Warning: There are massive spoilers for the show. Do not read if you haven't watched the show yet.
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Real Season 5b DVD box art.
Breaking Bad had quite an impressive run. Filmed in mid-2007 by little-known TV industry veteran Vince Gilligan, sitcom actor Bryan Cranston, and that guy who acted in that one Korn music video back in 2002, this black comic tale about a teacher who resorts to making meth with a delinquent ex-student of his has grown to be one of TV’s best dramas, showcasing actors and indie directors for what they were really worth. In the end, as Walt drifts away from his body at the end of “Felina,” Vince left many questions unanswered. Will Gretchen and Elliot do what Walt says or realize that his operation was a total sham? Where will Jesse go? Has Saul made his Cinnabon the best in Omaha? Do Badger and Skinny Pete ever sell their Star Trek spec script?
However, the real question that comes in my mind is, “What did Walt really mean to Skyler when he confessed to her that final time?” As a guy who’s watched quite a few episodes (and read about the full plot in detail), I know for a fact that Walt has a history of lying to Skyler. And his former colleagues. These lies usually come in pairs – you can’t tell Skyler that you have Albuquerque’s largest non-Madrigal meth operation and then talk about how you got into the prog rock industry with your ex-flame. There’s something very odd about Walt manipulating Gretchen and Elliot into laundering his money to Flynn and having him confess to Skyler that he made meth because it gave his ego fuzzy feelings. Given his prior patterns with lying, he wouldn’t deviate from the norm because of a six-month sabbatical in New Hampshire, nor would he change his entire modus operandi all because his son called him out on his emotional neglect. Walt’s managed to find another way around this. Just as how he found a way to send money to Flynn without making it clear that it’s from him, Walt would find a way to satisfy his and Skyler’s goals.
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Walt meditating at a horrible restaurant about his plan of action.
I am of the opinion that Walt did not confess to Skyler about why he entered the industry. Not only would it be out of character for him – having him make meth just to revel in his final two years of life completely violates any established motivations Walt has for entering the industry (subverting Gretchen and Elliot’s expectations; frustration with his over-qualification; trying to make a nest egg for his family) – it would also be too perfect for Walt to say that he made meth “for me.” Given that Vince is a standard dramatist, this could just be the case, but watching the prior episodes, he and the scriptwriters tend to hide something in them that completely changes the interpretation. Vince, in an effort to write a satisfying story, would not resort to having Walt state a dramatic cliché just to satisfy his duties to Skyler.
No, I believe Walt told his last lie to her in the “Felina” timeline. Vince wants you, the surrogate omniscient viewer, to believe that his last lie was the call that failed to erase Skyler’s involvement with his crimes at the tail end of “Ozymandias.” He wants you to believe that Walt will be truthful to her from now on. However, why would Walt want to support a family that vehemently believes that he killed Hank? Why would Walt want to support a family that has probably detailed to the agents-in-charge about how he’s been cold and distant for the past two years? Also, would they really get the money he forced the Schwartzes to take? To me, it makes more sense for Walt to give what Skyler wants – which is radically different than what happened.
Yeah, Walt had a massive pride problem – and that’s one of the reasons why he got into the drug business in the first place. He didn’t want his family to ride off the legacy of Elliot and Gretchen, who merely appropriated Walt’s work and called it their own. He wanted his family to not rely on stressing themselves out and forcing themselves into poverty when they died. His main intent throughout the series was “make my family financially secure by my hard work.” He was underpaid as a high school chemistry teacher AND car wash employee. When he did, his jobs then wouldn’t have made his family live somewhat comfortably – no benefits whatsoever. Simply having him state “I did this for me” is merely a slap in the face to his family – the family that refused to listen when he desperately tried to tell the truth about what happened with Hank and how he adamantly begged Jack to spare his life.
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Skyler's reaction to my proposition.
Don’t forget that he was willing to give up his goods to bring closure to Hank’s investigation. This is similar to what might have happened between Walt, Gretchen, and Elliot at Grey Matter – Walt was willing to give up something for the upstart company’s happiness, Gretchen and Elliot merely patent all his ideas as their own, and he wants nothing to do with them (thus one reason why he took the buyout). In the end, Walt views his family as crooked and uncompromising as his former business partners – thus he takes them down in one fell swoop. Implicate Gretchen and Elliot in his business by having his money and then say the equivalent of “you broke my heart” to Skyler.
