AMC's "Breaking Bad" Discussion (2008-2013)

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by BaerGriggs

Haha I have the complete series set AND the final season recorded on the DVR, and I'm still watching it live on AMC.

[surfdude12]

Just finished the last season. I have a few questions:

[Show spoiler]I don’t find it believable that Walt would have the self-control and foresight to NOT kill Gretchen and her husband. He hates them more than he loves his family. Walt cares about Walt. His “love” for his family is merely smoke and mirrors for his true passion: himself. Gretchen and her husband cut him out, then ridiculed him on TV. I don’t see Walt forgiving that under ANY circumstances. His ego is way too big. Even if they agreed to help his family, who Walt doesn’t really care about anyway.

[Show spoiler] Was it just me or was there huge plot gaps in the season? Jesse gets captured, and then 5 minutes later we see him in a basement, all tortured and beaten? Did I miss something? Where was that chunk of story? And Hank interviewing Jesse – he sits him down, and then 30 seconds later, walks outside and asks Gomez “you believe all of that?”. I get it – the viewer already knows what Jesse is telling Hank, so no need to repeat it, but why not show SOME of it? And shows Hanks REACTION to it? Wouldn’t that be good? This reminded me of Season 4, when they showed NONE of Walt’s planning of the bombing – the viewer was fooled just like everyone else in the show was – but was it good to leave out such huge gaping plot holes? I don’t know

[Show spoiler]Why did that dude kill Andrea? I don’t get it – to teach Jesse a lesson?

[Show spoiler]Why did Walt let Jesse live? Up until the end, Walt wanted him dead, hired a hit man, had Jesse spit in his face and charged him, told Jesse he watched his g/f die and did nothing, etc etc = Walt wants Jesse dead and HATES him. So why did he let him go? Is it because deep down, he still cares for him?

[Show spoiler] Ok seriously, the machine gun at the end…wtf?!? Let’s be honest – that is IMPOSSIBLE to pull off…even for Walt. The angle at which you park the car, the height of the windows, the length of the building, the number of men in the room….the sheer number of unknown variables make that scenario so ridiculous that it’s the only thing in the season that was bad, IMO. They could have come up with a number of other ways for Walt to devise a way to kill everyone (HINT: CHEMICAL, HES A CHEMICAL PHD…why are you having him suddenly construct Mechanical devices???)

[Dreamliner330]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Just finished the last season. I have a few questions:

[Show spoiler]I don’t find it believable that Walt would have the self-control and foresight to NOT kill Gretchen and her husband. He hates them more than he loves his family. Walt cares about Walt. His “love” for his family is merely smoke and mirrors for his true passion: himself. Gretchen and her husband cut him out, then ridiculed him on TV. I don’t see Walt forgiving that under ANY circumstances. His ego is way too big. Even if they agreed to help his family, who Walt doesn’t really care about anyway.

[Show spoiler] Was it just me or was there huge plot gaps in the season? Jesse gets captured, and then 5 minutes later we see him in a basement, all tortured and beaten? Did I miss something? Where was that chunk of story? And Hank interviewing Jesse – he sits him down, and then 30 seconds later, walks outside and asks Gomez “you believe all of that?”. I get it – the viewer already knows what Jesse is telling Hank, so no need to repeat it, but why not show SOME of it? And shows Hanks REACTION to it? Wouldn’t that be good? This reminded me of Season 4, when they showed NONE of Walt’s planning of the bombing – the viewer was fooled just like everyone else in the show was – but was it good to leave out such huge gaping plot holes? I don’t know

[Show spoiler]Why did that dude kill Andrea? I don’t get it – to teach Jesse a lesson?

[Show spoiler]Why did Walt let Jesse live? Up until the end, Walt wanted him dead, hired a hit man, had Jesse spit in his face and charged him, told Jesse he watched his g/f die and did nothing, etc etc = Walt wants Jesse dead and HATES him. So why did he let him go? Is it because deep down, he still cares for him?

