The SAD TRUTH About Walter White | Breaking Bad Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.พ. 2024
- The SAD TRUTH About Walter White | Breaking Bad Explained. We breakdown and explain the character of Walter White and recap his story throughout Breaking Bad Seasons 1-5. This includes plot spoilers and an indepth analysis of the character and hidden themes.
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Ok so when people say the greatest tv shows ever made I imagine most of them are gonna think of Breaking Bad. This is a series that completely changed television and ushered in a new era of pretige shows. You kids might not remember yeah but back before this came out a lot of tv was thought of as being cheap and inferior to movies. Sure we had the odd thing like Lost, The Sopranos and The Wire but a lot of the time TV was seen as lesser quality.
However Breaking Bad along with several others helped to change the perception of how we view the medium. At it's core was the story of Walter White who hooked in viewers with the story of his rise and fall.
Here was a man who became a drug kingpin and one of the most wanted men in America. Now though Walter is played up like he's almost like a hero down to him going out in a big blaze of glory. There is unfortunately a sad truth to him. Now when I say hero have to be careful with that word cos yeah...guy is also someone who's the villain.
Ruined my video essay already!
What I mean though is that Breaking bad does something brilliant in that it makes us root for the bad guy. However in doing so we miss out the sad truth and real tragedy that there is to the character. Throughout this video I want to go over that and discuss the most heartbreaking thing about him.
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I hope if you haven't already do "THE Shield".
Are you going to do a break down of the new quite place trailer?
Duuuuuude. Any chance you could do a breakdown of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure? I randomly felt like putting on the movie tonight. I was admiring the practical special effects, set locations, props and costumes. I was curious, “How much did it cost to make this movie back then?” Looked up some facts and the movie was released on February 17th, 1989. I can’t believe I happen to wanna watch this movie that debuted 35 years ago to the damn day I shit you not!! Excellent.
😳🤯🎸🎸
10 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer and all my family and friends told me to go Breaking Bad. I never saw the show. Since I survived, I watched the show.
Sounds like you had a strong support system cheering you on
I would’ve went breaking bad, glad you survived mate
My dad is getting ready to go into his first round of chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma, he’s 49. I hate cancer I hate cancer but I’m both happy for you and hopeful reading your survival story! 😬🤘🏽
You're a fucking WARRIOR!
This is the coolest thing I've heard in a comments section, I'll deffs be having a pint in your name bud!
The protagonist is not always the hero. Breaking Bad exemplifies this and that’s what makes it so good.
It's like this in all the great shows. Sons of anarchy, the shield, the sopranos, breaking bad and I'm sure I'm missing more. In all of them though the guy your cheering for is realistically a murdering, drug dealing, cheating loser justifying their sh!tty actions and choices.... and I love it 😂
Tbf this is why the term anti-hero was coined, you know the character isn’t a stereotypical hero but you root for them as if they were.
@@Smithy31except calling Walter white an “anti hero” is wrong. He’s an anti villain actually
@@Smithy31anyone who roots for Walter white lacks brain cells
@@raymondsims7042 rationale for this? Not being combative just interested because I’ve never heard the term anti-villain before.
Another time where Walters' pride got in the way, was when his son set up a gofundme.
Walter hated the idea of strangers giving him hand outs. Like the world knew he couldn't provide for his family.
It’s always amazing how well the basic stuff, when done well, really works. If Aristotle wanted a perfect tragic hero for Poetics, it would be Walter. The fear, pity, and flaw are all plainly there from episode 1. Gilligan and Cranston made it perfectly, but Gilligan was already building on a VERY strong foundation.
Yeah so good, such a deeply layered character
A man who knows he is going to die is dangerous
Everyone knows they're going
to die.
@@abegarfield7031 Yeah but when its far sooner than later you basically got nothing to lose
There's nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing left to lose.
@@abegarfield7031wrong. Most people are in denial and secretly fantasize that they will not actually die... there's a book about it called "The Denial of Death"
We're all gonna die, just some sooner than others
I wonder if Hank ever thought to partially blame himself for taking Walter out on the ride along and displayed the money seized at these events.
I'm 100 percent positive that Hank partially blamed himself. It lines up perfectly with Hank's one true flaw his ego and trumped-up belief in himself. He thinks he is a great cop and a better man. Don't get me wrong I like Hank but he is kind of an asshole even to those closest to him like Walt, Marie, and Gomez.
