Another point I want to add: Walter grew his goatee shortly before Skyler kicked him out, so it wasn’t in response to that. Rather, I think the catalyst that caused him to change his look was the guilt he felt over letting Jane die. This mirrors how Jesse also changed his look after killing Gale, except whereas Jesse lost hair, Walt gained it. However, as I said in the video, I think the timing of him growing out his beard is still linked to his feelings of emasculation from Skyler leaving him, specifically how that the writers decided to make the two events perfectly coincide as a metaphor for how Walt copes with rejection, AKA by putting in a facade of masculinity. Ok I’m done now for real.
This Reminds me of the laws in chemistry Conservation of mater mater can't be created or destroyed just converted or change form. (INSERT A TRITE ESSAY BELLOW) Idk if my original comment is still on your og video but I have since changed my thoughts on the concept it was a goodman turned evil but I want to elaborate in the patented usless breaking bad essay that somebody probably already said the same thing at some point because math Walt and heisenburg arent things out of nowhere The scene where walt talks about his dad. The time he rejects eliot in s1 and the flash back in season 5 show he always had pride that never changed. I don't count the 2016 interview that explains why walt left Grey matter mainly because it doesnt appear in either of the shows and is stupid for reasons I wish I could get into but regardless Walts transformation is not out of no where I think the idea he was always evil isn't what vince is saying BUT BUT. Obviously his pride never changed the most modest he js is when he said to jesse I'm glad it's acceptable after sinking down to the level of cooking meth. Which puts in perspective the most modest he gets is when it's somthibg he isnt proud of which is reading way to much into a single line of duolog but food for thought To me walt changes because he couldn't accept the thing he could never change. Some say brba is a story about toxic masculinity and to be honest that makes sense. But I prefer to see it as a contest between Peter and Vince to see who will get more essays But fr I see it as a story about acceptance The "I did it for me"scene is about walt adniting to himself not skyler he just wanted to say that infront of the person he kept telling the lie he told himself Walt both did and didn't change. Compare him killing krazy 8 and jane to lydia and brock. Walt appoligizibg to Krazy 8 when he is dead is very different to him justifying poisoning brock to jesse. Walt pretty much changes because he is in denial essentially He did change ethically but it's not as simple as good man turned evil or man never changes as a person only in status. Walt changed because he didn't accept that he was an arrogant pathetic man with poor self esteem and it made him a narcasistic man motivated to be the big man all behind a poor self esteem His talk about no more blood shed is a lie he tells himself so he could be the big man and he tells himself that lie to the point that it didn't matter if there was blood shed. He changed into an evil man because he didn't accept his own flaws until it long since made him evil. I think Bryan said somthibg to the effect take this with salt though Walt wasnt good or bad i dont think walt even knew who he was and didn't know if he wanted to be a drug dealer until he later did. I think it summarizes his transformation. That's my take on walt always being an asshole I don't expect people to agree on principle but idk Anyways that's another usless breaking bad essay nobody asked for
@@Lektuerekurs I don't think it was solely because of that, but it was probably a contributing factor. Once she knew about his business she probably saw it as a physical manifestation of Walt's newly emergent criminal persona. And she wasn't entirely wrong, it was the Heisenbeard after all
I loved the video, but I have to disagree with you on one key point. Jesse didn't become a murderer simply because he played a video game, it was because he specifically played a Sonic the Hedgehog game, and all Sonic fans are deranged.
About your line on how we shouldn't "dumb down" media so it doesnt get misinterpreted: The Boys literally did this with Homelande and people still misinterpreted it and rooted for him. Make something idiot-proof and someone will become a better idiot
I think this is a point that a lot of writers get confused by. They try to create a "sympathetic villain" with some traumatic backstory, and it's often lame. You don't want a villain who's a good guy deep down. You want a villain who IRL people with low emotional intelligence will claim did nothing wrong, because that means that the explanation on WHY your villain is a villain is believable. It's kinda making your villain sympathetic but to a specific and arguably counterintuitive demographic.
I can't really say that dumbing down is even needed. It's more the shitposting and irony stops being separate. The funny jesters parrot the same viciously contrarian opinion that it ends up consuming them. Even if you "dumb things down" shitposters will find away to twist everything to complete lunacy. Best thing to do is to not care and enjoy the wildfire
@@redline841 I think it's cute that you think they stop being separate. As if they were ever truly ironic. What's ironic is the irony itself; pretending it's a joke is a cover to be serious in safety.
15:00 Walt wanting to be the "smartest in the room" is a good observation. A buddy of mine was talking about how he started re-evaluating Skylar now that he's older and how she really was in a terrible position that no one could navigate well. You can infer that Walt pursued someone like Skylar after Gretchen because Skylar was much younger than him and wasn't any kind of scientist. He therefore didn't see her as a threat to what he considers his superior intellect and probably at the time his capacity for success.
I think that Walt's interaction with the Schwartzes was a major turning point in his character. In some flashbacks we see Walt talking with Gretchen in a way we never really see Walt interact with anyone later: full of energy and enthusiasm. I think that after that and before the beginning of the show, Walt went from being attracted by intelligence, to viewing intelligence as a threat. I don't think it's a coincidence that Walt settled into a job he's overqualified for, nor that he picked a spouse who he would see as intellectually non-threatening. I generally agree with Verdana's analysis of Walt's relationship with masculinity, but as far as Walt's relationship with intelligence I think one could say that the fallout with the Schwartzes was when Heisenberg was born. The trauma that Walt experienced then told him that intelligence was a weapon to be wielded against others, initially in the context of against Walt himself. He then tried to become a pacifist in that regard, sheltering himself from who he sees as intelligent people. But as the series begins he embraces his own cunning without fundamentally changing his view of it: as a weapon. Being "the smartest person in the room" is an ego thing for Walt, but it's also a warped survival strategy.
That's a really good point. Also I love hearing about people reevaluating Skyler years later. She's not super likeable but she was so overhated, like people refused to try and put themselves in her shoes bc they were too focused on how "cool" Walt was
One aspect that I think is interesting, is just how much Skyler is a better criminal than Walter Walter prides himself on being smart and having a million plans where he always gets away with it, even if he often spiraled into an even worse situation, but when Skyler does crime, she does get away. Firstly she doesn’t report the cooked books of Tod, which is already a crime, she was now an accessory to tax fraud, made worse because she as the bookkeeper and as such had knowledge of the situation. She later on fakes not knowing how to do her job and plays the bimbo convincingly enough that the IRS drops the suspicion of fraudulent intent. Which happened after she impersonated a government official well enough, that she was able to bully a man into selling his business for below market rate. She also never got too greedy and laundered more than what would be reasonable. Then she sent to men to intimidate Tod into paying his taxes and keep him hostage for a week. That woman is scary and if she wanted to, she might have been able to do almost as much harm as Walter
I think that's a common thread for older men dating younger women. A better example than the one given in the video anyway with Walt jumping on Gale after he made a 'mistake' in the lab. He didn't, Walt had already decided he needed Jesse under his supervision again and had begun to edge Gale out of the picture and was gaslighting Gale to give credibility to his lies. Had nothing to do with feeling like Gale was smarter than him
100%, that scene was intentionally placed into the final episode of BCS for a reason, and that line for that reason. They drop a bunch of subtlety to give us an interaction between the two shows flawed protagonists at the lowest points of their descents (literally talking to each other in a hole in the ground), clearly to give more direct commentary on both of them. Its like fanservice for people who over-read into character writing lmao
I only watched your original video yesterday, and I saw the same comment. The story about his father explains all of his behavior over the series; his father was completely unable to control any aspect of his life so he needs to control all aspects of his; his father was weak so he needed to be powerful; he wants Jesse in his life as he is the only son figure he has who he can expose is Heisenberg persona too. Nurture is a pretty common theme within BB and BCS, we also see it with Kim and Jimmy both being heavily influenced by their respective parents. This also holds for our fallen underdogs Jesse and Nacho, both have supportive parents but find themselves trapped in a criminal lifestyle they only want to escape from.
I think that's missing the point a bit. Like that one clip from one of the writers said, they were careful not to add too much of Walt's backstory to the show to avoid people trying to pin his whole personality on one event. You could also pin a lot of his actions on how he felt cheated out of Gray Matter, he feels his legacy was stolen away so he has a need to build a new one and works hard to be the top dog in the meth game, he feels poor compared to what he could have, so he works to make money even when he doesn't need to anymore, and so on, I'm sure there's a lot more. Point is, there really isn't just one event, Walt probably feels like he's been the underdog his whole life, with loss after loss and everything he does, he does because it makes him feel powerful and he likes that feeling. Doesn't need one exact reason why he feels he needs that power.
I feel like despite being unhappy he still loved being a high school teacher. after all he was the smartest in the room, and nothing was ever going to change that since it's just high school students against someone who would be better suited for university students nice bit of character writing there that shows his ego in a really subtle way
I can forgive Walt for a lot of things but talking about how he was freaked out by his father appearing broken....in front of his son who is living with cerebral palsy was definitely a dick move.
I think there really is a lot to say about how Walt treat's Flynn's disability throughout the show, but this is a point I didn't consider before. Good catch.
@@Anonymousaggro It's kinda cool how his condition isn't brought up that often, but in a way it serves as a contrast to Walt. He got dealt a rough hand by life through no fault of his own, but he embraced help (not that he had any choice), never gave up and ended up a well-adjusted and charitable person.
The bald head is a appearance chance and also became a defense mechanism I feel. The bald head has people second guessing his cancer. Gus constantly asks how his cancer is proceeding and how his health is. I understand that’s in his best interest to know, but if Walt had a full head of hair, any excuse of sickness or weakness is null. Also, the bald head adapts him to be closer to the masculine hero that his family actually looks up to, Hank.
Walt keeps all information withheld, literally everything, he won't share anything until it gives him an advantage, which is hoe he gaslights and lies to everyone
for some reason, I always interpreted the scene at 15:12 as not Gale making a mistake, but instead Walt lying and telling Gale the wrong temperature on purpose so he'd have some basis for insisting Gale is replaced by Jesse. likewise I never really got the impression that Walt disliked Gale, especially since he always acted like a total fanboy and usually deferred to Walt. similarly, during the dinner scene I always saw it moreso as Walt's high opinion of himself rather than his low opinion of Gale- the IDEA that somebody, ANYBODY else could be Heisenberg insults him. he liked Gale because Gale knew his place. maybe eventually he would've felt threatened by Gale, but Jesse's threat made him act. then again I haven't watched Breaking Bad properly in years so I might be forgetting the timeline a bit.
I think the point of the scene is to have the audience unsure. I remember when I first saw it I went back a bit and rewatched for clues, and I think THAT is the intent. And I think the point of THAT is to put the audience in Gales shoes. It's saying that Gale doesn't know if Walt is telling the truth either, but he reacts that way anyway.
