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Breaking Bad Season 5 Thread

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Batman, Jun 4, 2012.

  1. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Yes. The whole "Fifty-one" episode was about this. The Aztek was the beginning, followed by wearing the hat in public (instead of just while doing business), buying the sports car and finally, turning off the "Walt" personality completely and berating Skyler.
    Until this episode he had been maintaining the facade, using the Walt voice even as he's intimidating Skyler. Now he has severed all ties completely, even to family members. Whatever was left of Walt, disappeared entirely in this episode.

    This episode was dripping with symbolism, too:
    1) The stuff I just mentioned.
    2) The ticking watch at the end (time is running out)
    3) When he's staring at the hat at the end, there's one loose thread he's sort of picking at (things are about to unravel on him)
    4) Skyler's coffee mug, which someone might have mentioned had "51" printed on it as she's flicking ashes into it. Also, the smoking in the house, trying to bring the cancer back.
     
  2. Webster

    Webster Well-Known Member

    Was there any meaning to the temporary Agent in Charge dressing sort of like Gus?

    Also, I get the feeling somehow that Gomez is a leak in the DEA.
     
  3. Brian

    Brian Well-Known Member

    If goatees = breaking bad (as seems to be a rule on the show), then Gomez is definitely a leak.
     
  4. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Didn't notice until this episode how much Betsy Brandt and R.J. Mitte resemble each other. He could be her nephew in real life.

    [​IMG][​IMG]


    Good bit of casting there.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  5. Mira

    Mira Member

    I read a Q&A with Aaron Paul on GQ's website. He had just finished filming episode five and said it was "intense" and a big episode.

    http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201208/aaron-paul-gq-breaking-bad-interview
     
  6. HC

    HC Well-Known Member

    To me it seemed to indicate Walt's hubris finally truly taking over. He bought Junior a hot car once before but Skyler appealed to his common sense and the car went back. This time he bought two. He's sowing the seeds of his own destruction.
     
  7. There's no doubt this episode's main theme was Walt fully embracing the Heisenberg persona. He used to have some false pretenses where he'd still talk or act like Walt occasionally. The Aztek was one of his final links to that. But he gets rid of it, leases two fancy cars, even puts the hat on and he's talking to anyone and everyone however he sees fit. Any remaining sympathy anyone could've had toward Walt should have evaporated by now.
     
  8. Webster

    Webster Well-Known Member

    He believes that he "won" and thinks that he's bulletproof. Jesse, who has he said wanted to kill him a couple of weeks ago, now buys him an expensive watch for his birthday.

    It's only when Mike takes the money away or when Skyler doesn't bow down to him that you see the old Walter come out. He knows that he has Skyler boxed in, but he doesn't just want her silence, he wants her unconditional admiration.
     
  9. J-School Blue

    J-School Blue Member

    Walt always manages to be his own worst enemy in actually covering for himself.

    When Gale died, the DEA (even Hank) was fairly satisfied he was Heisenberg. Then Walt got drunk at Hank's place and spouted off about Gale's obviously inferior capabilities compared to what a true master could do. So Hank gets back on the case, which leads to the entire Fring operation collapsing, and now Hank will never be satisfied until he catches the real Heisenberg. He's constantly either using his money to cover huge (mostly self-flicted) expenses the minute he takes it in, or pissing it away on stupid shit like the cars. Skyler seemed to indicate they could do just fine off the car wash if they wanted at this point, but he seems intent on getting some kind of glory out of being Heisenberg.

    Jesse, by contrast, seems to be keeping a pretty low profile and actually saving the money he's making. He can afford the Rollex with no notice, and (from the figure from Mike), was able to front $120,000 to get the post-Gus operation started without really sweating it. He bought his house and probably his car with cash, and while they don't suck they aren't flashy. From what I can tell, the only major confrontations he got into with the cops were with Hank and the APD after he freaked out about the ricin, both of which were Walt-related. He probably could've done pretty well for himself in the Fring organization, and Walt seems to have manipulated him out of appreciating that he's one of the people screwed by Gus dying (in addition to all the other ways Walt's manipulating him).
     
  10. Brian

    Brian Well-Known Member

    The watch was a Tag-Heuer. It costs about four thousand.
     
  11. ifilus

    ifilus Well-Known Member

    Jesse's still driving the same old Toyota Tercel he had in the first episode.
     
  12. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    Once the blue meth kept getting out on the street, Hank would have figured out Gale wasn't Heisenberg. Just like he's doing now with Gus gone.

    That said, I agree with the over-arching premise of Walt's pride being his ultimate undoing.
     
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