Breaking Bad Final Half Season
- Thread starter Chuck Finley
- Start date
Well, the trouble with drug money is that you can't legitimately use it in transactions (at least to any significant degree) if it hasn't been laundered in some way. Hank wouldn't have been able to pay for his treatments with his salary. So he came up with the cover story of Walt's gambling success to use the money they were making from meth cooking. That's how Walt would spin it, I guess.
Deniability. Think about it. DEA agent on a modest salary is paying for almost $200K in top-notch rehab? I don't think so. Instead, use a cover story that your gambling addict brother-in-law paid for it with his winnings, instead. The best part of said cover story is that it's (mostly) true! This puts all the risk on Walt, which fits perfectly with the narrative of Hank blackmailing and threatening him into doing it. The whole thing hinges on Hank being this master manipulator, a more shrewd kingpin than even Gus Fring. His relentless pursuit of Fring, by the way, is cast in an entirely different light once you believe he was using DEA resources to thwart his competitors. This might be a smarter move by Walt than we realize, though it has no evidence to back it up other than the money Walt paid for Hank's treatment--which is, as Hank said, the "nail in the coffin" for him.
I want to see Walt, Skyler and the kids retire to Mexico where he can be the drug lord with the big house, the sports cars and the gaudy outfits. And Hank, with nowhere to go, will have to be the new Mike.
I can't help but wonder what Skyler's thought process is during all this. Has she really been corrupted so much by Walt that she's okay with framing Hank and Marie this way? As much as she'd clearly like to hold onto the money and keep Walt (and herself) out of prison, it seems like an awfully vicious way to treat her own family.
Or is she just so much in a state of shock that she's not thinking clearly anymore and is simply going along with whatever Walt says now?
I'm not a Skyler-hater by any means, and think the actress is doing a terrific job, but I'm just having a really hard time reading what the character is thinking right now.
Or is she just so much in a state of shock that she's not thinking clearly anymore and is simply going along with whatever Walt says now?
I'm not a Skyler-hater by any means, and think the actress is doing a terrific job, but I'm just having a really hard time reading what the character is thinking right now.
why not just say your wife has really good health insurance at her job?
^ Because the insurance didn't pay. There's no paper trail to back that up. They paid cash.
Looks to me like she's stuck between a rock and a hard place, though a lot of commentary from Talking Bad suggests that she's a lot more insidious than she looks on the surface.
So Hank became a drug kingpin, committed murders, etc for $200,000? Where's the rest of the money? Right now, Hank really has no motive for being Heisnberg unless someone could find millions of dollars hidden away somewhere (I'm tempted to do one of those lame ass "oh wait" takes here).
This is the reason, I think, Hank initially referred to Walt's confession as a threat. There is no evidence other than Walt's word that Hank is Heisenberg.
I took the 'nail in the coffin' remark to be a reference to Hank's career if the video were given to the DEA. Because it would be highly unlikely that Walt's 'confession' alone would be enough to even get a case to trial against Hank, despite the $177,000 rehab payment. But the video would certainly place Hank in a position where his personal integrity could become an issue and that alone would probably end his government law enforvment career.
The nail in the coffin was the fact that Hank's wife paid cash that they aren't supposed to have. That's tangible evidence that Hank could have been involved in drugs.
^ 
He does do a convincing Bryan Cranston. I didn't even know that was him in make-up at first. Great clip.
He does do a convincing Bryan Cranston. I didn't even know that was him in make-up at first. Great clip.
I think Walt's main intention with the video was just to "muddy the waters" enough that Hank might decide it would be more trouble than it's worth to continue pursuing him. Even if the DEA did eventually see through the ruse and side with Hank, it would take a lot of time and energy on his part to get to that point. And in the meantime he would have completely trashed his career.
Plus I think Walt wanted to show him just how good a liar and actor he was-- something which I don't think Hank truly realized until he saw his performance in the video.
Not by itself. They would have to come up with considerably more than $177,000. And Hisenberg's dope was still being sold long after the rehab payment. How much cash do Hank and Marie have now? There are unaccounted for millions AFTER the rehab payment.
If there is no cash or electronic funds, and no means or evidence of laundering, then all the financial evidence would consist of $177,000. That is a paltry sum if you are trying to prove that a person has reaped the financial benefits of a drug empire which Walt claims in his confession Hank runs. If that's true, then where's all the "benefits"?
Walt would be telling the DEA that Hank is the drug kingpin while Walt, an "underling" and therefor a lesser earner, needs an obvious means of money laundering while the top dog does not? Should be the other way around.
Hank feels his career is already "in the coffin", the 'last nail" in the coffin is the blow to his integrity caused by Walt's accusations and how the $177,000 would muddy the water even further.
The point of the video wasn't to hurt Hank, it was to create a mutually assured destruction situation with Hank.
I don't see Skylar as a monster, so much as a terrified, defeated woman.
Walt didn't kill Jesse out in the desert because he's stubborn, and he's emotional. He doesn't want to, and convinced himself he didn't need to. And he wouldn't have needed to if Jesse hadn't figured out he poisoned Brock.
I don't see Skylar as a monster, so much as a terrified, defeated woman.
Walt didn't kill Jesse out in the desert because he's stubborn, and he's emotional. He doesn't want to, and convinced himself he didn't need to. And he wouldn't have needed to if Jesse hadn't figured out he poisoned Brock.
But same thing for Walter, all he has to show is a car wash and a new car, where is the rest the DEA would wonder. So this can apply to Hank thinking he stashed the money away.
