaping it. Who exactly are you suggesting that Walt is going to frame this time? ---
**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:** [August 7, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/103 "2012-08-07T00:48:48Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Unless I see a cite, or a lawyer chimes in convincingly Just FYI, I am a lawyer. I’m not a criminal lawyer. Bricker would be our go-to for full explanations of criminal law, but I can assure you that barring some exceptions, yes, the spousal communication privilege allows a spouse accused of a crime to prevent a testifying spouse to reveal communications between them, even after they have divorce. This may vary in detail from state to state, but a simple Google search should convince you that the basic principle is sound. There is another half of the spousal privilege—the spousal immunity—which belongs solely to the testifying spouse. Even if Skyler chose to testify against Hank by waiving this particular privilege, she still couldn’t reveal confidential communications under the spousal communication privilege. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Maybe I’m misremembering, but it seems like everyone keeps saying allegedly or supposedly cheats/sleeps with Ted. I’m pretty sure Skyler and Ted did sleep together (after some sort of weird flirting phase). I didn’t think there was a question about it. They definitely sleep together, and not just once. She goes over to house house daily for some period of time—it’s not made clear whether it’s a few days (at least twice, but I’m guessing more) or a few weeks—but they are shown having a routine in which Skyler comes over with the baby, sleeps with Ted, and then enjoys the luxury of his heated bathroom floor. And this happens enough times for her to slowly realize that she isn’t really enjoying it. At the end, she puts her towel underneath her feet to avoid feeling the warmth. It’s not until there is a family crisis—Hank’s attempted assassination, if I recall correctly—that she stops going to see TEd. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/104 "2012-08-07T00:49:20Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > For this to work Walt would have to be trying to convince Skyler that someone else was the danger and that Walt was her only chance of escaping it. Who exactly are you suggesting that Walt is going to frame this time? Sometimes exes, parents that have drifted apart or a marriage on the rocks fixes itself when kid gets sick. I think what IC may have been saying is that by putting the kid in the hospital Skyler may forget about all this (in his mind) nonsense and be more worried about her family. When the kid comes through it, she may (again, in his head) start focusing on the ‘important things in life’. Or something like that. Walt’s relationship with Jesse was very different and had to be dealt with differently. Walt could trick Jesse into thinking that Gus was out to get him. He’ll have to play Skyler differently. But I’m not sure if he plans to play her at all. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/105 "2012-08-07T00:56:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [Skyler] also had a ‘breakdown’ in front of Marie (but haven’t we all wanted to say that to Marie) … Marie gets that every day actually, off camera. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/106 "2012-08-07T01:20:04Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > For this to work Walt would have to be trying to convince Skyler that someone else was the danger and that Walt was her only chance of escaping it. Who exactly are you suggesting that Walt is going to frame this time? How about Mike? They don’t like each other. Walt recruited Mike to restart the business, but now that it’s up and running again, Walt may think He can takeover Mike’s job. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Sometimes exes, parents that have drifted apart or a marriage on the rocks fixes itself when kid gets sick. I think what IC may have been saying is that by putting the kid in the hospital Skyler may forget about all this (in his mind) nonsense and be more worried about her family. When the kid comes through it, she may (again, in his head) start focusing on the ‘important things in life’. Or something like that. Mostly this. Worst case scenario in Walt’s mind is that by putting the kid in the hospital, Skyler is neutralized. ---
**Author:** ![rTracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@rTracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rTracker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/107 "2012-08-07T01:30:54Z")
Skyler is now a full time smoker. If Walt decides to kill her, it will be with a ricin cig. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/108 "2012-08-07T01:38:39Z")
> [@rTracker](#): > > Skyler is now a full time smoker. If Walt decides to kill her, it will be with a ricin cig. Does ricin in crystal/powder form work that way? Doesn’t it have to be ingested? ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/109 "2012-08-07T01:47:48Z")
