# Breaking Bad 5.8 "Gliding Over All" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506 "2012-09-03T01:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [September 3, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/101 "2012-09-03T06:36:27Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Also, re: The meth biz. Walt could’ve handed the operation over to Declan. Much more likely and workable that it be Todd, the exterminator crew, and Todd’s prison gang connections that handle Walt’s side of the operation. Without the exterminator cover and place to store equipment, and Todd’s new lab knowledge, there would be no production in place. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/102 "2012-09-03T06:45:26Z")
What am I going to watch for a year? _Breaking Bad_ has ruined me for mere pedestrian television. I’ve never seen _The Wire_. Guess it’s time to get crackin’ and see if all the hoopla is justified. Ditto with _The Walking Dead_. Never seen _Burn Notice_, either—should I give it a shot? I almost feel as if I’ve been abandoned—like a spouse had left me after years of marriage. A couple of months from now they’ll find me dead in bed with empty booze bottles all over the place, a _Breaking Bad_ disc spinning away in the Blu-Ray… > [@nivlac](#): > > I think the last 8 episodes will be a cat and mouse game between Walt and Hank that should very interesting. And the only loose ends tying Walt to the blue meth (if he really is retired, as he claims) are Lydia, Todd, Goodman, and Jesse. As far as I can see, there is absolutely no physical evidence anywhere linking the Blue Sky to W.W. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2012, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/103 "2012-09-03T07:00:16Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > What am I going to watch for a year? _Breaking Bad_ has ruined me for mere pedestrian television. I’ve never seen _The Wire_. Guess it’s time to get crackin’ and see if all the hoopla is justified. Ditto with _The Walking Dead_. Never seen _Burn Notice_, either—should I give it a shot? _Burn Notice_ isn’t even in the same league as the others. Skip it in favor of any/all others. > [@](#): > > And the only loose ends tying Walt to the blue meth (if he really is retired, as he claims) are Lydia, Todd, Goodman, and Jesse. As far as I can see, there is absolutely no physical evidence anywhere linking the Blue Sky to W.W. Which, as an extension to my post above, makes me wonder what would happen if Hank’s investigation leads to them and their newly inherited meth production business. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/104 "2012-09-03T07:12:43Z")
re: the money, that pile is roughly 12x12 stacked around 37 bundles tall mixed 20’s, 50’s, and 100’s (yes I paused it and counted to get that estimate) that’s 5,328 bundles or 532,800 bills 20’s = 10,656,000 50’s = 26,640,000 100’s = 53,280,000 so the answer is somewhere in between those 3 as an educated guestimate. my ball park would be around 30 mil. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/105 "2012-09-03T07:52:53Z")
> [@Peanut\_Gallery](#): > > Brilliant, brilliant show. > > One little thing bugged me though. When they were planning the deca-hit on the prisoners, one of the thugs says “Man, killing bin Laden wasn’t this complicated!” > > Isn’t the whole series supposed to have happened in about a year or two? Have they given any other info in the past which dates it like that? Indeed, and Jesse was also shown playing a videogame from 2010 videogame some time ago, which would be well past the year the show is set in, assuming it’s set when the show first aired (which it may not be). ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/106 "2012-09-03T08:14:05Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Which, as an extension to my post above, makes me wonder what would happen if Hank’s investigation leads to them and their newly inherited meth production business. Well, methylamine doesn’t just grow on trees. Once that thousand gallons is gone, there’s no way to get more unless Lydia can pull another rabbit out of her ass. And Lydia wants out—real bad. The whole Czech thing was just a means of preventing Walt from killing her. The smart thing for Lydia to do would be to kill Walt, and that would effectively end the trail right there. Todd and his dumbass con buddies really don’t know shit from Shinola. It’s unlikely that they pose any real threat to her. Mike didn’t even give them a second glance. And they have more money than they know what to do with. It’s almost certain that we haven’t seen the last of Lydia. And she’s really far more powerful than Walt is. The rest of the series will have to be an endgame involving the three principal players—Walt, Hank, and Lydia. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/107 "2012-09-03T08:33:13Z")
