Breaking Bad - Season 4

[Robert Maxwell]

To be honest, if there's one plot element here I'm not really sure is a logical development, Walt and Gus' relationship disintegrated largely because of disagreements over Jesse, so now Gus is going to off Walt and...replace him with Jesse, the guy who was the problem to begin with.

Walt and Gus' relationship disintegrated because Walt got Jesse to kill Gale. He realized this was because Walt was concerned about being replaced, so what better way to deal with the situation than to make Jesse the potential replacement? With as many times as Walt went out on a limb for Jesse, Gus knew Walt wouldn't just kill him, and if Gus could make Jesse loyal to him rather than Walt, it makes it really easy to get rid of perpetual troublemaker Walt, still get his meth made, and have Jesse groomed as a future Mike.

If Gus' efforts to rehabilitate Jesse failed to bear fruit, Gus could've easily had him killed.

Not to mention, the cameras and Tyrus' presence provide an extra insurance policy so that Gus could likely still cook even if both Walt and Jesse were out of the picture. But why get rid of Jesse if he's still useful? Walt turned out to be the real threat to Gus' operation.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Walt and Gus' relationship disintegrated because Walt got Jesse to kill Gale. He realized this was because Walt was concerned about being replaced, so what better way to deal with the situation than to make Jesse the potential replacement? With as many times as Walt went out on a limb for Jesse, Gus knew Walt wouldn't just kill him, and if Gus could make Jesse loyal to him rather than Walt, it makes it really easy to get rid of perpetual troublemaker Walt, still get his meth made, and have Jesse groomed as a future Mike.

If Gus' efforts to rehabilitate Jesse failed to bear fruit, Gus could've easily had him killed.

Not to mention, the cameras and Tyrus' presence provide an extra insurance policy so that Gus could likely still cook even if both Walt and Jesse were out of the picture. But why get rid of Jesse if he's still useful? Walt turned out to be the real threat to Gus' operation.

Walt only became a problem because of something Jesse did (or was going to do). Jesse was the loose cannon that prompted all this, the one that Gus didn't want involved in his operation; if Gus is willing to forgive Jesse's past indiscretions and include him in the organization, there's no particular reason that he couldn't do that with Walt, who ultimately just wants to be left alone to cook his meth in peace.

 

[Joe Washington]

But Walt has been committing problematic "errors in judgment" which has convinced Gus to plot a way to cut off ties with this man before he brings down his operation. Gus also knows the ego Walt has and that Walt wouldn't be content with having him as a boss for long before he wants the position for himself. It's better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Walt and Gus' relationship disintegrated because Walt got Jesse to kill Gale. He realized this was because Walt was concerned about being replaced, so what better way to deal with the situation than to make Jesse the potential replacement? With as many times as Walt went out on a limb for Jesse, Gus knew Walt wouldn't just kill him, and if Gus could make Jesse loyal to him rather than Walt, it makes it really easy to get rid of perpetual troublemaker Walt, still get his meth made, and have Jesse groomed as a future Mike.

If Gus' efforts to rehabilitate Jesse failed to bear fruit, Gus could've easily had him killed.

Not to mention, the cameras and Tyrus' presence provide an extra insurance policy so that Gus could likely still cook even if both Walt and Jesse were out of the picture. But why get rid of Jesse if he's still useful? Walt turned out to be the real threat to Gus' operation.

Walt only became a problem because of something Jesse did (or was going to do). Jesse was the loose cannon that prompted all this, the one that Gus didn't want involved in his operation; if Gus is willing to forgive Jesse's past indiscretions and include him in the organization, there's no particular reason that he couldn't do that with Walt, who ultimately just wants to be left alone to cook his meth in peace.

That may have been Gus' attitude at first, but his dealings with Walt and Gale's eventual fate made it clear that Walt was far more dangerous. Jesse is a soldier--he takes orders. Walt and Gus are generals, and you can't have two generals running the same army. (Walt at least fancies himself a general, if he isn't one in reality.)

I agree that Gus originally thought Jesse was the problem, however he spent enough time investigating Jesse and grooming him that he probably doesn't have anything to fear from him. I'm not convinced Gus didn't know about Walt's plot to kill him, and kept himself around Jesse to see if he'd actually attempt it--which he didn't. What more assurance does he need that he can trust Jesse?

