First, her swim is done in as publica setting as would benefit her cause without being too public.
One example of an apparent allusion, unexamined here, is that of Tuco (the rat), acharacter from the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,representing one of the many graves left unexhumed by this article. Skyler liked to make the familys decisions and had for years until Waltconfused manning-up with breaking bad. He did the same in Nixon by flashing an almost subliminal-few frames of some microorganism or cell under a microscope amidst Tricky Dick sweating a decision. On the other hand, Gilligan couched Walts first great act of cowardice murdering Emilio Koyama just before the mad-scramble-Winnebago-crash left Walt sans pants as a manly, pragmatic act of desperation. why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?, In 4 Days Out (S2 E9), Jesse asked Walt how much longer they had to crank the generator crank, and Walt answered, I dont know. Walts answer parallels both the subtextual questions of how much longer he will live, and how much longer he will stay in the meth business. It operates independently with the writers collaboratively building and maintaining the platform. Ola, if you havent seen the series, I can only tell you that it begs closer observation. The insect again appears to symbolize childhood. Meth-cooking Walt removed his pants as an act of symbolic defiance against Skylers dominance. Unlike Walt, who refused to face truth after avoiding it until the end, Hank faced down his fears, becoming a man.
After Walt learned that he had caused a plane collision, he tossed lit matches into the pool. The order of the stolen items is key: A newborns tiara, an infants spoon, a figurine of a child, and a portrait of an elderly, empty-nest couple. They should make a test based on BB to learn how vengeful, merciful, etc. Brandon, you are right. I feel like a fifteen-year old stoner playing Beatles records backwards.
Breaking Bad described as a spaghetti Western by creator, Vince Gilligan is a modern epic tragedy of Shakespearean proportions in which a mild-mannered high school teachers moral descent warns of the dehumanizing perils of objectifying people for personal gain. I never noticed the connections and objects to this degree. Im wondering if thats true here, too, but with the additional wrinkles of: (1) Jimmy (Saul) seeing as a child that Chuck had taken the good son role chose to be the bad son, and; (2) now Saul (Jimmy) cannot reverse the choice he made as a child. And when Marie wasnt in purple, she wore the black of a mourning mother. Then they placed Walt and Jesse on opposite end with blood money between them. Walts loss is Jesses gain as Walt like Pharaoh, whose heart God hardened apparently cannot alter course. when the point in his characters downfall is that pride, revenge, etc. If Hank could have communicated his visceral frustration with Marie flippantly speaking of his rocks, he would have something like, I always thought that whistling through the graveyard was what made a man a man, but I cant whistle since putting a man in the graveyard. 
His heavy-handed point? Good decision. Theres a scene from Peekaboo (S2E6), in which Jesse pushes a stink bug with his foot. I remember Ted and the oranges, but missed the second reference. Ive always wondered, as a huge Dylan fan, if Its All Over Now, Baby Blue wouldve worked. Its incredible that the creators just came up with it as they went along! I havent had a show affect me that much since The Sopranos ended. Daniel 5:27 You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.. It seems she may have always sensed Walts darkness and stifled it through control. I especially liked the point about Crazy-8 and the infinity symbol. Im not sure if Gilligan is the Shakespeare of tv or hes preparing the way for out Bard, but his work is compelling and deep After BB, I watched all of the XFiles with which he was involved. In the film, the duplicitous Dad Longworth played by Karl Malden took the pairs bank robbery money to buy a horse for Rio played by Brando but failed to return, abandoning Rio to capture and prison. Thats interesting about the grotesques. It was not a high school English teacher, but an NYU professor, Jesse Kornbluth, who noted the two things about Gilligan while studied in the film program on a partial scholarship. Its great he rescued Jesse, but he destroyed his children, so no, he didnt redeem himself, money for them or not. Well you gotta remember the circumstances. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. One wonders whether a humbler Walt one who could accept employment at Gray Matter from the Schwartzes would have survived the cancer, one knows it would have been better, if not well, with his soul. Heres another one I noticed on a recent rewatch: Hank, after his dive bar fight in IFT (S3E3), stands for a shot next to a sign saying, Dry. This seems to fit in with the theme of Hank or Maries infertility, but also with Hanks crisis regarding his doubts about his masculinity. He was raised Catholic, so it seems normal for him to write with morality in mind. His real celebration was not for his birthday, marking a year of mastering cancer, but a private celebration of mastering his most recent victim, Skyler. Another opportunity for Breaking Bad fans is the final episodes title, Felina, also being the name of the dancing, beloved girl in the Marty Robbins-sung El Paso. Thank you for such an extensive discussion. With the Pontiac Aztek, I think there might be a comment on Walter White(man) crapping all over New Mexico, home of a lot of Mexican-Americans and Americans Indians (Aztecs being the dominant force in Mexico when Cortez arrived, Pontiac being a powerful Odawa chief in the 18th Century). In a way, the pizza is one of the earliest examples of Hiesenburgs conquest of Walts moral compass spill over into his family life. Great, now Im wondering if on one level the series might be commenting on not only Manifest Destiny, but also American imperialism. Theres also a new show he stars in and produces called The Path. BB cannot possibly be GTA-like since Walt gets away with nada in the end. The Charles Mingus-penned Goodbye Pork Pie Hat a eulogy to fellow jazz great, Lester Young, who died at 49 reveals the hat as a symbol of both mortality and true greatness in a legitimate field of endeavor. Initially, Walts actions seem justified, but his dry, black heart becomes more evident with each heinous act. But, asis so often Vince Gilligans aim,the ambiguity of Skylers impassivity may not have been an actual sign that she had given up at that point. I stand corrected. I always wondered about the bear throughout the entirety of the show. Unlike Gus, whose evils became known post-mortem, Walts infamous face is ubiquitous. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Me and my brother usually spend our time watching breaking bad and when we arent, we spend the rest of our time quoting it and discussing our favourite scenes and characters. The scorpions symbolize the sting of his parents stealing his childhood; the headless superhero represents the intellectual disappointment that Jesse was to his parents; and the drawing of Mr. White showed Jesses gift as a sensitive artist in a sterile family appreciating neither sensitivity nor art. Your interpretation is interesting and something I hadnt considered. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.. I watched it because it tugged my gut. I absolutely love this show! Wallowing in his victory over over Skyler, Walt, patronizingly gentle, requested chocolate cake with chocolate icing for his upcoming birthday party. I remember being almost unable to watch the last episode of Breaking Bad, so fearful was I that he would meet a bad end. But mostly, the blue pool represents Walts bottomless greed and infinitely empty soul. It was a reversal of John Prines line, My head shouted down to my heart, Youd better look out below.. In the end, his fatal flaw wanting so badly to slay the monster, Walt, consumed him to the point that he allowed himself to be destroyed. Also the site where Walts first burned his money then extinguished it in the water, the pool seems to be where Walt drowns his conscience. JacksonAP, please enlighten me. Like Job, Walt may have been asking of his vain life, Why died I not from the womb? Your take on all of them was excellent but you really nailed Walt and Skylers relationship. in season 4, ted goes into a bowl of oranges as he dies, then later in the nursing home for the last time, there is a bowl of oranges in the background a minute before the big explosion. More than any other show, Breaking Bad seems to be theseries discussed in a generation or more when screenwriters discuss not only the treasure of unearthing complex, well-written characters with subtexts, but the subject of much analysis by readers discovering the wealth of new finds. Booing the separation of Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett & Ludwig von, bass brass blowers @flagstaffs & the federal S&L's lucrative spiritual atlases. killed his soul, that he people are not omnipotent. I promise you that it does. I know that he had to cook the meth because he needed money for chemo but, in a way I feel like he cooked the meth because he didnt want chemo and this was a way of rebelling against his wife. We also see Jesse, who drives a pimp Monte Carlo, he sees himself as a some sort of gangster MF but after Jesse gets his feet wet he becomes a different person, Hes not actually a hot shot thug but a normal guy who wants to be happy. I believe Fly was an elegant and beautiful episode of the series. It seems she had given up, Walt reveling in her disintegration. The very first thing we see in the pilot of Breaking Bad is pants flying through the air-perhaps a commentary on who the dominant partner in Walter and Skylers relationship? Better Call Saul isnt Breaking Bad, but thats like criticizing Highway 61 Revisited for not being Blonde on Blonde, or Dave Chappelle for not being Richard Pryor. On the other hand, there are reasons to doubt the sincerity of Skylers breakdown, which appears self-servingrather than self-annihilating. Ive barely scratched the surface of the meaning of objects in the series. Dont forget the pizza! What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory. Reducing others to objects (as does hatred, greed, etc.) Dean Norris, who played Hank Schrader, said that Vince Gilligans focus on detail was off the charts. Thank you, cbharris. But the pants flew (i.e., Walt lost his manhood) after Walt cooked meth his fate/God-defying attempt to capture his life and manhood releasing from Pandoras box Emilios murder and forfeiture of his own manhood. Very interesting read. After all, would a drug lord really drive such a dowdy car? In the end, after Walt returned from New Hampshire, the swimming pool where he threw his money and the lit matches, and where Skyler, like Hamlets Ophelia, tried to drown herself was as dry as his soul. I think this may reflect, as well, his willingness and acceptance of death: shaving his head is a way of acknowledging the cancer and the inevitability that he will die. When Walt wanted to assert his assumed godlike status, he donned his Heisenberg pork pie hat. Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Fathers care. To me, this points clearly to the true monster-maker of the show by highlighting US American capitalisms involvement in Walter Whites corruption through its dehumanizing, objectifying, death-bringing ideology and material reality. The linking of the profits, the violence, and the product to Coca Cola portrays Walts meth operation as just another capitalist enterprise that puts profits over people. For Marie, purple is the color of her make-believe world, the color of her denial, a state in which she and Hank live as fictional royalty. Objects associated with Jesse reveal much about his character and his upbringing. Reminds me of digging into the toilet for heroin in Trainspotting. Want to write about TV or other art forms? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-V75LKwLNk, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/magazine/the-dark-art-of-breaking-bad.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. the show is brutal and so left field. As the saying goes, Gods gears turn slowly, but finely.. Then again, on the Sopranos, when A.J.s SUV starts on fire, Dylans Its Alright, Ma is perfect: A.J.s sold his soul for the ill-gotten gain of the SUV (and, later, an obnoxious BMW) that will go up in Biblical flames of judgment while the singer warns of flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark/Its easy to see without looking too far/That not much is really sacred. Well, Im off to alibaba to buy a new wife. In fact, from the start, the Whites relationship is a lie based on Walts need to be a man, an opportunity Gretchens wealth which, in Walts mind, wouldve made him a kept man could not offer. Has anyone noticed the constant placing of scales between Walt. Ill have to go back and look for that. The focus on the shows extensive preoccupation with objects is undeniably important. Im starting to wonder if there are some Cain and Abel parallels here. In Jesses rehab support group, when asked of his ultimate avocation, Jesse first postured make fat stacks then said that hed be a carpenter, recalling Christ,and told of the box he made in Mr. Pikes class. As a fluent Spanish speaker, Negra Arroyo REALLY bothers me. 
After seeing it, I tried a few other shows to no avail. Even though you may think its about Scientology, its not about Scientology. 
Skyler merely took a couple of aspirins and went to bed. I have a sister like him so he kind of makes sense. What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrathprepared for destruction? Careful: Its like crack (from what I hear). Ironically, the montages focus is not the objects, but the seer of the objects, and the seer, having considered each item, is satisfied by the montages final full-color focus, the bear.
It also contains like the true spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly a character named Tuco.
I also wonder if the $50 symbolizes the number of U.S. states, as in, okay, were done here, the way Walt seemed to have felt when he sold the car. Season two begins with a still, strange, mostly black-and-white chronological video montage: a dripping hose; an outdoor decorative lantern; a snail sliding on the top surface of a stuccoed cinder block wall; a glass of water on a patio table. You have cancer. His comments denigrate Mexicans, but his closest friend was Steve Gomez and they die together. Predictably, Walt is noticed immediately by a neighbor. For example, entering age 50, Walt the wimp was as common and cheap as element 50, tin. Prove you are human, type cats in singular form below: Breaking Bad Winnebago Crash, Pilot Opening Scene, Charles Mingus - Theme For Lester Young (Goodbye Pork Pie Hat), Breaking Bad: The Fifth Season - "The Pool". Hanks fumblings in his masculine identity remained mostly private and his sufferings remaining mostly inward, while Walts private crisis spread, serpentine, like the toxic meth he cooked. In a battle of a prioris, however, Im pretty sure Tolstoy would be rock, and Id be scissors. It seems Skyler may have had a subconscious recognition and fear of the dormant malevolence ofWalts intellect call it female intuition if youd like, orperhaps shes just impulsive and controlling? In Crazy Hand Full of Nothing(S1 E6), Walts explosive sleight-of-hand in Tucos office set up their business agreement and, ultimately, Tucos fatal showdown with Hank. Eventually Walt, dying of cancer, killed the conservative but psychopathic Fring, only to inherit a meth empire he couldnt run. 
