I think Walt is a terrible person but I root for him anyway. But I wouldn't mind seeing him get his comeuppance at some point. It's fun to be evil for a bit and have the world at your finger tips. The story so far has basically been his ego being so huge, but his abilities actually matching that huge ego. I like rooting for that, and I don't care if it gets some kid sick or some ****** chick to OD. Still doesn't mean it's not evil as hell and he's not a terribly unlikable person. I like how he is able to outsmart everyone in spite of that huge ego.

Walt is a lot of things, but "noble" def isn't one of them.

He turned down free money to deal meth instead. And let's not go around saying that Walt protects Hank at every opportunity. You'll look silly when Walt murders him.

I think hes noble.

A lot of people die and leave there family with nothing, its easy to do because there arent any consequences

Besides the fact that your family have to cope with you dying, of course. Walt is only noble if his family value money more than they value him, which is obviously not true.

Inflicting your own death on your family just because you're bored with life, you're too proud to take charity and you've given up on your career is the least noble decision anyone can make.

Let's not forget that Walt got offered a job by Elliot, too - within a month of his diagnosis he could have been working at Gray Matter, earning better money with his medical bills taken care of, and enjoying his family life. That would have been noble, beating cancer and making the best of himself professionally. Instead, he wanted a shortcut. He didn't want to work at it. He just wanted to fulfill his family obligations and get life over with. He's a coward.

I don't think he wanted the shortcut, I think he felt he was being "handed" the job without earning it, Elliot only offered him the job out of pity, not because he wanted him there for his brilliant ideas. He actually seemed open to it, until Elliot spilled the beans that Skyler already told him about the cancer. It would be looked upon as "gee thanks Elliot" for providing, not "gee thanks Walter". That's what motivated him. Cooking meth was a LOT more work than simply taking the charity (either straight up cash or a pity job).

I am definitely not on board with the Walt-is-noble camp, but I remember it as TomCollins says. He did actually seem into the idea, and I can completely see how someone could react the way Walt did after having his ego stroked, thinking he was needed, then to find out it was only a pity offer because his wife begged his ex's multi-millionaire husband for some charity.

The mature thing to do would probably be to swallow your ego, go work for the guy and actually do your best to excel in your job so that you are providing value. That way, even if it initially was a hand out, you've now earned your meal. That's the mature thing to do.. but I would bet that the vast majority of the population would not go that route when they had a lucrative alternative.

You're right, but it was up to Walt how he chose to see the whole situation. He could have been like "wow, man, this is just what I needed, thanks Elliot", taken the job and the treatment money, and got on with his life. Doesn't matter why Elliot offered him the job, the best thing for his family would have been to take it.

No matter what value he provided it would always look as if he wasnt earning it, just taking the handout.

Obviously cooking and selling meth and putting your family through the circus theyre in is not "noble" but i dont think walt expected all of that. He never knew what happened "behind the scenes" in drug dealing. At the beginning, he was naive. He wanted no trouble; safety and evading the police has always been his number one priority.

His intentions were definitely noble in my opinion. He had absolutely no idea what the business entailed.

Absolutely, he should have taken it and done a damn good job. But the fact Elliot doesn't offer him a job ever before that shows that he wouldn't be valued by Elliot, and merely would be thrown a bone, which is unacceptable for Walt. Ego is his huge fault, and of course taking the job is a snap call and lets him save face over taking charity, even if deep down he knows it's charity and Skyler knows its charity.

Yes, selling meth, the noble profession. Developing lifesaving technology using chemistry, lol scumbag.

Apparently becoming a meth kingpin will actually produce physical changes in the bodies chemistry and genetic makeup. An example of this can be observed in the changing color of walter's facial hair between season 1 and season 4. His moustache goes from being red to being dark brown. Clear example of what is commonly called the 'Ginger to Boss transformation'.

Not trying to pick on you, because I don't necessarily think you're trying to defend him, but this line reminded me of something: People say things like this in order to defend Walt's actions, but-- these defenses are in service to his ego! They're not legitimate reasons for doing something. Caring how people view you more than what you actually do for them is the definition of an egoistic decision-making process.
Uhh, you think "most people" would have chosen to venture into the methamphetamine business?

I love how language like this always finds its way through on 2p2, haha.

Just watched Season 4 again...Face Off was just an intense the 2nd time around.

It was funny seeing, after all the discussion on these forums about it, that Jesse pretty much accuses Walt of getting Saul and Huwel to replace the ricin cig with a non-ricin cig. I kept replaying Hewel frisking Jesse, but I couldn't see a damn thing.

But I still don't see when Walt had time to poison Brock.

And I have no idea how to spell "Huwel."

Huell.

No, but most people who had already started to venture down that path.. most people who had done the calculations and have a rough idea (or think they have a rough idea) of what it would take.. ya, I think they chose cooking. Had he not by chance run into his old student, a small time meth cook with a growing rep, then no I would not expect him to go this route. But as it were, he already had one foot in the meth door.

Naive- so you mean he overestimated his abilities? Hmmm, if only there was a word for that.

And if only once he realized how naive he was, if only he had some other outs. Over, and over, and over again.

Just to point it out... "noble" Walt tries to kill himself in episode one because it would be better to just die than deal with the consequences of going to jail with cancer. And the gun just happens to not have a bullet.

His sorry excuse for a life and how emasculated he feels leads him to cook meth. A subsidiary/excuse for the meth cooking is providing for his family. Its not his goal.

He's not noble.

fyi: AMC is starting the series over from the start again tonight (S4 just ended again last night, lol), at least where i live. so watch again (if you haven't already seen it all), set your DVR, tell ya friends, etc.

I watched the whole series again in the past week. It was awesome.

Will anyone else acknowledge the fact that walt used to be a Ginger? Typical sheep denial itt

I started recording it in HD and filled up my DVR and lost everything else, oops. Gonna try recording again in SD.

Is there going to be a new thread when the show actually starts? This thing is already a cluster ****.

Starting a new thread isn't going to help the cluster ****. Each episode will do a good job of creating those.