Finally someone mentions the fact that Walt keeps shaving his head throughout the show as a CONSCIOUS choice. When i realized this while watching, i found it to be such an interesting character detail. And sure enough, it says a lot about him keeping up the act. And he lets it grow by the time the season finale rolls around. Because how he is perceived by his family... it's too damaged. He cant really change that. He even aboids seeing Junior one last time, choosing to watch him from afar (probably a good thing for Jr.'s sake) 14:00 another interesting thing i just remembered thats relevant to this scene... unlike almost every other character on the show, walter NEVER wears the blue Wayfarer crash rememberance pin. He probably wants to distance himself from it. Maybe he thinks that wearing that would force him to come to terms with his role in this situation when he'd very much rather just forget about it and shift blame. And Saul is a character who continues to wear the Wayfarer ribbon long after everyone else has stopped wearing it. Probably a way of trying to remind people of that crash and build a class action lawsuit around the thing (remember his commercial that mike watches in a bar?). Even in Saul's VERY LAST APPEARANCE in court, he is STILL wearing that blue ribbon lmao (tho it appears grey on account of the black and white)
This is exactly why Ozymandias is so mind-blowing. Walt lives in a fantasy-world of polite criminals for so long. When his “associates” casually kill his family and take his money he’s encountering true outlaws. THEY are the ones who knock. Better Call Saul proves that Walt was useless all along and only succeeded because he was being carried. I bet the same was true of Gray Matter. He convinces himself that he’s amazing when he’s below average at best.
Good catch. My thoughts originally were that Walt was always like this because everyone take advantage of him all the time and mock him. And your comment adds to it. And I also remember the scene in season 1 at Elliotts birthday (correct me if I'm wrong). The moment he is talking to colleagues of Elliot. It really seems like they on a different level than Walt. And he is very uncomfortable talking to them. The same with gus and Mike. They surely see his true colors but bc Walter knew he's smarter than them(on intellectual level I mean) he's not that much scare of them as for example Jack. Walter knows that Gus and Mike are rational people, that they have limits. But Jack don't. That's why he was pleading for letting Hank go. He met truly ruthless man with no morality. And he knows he can't kill Jack and his crew right away because his not prepared. Unlike Jesse who immediately kills Gale at first order. Shame, I didn't really saw it after the first watch of the show
This is kind of idiotic, walt even impressed Gale who is regarded as above-average. I think Walt was successful in the show in becoming "the one who knocks" but the point is that that wasn't a good thing in the end becoming that person is what destroyed everything around him. But he was good at being an outlaw his own knowledge and plans saved him many times + allowed him to beat Gus. Also, the nazis were literally taking orders from him until a certain point. He was pretty successful in being human garbage
I haven’t seen BCS so the first point is fine I guess, the second not really. His research did contribute to a project that was awarded the Nobel Prize and he was immensely praised by Gale, who definitely was an above-average talented chemist.
@@svietlana5091 first point didn't really make sense either those "polite criminals" Who is Gus? The person who tried to kill Walt and his family and got outsmarted by Walt in the end. Or maybe Tuco or Crazy 8 💀 Jack wasn't anything special other than circumstances
I didn't discover Breaking Bad until after the series finale. But the old me probably was the kind of person to idolize Walt. I wasn't involved in the drug trade or anything, but I was a lying narcissist, and it's downright scary how many times I told my now ex-wife that I was doing things for my family. The scene where Walt says he did it for himself hit me real hard the first time.
I was rooting for him on my first watch, despite all his evil deeds, but this Walter White worshipping is beyond cringey. He's not a good person, the show makes that very apparent.
Hat theory is top tier. It was symbolic of Walter being in over his head. The hat influenced his perspective by blocking the light (the sun) and allowed him to continuously fight in the shade, as the great 300 philosopher once said. You could call it a hat trick.
@@williamking7800 skyler was doing all the ACTUAL work needed for a happy, healthy family life, walter white was just trying to convince himself that he was doing it for his family, when in reality he was extremely damaging to his entire family. walter didn't do it for his family, he didn't do it for money, he didn't do it for the sake of making meth; he did it because of his pride.
@@manboy4720 I'm not a fan of all/none/always/never statements, so I wouldn't say that Skyler did all the work. Walt would probably object and be able to point to one, maybe even two, significant (and real) accomplishments on his part over the course of a decade. But let's just agree that Skyler undoubtedly did most of the work.
I think it's kind of ignorant to disregard Walt ENTIRELY, especially when it comes to shit before the show even started. Like he obviously raised his son well and his family loved him before the show started. Sure he had an ego, sure he was prideful, but he was still a decent man at the end of the day. I disagree with the notion that he was "Always bad, only hiding it". I think what people are misinterpreting is that he had great POTENTIAL to be bad, and the cancer was the catalyst for the extreme reaction that unleashed his darker elements.
Walt hated himself, he hated that he was kind, he perceived himself as weak for being decent, he didn’t “become” Heisenberg, he willing thew away Walt, the person his family loved, and embraced Heisenberg, because he was afraid of being perceived as weak. I find it kinda ironic that the parts of Walt his family loved most, are the parts of himself Walt hated most.
There's Walter telling his son about his horror of the physical weakness his father went through, completely oblivious to the fact that his son has a physical weakness. There is an insensitivity or even cruelty there. And Walter is prepared to humiliate and harm his son over the alcohol issue in the garden when he wants to make a point to Hank. He risks Jr's health and dignity just to assert himself and not concede dominance. Totally narcissistic
I may have written a similar comment in the last video, but it's so ironic the literally me crowd that they are right for the wrong reason walter white is portrayed as a surface level man who wants to seem cool, badass and strong but is just an immature child. the "literally me crowd" are right, they are like that patrick bateman is portrayed as an out of touch man, criticising toxic masculinity in that he wants to seem likeable but everyone around thinks he's a pussy, and he copes with this by hating women and minorities. they are literally like that more recently ken is portrayed as an incel who is rejected by women because his personality is trash and then after that just becomes blatantly misogynistic and wanting to be masculine in the most pathetic sense. they LITERALLY HAVE GONE THROUGH THE EXACT SAME THING so when they say "I'm literally _____" say yes, yes you are, in so many more ways than you realise want a cool video idea? explore this, I don't see enough people bringing this up
Yeah in every fandom critique video I never see someone state that these fans in particular are like this .... because they're like this. It's always "you're being dumb, and if you just realized it you'd be better for it". For some this is true, for many this conclusion is irrelevant, because they'll just come back with more and more rationalizations about how everyone who disagrees "is dumb and just doesn't see it their way." Most likely many of them aren't deeply examining their motivations for championing such characters. Exposing that they're likely like this literally because they're just like them frfr, might do better to initiate. So yes, please do a vid on this if interested.
To expand on your thoughts, I think that a lot of Walt's early development following his traumatic experience with his father was trying to make sense of the event and using toxic masculinity as a way of quelling his internal fears of ending up like his dad. This likely snowballed into other narcissistic traits that lead him to where he is now; but the problem with that theory is that like the show creators said, "no one event makes a person who they are."
I think the real trauma wasn't at the hospital watching his dad die, but before that. It's not right for a kid to watch a close family member die and be overwhelmed by disgust at their weakness in that moment. Something else happened either prior to that or shortly afterwards that twisted the way Walt interpreted the entire experience. I don't think the hospital was in any way "one event" that "makes a person who they are," but instead an indicator that Heisenberg has been a part of Walt for an extremely long time.
ive literally met someone who said they 'rooted for walt from beginning to end,' he's also unironically called elon musk based, so maybe we shouldn't be so quick to claim nobody is actually that dumb
@@blob_man_guy1582 Not doing enough to start shit. Should have unbanned way more people and dug his heels in. Basically to put in funny words, I was hoping he'd be Hitler 2 like all the people were hyping him up to be but instead I just got another centrist redditor.
The only thing I've seen from you is your original "Walter White did Nothing Wrong" video, but it was a damn good video so I'm glad this popped up in my reco, excited to watch it. Edit just finished it, honestly earned yourself a sub
I only recently watched Breaking Bad, I have miraculously avoided spoilers in all my years on the internet and I decided to check it out. When I finished watching all 5 seasons one scene stuck with me and that is the one you discussed in your video that the comment mentioned - Walt opening up to Jr. about how he doesn't want to be seen as weak, but the response of Jr. is more what I focused on as it was something along the lines of "You felt real." When I stumbled upon your first video about the moment Walt became Heizenberg I was thinking about that moment throughout the entire video and you didn't bring it up, I'm happy you addressed it but I have a little more to add to it. After that moment we see a shift in Walt's way of handling his family relations, before he used to push them away and refuse to share any of his worries unless he's pushed into a corner, but after we see him weaponizing his 'weakness' to get what he wants. An example of this is when he goes to Hank's office and acts extremely distressed over Skyler and her not wanting the kids back in the house only to get Hank to leave the room so Walt can plant a listening device in Hank's office and later using the same tactic to take the listening device out. Another example is how he told Jr. that his cancer is back so he can later manipulate Skyler into not telling Jr. and the rest the truth because 'it would be devastating to Jr.' For me Walt becomes Heizenberg and embraces his selfish tendencies after his talk with Jr. about his own father. He lies and manipulates instead of avoiding and brute forcing his way through the family drama. This is also why it confuses me why people see him as the epitome of 'sigma masculinity' when he uses so much emotional manipulation to such a degree - making himself look weak and worried to get what he wants. Anyway this is just something I wanted to get off my chest but this vid is 9 months old so idk how many people will see it, but to whoever does - thank you and have a nice day!
About Walt's look and how it is just an act, i think the fact that in the final episode he is kinda back to the haircut we see at the start of breaking bad, i think that is the showrunner telling us that at that point walt accepted what he did, he thought about what he did and he analyzed himself to the point where the act drop and he just embraces himself for what he is, he doesn't need a signature style to keep the act
I wouldn't say Walter was some purely selfish monster. I feel that Walter is a character with conflicting motivations, a man stuck in two worlds. Walter does objectively care about his family. It's just undeniable at this point. But that goes into conflict with the other thing he cares about, which is being able to actually feel like he's living. And those conflicting motivations (providing his family as he saw it and helping himself feel alive) are what cause him to do so many things in the story. What this moment with his son represents is not only the gaping flaw in his thought process but also the lengths to which his desire for control reaches, and why it even happened. It adds many new layers and connects things perfectly.
Oh, I agree. Walter is a better man than Gus Fring, or any of the Salamancas owing to the fact that he is actually capable of empathy, he just suppresses it in favor of his greater ambitions.
You say Walt's care for his family "is just undeniable" but Walt himself denies this in the final episode. And I think it's clear from the way he admits it, that he understands that it's a lie that he sold to himself so he wouldn't have to look too closely at his real priorities. Walt makes the distinction between a rationalization and genuine caring, and that's a distinction you should make too. No, Walt didn't objectively care about his family. He wanted to believe that he objectively cared about his family, which is a different thing from actually doing it. The reason that Ozymandias shows is such an emotional moment for Walt is not because he cares so much about his family. Walt collapses because the lie of him caring about his family dies in that moment. (He still attempts some additional manipulations before the rest of his family realizes that the lie is dead, but they figure it out too quickly.)