 

[stj]

Gus doesn't like or trust Jesse. Like Walt, he despises Jesse. But unlike Walt, he doesn't indulge his petty desires to humiliate or abuse people until its safe, as in his game in taunting Hector. He has every intention of replacing Jesse. He just thinks he can manipulate Jesse, because he underestimates him, use him to keep production up while he gets a reliable new chemist. If Walt hadn't clouded the issue by viciously abusing Jesse until Jesse snapped and started to fight physically, Jesse probably would have finished Fring off when it was safe. When Jesse's straight, he's pretty shrewd. There is no way to poison Fring when there's the slightest chance he could be suspected, not just caught. Fring could have them killed before he dies.

There is a radically sharp mood swing between the clear thinking moment when Walter realizes why Fring can't kill him. Why then does he instantly panic when Fring threatens the family? Can't he realize that it's bluster? That Jesse, the guy who defied Fring to his face (more aggressively than Walt ever did,) then resolutely went to die trying to kill two Fring distributors for killing a child, is somehow going to put up with Fring killing Walt's family? Not really believable. One second when he thinks he's going to die, he instantly sees it and the next he completely loses it. However, unlike the poison plot, it is possiblep, so I'm going to amp up my willing suspension of disbelief.

The need to expand the plot to fill time instead of terminating it at a natural resolution is taking its toll even on writers as skilled as Breaking Bad's.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Whether or not Gus likes Jesse is beside the point. I'm not convinced Gus likes anyone--even Mike. But he's able to put people's skills to work and manipulate them into doing what he wants, and to that extent Jesse remains useful to him--for the moment. Obviously, he doesn't want to put himself in a position where all his eggs are still in the same basket, so he'll want to get another chemist (or two) on board as soon as possible. Maybe Jesse is just a stopgap to him and he intends to off Jesse and Walt as soon as it's convenient.

Gus didn't say he was just going to go and kill Walt's family for kicks, he'd only do it if Walt interfered with however Gus decides to handle Hank. The most obvious course is for Gus to kill Hank, but that would draw crazy amounts of attention to Gus, so he can't just do that. Scaring Walt enough to stay out of the way, however, buys him time to deal with Hank in some other manner.

Whatever, I'm interested to see where it goes. Walt can't get found out by Hank, Walt's family won't die, Hank probably won't die, but Gus is done. You don't threaten to kill a baby and then live. TV rules forbid it.

 

[TheGodBen]

Going from the slow-paced season opener of Boardwalk Empire to the latest episode of Breaking Bad is not recommended, the change in pace nearly caused my brain to explode. Wow, talk about an amazing ending. I was breathless during those final moments and when the episode ended I started coughing from the intensity of it all. This show causes the weirdest reactions in me.

Walt and Skyler really are terrible criminals. First, Walt's "plan" to crash his car was completely stupid, but it's perfectly "Walt". As for Skyler sending some goons over to Ted's house, she has absolutely no idea what she's doing. As for Ted, he's an even worse criminal than the Whites. At least Walt is being brought down by his own criminal incompetence, Ted was brought down by his inability to run straight. And good riddance.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I am not sorry to see Ted go. I disliked his character from the getgo and the more I saw him, the more I wanted him to die and never come back. I think it was the combination of his feigned innocence with his unbelievable selfishness and arrogance, just the dishonesty of that. At least Walt knows he's a criminal and accepts that as the price of providing for his family. Ted never seemed to think he was doing anything all that wrong.

 

[Mojochi]

if Gus is willing to forgive Jesse's past indiscretions and include him in the organization, there's no particular reason that he couldn't do that with Walt, who ultimately just wants to be left alone to cook his meth in peace.

That's not what Walt ultimately wants though. By this point, everybody should know that Walt's ultimate motivation is to be the guy that doesn't get told what to do. You can be certain that Gus knows that, which makes it a more urgent issue to deal with, & yes, Jesse is just a tool in that operation

I think Jesse will come around & realize that he can't be Mike. It's not like he can accept doing things like he did to Gale

No, Jesse will come around. I still believe this is a show about Walt breaking bad, giving up on following all those rules he's come to resent

& in a strange way, I feel it's also a show about Jesse becoming good, brought down from being a low life, to the most horrific depths of ugliness, so that he can find his true nature..... a decent guy....

Something I've been thinking Walt has never been. Hell, he seemingly cares less about his own son, than he does what his son thinks of him or how he's remembered by him

In the very end, the only thing left to do, is for Jesse to kill Walt

 

[Joe Washington]

I came across this disturbing photo which is either a glimpse of what is to come in the season finale of Breaking Bad, something that has been altered to mess with people, or a photo of a scene in some movie. But let me just say POSSIBLE SPOILER just in case: http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsetxrn2K41r3jpjzo1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1317625849&Signature=wQgfOzlxAppP0pasQJA7yMuosAc%3D.