The cigarette was just a way to store the ricin. It was never meant to be smoked. ---
**Author:** ![Reverse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Reverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverse)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/110 "2012-08-07T01:48:48Z")
I’m pretty sure that secondhand smoking ricin is a tad bit unhealthier than regular secondhand smoking. If he gonna do her with ricin, he gonna slip it in her drink or something, not get every melon farmer in the house dead. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/111 "2012-08-07T01:49:00Z")
Nah, Jesse was going to try to peer pressure Gus Fring into smoking for the first time. COME ON MAN, ALL THE KIDS ARE DOING IT. BITCH. I’m sad we never got that scene ☹ ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/112 "2012-08-07T01:50:29Z")
As an on-again, off-again smoker, I think I’d notice **something** if half of the tobacco in my cigarette were replaced with a glass tube of crystalline poison. Flavor, burn rate, burn characteristics, the glass tube sliding out after I smoked the three puffs worth in front of it, difficulty drawing through the sealed glass tube… ---
**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:** [August 7, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/113 "2012-08-07T02:03:03Z")
> [@Invisible\_Chimp](#): > > The cigarette was just a way to store the ricin. It was never meant to be smoked. That’s what I said before, but people keep bringing it up as if it can be used to kill someone who smokes it. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/114 "2012-08-07T02:09:57Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > That’s what I said before, but people keep bringing it up as if it can be used to kill someone who smokes it. It certainly could be smoked if the powder inside the glass cylinder is sprinkled in a cigarette. From wiki: " A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult human. The LD50 of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram (1.76 mg for an average adult, around 1⁄228 of a standard aspirin tablet/0.4 g gross) in humans if exposure is from injection or **inhalation**.[1]" bolding mine ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/115 "2012-08-07T02:14:20Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > It certainly could be smoked if the powder inside the glass cylinder is sprinkled in a cigarette. From wiki: > " A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult human. The LD50 of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram (1.76 mg for an average adult, around 1⁄228 of a standard aspirin tablet/0.4 g gross) in humans if exposure is from injection or **inhalation**.[1]" > > bolding mine Will it survive being burned? Even if it won’t, he could probably just put the powder on the filter so it gets in her mouth or stop over thinking it and put it in her coffee cup. I wonder if Jr might decide he wants to try a cigarette. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/116 "2012-08-07T02:15:42Z")
This debate is fairly ridiculous. It’s not even in cigarette form now. It was clearly never meant to be used in cigarette form. But Walt is going to hide it back in a cigarette, risk it being discovered, risking the contaminants getting all over his own house rather than just putting it in her food or drinks? Come on. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/117 "2012-08-07T02:19:29Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > This debate is fairly ridiculous. I agree with you, I’m just pointing out that it can be inhaled. Anyway, if the ricin is used on anyone, it won’t be Skyler, I think its going to be used on Mike instead. If walt kills skyler he’ll make it look like suicide and the ricin wouldn’t really fit for that. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/118 "2012-08-07T02:40:35Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > If walt kills skyler he’ll make it look like suicide and the ricin wouldn’t really fit for that. What about intended for Skyler, but ends up getting Walt Jr.? ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/119 "2012-08-07T02:45:01Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > I can see a scenario where skyler does “suicide by Walt”. She tells him outright that she will go to hank the next day and tell him everything and that the only way to stop her is for him to kill her. > > So he does Would Skyler ever kill herself? I can’t see her going down that route - she cares too much about her kids. If somehow by killing herself she could ensure that Walt would never get custody of them - maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576/120 "2012-08-07T04:39:45Z")
The Ricin won’t be smoked. There is a fear it will be ingested. My worry is that vile is hidden in Baby Holly’s room. What if when the Baby comes home she goes crawling around, touching everything as babies do, and that electrical outlet plate comes off? Baby’s look at things and the next thing it’s in their mouth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-04-fifty-one-aug-5-2012/630576.md?page=7)