But in that case, Walt’s character becomes utterly horrible. He’s willing to destroy his family just to inflate his pride. According to Vince, Walt experiences a slight redemption at the end. If my theory is to be believed, then him making Gretchen and Elliot give his dirty money to Flynn isn’t the redemption. To me, it’s when he saves Jesse. He does it for the same reasons – he realizes how much he’s destroyed Jesse’s life, both intentionally and unintentionally, and therefore decides to take a fatal bullet for his former student. To him, after severing ties with Skyler under the presumption of “telling the truth,” he saves the only person he truly cared about. Granted that he want to Jack’s compound solely to kill Jesse, but he knew deep down in his head that Jesse wouldn’t turn his back on him, get a massive amount of power from Jack, and supply Blue Sky all over the world. Jesse wanted to get out of the industry, Walt remembers, and so he wouldn’t go back into the industry behind his back. Walt knows that Jack betrayed him – he saw the neo-Nazi murder Hank in cold blood despite his desperate pleas. Also, even if Jesse made Blue Sky by his own free will, Walt wouldn’t run back to ABQ just to kill a former partner – too much of a risk. Why was Walt willing to take the risk to drive back to Albuquerque, start a nationwide manhunt, and take down the parties that shoved him aside for their own biases?
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Protip: it's not the badly-dressed guy on the right.
Simple: he came back to rescue Jesse. The report on the TV about Blue Sky being manufactured? This alerted Walt that Jesse was being forced by Jack to make his product. A freed Jesse wouldn’t do such a thing. Assuming that he would kind of makes Walt into an utter moron – assuming that a neo-Nazi would let Jesse have a share of the empire despite being put into slavery. Walt also most likely heard about Andrea’s death from the vacuum cleaner salesman – that should tell him that his former partner, the one that teamed up with Hank, was being beaten down by the neo-Nazis, not an equal business partner. Walt drives to Albuquerque, ties up the loose ends with the Schwartzes and his family, and plans an assault on Jack. When he gets there, he knows that Jack wouldn’t want to bring Jesse out in case if the guy made a mad dash for the exit, so he played with Jack. He made assumptions to Jack about Jesse’s role in the empire. Jack is insulted, so he takes out the bedraggled and emaciated Jesse to show Walt how “stupid” he is. Walt starts the trunk turret and immediately shields Jesse from the torrent. If Walt hated Jesse with every fiber of his being, he would’ve let Jesse die in the torrent.
So, why does he want Jesse to kill him? Walt knows how much he fucked up Jesse’s life and, realizing that he’s not only dying but has done enough damage for a lifetime, wants Jesse to take out his anger on him. Walt is willing to sacrifice himself for Jesse’s happiness. Jesse, knowing that Walt’s bleeding, hands the gun back, asks Walt to do the deed himself, and drives off into the night.
That’s my fan theory in a nutshell. Rather than dwell on the official “Walt loves meth 5evr” explanation Vince gives out, I feel that it plays around with Walt’s fragile character and still manages to redeem the guy in a sense. As with all fan theories, it’s merely just one big wild guess, but I hope it gives you a new take on things during your second or third or fourth binge-watch of the show.
Real Season 5b DVD box art.
Breaking Bad had quite an impressive run. Filmed in mid-2007 by little-known TV industry veteran Vince Gilligan, sitcom actor Bryan Cranston, and that guy who acted in that one Korn music video back in 2002, this black comic tale about a teacher who resorts to making meth with a delinquent ex-student of his has grown to be one of TV’s best dramas, showcasing actors and indie directors for what they were really worth. In the end, as Walt drifts away from his body at the end of “Felina,” Vince left many questions unanswered. Will Gretchen and Elliot do what Walt says or realize that his operation was a total sham? Where will Jesse go? Has Saul made his Cinnabon the best in Omaha? Do Badger and Skinny Pete ever sell their Star Trek spec script?
However, the real question that comes in my mind is, “What did Walt really mean to Skyler when he confessed to her that final time?” As a guy who’s watched quite a few episodes (and read about the full plot in detail), I know for a fact that Walt has a history of lying to Skyler. And his former colleagues. These lies usually come in pairs – you can’t tell Skyler that you have Albuquerque’s largest non-Madrigal meth operation and then talk about how you got into the prog rock industry with your ex-flame. There’s something very odd about Walt manipulating Gretchen and Elliot into laundering his money to Flynn and having him confess to Skyler that he made meth because it gave his ego fuzzy feelings. Given his prior patterns with lying, he wouldn’t deviate from the norm because of a six-month sabbatical in New Hampshire, nor would he change his entire modus operandi all because his son called him out on his emotional neglect. Walt’s managed to find another way around this. Just as how he found a way to send money to Flynn without making it clear that it’s from him, Walt would find a way to satisfy his and Skyler’s goals.
Walt meditating at a horrible restaurant about his plan of action.
I am of the opinion that Walt did not confess to Skyler about why he entered the industry. Not only would it be out of character for him – having him make meth just to revel in his final two years of life completely violates any established motivations Walt has for entering the industry (subverting Gretchen and Elliot’s expectations; frustration with his over-qualification; trying to make a nest egg for his family) – it would also be too perfect for Walt to say that he made meth “for me.” Given that Vince is a standard dramatist, this could just be the case, but watching the prior episodes, he and the scriptwriters tend to hide something in them that completely changes the interpretation. Vince, in an effort to write a satisfying story, would not resort to having Walt state a dramatic cliché just to satisfy his duties to Skyler.
