[breaking bad] meta | "Live Free or Die"
Less than twenty four hours have passed since I sat through the premiere, Live Free or Die. I could re-cap the almost slapstick shenanigans, the cold, calculating one-liners, the science, the scenery, the script, but I figure, what would be the point? Anyone who’s interested has no doubt watched it by now, and probably more than once!
Instead, I thought I’d try my hand at some post-episode meta based on [perhaps my own skewed interpretation of] how Walter White’s spiral to underworld kingpin has seen him stripped of almost ALL his redeeming qualities; and yet I still root for him to succeed more than I can remember rooting for any other fictional character in a long time ever.
Vince Gilligan is brave. He has fashioned his entire creation around the premise of, quite literally, watching a person ‘break bad’ in the most complete of ways. There will be no redemption arc for Walter White; this show is not about that. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s about the COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF THAT.
And that’s the heart of the challenge for those watching this show: How long can you keep rooting for someone so completely unrootable? At what point do your own morals say, ‘enough is enough’? And if/once you reach that point, is it still possible to enjoy the show for what it is? I’m not there yet, not even close, so I’ll have to get back to you on that one; though, if I were to hazard a guess, the answer would still be a giant HELL YES!
It’s also the challenge for those writing it. How can you turn your protagonist completely evil and still have him be the protagonist? Most shows wouldn’t dare. And the ones that try invariably fail spectacularly [I have a small pool to compare with, but TVD I’m looking at you...].
Since the episode aired I’ve been reading reaction posts like it’s my JOB [sidenote: I’m actually at work at the moment, typing this... so... oops?!], and one of the recurring themes I keep reading is, ‘when are they going to make Walt nicer/better/less evil again?’ and my [thoroughly confused] response is an adamant, HOW ABOUT NEVER? I mean, WHY?? What would be the point? What could possibly be achieved? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it could be done. Some timely tears, a gallant declaration to Skyler, the reveal that his lung cancer has metastasised to his frontal lobe and that has caused his behaviour. I’m sure there is any number of [unoriginal] storylines Vince et al. could employ here. But, again... WHY?
Am I alone with this opinion? This intense need for Walt’s destruction to continue? For him to hit a moral rock bottom [if he’s not already there] and then continue to plummet right on through...? FOR HIS DEMISE TO BE THE POINT! Because, yeesh, HOW REFRESHING IS THAT AS A STORY-TELLING CONCEPT?!
Now, let’s examine some specific scenes from the premiere:
Cue: Walt Junior banging on about his uncle’s exploits and how great he is and how famous he’s going to be and how he was “right all along” about Gus. Walt’s cold non-reaction to his son’s obvious excitement and pride was an almost tangible entity in that room. Above all else [? - it may have started out as being about ‘family’, but, in my opinion, Walt has firmly moved into ‘ego’ territory] Walt wants recognition. And maybe he’s actually wanted this all along. We don’t know much about the grad-school betrayal that led to the development of ‘Grey Matter’ sans Walter, but we do know it’s a sticking point for him, as evidenced by his confrontation with Gretchen. To everyone that SHOULD matter MOST to him, Walt has always been the underachieving high school chemistry teacher. At the beginning of season one he became the underachieving high school chemistry teacher WITH TERMINAL CANCER. Another perceived failure.
Walter Junior is constantly proclaiming the exploits of his uncle Hank. Hank himself never lets an opportunity pass where he might deliver a stinging barb about Walt’s brain/intelligence, his job or his interests.
Walter, as Heisenberg, finally gets the respect and recognition that Walter, as Mr. White, never received but always craved and always believed he deserved.
And therein lies what I see being this season’s Big Bad. It won’t be a specific antagonist [though I’m sure we’ll get plenty of those], it won’t be incriminating evidence that Hank may or may not turn up, it won’t be Mike, it won’t be Ted. This season’s Big Bad will be Walt’s own ballooning ego, because ‘Heisenberg’ may be on his way to becoming ‘legend’, but he is also [and must ostensibly remain] a secret... It’s those that are IN on the secret [Jesse/Mike/Saul/Skyler] that Walt will need to constantly seek validation from. And when he inevitably doesn’t get it, he’ll need to look elsewhere. And the risks will need to increase...