He never denied that he didn't care for them. Have to also point out that the entire point of the phone call in Ozymandias is that it proves just how much Walter actually cared about them. All Felina actually does is that it shows him accepting that his motivations were fundamentally selfish. Anyone who looks at that and thinks he never cared for his family is just illiterate plain and simple. But Walter absolutely did care for his family and Felina doesn't change that. He still went after Jack for killing Hank and stealing his money. He still got the money to Walter Jr. It wasn't a redemption, just him finishing what he started, which was his desire to be the one to provide for his family. While his goals were ultimately selfish and centered around gratifying himself, there's absolutely a sense of care to it. Walter didn't just get shattered because his lies about loving his family fall apart. It's more complex than that. Walt doesn't try to lie to them. He tries to brush it off because he doesn't want to say that Hank is dead. He then denies that he killed Hank (which is true) and they didn't believe him because he was so manipulative. That moment is where you see Walt as the paradox that he's written to be. He can both genuinely care for people yet ruthlessly manipulate and lie to them. While Walter's perception of what family means eventually become a superficial excuse to rationalize his actions, that doesn't mean he doesn't care about any of them. The scenes that most show this are his scenes with Holly as they show the other side to Walt and show that he was never fully gone. @@williamking7800
@@errwhattheflip I don't view going after Jack as being motivated by family. I think most of Walt's resentment is ego driven there. He is upset about being deposed as the boss. Regarding the money, I think it's still mostly ego. He knows that Walt Jr won't consent taking the money so he plans to circumvent this lack of consent. This shows disregard for who his son is as a person and instead is more based on his ego and his own ideas of fatherhood. I could easily imagine Walt Jr eventually finding out and being thoroughly traumatized by this.
It's a bit of both. There's obviously an ego thing there, but his family definitely played a part in it (and specifically him killing Hank). The way he killed Hank being reflected in Walt killing him signifies this. I don't think Walt cared about being deposed as the boss because by that point in time he had already left the business and had been fully legitimate for quite some time. I don't agree at all. While there is obviously an ego thing due to his own savior complex thinking that he needs to be the one providing for them to give his life meaning, that in it of itself is derived from a genuine care for Walter Jr. He gives Walter Jr. the money to secure his future, but he makes it clear that Walt Jr. wouldn't know it's his. That has more to do with Walt Jr. than it does about Walt not caring about his son when we know he does love his family. A lot of his interactions with people like Holly and Walt Jr. show pretty well that Walt does genuinely care for them and while he does drive them away due to his own misunderstandings of how they view and viewed him, that doesn't really mean he doesn't care for them. I feel that ignores key moments of the story and an interpretation like that only really works by ignoring key parts of the story@@williamking7800
I think that the end of the show is not walt at his bravest, it is him at his most cowardly. Sure he is scared of being killed and things going wrong at the beginning of the show and is not at the end, but that is not walters fear. Walters fear is appearing weak and unmasculine, his descent into crime is him showing this more and more, succumbing to his fear. I think the reason any evil deed is done is due to cowardice in some form, a fear of having nothing, a fear of weakness, a fear of death, and walter is no exception
By the way I'm actually glad youtube recommended me something useful for once. Saw both the previous W.W video and this one, and I'm definitely gonna scrubshrive now.
@@peanutgallery4 that’s why it’s a critique, not a condemnation. I’d consider toxic masculinity an aspect of modern western masculinity; it’s possible to keep the other aspects and consider the good leftovers “masculinity”, but I’d say masculinity, as a whole, contains both good and bad traits
23:14 Though talking about low-hanging fruit: TikTok really is somewhere between a pineapple plantation and a potato fields in terms of where the fruit is located vertically.
I'm surprised people keep bringing up the happy birthday Skyler scene bc for me that "pep talk" Walter gives at the school is one of the cringiest and most painful scenes in the whole show.
I think you're wrong about the Gale scene where Walt is degrading him for getting the temperature wrong, I always felt as if though Walt is lying so he can belittle Gale and justify getting rid of him Considering how he knew he was going to be replaced, it's not too far fetched to say the whole scene was to give himself power over Gale and Gus
I feel like almost every character in this show has no real moral ground or soap box, and thats what makes it great, everyone is real. Not one person can be classed as 100% good or bad. Tuco was clearly a victim of his environment, maybe he went to the vices he traded as a coping mechanism. Gus was bitter about losing someone he was close to, and perhaps he knows that there is no real turning back. Heck, I feel like most of the villains (except Tod) were people who started as victims of their environments they were raised in or forced to be in. I also feel like Heisenberg is like a manifestation of Walter’s fight or flight response. All the times when Heisenberg comes out, its during tense or risky moments.
3:56 holy hell this phrase made me realize fathers arent supposed to call you during school days, ask you to skip the day to give them keys to their house while they are drunk and forgetting your birthday
A line from Moral Orel comes to mind when discussing when Walt “became” Heisenberg: Orel: [when my dad] drinks, he… changes Bloberta: He doesn’t change. That’s just his true nature coming out.
I'd love to see you make a video on "The Idol" just so that we could see that contrast between how masterfully Breaking Bad conveys it's messages in comparison
It's funny, I had the exact opposite reaction to Walt. I went into the show expecting a slow-burn of moral corruption, but he broke bad in the first episode! I watched a couple more episodes and thought: "This guy needs to be in jail! I can't watch 5 seasons of him getting away with this stuff!" So I skipped to the end of the last season to watch his downfall. Only then could I go back and watch the rest of the series secure in the knowledge he would get his comeuppance. (Although I was disappointed he never stood trial.)
The hair is such a strong message. When his hair is grown out in Felina it’s actually thick and full and I think that’s supposed to represent him him self reflecting and growing as a person even if it is his end days you know? I love the details Omg
I haven't watched the full video yet, but from what I've watched, I really like this detailed and analytical follow up to your previous video, Great video!!
In regards to Gail and making a mistake, I've always interpreted this scene as Walt making up a mistake. Gail did write it down correctly. Walt deliberately gave him incorrect figures to undermine him. The reasons are the same though, Walt views him as a threat. The interesting part of this is why. Walt takes great pride in his ability with chemistry making him special, and in a very real sense crucial. Gail will very quickly learn everything that makes Walt special and he knows this. He knows it will make him expendable. The other aspect is Walt kind of likes, but also resents Gail. Walt likes the new Heisenberg persona and the masculine identity he is projecting. Gail has none of this nor any interest in it, but he is the biggest threat to taking away what makes Walt special. So, just by existing, Gail is a threat to Walt's physical being as well as his psychological identity.
To be fair, I would also spend an entire day trying to kill a fly. Those little hellspawn are easily one of my least favorite things.. in general, really.
Surprisingly, the part at 19:10 is also kind of the reason why I dislike the concept of Third Entity theories in Deltarune. It only really serves as a logistically nonsensical scapegoat to emplace the at-least-morally-grey actions of someone whom one unquestioningly believes is the "good guy" upon.
Thank you. Toby Fox literally put in the work to show that the player is an actual entity in Deltarune so that people couldn't use Kris as a scapegoat for their choices like Chara, and people still found a way to rationalize their choices as being those of someone else. It's genuinely shocking.
I don't think it's correct to fully dismiss Walter's obsession with The Fly as just being about control. While that is certainly a factor, I think he does sincerely worry about keeping the lab in a pristine condition. We see multiple instances throughout the series of him wanting everything to be absolutely perfect when it comes to his craft, because despite everything, he does _truly_ love chemistry, as seen from the way he talks about it whenever given the chance. It's really his only true passion in life, even more important to him than his sense of power and masculinity. One fly can easily become too many flies, he wasn't lying about it being a contaminant. If it was purely about his need for control and power, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths trying to kill the fly by himself, he would have just waited for Jesse to arrive and made him do it.
A small personal note on the Death of the Author: It's less about how any interpretation of a work becomes valid, and more just, like you already correctly stated, the Author's authority as the singular and omniscient meaning-giver of a text is being taken away. The meaning of the text is thus externalised onto the interplay between the text itself, and its reader. However, this doesn't make every interpretation valid, or as well-read as any other. I would argue that reading Breaking Bad as a positive and encouraging story, something about "finding power", actively requires the reader to ignore facets of the text. There isn't one unifying school of thought in reader-response criticism which is the school that is pushed by Roland Barthes' essay on Death of the Author, but you will find there is generally a spectrum of diverse thought there, some of which very strongly rejects blatantly wrong interpretations of a text, where the reader needs to insert so much subjectivitiy that they veer away from any objective (or collectively subjective) idea into a completely unique or alienated world view, in order to justify their reading. Depending on who you ask, Death of the Author has a varying degree of anarchy to it, where some may favour a total anarchy of meaning in text, where thus any interpretation is seen as valid, but others would steer away from a total anarchy of subjective meaning. (Notice how I said "small" at the start? I'm sorry)
It's sad to see how people have this strange hate to shows like Breaking Bad and The Boys because of the "sigma male audience". Ironically, that very idea is criticised in both shows, and the "sigma male audience" are just braindead fans who misinterpret the point of everything because they want to see "cool man does cool thing and hates women!" It reminds me of the time when I made a Homelander joke, and some guy straight up called me a "sigma bale" because I guess quoting the "I AM BETTER" speech as a joke made me part of the sigma male audience?? Homelander is acted by Anthony Starr, Patrick Bateman is acted by Christian Bale. The "bale" clearly comes from American Psycho memes, which has nothing to do with The Boys. Why am I saying this? Both sides are clearly stupid. One side will completely sideline a show, regardless of quality because of a "bad audience" (similar to how Undertale is undermined because of it's horrible fandom). The other side has braindead idiots who unironically praise Walter White as if he did nothing wrong, while making "edits" of him doing cool funny stuff. These shows are great for their own reasons, and I wish people weren't so neglectful about them.
I'm fundamentally opposed to the idea that Walter was always "evil" He was a person. He's experienced hardship, like all of us. He had the potential for evil - but he wasn't actually evil. This wasn't the "true Walt" bleeding to the surface, but Walt's fundamental flaws interracting in the scenaro he was faced with. The nature of a tragedy sees the tragic hero suffering from a fatal flaw - a hamartia, if you will. This influences their actions which ultimately results in their downfall. Walter's flaws were insecurity, masculinity, his conception of bourgeois right, his desire to be percieved as strong. These are not the qualities of an evil person - in fact, they're fairly common qualities. The Walt we see at the start is one imasculated, denied the fortune he believes she is entitled to from Grey Matter, stuck in dissatisfying jobs where he was walked over by teenagers and his boss. Once he is diagnosed with cancer, however, these flaws manifest in different ways than they once did. His conception of bourgeois right (to put simply, this means "to each according to his contribution") led him to refuse help from Grechen and Eliot and charity from his son. He believed that the only way he could pay for his cancer treatment was from money generated by his own labour, rather than the charity of others. With his particular connections with Jessie and his skill with chemistry, he saw only one way to generate the money he needed. Walter's initial decision leads to more problems for him in the long run - problems which his fundamental flaws result in him making even more bad decisions, resulting in more complicated problems. The entire show is a story of a flawed individual struggling with the consequences of his own poor decisions. Walt is not evil because he possesses flaws which many normal people have. He becomes evil because of his actions. The fact that those actions originate from flaws which have long since existed within him is inconsequential. What happened to Walt could happen to any of us. Some day we will be faced with an incredibly tough situation - it is up to us to decide how we will react to it. Walter is a case study of an individuals who allowed his flaws to get the better of him. And it cost him and those close to him everything.
