So now that the series has wrapped, here’s a place to discuss anything related to the show, such as “What questions would you like to have had answered?” or “Will fulminated mercury really do that?” or “Where can I get some hydroflouric acid?”.
For questions I’d like to have had answered:
-Who was Gustavo Fring (whatever his real name was) in Chile? It was important enough he feared discovery and it impressed Don Eladio enough to spare his life.
-Why is Jesse seen as so morally superior to Walt when he did some pretty despicable things himself? He pissed away the money Walt gave him for the SUV at strip clubs (knowing it was every penny the man with cancer had), it was because of him Jane relapsed, he specifically targeted recovering meth addicts to sell to, etc… He liked kids, but, that alone didn’t absolve him.
-What’s your favorite science fact learned from the show? Mine is probably the effect of thermite on locks.
These two questions were addressed on the Mythbusters Breaking Bad special. They tested fulminated mercury using a robot Walter White that Grant built to throw the “not-meth”. They also tested the effect of acid on dead pigs and various bathtubs.
I’m glad they didn’t tie up every loose end, but I wonder about a lot of things.
I would have loved to hear the discussion between Eliot and Gretchen after Walt left their house. Also, it would be nice to know how they fell out in the first place.
The Gus Fring back story, of course.
Heck, you could have another season or two just following Skyler and the kids, Marie, Saul and Jesse.
All that aside, I’m pleased with how it all ended.
Jesse was a low level meth dealer/cook (THE CAPN) when Walter entered his life and essentially blackmailed him:
*I’m thinking maybe you and I could partner up. *
*You wanna cook crystal meth? *You. You and me? That’s right. Either that, or I turn you in.
Yes, Jesse’s done evil—and should pay for it—, but remember that it all started right there in Jesse’s backyard with that ultimatum. Jesse was never headed towards what Walt led him into. Jesse was going to continue to be a low-level dealer/manufacturer probably wind up in prison or eventually grow up and get a job,
Since we now know that Saul made it out alive, I wonder if his spinoff will really be a prequel or if that was just said so viewers would not know whether he would live or not.
Somehow I missed that MythBusters did a Breaking Bad
episode. Does anybody know if it is on DVD or online?
That would be a very logical and compelling (if done right) sequel to BB—a show that deals with the aftermath of Walt’s reign as meth kingpin of the American Southwest.
Two questions—the phone call to Hank a minute before the cousins showed up to kill him—that’s still a mystery, right? Also, and I know this has been discussed here, but I can’t remember the consensus—did Fring order the hit on Tomás Cantillo or not?
If there was another season, I’d like to see what’s going on with Jesse’s younger brother, whether he was content with pot or went on to stronger stuff.
I’d also like to see the kid from the episode with the ATM machine. He’s probably in foster care, but is it a good place? That kid haunts me.
Yes, like AuntiePam said, that was Gus, showing his Machavellian brilliance-- first he convinced the murder twins to go after Hank instead of his meth cook Walt, then he warns Hank at the last minute, knowing that two problems for Gus could very well cancel each other out.
According to a Reddit AMA with the actor who played Victor, his character was responsible for both the call to Hank and the “POLLOS” text to the cousins that saved Walt while he was in the shower. Both at Gus’ command, presumably. Link
The Gretchen, Elliot, and Grey Matter stuff always seemed pretty clear to me. Some minor slight triggered a temper tantrum in Walt. My personal guess? Elliot took slightly more credit for some research than Walt thought he deserved and Gretchen backed him up. The kind of thing Elliot and Gretchen wouldn’t have even realized they had done. Walt thought they needed him more than he did them, and the rest is history. The exact details don’t really matter and would probably just disappoint.
One thing I’ve been wondering about for awhile, did Walt consider his relationship with Skyler settling? There was a flashback at some point where Walt was discussing the chemical composition of the human body with Gretchen, presumably when they were together. He may not have considered Gretchen his intellectual equal, but she could at least keep up with him and appreciate his intellectual prowess, whereas Skyler never demonstrated any scientific aptitude. I got the impression that Walt considered Gretchen the true love of his life, and that his relationship with Skyler was a disappointment.