He said he needed to be the one to catch Walt or he'd lose his job but I think he needed to be the one to catch Walt because of pride and the belief that this was in a small way his fault.
It was Hank’s hubris at Walt’s party that introduced Walt to the idea of cooking Meth.
so I was late to the breaking bad train. I watched it for the first time like 5 years ago. AMAZING SHOW
Have u watcher bcs?
@@abdulkadirjannes I watched the first season or 2.. I enjoyed it.
I got bored during the 3rd season
(I'm not sure why)
and gave up on it.
Years later I bought all the DVDs cheap,
gave it another chance
and loved it.
@@tdumford1
After season 3,
BCS changes quite a lot.
The plot and character motivations change,
so it's like it becomes a different show,
if that makes any sense.
@@abegarfield7031same thing happened to me with BB.
Got bored after the fly episode. Didn’t watch it for years.
Recently finished it and thought it was great. Learnt that Rian Johnson directed the fly episode. Makes sense why it sucks.
And to those who think I don’t get it. I do. It represents Walt’s guilt etc and his relationship to Jesse. It’s not deep. Just boring and only exists to cheapen the budget
I don't think he had real security with Gus. Gus was clearly going to kill him once their contract expired if the cancer didn't do him in first. Mike and Gail were merely Gus's lackeys. But Walter was his competition.
Walt is insecure and weak, lashing out and also seeking attention and thrills because of his insecurities.
Sounds like me
@@ljblakejrget help then lol
@@Seasonal-Shadow_4674 I haven’t gotten my last thrill
Great video man! A different route than im used to but absolutely here for it! I could watch u breakdown anything and find it enjoyable! Keep em coming! 🤘🔥
this show is so old and still fresh videos on major themes like these are popping up. truly a masterpiece
Please do a breakdown for the wire.
“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!”
Amazing show Bravo Vince
👊 Amazing review..! 💯
I disagree that Walt's life would've sucked either way. If he'd been able to overcome his pride he could've accepted the offer from Gretchen and Elliot and allowed them to pay for his treatment, or even come back to work for Grey Matter. He might not have been his own boss, but he would've lived out his life with a clean conscience and his family still at his side, as well as likely being able to work in a stimulating chemistry based environment again.
This show is so old yet this video is so new and refreshing and I’m so glad you made it 😊🤍
I absolutely love your videos. Phenomenal analysis!! Did you have to purchase the rights of this show to use the footage on youtube?
Thank you. Nah if you’re using it in a transformative way it’s ok.
wow crazy you did this i watch you all the time and i literally just finished breaking bad 2 days ago
Crazy timing, my wife and I just started a rewatch a few weeks ago 🤙
"May I see her"
By far the saddest scene.
I disagree when you show the scene of Walt saying Gale was a fraud. I don’t think he wanted to be caught I think his ego was being crushed by Hank giving the credit for his genius to gale so he stepped in
Breaking Bad is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The creator of the show accentuates the fatal psychological flaw of his main character, and did so to a lesser extent in " Better Call Saul". Walter White discovers a way that proves he's a genius and that he's important. In his endeavors he destroys his life and everyone else around him in an occupation that will never be accepted in society.
Please do all seasons 🙏🏽
Walter White could literally be ANYONE! Breaking Bad shows us why seemingly "good" people "break bad"
(Meaning under enough strain ANYONE would do whatever they could to financially survive and provide... it's just that Walt liked the "power" that came along with it too... which alot of "Kingpins" fall into as well)
It's crazy how this video came out the exact moment I finished watching season 5. Talk about coincidences
same bro 😂 randomly just tried it out crazy how the world works
Same Lmao
Hubris: the heart of every Greek tragegy
@heavyspoilers I’d love for you to watch “the shield” and break the character of “Vic Mackey” down like you did Walter. Those it wasn’t as popular as breaking bad, I feel like it was one of the shows that opened the door for shows like breaking bad to do some of the shock and surprising reveals and dark character archs they did to be appealing to a general audience
I was kinda sad this was only 10 minutes because I love your breakdowns
Walter White breaking bad was a brilliant TV series 👍👍
This was really good.
the most heartbreaking thing about this character is he was born in the USA - the United States of Barbarians ... where the rich stay healthy and the sick stay poor ...