When it comes right down to it though, methylamine [isn’t that hard to make](http://slimshifty.com/Secrets_of_Meth_Manufacture_8th.pdf)—it’s just a colossal pain in the ass (see chapter 13). But if cooks are really willing to pay $15k/gallon for the stuff, why isn’t every jib head from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters making the stuff in their backyards? ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/108 "2012-09-03T09:02:47Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > re: the money, that pile is roughly 12x12 stacked around 37 bundles tall mixed 20’s, 50’s, and 100’s > (yes I paused it and counted to get that estimate) > > that’s 5,328 bundles or 532,800 bills > 20’s = 10,656,000 > 50’s = 26,640,000 > 100’s = 53,280,000 > so the answer is somewhere in between those 3 as an educated guestimate. my ball park would be around 30 mil. On the podcast, Vince said that the propmaster calculated it as $80M. That seems high to me considering a mix of denominations. [Here’s a screen grab](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120903075718/breakingbad/images/7/74/5x8_money.png) of the Storage Wars scene and here’s what [$100M looks like](http://nodebtanymore.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/100-million-dollars-as-big-stack-stack-of-money_thumb.jpg) as stacks of Benjamins. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/109 "2012-09-03T09:05:46Z")
> [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](#): > > Still seems too random for him to connect–maybe I just don’t have the mind of a detective.. > > Seems that things may be setting up for Jesse to confess everything at some point, thereby relieving his conscience. [It’s also in Gale’s rather distinctive handwriting](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120903064815/breakingbad/images/6/6a/5x8_to_WW_from_GB.png). Same as Gale’s notebook. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2012, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/110 "2012-09-03T09:19:43Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Well, methylamine doesn’t just grow on trees. Once that thousand gallons is gone, there’s no way to get more unless Lydia can pull another rabbit out of her ass. And Lydia wants out—real bad. The whole Czech thing was just a means of preventing Walt from killing her. The smart thing for Lydia to do would be to kill Walt, and that would effectively end the trail right there. Todd and his dumbass con buddies really don’t know shit from Shinola. It’s unlikely that they pose any real threat to her. Mike didn’t even give them a second glance. And they have more money than they know what to do with. It’s almost certain that we haven’t seen the last of Lydia. And she’s really far more powerful than Walt is. The rest of the series will have to be an endgame involving the three principal players—Walt, Hank, and Lydia. Yeah, I meant to mention the Lydia situation before. There is a natural progression for Todd and company to take over fulfilling production for the Phoenix crew, but what becomes of Lydia’s foreign foray? Was Walt planning on keeping that action on the side, in secret? It seemed like Lydia was eager to see it through, I don’t think she just brought it up only as a reason to prevent Walt from killing her. ---
**Author:** ![norvalnormal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@norvalnormal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norvalnormal)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/111 "2012-09-03T13:47:15Z")
Alternate ep title “The Return of the Fly”? I don’t have an opinion as to whether the cancer’s back at this point but, as to Walt’s being “out,” I think this is his genuine intention, and that Marie’s speechifying in the storage locker has a lot to do with this–that she actually succeeded in breaking through his long-term battle plan (with its partial genesis of his needing to possess mucho $$$ comparable to those he “lost” by selling his partnership in the tech startup years ago) by confronting him with the physical evidence of all that currency. Yes, he’s lied to her and manipulated her throughout his transformation into Heisenberg, but on some level, he really does believe that his “family” and his role as father/protector trumps all, and that at this point, and after all the prison murders, it’s time to abdicate his Godfather-like role. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/112 "2012-09-03T14:17:07Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > On the podcast, Vince said that the propmaster calculated it as $80M. That seems high to me considering a mix of denominations. [Here’s a screen grab](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120903075718/breakingbad/images/7/74/5x8_money.png) of the Storage Wars scene and here’s what [$100M looks like](http://nodebtanymore.