Breaking Bad - Season 5

[Capt. Vulcan]

Well, I assume discretion is a huge part of this type of work. Otherwise who'd hire them right? But it really is reckless, but that's probably the point. Walts getting out of control. Before they had Mike vetting their contacts before he worked with them, so he was somewhat protected. But Mike put them in contact with Todd's boss, not Todd. Now Todd is putting them in contact with his nazi uncle, and we have no idea how trustworthy Todd is as a lone operator.

I can see the logic behind killing everyone in a 2 minute window. The second the first couple are killed they're putting the rest on lockdown. But I'm guessing there's a huge chunk of ego involved in orchestrating the whole thing within such tight restraints. Sort of like the ego involved in getting his meth to the highest % possible. I doubt Walt had any idea of the market value of his meth when he was originally making it. He was just doing it that way because of his own personal standards. He feels like a kingpin now so if he wants everyone dead in a 2 minute window, then he's going to get it.

 

[Mojochi]

Are we to believe that Todd wouldn't tell uncle white supremacist guy Walt's name and some sort of Brief history about him before they met?

I can't remember... Does Todd even know Walt's name?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Keeps calling him "Mister White" just like Jesse did.

 

[PKerr]

Second, I know Walt and crew (actually more Walt than anyone else) felt the need to get rid of the 10 guys in prison and it needed to be done quickly but the way it was done in a two minute timeframe screamed conspiracy.

Nevertheless, I think that's the way it had to be done. If you were Hank, and you got word that one or two of your imprisoned potential leads in the Heisenberg case had just been murdered, what would you immediately have done with the rest?

As I said I realize Walt felt like they needed to go and I know time is of the essence as the canaries would start singing but if it were planned in such a way (a riot perhaps) where the guys were killed different ways, one trampled to death another fell to his death more people were killed along with them and so on, it would not scream that those guys were hushed up ASAP, the way it was done in flat out rampant murder IMO they put themselves squarely under a microscope and screamed "please re-open ALL of your investigations as we have tones to hide".

 

[gblews]

ETA: TheGodBen has given a spotting report for the Leaves of Grass book, well done!

Justin

Well, I didn't remember it personally, I read about it on another site and checked the episode to confirm it. Walt's reading it right when Hank calls him to ask if he knows anything about Jesse's RV meth lab.

Yeah, good lookin out, regardless. At least we know it wasn't a total retcon.

The book only proves that Gale and Walter knew each other. Both are proffesional chemists, so Walter could say to Hank that Gale appoached him for some work because he admired Walt and Walt declined his offer. Walter can then appologize to Hank for not telling him because he did not realize Gale was cooking meth and did not want to get in trouble.

This is a plausible enough lie except that now that Hank has found a connection between those whom he thinks should have no connection, it surely wouldn't be enough to throw him off the scent.

Hank has a lot to lose not just his job so it's alot for him to consider. Skylar will go done as an accessory if Walter is busted, who knows how Marie will be affected, yup a lot for Hank to consider. The first episode made it seem as if Walter was in witness protection, so perhaps Walter makes a deal with Hank to help bust the Pheonix group and also Lydia in return for witness protection.

I didn't get the sense that it was witness protection so much as that Walt had got gotten fake ID and gone on the run.

Yes, I don't think they give prople in witness protection M60 rifles.

...but I didn't think it'd happen in this episode until I saw the fly in his backyard. Then I knew.

Huh. How was that the tip-off?

Back in season three there was the bug flying around the lab and Walt kept calling it a contaminant. Then there was the fly in the teaser to this episode which told me something ominous was coming. When the bug showed up again and the end I knew we were about to see something explode, and I don't just mean Hank's diarrhea.

It's Breaking Bad, there's always something ominous coming.

Are we to believe that Todd wouldn't tell uncle white supremacist guy Walt's name and some sort of Brief history about him before they met?

I can't remember... Does Todd even know Walt's name?

Yes, he calls him "Mr. White", just like Jesse.

 

[warriorsfan]

Even more obvious was the inscription on the next page:

 

[PKerr]

Are we to believe that Todd wouldn't tell uncle white supremacist guy Walt's name and some sort of Brief history about him before they met?

I can't remember... Does Todd even know Walt's name?

There are scenes where Todd was around when Mike calls him Walter.

Just because he calls him Mr. White (out of elderly or head honcho type respect) does not mean he doesn't know his first name.

 

[davejames]

This is a plausible enough lie except that now that Hank has found a connection between those whom he thinks should have no connection, it surely wouldn't be enough to throw him off the scent.

Yeah, Hank will definitely be going back over all the old case files now. The question is what physical evidence is there left to actually link Walt with?

Probably the only option he'll have is to try drawing Walt out through a sting operation of some sort, possibly by having Lydia convince him to start cooking again.

 

[Capt. Vulcan]

Second, I know Walt and crew (actually more Walt than anyone else) felt the need to get rid of the 10 guys in prison and it needed to be done quickly but the way it was done in a two minute timeframe screamed conspiracy.