Black Sails, in my opinion, is the best TV show ever made. Tragically underrated. Had it aired on HBO and not Starz, it would have been a phenomenon.
Never heard of it, I have to look into it🤔
Walt did not have “safety and security” with Gus. Once Walt saved Jesse, Gus decided to kill him.
- Jesse tries to poison thugs who work for Gus, because they killed Combo.
- Walt told Jesse not to and alerted Gus.
- Jesse, Walt, and thugs meet with Gus to squash beef
- Thugs kill Andrea’s brother
- Jesse goes to shoot thugs, thugs go to shoot Jesse
- Walt runs thugs over with a car, saving Jesse. “Run.”
It was at this point that Gus decided Walt needed to die, and prepares Gale to replace him.
What is the movie where the actress sees words float on screen that paul keeps using
I just recently rewatched Breaking Bad & El Camino, this franchise is so damn good, and yeah I consider it a tragedy too, as how things play out with Walt's character, although people like Jesse & Jimmy find a way to save themselves, I'm currently gonna rewatch Better Call Saul as well & I'm excited for it
I've been binging Better Call Saul (trying to watch it all before I'm charged for another month of Netflix). Honestly I prefer Better Call Saul over Breaking Bad, and now if I watch Breaking Bad...I can no longer see Walt's point of view. He's the bad guy that ruins everything lol.
@@robertbarnes1828 He was always the bad guy, it's funny to me when Walt told Gus he isn't a criminal, that he isn't the bad guy, but he already was at that point, unlike Jesse who accepted who he was, Walt didn't because he had yet to truly see who he was inside, a "monster" that ruined many lives for his own sake & ambition
@@prynce. Hahahaha you're right. They're all bad guys. What I meant is I know longer see Walt as the protagonist of the story, he's the antagonist that ruins everything for everyone else.
@@robertbarnes1828 Well no, he is the protagonist cuz he is the main character, however, he is the main villain of the story, even Hank who I don't consider to be a the hero of the story cuz he's made mistakes & can be just as prideful as Walt, is an antagonist even while having good intentions for catching Heisenberg & bringing him down, but you're right that most of the characters involved in the main plot are essentially bad, they've committed many crimes & sinful acts you could say, they're not innocent
@@robertbarnes1828I wouldn't say he ruins everyone else, maybe his kids are the only innocent ones affected in this show, everybody else gets involved by their own reasons, obsessions, their pride or their incompetence.
We all like to watch a great spiral. Joining a flawed character as they struggle and are ultimately destroyed is a primitive feeling of justice, and watching a pure character do the same evokes tragedy. Breaking Bad and Succession both excel at giving the audience a front row seat to wonderful dumpster fires filled with human lives, and I think both shows make me feel similar ways about the characters.
Thank you Paul.
Ok the dinner scene, he didn't say all that because he wants to be caught nor was the case reopened nor did Walt get away with it, because the case was never officially closed. Hank felt like he got his Heisenberg and was ready to let go of the chase but the case of blue sky was still ongoing with the gale thing being an apd case given to hank to help him get on his feet. And walt never said all that to taunt Hank. He hated that gale who he considered lesser then him to get all the credit so he said what he said because of his prideful nature wanted to let slip that Gale was nothing to him without saying, not to taunt hank but to taunt gus and gale.
Yeah, I always felt Gale getting his credit drove him to say it. He didn't want Hank to catch him right there at dinner... but it did have that unintended side effect.
To see a man lose his mind... Is a scary thing
Walter maybe the main character, but he’s not a hero. He’s not even an anti-hero. He’s a villain and I watched the series routing for him to go down.
I think him turning down the grey matter offer was not only not wanting to be a lackie, but to be pitifully “employed” by a company you helped create. It’s definitely a slap in the face and just adds to his Rolodex of bad luck in life, for lack of a better term
Thanks, Paul.
8:58
Maybe.
But I would argue that it is better to do BAD things fir a goos outcome for everyone else while damning your own soul than to do only good things while condemoning everyone else to a horrible fate....
The story of Walter White is a tragedy from the first episode, where he is given a death sentence. We know this character has a premature end coming due to the cancer diagnosis, and from that first loss of consciousness, his path is set. It makes us confront our own mortality and we sympathize with him initially, then as his spiraling behavior exposes a ruthlessness and determination to beat his fate, we are conflicted. Do we side with Walt trying to stay alive and maybe, just maybe beat the C, or do we pray for justice, that retribution must follow for a murdering drug dealer? Great analysis Paul!
