# Breaking Bad 5.05 "Dead Freight" 8/12/12 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2012, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256 "2012-08-12T08:54:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/221 "2012-08-14T17:26:17Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I just listened to the BB Podcast, and I love how Gilligan put the character of Walt (when talking about the scene in Hank’s office); that Bryan Cranston is a good actor, but so is Walt. You know, I had that exact same thought when I saw that scene. I was like “Wow that’s Bryan Cranston!” meaning he felt like Malcom’s Dad to me for a minute there then I realized that’s what Walt is all about - sometimes he’s Malcom’s Dad but really he’s Heisenberg. And it’s all good acting. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/222 "2012-08-14T17:30:38Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’d put it this way: **Andiethewestie** : Hank is suspicious of Walt, but he’s not suspicious that Walt is Heisenberg. Well, I dare to take it into Heisenberg territory, simply because it’s Heisenberg that is the linchpin for the entire New Mexican operation. From the time of Walt’s high school chemistry lab break in, to me, there is something in Hank’s subconscious that links Walt to chemistry. ---
**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 14, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/223 "2012-08-14T17:33:09Z")
Hank’s not exactly the type of person to ignore his suspicions, instincts, and impuses. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/224 "2012-08-14T18:12:57Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I think that Hank himself may fall under suspicion if Walt is discovered, because of his close relationship with Walt and a number of other things. > > [ul] > [li]He received therapy that his insurance doesn’t cover and that he shouldn’t have been able to afford.[/li][li]He walked away from the turtle bomb at exactly the right moment thus being the only on to not be injured or killed.[/li][li]He was over the top insistent that he remain in charge of the blue meth investigation, to the point that he turned down a promotion.[/li][li]He knew that Gus was guilty even though his evidence was not convincing to anyone else (maybe he was trying to eliminate the competition).[/li][li]The “fuck you” stunt pulled by Hector makes no sense unless he had some personal vendetta against Hank, and it occurred shortly before the nursing home bombing.[/li][/ul] > It almost seems like the writers have been setting up Hank from the beginning. I agree with your premise and all the bullet points, except the last one. Hank killed **three** of Hector’s nephews(?). > [@kingpengvin](#): > > Ok here is where I can see the next few episodes going. Walt takes a shine to Todd as the young guy who knows what needs to be done. Why else would he be in on the heist unless Walt sees something in him. > > He will brush off the murder as “what’s done is done” and work with Mike to clean up the mess. > > There will be rift with Jesse and you’ll see Todd being groomed as the new Jesse. We’ll see a replay of the situation Walt was in when Gus had his replacement brought in. However Mike will play the wild card as he seems to have some loyalty to Jesse and no love for Walt. > > Meanwhile all the loose ends will keep nagging Hank and he will close in on waltz operation. > > From there who knows Yup, I see it going there, too. And if there’s a rift between Walt and Jesse, and Todd learns how to do the cook, all of a sudden Walt becomes easily replaceable. And Todd has shown that he’s smart, ruthless, and has the initiative to learn everything necessary to take over the business. From the little we’ve seen of him, he’s much better suited to being in the meth business than Walt and Jesse. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/225 "2012-08-14T18:21:14Z")
Hank could be in a lot of trouble for failing to pick up on the truth about Heisenberg. I don’t think he’d be accused of covering for him, but I guess it depends on how desperate the DEA was for someone to blame. Within his own office, the other agents know he has pushed very hard on this case. > [@voltaire](#): > > Yup, I see it going there, too. And if there’s a rift between Walt and Jesse, and Todd learns how to do the cook, all of a sudden Walt becomes easily replaceable. And Todd has shown that he’s smart, ruthless, and has the initiative to learn everything necessary to take over the business. From the little we’ve seen of him, he’s much better suited to being in the meth business than Walt and Jesse. Did you mean “Jesse becomes easily replaceable?” I can see that possibility emerging. At the moment they’ve known Todd for all of a week. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/226 "2012-08-14T18:28:55Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I agree with your premise and all the bullet points, except the last one. > > Hank killed **three** of Hector’s nephews(?). You’re right. I also keep coming back to Marie’s kleptomania. Surely the writers are going somewhere with that. What if she’s stolen something from Walt’s home that could be linked to the meth operation? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/227 "2012-08-14T19:03:34Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Well, they’re going to have to do something with the kid or they’re not going to be able to drain the tank any time soon. I don’t see why urinary issues should arise… oh, wait, that wasn’t a euphemism. Well, they have ~1000 gallons. That should hold them for quite a while. Heck, a single 55-gallon drum was considered sufficient short-term supply. In any case, dead kid or not, trying another train heist is unlikely. The train’s delay isn’t something that’ll go unnoticed. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/228 "2012-08-14T19:10:57Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Exactly. His alibis and excuses are pretty damn good. > > Not only that, but Hank is still used to drug lords being Mexican cartel-related. The chances of a drug lord being someone completely new to the meth biz, rising to this status within a year, and also a white, American, civilian, high school teacher with no prior criminal record? > > Let alone his milquetoast, nerdy brother-in-law who’s been battling lung cancer? I want to add to your post… Hank was profiling from the very start. Let’s go all the way back to the first episode where Hank and Gomez are betting on whether the suspect (Emilio) is Mexican or not, traded shots with Tuco, he was short with Tortuga, shot by the brothers Salamanca…Mexicans are the only suspects on his radar…Except for Jesse, who he beat the shit out of and nearly lost his career over, but has now learned to stick to his profiling unless DIRECT evidence (i.e. - offshore accounts) implicates a white guy…like Mike. Subtle racism, but he has been successful in using it. If Hank is going to suspect Walt for anything, I think it’s gonna take hard evidence rather than circumstantial to think Walt is capable of such crimes. The writers are just teasing us with all of this circumstantial cheese to get us riled up to think that Hank is blind…but I think Hank will eventually find that direct evidence on the back half of this season…either the very last episode or the one before it. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/229 "2012-08-14T19:21:16Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > I want to add to your post… > > Hank was profiling from the very start. Let’s go all the way back to the first episode where Hank and Gomez are betting on whether the suspect (Emilio) is Mexican or not, traded shots with Tuco, he was short with Tortuga, shot by the brothers Salamanca…Mexicans are the only suspects on his radar…Except for Jesse, who he beat the shit out of and nearly lost his career over, but has now learned to stick to his profiling unless DIRECT evidence (i.e. - offshore accounts) implicates a white guy…like Mike. Subtle racism, but he has been successful in using it. > > If Hank is going to suspect Walt for anything, I think it’s gonna take hard evidence rather than circumstantial to think Walt is capable of such crimes. The writers are just teasing us with all of this circumstantial cheese to get us riled up to think that Hank is blind…but I think Hank will eventually find that direct evidence on the back half of this season…either the very last episode or the one before it. I don’t think it is “profiling” of Mexicans that is at issue, more like Hank’s view of his brother in law’s character. Hank views him as, essentially - one of life’s natural nerds and losers. Back in high school, no doubt guys like Hank stuffed guys like Walt into lockers. He simply can’t bring himself to imagine that this guy he’s always looked at with a sort of tolerant contempt could be the great and terrible Heisenberg. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/230 "2012-08-14T23:58:34Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > Mexicans are the only suspects on his radar…Except for Jesse Well, Gus was technically Chilean (though he did emigrate to Mexico during Pinochet’s reign). ---
**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:** [August 15, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/231 "2012-08-15T00:01:31Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Did you mean “Jesse becomes easily replaceable?” I can see that possibility emerging. At the moment they’ve known Todd for all of a week. No, I meant Walt. First, Todd stands in for Jesse, then, when he starts to pick up on the whole process, he’s capable of doing it on his own, or with help from the other exterminator crew. The only reasons Walt hasn’t been easily replaceable in the past was either because of Gus being a perfectionist, or Jesse’s sense of loyalty. Todd (possibly along with Mike) wouldn’t have those kind of hangups. 95% purity would probably be good enough for them, and if Walt and Jesse prove to be erratic liabilities that can’t stomach the occasional killing of innocents, the operation could be more reliably run by someone like Todd, who apparently has no problem doing what the job demands. And now that they have the cover business, all the lab equipment, and enough methylamine to last a long time, the only thing Todd and crew need to take over the whole operation is to learn the process. Todd is a natural born meth-cook, Walt and Jesse are just pikers. And not only that, Todd and crew don’t have all the family drama and a nosy BIL in the DEA hanging over them like a cloud. If they also break with/kill Mike and Lydia, (since they now have a nice stockpile of methylamine) they can cut out all the dead-weight of the people they have to pay to stay quiet about Gus’ operation. Without all that baggage, Todd and crew could run a very successful meth business undetected for long enough to get very, very rich. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/232 "2012-08-15T00:07:47Z")
Heh, I like your idea **voltaire** - though I think we both know there’s no way they’d take the show in that direction at this point. It’s a show about Walt & everyone around him, not some guy who just got introduced and has had maybe 4-5 lines total. Might be a good spin-off series though! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/233 "2012-08-15T00:13:48Z")