It’s a double edged sword.
Skyler [paraphrased]: “OMG, what happened?”
Walt: “I won”
[note: not, “it’s okay, we’re safe now, no one will hurt you” said in a reassuring manner but a cold, calculated statement of perceived FACT. “I won.”]
Mike [paraphrased]: “Why should we trust that the job was done right?”
Walt: “Because I said so...”
Saul [paraphrased]: “We’re done here...”
Walt: “We’re done when I say we’re done...”
And, perhaps most chilling of all, Skyler [paraphrased]: “Ted promised he won’t talk...”
Walt: “I forgive you.”
Three words delivered in a manner that could not have been more incongruous with their surface meaning if they’d tried. Walt’s choice of words was telling; he probably DOES forgive Skyler. But, as a viewer, it’s not about that, it’s about the fact that he feels she NEEDS TO BE FORGIVEN to start with. That HE remains the only victim here. The mind boggles in the best kind of way when trying to pick apart what’s going on in Walt’s head at the moment. And, on top of all of that, the undertones of power and control and manipulation laced through those three words [perhaps unintentional, which, in my opinion, only serves to make them COLDER] were jaw-dropping. I could honestly buy that Walt was completely oblivious to his demeanour in that final scene; that it wasn’t a cold and calculated attempt to terrify Skyler. I think Walt genuinely believes he is in a position to wield forgiveness from a ‘you have wronged me, but I am better than you and so I forgive you’ perspective. His complete lack of insight and his utterly ego driven perspective in those episode-bracketing scenes with Skyler is what made them so effective for me.
Walter needs his relationship with Skyler and the kids to continue because it is his own personal justification for what he has done/will do. The only thing is, he’s so far beyond being able to view this relationship in a rational light. I’ve heard people say that the deaths of Skyler/Walter Junior/Holly would be a perfect ending to this series, because it would be the ultimate failure for Walt [and we can probably all agree he’s headed for failure of some kind...]. I disagree however that this is the way to get to it. I think Skyler taking the kids and leaving him, and I mean completely and utterly up and going and never looking back style, would be the ultimate end; the ultimate insult. If they’re going to kill anyone and have it truly mean something to Walt now, I think it would have to be Jesse...
Which brings me neatly to... Walt’s relationship with Jesse and how it differs from his relationship with Walter Junior. Jesse is the son Walt wishes he had. No, that’s not quite right. Jesse exhibits a slew of characteristics that Walt craves; that he covets above almost all else. Adulation, belief, trust, admiration, reliance [I’m sure I’m missing some!]. No matter WHAT Walt does in general/does to Jesse specifically, Jesse repeatedly puts all this faith in Walt. Jesse admires his intellect. Jesse [albeit naively] trusts him to save the day, to save HIM. And the relationship is reciprocated in [**perceived] kind because, without Walt, who else does Jesse have right now?
[**perceived because I think Jesse has a completely flawed view of what is really going on with regard to his relationship with ‘Mr. White’!]
And I don’t think we can blame Jesse for his naivety, at least, not completely. After all, he is genuinely in the dark about much of the role Walt has played in his current circumstances. He doesn’t know about Jane [and the tangentially related plane crash], he doesn’t know about Brock. All he DOES know is that Walt has saved his life more times than he can count, his knowledge has got them out of many tight situations, he has seen Walt put his trust in him [something that so very few have done in the past], even if he hasn’t realised that Walt’s trust is little more than a smoke screened illusion. The fact that Jesse would not be in this situation if it weren’t for Walt seems to have, for the most part, escaped him. However, conversely, the same can pretty much be said for Walt...
Jesse THINKS he needs Walt has much as Walt ACTUALLY DOES need Jesse.
And that, as a relationship dichotomy, is something I find ENDLESSLY FASCINATING!
