This was my take. After last episode, I was thinking he was motivated by revenge, which was probably the intention of the cliffhanger. But the “aha moment” plot twist was when it became clear that he meant them no harm but instead had a flash of insight as to the only way he could hope to ever transfer so much money.
To those who say that it’s unrealistic, I say that they will find a way. No one in Walt’s world has such a profitable (Billions-of-dolllars-worth) legitimate business that could launder that much money. And they don’t have to launder it immediately, it can happen over the rest of their lives, realistically. As far as they know, they just have to establish the trust and make good. And they will find a way to do it through Grey Matter.
The cops turning up after everything is finished and done is really only a detail, and doesn’t make any difference to how the story turned out, so it’s not something I’d lose any sleep over. That said however, one of the strong writing techniques I’d noticed on this show is that even when serendipity saves the day, the serendipity is only a bonus on top of a pre-existing plan, and I think Walt would have had his exits covered. He went into that compound with no intention of coming out alive, being separated from his keys meant he had to play his Jesse gambit as a distraction, and that allowed him an extra ten minutes to live and to pay some kind of penance to the only family he had left before he died. That was a freebie… But it could have gone the other way—maybe the whole gang wasn’t in the clubhouse, maybe some survived, so it’s entirely conceivable he called the police in advance, or had Badger/Skinny Pete call them at a certain time as a backup plan. He’d been leaving evidence of his presence around town all day, so it’s even possible he left clues leading the police there, say at Hank’s burial site—it’s not explicitly stated that the police arrived as soon as he died.
Well, see, not taking pleasure in hurting people is kind of what sociopaths do. They lack empathy, so killing that kid by the train is practical, no pleasure, no sadness. He has no moral center, no right or wrong.
However, his thinking, consideration, and lack of empathy is exactly why he keeps Jesse around instead of killing him right away. He’s able to come up with logical reasons to keep him (interrogation/better meth) and explain it clearly to a pack of psychopaths (who enjoy the killing and violence). He then puts together a perfect meth lab (not mentally disabled) and figures out what drives Jesse to make him work. He then figures out a way to ensure Jesse will never, ever attempt to escape again. This behavior of making conscious decisions for his own betterment is exactly why he is not mentally disabled, he’s socially disabled. A sociopath.
If the situation had been reversed and Jesse had been on the ground with Todd at his back, would he have shot Jesse? You bet. Without hesitation. Todd was one of the more evil characters on this show, essentially keeping Jesse cooking through threat of violence towards a child in order to try and impress a girl.
Absolutely- Walt knew he was dying in the compound one way or another. All the luck (having everyone in the room or at least in the firing line of the gun) was just a bonus. He had tied everything up and wanted to take some nazis with him, all of them if possible. But if he hadn’t been able to activate the gun, I’m sure he had a way to lead the cops there.
Random gun fire is one thing. I’m serenaded by it some nights. But an M60 ripping off a belt or two (he had 4 in the car, for a total of 800rnds possible) is quite another thing - sure to get some attention.
He doesn’t have a moral centre because he lacks the intelligence to understand right or wrong. All he does is seek approval from authority figures around him.
The lab setup was simple written instructions, and even after months of training from Walt he still couldn’t do the actual cook. I don’t know if he’d be legally disabled but he was very low intelligence.
Todd doesn’t have the capacity to form his own plans and desires, he’s essentially an autonomous tool that acts out the evil plans and desires of those around him. That was the symbolism at the start of the season when he killed the junk yard cooks then led Lydia through the bodies. They died because she wanted them dead, but Todd shielded her from the consequences.
Todd killed the kid because that’s what Walt desired, but Walt never had to pull the trigger and could avoid the guilt (that was Jesse’s breaking point because he realized the murder was done on his behalf). He kept Jesse alive because Lydia wanted good meth and he thought the gang would like more money, but Lydia never had to torture anyone. It’s no mistake that it was when meeting with her tool (and plotting Walt’s death) that Lydia reaped the consequences of her actions. He killed Andrea and threatened Brock because that’s what Uncle Jack desired.
All the evil he did was other people’s desires.
He gave Jesse ice cream because that’s what Todd desired.