I actually agree that Walter wasn’t “evil” at the beginning of the show. In fact, I don’t think he was ever “pure evil”. But he was always desperate for power and validation right from the get-go. One moment that displays this is a scene in the pilot that people commonly point to as his first moment of confidence. It’s when he beats up a teenage boy for making fun of his son. Within the scope of the show, this may seem like a cool moment where Walt stands up for his kid, but when you actually think about it, it’s borderline unhinged. He literally attacks a minor because he talked in a way teenage boys commonly talk. It probably wouldn’t be wise to establish a precedent in which parents are allowed to physically attack those who are cruel to their children, lol (not that I think you're saying that, but I have seen a lot of people cheer Walt on in that scene). Whilst you’re correct in saying that the flaws in Walt are common to a lot of people, Walt’s solutions to those problems are extreme and violent from the very beginning. The thesis of my video wasn’t that Walter was always evil, but rather that the flaws in Walter were always there, and that he was always extremely susceptible to those flaws. In other words, Heisenberg was always lurking inside him and it informed his decisions much earlier than many realize. I also wanted to make clear that Walter was never a hero or even a good man, as many people seem to think. Good comment, though.
Using Earthbound music in the background with Breaking Bad somehow seems satisfying together. Can you make a video based on the characteristic and personality of each Breaking Bad character that correlates to which Earthbound BGM or classic video game BGM (like the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest).
This and the previous one on Walter are gold ! Finally a good, in depth look at the character which takes in consideration his reception by the public. I think you could make a great video like this one on Tony Soprano, another great (maybe the greatest) anti-hero/vilain protagonist
Great video, although in my opinion it would be fitting to emphasize how the idea of choosing a specific moment of Walter White becoming Heisenberg is fundamentally flawed, not just because it doesn't apply this situation in particular, but due to the fact that one never 'is' something, but rather is always 'becoming' something, hence making it impossible to perceive change or transformation as a matter of a moment, but as a continuing process influenced by many external and internal factors, somewhat by the idea of Heraclitus' "in statu nascendi" (in the state of becoming).
I think this is sophisticated stupidity. By which I mean that it's not necessarily wrong to pay attention to becoming and ponder it philosophically, but to act as if becoming and being are mutually exclusive is just some form of denial. You're becoming something AND you are something. Whether or not you can perceive what you are is irrelevant to the fact that you are.
@@williamking7800 I never claimed that one that is becoming doesn't exist, I merely stated that being 'something', completely irrespective of 'being' itself, is a simplification, since one that is eternally subjected to the process of time changes by nature. Substance changes form constanly. It always is substance, but it's form is dynamic. One could argue that such notion is dispensable, however I'd argue it ultimately serves as the only means of logically perceiving the process in question
@@williamking7800If one was attempting to state that one is something while becoming something, reffering to its defining traits rather than to existence itself, then the question I'd ask is, at what point does one change? As I think we would come to an agreement that they do change in the first place. Perhaps at specifing points? But how specific would such points be? I don't intend to evaluate perceiving defining traits in stable, objective terms as stupid or inherently wrong, I merely identify it as an attemp to simplify complexity, which is a natural mechanism. But I believe that when considering complex cases such as this one, a healthy perception of being and change are valuable.
Good video. I love how your humor switches so often between seriousness, irony, irony about that irony, and seriousness again. It’s very engaging. On a different note, I’ve heard good things about Ko-fi as an alternative for Patreon with similar/same features and less fees. But that’s just a TH-cam comment regurgitating what another TH-camr said, do your own research. But also Pirate Software is a pretty reliable source imo. I don’t know how to end this comment. Hava nice day.
Walter became Heisenberg the moment Hank told him how much money that was. Without that one moment the arrow wouldn't have moved in the direction it did.
Man this is why Walter/Heisenberg is so relatable and inspirational and easy to root for, at least for me He's concerned about how his people think of him He wants to feel strong, confident, intimidating, important and respected He wants to be the best He dislikes being a pathetic law-abiding little weakling begging for help from others and prefers taking matters into his own hands not caring what others think, including the government He feels like he's special and the majority of the world doesn't understand him
Honestly one of the only good things Walt does is convince the Police that Skylar had nothing to do with the meth business besides being antagonistic to Walt about it, despite the fact that she balanced his books. And even then he only did that after traumatizing the family by kidnapping Holly.
That, murdering Gus, Tyrese, and Hector, saving Jesse from the nazis, giving 80+ million bucks to/for his kids, and murdering crazy-8. All of his good and/or neutral acts instead of bad and/or evil
@@kainlives7958 Gus wasn't great but Walter turned out to be the same, if I remember Tyrese worked with Gus so idk how I feel about him dying because he was doing his job, even if it wasn't great. At that point the money for his kids are reparations for the shit he put his family through, and while he didn't have to do it, it sorta just balances the scales a bit. Crazy-8 wasn't evil, but I won't fault Walter for killing him either since Crazy-8, when offered mercy, actively chose to not take it. Walter did everything to not kill him and did the only thing he could there. It wasn't great, sure, but he had no other choice. Hector technically killed himself so I don't count that as a Walter deed directly, but again, at this point Walter was worse than Hector (if Gus is worse than Hector, anyway). Jesse wouldn't need to be saved from nazis if Walter didn't sell him out to the nazis to begin with, so again, this sorta balances the scales, but the right thing would've been to let Jesse go. And he knew they didn't kill Jesse immediately because they talked about keeping him around, and he knew his meth was still circulating, which meant someone who knew how to cook as perfectly as Walter was still around, and the only one who could was Jesse.
Honestly I find that time bomb metaphor to be more accurate to walter white , considering all bombs do have a trigger or set of triggers to start the timer, so Heisenberg started at his childhood but only came closer and closer as he finds himself in a similar situation to his father which is trigger 2, then that is where the timebomb has started where he causes just as many if not more problems than he solves
Breaking bad pulls off this amazing trick and I never hear anyone talk about it being deliberate. When it’s king pin fun time almost everyone is all the way on board and having a good time. When walts wife wants him to not commit every crime ever all at once, everyone loses their minds. Walt believes he’s entitled to his empire of glass and we want to see him get it. Skylar wanted what, just like for her husband to continue being a regular guy?
The scene in season 5 when Walt talks to Walter Jr and tells him his cancer has gotten worse again, it always reminds me of the scene when Walt is "honest" to JR in season 4. We see that same fake Walt that Walter Jr is so alienated by, acting like everything's okay and saying we just move on.
Another point I want to add: Walter grew his goatee shortly before Skyler kicked him out, so it wasn’t in response to that. Rather, I think the catalyst that caused him to change his look was the guilt he felt over letting Jane die. This mirrors how Jesse also changed his look after killing Gale, except whereas Jesse lost hair, Walt gained it. However, as I said in the video, I think the timing of him growing out his beard is still linked to his feelings of emasculation from Skyler leaving him, specifically how that the writers decided to make the two events perfectly coincide as a metaphor for how Walt copes with rejection, AKA by putting in a facade of masculinity. Ok I’m done now for real.
This Reminds me of the laws in chemistry Conservation of mater mater can't be created or destroyed just converted or change form.
(INSERT A TRITE ESSAY BELLOW)
Idk if my original comment is still on your og video but I have since changed my thoughts on the concept it was a goodman turned evil but I want to elaborate in the patented usless breaking bad essay that somebody probably already said the same thing at some point because math
Walt and heisenburg arent things out of nowhere
The scene where walt talks about his dad. The time he rejects eliot in s1 and the flash back in season 5 show he always had pride that never changed.
I don't count the 2016 interview that explains why walt left Grey matter mainly because it doesnt appear in either of the shows and is stupid for reasons I wish I could get into but regardless
Walts transformation is not out of no where I think the idea he was always evil isn't what vince is saying BUT BUT. Obviously his pride never changed the most modest he js is when he said to jesse I'm glad it's acceptable after sinking down to the level of cooking meth. Which puts in perspective the most modest he gets is when it's somthibg he isnt proud of which is reading way to much into a single line of duolog but food for thought
To me walt changes because he couldn't accept the thing he could never change.
Some say brba is a story about toxic masculinity and to be honest that makes sense. But I prefer to see it as a contest between Peter and Vince to see who will get more essays
But fr I see it as a story about acceptance
The "I did it for me"scene is about walt adniting to himself not skyler he just wanted to say that infront of the person he kept telling the lie he told himself
Walt both did and didn't change. Compare him killing krazy 8 and jane to lydia and brock.
Walt appoligizibg to Krazy 8 when he is dead is very different to him justifying poisoning brock to jesse.
Walt pretty much changes because he is in denial essentially
He did change ethically but it's not as simple as good man turned evil or man never changes as a person only in status.
Walt changed because he didn't accept that he was an arrogant pathetic man with poor self esteem and it made him a narcasistic man motivated to be the big man all behind a poor self esteem
His talk about no more blood shed is a lie he tells himself so he could be the big man and he tells himself that lie to the point that it didn't matter if there was blood shed. He changed into an evil man because he didn't accept his own flaws until it long since made him evil.
I think Bryan said somthibg to the effect take this with salt though
Walt wasnt good or bad i dont think walt even knew who he was and didn't know if he wanted to be a drug dealer until he later did.
I think it summarizes his transformation.
That's my take on walt always being an asshole I don't expect people to agree on principle but idk
Anyways that's another usless breaking bad essay nobody asked for
Based and sigmapilled review 😎
Maybe Skyler kicked him out *because of the Goatee 🎉😂😊
@@Lektuerekurs I don't think it was solely because of that, but it was probably a contributing factor. Once she knew about his business she probably saw it as a physical manifestation of Walt's newly emergent criminal persona. And she wasn't entirely wrong, it was the Heisenbeard after all
Well, he grew the goatee after his surgery, weeks before Skylar kicked him out 🤷♂️
I loved the video, but I have to disagree with you on one key point. Jesse didn't become a murderer simply because he played a video game, it was because he specifically played a Sonic the Hedgehog game, and all Sonic fans are deranged.
to be honest, he could've turned out worse
I'm now imagining Jesse during downtime explaining Sonic lore to a Walt who looks like he wishes he could die right then.
