Topics:
- Walt descends into madness as portrayed by the writers. There’s this weird scene where he makes this big show of “forgiving” Skyler. What is madness? Can we boil it down into something like megalomania, with all the other definitions deems relative to whatever current society sees as normal?
- What about terms like “sociopath” or “crazy” or “madness” or “criminal” or “hero” – and how did BB help us deconstruct these ideas … What would Foucault think of this show, if he watched TV and was still alive?
- A big recurring theme of the series is how Walt wants to reap the benefits of his actions but not suffer any consequences. Comparing him to Gus, he really seems to have no concept of ownership, even self-ownership, and it’s responsibilities.
- Skyler’s “pool state” stunt is a clever reenactment of Walt’s “fugue state.”
- Perhaps the pivot point of the series is the killing of that boy on the motorcycle. The first time a completely innocent, non-participant is killed by Walt’s activities. From there on it’s a follow-coaster ride to the resolution of the many plot conflicts in the series.
- Walt won’t sell his share of the Methylamine for $5mil, because he sold his share of Grey Matter for 5,000. Very twisted logic.
- Walt thinks he can find “everybody wins” solutions, but there is always a victim. He’s really just a two-bit bandit.
- Mike: “Shut the fuck up and let me die in peace.”
- Who is W.W.? Did the writers intentionally use Walt Whitman in comparison to Walter White? Is it because Whitman was a favorite of early 20th century anarchists?
- Why would Hank take a dump in the Master Bathroom at someone else’s house? It seems implausible to me, or it reveals something really weird about Hank.
- Walt: “Wouldn’t two car washes be better than one?” Skyler: “Well there’s Gentle Hands over by Kirkland. I do love that location.” — weirdness
- Skyler [referring to Jesse] “We’ve come this far, “for us”, what’s one more?”
- I liked it, I was good at it, and….I was alive.” Discuss: vocation, being human, and how sin distorts it
- Trophies: Todd kept the kid’s jar/spider, Walt keeps the Walt Whitman book.
- How do we learn from failure? Nat King Cole song … https://youtu.be/20ViFpURIDk
- Why is it we need some kind of marginal redemption, especially in fiction?
- Götterdämmerung of WALT, the Meth Cook … you could make much of the soundtrack for season 5 from The Ring by Wagner. This would have made a great soundtrack option for this last season: https://youtu.be/a53s4jyCqqU
- Joseph Campbell has a book called the Heroes Journey, but isn’t there also a shadow aspect to this … like the Arc of the Villain?
- Did WW get away with it?