Overall I was really satisfied with this ending. He seemed to “fix” things as best as one could hope for. There were more than a few moments that seemed a little too convenient or not well explained. I don’t know if that is from hurried/sloppy writing, or if it was short cuts to end the series.
I’m glad someone explained the watch on the pay phone thing. That made no sense on it’s own.
Why did he tell Lydia about the Ricin? Doesn’t she have a shot now of getting to a hospital and getting care?
How did he get shot? Wasn’t Jesse basically on top of him the whole time? And it seems to me that wound wouldn’t necessarily be fatal.
I really want to know how he got the M-60. That is some serious hardware and a really rare weapon, even for the black market. I would think he would have had to had some serious connections to get it. Of course I’m over thinking this and it’s a minor plot point, and I’m sure when writing it they just said “hey we need a machine gun” and that’s what they came up with, even though to actually obtain one would have been a feat.
The flash forward showed him meeting with Saul’s gun guy in the diner. (Jim Beaver, the inimitable Ellsworth from Deadwood.) It’s assumed that he can procure the item I guess, because it’s his business to procure black market guns, but it’s true that Walt doesn’t give him much time to do it.
Uncle Jack has made a deal with Walt to kill him but does not. Todd explains to Uncle Jack they should keep Jesse alive. That is his own plan and desire.
Uncle Jack wants to keep all seven barrels of money. Todd talks him out of it, claiming he respects Walt and “wouldn’t approve” if they killed him or left him with no money. That is his own plan and desire.
Uncle Jack later learns that Jesse has named Todd on videotape to the DEA for murder (which he had left out of his previous tale at the train robbery) and decides to go kill him in the pit. Todd explains to Uncle Jack they should keep Jesse alive. That is his own plan and desire.
Jesse awakens attached to a dog run in a meth lab. There is a photo of his ex girlfriend and her son. Jesse is then told by Todd to cook meth. This is Todd’s own plan and desire.
Jesse escapes and is caught. Todd then goes to the front porch of said ex-girlfriend and shoots her in the back of the head after confirming there are no witnesses inside to see him shoot her while Jesse watches. This is Todd’s plan and desire.
Lydia wants Skyler killed. Todd goes to Skyler’s home and discusses that she should never mention Lydia while threatening Holly. This is Todd’s plan and desire. So much so that Lydia is visibly annoyed with his decision.
Todd is perfectly intelligent. He approaches Walt to tell him about a nanny cam set up inside the house. He then and gets on the inside through his own machinations in Season 4. Walt learned after almost being replaced by Gale that he should never let all of his secrets out. That Todd was still cooking 74% meth after Heisenberg left and has come up with a plan to color it as needed indicates he is able to perform abstract thought.
Todd is a creeper and desperately wants to please a girl, leading him to make dumb decisions, but he is certainly not acting autonomously just to please others.
A cute trick would be to have Mike or Gus make a brief cameo in the first episode to establish from the outset that it’s before all that other stuff happened.
One bit that I found funny is that Jack and his crew’s downfall was because of his weakness and ego, kinda like Walt and Hank. They were about to take Walt out back and shoot him - without the car keys he needed for his little trick - when he stopped because Walt accused him of being a liar by keeping Jesse alive. But why should he care what somebody he is about to kill thinks of him? Because he cared so much what people thought of him, he let Walt live long enough to pull the M60 trick.
Ricin has no antidote that has been successfully tested on humans. She has no shot of getting care.
He was on top of Jesse the entire time, he had leaped forward and thrown Jesse back. He then lay on top of Pinkman and held the remote up while activating it. He gets shot ten minutes before the end of the episode, depending on what was hit you can bleed out in that amount of time, especially from a M-60…
I think Walt meant to die in the hail of gunfire along with Jesse and the Nazis but changed his plan when he realized he had it wrong about Jesse. It created the bizarre moment of Walt and Jesse hugging after all even though it is forced and appears violent to the Nazis.
Later Walt gives the gun to Jesse knowing he will not shoot, but giving him the power to decide at that moment.
Walt’s actions at the coffee place reveal just how delusional Lydia is about her own security. She has had people murdered to protect herself, but it turns out anyone with half a wit could find her at her regular clandestine meeting spot every Tuesday at 10 AM. The only thing protecting Lydia was that no one had gotten around to wanting to find her yet. Another narcissistic psychopath bites the dust, err, stevia.
Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I heard a message to the audience in the Baby Blue lyric, “Did you really think I’d do you wrong.” This after the “Don’t Stop Believin’” easter egg a couple episodes ago. As if to say, I’m not going to leave you in a lurch like that Chase guy.
Walt is found by the police with his lab and apparent empire intact. Further releasing Jesse from culpability and securing Walt’s reputation as the legendary Heisenberg.
Lydia can be seen as the executive promoted beyond her competence level, a la the Peter Principle. She understands the trappings, but doesn’t have the brains or ingenuity to keep things under control. Things quickly spiraled out of her control and she did not get what was going on around her. Todd was protecting her.
Todd is a strange character. He seemed to represent a kind of feral business sense without any moral core. Almost the embodiment of the Corporation. The power of the money acting without human moral guidance. Prevented from caring by his incomplete instruction set.
Perhaps that is the real warning behind the whole thing.
What I am willing to admit, and what amazes me about most of the commentary involving Walt, is that I believe that I and most people would make most of the choices he does if put in those situations.
From the outset of season one he didn’t intend on breaking any of his moral stances, short of drugs are bad m’kay, but what happens over the course of the show is that bit by bit he is forced to make choices that his emotional side finds hard to cope with but his rational side knows must be done in order to keep himself and those he loves safe.
By the end of season one (when he blows up Tuco’s HQ) we and Walt begin to see that he enjoys the fear and power his smarts can bring him. He goes from being terrified of Tuco to being somewhat dangerous in the eyes of Tuco and his band of thugs. The respect that Walt had yearned to feel his whole life (as exposed by Hank’s encouragement for him to ‘live a little’ and come on a DEA bust) is now something he not only posses, but commands. At that point almost all of the awful things he does are done to conceal his secrets or deal with people who threaten those secrets.
I must say that I was sad to see that Hank ate it, but when it happened I simply needed to remind myself that Hank was willing to sacrifice the life of Jesse in order for him to catch his own brother-in-law who would be dead in a matter of months whatever happened. I was pretty happy to have Marie’s snooty attitude in the carwash completely vanish for the rest of the series to be replaced with the terror and pain of losing Hank.
PS: Who else saw the interview with Dean Norris (Hank) on Letterman? How can someone who plays such an egotistical douchebag on TV actually be such an egotistical douchebag? I was blown away.
The background is fairly well covered in the early episodes, but at this point that is all irrelevant. The reason he went to them was that he knew they would be able to successfully deliver his money to Walt Jr. and he also was somewhat pissed that they went on TV talking shit about him. He was merely using them like he used most of the other characters in the show.
On Jesse: Walt was giving Jesse the option to kill him, even though I think he knew Jesse likely wouldn’t. He did this because it didn’t matter to him: he was going to be dead shortly whether he caught a bullet in the compound or not. In a true last moment of master manipulation I feel that Walt planned that action as a way of allowing Jesse to feel that he was finally the one in power, and as such could start to let go of the wrongs he felt Walt had put him through.
Finally: while I agree one possible conclusion is that Walt died in the final scene, what I think is interesting is that such a conclusion is not entirely possible. He fell down and then cops arrived. As far as we know his only wound was that to his stomach. If you’ve seen someone on their last legs with cancer you’ll know that they wouldn’t be able to do most of what Walt did in the final showdown, so I don’t believe he died from his cancer either.
I certainly don’t think they’d cheapen Breaking Bad by continuing the story but, just as The Sopranos left everyone annoyed with its ambiguity, I feel Breaking Bad ended with just enough of its own ambiguity. It’s not a TV show’s job to deliver a final, overarching message. In fact I feel leaving us with ambiguity is what most shows should do because the bottom line to any story is that life goes on, one way or another.
Nah I liked it. If the audience didn’t get from the obvious POV sweetener-pouring shot that he’d spiked her sweetener then they won’t make very good film critics.
Walt didn’t plan on talking to Lydia, it was a happy possibility brought on by Todd’s ringing phone. Of course he was gonna tell her at that point: he clearly hated her and wanted her to know it was he who put her to death.