[Show spoiler] Ok seriously, the machine gun at the end…wtf?!? Let’s be honest – that is IMPOSSIBLE to pull off…even for Walt. The angle at which you park the car, the height of the windows, the length of the building, the number of men in the room….the sheer number of unknown variables make that scenario so ridiculous that it’s the only thing in the season that was bad, IMO. They could have come up with a number of other ways for Walt to devise a way to kill everyone (HINT: CHEMICAL, HES A CHEMICAL PHD…why are you having him suddenly construct Mechanical devices???)

You're over-thinking it and picking it apart too much.

[Show spoiler]
A lot if time passed those last few episodes.

Look at the changes Walt went through in his beliefs as he knew he was close to death. Think about the conversation he had with his wife.

I don't have an engineering degree or a PhD, but even I could construct the contraption in the trunk.

[Tony208]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Just finished the last season. I have a few questions:

[Show spoiler]I don’t find it believable that Walt would have the self-control and foresight to NOT kill Gretchen and her husband. He hates them more than he loves his family. Walt cares about Walt. His “love” for his family is merely smoke and mirrors for his true passion: himself. Gretchen and her husband cut him out, then ridiculed him on TV. I don’t see Walt forgiving that under ANY circumstances. His ego is way too big. Even if they agreed to help his family, who Walt doesn’t really care about anyway.

[Show spoiler] Was it just me or was there huge plot gaps in the season? Jesse gets captured, and then 5 minutes later we see him in a basement, all tortured and beaten? Did I miss something? Where was that chunk of story? And Hank interviewing Jesse – he sits him down, and then 30 seconds later, walks outside and asks Gomez “you believe all of that?”. I get it – the viewer already knows what Jesse is telling Hank, so no need to repeat it, but why not show SOME of it? And shows Hanks REACTION to it? Wouldn’t that be good? This reminded me of Season 4, when they showed NONE of Walt’s planning of the bombing – the viewer was fooled just like everyone else in the show was – but was it good to leave out such huge gaping plot holes? I don’t know

[Show spoiler]Why did that dude kill Andrea? I don’t get it – to teach Jesse a lesson?

[Show spoiler]Why did Walt let Jesse live? Up until the end, Walt wanted him dead, hired a hit man, had Jesse spit in his face and charged him, told Jesse he watched his g/f die and did nothing, etc etc = Walt wants Jesse dead and HATES him. So why did he let him go? Is it because deep down, he still cares for him?

[Show spoiler] Ok seriously, the machine gun at the end…wtf?!? Let’s be honest – that is IMPOSSIBLE to pull off…even for Walt. The angle at which you park the car, the height of the windows, the length of the building, the number of men in the room….the sheer number of unknown variables make that scenario so ridiculous that it’s the only thing in the season that was bad, IMO. They could have come up with a number of other ways for Walt to devise a way to kill everyone (HINT: CHEMICAL, HES A CHEMICAL PHD…why are you having him suddenly construct Mechanical devices???)

Its breaking bad so ur wrong

[djgeneral]

Originally Posted by The Rusty Urinal

Arguable

nope

[djgeneral]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

[Show spoiler]I don’t find it believable that Walt would have the self-control and foresight to NOT kill Gretchen and her husband. He hates them more than he loves his family. Walt cares about Walt. His “love” for his family is merely smoke and mirrors for his true passion: himself. Gretchen and her husband cut him out, then ridiculed him on TV. I don’t see Walt forgiving that under ANY circumstances. His ego is way too big. Even if they agreed to help his family, who Walt doesn’t really care about anyway.

My Reply:

[Show spoiler]What do you mean he doesn't really care about his family? Of course he does. I don't even know what show you are watching if you think this.

