Any "Breaking Bad" Fans Here?

[dualstow]

{ Spoilers }

Regarding the most recent episode, "Say My Name":
How was Mike free after the scene in the park? It seems unlikely that he could escape, and I don't think he would want to abandon his granddaughter on the swing. On the other hand, if he turned himself in, he would be too much of a flight risk to merely release. Wouldn't he? 
Or did he just hide behind the tree until everyone gave up and then collect his granddaughter?

[MediumTex]

{ Spoilers }

Regarding the most recent episode, "Say My Name":
How was Mike free after the scene in the park? It seems unlikely that he could escape, and I don't think he would want to abandon his granddaughter on the swing. On the other hand, if he turned himself in, he would be too much of a flight risk to merely release. Wouldn't he? 
Or did he just hide behind the tree until everyone gave up and then collect his granddaughter?

Mike is an expert at escaping.

I didn't have a problem with him getting away.  It was the pain on his face of knowing he would probably never see his granddaughter again that registered with me.

[Lone Wolf]

Spoilers!!!

How was Mike free after the scene in the park? It seems unlikely that he could escape, and I don't think he would want to abandon his granddaughter on the swing. On the other hand, if he turned himself in, he would be too much of a flight risk to merely release. Wouldn't he? 
Or did he just hide behind the tree until everyone gave up and then collect his granddaughter?

I'm afraid he had no choice but to leave her there on the swing.  Like MT said, he knew that he would never see her again and that all of his plans for securing her future were ruined.

This show had better end tragically or I'm going to be rather disappointed. 

Considering the way that things are unfolding, I wouldn't worry.    I still can't believe how this episode ended.  Walter White and his Tony Montana-esque thirst for empire seem to destroy everything they touch.

[Tortoise]

I still can't believe how this episode ended.  Walter White and his Tony Montana-esque thirst for empire seem to destroy everything they touch.

Believe it or not, I was actually somewhat rooting for Walt--even as he gradually broke bad--until the very end of this past episode. Now I can't wait to watch Walt crash down in flames. He's too far gone now; even I can't continue rooting for that evil scumbag.

[MediumTex]

I still can't believe how this episode ended.  Walter White and his Tony Montana-esque thirst for empire seem to destroy everything they touch.

Believe it or not, I was actually somewhat rooting for Walt--even as he gradually broke bad--until the very end of this past episode. Now I can't wait to watch Walt crash down in flames. He's too far gone now; even I can't continue rooting for that evil scumbag.

I noticed that the gun was removed from the go bag before he even arrived to meet Mike, which makes me think that shooting Mike was on Walt's mind when he spoke up in Saul's office about bringing him the go bag, or perhaps at the latest when he saw the gun in the top of the bag at the airport.

Perhaps Walt was having flashbacks about when earlier partners betrayed him (i.e., his startup partners from years before) and he just raged out because the same thing seemed to be threatening his chances for success once again.

I have a feeling that Jesse is going to be the one who kills Walt.  That's just the sense I get overall.  There is a tradition in movies of the terminally ill person going out in a flurry of violence.  Think John Wayne in The Shootist.

[dualstow]

I have a feeling that Jesse is going to be the one who kills Walt.  That's just the sense I get overall.  There is a tradition in movies of the terminally ill person going out in a flurry of violence.  Think John Wayne in The Shootist.

There's a very good possibility, but my money's on Mrs White. Or Walter himself. (By accident, not suicide).

After all his hard work, will Hank again be deprived of his Big Catch?

[Lone Wolf]

I noticed that the gun was removed from the go bag before he even arrived to meet Mike, which makes me think that shooting Mike was on Walt's mind when he spoke up in Saul's office about bringing him the go bag, or perhaps at the latest when he saw the gun in the top of the bag at the airport.

Perhaps Walt was having flashbacks about when earlier partners betrayed him (i.e., his startup partners from years before) and he just raged out because the same thing seemed to be threatening his chances for success once again.

Yeah, at the very least it seems that Walt planned to threaten Mike if necessary to get those nine names.