No, I believe Walt told his last lie to her in the “Felina” timeline. Vince wants you, the surrogate omniscient viewer, to believe that his last lie was the call that failed to erase Skyler’s involvement with his crimes at the tail end of “Ozymandias.” He wants you to believe that Walt will be truthful to her from now on. However, why would Walt want to support a family that vehemently believes that he killed Hank? Why would Walt want to support a family that has probably detailed to the agents-in-charge about how he’s been cold and distant for the past two years? Also, would they really get the money he forced the Schwartzes to take? To me, it makes more sense for Walt to give what Skyler wants – which is radically different than what happened.
Yeah, Walt had a massive pride problem – and that’s one of the reasons why he got into the drug business in the first place. He didn’t want his family to ride off the legacy of Elliot and Gretchen, who merely appropriated Walt’s work and called it their own. He wanted his family to not rely on stressing themselves out and forcing themselves into poverty when they died. His main intent throughout the series was “make my family financially secure by my hard work.” He was underpaid as a high school chemistry teacher AND car wash employee. When he did, his jobs then wouldn’t have made his family live somewhat comfortably – no benefits whatsoever. Simply having him state “I did this for me” is merely a slap in the face to his family – the family that refused to listen when he desperately tried to tell the truth about what happened with Hank and how he adamantly begged Jack to spare his life.
Skyler's reaction to my proposition.
Don’t forget that he was willing to give up his goods to bring closure to Hank’s investigation. This is similar to what might have happened between Walt, Gretchen, and Elliot at Grey Matter – Walt was willing to give up something for the upstart company’s happiness, Gretchen and Elliot merely patent all his ideas as their own, and he wants nothing to do with them (thus one reason why he took the buyout). In the end, Walt views his family as crooked and uncompromising as his former business partners – thus he takes them down in one fell swoop. Implicate Gretchen and Elliot in his business by having his money and then say the equivalent of “you broke my heart” to Skyler.
But in that case, Walt’s character becomes utterly horrible. He’s willing to destroy his family just to inflate his pride. According to Vince, Walt experiences a slight redemption at the end. If my theory is to be believed, then him making Gretchen and Elliot give his dirty money to Flynn isn’t the redemption. To me, it’s when he saves Jesse. He does it for the same reasons – he realizes how much he’s destroyed Jesse’s life, both intentionally and unintentionally, and therefore decides to take a fatal bullet for his former student. To him, after severing ties with Skyler under the presumption of “telling the truth,” he saves the only person he truly cared about. Granted that he want to Jack’s compound solely to kill Jesse, but he knew deep down in his head that Jesse wouldn’t turn his back on him, get a massive amount of power from Jack, and supply Blue Sky all over the world. Jesse wanted to get out of the industry, Walt remembers, and so he wouldn’t go back into the industry behind his back. Walt knows that Jack betrayed him – he saw the neo-Nazi murder Hank in cold blood despite his desperate pleas. Also, even if Jesse made Blue Sky by his own free will, Walt wouldn’t run back to ABQ just to kill a former partner – too much of a risk. Why was Walt willing to take the risk to drive back to Albuquerque, start a nationwide manhunt, and take down the parties that shoved him aside for their own biases?
Protip: it's not the badly-dressed guy on the right.
Simple: he came back to rescue Jesse. The report on the TV about Blue Sky being manufactured? This alerted Walt that Jesse was being forced by Jack to make his product. A freed Jesse wouldn’t do such a thing. Assuming that he would kind of makes Walt into an utter moron – assuming that a neo-Nazi would let Jesse have a share of the empire despite being put into slavery. Walt also most likely heard about Andrea’s death from the vacuum cleaner salesman – that should tell him that his former partner, the one that teamed up with Hank, was being beaten down by the neo-Nazis, not an equal business partner. Walt drives to Albuquerque, ties up the loose ends with the Schwartzes and his family, and plans an assault on Jack. When he gets there, he knows that Jack wouldn’t want to bring Jesse out in case if the guy made a mad dash for the exit, so he played with Jack. He made assumptions to Jack about Jesse’s role in the empire. Jack is insulted, so he takes out the bedraggled and emaciated Jesse to show Walt how “stupid” he is. Walt starts the trunk turret and immediately shields Jesse from the torrent. If Walt hated Jesse with every fiber of his being, he would’ve let Jesse die in the torrent.
So, why does he want Jesse to kill him? Walt knows how much he fucked up Jesse’s life and, realizing that he’s not only dying but has done enough damage for a lifetime, wants Jesse to take out his anger on him. Walt is willing to sacrifice himself for Jesse’s happiness. Jesse, knowing that Walt’s bleeding, hands the gun back, asks Walt to do the deed himself, and drives off into the night.
That’s my fan theory in a nutshell. Rather than dwell on the official “Walt loves meth 5evr” explanation Vince gives out, I feel that it plays around with Walt’s fragile character and still manages to redeem the guy in a sense. As with all fan theories, it’s merely just one big wild guess, but I hope it gives you a new take on things during your second or third or fourth binge-watch of the show.