Breaking Bad Season 2 (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

The other killings are more in-line with self-defense (killed or be killed) in the moment. Letting Jane die is more about protecting all the other cover-ups and lies Walt has had to do while perusing a life of crime to raise quick cash due to his supposedly "terminal" condition.

 

[MarkMel]

I don't think we're supposed to root for Walt. Just enjoy watching the ride as he breaks bad.

The only reason I don't want him to get caught is that I like the show as it is.

 

[Raasean Asaad]

I "root" for Walt as a guy who caught some tough breaks and "Fell Down". But he is a multiple offender of Felony Murder. Letting Jane die is just another one.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Were they murders, or killings? There is a difference in terms of premeditation.

 

[Raasean Asaad]

In most states a death that occurs during the commission of another felony is automatically Felony Murder. That's why most thugs these days will kill everyone if anybody dies, they're already on the hook for the murder charges.

Jane's and everyone else's deaths would have fallen under these provisions.

 

[ScottH]

Would Jane's though? Walt was just there (initially) to help a friend. I don't think the drugs even came from his cooking, did they? If anything, is that criminal negligence?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Sigh, again, not really after the law's version of murder when someone dies while committing felonies, more about premeditation on Walt's part. Just about everything Walt and Jesse do these days are felonies.

For me, the appeal of the show used to be: where exactly are Walt's limits are in terms of what what he is willing to do to keep from being caught and his family's future safe, and, well, we now know. At some point you wonder if he'll ever just go straight after coming to grips with his sins, or would his paranoia of having to be alert at all times be his undoing? At some point, if the lead characters are simply bad human beings just looking for quick drug scores to eek out their continued existence, where is the hook to keep my viewership level up?

I suppose this show is looking at the age-old question: do the ends always justify the means? In the beginning, Walt tried to set up his family financially after his passing, now, he is screwed (due to his cancer's remission status), and it turns out that he's fairly ruthless in justifying his own evil ways for the ends (keeping his family's future viable). As I shift from hoping for the ingenuous weekly writing exercise of how to get Walt out of a sticky situation, I'm now rooting for as much pain and sorrow to befell him, unfortunately it means possibly his family will be collateral damage from Walt's past transgressions as they keep the show limping along. Not sure if I'll return for its next season, just glad this season's finale is on this Sunday, just to be able to give the season a thorough examination of the destruction of Walt's conscience in service to his renewed survival instinct.

 

[Raasean Asaad]

I tell myself that if I were Walt, I would get out but then I think that 600K+ isn't really a lot of money when you have a chronic illness and I would probably get greedy. I would try to hook up something with Gus though...

And I'm sure thats when I would get caught

 

[MarkMel]

It's not about the money anymore. Walt's old life was boring and he had no control over it. His new life is exciting and he (mostly) controls his destiny. After the excitement, going back to the old life is painful.

Of course this has all been said before.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

I agree with Patrick's thoughts. The show is going to really have to pull a rabbit out of its hat to bring us back on side with Walt. It was a risk taking moment but it is likely to be an end point for many viewers.

Remember Walt is accidentally responsible for the girl's death as he caused her to move from her side to her back.

 

[MarkMel]

See, I don't need to be on Walt's side to enjoy watching him. This is just a generalization but, I think this is why I like movies from the UK. In the USA everything needs to have the happy ending. In the UK movies I've seen this is not the case.

I've even read about when studios do a test screening and a director bucks the trend and ends on a non-happy note, the movies test poorly. And when they re-edit with the happy ending, the movie tests a lot better.

However, in life it's never black and white. Everyone has gray in them. Some are darker gray than others though.

 

[ScottH]

I agree. I watched every episode of 'The Shield' and hated Vic Mackey since the pilot when he shot a cop in cold blood. But I still enjoyed watching him for seven seasons. Now I realize this is a little different because Walt was perceived to be a "good guy" from the pilot, but as I stated in another post, I think the writers have done a brilliant job of very slowly and gradually migrating him to the dark side. In fact, now that I've had time to think about it even more, I'm even more convinced that it was a very realistic reaction by Walt.

 

[Steve Berger]

Of all the scenarios that could lead up to the swimming pool scenes, that was one that I never anticipated.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Ah-ha, laughing at Walt, felt good at the end when Skylar busted him.

 

[Patrick Sun]

An interview with Vince Gilligan, to be read after watching the final episode of this season:

Breaking Bad: Vince Gilligan season two finale interview - NJ.com

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Unfortunately Walt will never know he was the catalyst that led to that final scene.

 

[ScottH]

He was a catalyst, certainly not the catalyst.

I just finished watching the finale. I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole plane crash thing. Seemed way out there. That interview was interesting though and cleared some things up.

 

[Joe_H]

I'm a little annoyed actually that they built up that crash for so long and then it was something out of the middle of nowhere that caused it. As soon as I saw that her father was an air traffic controller, I knew that it it was a plane crash. That being said, it was absolutely ridiculous, even if Walt had something to do with why it happened. Other than that though, I thought it was a great finale.

Edit: And especially more ridiculous since as mentioned in the interview the pink bear is shown in an episode before, as well as in Jesse's garage in one of the webisodes.

 

[MarkMel]

I would've never guessed the plane crash. I knew once I saw the NTSB truck. Great show, weird season finale.

I like that he got busted. Maybe in season 3 she'll come around when he tells her where the money comes from ala Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas.

"I'm going shopping, give me some money." "How much?" She holds her fingers 2 inches apart.

I did like that they brought the cleaner in but I kept asking why they didn't just move her next door to her own apt?

 

[TravisR]

Same here. Once they showed Jane's father working at air traffic control and Skyler said that Marie would bring Walt Jr. home, I thought plane wreckage was going kill them (since there was two body bags in the drive way) making Walt inadvertantly responsible for the death of his own son and sister in law.