Something that disturbed me about that last scene is how ambiguous Walt's reasons were for taking the shot.  When you really think it through, this was of very little real benefit and an extremely risky thing to do.  (I imagine the list of people who've taken a shot at Mike Ehrmentraut and lived to tell about it is short indeed.)

I had to conclude that at least part of why he shot Mike was that he was simply enraged by the way that Mike was speaking to him.  Walt's "the king" now and he's in no mood to be told that he "should have known his place".

I have a feeling that Jesse is going to be the one who kills Walt.  That's just the sense I get overall.  There is a tradition in movies of the terminally ill person going out in a flurry of violence.  Think John Wayne in The Shootist.

That's the sense that I've had as well.  If Jesse ever knew all of the ways that Walt had wronged him...

And now that Walt has taken in boyish psycho Todd (freaking Todd) as his new sous-chef, he's got even more ways to get himself killed.  I'm sort of amazed that Walt is going to make it to his 52nd birthday.  But as Tortoise pointed out, the flashback from Episode 1 tells us that he does.

[MediumTex]

I noticed that the gun was removed from the go bag before he even arrived to meet Mike, which makes me think that shooting Mike was on Walt's mind when he spoke up in Saul's office about bringing him the go bag, or perhaps at the latest when he saw the gun in the top of the bag at the airport.

Perhaps Walt was having flashbacks about when earlier partners betrayed him (i.e., his startup partners from years before) and he just raged out because the same thing seemed to be threatening his chances for success once again.

Yeah, at the very least it seems that Walt planned to threaten Mike if necessary to get those nine names.

So we're back to killing all 9 of them to keep them quiet?

What a mess.

Can someone help me with how that bank safe deposit box arrangement was supposed to work?  Did Mike's guy leave money in each of those boxes every couple of weeks and then the 9 team members would come in and they would have a key to their own box and pick up their money?

That doesn't seem like a very solid setup to me.  It seems like a lot could go wrong (which it did).  At a minimum, it seems like his granddaughter's money should have been stored at a different bank.  I assume the guy who was doing the money drops was Mike's attorney? 

[Lone Wolf]

So we're back to killing all 9 of them to keep them quiet?

What a mess.

Crazy, isn't it?  If Walt's got any caution left, he could try to figure out a way to pick up the "legacy costs".  The lawyer's talking but the other nine aren't yet.  The lawyer probably doesn't have Walt and Jesse's names.  Walt could get the names from Lydia and make arrangements to continue their hazard pay with proceeds from the new operation.

But considering Walt's imprudence and his irritation at having to pick up the hazard pay for Fring's operation, I'm afraid he's more likely to try to "dispose" of these guys.  Indescribably messy.  Hopefully even he can see that...?

Can someone help me with how that bank safe deposit box arrangement was supposed to work?  Did Mike's guy leave money in each of those boxes every couple of weeks and then the 9 team members would come in and they would have a key to their own box and pick up their money?

That doesn't seem like a very solid setup to me.  It seems like a lot could go wrong (which it did).  At a minimum, it seems like his granddaughter's money should have been stored at a different bank.  I assume the guy who was doing the money drops was Mike's attorney? 

As best I understood it, it's just like you said.  The lawyer rented out 9 safe deposit boxes for the 9 team members and one more for Mike's granddaughter.  The lawyer kept a key and each family would be given a key as well.  The lawyer and the family member were presumably both listed as being allowed to access each box.  He'd drop hazard pay every couple of weeks, "slow and steady".

I'm with you on keeping the granddaughter's money in a separate bank.  It's that whole Permanent Portfolio "diversification of institutions" thing. 

I loved Saul's sneering dismissal of this other attorney as an incompetent hack.  "Always consult with me before using outside counsel!"

[dualstow]

I assume the guy who was doing the money drops was Mike's attorney?

He was an attorney representing everyone except Mike, which is what alerted Hank's suspicious mind. The rest is correct.
Yeah, they made a mess of it. I guess it was too dusty to do all those drops in the desert.

I loved Saul's sneering dismissal of this other attorney as an incompetent hack.  "Always consult with me before using outside counsel!"

That was hilarious!

[MediumTex]

I assume the guy who was doing the money drops was Mike's attorney?