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/100-million-dollars-as-big-stack-stack-of-money_thumb.jpg) as stacks of Benjamins. The stack in the episode looks to be about twice as wide as the Benjamin stack you linked, a little longer, and about half as high. It’s packed less densely though, so the 80M figure sounds reasonable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/113 "2012-09-03T14:18:30Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > On the podcast, Vince said that the propmaster calculated it as $80M. That seems high to me considering a mix of denominations. [Here’s a screen grab](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120903075718/breakingbad/images/7/74/5x8_money.png) of the Storage Wars scene and here’s what [$100M looks like](http://nodebtanymore.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/100-million-dollars-as-big-stack-stack-of-money_thumb.jpg) as stacks of Benjamins. Comparing the pictures in the 2 links, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched to me that Walt’s haul could be close to $100 million. Or at least somewhere north of $50 million. I don’t know denominations in the storage unit, but just comparing the size of each: the $100 million picture is on a standard 4x4 skid (which is more like 48"x40"), and appears to about shoulder high. I believe the skid is 4" tall, so take that into account (at least it’s not flat on the floor, like Walt’s loot is). The dough on the skid is also not to the edge of the wood, so its footprint is less than 4x4. Still, it’s probably over 5 feet high. The storage pile is much shorter, closer to Skylar’s knee height. But it’s spread out over a larger area than 4x4. Pile it as high as the skid money, and I’d guess it’s roughly the same height. Now here’s something else to consider: We saw Walt running the dough through the counting machines and wrapping it. Not that he’d keep a written record, but considering he’s (probably) not making the denomination bands, he should have at least a rough idea of how much he’s making. In other words, it’s his operation, so he’s getting the money directly, sorting it, counting it, bundling it, and arranging for it to be laundered. Unlike when it was Mike’s (or Gus’s) responsibility, and Walt just got his cut. So I’d be surprised if he didn’t at least have a guess at how much Skylar piled up. On the other hand, to play devil’s advocate to my own thought, it’s plausible he doesn’t, for any number of reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/114 "2012-09-03T14:25:07Z")
Damn you, Walt Whitman! I HATE YOU WALT! FREAKIN’! WHITMAN! “LEAVES OF GRASS” MY ASS! [/Homer Simpson and Walter White] ---
**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:** [September 3, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/115 "2012-09-03T14:41:42Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I thought the guy on the phone was wearing prison garb. I’m sure they got him, but I was looking for a murder outside the prison, of a guy in a business suit. He was arrested, though I’m not sure for what specifically. Here’s his [Breaking Bad wiki page](http://breakingbad.wikia.com/wiki/Dan_Wachsberger). ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/116 "2012-09-03T16:04:41Z")
What does “queen for a day” mean in the context things you might offer a convict in exchange for testimony? ---
**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:** [September 3, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/117 "2012-09-03T16:09:53Z")
I was curious about that cop/prison/legal banter too. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/118 "2012-09-03T16:12:24Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > What does “queen for a day” mean in the context things you might offer a convict in exchange for testimony? I found an entire article about that [here](http://corporate.findlaw.com/litigation-disputes/queen-for-a-day-the-dangerous-game-of-proffers-proffer.html) ---
**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:** [September 3, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/119 "2012-09-03T16:15:11Z")
Think there’s any chance Hank’s loyalty to family is greater than his sense of duty? I’m not sure how open the Fring case still is at the DEA, but if Hank just sits (heh) on this new evidence, there’s still hardly anything connecting Walt to the case. Unless, something ugly turns up this coming season, and Hank might try to play both sides, in helping Walt as much as he can, while cooperating with the investigation the least he can get away with. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506/120 "2012-09-03T16:16:16Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > On the podcast, Vince said that the propmaster calculated it as $80M. That seems high to me considering a mix of denominations. [Here’s a screen grab](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120903075718/breakingbad/images/7/74/5x8_money.png) of the Storage Wars scene and here’s what [$100M looks like](http://nodebtanymore.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/100-million-dollars-as-big-stack-stack-of-money_thumb.jpg) as stacks of Benjamins. [Here’s what $205.6 million looks like from a drug raid.](http://www.snopes.com/photos/crime/drugmoney.asp) I want a bed like that. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/633506.md?page=7)