We assume the rift is because Walt felt they made a multi-million dollar corporation off his work and didn't give him a cut. It is still spiteful to refuse their charity when you need it and start cooking and dealing meth instead.

Not if he interpreted it as an even bigger F*** YOU just to rub a little extra salt in the wound, which it still very well may have been. I agree that it's unlikely, but still not yet impossible.

My memory on the finer points of season 1 and 2 is a little fuzzy, but iirc this was the turning point of the entire series for me. He had gotten a taste of the power he could get by cooking meth and he liked it. For the 1st time in his life he was in control and he was unwilling to give that up so easily. Especially to a guy who apparently took control of a company he was largely responsible for getting off the ground, and stole the women he was in love with. This was the 1st time we saw the aggressive, consequences be damned Walt that seems to control his actions more and more every week.

I mean obviously it still comes down to pride, but in a much different sense, and in one that I’m sure many can relate to - not just violent sociopaths.

If Walt refused the money, but didn't start cooking meth, his ‘pride’ would be seen as admirable, and not as something negative. It’s funny how a single word can take on two completely opposite connotations given differing circumstances.

AAAARRRRRGHHH I have almost made this post several times but decided nah, I'm being too nitty, but now I'm on full blown tilt.

IT'S SKYLER

SKYLER
SKYLER
SKYLER
SKYLER
SKYLER
SKYLER

SKYL EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE R

JFC "Skylar" sounds like a goddam NASA satellite from a JJ Abrams movie.

Sheesh! Okay I'm off tilt. Now I can go back and actually read the thread.

Awesome episode, btw. Really awesome.

One more thing to take into consideration when analyzing SkylEr's behavior at the end of the episode. Before she walked out of the bedroom and faced Walt and his giant bag o' money, she was sitting on the bed in her hot black dress and formidable cleavage. She was planning on banging Ted anyway. Her infidelity was not a direct result of Walt's confession. It was a result of Walt moving back in and forcing himself upon the family.

She made up her mind to sleep with the first guy who would have her (didn't matter that he was also a crook -- her concern wasn't to find someone more or less moral than Walt; it was to find a willing dick), so Ted was that guy -- and she was going to do it that day.

When she came out and saw the money and heard Walt's confession and plea, who knows what exactly went through her mind, but she obviously went forward with the decision she'd already made. No chick wears a knockout dress like that to work without ulterior motives.

Whether that gives you more or less sympathy for Skyler is up to you, but let's not pretend she made a rash decision after finding out he had half a million bucks saved up for her and her kids.

I get the whole "Skylar's not the bad guy!" thing. I really do.

But this relationship clearly ended a long time ago, and it had nothing to do with Walt's actions, and all to do with Skylar getting bored and needing a new ****.

She just so happened to uncover some convenient justification for her own upcoming indiscretions.

Let's be real here.

I discussed this with friends last season, and we decided that the most likely cause was Walt and Gretchen had a relationship and he left the company when the relationship finished, we speculated a few reasons for him leaving, most likely was him doing 'the right thing'. (All pre-Skyler - he met her while working for the company)

Yes we probably way over thought it.

good post. let's not forget that cooking meth wasn't all about providing for his family. It was a large part of it, for sure, but he soon discovered it also served as catharsis for a meekly led life (losing the girl, losing the business, never getting back up off the mat and settling for teaching HS, taking Skylar's ****, etc etc).

ETA: shemp is basically right. Walt is a sociopath

LOL!

Right. Walt became the bad guy. He had no excuse for the things he's done. Walt is a textbook sociopath. He rationalizes what he's done to Skylar to try to get his old life back, but he knows what he's done and can live with that very easily. I don't know why he's pretending he isn't the bad guy to himself, but for our sake, let's hope Ted plowing his wife unleashes it.

I don't get why we can't hate Skylar and love Walt, regardless of who is in the wrong and who is in the right.

I used to fall back on this argument when I was all for Team Skylar until I realized that the same set of ancillary benefits could be argued for ANY profession.

Doesn't change his initial and dominating intentions one bit.

Skylar.

ldo, always deny things with the death...women will always doubt themselves until you admit it

don't completely agree with PJ's take on Skyler in the outfit, as we had seen her dress provocatively before. It's safe to say she had been toeing the line for a long time. I think it's fair to say Walt's little confession may have been the tipping point.

also i'm on board with JP's skylar tilt, even though he's incorrect in that skylar is a common spelling of the name. It's spelled Skyler in this instance.

edit: lol, self pwn a few posts ago

doesn't make much sense, imo. His whole catharsis came from doing something fairly bad ass and illegal. Hence blowing up cars and ****. He wouldn't have gotten this same life boner if he used his remaining time to come up with some million dollar patent or even taking a job with some chem firm doing groundbreaking work. It came from the excitement of being bad. Hence, breaking bad.

No, it came form stepping up and taking control of his own life. It makes no difference whatsoever what that might entail (for the purpose of your particular argument), as long as he was in control.



Once again, nope. I can promise you that tons of people achieve the same amount of life boner from engaging in perfectly legal activities. Especially ones suited to their own god given talents and interests. It just so happened that this one in particular was frowned upon by society.

ok, agree to an extent, but blowing **** up? taking skyler from behind without a word? yes, all about taking control of his own life, but in a completely sociopathic manner.

The point is, I think shemp is right that the relationship was fractured before this even started. That doesn't mean Skyler isn't culpable at all, but part of it is Walt's fault, and his behavior that led to the pre-cancer problems likely led to the meth making decision. And it's absurd to look at Walt's manufacturing as a benefit to the family without also considering the potential legal troubles, risk of violence, etc etc that he could be putting his family through.

I definitely agree that Walt's decision to manufacture methamphetamine was a monumental mistake. No argument there.

What I disagree with, is that he did/is doing this for himself. So what if he took his wife from behind. He was feeling a little frisky after tasting a little control for once. He didn't rape her as far as I can remember (correct me if I'm wrong)

Skylar's intentions are way more selfish as far as I'm concerned. She actually wants to see Walt in pain at this point. Walt only wants the best for her and their son, as delusional as he is.

fair point there

haha forgot about that scene, just another awesome wtf moment of this show

Speaking of the dress, i love the subtle symmetry of the last scene. Earlier in the episode Skyler is meeting the lawyer and the lawyer concludes that Walt is a drug dealer, to which she replies "no, he's a cook".

She then comes home and he's wearing an apron, and says "i cooked a pot roast".

They then face off in the kitchen, both "wearing" their sins, hank, the apron, skyler, the slutty dress, which each holds a confession

"i cooked meth"
"i ****ed ted"

haha nice catch.

http://www.bettercallsaul.com/

holy **** they should just make this into a spinoff