He was an attorney representing everyone except Mike, which is what alerted Hank's suspicious mind. The rest is correct.
Yeah, they made a mess of it. I guess it was too dusty to do all those drops in the desert.

Oh that's right, of course. Saul was Mike's attorney.  He got the restraining order against the DEA to stop them from following Mike around.

[AdamA]

I hate that they killed Mike.  He has been my favorite character this season.  Jonathan Banks is a fantastic actor.

[dualstow]

Oh that's right, of course. Saul was Mike's attorney.  He got the restraining order against the DEA to stop them from following Mike around.

That's right, and even though Hank had just been ordered not to follow Mike, he could follow this lawyer for the other nine without violating that order.

[MediumTex]

I hate that they killed Mike.  He has been my favorite character this season.  Jonathan Banks is a fantastic actor.

We didn't actually see him die, though I assume that's what happened.

***

I wonder what Walt is going to tell Jesse.

"Oh yeah, I met Mike to give him his go bag but as he was driving away I shot him with his own gun and watched him die by the side of the river.  I tried to say something, but he told me to be quiet so he could die in peace."

Jesse's already pissed about not getting his money.

[dualstow]

If Jesse is ever nabbed, I think it's safe to say this news would override his "moral" reluctance to flip.
"It's your brother-in-law...bi*ch!"

[Lone Wolf]

I wonder what Walt is going to tell Jesse.

"Oh yeah, I met Mike to give him his go bag but as he was driving away I shot him with his own gun and watched him die by the side of the river.  I tried to say something, but he told me to be quiet so he could die in peace."

Jesse's already pissed about not getting his money.

Heh.  I think that Walt's going to tell Jesse that he handed the bag over and Mike rode off into the sunset.  Mike's intent was clearly to vanish so it wouldn't be suspicious if he made no further contact.

I imagine that poor Mike will wind up in one of Walt's "special fluoric acid barrels" so that Jesse never has any reason to doubt this story. 

[Tortoise]

And now that Walt has taken in boyish psycho Todd (freaking Todd) as his new sous-chef, he's got even more ways to get himself killed.  I'm sort of amazed that Walt is going to make it to his 52nd birthday.  But as Tortoise pointed out, the flashback from Episode 1 tells us that he does.

Also, let's not forget that Todd secretly held onto the murdered boy's jar with the tarantula in it. That jar is certainly covered with the boy's fingerprints, and perhaps with Walt's and/or Jesse's fingerprints as well. It links practically all of them to the boy's murder. Todd may have just kept it as a sick "trophy" (in which case he's an even sicker psychopath than we thought), but I think it's more likely that he plans to use it eventually to blackmail Walt if necessary.

[Lone Wolf]

Also, let's not forget that Todd secretly held onto the murdered boy's jar with the tarantula in it. That jar is certainly covered with the boy's fingerprints, and perhaps with Walt's and/or Jesse's fingerprints as well. It links practically all of them to the boy's murder. Todd may have just kept it as a sick "trophy" (in which case he's an even sicker psychopath than we thought), but I think it's more likely that he plans to use it eventually to blackmail Walt if necessary.

Oh dear.  That's a good catch on the blackmail angle.  I'd viewed it strictly as a creepy trophy (and further evidence that Todd is disturbed and dangerous) but I'd never considered the blackmail side of things.

[AdamA]

I wonder what Walt is going to tell Jesse.

"Oh yeah, I met Mike to give him his go bag but as he was driving away I shot him with his own gun and watched him die by the side of the river.  I tried to say something, but he told me to be quiet so he could die in peace."

Jesse's already pissed about not getting his money.

I think it would be awesome if Walt somehow manipulated things such that Jesse ends up killing Todd.  

[dualstow]

I'm not sure why Todd is singled out as the dangerous psychopath, even grading on a curve.

[Lone Wolf]

I'm not sure why Todd is singled out as the dangerous psychopath, even grading on a curve.

The short version is that Todd, without hesitation, committed the single most awful act we've witnessed in this entire series.  Afterward, he displayed no meaningful emotion of any kind.  He kept the kid's jar and tarantula as some kind of trophy.  Protip: Stay far, far away from people that behave like this.

