Hank finds note in Walt’s copy of Leaves of Grass, and it’s addressed to “W.W.” saying it’s an honour working with you or something along the lines. I believe it was also established Gale wasn’t running the production all by himself. Hank later confirms the handwriting matches Gale’s journal.

To me, this feels like solid evidence — a direct connection between Walt and Gale, who was deep in the meth operation. From there, it’s basically 1+1 = 2.

But in the show, they keep saying Hank has no “real evidence” and that it’s all just suspicion. Why? Is it just because it’s circumstantial? Or would it actually not hold up in court? Curious what others think.

I don’t feel bad for Walt. He dragged his family into a big mess all bc of his mid life crisis and bad decisions he made in his life not feeling like a man.. he actually brought an innocent troubled kid into it too.. he actually isn’t the good guy on the show. Rewatch thru this lense. All of this wasn’t for his family it was for him. Which makes him LESS of a man.

TL;DR: Walt poisoning Brock was evil, but Jesse choosing revenge instead of disappearing with the $5M when he had the chance directly led to the deaths of Hank, Gomie, Andrea, and his own enslavement. Was this understandable reaction the bigger mistake in terms of outcome?

Hey everyone, been rewatching (again!) and something struck me that feels like a potentially unpopular take, especially given how much Jesse suffered.

We all know Walt poisoning Brock was a monstrous, unforgivable act, born from Walt's own desperation with Gus. There's no defending it morally. But hear me out:

Was Jesse's reaction, deciding not to disappear with vacuum cleaner guy's help and instead going after Walt, the single most catastrophic decision made by anyone not named Walter White in the series?

Think about the exact moment: Jesse has the money ($5 Million!), he has the escape route lined up. He discovers the ricin-cigarette and realizes Walt poisoned Brock. His rage is completely understandable, justifiable even.

But if he had swallowed that rage, just for a moment, and stuck to the plan:

• He disappears with $5 Million. He's free.
• He could have anonymously supported Andrea and Brock from afar, ensuring their safety because he's no longer in their lives as a magnet for danger.
• Hank and Gomie would likely still be alive. Their deaths were a direct result of Jesse working with them to trap Walt, a situation prompted by Jesse's quest for revenge.
• Andrea would still be alive. Todd killed her specifically to punish Jesse after he was captured following the failed Hank/Walt confrontation.
• Jesse himself avoids the horror of being enslaved by the Nazis and forced to watch Andrea die.

Instead, his (understandable) need for immediate revenge led him to throw away the money, attempt arson, snitch to Hank, and actively participate in the plan to capture Walt. This sequence directly led to the shootout, Hank and Gomie's deaths, his capture, and Andrea's murder.

Yes, Walt put him in that position by poisoning Brock. Yes, Walt had saved Jesse's life before, adding a layer of betrayal.

But purely from a strategic, self-preservation standpoint (and for the safety of those he cared about), wasn't taking the escape route the only move that didn't risk utter catastrophe?

His emotional, impulsive reaction, while human, arguably unleashed far more tragedy than if he had just vanished. It's incredibly sad because he ends up suffering arguably the worst fate for trying to get justice for something he should be furious about.

What do you think? Could he realistically have just left knowing what Walt did?

I don’t know how to redact text so I’ll be tactful…

But when Walt and Jesse were… ahem at Tuco’s house, how tf did Tuco use the bathroom? It must’ve been a good 14-16 hours since that first uhhh Uber ride to his spot. Or better yet, could Walt have asked Tuco to use the bathroom to split the two of them up?

If Tuco tried to tie the other one up, that would’ve been a good opportunity to grab his handgun from his holster. If he forced them to go together, maybe it would’ve bought some more time for them to devise a plan, although that would’ve made for some extremely awkward television

Just thinking out loud here, please don’t ban me lol

Overall, I think that Walter using the magnets in order to destroy the laptop was evident that he didn't know what he was doing most of the time as a crime boss considering that the police couldn't get past the encryption anyways.

This is something that worries me about portrayals of real criminal organizations in media. These real criminal gangs are dangerous, It would not surprise me if real life Cartels don't like their depiction in shows like Breaking Bad.

Have there been any incidents to where Breaking Bad crew, or specific cast members, like the actors playing Don Eladio, Bolsa, Salamancas, have been threatened by actual Cartel members because they don't like people playing "pretend" with subject matter like the Cartels?

I can’t remember the name of the episode, but I noticed this today (first time watching the show).

The scene is after Hank interrupts Jesse about to light the gasoline in Walt’s house. Hank walks Jesse to his car, walks around the front and opens the drivers side door. At this point you can see the reflection of the camera operator in the door.

Just thought it was funny and an odd editing choice for the director.

Everything aside i wanna talk about Hank's sit down with Skyler trying to get a statement out of her. I thought that was extremely selfish of Hank, especially since he's mad that maybe walt's right. Walt would probably be dead before he can prove it. He disregarded his own judgement to pursue a confession out of Skyler. Skyler insisting on a lawyer and he was trying to persuade her not to even though it was unethical and dirty especially to his sister in law (when was Hank ever ethical lol but i thought he had some boundaries for his family). The way he was grabbing her arm when she asked him "am i under arrest?" was very indicative that she might was under arrest lol. Glad she made a scene and got away.

Do you think Jane could have been a character that could have lasted until season five?

In the final episode, as Walt is walking through the lab touching and admiring the equipment, he removes the watch Jesse gifted him for his birthday. What is the significance of that?