@@SaiScribbles in the original script for the fly episode, that's the moment walt settles on when he should have died
You didn’t have to bring the holy gospel into this
And don't you forget it.
About your line on how we shouldn't "dumb down" media so it doesnt get misinterpreted: The Boys literally did this with Homelande and people still misinterpreted it and rooted for him. Make something idiot-proof and someone will become a better idiot
I think this is a point that a lot of writers get confused by. They try to create a "sympathetic villain" with some traumatic backstory, and it's often lame. You don't want a villain who's a good guy deep down. You want a villain who IRL people with low emotional intelligence will claim did nothing wrong, because that means that the explanation on WHY your villain is a villain is believable. It's kinda making your villain sympathetic but to a specific and arguably counterintuitive demographic.
@@williamking7800do tell
Can you give me an example of a villain that f
Your interpretation?
I can't really say that dumbing down is even needed. It's more the shitposting and irony stops being separate. The funny jesters parrot the same viciously contrarian opinion that it ends up consuming them. Even if you "dumb things down" shitposters will find away to twist everything to complete lunacy. Best thing to do is to not care and enjoy the wildfire
@@redline841 shitposters have concrete brains, so i don't worry about them.
@@redline841 I think it's cute that you think they stop being separate. As if they were ever truly ironic. What's ironic is the irony itself; pretending it's a joke is a cover to be serious in safety.
Now waiting for “The moment Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman.”
It's when he registered under that name, duh 🙄
@@LocalSlasher That was the moment James Morgan McGill Esquire became James "Saul Goodman" McGill.
This was the moment when @TheSonicBros1 became the one waiting for the moment Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman.
The moment Jimmy becomes Saulomanca
The moment Mike Ehrmantraut became Finger
what a great show, shame it's pretty obscure. More people need to see it honestly.
I really loved that lawyer character. I would really like to watch a show about how he ended up in his position.
@@depotheose7890 the comic relief guy? Vince is good, but I doubt he'd be *that* good.
@@depotheose7890i think a cartoon comedy would be fitting
@ooooothatsshit158 Yeah I think your right
such a hidden indie gem of a show
15:00 Walt wanting to be the "smartest in the room" is a good observation. A buddy of mine was talking about how he started re-evaluating Skylar now that he's older and how she really was in a terrible position that no one could navigate well. You can infer that Walt pursued someone like Skylar after Gretchen because Skylar was much younger than him and wasn't any kind of scientist. He therefore didn't see her as a threat to what he considers his superior intellect and probably at the time his capacity for success.
I think that Walt's interaction with the Schwartzes was a major turning point in his character. In some flashbacks we see Walt talking with Gretchen in a way we never really see Walt interact with anyone later: full of energy and enthusiasm. I think that after that and before the beginning of the show, Walt went from being attracted by intelligence, to viewing intelligence as a threat. I don't think it's a coincidence that Walt settled into a job he's overqualified for, nor that he picked a spouse who he would see as intellectually non-threatening.
I generally agree with Verdana's analysis of Walt's relationship with masculinity, but as far as Walt's relationship with intelligence I think one could say that the fallout with the Schwartzes was when Heisenberg was born. The trauma that Walt experienced then told him that intelligence was a weapon to be wielded against others, initially in the context of against Walt himself. He then tried to become a pacifist in that regard, sheltering himself from who he sees as intelligent people. But as the series begins he embraces his own cunning without fundamentally changing his view of it: as a weapon.
Being "the smartest person in the room" is an ego thing for Walt, but it's also a warped survival strategy.
That's a really good point. Also I love hearing about people reevaluating Skyler years later. She's not super likeable but she was so overhated, like people refused to try and put themselves in her shoes bc they were too focused on how "cool" Walt was
One aspect that I think is interesting, is just how much Skyler is a better criminal than Walter
Walter prides himself on being smart and having a million plans where he always gets away with it, even if he often spiraled into an even worse situation, but when Skyler does crime, she does get away.
Firstly she doesn’t report the cooked books of Tod, which is already a crime, she was now an accessory to tax fraud, made worse because she as the bookkeeper and as such had knowledge of the situation. She later on fakes not knowing how to do her job and plays the bimbo convincingly enough that the IRS drops the suspicion of fraudulent intent. Which happened after she impersonated a government official well enough, that she was able to bully a man into selling his business for below market rate. She also never got too greedy and laundered more than what would be reasonable. Then she sent to men to intimidate Tod into paying his taxes and keep him hostage for a week.
That woman is scary and if she wanted to, she might have been able to do almost as much harm as Walter
I think that's a common thread for older men dating younger women. A better example than the one given in the video anyway with Walt jumping on Gale after he made a 'mistake' in the lab. He didn't, Walt had already decided he needed Jesse under his supervision again and had begun to edge Gale out of the picture and was gaslighting Gale to give credibility to his lies. Had nothing to do with feeling like Gale was smarter than him
Hey wait I know you wtf
I still believe Walter’s “So you were always like this” in the final BCS episode was a self report.
I think it was a moment that made it possible for Walter to later admit to Skyler that he did it for himself.
sus amongus
100%, that scene was intentionally placed into the final episode of BCS for a reason, and that line for that reason. They drop a bunch of subtlety to give us an interaction between the two shows flawed protagonists at the lowest points of their descents (literally talking to each other in a hole in the ground), clearly to give more direct commentary on both of them. Its like fanservice for people who over-read into character writing lmao
You got Event Horizonberg, but missed calling Walt's Cult simply "The Wult."
all i know is jesse was normal before he played sonic and sega all stars racing
I only watched your original video yesterday, and I saw the same comment. The story about his father explains all of his behavior over the series; his father was completely unable to control any aspect of his life so he needs to control all aspects of his; his father was weak so he needed to be powerful; he wants Jesse in his life as he is the only son figure he has who he can expose is Heisenberg persona too. Nurture is a pretty common theme within BB and BCS, we also see it with Kim and Jimmy both being heavily influenced by their respective parents. This also holds for our fallen underdogs Jesse and Nacho, both have supportive parents but find themselves trapped in a criminal lifestyle they only want to escape from.
I also just watched the original video yesterday!
Same here dude what the hell TH-cam is freaking me out
@@cbj4sc1 The algorithm gods are blessing us.
I think that's missing the point a bit. Like that one clip from one of the writers said, they were careful not to add too much of Walt's backstory to the show to avoid people trying to pin his whole personality on one event. You could also pin a lot of his actions on how he felt cheated out of Gray Matter, he feels his legacy was stolen away so he has a need to build a new one and works hard to be the top dog in the meth game, he feels poor compared to what he could have, so he works to make money even when he doesn't need to anymore, and so on, I'm sure there's a lot more. Point is, there really isn't just one event, Walt probably feels like he's been the underdog his whole life, with loss after loss and everything he does, he does because it makes him feel powerful and he likes that feeling. Doesn't need one exact reason why he feels he needs that power.
I feel like despite being unhappy
he still loved being a high school teacher. after all he was the smartest in the room, and nothing was ever going to change that since it's just high school students against someone who would be better suited for university students
nice bit of character writing there that shows his ego in a really subtle way
I can forgive Walt for a lot of things but talking about how he was freaked out by his father appearing broken....in front of his son who is living with cerebral palsy was definitely a dick move.
I was thinking the same thing watching this video
"its just so stupid!"
points to flynn
I think there really is a lot to say about how Walt treat's Flynn's disability throughout the show, but this is a point I didn't consider before. Good catch.
@@Anonymousaggro It's kinda cool how his condition isn't brought up that often, but in a way it serves as a contrast to Walt. He got dealt a rough hand by life through no fault of his own, but he embraced help (not that he had any choice), never gave up and ended up a well-adjusted and charitable person.
I didn't even catch that.
The bald head is a appearance chance and also became a defense mechanism I feel. The bald head has people second guessing his cancer. Gus constantly asks how his cancer is proceeding and how his health is. I understand that’s in his best interest to know, but if Walt had a full head of hair, any excuse of sickness or weakness is null. Also, the bald head adapts him to be closer to the masculine hero that his family actually looks up to, Hank.
I think it’s because the hat only fits when he’s bald.
No it’s because bald people are evil
Ooo I never thought about it maybe being a subconscious way to relate himself to Hank
Walt keeps all information withheld, literally everything, he won't share anything until it gives him an advantage, which is hoe he gaslights and lies to everyone
for some reason, I always interpreted the scene at 15:12 as not Gale making a mistake, but instead Walt lying and telling Gale the wrong temperature on purpose so he'd have some basis for insisting Gale is replaced by Jesse. likewise I never really got the impression that Walt disliked Gale, especially since he always acted like a total fanboy and usually deferred to Walt. similarly, during the dinner scene I always saw it moreso as Walt's high opinion of himself rather than his low opinion of Gale- the IDEA that somebody, ANYBODY else could be Heisenberg insults him. he liked Gale because Gale knew his place. maybe eventually he would've felt threatened by Gale, but Jesse's threat made him act.
then again I haven't watched Breaking Bad properly in years so I might be forgetting the timeline a bit.
I think you’re right.
100% agree
This is how I’ve always thought of it too
I think the point of the scene is to have the audience unsure. I remember when I first saw it I went back a bit and rewatched for clues, and I think THAT is the intent. And I think the point of THAT is to put the audience in Gales shoes. It's saying that Gale doesn't know if Walt is telling the truth either, but he reacts that way anyway.
100% agree with this. I'm quite sure the opinion expressed in the video regarding this is objectively wrong given the intention the writers had
Finally someone mentions the fact that Walt keeps shaving his head throughout the show as a CONSCIOUS choice. When i realized this while watching, i found it to be such an interesting character detail. And sure enough, it says a lot about him keeping up the act. And he lets it grow by the time the season finale rolls around. Because how he is perceived by his family... it's too damaged. He cant really change that. He even aboids seeing Junior one last time, choosing to watch him from afar (probably a good thing for Jr.'s sake)
14:00 another interesting thing i just remembered thats relevant to this scene... unlike almost every other character on the show, walter NEVER wears the blue Wayfarer crash rememberance pin. He probably wants to distance himself from it. Maybe he thinks that wearing that would force him to come to terms with his role in this situation when he'd very much rather just forget about it and shift blame.
And Saul is a character who continues to wear the Wayfarer ribbon long after everyone else has stopped wearing it. Probably a way of trying to remind people of that crash and build a class action lawsuit around the thing (remember his commercial that mike watches in a bar?).
Even in Saul's VERY LAST APPEARANCE in court, he is STILL wearing that blue ribbon lmao (tho it appears grey on account of the black and white)
This is exactly why Ozymandias is so mind-blowing. Walt lives in a fantasy-world of polite criminals for so long. When his “associates” casually kill his family and take his money he’s encountering true outlaws. THEY are the ones who knock. Better Call Saul proves that Walt was useless all along and only succeeded because he was being carried. I bet the same was true of Gray Matter. He convinces himself that he’s amazing when he’s below average at best.
