Breaking Bad’s Sinister Science - “Gliding Over All” Season 5 Semi-Finale Review
The first half of season 5 Breaking Bad has seen our favorite meth cook Walter White completely transform into his alter-ego, Heisenberg.
The first half of season 5 Breaking Bad has seen our favorite meth cook Walter White completely transform into his alter-ego, Heisenberg. Walt is no longer Mr. White knight, the crusader against more sinister forces. He is now the most evil entity to everyone close to him, and he makes it clear that it is Walters world. His conscience faded rapidly during season four, but this season has shown Walter as unrecognizable from his former self; Mr. White is now 99.9% black of heart. Walters soul was last glimpsed before being lost forever during the poisoning of young Brock in a bid to manipulate Jesses loyalty. Walts prior homicidal dalliances were justified with a them or me mentality, but orchestrating Brocks illness was devious in a way that cleared the path for all other ethical transgressions. It can also be argued that the same deed held the last shred of Walters humanity, in that he couldnt bring himself to murder the boy, instead taking a more humane approach with the non-deadly Lily-Of-The-Valley. Since then, Walts taken a shoot first ask questions later mindset, just to be prudent. The final shift in his personality seemed to happen almost instantly after Gus Fring straightened his tie for the final time. Granted, this metamorphosis has taken place over time, but Walts complete surrender to the dark side was abrupt. Walt has abandoned all efforts to live as a decent person. He gave up the good fight and commenced battle solely in the name of power and ego. The symbolic Heisenberg hat, once used as an affectation of Walter playing the ba guy, is no longer an element of costume, it is now a genuine extension of his evil persona. Walters quest is no longer for family - it looks like he may have lost his for good. Its not even about money anymore. Since losing a small fortune, Walter has recouped more blood money from his international business expansion than he could spend in ten lifetimes, according to the exhausted Skylar. She has long since lost her voice, saying next-to-nothing and smiling even less under Walts emotional captivity. While it is completely understandable that Skylar is somewhat irked by the unexpected foray into drug cartels, murder and maiming - she does come off a bit nagging these days. Perhaps it all could have ended with Gus Frings murder, but Skylars ill-advised financial investment in Ted Beneke left the Whites penniless and back to square one. Perhaps Walter would have walked away with his $735,000.00 and called it a day. Instead, thanks to Skylars indiscretions, he is forced to cook up the blue brew again. The tension between the Whites is unnerving, especially before the cringingly oblivious Walter sees himself through Skylars eyes. Once he does - he gives up all efforts at redemption from Skylar and himself. The damage has become too mangled for repair. Walters ambition has twisted his wife into his enemy. Its forced Skylar to surrender their children into the care of their annoyingly persistent D.E.A. Uncle Hank, who happens to be on the brink of discovering the hidden crystal empire. Walter and Skylar, once typical suburban parents heavy on ethics, have morphed into bastions of immorality. Skylar, the sensible one has relinquished control to her recovering kleptomaniac baby sister Marie. Incredibly, Mrs. Hank Schrader is Mother Hen in this clan. Marie has been the rock throughout every ordeal. Nursing a very grumpy Hank back to belligerence, taking control when the family was under cartel threat, and even fostering her infant niece and teenaged nephew - all legitimate criteria for living sainthood. Violet happens to be the color of good judgement, and the perpetually purple-clad Marie as neurotic as she may be, is the unlikely voice of reason in this chaotic suburban nightmare. Skylar and Marie arent the only ones swapping roles. A once drug addicted Jesse was on the brink of suicide when set straight by Walter, his sometimes-father figure. Over the last few years, Jesse Pinkman has been a reluctant criminal, the bad boy with heart. Within their bloody crusade, Pinkman is the only one truly pained by the gangs drastic measures. His breaking point follows the tragic shooting of a young boy who motor-biked to the wrong crime scene. As Jesse becomes distraught over the loss of another young life, Walter takes a pseudo sympathetic approach to assuage his young partners guilt. It almost works, until Jesse on his way out, happens to hear Mr. White casually whistling a chirpy tune. It was at that moment Jesse realizes Walter has no capacity for guilt because he no longer has a conscience. Pinkman then immediately tenders his resignation from their meth enterprise. Walters 0.01% of remaining humanity honors his commitment to Jesse with an unexpected multimillion dollar payout, possibly a brief return of Mr. White. This loyal gesture is reassuring. At least Walt still has the capacity to do the right thing - on occasion. Even Mike the career criminal finds operations distasteful and folds. He almost makes a graceful exit, until Walter takes his standard approach to permanently silencing possible defectors. Mike gets away long enough to die on his own terms, until Walter finds him, pestering the poor bastard even through his dying moments - at least in a picturesque setting. Has Walt seen the back of Jesse for good? Even if the business is defunct, they have a new problem which may reunite them. Hank may finally put a face to the Heisenberg hat - and this knowledge will tear him between the force and his family. The final battle will be between the ultimate egos of criminality and justice. The eerie thing about this semi-finale of Breaking Bad is the seeming calm before the storm. So well wait under ominous clouds, until next summer - when, as Mike once predicted, Walter the ticking time bomb goes BOOM.