I think I may have dropped the oh-shit-this-show-makes-me-feel-dirty bomb a week too early. That idea was ratcheted up this week.
All along, we’ve been questioning where to draw the line on Walter White. When should we jump ship and say “this is an evil man, he deserves what he gets”? For many, that line was drawn way back in season 2 with the not-quite-murder of Jane. I gave Walt a bit longer but eventually he got there. The trouble is, I never completely stopped feeling sorry for the guy. The Villigan just wouldn’t let me.
All series long, we’ve been shown a man who is consumed by regret and unfulfilled ambition. We’ve also been shown a man who, without those two flaws, would always do right by his family. Unfortunately, he just can’t help himself. He will always choose money and revenge, even over the things he recognizes are more important.
That’s the core of the tragedy that I see in his character’s story. The events that his prideful Heisenberg persona set in motion carry too much momentum to be stopped by Walter White, despite his best efforts. The best he has managed to do is deflect them.
In ‘Granite State’, Walt is forced into a cabin in the woods where all he can do for months (aside from watching shitty movies) is sit and think about what he’s done and the horrible toll it has taken on the people he claims to be doing this for.
At this point I felt sorry for Walt yet again. The phone call with his son was absolutely crushing. But of course, like Michael Corleone, Walter White gets pulled back in one last time by the pride of Heisenberg.
And once again, I’m off #TeamWalt.