Breaking Bad: How Walter White Broke Bad In 10 Steps

5. Stay Out of My Territory

I have left a gap until this point for the reason that I don€™t think Walt€™s character changes much from becoming Heisenberg until here (though feel free to disagree in the comments). In possibly my favourite moment of the series, Walt has given up on cooking meth after realising the danger that he is putting himself and his family into. He is once again drawn back into the industry after seeing some young start ups gathering materials in a hardware store to cook meth. Walt challenges them in the parking lot and warns them to stay out of his territory, signalling that he has decided to re-enter the industry. This is a huge moment for the character. At the start of the series Walt€™s sole motivation was to provide for his family after his death and he left the industry for his family€™s safety. Although providing for his family is a factor in him returning to the industry in this episode it is clear that the main reason is due to how cooking makes him feel and how it services his ego. He wants to get back into cooking meth because it makes him feel powerful and alive, this is a decision for himself and not for his family.
In this post: 
Breaking Bad
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

I'm a 20 year old law student with a passion for film and television. I aim to not be too cynical about film and to approach writing as a speculative fan and not as a critic.