[Show spoiler] Was it just me or was there huge plot gaps in the season? Jesse gets captured, and then 5 minutes later we see him in a basement, all tortured and beaten? Did I miss something? Where was that chunk of story? And Hank interviewing Jesse – he sits him down, and then 30 seconds later, walks outside and asks Gomez “you believe all of that?”. I get it – the viewer already knows what Jesse is telling Hank, so no need to repeat it, but why not show SOME of it? And shows Hanks REACTION to it? Wouldn’t that be good? This reminded me of Season 4, when they showed NONE of Walt’s planning of the bombing – the viewer was fooled just like everyone else in the show was – but was it good to leave out such huge gaping plot holes? I don’t know

My reply:

[Show spoiler]Yes, there was not a ton of time to tell a bunch of extra pieces of story. I don't know why you really needed to see Jesse getting tortured and beaten? It was already depressing enough to see him captured like that. WE as viewers all knew that was coming. No need to see it. Same thing with Hank/Gomez. What do you mean none of the bombing for season 4? They showed a lot of it... why do you need to see him building it? They showed him talking about it

[Show spoiler]Why did that dude kill Andrea? I don’t get it – to teach Jesse a lesson?

My reply: I mean, yes, obviously...what more would it be? Don't mess with them. Do what they want or your personal life will suffer.

[Show spoiler]Why did Walt let Jesse live? Up until the end, Walt wanted him dead, hired a hit man, had Jesse spit in his face and charged him, told Jesse he watched his g/f die and did nothing, etc etc = Walt wants Jesse dead and HATES him. So why did he let him go? Is it because deep down, he still cares for him?

My reply: Once again, yes, obviously. They have a huge bond. Let's not forget everything they've been through over the series. Also, it was revealed by the writers that

[Show spoiler]Walt had every intention of Killing Jesse until he saw how the nazis treated him.

[Show spoiler] Ok seriously, the machine gun at the end…wtf?!? Let’s be honest – that is IMPOSSIBLE to pull off…even for Walt. The angle at which you park the car, the height of the windows, the length of the building, the number of men in the room….the sheer number of unknown variables make that scenario so ridiculous that it’s the only thing in the season that was bad, IMO. They could have come up with a number of other ways for Walt to devise a way to kill everyone (HINT: CHEMICAL, HES A CHEMICAL PHD…why are you having him suddenly construct Mechanical devices???)

My reply: I don't really see how that is IMPOSSIBLE at all...

I bold my replies.

[JavaJulien]

Also on Andrea:

[Show spoiler]Jesse already made it known that he didn't care whether they killed him or not at that point. The only thing they had left to make him cooperate was Andrea and Brock's lives. So they killed Andrea and left Brock alive to make sure Jesse would comply with their demands.

As far as the ending.

[Show spoiler]Did you see the look on Walt's face when he finally came face to face with Jesse. His entire expression warped into "My God, what have I done." Walt has manipulated and abused Jesse throughout the entire series and for the first time he came to the realization how his actions turned him into a completely broken man. So yeah, he spared Jesse as an act of repentance to make up for all he had done to him.

[djgeneral]

Originally Posted by PietSchwan

I've been watching a marathon of this show on AMC, starting from the middle of season 4 episode 8. (The episode had a flashback backstory for Gus Fring).

I was never into this show previously. I was bored recently and came across the show via channel surfing. The segment with Gus Fring's backstory looked interesting. So I kept on watching, all the way through to the final episode.


(With all this being said).

A question for anybody who had seen the entire series.

What am I missing from not watching seasons 1-3 and the first half of season 4, and/or watching seasons 4 and 5 out of sequence? (Hard to judge from reading episode summaries on wikipedia, imdb, tv.com, etc ...).

I'm thinking of possibly picking up a the earlier seasons or the complete series bluray set (if they re-release it either as a barrel or a basic no-frills package).

You're missing out on one of the best stories ever told. I don't know why you would ruin it for yourself and watch the end Most people really agree that each season gets progressively better. Some "haters" in this thread didn't care for 1 or 2 but they really started to love 3 (and many consider 3 to be the overall best). I love every season, every episode. Season 3 does contain maybe my overall favorite episode. (I haven't re-watched season 5a/b yet so that could very well change).