Let's not forget that Walt's gambling story is pretty airtight, too, so the DEA would have to go pretty deep down the rabbit hole to unravel it. Saul arranged it, including getting some casinos on board to write off losses. The paper trail for all that is neat and clean, and that money was used to buy the car wash, which is profitable enough to support Walt leasing two new cars.
Of course, if Walt did try to sell the "Kingpin Hank" story, the gambling story would go right out the window and Walt would lose the car wash, his house, the cars--everything (except the money buried in the desert, which no doubt the DEA would be surveilling him to find.)
Of course, if Walt did try to sell the "Kingpin Hank" story, the gambling story would go right out the window and Walt would lose the car wash, his house, the cars--everything (except the money buried in the desert, which no doubt the DEA would be surveilling him to find.)
I'm just speculating here and my post doesn't actually contain any spoilers, but I'm putting my thoughts behind a spoiler tag just in case I happen to be right.
I think this is where Walt sells Jesse out to Lydia and the supremacists. Walt wont kill Jesse, for whatever reason he just cannot bring himself to commit that act. Jesse also clearly isn't going to go away quietly as Walt hopes. So Walt will kill two birds with one stone and hand Jesse over to the supremacists to cook for them. And Walt will get Jesse to play along by threatening to kill Brock and anyone else Jesse cares about if he doesn't cook for the gang.
That's why Walt is preparing to rescue Jesse from the supremacists in the flash-forwards. Yup, I'm sticking to this theory.
That's why Walt is preparing to rescue Jesse from the supremacists in the flash-forwards. Yup, I'm sticking to this theory.
Walt's "confession" video was brilliant, I had to rewind the scene because I was laughing so hard. A classic Breaking Bad scene.
The video was pretty fun, but I loved the awkward-as-hell dinner. The over-enthusiastic waiter that kept interrupting was the icing on the cake. I'm surprised Hank and Marie's death glares didn't actually finish Walt and Skylar off right there and then.
I actually felt sympathy for Skylar this week, which I hadn't done since she sided with her husband when Hank tried to help her. She knows that she is up shit creek, and seems to be just plodding on as best as she can, both with Walt and at work. I can't help but feel that she may yet come running to her sister with the kids after she finally wakes up. What makes this feeling stronger for me was a scene where the white outfit she was wearing was heavily contrasted with Walt being pretty much black in the shadows.
Jesse finally realising what Walt did to Brock was a major turning point, even if his working it out was a little contrived. I nearly shed a tear for the hug Walt gave him in the desert though. It summed up the complicated relationship those two have had. Walt is a dangerous man, and would hurt Jesse if it would help himself. Yet after that, Walt does care about what happens to him.
I think Todd will die by the hands of the new scary-Jesse, in revenge for killing the kid at the railway, which may result in Walt needing to rescue him for old time's sake from the family.
I actually felt sympathy for Skylar this week, which I hadn't done since she sided with her husband when Hank tried to help her. She knows that she is up shit creek, and seems to be just plodding on as best as she can, both with Walt and at work. I can't help but feel that she may yet come running to her sister with the kids after she finally wakes up. What makes this feeling stronger for me was a scene where the white outfit she was wearing was heavily contrasted with Walt being pretty much black in the shadows.
Jesse finally realising what Walt did to Brock was a major turning point, even if his working it out was a little contrived. I nearly shed a tear for the hug Walt gave him in the desert though. It summed up the complicated relationship those two have had. Walt is a dangerous man, and would hurt Jesse if it would help himself. Yet after that, Walt does care about what happens to him.
I think Todd will die by the hands of the new scary-Jesse, in revenge for killing the kid at the railway, which may result in Walt needing to rescue him for old time's sake from the family.
There was a lot of telling in that shot of Skyler in the back room of the car wash, lost in her own thoughts (or lack of) and when Walt comes in he's obscured by the darkness. Skyler speaks to him, but there's really no one at the controls, so to speak. She's exhausted from spending so much time with this person that she is supposed to know so well; she doesn't really know him at all. He's a total stranger to her. But does she argue with him and put up a stink like the previous seasons? No. She's beaten down so completely by Walt's alter ego that she now supports him 100%. I guess this observation could have been made before this episode but I liked how clear it was from the composition of the scene.
I too hadn't time to catch up with rewatching the whole series -only made it as far as season three... so the ricin/cigarette revelation went over my head, too as it was covered in season 4 and/or 5a.
I guess Hank and Jesse might team up against Walt? I hope not. I like the idea of Jesse and Walt going down together.
I wonder how serious talk of a Better Call Saul spin off is. Hopefully he survives.
Walt and Skyler are going to become more and more isolated. It's not as though they have any friends outside of their small family. I just hope Walt Jr./Flinn is able to react to and figure out the meth thing for himself. I can't imagine he'd turn against Walt but if he did... would Walt be able to take it? Maybe there's something prophetic in what hank's wife says... maybe Walt will suicide somehow, even if it's by-cop.
I too hadn't time to catch up with rewatching the whole series -only made it as far as season three... so the ricin/cigarette revelation went over my head, too as it was covered in season 4 and/or 5a.
I guess Hank and Jesse might team up against Walt? I hope not. I like the idea of Jesse and Walt going down together.
I wonder how serious talk of a Better Call Saul spin off is. Hopefully he survives.
Walt and Skyler are going to become more and more isolated. It's not as though they have any friends outside of their small family. I just hope Walt Jr./Flinn is able to react to and figure out the meth thing for himself. I can't imagine he'd turn against Walt but if he did... would Walt be able to take it? Maybe there's something prophetic in what hank's wife says... maybe Walt will suicide somehow, even if it's by-cop.
There is talk of it being a prequel or a seque or 30 or 60 minutes, so it doesn't seem planned.
I think he will live though.
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