Can anyone make heads or tails of it?

 

[stj]

^^^Better death through chemistry!

How Walt gets rid of Gus.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

The day they bring Batman villains over to Breaking Bad is the day shit gets real.

 

[Joe Washington]

Great fracking episode! Walt and Jesse are back together . Saul is getting out of town as soon as he can, knowing that the shit is going to hit the fan in a big way. The dangers of Walt's criminal life are hitting close to home in a way it never has before. I'm angry at Walt Jr. for giving his mother crap about not convincing Walt enough to join the rest of the family but it would seem that way from his perspective. It also looks like Skylar really does give a damn about Walt despite the crap that has happened in the past. Once again, Gus escapes from another attempt on his life by Walt but it is my hope that Gus's luck will run out in the season finale which I really wish will take place tomorrow instead of next Sunday.

The scene when Jesse confronts Walt with the gun reminds me of the scene in the fourth season of The Shield when Vic confronts Shane with a gun, thinking that his partner plans on killing him. I find the comparsion interesting.

 

[sidious618]

I came across this disturbing photo which is either a glimpse of what is to come in the season finale of Breaking Bad, something that has been altered to mess with people, or a photo of a scene in some movie. But let me just say POSSIBLE SPOILER just in case: http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr...625849&Signature=wQgfOzlxAppP0pasQJA7yMuosAc=.

Can anyone make heads or tails of it?

Spoiler: Finale

The finale is titled "Faceoff" so take that as you will.

 

[Agent Richard07]

The day they bring Batman villains over to Breaking Bad is the day shit gets real.

I had thoughts of Batman too.

Looking forward to the finale. This season went by fast.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I'm guessing that Jesse accidentally took the wrong pack of cigarettes that morning and Brock isn't actually sick from ricin at all, that's just an assumption made in the current hyper-paranoid atmosphere that will set everybody on their final confrontation.

 

[stj]

It's not Walt's children but Jesse's "child" who Fring is going to kill? What a wonderfully adept use of Chekhov's rule about the gun on the mantlepiece. Perfectly obvious foreshadowing, and perfectly deceptive. Bravo! Even if it is really ugly territory.

I agree that it's not a bit certain that Fring had Tyrus get the ricin and poison Brock, particularly since delivering the poison without being noticed to a child uder a family's watchful eye would be even more difficult than successfully planning to simultaneously poison (so that they all died quickly enough, also simultaneously, that they couldn't take revenge before the end,) the entire leadership of a Mexican drug cartel. However, said absurdity was delivered dead pan, so maybe Fring did poison Brock. The one pot meal Fring had with Jesse in retrospect looks like it might have been cunningly self protective.

The episode gives us Fring's supposed motive in poisoning Brock, to aim Jesse at Walt. And Fring's limitless contempt for addicts has certainly led to his consistently underestimating Jesse. It is a stretch.

The car thing was kind of fake. Fring would not leave the car unattended, not if he's half as smart as he's supposed to be.

 

[sidious618]

I kinda think Walt may have poisoned the kid.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I kinda think Walt may have poisoned the kid.

People have been speculating about that, but it doesn't make the slightest bit of sense, either in terms of time or Walt's character. The timeline for this is:

1) Walt visits Jesse's house at night. He's abducted by Fring's goons.
2) Sometime the next day (morning, probably) Walt is taken into the desert and threatened.
3) He rushes to Saul, then goes home to get the money, and finds it isn't there. Marie calls.
4) Next episode, they're packing up, presumably immediately thereafter, and everybody leaves to go to Hank's except Walt.
5) If Walt did it, he'd have had to poison Brock sometime the same afternoon. And he doesn't know who Brock is (literally, not even his name).

The theory Jesse outlines involves Saul and Huell being involved (Saul could tell Walt about Andrea and her kid, theoretically), but Saul was extremely reluctant to even make a phone call for Walt the previous episode. And Huell would have had to lift the cigarette right out of the pack in about five seconds while Jesse was actively trying to stop him.

And, from a character standpoint, that would be probably the most significant development in Walt's character ever, and we didn't see any of it. It would be totally unsatisfying, and really doesn't jibe with where his character is right now.

 

[TheGodBen]

It's possible that Walt did it, he was missing for a good chunk of the episode and nobody was able to contact him on the phone during the time when he would have done it.

However, Bryan Cranston has said in interviews that Walt ends this season as a 7/10 on the Mr Chips - Scarface scale, and poisoning an innocent child seems closer to a 9.