So, in closing, do I want/need a redemption arc for Walt? NO! Do I think we’ll get one? I SINCERELY HOPE NOT! Is this the best television show/character arc to ever hit my television screen? HELL YES!
Instead, I thought I’d try my hand at some post-episode meta based on [perhaps my own skewed interpretation of] how Walter White’s spiral to underworld kingpin has seen him stripped of almost ALL his redeeming qualities; and yet I still root for him to succeed more than I can remember rooting for any other fictional character in a long time ever.
Vince Gilligan is brave. He has fashioned his entire creation around the premise of, quite literally, watching a person ‘break bad’ in the most complete of ways. There will be no redemption arc for Walter White; this show is not about that. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s about the COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF THAT.
And that’s the heart of the challenge for those watching this show: How long can you keep rooting for someone so completely unrootable? At what point do your own morals say, ‘enough is enough’? And if/once you reach that point, is it still possible to enjoy the show for what it is? I’m not there yet, not even close, so I’ll have to get back to you on that one; though, if I were to hazard a guess, the answer would still be a giant HELL YES!
It’s also the challenge for those writing it. How can you turn your protagonist completely evil and still have him be the protagonist? Most shows wouldn’t dare. And the ones that try invariably fail spectacularly [I have a small pool to compare with, but TVD I’m looking at you...].
Since the episode aired I’ve been reading reaction posts like it’s my JOB [sidenote: I’m actually at work at the moment, typing this... so... oops?!], and one of the recurring themes I keep reading is, ‘when are they going to make Walt nicer/better/less evil again?’ and my [thoroughly confused] response is an adamant, HOW ABOUT NEVER? I mean, WHY?? What would be the point? What could possibly be achieved? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it could be done. Some timely tears, a gallant declaration to Skyler, the reveal that his lung cancer has metastasised to his frontal lobe and that has caused his behaviour. I’m sure there is any number of [unoriginal] storylines Vince et al. could employ here. But, again... WHY?
Am I alone with this opinion? This intense need for Walt’s destruction to continue? For him to hit a moral rock bottom [if he’s not already there] and then continue to plummet right on through...? FOR HIS DEMISE TO BE THE POINT! Because, yeesh, HOW REFRESHING IS THAT AS A STORY-TELLING CONCEPT?!
Now, let’s examine some specific scenes from the premiere:
Cue: Walt Junior banging on about his uncle’s exploits and how great he is and how famous he’s going to be and how he was “right all along” about Gus. Walt’s cold non-reaction to his son’s obvious excitement and pride was an almost tangible entity in that room. Above all else [? - it may have started out as being about ‘family’, but, in my opinion, Walt has firmly moved into ‘ego’ territory] Walt wants recognition. And maybe he’s actually wanted this all along. We don’t know much about the grad-school betrayal that led to the development of ‘Grey Matter’ sans Walter, but we do know it’s a sticking point for him, as evidenced by his confrontation with Gretchen. To everyone that SHOULD matter MOST to him, Walt has always been the underachieving high school chemistry teacher. At the beginning of season one he became the underachieving high school chemistry teacher WITH TERMINAL CANCER. Another perceived failure.
Walter Junior is constantly proclaiming the exploits of his uncle Hank. Hank himself never lets an opportunity pass where he might deliver a stinging barb about Walt’s brain/intelligence, his job or his interests.
Walter, as Heisenberg, finally gets the respect and recognition that Walter, as Mr. White, never received but always craved and always believed he deserved.
And therein lies what I see being this season’s Big Bad. It won’t be a specific antagonist [though I’m sure we’ll get plenty of those], it won’t be incriminating evidence that Hank may or may not turn up, it won’t be Mike, it won’t be Ted. This season’s Big Bad will be Walt’s own ballooning ego, because ‘Heisenberg’ may be on his way to becoming ‘legend’, but he is also [and must ostensibly remain] a secret... It’s those that are IN on the secret [Jesse/Mike/Saul/Skyler] that Walt will need to constantly seek validation from. And when he inevitably doesn’t get it, he’ll need to look elsewhere. And the risks will need to increase...
