The “Walt has Skylar Pegged” Breaking Bad Theory: Next Sunday

Disclaimer: Please do not read if you are not completely caught up with this season’s Breaking Bad, this article contains lots of spoilers.

Sunday’s episode of Breaking Bad was awesome because it truly inspired awe. All 40 minutes were absolutely enthralling. I spent the run with my heart pounding,  shedding mournful tears for what has happened to Jesse Pinkman, and leaving marks on fellow YPF writer Ryan Haley’s arm because I was gripping it so hard during the shootout between Hank, his partner and the neonazi  drug cartel.

What I’m going to do right now is the worst thing a critic can do. I’m going to talk about my personal experience with a character without using the show to explain to you why you should care about it. But I never understood Walt’s attachment to Jesse. I never understood why Jesse was raised to this incredibly high plane in Walt’s inner circle that was only reserved for family. The close-knit relationship was written so well and acted so superbly by Brain Cranston and Aaron Paul that it never felt like a big enough deal to be too bothered by it. I accepted that this was Walt’s guy. He trusted him never to betray him, would never hurt him, and would in fact go to great lengths to protect him. However, watching Jesse Pinkman become tortured and enslaved made me realized how much Walt cared for Jesse Pinkman because I cared for him way more than I realized. It hurt to watch him suffer. That realization pushed aside any issues I had with these two and their foundation.  Jesse broke Walt’s heart. My hat’s off to Aaron Paul for making me care about his character so much. Paul was actually originally suppose to get killed off in the first couple of episodes, but show creater Vince Gilligan was so intrigued by the relationship that he wanted to explore it and allowed Pinkman to stay a part of Walt’s life. It would be really had to imagine the show without him.

 

For Walt, the line has always been family. He will go to any length to protect his family. Even if that means protecting them from himself. When Walt got diagnosed with cancer, he decided one thing: he was going to provide for his family for the rest of their lives. Whatever they could possibly ever need, he was going to get them the cash (therefore the means) to do it. His life was a time-bomb, tic-tic-tic–tic–ticking away. The only objective he focused on was protecting the family. He lost all common morality, but like every great criminal throughout time, he had a code. Scarface, Al Capone, Pablo Escobar, and Don Corleone: all criminals, all men with their own brand of morality. When the neonazi drug lord shots and kills Hank Walt lost everything, because he lost his family. He failed to protect them. In a tragic and a terrifying kind of beautiful moment of despair, Brian Cranston fell to the floor sobbing.

It took Walt some time to come to grips with the fact that his relationships with his family members were was dust. He thought he could be with them again, but with Skylar and Marie’s knowing  that Walt was suppose to have been arrested by Hank; with Walt suddenly showing up at the house trying to make a run for it with the family; Hank’s death and Walt’s guilt became a natural conclusion. The family totally became unhinged. There was an ugly scene between Skylar, Walt, and Walt Jr. and the knife.

Then there was the unfortunate kidnapping, with the coup de grâce being that outrageous phone call. But the difference between his behavior with Skylar, Walt Jr. and the baby and his behavior during the phone conversation is by the time he makes his phone call he has gotten a grip. This man is doing what he has to to protect his family. Think about it. It starts when he hears his little daughter mumble, “mumuma…mumumuma.” (do they give babies Emmys?)  He realized he could no longer be with his family. Then he leaves her at a fire station. When he got crazy on the phone, he knew that there were police in the house. During those long three seconds between  Walt asking if there were any cops at the house and  Skylar saying “no,” Walt had it all figured out. This scene is exactly why Skylar-haters just don’t get it. They accuse of Gunn of bad acting, but she is actually amazing.  She’s unconvincing when she denies that there are cops in the room. Anna Gunn is playing it that way on purpose so the audience knows that Walt can see right through her and that he is aware she is lying. He knows the cops are there, and the call is probably being recorded and traced. He then lies about killing Hank and threatens to hurt members of his own family. That clearly breaks his code. He would never hurt Skylar, Marie, Walt Jr., the baby or even Hank. What he seems to want is for them to be so afraid that they go into hiding. Why else would he hide his brokenhearted tears from her?

Here is the prediction: Walt will seek revenge on the mother-fuckers who killed Hank. In case he fails, he wants insurance that his family will be safe, because he will not survive this attack. So he turns into the baddest, scariest thing he can think of in order to make them get far away from Albuquerque. In the opening scene of this last half season Walt enters his house with a full(ish) head of hair, only the house has been abandoned. The word “Heisenberg” is graffitied on the inside wall and neighbor has a terrified look on her face when she sees him. This appears to be during months after that phone call was made. He buys an arsenal of guns. He is going to war.

Until this series concludes, I’m afraid the entire fan-base of this show is going to have to wait with baited breath to see how this whole thing pans out. But if I’m wrong, I will eat my shoe.

-Stephanie Rose