[Villiam Hayes]

Originally Posted by PietSchwan

I've been watching a marathon of this show on AMC, starting from the middle of season 4 episode 8. (The episode had a flashback backstory for Gus Fring).

I was never into this show previously. I was bored recently and came across the show via channel surfing. The segment with Gus Fring's backstory looked interesting. So I kept on watching, all the way through to the final episode.


(With all this being said).

A question for anybody who had seen the entire series.

What am I missing from not watching seasons 1-3 and the first half of season 4, and/or watching seasons 4 and 5 out of sequence? (Hard to judge from reading episode summaries on wikipedia, imdb, tv.com, etc ...).

I'm thinking of possibly picking up a the earlier seasons or the complete series bluray set (if they re-release it either as a barrel or a basic no-frills package).

Originally Posted by djgeneral

You're missing out on one of the best stories ever told. I don't know why you would ruin it for yourself and watch the end Most people really agree that each season gets progressively better. Some "haters" in this thread didn't care for 1 or 2 but they really started to love 3 (and many consider 3 to be the overall best). I love every season, every episode. Season 3 does contain maybe my overall favorite episode. (I haven't re-watched season 5a/b yet so that could very well change).

Yeah bottom line is your missing a lot....but like dj said,why would you continue on to the end and ruin what is not only a fantastic story but a great journey?

[mdizzle91]

Originally Posted by djgeneral

You're missing out on one of the best stories ever told. I don't know why you would ruin it for yourself and watch the end Most people really agree that each season gets progressively better. Some "haters" in this thread didn't care for 1 or 2 but they really started to love 3 (and many consider 3 to be the overall best). I love every season, every episode. Season 3 does contain maybe my overall favorite episode. (I haven't re-watched season 5a/b yet so that could very well change).

Would that be "Fly"? lol

[djgeneral]

Originally Posted by mdizzle91

Would that be "Fly"? lol

Maybe

[djgeneral]

Some info on BETTER CALL SAUL.

What has been the big challenge in formulating Better Call Saul? And can you clarify how much of the show will be a prequel and whether we might see scenes that take place after the events of Breaking Bad? Are we going to hop around in time a little?

[Show spoiler]Peter Gould is a wonderful writer and producer and director who worked on Breaking Bad with me from the first season, and he created the character of Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk). He and I have been turning that over in our heads quite a bit. We think, by and large, this show will be a prequel, but the wonderful thing about the fractured chronology we employed on Breaking Bad for many years is the audience will not be thrown by us jumping around in time. So it’s possible that we may indeed do that, and we’ll see the past and perhaps the future. Nothing is written in stone yet, we’re still figuring it out, but the thing we realize is tricky with the character is that Saul Goodman is very comfortable in his own skin. He seems to be a character who is pretty happy with himself, especially when we first meet him. He seems to be a pretty happy-go-lucky guy, and that makes him everything that Walter White is not. And that also makes for tricky drama. When I say drama, even in a comedy, you want drama, you want tension and conflict, and a character that at heart seems at peace with himself is intrinsically undramatic. [Laughs] So we’ve been thinking about how to address that issue.

Could some of the action be set in the Breaking Bad era as well?

[Show spoiler]It could. That’s why I love the possibilities of the show so much. Anything is possible, and I can’t make any promises that we will indeed see that kind of stuff, but I can tell you from a writer’s point of view, it’s very freeing and emboldening to have those opportunities available to you.

How many characters from Breaking Bad might pop up or even have an extended role?