Nevertheless, I think that's the way it had to be done. If you were Hank, and you got word that one or two of your imprisoned potential leads in the Heisenberg case had just been murdered, what would you immediately have done with the rest?

As I said I realize Walt felt like they needed to go and I know time is of the essence as the canaries would start singing but if it were planned in such a way (a riot perhaps) where the guys were killed different ways, one trampled to death another fell to his death more people were killed along with them and so on, it would not scream that those guys were hushed up ASAP, the way it was done in flat out rampant murder IMO they put themselves squarely under a microscope and screamed "please re-open ALL of your investigations as we have tones to hide".

Considering how megalomaniacal Walt is getting, I'm pretty sure part of it was trying to show off.

 

[warriorsfan]

They use hydrofluoric acid, which has numerous legitimate applications, so wouldn't be hard to come by if you sound like you're an industrial user of it (which Madrigal would be.)

That said, hydrofluoric acid is not capable of dissolving bodies. It is extremely dangerous and deadly if mishandled, but other than causing a lot of tissue damage, it doesn't do a lot to dead bodies--it certainly wouldn't liquefy them. To destroy a body, you'd need to oxidize it, using a base like sulfuric acid. HF is evil, evil stuff, but it doesn't do what the show indicates. I would suspect they deliberately mislead viewers on what chemicals do what to thwart the "let's try that at home" crowd, except anyone fucking around with HF is probably just going to wind up dead.

In real life, there was an English serial killer John George Haigh who was known as the "Acid Bath Murderer." He didn't use acid to kill his victims, but he did dissolve their bodies in oil drums filled with concentrated sulfuric acid, eerily similar to the way the bodies were disposed of on Breaking Bad. And it worked, the bodies were never recovered, although he was still caught, convicted and sentenced to death on the strength of the other evidence.

You're right that HF is not strong enough to completely dissolve a body as depicted on the show, but it would render it almost unidentifiable except through DNA testing. Concentrated sulfuric acid (as the Acid Bath Killer used) would be better. Or better yet, liquid lye. At least the liquid lye wouldn't dissolve Jesse's bathtub like in Season one.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

They use hydrofluoric acid, which has numerous legitimate applications, so wouldn't be hard to come by if you sound like you're an industrial user of it (which Madrigal would be.)

That said, hydrofluoric acid is not capable of dissolving bodies. It is extremely dangerous and deadly if mishandled, but other than causing a lot of tissue damage, it doesn't do a lot to dead bodies--it certainly wouldn't liquefy them. To destroy a body, you'd need to oxidize it, using a base like sulfuric acid. HF is evil, evil stuff, but it doesn't do what the show indicates. I would suspect they deliberately mislead viewers on what chemicals do what to thwart the "let's try that at home" crowd, except anyone fucking around with HF is probably just going to wind up dead.

In real life, there was an English serial killer John George Haigh who was known as the "Acid Bath Murderer." He didn't use acid to kill his victims, but he did dissolve their bodies in oil drums filled with concentrated sulfuric acid, eerily similar to the way the bodies were disposed of on Breaking Bad. And it worked, the bodies were never recovered, although he was still caught, convicted and sentenced to death on the strength of the other evidence.

You're right that HF is not strong enough to completely dissolve a body as depicted on the show, but it would render it almost unidentifiable except through DNA testing. Concentrated sulfuric acid (as the Acid Bath Killer used) would be better. Or better yet, liquid lye. At least the liquid lye wouldn't dissolve Jesse's bathtub like in Season one.

Yup. The lesson is, bases are best for dissolving bodies.

But then, "let's dissolve him in a basic solution" doesn't have the sexy ring of "let's melt him in acid."

 

[Borgminister]

Spoilers, anyone?

Kidding. The wrap-up is gonna be epic, whatever happens...

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Everybody dies.

Walt dies twice.

 

[Borgminister]

Figuratively speaking, Walt's already died once...

 

[Tom]

Figuratively speaking, Walt's already died once...

...until the Genesis project saved him..LOL Star Trek: Breaking Bad

 

[Roger Wilco]

Finall got caught up with the show uptodate now. Holy shit. Wow. Fucking Gale, eh?

Can't wait to see what happens next now that Hank's eyes are finally open.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Figuratively speaking, Walt's already died once...

...until the Genesis project saved him..LOL Star Trek: Breaking Bad

Star Trek? Once a Upon a time Walt fought the Shadows bare fisted to the death.

 

[Trubinator]

Somebody should do a Walter White facts gag like people did with Chuck Norris.

 

[Snowlilly]

dang I just finally watched the last two episodes and wow....Walter has gone down a dark path. I would have never guessed he would become what he has from watching season 1. I used to like him now Jesse is really the most likable person in that show. And of course, what are the odds, that Walter finally wants to quit the business and Hank finally figures it out!

 

[Robert Maxwell]