Breaking Bad: Over
By fred | May 11, 2009
(S02E10) During most of last episode, Walt was certain of one thing : he only had a few more weeks ahead of him. With that in mind he cooked enough to ensure his family would be taken care of, and then came the shocking revelation of his condition, and Walter realized that it wasn’t good news. Time is something Walter had given up on, and for the very little he had left, he knew how to use it.
From the beginning Walter decided to go into the journey filled with drugs and murders out of “obligation,” he thought he had no choice if he wanted to provide for his family. Something happened along the way that he probably didn’t plan or even thought could be possible, not to him. Walter is no junkie, he cooks but never uses, addiction wasn’t a questions.
And yet, he’s an addict.
Not of his product, of course, but of what the “job” requires him to do. The news that he had more time was devastating to him, he didn’t want to hear it, and the reason is that Walter never felt alive as much as when he was doing bad things, when he was threatening others and acting tough, when he was cooking meth, when he was not a high-school teacher, when he wasn’t Walter, but Heisenberg.
That is his addiction. At first he decided to do some work at his house, because it was clearly required. But then it became a way out, a way to let out his need for action, for control, a way to calm himself as he had all those work to do. I’m not so sure there really was rot or fungus or anything, not past the obvious, but Walter needed it.
He needed an excuse, to still have something to do, something more exciting than teaching stupid high-school kids things that are boring to him. But alas, it never reached the level of what his other life could offer. Walter loves to use his knowledge of chemistry to the maximum and cook meth, and when he saw a clearly less talented guy buying for the same purpose he himself mastered, he couldn’t resist.
This moment, when facing that giant drug dealer, Walter threatened him, telling him not to came on his territory, Walter loved it. It’s the same thrill he had blowing up cars and places of people who get in his way or showed him disrespect. At home, people are celebrating his cancer’s remission and praising how well he handled things, and he can’t stand that.
He apologized after the mess during the party, claiming it wasn’t him, but it was. It was who he’s becoming, who he’s turning into and who he’s addicted to. He’s already forgotten about all the lies he’s been telling and how they hurt the ones he loves, or that he told Jesse he would retire once they sold all they cooked, Walter can’t quit anymore. And if Jesse had no problem with Walter getting out, probably because he himself wouldn’t mind a less risky situation, and they’ll have more than enough money to see things coming, Walter won’t be as understanding, and he won’t let Jesse quit until he said so.
But as the opening sequence reminded us, something terrible is going to happen, because of Walter and his new addiction, because he can’t stop and go back to a normal life. By the end of the episode, I wondered if those two guys we saw could be in the body bags from the beginning, that somehow Walter brought the fight into his home. But wouldn’t that be cheating a little, kill two unknown?
I can’t help but feel that the most shocking turn of events of all, what I first thought when I saw those two corpses lying there, would be that they are no other than Skyler and Walter Junior. Walter is going out of control, and we know the Cartel is already pissed, so maybe they’ll go after his family. I can’t see either Walt or Jesse going down, we need them for the third season, but what if Walter was to loose everything he has, and the very reason he was doing all of this?
As for Jesse, I’ll first say I loved to see him quote the infamous “This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs.” commercial bit while cooking eggs, that’s just funny. And while his relationship with Jane was still interesting and well done, it seems to be setting up as well for later. The end of the season is only a few episodes away, and we know that it will end with an bang, one that was long planned, and that is likely to send Walter & Jesse back all the way down. Things never stay too good for very long, not in this business, not for them.
What did everybody else think?
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Breaking Bad