The longer version is that I read Todd as a genuine sociopath.  After shooting the kid, he seems astonished and lost trying to grasp why everybody is angry with him.  Notice that there's no emotion of his own.  He sort of looks around the room and plays off of everyone else's energy.

I think he's struggling to understand and properly handle their negative reaction but displays absolutely no emotion, care, or concern of his own.  It reminded me very much of the way that Dexter Morgan has to carefully pick his way through the process of human interaction.

Just my theory as to who (or more like "what") Todd will turn out to be.

[dualstow]

I agree with all that. I mean he's a bad guy. But, it seems like he was born into a criminal family (He mentioned his uncle in prison). Meanwhile, Walter was/is a teacher of schoolchildren and a father, and yet he poisoned a young child. Yes, Todd is a heartless, cold-blooded reptilian killer, but once I saw him pull out his weapon and shoot the kid like that, I certainly didn't expect him to show regret later.

I guess Walter still has some regret, but it's fading fast. As he told Skyler, "It gets easier."

[MediumTex]

I'm not sure why Todd is singled out as the dangerous psychopath, even grading on a curve.

The short version is that Todd, without hesitation, committed the single most awful act we've witnessed in this entire series.  Afterward, he displayed no meaningful emotion of any kind.  He kept the kid's jar and tarantula as some kind of trophy.  Protip: Stay far, far away from people that behave like this.

The longer version is that I read Todd as a genuine sociopath.  After shooting the kid, he seems astonished and lost trying to grasp why everybody is angry with him.  Notice that there's no emotion of his own.  He sort of looks around the room and plays off of everyone else's energy.

I think he's struggling to understand and properly handle their negative reaction but displays absolutely no emotion, care, or concern of his own.  It reminded me very much of the way that Dexter Morgan has to carefully pick his way through the process of human interaction.

Just my theory as to who (or more like "what") Todd will turn out to be.

Todd is a disturbing character for sure.

And he's Walt's new assistant.

He does seem to be an earnest sociopath, though, not wanting to receive any meth cooking wages until the meth is cooked just right.

[dualstow]

Yes, and remember the care he took to disable the nanny cam and to warn Walt & Jesse so they could reactivate it.

[Lone Wolf]

I agree with all that. I mean he's a bad guy. But, it seems like he was born into a criminal family (He mentioned his uncle in prison).

Yeah, it can be hard to tell the difference in a roomful of evil bastards, but I view Todd as a different kind of dude from the others.  The difference between someone who breaks bad and a psychopath is that the psycho isn't just letting greed or ego dominate his sense of empathy.  Think of Walt, who we clearly see from the early seasons was born capable of empathy but has buried it under a pile of megalomania.  The psychopath has no sense of empathy.  All he has is emptiness.

Think of Todd's attempt to interact with Jesse after they dispose of the dirt bike.  He has no connection to the emotions that Jesse is feeling.  I think he's trying to bridge a gap that he can never understand, so the attempt at smoothing things over comes off as creepy, goofy, and insensitive.  (If anyone hasn't yet watched "Dexter", it is not only an excellent series, but also contains great first-person storytelling from the perspective of a psychopath trying to live like a normal human being.)

He does seem to be an earnest sociopath, though, not wanting to receive any meth cooking wages until the meth is cooked just right.

Yes, and remember the care he took to disable the nanny cam and to warn Walt & Jesse so they could reactivate it.

Yeah, Todd strikes me as very fastidious and as an obsessive thinker / problem-solver.  What I initially interpreted as dull-wittedness now looks more like a lack of empathy and normal human emotion.  Combine these pieces together and you've got a guy who will fix things for you... but not necessarily in the way you might like.  And he will never understand why you are so upset with how he "solved" things.

Imagine if a guy like this learns that your "problem" is you have a brother-in-law in the DEA who's about to catch you.  Or imagine if he gets the feeling that your wife is causing you problems.

My guess is that Walt will employ Todd and his uncle's "prison connections" to try to silence Mike's nine men.  I predict that this will... run into complications.

But we'll see.  Frankly, the writers on this show always come up with better stuff than I do.