He realizes that any feeling of control he's had is just him thrashing around in the midst of chaos. Walt decides to get out of the meth business, refusing Gus' offer to produce meth in a state-of-the-art laboratory hidden under an industrial laundry for a million dollars a month. Walt makes arrangements with Jack and his men to kill Jesse, in exchange for promising to help teach Todd how to cook meth. As it turns out, the humble chemistry teacher once had grandiose dreams for the future. The robbery is successful, but Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons), one of the pest control workers, kills a young boy who had seen them. Live life on your own terms.". The 'real-life' Walter White. The best, most faithful, and most complicated adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is not going to be a direct, official adaptation like Steven Moffat's brilliant Jekyll, or . Walt tries to persuade Skyler and Walter Jr. to go on the run with him, but they refuse. Walt gives Jesse his life savings to buy an RV that they can use as a rolling meth lab. He directed a broad program of legal challenges to racial segregation and disfranchisement. Amid the fear of death, looking back at his life and how he'd been ripped off added a heaping scoop of anger to his simmering resentment. Walt attempts to wake Jesse and inadvertently rolls Jane onto her back; she subsequently vomits and begins to choke. He's well on his way to badass. Cooking methamphetamine re-ignites a love for science that had slowly been sapped out of him through years of teaching. Walt tries to use one of Saul's connections to get him and his family relocated but finds that Skyler has used most of his drug money to pay off Ted Beneke's IRS fines to avoid having their own lives investigated, causing Walt to yell out in frustration and fear before breaking down into a maniacal laughing fit. "Never give up control. There is no one definitive answer to this question. . WALTER WHITE: The real Walter White and Breaking Bad's Walter White [VICE/AMC] These are the words of the real-life Walter White from Bessemer, Alabama. Just then, Jack and his men arrive and fire on the group, killing Gomez and wounding Hank; Jack then executes Hank, despite Walt pleading for his brother-in-law's life. Tortuga (Danny Trejo) was a drug runner for the Jurez Cartel under Juan Bolsa (Javier Grajeda). Discovering that Tuco stole the meth and savagely beat Jesse, Walt visits Tuco's lair with another bag of crystals, claiming to be "Heisenberg" (a reference to the theoretical physicist Werner Karl Heisenberg). In the end, Breaking Bad is about freedom, control, and power albeit, in ways no one, not even the protagonist, could have planned for. Moreover, due to Gus' stoic nature and Walter's being sequestered in an underground lab, working with Gus means being deprived of the praise over his product that he's enjoyed. As the premise of Breaking Bad was based on a humorous idea that he and his fellow writer from The X-Files, Thomas Schnauz had come up with of driving around in an RV making methamphetamine, Gilligan made Walter a chemistry teacher, one who, until the start of the show, would have never violated the law. Fast forward several years into the future and he is stuck teaching bored teenagers basic chemistry and working at a car wash in the evenings. Walt becomes less sympathetic throughout the show, as series creator Vince Gilligan wanted him to turn from "Mr. Chips into Scarface". Walter White - Walt died of a gunshot wound. We break down the arguments and explain what it means for the movie. It becomes an addiction he never overcomes. While some residents were unhappy with the makeshift grave-site for closure with the show, tickets for the event raised over $30,000 for a local charity called Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless. [37], Cranston has received various awards and nominations for his performance as Walter White. A Phoenix drug lord named Declan offers to buy out the operation for $15 million in order to remove his competition. He did, it seems from this report from Vice News, take a lot of pride in his chemistry skills, though. Walt continues to be offered routes with positive outcomes for most parties involved. Gus responds by putting a hit on Jesse and re-hiring Gale as Walt's assistant, with the intention of replacing Walt as soon as possible. His family would have continued suffering instead, they are able to achieve some piece in the wake of Walt'sdeath. Jack's pleas fall on deaf ears, and Walt executes him with a shot to the face. He suggests that Jesse should study business and marketing, remarking that Jesse is a natural at it and that he "could practically teach the class" himself using his vast knowledge. [19][20], At the age of 50, Walt works as a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, providing instruction to uninterested and disrespectful students. Having spent a lifetime devoid of any control, the idea of losing any power is only seen as a loss entire. When you got down to it, Walt desperately wanted to teach everyone a lesson, and I don't mean in the style of Mr. After this discovery, Walt resorts to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to ensure his family's financial security after his death. Horrified, Skyler asks for a divorce in return for her silence and demands that Walt have nothing to do with their children. The following appearances are based on the chronological narrative in Breaking Bad. Jesse shows up for the meeting high on heroin, and leaves when the kingpin does not show. It's the same for us viewers: we get the neatness and the uncertainty, which shows a Heisenberg level of mastery. This might have been in Walt's mind when he carried out the meth lab attack. It was resentment. The brazen attack