I don’t think there’s any way Todd “takes over” as the surrogate son for Jesse. If anything, Jesse has become Walt’s conscience at this point…since Walt’s has mostly abandoned him. Plus they have a longstanding relationship. All I know is that the next episode is going to be really interesting. We don’t even know if the kid Todd shot is dead. Him being alive, gutshot or something, would REALLY catapult the moral conundrum into the stratosphere. My biggest question now is: what in the fuck are they going to do? Mike doesn’t even know about the shooting at this point, right? It was just Walt, Jesse and Todd as Mike was somewhere else on a walkie talkie, right? Kid gets shot, horror ensues, credits roll…am I mis-remembering something here? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/234 "2012-08-15T00:29:04Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > In any case, dead kid or not, trying another train heist is unlikely. The train’s delay isn’t something that’ll go unnoticed. In this day and age, I’m sure you have to file a report if a train makes any unscheduled stop. Add to that a missing child who was last seen in the area, and somebody will undoubtedly sit up and take notice. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll get the kid, the bike, the tarantula, and the methylamine the hell out of the vicinity ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/235 "2012-08-15T00:43:12Z")
I just watched the show, so this is from a few pages back. The Good Samaritan with the truck was pretty clearly Native American. While I’m sure that somewhere in our country of 300 million there is a Native American dad raising a Caucasian motorbiking son, it sure as hell isn’t going to be on this show, where realism is paramount. I don’t think there is going to be any legal complications or blowback from their methylamine heist. This show isn’t interested in CSI examination of dirt residue. It’s all going to be moral blowback from Jesse. His conscience is going to rip this partnership apart and become a direct threat to Walt. Shit, he felt guilty enough about killing Boxcutter Gus, what’s he going to do with a doe-eyed boy on his conscience? ETA: It was interesting to see how Lydia wasn’t particularly troubled about the idea of killing two train employees. I guess the choice between them and her was pretty easy. ---
**Author:** ![Reverse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Reverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverse)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/236 "2012-08-15T00:50:11Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I also keep coming back to Marie’s kleptomania. Surely the writers are going somewhere with that. They already went somewhere with that. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/237 "2012-08-15T01:02:20Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > We don’t even know if the kid Todd shot is dead. Him being alive, gutshot or something, would REALLY catapult the moral conundrum into the stratosphere. I’d have expected a cry of pain from him if he’d been shot in the gut. Or really anywhere that didn’t kill him or knock him out instantly. We had several seconds after the shot when we would’ve heard noise from the kid if there was any. > [@](#): > > Mike doesn’t even know about the shooting at this point, right? At the moment we left our heroes? Probably not. Mike’s over at the road/track intersection, about 800 meters away. (Or is it 800 feet?) He’s also got a moving train rumbling right past him. I would guess he couldn’t have heard the gunshot. Probably couldn’t have seen it either, even if he happened to be looking that way through the binoculars. The hillside and tracks would block his view. But surely Mike’s about to learn everything anyway? Like, in the next few minutes? It’s hard to imagine how it could be kept from him. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/238 "2012-08-15T01:07:25Z")
Yeah, unless they do something incredibly stupid like leave the dead kid there, I don’t see any plausible way someone in law enforcement will make the connection. _Possibly_ somebody tracks down the train crew and asks them if they saw anything unusual, and get an earful about the idiot with the stalled truck, but it’d take someone with psychic ability to make the connection. ---
**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:** [August 15, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/239 "2012-08-15T01:12:11Z")
> [@Reverse](#): > > They already went somewhere with that. Where? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256/240 "2012-08-15T01:15:42Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > I’d have expected a cry of pain from him if he’d been shot in the gut. Or really anywhere that didn’t kill him or knock him out instantly. We had several seconds after the shot when we would’ve heard noise from the kid if there was any. > At the moment we left our heroes? Probably not. Mike’s over at the road/track intersection, about 800 meters away. (Or is it 800 feet?) He’s also got a moving train rumbling right past him. I would guess he couldn’t have heard the gunshot. Probably couldn’t have seen it either, even if he happened to be looking that way through the binoculars. The hillside and tracks would block his view. > > But surely Mike’s about to learn everything anyway? Like, in the next few minutes? It’s hard to imagine how it could be kept from him. Well sure Mike is about to know. But at the moment it happens and the credits roll, he doesn’t. Again…this next episode is going to be cathartic for someone. This is literally the first time a pure innocent is murdered as a result of “our heroes” actions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-05-dead-freight-8-12-12/631256.md?page=13)