Can you please do more breaking bad content
0:16 never watched the sopranos, but I don't think lost was that outstanding in quality. what absolutely belongs on the quality standout list, unless you disqualify it for only being a one season miniseries, is band of brothers from 2001 (HBO). that was incredibly high effort and well done.
Good take. But I wonder what Definition would think?
Walt should have took a hit of blue right before he passed. He never tasted his product.
yeah idk why this show had such a hold on my emotions but the scene of him having to watch walt jr get off the bus and walk to the door of their crappy apartment. he started making meth to provide for his family and in the process ended up losing it :(
Was Walter White the villain of the show? Yes, hands down. Was the bigger villain the USA health care industry? Yes, hands down. Dude wouldn't even have considered selling meth if he was in some place like Germany because everything would have been taken care of. But that begs the question posed in the video of if you knew your end date, would you do things for good or bad. Perhaps Walter White always had a Heisenberg inside him and no matter what the reason, it would eventually come out. So, now I will start my fan fiction of Breaking Bad: Germany.
No because this stuff just doesn’t happen in Europe.
Like you said about the doing great things for good or bad, when people have nothing to lose, they risk it all.
In Europe, everyone has something. The poorest Europeans live like middle class Americans. The poorest Americans live like poor Africans or Indians. There are literal ghettos shanty towns and slums in the US.. you won’t find that in W Europe.
That’s why crime rates are so low. If everyone has something to lose/some achievements, nobody is gonna go crazy. A poor European has a car, a home, access to university, can fly to Spain/turkey once a year for summer holiday etc
They live like kings compared to literally everyone else.
You can only judge a society based on its poorest people. A billionaire lives the same life in Germany as he does in India or USA. But a poor man in Germany lives much better than USA or India.
@@johntonssen7231 PERFECT encapsulation of the disparity that exists in the United States vs the rest of the world (Europe in particular) and yet another reason why I moving to Europe from the US. I want to be somewhere that at least cares a little more about people. Not that I'm poor or looking to be poor, its the mentality of tEurope that's MUCH healthier than the USA.
Mad Men was a high-quality show that came in just before Breaking Bad. You might also want to review Six Feet Under as part of quality TV.
Mad men is an absolute masterpiece some of the finest writing ever. And six feet under is one of the three best shows I’ve ever seen, it also has the single best finale of all time. Those would be great reviews
IMO Breaking Bad edges out The Wire because of their finales. I have a problem with how Omar get's taken out.
It was similar to 'the Shield' in the sense that the protagonist was powerful yet corrupted to the core. The greatest thing about BB was that it showcased a show where there weren't any good main characters, they were all various gradations of bad (even Walt's son and Hank.)
Bro, not Walter Jr, his worst trait is him being a brat, he's okay
8:20 i disagree. He only would have been broke if he decided to not take the job. He did this to himself. His pride is what killed him and destroyed his family, not lack of money or job opportunities. He would have made so much money if he joined gray matter and would have been able to pay his bills and still keep his family intact.
He was too stubborn and egotistical that he couldn’t handle the thought of not being in charge and the absolute best.
There were other options that he refused to take and it’s all on him🤷🏻
What is Vince up to now ?
"I do [blank] for my family/to put food on the table!" is used as a get-out-of-consequences-free card routinely. Once we hear that, we are supposed to immediately, instinctively nod our heads solemnly and, no matter the details, switch to admiration for whoever said it. Walt's use of this chest-puffing excuse is very real-world in that regard.
After watching Better Call Saul I can't see Walter as anything other than a villain.
Why you say that ?
He was a total POs, and a horrible criminal. He made every mistake and wrong turn that he could and now, having watched through the whole series again, after finishing better call Saul, I realize how Hollywood they all are. None of it would go down this way. It’s fun to watch, but also, not at all realistic.
S1 of True Detective, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad (which wouldn't have been as good if not for sopranos doing major acts of violence first breaking cable barriers).
What I loved most about Breaking Bad is the complete flip of who you love and hare.
Walt at the start is the good guy, the man were all rooting for and want him to succeed. by the end you despise this man.
Then Hank, he was the dooche bag brother in law cop who toi just thought was the biggest dick going around. but when he died it was one of the greatest and most heartbreaking scenes in TV history.
