I understand what you mean now much better. Thanks for explaining.
As Mandark alludes to above, Breaking Bad is the hottest show on television partially because it evokes reactions and discussions like these. One of the chief ways it achieves this is by having its characters progress through a broad range of moral culpability in different contexts within the story, which viewers often form conflicting judgments about. You’ve brought up the plane disaster, for instance, which brilliantly illustrates Walt’s indirect role in the story’s greatest single tragedy.
It’s true that Walt is not fully responsible for the deaths of the plane’s passengers, but he certainly is not innocent of them either. The disaster emphasized one of the show’s major chemistry-related themes: collateral damage ensuing by chain-reaction from sinful choices. This is where the role of “the eye” we saw depicted so many times figures into things. It can be interpreted various ways – the eye of god, of moral truth, of conscience – but in all of these cases it serves to demonstrate Walt’s unquestionable awareness that what he is doing is wrong.
The reason Walt is inarguably a bad person is that we’ve been shown he never had to do any of what he has done. We learned early on that his former business partners were magnanimously willing to pay for his cancer treatment and aid his family in the event of his death. But Walt rejected their kindness and chose not to seek assistance out of pride and spite – two further sins. He never had to deal drugs at all. We’ve been shown he is an extremely intelligent and resourceful man, fully capable of finding financial success through less unscrupulous means if that is what he desires. Entering the violent drug trade and destroying the community in the process is Walt’s way of taking vengeance on the world in reaction to the slights he perceives it has dealt him, a perception he only harbors because he refuses to humble himself, grow as a person, and move on with his life. Marie’s observation that if all Walt truly cares about is his family and believes he will inevitably die from cancer then he should just kill himself is a brutal but valid point.
Walt rationalizes that he planned the detonation that killed Gus to only be large enough to take out three people, but he didn’t know it, just as he didn’t know that the car bomb he had planted wouldn’t kill innocent passersby he didn’t see in the parking garage, or that Brock wouldn’t die from the poison. Walt’s willingness to throw innocent lives away to protect himself is clearly illustrated in his request to his neighbor that she enter his house when he suspects a trap of some sort may be waiting inside.
I’ll grant you that the fact that certain characters who have died who were “in the game,” such a Mike, were aware of the risks involved is a relevant consideration, but I certainly don’t think that that exonerates Walt of their murders. In his role as a flawed but wise “elder,” Mike (probably my favorite character) laid the truth about Walt’s pride bare during their last meeting in the desert, and, once again, it was Walt’s refusal to accept that truth that motivated him to sin, carrying him one step further down the road of irredeemability.
Yeah, I asked the exact same thing of my GF, who was watching it with me, and she didn't know. I don't think it's known yet. The other thing I'm wondering is if it's recorded on an external hard drive rather than on Jesse's phone, which is extremely relevant in the event that Hank dies.Was that phone conversation between Jesse and Walt being recorded? The one where Jesse was saying he Walt's money and he was going to burn it.
If so, Walt openly admitted to 4 murders (the two gang members, Emilio, and Krazy 8 )
Things are already far from jolly and dandy in Breaking Bad. When considering it as a classical morality tale, it does make sense if Walt is killed, likely because of a direct effect of his own sinful action, but I wouldn't be surprised if the writers are anticipating fans to expect that (especially since Walt seems aware of his mistakes, such as keeping Glen's notes). I can't imagine Walt gets off in any way that his character would consider satisfactory in any case.PurpleKush1 said:Im curious, how do you think its gonna end for walt? I think he will get killed for some reeason. But a big part of me want him to get away with all this. Im tired of the ''bad guys'' always dying and everything is jollly and dandy in most movies and series
Was that phone conversation between Jesse and Walt being recorded? The one where Jesse was saying he Walt's money and he was going to burn it.
If so, Walt openly admitted to 4 murders (the two gang members, Emilio, and Krazy 8 )
But a big part of me want him to get away with all this. Im tired of the ''bad guys'' always dying and everything is jollly and dandy in most movies and series
^Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. That's why I think Walt gave himself up after getting angry after realizing his mistake and doing what he did to his phone. I'm not sure if they had a warrant or not, though. I'd think Hank would come with more than just Gomez to face the infamous Heisenberg if they had worked through official channels. The warrant to search the place would come after they showed evidence that Walt showed up in that exact location in the middle of the desert. I think Walt genuinely thought he could still turn Jesse back to his own side, or that Jesse hadn't done anything that would make killing him implicate himself in Jesse's potential murder.
Probably not, but i would love to see him get off and fly away to some no extradition country that would put such a Poker Face on all the people hoping the Bad guy dies/goes to jail.Yeah, I asked the exact same thing of my GF, who was watching it with me, and she didn't know. I don't think it's known yet. The other thing I'm wondering is if it's recorded on an external hard drive rather than on Jesse's phone, which is extremely relevant in the event that Hank dies.
Things are already far from jolly and dandy in Breaking Bad. When considering it as a classical morality tale, it does make sense if Walt is killed, likely because of a direct effect of his own sinful action, but I wouldn't be surprised if the writers are anticipating fans to expect that (especially since Walt seems aware of his mistakes, such as keeping Glen's notes). I can't imagine Walt gets off in any way that his character would consider satisfactory in any case.
I dont consider Omar as evil. He was robbing people that by a moral point of view werent innocent either. Omar was pretty much my favorite character on The wire. Marlo,Snoop and Avon too. Man i was so pissed off when they killed him off just like that. I wish i could forget evertyhing about the Wire and watch it again lol. By fay my favorite Show ever. Id take the Wire over BB any day.The immoral protagonists and sub-protagonists don't always die in series any more, at least not in this century. Some that come to mind are Marlo Stanfield from The Wire, Vic Mackey from The Shield, Ryan O'Reilly and Chris Keller from Oz, and (maybe) Tony Soprano. All immoral. All survivors.
I'm wondering where people think Walter White ranks on this list, in terms of evil. Like, if you had to rank them from most to least evil, where would they fall:
- Marlo Stanfield
- Omar Little
- Dexter Morgan
- Tony Soprano
- Vic Mackey
- Nicolas Brody
- Mark Antony
- Cesare Borgia
- Al Swearingen
- Walter White
- Chris Keller
- Ryan O'Reilly
- Vern Schillinger
.
Oh and why do you consider Dexter as that evil? I mean yes he is a serial killer but he almost never kills people who arent murderers themselves. Lol hes like walking Karma with a syringe and a sharp knife hahahah
Probably not, but i would love to see him get off and fly away to some no extradition country that would put such a Poker Face on all the people hoping the Bad guy dies/goes to jail.
I dont consider Omar as evil. He was robbing people that by a moral point of view werent innocent either. Omar was pretty much my favorite character on The wire. Marlo,Snoop and Avon too. Man i was so pissed off when they killed him off just like that. I wish i could forget evertyhing about the Wire and watch it again lol. By fay my favorite Show ever. Id take the Wire over BB any day.