Good catch. My thoughts originally were that Walt was always like this because everyone take advantage of him all the time and mock him. And your comment adds to it. And I also remember the scene in season 1 at Elliotts birthday (correct me if I'm wrong). The moment he is talking to colleagues of Elliot. It really seems like they on a different level than Walt. And he is very uncomfortable talking to them. The same with gus and Mike. They surely see his true colors but bc Walter knew he's smarter than them(on intellectual level I mean) he's not that much scare of them as for example Jack. Walter knows that Gus and Mike are rational people, that they have limits. But Jack don't. That's why he was pleading for letting Hank go. He met truly ruthless man with no morality. And he knows he can't kill Jack and his crew right away because his not prepared. Unlike Jesse who immediately kills Gale at first order. Shame, I didn't really saw it after the first watch of the show
Huh?that explains why i feel that jacks gang are more terrifying even though they are objectively weaker than mike or gus
This is kind of idiotic, walt even impressed Gale who is regarded as above-average. I think Walt was successful in the show in becoming "the one who knocks" but the point is that that wasn't a good thing in the end becoming that person is what destroyed everything around him. But he was good at being an outlaw his own knowledge and plans saved him many times + allowed him to beat Gus. Also, the nazis were literally taking orders from him until a certain point. He was pretty successful in being human garbage
I haven’t seen BCS so the first point is fine I guess, the second not really. His research did contribute to a project that was awarded the Nobel Prize and he was immensely praised by Gale, who definitely was an above-average talented chemist.
@@svietlana5091 first point didn't really make sense either those "polite criminals" Who is Gus? The person who tried to kill Walt and his family and got outsmarted by Walt in the end. Or maybe Tuco or Crazy 8 💀 Jack wasn't anything special other than circumstances
"I am the danger, I am the one who knocks!"
"Don't care, Waltuh."
"Cope. And seethe. Mr. White."
Do you see now
All this murder and you still aren’t *BASED*
-JetStream Sam
When i watched breaking bad i didn't think people would start idolizing walt
People idolize the Tate brothers.
@@MaynardsSpaceship it's mostly stupid 13 year olds with masculinity problems
I didn't discover Breaking Bad until after the series finale. But the old me probably was the kind of person to idolize Walt. I wasn't involved in the drug trade or anything, but I was a lying narcissist, and it's downright scary how many times I told my now ex-wife that I was doing things for my family. The scene where Walt says he did it for himself hit me real hard the first time.
I was rooting for him on my first watch, despite all his evil deeds, but this Walter White worshipping is beyond cringey. He's not a good person, the show makes that very apparent.
I think he is quite admirable but I don't even know how I would defend his actions.
Hat theory is top tier. It was symbolic of Walter being in over his head. The hat influenced his perspective by blocking the light (the sun) and allowed him to continuously fight in the shade, as the great 300 philosopher once said.
You could call it a hat trick.
Man, Walt Jr. is such a good boy! A wonder he came out as great as he did with a father like Walt.
Probably Skyler's doing.
It was the breakfasts
@@williamking7800 skyler was doing all the ACTUAL work needed for a happy, healthy family life, walter white was just trying to convince himself that he was doing it for his family, when in reality he was extremely damaging to his entire family.
walter didn't do it for his family, he didn't do it for money, he didn't do it for the sake of making meth; he did it because of his pride.
@@manboy4720 I'm not a fan of all/none/always/never statements, so I wouldn't say that Skyler did all the work. Walt would probably object and be able to point to one, maybe even two, significant (and real) accomplishments on his part over the course of a decade. But let's just agree that Skyler undoubtedly did most of the work.
I think it's kind of ignorant to disregard Walt ENTIRELY, especially when it comes to shit before the show even started. Like he obviously raised his son well and his family loved him before the show started. Sure he had an ego, sure he was prideful, but he was still a decent man at the end of the day. I disagree with the notion that he was "Always bad, only hiding it". I think what people are misinterpreting is that he had great POTENTIAL to be bad, and the cancer was the catalyst for the extreme reaction that unleashed his darker elements.
Walt hated himself, he hated that he was kind, he perceived himself as weak for being decent, he didn’t “become” Heisenberg, he willing thew away Walt, the person his family loved, and embraced Heisenberg, because he was afraid of being perceived as weak.
I find it kinda ironic that the parts of Walt his family loved most, are the parts of himself Walt hated most.
Bruh it’s 1:30 am where I live and now I have to watch this whole video before I can sleep
It's 1 30 am here too
how was it
@@KingKCoolworth it
There's Walter telling his son about his horror of the physical weakness his father went through, completely oblivious to the fact that his son has a physical weakness. There is an insensitivity or even cruelty there.
And Walter is prepared to humiliate and harm his son over the alcohol issue in the garden when he wants to make a point to Hank. He risks Jr's health and dignity just to assert himself and not concede dominance.
Totally narcissistic
I may have written a similar comment in the last video, but it's so ironic the literally me crowd that they are right for the wrong reason
walter white is portrayed as a surface level man who wants to seem cool, badass and strong but is just an immature child. the "literally me crowd" are right, they are like that
patrick bateman is portrayed as an out of touch man, criticising toxic masculinity in that he wants to seem likeable but everyone around thinks he's a pussy, and he copes with this by hating women and minorities. they are literally like that
more recently ken is portrayed as an incel who is rejected by women because his personality is trash and then after that just becomes blatantly misogynistic and wanting to be masculine in the most pathetic sense. they LITERALLY HAVE GONE THROUGH THE EXACT SAME THING
so when they say "I'm literally _____" say yes, yes you are, in so many more ways than you realise
want a cool video idea? explore this, I don't see enough people bringing this up
Yeah in every fandom critique video I never see someone state that these fans in particular are like this .... because they're like this.
It's always "you're being dumb, and if you just realized it you'd be better for it".
For some this is true, for many this conclusion is irrelevant, because they'll just come back with more and more rationalizations about how everyone who disagrees "is dumb and just doesn't see it their way."
Most likely many of them aren't deeply examining their motivations for championing such characters. Exposing that they're likely like this literally because they're just like them frfr, might do better to initiate.
So yes, please do a vid on this if interested.
To expand on your thoughts, I think that a lot of Walt's early development following his traumatic experience with his father was trying to make sense of the event and using toxic masculinity as a way of quelling his internal fears of ending up like his dad. This likely snowballed into other narcissistic traits that lead him to where he is now; but the problem with that theory is that like the show creators said, "no one event makes a person who they are."
I think the real trauma wasn't at the hospital watching his dad die, but before that. It's not right for a kid to watch a close family member die and be overwhelmed by disgust at their weakness in that moment. Something else happened either prior to that or shortly afterwards that twisted the way Walt interpreted the entire experience. I don't think the hospital was in any way "one event" that "makes a person who they are," but instead an indicator that Heisenberg has been a part of Walt for an extremely long time.
the original video is one of my favorite video essays i’ve ever seen. the sequel i never expected, but one i’m excited for
ive literally met someone who said they 'rooted for walt from beginning to end,' he's also unironically called elon musk based, so maybe we shouldn't be so quick to claim nobody is actually that dumb
So far I haven't met anyone who uses the word "based" unironically who isn't actually that dumb
I don't like musk, but probably not for the reason others do
@@redline841why don’t you like him
@@blob_man_guy1582
Not doing enough to start shit. Should have unbanned way more people and dug his heels in.
Basically to put in funny words, I was hoping he'd be Hitler 2 like all the people were hyping him up to be but instead I just got another centrist redditor.
@@blob_man_guy1582he doesn't want to inprison people who force kids to eat veggie bacon.
The only thing I've seen from you is your original "Walter White did Nothing Wrong" video, but it was a damn good video so I'm glad this popped up in my reco, excited to watch it. Edit just finished it, honestly earned yourself a sub
I only recently watched Breaking Bad, I have miraculously avoided spoilers in all my years on the internet and I decided to check it out. When I finished watching all 5 seasons one scene stuck with me and that is the one you discussed in your video that the comment mentioned - Walt opening up to Jr. about how he doesn't want to be seen as weak, but the response of Jr. is more what I focused on as it was something along the lines of "You felt real."
When I stumbled upon your first video about the moment Walt became Heizenberg I was thinking about that moment throughout the entire video and you didn't bring it up, I'm happy you addressed it but I have a little more to add to it.
After that moment we see a shift in Walt's way of handling his family relations, before he used to push them away and refuse to share any of his worries unless he's pushed into a corner, but after we see him weaponizing his 'weakness' to get what he wants. An example of this is when he goes to Hank's office and acts extremely distressed over Skyler and her not wanting the kids back in the house only to get Hank to leave the room so Walt can plant a listening device in Hank's office and later using the same tactic to take the listening device out. Another example is how he told Jr. that his cancer is back so he can later manipulate Skyler into not telling Jr. and the rest the truth because 'it would be devastating to Jr.'
For me Walt becomes Heizenberg and embraces his selfish tendencies after his talk with Jr. about his own father. He lies and manipulates instead of avoiding and brute forcing his way through the family drama. This is also why it confuses me why people see him as the epitome of 'sigma masculinity' when he uses so much emotional manipulation to such a degree - making himself look weak and worried to get what he wants.
Anyway this is just something I wanted to get off my chest but this vid is 9 months old so idk how many people will see it, but to whoever does - thank you and have a nice day!
About Walt's look and how it is just an act, i think the fact that in the final episode he is kinda back to the haircut we see at the start of breaking bad, i think that is the showrunner telling us that at that point walt accepted what he did, he thought about what he did and he analyzed himself to the point where the act drop and he just embraces himself for what he is, he doesn't need a signature style to keep the act
I wouldn't say Walter was some purely selfish monster. I feel that Walter is a character with conflicting motivations, a man stuck in two worlds. Walter does objectively care about his family. It's just undeniable at this point. But that goes into conflict with the other thing he cares about, which is being able to actually feel like he's living. And those conflicting motivations (providing his family as he saw it and helping himself feel alive) are what cause him to do so many things in the story.
What this moment with his son represents is not only the gaping flaw in his thought process but also the lengths to which his desire for control reaches, and why it even happened. It adds many new layers and connects things perfectly.
Oh, I agree. Walter is a better man than Gus Fring, or any of the Salamancas owing to the fact that he is actually capable of empathy, he just suppresses it in favor of his greater ambitions.
You say Walt's care for his family "is just undeniable" but Walt himself denies this in the final episode. And I think it's clear from the way he admits it, that he understands that it's a lie that he sold to himself so he wouldn't have to look too closely at his real priorities. Walt makes the distinction between a rationalization and genuine caring, and that's a distinction you should make too. No, Walt didn't objectively care about his family. He wanted to believe that he objectively cared about his family, which is a different thing from actually doing it.