Truly great writing to get us to thag point!
yeah, I couldn't get through the first few episodes. The town that I grew up in was the meth capital of the area. All I saw was a show that glorified the drug makers and dealers.
That's why he didn't take the Grey Matter offer he wanted to take the world by storm before he died something Grey Matter had already done and honestly what could Walt have done that Grey Matter hadn't already done. It was pity that he had cancer not because they recognized his brilliance and you're right if he had done it the right way it would've left the family completely bankrupt and probably worse off then they were in the finale. Because he had chosen the wrong way he was still able to salvage the situation despite his family hating and disowning him and the country hunting him simply because he had nothing left to lose. Yes Walt was fucked either way but because he chose the wrong path I'd say he was less fucked than if he had chosen the right path.
Walter White's one of the best Anti-Heros... just like Tony Soprano!!!
You know what's funny about the pink teddy bear? It was never meant as foreshadowing... Vince Gilligan just kidna lucked out haha. But I choose to see it as foreshadowing lol
Alcohol can really cause ppl to do and say things they wouldnt do in their normal mindset. With no memory of it, most times. Prob just as bad a chemical as meth.
I love this series and its successor Better Call Saul. I didn't realize how much of a perfect bastard Walt is.
4th Best tv show
- AoS
- Bojack Horseman
- BCS
- BB
Walt was not against working for someone else. He was against being offered a job due to pity as a result of his cancer.
This was clearly displayed when his demeanor only changed after the mention of health care.
What do you think was Walt's cause to come back for a showdown with Jack's gang? Pride? Revenge? Justice? Rescue?
All for pride in the name of "justice"
the interview he saw of Elliot and Gretchen motivated him to return. Jacks gang was just a "why not settle this too, while I'm back"
Love. He did love Jesse even if he manipulated him.
He probably didn't know that they kept him as a prisoner all that time. He didn't back there for him. Sure he cared for Jesse but thats not love. Maybe in Walters eyes. But no way after all the times he purposely hurt him and used him. Classic narcissistic behaviour though.@@devinreed5725
Anyone see the episode of Sunny with walt and jesse? Hilarious. Cranston is the man. I want some audiobooks narrated by Cranston. And Geoffrey Wright. Brilliant
I’ve noticed that most villains’ downfalls or deaths are due to their pride and ego. Pride truly is the deadliest sin.
I rooted for Walter White in the very first episode. I couldn't understand why I kept rooting for him as the series continued! Walter turned into a monster, but I kept on rooting for him. Somehow, I expected he would eventually feel remorse. I believe in second chances. But Walter died as a broken criminal, undone by greed & cruelty. In the very end, it was Jesse who got my sympathy.
So the strange thing is, I do believe that ABQ is a better place ultimately after Walter White had his way with it. Obviously a lot of what he did was bad, but he also took on and took out or indirectly destroyed a lot of even worse entities. Gus was objectively worse, his feud with the Salamancas was getting even more innocent people involved and killed. He is responsible for the entire destruction of the criminal underworld of ABQ, in the same way he's holds a degree of responsibility for the plane crash. I also believe there to be a very complex conversation regarding him and Jesse. He obviously did many terrible things to Jesse, but he's also why Jesse isn't either dead or in Prison for the rest of his life. Without Walter White, Jesse never gets a fresh shot at life, and he doesn't have a person to mentor him into something more than what he had become. Walter's pride and ego damaged everything around him, but part of that collateral damage was taking out entities worse than himself, and an infrastructure that will take decades to rebuild.
I know its a small thing, Mr Spoilers, but the music choices on this show were always top notch.
The part where you are wrong is with Gus. Walter was comfortable working for him, but he rightly realized Gus was planning on killing Walter, and sooner or later one of the two was going to die.
I was also diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2022. It's looking like I beat it, so won't be having to break bad either :P
Congratulations, that's awesome to hear
BETTER CALL SAUL NEXT PLZ
He can't keep getting away with it!!!!!!
Walter White was the ultimate mix of the antihero and the tragic hero at the same time.
Deadwood… The Sopranos… The Wire… Breaking Bad. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Irony of all this was that Walter was always trying to avoid getting killed by the bad guy (Tuco, Gus, ect) but at the end of the day he WAS killed by the bad guy...
Himself
Band of Brothers! ❤
😊 indeed
What was the best show that appeared on TV?