on Gus shows a loss of the foresight and caution that once characterized the doomed chemistry teacher. The tension of working under tighter security creates a rift between Walt and Jesse, and Gus uses the opportunity to bring Jesse to his side by having Mike train him. . To avoid being discovered hiding in the RV, Walt and Jesse, aided by Saul, place a phone call to distract Hank, making him believe his wife Marie has suffered a car accident. [29] From the same website, Rebecca Nicholson wrote about Walt's death, praising the fact that instead of facing the consequences, "Walter dies happy. After Krazy-8 promises not to retaliate, Walt starts to unlock the lock to let Krazy-8 go but sees him reach for a broken piece of plate to stab Walt with as soon as he is freed. Jack pleads with Walt to let him live, offering him extremely large amounts of money. With that said, keeping him alive in any way allows the character to return in future projects. In their world, power is maintained through fear. 12 Copy quote. Hank, who had been searching for Jesse, spots his car at the house and kills Tuco in a gunfight. The bear, now short an eye and half scorched, once . Rather than seeing a moment to profit and continue doing what he loves through a mutually beneficial relationship, Walt only sees competition in Gus. Walt's death is not only necessary for the happiness of all those around him but for himself as well. Krazy-8 forces Walt to show them how he cooked such pure meth or risk being killed. He visited Gretchen (Jessica Hecht) and Elliot (Adam Godley) to set up his family financially. Walt deduces that Gus plans to eventually kill him and replace him with Jesse. Although AMC officials initially hesitated to cast Cranston due to his previous comedic role on Malcolm in the Middle, Gilligan cast him based on the actor's past performance in The X-Files episode "Drive", which Gilligan wrote. Once his death clock begins ticking, Walt makes all his choices out of fear and panic. As part of his drug kingpin grand finale, Walt attack the neo-Nazi compound with a machine gun equipped to his car. [9][10] Cranston also repeatedly identified elements in scripts where he disagreed with how the character was handled, and would go so far as to call Gilligan directly when he could not work out disagreements with the episode's screenwriter(s). He's a former meth cook, and recently completed a rehab program. When Gus comes to the nursing home to kill Hector for turning informant, Hector detonates a pipe bomb Walt made, killing himself, Gus's henchman Tyrus Kitt, and Gus. Despite the chaos that surrounds him, Walt is able to approach situations analytically and come out on top. Walt frantically calls Jesse and tells him that he is about to be killed and Jesse will have to take out Gale himself. At the start of the series, the day after his 50th birthday, Walt is diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. [15][21] Walt also has another job at a local car wash to supplement his income, which proves to be particularly humiliating when he has to clean the cars of his own students. After arranging for Saul to report that Hank was being targeted for assassination again so that his family would be protected by the DEA, Walt resolves to kill Gus. Gus rids himself of the Mexican cartel's influence in the area with the help of Mike and Jesse. Left with a death sentence, Doran decided to . Walt asks Jesse what he would like to study if he went to college and encourages Jesse to find a life outside of cooking meth in the future. Walt calls Skyler to tell her they are safe and that he has "won", as the camera pans to a potted Lily of the Valley plant next to Walt's pool, indicating that Walt had in fact poisoned Brock to goad Jesse into action. One of the most iconic characters in popular culture, Walter White has been listed among the greatest villains and fictional characters ever created. This tints their meth blue, which becomes a signature of Walt's product. His product is unrivaled in its quality, which gives him the ability to pull the strings from time to time. 10 Dealing Methamphetamine An ex-member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Stephen W. Doran, found himself in the unlikely position as a math tutor at a Boston public school. This question has been on the mind of viewers since the series ended in 2013 and, now, we break down both sides of the argument. Walter White's death scene in 'Breaking Bad' was intense and emotional . Did Walter White truly die at the end of the Breaking Bad series finale? He always keeps his pride saturated in self-righteousness, claiming this is all for his family, but the fact remains that he is proud of his product. A deeply complex story about a man making the best of a bad situation, Breaking Bad exemplifies the concept of a morally gray area led by an antihero protagonist.On one hand, Walter White was a . Walter Hartwell White Sr., also known by his alias Heisenberg, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American crime drama television series Breaking Bad, portrayed by Bryan Cranston. Afterward, Walt tells Jesse: "You're really lucky, you know that? Next:Better Call Saul Should End With Jimmy Meeting Walter White. The same as the fictional role played . Her favorite slasher icon is Ghostface, but Michael Myers still gives her nightmares. Walter White's Chaotic Beauty. Built in 1972, the home of Walter White features one bathroom, a two-car garage, and two additional parking spots in the driveway. Even though he was able to walk around the compound before collapsing, Walt was losing blood. Many expected that it would be in the form of flashbacks but maybe Gilligan always intended for Walt to survive. It is the death of every aspect of who he is that fuels Breaking Bad's immortal ending. Related