[Show spoiler]The character that springs to mind would be Mike (Jonathan Banks). That would be a great deal of fun. I would say the sky’s the limit, at least theoretically speaking. Realistically speaking, we’ve got a whole lot of actors, and the world is now well-aware of their wonderful talents and abilities, and therefore Breaking Bad has probably made it tougher for Peter and I to get some of these folks pinned down for another TV show. They’re off making big movies and doing Broadway plays and whatnot, and that’s exactly the way it should be. That is a high-class problem that we will have to contend with as we go forward with Better Call Saul, if we do indeed want to touch base with some of these characters… Better Call Saul could be The Love Boat of its generation, where instead of Milton Berle showing up in a sailor’s cap, hopefully it could be Aaron Paul, also in a sailor’s cap. [Laughs]

How much of this is a subconscious desire to extend the amazing experience that you all had on Breaking Bad?

[Show spoiler]Oh, I think you’re right, and I don’t think that desire is subconscious. I reluctantly came to the realization several years ago that we needed to end Breaking Bad before the audience lost interest. We needed to end it at the height of its interest in the audience, and I feel we accomplished that. I feel very lucky for having it work out that way. And it’s not even subconscious on my part — I want to keep the party going on some level. I’ve always loved the character Saul Goodman, I’ve always felt like there’s a whole world of story possibilities contained within him and the world that he inhabits, and I would just love to see some version of this world continue. By its very design, Better Call Saul has to be a different kind of show, and we’re not looking to simply keep Breaking Bad going by having a spin-off series. It has to stand on its own two legs as its own series, otherwise there’s no point in doing it. It will be Saul Goodman’s world, it won’t be Walter White’s, and it will have a different feel, even though there will be some overlap on the Venn Diagram that exists between Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. But it will have to succeed on its own terms as its own show. If it doesn’t, it won’t be satisfying, and satisfaction is the key word. We want to satisfy.

[Malik True]

I believe Breaking Bad is not specifically about the eroding morality of Walter White it is about a number of characters on the show who make immoral choices and or very questionable decisions. Jesse, Skylar, Marie, Saul, Mike, Skylar’s lover and Hank to name two hands full. What is an interesting question is are “WE” all capable of doing such things in the face of a death sentence. Do we all have buried within us the capacity to commit such heinous acts for self-preservation at ANY COST. The Walter White we saw initially is a completely different person than the one we see at the end, his moral compass is awry and he’s been fully compromised. Or is he actually the very same person he was at the beginning he just allowed and is no longer suppressing the darker elements of his soul to surface. He told Skylar he felt alive doing what he was doing.

The acting on BB is indeed top notch all of the characters are very believable, they may not always behave as their character suggests they should but that’s writing and that’s a thorny issue with me. Although I like BB I would not rate it as highly as many on here do, I think many posters here have digested this series slowly over the past five years. Time and emotional investment in characters over a period of time, a cliffhanger then back for more. Some things taste better when it’s slowly cooked. I however saw the entire series very quickly in a 2-3 week period so I do not love these characters. I do think it was a good series and I will be watching “Better Call Saul”. I would rate BB out of five stars three and a half, I do imagine if I invested as much time and emotional energy over a five year period I would rate it little higher. I also think a prequel to the Grey Matter days would be great. I would love to know exactly what happened there, I would wager Walt phucked that up. Mike told him everything he touches goes sour…

There are a number of what I called unrealistic occurrences (serious flaws) sprinkled throughout the series that did not digest well at all. I am going in reverse order here so bear with me. I have omitted some smaller ones but I stirred it all in the pot.

[Show spoiler]


The Bathroom: Hank happens to sit down in the bathroom, reaches for a handful of magazines not satisfied he sees guess what a book by Walt Whiteman. Hank although very sharp begins to put two and two together about who Walter really is after reading a journal entry? What are the chances of that book actually being present there at that very moment? Please!

Hank’s office: Perfect timing that Walter happens to be in the office when Gomey comes in to tell Hank that the lawyer flipped on Mike. How convenient now Walter can call Mike to alert him that the DEA is coming for him.

Revenge: Jesse’s new girlfriend Andrea from another side of town’s younger teenage brother just so happens to be the killer of his friend Combo. This led to a series of events that would eventually cause Walter to behave COMPLETELY out of character, more on that later. So Andrea’s brother just so happens to be Combo’s killer and Andrea knows Jesse, really, really?