I answered Lost 😄
Breaking bad is the goat for sure, and the office is #2
I believe that the show is an example of the sin of Pride. If Walter White had not been so prideful, he would have taken the job with his old partners at Grey Matter. His medical bills would have been paid. He would have gone into remission. He would have provided for his family.
But, his pride forced him to choose a more brutal path. He manipulated (poorly) Jesse, and, as time went by, his ability to manipulate increased. Like so many narcissists, he believed that he could manipulate events the way he wanted them. When things wouldn't go his way, he continued to attempt to manipulate events to recover from the changes.
BCS & BrBa are the two greatest shows oat
You’re goddamn right I didn’t hit the like button.
Sheer dominance for the sake of sheer dominance
In this analysis, you are the one who knocks
breaking bad will always be my go to #1 show of all time!!!!
That’s definitely a good pick breaking bad is certainly a top ten show ever, for me the wire is number one though.
Obviously walter is a huge POS throughout the show, but I still maintain there is an argument to be had weather or not he was a bad guy. It's not so black and white. Most of the situations in the show were obviously intentionally written in a morally grey way.
I mean every action walter takes that is reprehensible is arguably either a case of self defense or out of fear for his family. Even poisoning the kid was, especially in walts mind, was in self defense and was a direct response to gus threating to kill his entire family, including his infant daughter. You know he would do it too, Gus was completely insane (like all the villains of the show). What lengths would you go to to save your infant daughters life? The rest of your family? This is a serious moral dilemma that I don't think is entirely fair to wax about it without being in some kind of similar situation first. I imagine a lot of people would do intensely reprehensible things.
Of course i'm taking for granted some things like the fact that selling drugs doesn't make you a bad person. If this is something you believe of course there is no redeeming walter. And there are also a few decisions that are harder to justify. Like his ongoing manipulation of Jesse, but even that is shown in a way that walt believes is for jesse's own good.
And obviously his decisions to continuously go back to selling meth when he was 'out' multiple times and knew people always got killed when he did were questionable. Still though, he probably truly believed himself when he keeps saying 'no one will get hurt this time'.
I feel like more than a story of 'rooting for the bad guy' it s a story about how every human has within him a heart of darkness, a shadow self, and under the right circumstances it will emerge. You are not unique and incapable of intense violence and horror. We all have that within us.
Glad you brought up this debate Paul. Great analysis! I think a lot of people don't realise how he is actually the villain. I guess, like you said: we also can relate and pity him so we rationalise his actions.... but still... here's my take:
Walter White is, in my opinion, one of the greatest and most iconic television characters of all time. It's common for us, the audience, to feel sympathy for the bad guy and root for them, but with Walter, it wasn't the same. Recently, I saw a discussion about who was the most evil character in Breaking Bad (BB), and I also saw another one about how so many people hated Skyler. Most people think Gus is much worse than Walter. I used to think that. I also agree Skyler is annoying at times. But... wait. Imagine being her... with Walt. You can't really blame her for acting the way she did. And Gus, yes, he is a psychopath, possibly sociopathic too, but we don't get enough insight into who he is. But I feel he led his business and his life with some morality at least, compared to Walter at least. If you look at Walter properly, you really see the sad truth: the scary truth. The things he did to get what he wanted... how and why would someone act this way? I had to look further into it. I came to this conclusion:
Walter is a covert narcissist, whose actions, in my opinion, make him THE villain of the show, way worse than Gus, more evil in fact. Of course, while watching the show, I rooted for Walt the whole time. I never thought twice about the bad things he did, the way he treated Skyler, how he manipulated everyone around him, a lot of the time in the most awful way. He was doing it all for family, right? Walt was playing not only the characters in the TV show but also the audience watching. The reason I say "covert" is that it's not really that noticeable in the beginning, even later on in my opinion (at least for me when I watched the first time around 10 years ago). He makes you rationalize his motives and actions without you even noticing that he is manipulating you. We really should have drawn the line once he decided to "break bad and make meth," seeing as Elliot offered him a job and money for his treatment. Like, come on, man, you are going to die, take the offer and enjoy the rest of your time with your family, huh? He would rather turn to a life of crime than accept charity because of his pride. The cancer diagnosis freed him from his mental prison. He can do anything and not have to suffer the consequences or humiliation. It doesn't occur to him that doing this will hurt many lives and potentially destroy his family along the way. But why? Maybe he was expecting some break, maybe become a professor? Or maybe he just gave up, and being a teacher was a satisfactory amount of respect he needed for him to supply his ego. He thrived though Heisenberg. Heisenberg allowed him to become who he always wanted to be. This kind, caring husband and father was essentially a facade. In only a span of two years, he killed almost 300 people and destroyed countless more lives. He went into hiding for 6 months, and this definitely changed him. I do think he would have stayed away longer if it wasn't for that interview of Elliot and Gretchen. He hated how they belittled him; if it wasn't for his genius, they'd be nothing. So for his final act of pride, he shows them that he's more superior, and also helps him achieve his original objective of leaving money for his son's future. Also, take revenge on the Nazis in the meantime too, why not? I don't think he planned on dying there, but he was definitely at peace once he realized he was about to die.