The reason that Ozymandias shows is such an emotional moment for Walt is not because he cares so much about his family. Walt collapses because the lie of him caring about his family dies in that moment. (He still attempts some additional manipulations before the rest of his family realizes that the lie is dead, but they figure it out too quickly.)
He never denied that he didn't care for them. Have to also point out that the entire point of the phone call in Ozymandias is that it proves just how much Walter actually cared about them. All Felina actually does is that it shows him accepting that his motivations were fundamentally selfish. Anyone who looks at that and thinks he never cared for his family is just illiterate plain and simple.
But Walter absolutely did care for his family and Felina doesn't change that. He still went after Jack for killing Hank and stealing his money. He still got the money to Walter Jr. It wasn't a redemption, just him finishing what he started, which was his desire to be the one to provide for his family. While his goals were ultimately selfish and centered around gratifying himself, there's absolutely a sense of care to it.
Walter didn't just get shattered because his lies about loving his family fall apart. It's more complex than that. Walt doesn't try to lie to them. He tries to brush it off because he doesn't want to say that Hank is dead. He then denies that he killed Hank (which is true) and they didn't believe him because he was so manipulative. That moment is where you see Walt as the paradox that he's written to be. He can both genuinely care for people yet ruthlessly manipulate and lie to them. While Walter's perception of what family means eventually become a superficial excuse to rationalize his actions, that doesn't mean he doesn't care about any of them. The scenes that most show this are his scenes with Holly as they show the other side to Walt and show that he was never fully gone. @@williamking7800
@@errwhattheflip I don't view going after Jack as being motivated by family. I think most of Walt's resentment is ego driven there. He is upset about being deposed as the boss.
Regarding the money, I think it's still mostly ego. He knows that Walt Jr won't consent taking the money so he plans to circumvent this lack of consent. This shows disregard for who his son is as a person and instead is more based on his ego and his own ideas of fatherhood. I could easily imagine Walt Jr eventually finding out and being thoroughly traumatized by this.
It's a bit of both. There's obviously an ego thing there, but his family definitely played a part in it (and specifically him killing Hank). The way he killed Hank being reflected in Walt killing him signifies this. I don't think Walt cared about being deposed as the boss because by that point in time he had already left the business and had been fully legitimate for quite some time.
I don't agree at all. While there is obviously an ego thing due to his own savior complex thinking that he needs to be the one providing for them to give his life meaning, that in it of itself is derived from a genuine care for Walter Jr.
He gives Walter Jr. the money to secure his future, but he makes it clear that Walt Jr. wouldn't know it's his. That has more to do with Walt Jr. than it does about Walt not caring about his son when we know he does love his family. A lot of his interactions with people like Holly and Walt Jr. show pretty well that Walt does genuinely care for them and while he does drive them away due to his own misunderstandings of how they view and viewed him, that doesn't really mean he doesn't care for them. I feel that ignores key moments of the story and an interpretation like that only really works by ignoring key parts of the story@@williamking7800
I think that the end of the show is not walt at his bravest, it is him at his most cowardly. Sure he is scared of being killed and things going wrong at the beginning of the show and is not at the end, but that is not walters fear. Walters fear is appearing weak and unmasculine, his descent into crime is him showing this more and more, succumbing to his fear. I think the reason any evil deed is done is due to cowardice in some form, a fear of having nothing, a fear of weakness, a fear of death, and walter is no exception
By the way I'm actually glad youtube recommended me something useful for once. Saw both the previous W.W video and this one, and I'm definitely gonna scrubshrive now.
That scene where Walt tells Jr. about his father is one of my favorites in the whole show. I legitimately broke down in tears when Flynn responded
It’s actually crazy how I watched a months old video a couple days ago and then a follow up dropped. It’s all about me.
That’s the best outlook to have yo
Probably one of my favorite aspects of Breaking Bad is how the entire thing is basically a critique of masculinity
*the dangers of toxic masculinity. Nothing wrong with masculinity in of itself, but Walt dooms himself by pursuing it out of insecurity
@@peanutgallery4 that’s why it’s a critique, not a condemnation. I’d consider toxic masculinity an aspect of modern western masculinity; it’s possible to keep the other aspects and consider the good leftovers “masculinity”, but I’d say masculinity, as a whole, contains both good and bad traits
Me reading this comment m.th-cam.com/video/ztVMib1T4T4/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUQeW91IHNlcmlvdXMgbWVtZQ%3D%3D
And yet somehow so many people seem to miss the point 😮💨
It’s not a critique of masculinity. It’s a critique of toxic masculinity.
Brilliant breakdown and follow-up video. W TH-camr.
23:14 Though talking about low-hanging fruit: TikTok really is somewhere between a pineapple plantation and a potato fields in terms of where the fruit is located vertically.
I'm surprised people keep bringing up the happy birthday Skyler scene bc for me that "pep talk" Walter gives at the school is one of the cringiest and most painful scenes in the whole show.
The exaggerated swagger of a suddenly ill narcissist
11:00 what a frame
I think you're wrong about the Gale scene where Walt is degrading him for getting the temperature wrong, I always felt as if though Walt is lying so he can belittle Gale and justify getting rid of him
Considering how he knew he was going to be replaced, it's not too far fetched to say the whole scene was to give himself power over Gale and Gus
Your BB videos are great. You, VividKiwi, HN, and Beat Rice are the best in the genre.
This is also a thoroughly incredible video and I am still very proud of you
I feel like almost every character in this show has no real moral ground or soap box, and thats what makes it great, everyone is real. Not one person can be classed as 100% good or bad. Tuco was clearly a victim of his environment, maybe he went to the vices he traded as a coping mechanism. Gus was bitter about losing someone he was close to, and perhaps he knows that there is no real turning back. Heck, I feel like most of the villains (except Tod) were people who started as victims of their environments they were raised in or forced to be in.
I also feel like Heisenberg is like a manifestation of Walter’s fight or flight response. All the times when Heisenberg comes out, its during tense or risky moments.
I wonder what Jesse's thoughts on Sonic Forces and Sonic Frontiers are.
He's not called Jessie anymore and he's living in Alaska.
But I still want to know if he played them
3:56 holy hell this phrase made me realize fathers arent supposed to call you during school days, ask you to skip the day to give them keys to their house while they are drunk and forgetting your birthday
A line from Moral Orel comes to mind when discussing when Walt “became” Heisenberg:
Orel: [when my dad] drinks, he… changes
Bloberta: He doesn’t change. That’s just his true nature coming out.
I'd love to see you make a video on "The Idol" just so that we could see that contrast between how masterfully Breaking Bad conveys it's messages in comparison
It's funny, I had the exact opposite reaction to Walt. I went into the show expecting a slow-burn of moral corruption, but he broke bad in the first episode!
I watched a couple more episodes and thought: "This guy needs to be in jail! I can't watch 5 seasons of him getting away with this stuff!" So I skipped to the end of the last season to watch his downfall. Only then could I go back and watch the rest of the series secure in the knowledge he would get his comeuppance. (Although I was disappointed he never stood trial.)
The hat is actually a masked hat bot from meet the robinsons and that’s how it controlled Walt
Love that earthbound music
The hair is such a strong message. When his hair is grown out in Felina it’s actually thick and full and I think that’s supposed to represent him him self reflecting and growing as a person even if it is his end days you know? I love the details Omg
you know a video is good when you watch it again just because
damn! Doing a breaking bad rewatch and a rewatch of the first video as well and I see this in my recommended! Hell yea!
I haven't watched the full video yet, but from what I've watched, I really like this detailed and analytical follow up to your previous video,
Great video!!
10:01 Dean's scream still haunts me
Oh, yes. Loved both videos! Good luck with the patreon, buddy!
Walter is Walt confirmed?????
the editing is so good! great vid (:
In regards to Gail and making a mistake, I've always interpreted this scene as Walt making up a mistake. Gail did write it down correctly. Walt deliberately gave him incorrect figures to undermine him. The reasons are the same though, Walt views him as a threat.
The interesting part of this is why.
Walt takes great pride in his ability with chemistry making him special, and in a very real sense crucial. Gail will very quickly learn everything that makes Walt special and he knows this. He knows it will make him expendable.
The other aspect is Walt kind of likes, but also resents Gail. Walt likes the new Heisenberg persona and the masculine identity he is projecting. Gail has none of this nor any interest in it, but he is the biggest threat to taking away what makes Walt special. So, just by existing, Gail is a threat to Walt's physical being as well as his psychological identity.
To be fair, I would also spend an entire day trying to kill a fly. Those little hellspawn are easily one of my least favorite things.. in general, really.
Surprisingly, the part at 19:10 is also kind of the reason why I dislike the concept of Third Entity theories in Deltarune. It only really serves as a logistically nonsensical scapegoat to emplace the at-least-morally-grey actions of someone whom one unquestioningly believes is the "good guy" upon.
Thank you. Toby Fox literally put in the work to show that the player is an actual entity in Deltarune so that people couldn't use Kris as a scapegoat for their choices like Chara, and people still found a way to rationalize their choices as being those of someone else. It's genuinely shocking.
bro I thought at the bald part you were gonna plug the keeps sponsor 🤣
It was the perfect time lol
I was just thinking of that yesterday and i also thought of you making a video about it. Its like i spoke it into existence. Kinda uncanny
I don't think it's correct to fully dismiss Walter's obsession with The Fly as just being about control. While that is certainly a factor, I think he does sincerely worry about keeping the lab in a pristine condition. We see multiple instances throughout the series of him wanting everything to be absolutely perfect when it comes to his craft, because despite everything, he does _truly_ love chemistry, as seen from the way he talks about it whenever given the chance. It's really his only true passion in life, even more important to him than his sense of power and masculinity. One fly can easily become too many flies, he wasn't lying about it being a contaminant.
If it was purely about his need for control and power, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths trying to kill the fly by himself, he would have just waited for Jesse to arrive and made him do it.
A small personal note on the Death of the Author:
It's less about how any interpretation of a work becomes valid, and more just, like you already correctly stated, the Author's authority as the singular and omniscient meaning-giver of a text is being taken away. The meaning of the text is thus externalised onto the interplay between the text itself, and its reader. However, this doesn't make every interpretation valid, or as well-read as any other. I would argue that reading Breaking Bad as a positive and encouraging story, something about "finding power", actively requires the reader to ignore facets of the text.
There isn't one unifying school of thought in reader-response criticism which is the school that is pushed by Roland Barthes' essay on Death of the Author, but you will find there is generally a spectrum of diverse thought there, some of which very strongly rejects blatantly wrong interpretations of a text, where the reader needs to insert so much subjectivitiy that they veer away from any objective (or collectively subjective) idea into a completely unique or alienated world view, in order to justify their reading.
Depending on who you ask, Death of the Author has a varying degree of anarchy to it, where some may favour a total anarchy of meaning in text, where thus any interpretation is seen as valid, but others would steer away from a total anarchy of subjective meaning.