Topics . Once we reach the series finale, every person who has had any relation to Walter White is either dead or dealing with a life in shambles. It's simple chaos. The actual Breaking Bad house address is 3828 Piermont Drive, Albuquerque NM. After a few attempts at bluffing him, Skyler comes to uneasily accept the situation and helps Walt launder his drug money, but refuses to have anything to do with him outside of business. [16][18] Gretchen and Elliott later married and made a fortune, much of it from Walt's research. Walt angers Gus by killing two of Gus' dealers in an attempt to protect Jesse, who had been planning to kill them himself for their murder of a child gang member. His ego is inflated by the fact that the chemistry involved is easy for him. 3. The events leading to the finale clearly depict tha. The universe is random. As he stared up at the ceiling, it seemed like he was already passing on. With Hank's help, Jesse lures Walt into a trap by claiming to have found his money. A number ofBreaking Badfan theories have used Walt's cancerous state as a way to argue that he lived the events of the series finale. Vince mentioned in an AMA that "Walt's death" affected him the most. The fictional . Evidence from Gale's murder leads Hank to suspect that Gus is involved in the blue meth business. A 'real-life Walter White ' was once sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for dealing crystal meth. Walter White's final farewell in . Also I believe the word "death" or "dead" was used in the script for the final episode. Despite wacko . making ends meet with his family with wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and son Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte). The pair begin to fear for their lives when, after testing the purity of the meth they delivered by snorting some of it, Tuco senselessly beats to death one of his own men, No-Doze (Cesar Garcia). Walter Jr. angrily rejects the gesture, however, and hangs up. This could explain why he was able to walk around and have a phone conversation before collapsing. [57] However, series creator Vince Gilligan debunked this theory, explaining that Walt could not possibly have known several things that happened, like Jesse being held in captivity by Jack's gang instead of being murdered by them, or that Todd had begun taking meetings with Lydia regarding the meth trade. [6], Gilligan has said it has been difficult to write for Walter White because the character is so dark and morally questionable. However, in this scenario, Walt is not in control of everything like he was before. Saul also has his cleaner, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), investigate Walt's background, and despite Mike's cautions, Saul continues to support Walt. Names, Insightful, World. While much of the work he did in his youth was great, he never got the recognition from it that he craved. The whole comparison isn't just because he was been convicted of dealing . Victor reminds Walt that they have to meet the 200 pounds-a-week quota. This makes for a dangerous combination. Assuming that Skyler will not turn him in to the police due to the harm it would cause to their son, Walt returns to his house. It is also the first taste Walter White gets of his own addiction. [44][45] Cranston reprised his role of the character in a commercial for Esurance which aired during Super Bowl XLIX, one week before the premiere of Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul. [35] In 2011, The New York Times named Cranston as one of the "eight actors who turn television into art". Cranston has said he was inspired partially by his father for how Walt carries himself physically, which he described as "a little hunched over, never erect, [as if] the weight of the world is on this man's shoulders". Mike intends to kill Walt in retaliation for Gus' death, but Jesse intervenes and convinces the two men to work together to eliminate their connection to the destroyed lab. The more we see from Hank the more we know that given the circumstances and their relationship, Walt could pull the rip-cord at any time. This enrages Hank enough to badly beat up Jesse at his house and send him to the hospital. For the first time in his life, Walt makes his own choices. In the filter of Walter White's swimming pool is an un-blinking plastic eyeball. When Walt isn't in control, he gets scared. The bullet hit him in the abdomen area whichwould have put vital organs at risk. Bryan Cranston, who plays White on the award-winning AMC series, is . This is another display of his ego running rampant. Walter Francis White (July 1, 1893 - March 21, 1955) was an American civil rights activist who led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for a quarter of a century, 1929-1955, after joining the organization as an investigator in 1918. He had no control for so long in his life, with the threat of cancer taking away that final choice acting as an ultimate cruelty. CHAPTER Vl. Scenes from Better Call Saul fit into this chronology and are denoted appropriately. But I think the most horrifying part of Breaking Bad may be that Walt, at his core, didn't really transform at all. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Walter White in 1985. When Walt realizes Jesse is with Hank, he tries to call off the deal to protect Hank but is subdued by Hank and his DEA partner Steven Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada). I'm just going to be naming the ones that were unplanned and/or unnecessary. Walt drives to Jack's compound and demands to see Jesse. We get to see the dark consequences of breaking bad play out alongside the emotional torment involved in breaking good. Death Year: 1955 Death date: March 21, 1955 Walt's anesthesia-induced references to a "second cell phone" the one he uses to deal drugs makes Skyler suspicious, leading her to uncover many of his lies and leave with their children. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. . The skit had White on a CNN broadcast where he is the front runner for Donald Trumps cabinet nominee for the Drug Enforcement Administration. Walt convinces him to pay off Jesse and Mike and begin distributing Walt's meth instead. He then visits Skyler and provides her with the location of Hank and Steve's unmarked grave which he suggests she use to barter for a deal with the prosecutor, and finally admits to her that he entered the meth business for himself, not his family. You're not alone. In a climactic moment, Walt lures Gus to a nursing home and detonates a bomb that kills him. 'cause the guy just got a real-life obituary in the newspaper where the show took place. As Walt had hoped, Skyler had succeeded in getting a deal with the federal prosecutors and the DEA was ultimately forced to release Huell Babineaux, leaving only Jesse and Saul left for them to go after. Upon his death in 1955, the New York Times . The Better Call Saul episode "Breaking Bad" expands on Walt and Saul's first meeting where Saul quickly deduces Walt is Heisenberg and urges Walt to seek higher goals with his meth business. Walt's pursuits are hindered by the drug kingpin known as Gus Fring. With the DEA skeptical and Hank being unable to drive due to his condition, he enlists Walt's help in the investigation as a driver and tracker. His decisions begin to severely affect the lives of those around him, displayed in a destructive manner by the airplane crash over Albuquerque. [58] This theory was further disproven with Better Call Saul following Sauls story before and after Breaking Bad alongside El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie following Jesse's story after the finale, in which White is confirmed to have died. What follows is a long, complex slide into darkness, domination, and deceit. Walt plots to kill Gale to avoid becoming disposable, but Gus' henchman Victor lures Walt to the laundry facility, where Mike is waiting to kill him. Breaking Bad ended with Walter White mortally wounded, but did he really die in the series finale? Just focusing on Breaking Bad'sfinal scene, Walt was clearly not in good shape after he suffered the gunshot wound. On his 50th birthday, during his surprise party, Walt watches a news report about Hank arresting methamphetamine dealers. Victor rushes to Gale's house but finds him shot dead. Walt does not see these other routes presented to him as viable for the simple reason that he himself did not think of them. A headstone was placed with a photo of Cranston as Walt, located on an outside wall in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico. Walter Hartwell White, or simply known as Walt, was born on September 7, 1958, and was the only child of Mr. White and Mrs. White.When Walt was young, his father's health rapidly deteriorated upon developing Huntington's disease, and all the good memories that friends and family tried to implant in the boy's head never supplanted the terrifying memory of visiting his . During their initial questioning, they bring in Marie, who is bitter at Saul for enabling Walter and leading to Hank's death. During his time alone, Walt finally gains some clarity. He answers a call from Lydia on Todd's phone and coldly informs her that she is going to die as a result of the poisoned drink she consumed. Walt buries his money in seven barrels on the Tohajiilee Indian Reservation and convinces Jesse to go into a relocation program. He kidnaps Holly, but has a moment of conscience and leaves her to be found and returned. Walt sees Emilio's partner fleeing the scene, and realizes it is one of his former students, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). How he died was almost irrelevant. The entire show presents a set of scenarios that turn concepts of good and bad on their heads. Jesse (Aaron Paul) managed to escape after he strangled Todd (Jesse Plemons), while Walt took one last walk around the meth lab. Walt and Jesse secure Krazy-8 to a structural post in Jesse's basement with a U-lock around his neck, and Walt struggles with the decision on whether to kill him. There he conducted research on proton radiography, that helped a team win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1985. Enraged, Hank accuses Walt of being Heisenberg, which a stunned Walt neither confirms nor denies. T here is a swimming pool in Walter White's backyard. The web magazine Grantland quotes Andy Greenwald as analyzing Walter White differently from some others, including Vince Gilligan. Gilligan said the character had to be simultaneously loathsome and sympathetic, and that "Bryan alone was the only actor who could do that, who could pull off that trick. He serves as the main protagonist of the AMC series of the same name, and the posthumous overarching protagonist of both its 2019 sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and the second half of the sixth and final . Total - 1 None Domingo Gallardo Molina/Krazy 8 - Garroted against a pole by Walter White with a bike lock . He always has been the one to come out victoriois after outsmarting the opponent. When you hear the name "Walter White" combined with the word "methamphetamine" in the same sentence, the first thing that comes to mind is the main character from the series Breaking Bad.Surprisingly, there appears to be at least one exception to that rule. Law enforcement has his body, no one needs to be further harassed. And he brings them on himself. Walt refuses to accept this because it would remove what little control he has. Cranston contributed greatly to the creation of his character, including Walt's backstory, personality, and physical appearance.