While buying pants for his son, Walts dormant masculinity bravely awoke as he attacked the young man mocking Walter, Jr.s disability. WhenJesse prayed, Please, God' when the Winnebago wouldnt start and asked himself, Why couldnt I have gone to Santa Fe?, Jesse questioned his apparent fate. My favorite part was finding out about why Marie stole. keep an eye out for more. Literally every item, car, color, etc. But thebear witnesses the end of any semblance of Walts innocence, observing his complicity in the deaths of Jane, her father, and the plane load of innocent people. I really, really like this. Through identification with Walts sufferings, the show seduces viewers into mourning the possible loss of Holly Is that her Teddy bear? while excusing the Walt-caused deaths of innocent travelers. Walt, at 51, also became increasingly unable to see himself, while and lost more of his responsible citizen makeup. He also became more familiar with bullets as time passed. That episode, Four Days Out, focuses on Walts fate hinging on his decision to either give up or continue cooking meth, so it makes sense that there would be a hint to what hes getting in to. Hank laughed about the gift and Tucos death, while privately mourning the loss of his innocence and his former simplistic view of manhood. We also know that Jesses relationship with his parents was broken, presumably as a result of his drug use. Walt even returned in the series finale to free Jesse. Im going to have to go back and find that. It may have been a funny scene but there was a lot of symbolism there. Its rare for me to be so invested in a fictional character, but he really was that good. In fact, when Hank died, it was Walt who begged for Hanks life while Hank said to Walt, He made up his mind ten minutes ago, and to Jack, his killer, Do what youre going to do. In the end, his posturing done, Hank died as a man, showing Walt how to die. Walt returned to Alberquerque driving a low-budget version of Gus button-down Volvo. If the former, then shes a failed but brilliant angel whosewomb may have to stop another monster in the family preemptively struck Walter, Jr.s brain, resulting in his cerebral palsy; if the latter,she may haveattacked the boys unborn brain just as a means to control WWIIs intelligence, monster or no. According to urbandictionary.com, a Jesseis a stoner popular with women, and Jesse Pinkman had two girlfriends in the series, first, Jane Margolis, and later, Andrea Cantillo. At first, Jesse said, just wanting a D, he turned in a carelessly-made project. I dont know, just a thought! Half of its face was blown off, it was burnt, and it was in the pool ultimately because of Walt. Fourth, like she did at a get-together not long after his 50th birthday,Skyler here upstaged Walt on his 51st birthday with her own apparent fugue state his in the desert, hers in the blue water. Knowing Hank, we know also that his machismo could never take the publication of this news were it him, and Marie, her hidden anguish seeking comfort, steals items relating to children and family. Nixon couldnt help his megalomania; it was cellular. The pace of the show is also too fast for heavy-handedness. Its disappointing to see Walt gear mainly t-shirts and bumper stickers saying I am the one who knocks, Say my name, etc. Because Marie desperately wants to be a mother, but cannot have children. Hanks thing is that he was a macho poser until he faces his mortality. Rather than risk Maries rejection, Hank rejected Marie, increased his false machismo, and bonded instead with his physical therapist. Studying the history of pizza might be relevant. I have likely missed a lot of stuff, too. Much smarter than Ted Beneke, whom she saves from prison, but not as smart as Walt (who was? After all, hes only doing whats best for the family, so what possibly could go wrong? in the show was intentional. The first known grain ofsand unlike Emilio, whom Walt never got to know appearing on Walts second day of his dark, twisted creation was Crazy-8.
If I cant wear the pants, his pantslessness said, I will master you without them. The morning after the Skyler-controlled talking pillow intervention, Walt agreed to chemotherapy, secretly rejected the Schwartz offer to pay for it, and when learning that headstrong Skyler secretly informedthem of his cancer justified to himself his plan to cook meth for money. In the end, Walt gained fleeting gonebefore his death wealth, respect, and a legacy at the cost of family and soul. Or the very concept of masculinity and what it means to be a man? Arachnids symbolize Jesses protective nature toward children, so I think youre right, that spiders there for Drew Sharp, the boy Todd Alquist murdered. I love the description of that horrible scene with Walt pawing at Skyler, feeling triumphant. Walt whose pursuit of meth perfection caused him to obsess on a single, unwelcome fly in his lab fits in in a jazz club like a mattress balances on a barrel of methylamine. While looking through his childhood toy box, Jesse found a scorpion, a headless superhero, and a drawing of Jesses former high school chemistry teacher and then-current meth partner, Mr. White. When it happened, I thought thats gonna come into play some how. Use of the name, Heisenberg, also shows Walts simultaneous evil and impotence: both men used their brilliance for evil; and both men failed to achieve their ultimate goals a German atomic bomb for the former; perfect meth, a legacy, and his wifes respect, for the latter. But why did a woman living comfortably steal items related to children? At age 51, Walt became more violent, resembling element 51, antimony, which, when alloyed with tin and lead, improves bullets.
Nice reversion of expectations. Jonas, my pleasure. Stealing from the home owners in Open House(S4, E3), Marie wore black, mourning the loss of her chance at motherhood. The irony in this possible scenario is that his heretofore nickel-and-dime ethical lapses would be the cause of Kims demise and the excuse, not reason, for Saul giving up, morally. Walt desperately wants Skyler back, hes put his neck on the line too many times to just let her kick him out but hes become so disconnected from the people around he has no idea how to make things right between them. In S5E4, Fifty-one Skyler walked into her pool in an apparent attempt to kill herself. Sadly for Walt, the hat reminds that he, having wasted his talents on revenge, was no Lester Young.