Now comparing Walt to Gus, you can also see that Walter is clearly the more evil one. Gus was in business for over 20 years. He had no family (that we know of). His motivation was essentially vengeance; his partner Max was murdered by the cartel. Better Call Saul hints there was a romantic thing between them too, so vengeance, love loss. He made Hector suffer because of this and eventually took the cartel out. He carefully constructed this plan over many years. But his pursuit for vengeance led him to his death. It was his only weakness, which Walter used to kill him. If Gus is so evil, he could have easily killed Walter as soon as he became a problem, or at least hurt someone close to him, right? I'm sure he could have wiped him and his family out with ease. Walt never really hesitated when it came to making evil decisions. He poisoned a child, bombed a nursing home, watched Jane choke to death (causing a plane crash), he used innocent people to carry out his needs, and didn't care who got hurt. At least in the end, he tells us that he did it all for himself. With Gus, it's vague. There's so much more to be explored in this character. Hopefully, we get a spin-off someday.
You may argue that Walter's transformation from a sympathetic character to a ruthless drug lord makes him more evil, while others may view Gus's calculated and methodical approach as more sinister. Maybe that depends on our individual sense of morality?
TL:DR - Walter is an evil selfish bastard 😂
Yeah. I watched every episode of B-Bad as they came out. As a drug addict I was eager to watch a show where the person involved w drugs wasn't depicted as evil. So I pulled for Walt and made excuses for many of his questionable actions until Full Measures when he had Jesse kill Gale ruining both their lives. I got off the Walt train at that point and was pulling for Gus thru out season four, as I too, thought he was way lesser an evil than Heisenburg.
Just gonna say, hard disagree with Walt being more evil than Gus.... that is actually insane. Gus had an infrastructure that was so massive and insane, and had feuds that were so much more deadly.... not to mention he already HAD gotten a family member killed. The war he had with the Salamancas was happening in broad day light, to civilians with absolutely no regard for who or what happened.
Even the scale at which Gus produced the poison is SO much greater than Walt was capable... Gus is directly responsible for ending way more lives over a way longer period. His super power is being able to hide is perfectly... which honestly is ALSO dangerous but he was 10000 times more dangerous than Walt was.
You have made valid points but... Gus had 20 years to build this empire. He also had zero liabilities there at risk while he went to work that helped him build his whole empire too. His background and upbringing was also probably different to Walters. I think you misunderstand me too. Of course, Gus is evil as fuck. But, he had no one he loved or cared about anymore which may have realigned his moral compass. But yeah in BCS he is an evil C*** but so were the cartel... he was different though with Walter, he could have done horrible things to his family but didn't. I just feel its another level of evil when a person can easily go and hurt the people that care and trust them knowingly to get what they need, and show little remorse after, then proceed to do it again, and lie about it.
Or what? How do you see it then? @@coachleif
The whole series is panned out from the beginning when he goes to Elliot’s birthday and we see what he could have had if he hadn’t left grey matter and we see how he feels like a failure.
How can you call one of the best actors ever Robert Forster “the vacuum guy” WTF 😂
You would love “Better Call Saul” in its deeper meaning
I actually think Better Call Saul is superior. Obviously BB ran so BCS could walk but it's just a better more polished show for me.
Sauls relationship with his brother in the early stages was immense.
Bcs is great but not quite better than breaking bad although it’s very close.
Fully agree, but I don't think it hit me until later on in the series. BB hits the ground running
Breaking bad the best 1 hour show ever
Definitely one of the best shows ever made
Top ten easy for ne