Do I know you: In the Phoenix episode Walter we learn winds up at a bar (He said himself something he never does) and begins talking to Jane’s aka Apology Girl’s father. How small is Albuquerque again? Keep in mind he winds up at the bar after he just dropped off Jesse’s money and speaking to this man’s daughter moments before. After a conversation he goes back to Jesse’s house and he has perfect timing yet again to watch this man’s daughter choke on her own vomit? That’s awful writing and faaaaar too much happenstance.

These unrealistic occurrences completely took me out of the moment and hurt the series to me as well as this. When Walter realizes that Jesse is going to kill those street drug dealers and decides to try and stop Jesse. That decision is out of character, although he should have some allegiance to Jesse he should not have it to the extent that he would jeopardize his family for Jesse who is a junkie. Nothing was going to stop Jessie for seeking revenge and Walter should have known that this was a point of no return for Jesse. He had to know this was not going to sit well with Gus and that he was placing his neck on the line, this was completely out of character for Walt because he is all about self-preservation during these times.

What also does not add up is why Gus became so enraged after he learned Walt & Jeese were behind the killing of his street dealers, was it because he was disobeyed? Ok they did not listen; so kill them? They are street dealers get more in fact does he not have enough? Penalize them (Walt & Jeese) monetarily. Walt was producing thee highest quality meth, by taking this route his downfall began. For such a smart man he severely miscalculated over emotion. It seemed out of his character.

The most ironic occurrence (This is not being viewed negatively) is the killing of Mike. If he knew his eventual death would come at the hands of the very man he saved from the Salamanca brothers I don’t think he would have called Gus.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by djgeneral

I bold my replies.

djgeneral:

[Show spoiler]What do you mean he doesn't really care about his family? Of course he does. I don't even know what show you are watching if you think this.

My Reply:

[Show spoiler]Then I guess we’re watching different shows. Explain one scene to me. Jesse is over at Walt’s house after they get offered the $10 million for the methlamene. Jesse tells Walt they can each have $5 million each, and walk. Walt says no. If he REALLY loves his family (more than his ego), as you say, he would say yes. But he said NO. Jesse then tells him “when we started this whole thing, you said you only need $737,000, after you calculated how much you need for YOUR FAMILY, and now you have $5million and are turning it down??” So go ahead – explain that one to me, if Walt REALLY cares about his family MORE than himself. He had a choice right there: (1) FAMILY COMES FIRST: take $5 million, walk, provide for his family and put them at NO MORE RISK, or (2) WALT COMES FIRST: keep making more money to satisfy his selfish ego, while keep putting his family at risk...we know which one he picked.

[PrestigeWorldwide]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

My Reply:

[Show spoiler]Then I guess we’re watching different shows. Explain one scene to me. Jesse is over at Walt’s house after they get offered the $10 million for the methlamene. Jesse tells Walt they can each have $5 million each, and walk. Walt says no. If he REALLY loves his family (more than his ego), as you say, he would say yes. But he said NO. Jesse then tells him “when we started this whole thing, you said you only need $737,000, after you calculated how much you need for YOUR FAMILY, and now you have $5million and are turning it down??” So go ahead – explain that one to me, if Walt REALLY cares about his family MORE than himself. He had a choice right there: (1) FAMILY COMES FIRST: take $5 million, walk, provide for his family and put them at NO MORE RISK, or (2) WALT COMES FIRST: keep making more money to satisfy his selfish ego, while keep putting his family at risk...we know which one he picked.

I agree.

[Show spoiler]Walt was not putting his family first when he continued the business. That's my biggest issue with season 5 (and the show in general). There was an easy exit strategy and 5 mil was more than he ever wanted. After all that they had been through, there's no valid reason not to take it.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by PrestigeWorldwide

I agree.