I’m not sure how to feel about the Better Call Saul spinoff. I’m not a big fan of prequels in general and knowing how everything turns out I’m not sure I can get at all invested in anything that happens.
I haven’t finished the complete series (almost finishing up the fourth season).
From the beginning, I liked Jesse more than Walter. Sure, Jesse seems like he had all the best advantages in life and yet he squandered them all away just to be “cool”. But fundamentally, he seems like a good guy. A follower, to be sure. But definitely someone capable of loving and feeling. I smile every time he says “yo.”
Maybe he is learning disabled or has ADHD or just has a wild unbridled creative streak that made his adolescence rough. His parents had high expectations for him and all he ever seemed to do is disappoint. So he sought out a path where he could excel. The suburban “thug” life. But deep down, he’s still the kid that’s eager to please with his “artwork”. Never before in his life had he felt as proud as he was when successfully cooked in front of the cartel. I cheered with him.
I have really grown to dislike Walter, on the other hand. He’s a born beta male, just like Jesse is, but unlike Jesse, he thinks being Heisenberg changed this when it SO totally hadn’t. Gus won Jesse over by respecting him as a man. But even when Walter didn’t know what the hell he was doing and truly needed Jesse, he never treated him anything more than a punk kid who needed "schoolin’. Every instruction prefaced with an insult. Every attempt from Jesse to prove his mettle greeted with a wince and an exasperated sigh. At first, when Walter was still kinda “rootable”, it was kind of funny in a Bill Cosby sort of way. We’re supposed to feel sorry for Walter that he has to suffer such a fool. But after you see how Jesse is handled by Mike and Gus, he doesn’t seem like such a fool. And that makes Walter seem that much more abusive and, strangely, inferior.
I like the show. But there are aspects that make me uncomfortable in a way that “The Wire” didn’t. After doing some googling, I found I’m not the only one who has noticed certain things. I’m going to finish the series, but I doubt I’m going to revisit it like I do other shows.
Everything else you said sounds like part and parcel of what makes the characters, including Walt, so compelling. I’m curious what aspects make you uncomfortable. I actually felt quite uncomfortable with some aspects of “The Wire,” especially in the final season. I really liked “The Wire,” but I don’t put it in my top five. I think it’s overrated by people who do, especially given the way McNulty’s arc ended, which I thought severely undermined much of the moral universe the series had created.
monstro, what are you doing reading this thread? Shouldn’t you be avoiding spoilers? Not my business! But you should get out of here!
Jesse is flawed but, as said above, he grew immensely as a person. He also was desperate for a father figure and he got…Walt. Terrible luck. If he had had a good strong father/father figure in the first place, maybe he would never have even been the low-level criminal he was when Walt took him over. Jesse was never evil. Walt was evil. Jesse never hurt anyone when he had a viable alternative. Walt, on the other hand does what he does to Mike, and then mentions almost idly… “This could all have been avoided…” as casually as one might say, “This running out of dog food could have been avoided…”
Saul cracked me right up. He was so hilarious. That he could be so funny in such a dramatic show was pretty cool. I can’t really get my mind around a spin-off, especially not a prequel - but I thought that the fact that it would be a prequel was already a foregone conclusion…?
The acting in this show was so freaking good. Everyone was awesome. The writing, of course, needs no more discussion. Best ever.
Remember when Skinny Pete got jacked by Spooge and his old lady (AKA skank, skank, skank, skank) and Jesse broke into their house to get his money and/or dope back?
I’ve wondered what Fring did back in Chile that made him so respected that the cartel didn’t kill him, and why did he create a new identity to get away from that.
I don’t know what Walt did with Grey matter, or what grey matter did or what Walt’s research was for them.
I’ve wondered what Lydia’s story is, how did she get into this life? Unlike Walter she seems to actively HATE being in the biz’.
We know she has a daughter, but she already had a presumably good job. We see how much trouble Walter had laundering millions in cash, wonder how Lydia is doing it.
Lydia seems very amoral and nervous. My unofficial WAG was her greed got the best of her, and when she realized she was in a bad situation where she could get hurt she was in too deep.