It’s a double edged sword.
Skyler [paraphrased]: “OMG, what happened?”
Walt: “I won”
[note: not, “it’s okay, we’re safe now, no one will hurt you” said in a reassuring manner but a cold, calculated statement of perceived FACT. “I won.”]
Mike [paraphrased]: “Why should we trust that the job was done right?”
Walt: “Because I said so...”
Saul [paraphrased]: “We’re done here...”
Walt: “We’re done when I say we’re done...”
And, perhaps most chilling of all, Skyler [paraphrased]: “Ted promised he won’t talk...”
Walt: “I forgive you.”
Three words delivered in a manner that could not have been more incongruous with their surface meaning if they’d tried. Walt’s choice of words was telling; he probably DOES forgive Skyler. But, as a viewer, it’s not about that, it’s about the fact that he feels she NEEDS TO BE FORGIVEN to start with. That HE remains the only victim here. The mind boggles in the best kind of way when trying to pick apart what’s going on in Walt’s head at the moment. And, on top of all of that, the undertones of power and control and manipulation laced through those three words [perhaps unintentional, which, in my opinion, only serves to make them COLDER] were jaw-dropping. I could honestly buy that Walt was completely oblivious to his demeanour in that final scene; that it wasn’t a cold and calculated attempt to terrify Skyler. I think Walt genuinely believes he is in a position to wield forgiveness from a ‘you have wronged me, but I am better than you and so I forgive you’ perspective. His complete lack of insight and his utterly ego driven perspective in those episode-bracketing scenes with Skyler is what made them so effective for me.
Walter needs his relationship with Skyler and the kids to continue because it is his own personal justification for what he has done/will do. The only thing is, he’s so far beyond being able to view this relationship in a rational light. I’ve heard people say that the deaths of Skyler/Walter Junior/Holly would be a perfect ending to this series, because it would be the ultimate failure for Walt [and we can probably all agree he’s headed for failure of some kind...]. I disagree however that this is the way to get to it. I think Skyler taking the kids and leaving him, and I mean completely and utterly up and going and never looking back style, would be the ultimate end; the ultimate insult. If they’re going to kill anyone and have it truly mean something to Walt now, I think it would have to be Jesse...
Which brings me neatly to... Walt’s relationship with Jesse and how it differs from his relationship with Walter Junior. Jesse is the son Walt wishes he had. No, that’s not quite right. Jesse exhibits a slew of characteristics that Walt craves; that he covets above almost all else. Adulation, belief, trust, admiration, reliance [I’m sure I’m missing some!]. No matter WHAT Walt does in general/does to Jesse specifically, Jesse repeatedly puts all this faith in Walt. Jesse admires his intellect. Jesse [albeit naively] trusts him to save the day, to save HIM. And the relationship is reciprocated in [**perceived] kind because, without Walt, who else does Jesse have right now?
[**perceived because I think Jesse has a completely flawed view of what is really going on with regard to his relationship with ‘Mr. White’!]
And I don’t think we can blame Jesse for his naivety, at least, not completely. After all, he is genuinely in the dark about much of the role Walt has played in his current circumstances. He doesn’t know about Jane [and the tangentially related plane crash], he doesn’t know about Brock. All he DOES know is that Walt has saved his life more times than he can count, his knowledge has got them out of many tight situations, he has seen Walt put his trust in him [something that so very few have done in the past], even if he hasn’t realised that Walt’s trust is little more than a smoke screened illusion. The fact that Jesse would not be in this situation if it weren’t for Walt seems to have, for the most part, escaped him. However, conversely, the same can pretty much be said for Walt...
Jesse THINKS he needs Walt has much as Walt ACTUALLY DOES need Jesse.
And that, as a relationship dichotomy, is something I find ENDLESSLY FASCINATING!
So, in closing, do I want/need a redemption arc for Walt? NO! Do I think we’ll get one? I SINCERELY HOPE NOT! Is this the best television show/character arc to ever hit my television screen? HELL YES!