[Show spoiler]Walt was not putting his family first when he continued the business. That's my biggest issue with season 5 (and the show in general). There was an easy exit strategy and 5 mil was more than he ever wanted. After all that they had been through, there's no valid reason not to take it.

yup.

[Show spoiler]and even his efforts to get his family money towards the end (with Gretchen and her husband), and his efforts to get his family to move with him, etc etc, weren't genuine acts of love for his family. They were still selfish acts - acts to ease HIS OWN guilt at having created a clusterf@ck of a scenario with dead bodies, hurt feelings and ruined lives. So, IMO, even when he called Junior, and tried to ship him the money, all of that was still for WALT TO FEEL BETTER (primarily), not primarily for his family to be taken care of

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Malik True

What is an interesting question is are “WE” all capable of doing such things in the face of a death sentence.

actually, that is not 100% true. Walt is more selfish than we think. Let me explain.

In season 1,

[Show spoiler]when Walt FIRST watched the drug raid on the news, with Hank and others at the house, he saw Hank on TV collecting TONS of cash and asked Hank "wow Hank that's a lot of money". Hank siad "yeah it is", and Walt said "but that's not just for one bust is it, I mean that is a Lot of cash!!", and Hank said it is for one bust.

HERE IS THE SURPRISE FOLKS: THIS WAS ALL BEFORE WALT'S DIAGNOSIS!!!

YES!! RE-WATCH IT!

OUR WALT WAS A SELFISH, MONEY HUNGRY GREASEBALL, BEFORE HE EVER GOT THE DIAGNOSIS. THE DIAGNOSIS JUST GAVE HIM AN EXCUSE

[djgeneral]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

djgeneral:

[Show spoiler]What do you mean he doesn't really care about his family? Of course he does. I don't even know what show you are watching if you think this.

My Reply:

[Show spoiler]Then I guess we’re watching different shows. Explain one scene to me. Jesse is over at Walt’s house after they get offered the $10 million for the methlamene. Jesse tells Walt they can each have $5 million each, and walk. Walt says no. If he REALLY loves his family (more than his ego), as you say, he would say yes. But he said NO. Jesse then tells him “when we started this whole thing, you said you only need $737,000, after you calculated how much you need for YOUR FAMILY, and now you have $5million and are turning it down??” So go ahead – explain that one to me, if Walt REALLY cares about his family MORE than himself. He had a choice right there: (1) FAMILY COMES FIRST: take $5 million, walk, provide for his family and put them at NO MORE RISK, or (2) WALT COMES FIRST: keep making more money to satisfy his selfish ego, while keep putting his family at risk...we know which one he picked.

[Show spoiler]Just because he wanted money doesn't mean he didn't love/care about his family. I'm not saying Walt wasn't coming first in his decisions, but he didn't really WANT that, he was so caught up in ruling the "world" and his emotions and decisions got the best of him. And I don't see what your issue is, as he admitted part of this in the final episode when he was talking to Skyler. He started doing it for his family, then he got addicted. It was brilliant writing to show different forms of addiction. One in Jesse with actual drugs, and one in Walt without him ever using the product.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by djgeneral

[Show spoiler]Just because he wanted money...

but that's just it -

[Show spoiler]he did NOT want the money. he turned down $5 mill. it wasn't enough for his selfish ego

Originally Posted by djgeneral

[Show spoiler]And I don't see what your issue is, as he admitted part of this in the final episode when he was talking to Skyler.

my issue isn't that Walt didn't admit being selfish. its that your reply earlier asked me why I thought walt didn't care about his family as much as himself. clearly, IMO, he cares about himself #1

[rdm5777]

In regards to Walt not caring about his family,

[Show spoiler]Walt only embraced the "empire business" when he thought he had lost his family. Sky had told him she was waiting for him to die and was doing her best to keep the children away from him. At that point, what else did he have? Of course he threw himself into his "work". Once things were going a little better with Sky and she pulled him aside to show him how much money they had, he snapped out of it and quit. He was out and enjoying his family.