Now
that the last season of BREAKING BAD is half over with the remaining eight
episodes to come next year, it is interesting to review what I wrote prior to
the start of the season
My
thoughts on the remaining 8 as well as last episode of this year….
1.) I’ve
read some criticism of the way in which Hank discovers, in the last few seconds
of the last episode, that Walt is the one he’s been chasing all along. A lot of people feel Walt would never be so
careless as to leave Gail’s book in the bathroom where it could be discovered. I would answer that by saying that the whole
point of the series is the transformation of Walter White and part of that is
his negative side (his arrogance, his pride, his bitterness) taking over. It is exactly because Walt is now in charge
that he would make a small error like this feeling powerful and immune from any
consequences. It’s also worth pointing
out that Hank used the bedroom bathroom rather than the hall bathroom due to convenience. Some degree of privacy would be expected in
that case. In any event, I always felt
it would be a small thing that would trip up Walter rather than big thing.
2.)
Most of the last eight episodes were fairly anti-climatic except for Mike’s
death and the last episode with its big reveal.
One of the greatest things about Breaking Bad is how they explore the
full ramifications of an event like the death of Gus Fring at the end of the
fourth season or the plane crash at the end of the second. Rather than show the event and then move on
as if it never happened only mentioning it on occasion, Breaking Bad shows its
full effect on its motley cast of characters taking its time to accomplish this. This season was about the effects of Gus’s
death and the explosion of Walt’s ego through setting up his own business and
getting into “the empire business”.
3.) I
am still hoping for some explanation of Walt’s early life and what happened
with Elliott and Gretchen. We know Walt
like we know our fingertips but we know based on action not on his personal history. That would nicely tie up some of our loose
ends in Walt knowledge.
4.) I
thought Skyler was doomed but they went in a different direction and had Walt
quit the meth business in the season ender.
Whether a reoccurrence of cancer (we see Walt have an exam and stare meaningfully
at the dispenser he punched in when he was told he was in remission) caused
this or he’d accomplished all he’d wanted – the rise to the top is more of a thrill
than being at the top., it will be interesting to see how his new partners take
this news.
5.)
The Ricin hidden behind an outlet will figure prominently in the last eight
episodes. Perhaps Holly will eat some
(lot of foreshadowing on that already) or he will poison Hank and in doing so perhaps
poison Marie by mistake
6.) The
flash forward at the beginning of this season – who’s the machine gun for? Walt is with hair, an assumed identity, and
an unhealthy cough looking very unhappy just nine months from when these episodes
end. It’s clear he’s going to have to
battle someone. My money is on his
sinister new partner Todd and the other criminals he is doing business with.
7.
Hank’s supervisor was fired quickly due to his friendship with Gus Fring. What do you think the DEA would do to Hank if
they found out about Walt? Look for Hank
to move slowly and cautiously and perhaps try to find another way to deal with
his brother in law.
8.
Jesse is out of the business and seems to be a paranoid shut-in relapsing into
drug abuse. Something will bring Walt
and Jesse back together again I imagine and perhaps split them up with Jesse
finally finding out all the bad things Walt has done (His girlfriend’s death,
the poisoning of the child, Mike’s murder).
9. Walt
never just does something. There is
always a plan or some meaning to it. We
still have much to learn about Walt and specifically to what depths he can lower
himself. We’ve already seen much
darkness but I fear much more is to come including the deaths of many of the
main characters.
10. I’ve
mused in prior postings about a possible fate for Walt. One I’ve read as a possibility in a few
forums recently based on Walt’s overwhelming desire to be recognized and his
ego is for Walt to die totally anonymous without the general public knowing he
was Heisenberg. I’ll take it a step
further – What if he lived on in prison, or just back to the humdrum life had
before his cancer diagnosis? How
ignominious would that be?! Although I do
think his death at the end of the series is a foregone conclusion.
Such
a long wait until next summer….
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