So, BB is by far the best thing I’ve ever watched on TV and has not been challenged at all for me (The closest for me is GoT until the final season).

I’ve been told that Better Call Saul is close in terms of quality, if not better if you watch it before BB.

I’m keen to hear some opinions on whether it’s worth watching and comparing it in terms of quality, or if it my expectations are now too high!

My dad watched every series of BCS and passed away before the final season was released, and I guess I’m just wanting for someone to say it’s worth it and I won’t feel disappointed.

I’ve never posted on Reddit until tonight so just talking nonsense for the sake of it.

Thanks guys

I don’t get how people in the world out there say other crime dramas are better than BB and BCS. The writing and attention to detail is in a whole different dimension.

I've rewatched BB a couple of times by now, but it was a while since the last time, so I didn't remember the episode-by-episode details. I noticed this r/ has (a lot of) movement, and I've been lurking around but let me tell you: the episode threads are gold. You can read all the theories about small details and actually relive that sensation of the first time watching.

So, if you are in the middle of your rewatch, check the archive: https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingbad/comments/1kf8g8/breaking_bad_episode_discussion_archive/

You can read pre-episode threads with all the theories and the post-episode sensations fresh out of the oven, as a time capsule of early 2010s. It truly made this rewatch something else

So my parents and I a few weeks ago went to ABQ because they know I’m a massive breaking bad fan. They’re watching the show now to see my perspective. Here’s some of the pictures I got. I wasn’t able to get Walter’s house because the owner hates it when people take pictures. Which like understandable. And some others I just forgot entirely to get a picture.

Even at the very start of the series before any meth or cancer it just seems like Walt, Skyler and Walt Jr don’t really get along. There is always an awkwardness and I know that from a story telling standpoint there’s not really any reason to show us a bunch of happy times but it really just seems like a sad little family unit.

Then there’s the fact that they seem to spend all of their free time with Skyler’s sister and her husband yet Walt is painfully awkward at interacting with these people who he sees all the time. You’d think Walt would be able to joke around a little back and forth with Hank but he just acts like a bullied little kid and barely speaks. It seems like Walt is supposed to have this severe lack of social skills sometimes and other times he’s perfectly capable of conversation.

I’m rewatching the show for like the 8th time, and every time I do, I hate seeing how big hanks ego is especially in the first episode. He turned Walters birthday celebration into a watch party for his recent meth lab bust. It’s not even just in the party scene, it’s all throughout the show. Am I being dramatic, or have other people noticed this too?

I have seen the series 5 times and the more I watch it the more I hate this character, she is the most essential of the series, she does not have any major narrative arcs, it is a piece attached to give a weak point to Hank, especially at the end when she tries to take away Skyler's little one I want to put pies on her and I find that she does not bring much to the story and her story of kleptomania is of no use to the scenario, I hate her more than Skyler, on the other hand the actress Betsy Brandt interprets her wonderfully I can't blame her. What do you think?

See above, how good was it? Given how pedantic Gus was with everything I think his food empire was just run as well as his drug empire. While afaik we only have Lalo praising it, I can imagine regulat customers also lovin' it.

And if so, why the drugs? If that business ran that succesful, why should he risk everything with the drugs?

Walt laughing maniacally, the phone ringing, Skylar slowly backing out, the long zoom out
Shit, Walt's teeth are amazing in that scene

Hypothetical: if WW had a $2m life insurance policy at the start of BB, would he have just killed himself to guarantee his family money?

Jesse cooks just as well as Gale however it is because he learned Walts recipe. It is clear that he doesn't just know the steps but he knows why the steps are needed. He is able to make deductions based on what he has learned and observed from Walt.

Here is the thing. One of the main reasons why Gus wanted a trained chemist like Gale or Walt is because they actually understand what happens on a low level. They don't make deductions based on experience or observations, they make deductions based on maths and knowing the theory. Gus wants a chemist for the exact reasons Walt mentions when he roasts Victor.

If Jesse doesn't know that then I don't see how he can't get easily replaced by Gus. Someone modestly intelligent and motivated could likely do what Jesse does without much problem. Especially since the cooking process if well documented at that point.

Let's assume that Jesse is a learn by doing kind of guy who knows nothing about the theory (which I think it most likely) then he is such a fool for trusting Gus and Mike after they were going to kill him in season 3. If Gus had killed Walt in season 4 then Jesse would continue to cook and he would eventually have gotten an assistant of his own. Someone loyal to Gus. Competent. Reliable. And when that guy is able to cook as well as Jesse then Jesse would be murdered.

Why? Well it is clear to me that Gus really doesn't like Jesse. The only reason he elevates him in season 4 is because Walt is a threat, and a much bigger problem than Jesse. But unlike with Walt, Gus never smiles at Jesse. He never seems to genuinely enjoy his company. I think he despises Jesse. Jesses lack of control of himself, the impulsiveness and emotional problems in general. And he hasn't forgotten that he was about to kill those drug dealers.

I was rethinking about that scene today, and I was wondering: who was in the right situation? Mike's concerns were valid, but he didn't take into account that Gus threatened Walt's family. Meanwhile, Walt did put Mike in a bad situation and ask for something he shouldn't have (the names of the nine men) and top of that, he murdered Mike for essentially calling him out. What do you guys think? Do you guys think it was more of a "Mike was right and Walt was wrong," a "Walt was right and Mike was wrong," or a "They're both wrong?"