(Notice how I said "small" at the start? I'm sorry)
It's sad to see how people have this strange hate to shows like Breaking Bad and The Boys because of the "sigma male audience".
Ironically, that very idea is criticised in both shows, and the "sigma male audience" are just braindead fans who misinterpret the point of everything because they want to see "cool man does cool thing and hates women!"
It reminds me of the time when I made a Homelander joke, and some guy straight up called me a "sigma bale" because I guess quoting the "I AM BETTER" speech as a joke made me part of the sigma male audience??
Homelander is acted by Anthony Starr, Patrick Bateman is acted by Christian Bale. The "bale" clearly comes from American Psycho memes, which has nothing to do with The Boys.
Why am I saying this?
Both sides are clearly stupid. One side will completely sideline a show, regardless of quality because of a "bad audience" (similar to how Undertale is undermined because of it's horrible fandom). The other side has braindead idiots who unironically praise Walter White as if he did nothing wrong, while making "edits" of him doing cool funny stuff.
These shows are great for their own reasons, and I wish people weren't so neglectful about them.
Weird how all these “sigma male”characters are very mentally ill criminals….
@@petermj1098 I know right!!! It just makes me wonder why people take them out of context and praise them so much!!!
I love this channel, I hope your channel grows big
I'm fundamentally opposed to the idea that Walter was always "evil"
He was a person. He's experienced hardship, like all of us. He had the potential for evil - but he wasn't actually evil. This wasn't the "true Walt" bleeding to the surface, but Walt's fundamental flaws interracting in the scenaro he was faced with.
The nature of a tragedy sees the tragic hero suffering from a fatal flaw - a hamartia, if you will. This influences their actions which ultimately results in their downfall.
Walter's flaws were insecurity, masculinity, his conception of bourgeois right, his desire to be percieved as strong. These are not the qualities of an evil person - in fact, they're fairly common qualities.
The Walt we see at the start is one imasculated, denied the fortune he believes she is entitled to from Grey Matter, stuck in dissatisfying jobs where he was walked over by teenagers and his boss. Once he is diagnosed with cancer, however, these flaws manifest in different ways than they once did. His conception of bourgeois right (to put simply, this means "to each according to his contribution") led him to refuse help from Grechen and Eliot and charity from his son. He believed that the only way he could pay for his cancer treatment was from money generated by his own labour, rather than the charity of others. With his particular connections with Jessie and his skill with chemistry, he saw only one way to generate the money he needed.
Walter's initial decision leads to more problems for him in the long run - problems which his fundamental flaws result in him making even more bad decisions, resulting in more complicated problems. The entire show is a story of a flawed individual struggling with the consequences of his own poor decisions. Walt is not evil because he possesses flaws which many normal people have. He becomes evil because of his actions. The fact that those actions originate from flaws which have long since existed within him is inconsequential.
What happened to Walt could happen to any of us. Some day we will be faced with an incredibly tough situation - it is up to us to decide how we will react to it. Walter is a case study of an individuals who allowed his flaws to get the better of him. And it cost him and those close to him everything.
I actually agree that Walter wasn’t “evil” at the beginning of the show. In fact, I don’t think he was ever “pure evil”. But he was always desperate for power and validation right from the get-go. One moment that displays this is a scene in the pilot that people commonly point to as his first moment of confidence. It’s when he beats up a teenage boy for making fun of his son. Within the scope of the show, this may seem like a cool moment where Walt stands up for his kid, but when you actually think about it, it’s borderline unhinged. He literally attacks a minor because he talked in a way teenage boys commonly talk. It probably wouldn’t be wise to establish a precedent in which parents are allowed to physically attack those who are cruel to their children, lol (not that I think you're saying that, but I have seen a lot of people cheer Walt on in that scene). Whilst you’re correct in saying that the flaws in Walt are common to a lot of people, Walt’s solutions to those problems are extreme and violent from the very beginning. The thesis of my video wasn’t that Walter was always evil, but rather that the flaws in Walter were always there, and that he was always extremely susceptible to those flaws. In other words, Heisenberg was always lurking inside him and it informed his decisions much earlier than many realize. I also wanted to make clear that Walter was never a hero or even a good man, as many people seem to think. Good comment, though.
@@VerdanaVideos I really appreciate your contribution to the discussion surrounding this amazing show. Your insights are indespensible.
Using Earthbound music in the background with Breaking Bad somehow seems satisfying together.
Can you make a video based on the characteristic and personality of each Breaking Bad character that correlates to which Earthbound BGM or classic video game BGM (like the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest).
now we need a video about the moment jimmy became saul
I think that it’s super ironic that the only time Walt Jr see’s strength in Walter is when he’s supposedly “telling the truth” and “opening up”.
very well put
Saul Goodman: If you had a time machine, where would you go?
Verdana: Event horizon-berg
awesome and underrated channel hope you grow
Hey these videos are rad buddy; great work.
This and the previous one on Walter are gold ! Finally a good, in depth look at the character which takes in consideration his reception by the public. I think you could make a great video like this one on Tony Soprano, another great (maybe the greatest) anti-hero/vilain protagonist
0:14 the moment Verdana TRULY became Heisenberg
I never thought you’d make a follow up??? I saw the original months ago, and rewatched it yesterday.
Great video, although in my opinion it would be fitting to emphasize how the idea of choosing a specific moment of Walter White becoming Heisenberg is fundamentally flawed, not just because it doesn't apply this situation in particular, but due to the fact that one never 'is' something, but rather is always 'becoming' something, hence making it impossible to perceive change or transformation as a matter of a moment, but as a continuing process influenced by many external and internal factors, somewhat by the idea of Heraclitus' "in statu nascendi" (in the state of becoming).
I think this is sophisticated stupidity. By which I mean that it's not necessarily wrong to pay attention to becoming and ponder it philosophically, but to act as if becoming and being are mutually exclusive is just some form of denial. You're becoming something AND you are something. Whether or not you can perceive what you are is irrelevant to the fact that you are.
The idea that we are "always becoming" is one i reject wholeheartedly. Too much Hegelian gnosticism in it for me.
@@williamking7800 I never claimed that one that is becoming doesn't exist, I merely stated that being 'something', completely irrespective of 'being' itself, is a simplification, since one that is eternally subjected to the process of time changes by nature. Substance changes form constanly. It always is substance, but it's form is dynamic. One could argue that such notion is dispensable, however I'd argue it ultimately serves as the only means of logically perceiving the process in question
@@williamking7800If one was attempting to state that one is something while becoming something, reffering to its defining traits rather than to existence itself, then the question I'd ask is, at what point does one change? As I think we would come to an agreement that they do change in the first place. Perhaps at specifing points? But how specific would such points be? I don't intend to evaluate perceiving defining traits in stable, objective terms as stupid or inherently wrong, I merely identify it as an attemp to simplify complexity, which is a natural mechanism. But I believe that when considering complex cases such as this one, a healthy perception of being and change are valuable.
That's right. Two videos in one day. I'm not dead. Here's my brand-new Patreon link to prove it: patreon.com/VerdanaVideos
Another great watch 🫡👊🏿
Good video. I love how your humor switches so often between seriousness, irony, irony about that irony, and seriousness again. It’s very engaging.
On a different note, I’ve heard good things about Ko-fi as an alternative for Patreon with similar/same features and less fees. But that’s just a TH-cam comment regurgitating what another TH-camr said, do your own research. But also Pirate Software is a pretty reliable source imo.
I don’t know how to end this comment. Hava nice day.
Waltuh, put your childhood trauma away waltuh
Tbh it just occurred to me that we never met Walt’s mother, or really anyone in the extended family. Isn’t that weird
Loving your videos so far, gonna watch the newest one right after this. If you are really doing a sopranos video id be hyped
Heisenberg is Amongus... wait.. AmonGus....Gus. Gusenberg
bro tried to get the screenshot
The more I think about it, the more I realize breaking bad is just a remake of Things Fall Apart
Walter became Heisenberg the moment Hank told him how much money that was. Without that one moment the arrow wouldn't have moved in the direction it did.
Man this is why Walter/Heisenberg is so relatable and inspirational and easy to root for, at least for me
He's concerned about how his people think of him
He wants to feel strong, confident, intimidating, important and respected
He wants to be the best
He dislikes being a pathetic law-abiding little weakling begging for help from others and prefers taking matters into his own hands not caring what others think, including the government
He feels like he's special and the majority of the world doesn't understand him
Honestly one of the only good things Walt does is convince the Police that Skylar had nothing to do with the meth business besides being antagonistic to Walt about it, despite the fact that she balanced his books. And even then he only did that after traumatizing the family by kidnapping Holly.
That, murdering Gus, Tyrese, and Hector, saving Jesse from the nazis, giving 80+ million bucks to/for his kids, and murdering crazy-8. All of his good and/or neutral acts instead of bad and/or evil
@@kainlives7958 Gus wasn't great but Walter turned out to be the same, if I remember Tyrese worked with Gus so idk how I feel about him dying because he was doing his job, even if it wasn't great. At that point the money for his kids are reparations for the shit he put his family through, and while he didn't have to do it, it sorta just balances the scales a bit. Crazy-8 wasn't evil, but I won't fault Walter for killing him either since Crazy-8, when offered mercy, actively chose to not take it. Walter did everything to not kill him and did the only thing he could there. It wasn't great, sure, but he had no other choice.
Hector technically killed himself so I don't count that as a Walter deed directly, but again, at this point Walter was worse than Hector (if Gus is worse than Hector, anyway). Jesse wouldn't need to be saved from nazis if Walter didn't sell him out to the nazis to begin with, so again, this sorta balances the scales, but the right thing would've been to let Jesse go. And he knew they didn't kill Jesse immediately because they talked about keeping him around, and he knew his meth was still circulating, which meant someone who knew how to cook as perfectly as Walter was still around, and the only one who could was Jesse.
The Walt cult the wult
Honestly I find that time bomb metaphor to be more accurate to walter white , considering all bombs do have a trigger or set of triggers to start the timer, so Heisenberg started at his childhood but only came closer and closer as he finds himself in a similar situation to his father which is trigger 2, then that is where the timebomb has started where he causes just as many if not more problems than he solves
Walter White never became Heisenberg, Heisenberg became Walter while.
amazing video
Walt is truly a sigma gamer male though he's got headset dent and everything
10:02 Howard Dean scream in background
Breaking bad pulls off this amazing trick and I never hear anyone talk about it being deliberate.
When it’s king pin fun time almost everyone is all the way on board and having a good time.
When walts wife wants him to not commit every crime ever all at once, everyone loses their minds.
Walt believes he’s entitled to his empire of glass and we want to see him get it.
Skylar wanted what, just like for her husband to continue being a regular guy?
The scene in season 5 when Walt talks to Walter Jr and tells him his cancer has gotten worse again, it always reminds me of the scene when Walt is "honest" to JR in season 4.
We see that same fake Walt that Walter Jr is so alienated by, acting like everything's okay and saying we just move on.