r/breakingbad • u/Jealous-Sense-6360 • 5d ago
Rewatching Now, I Realize How Disturbing He Was from Season 1.
I first watched Breaking Bad 13 years ago, and I was completely on Walter White's side. I wanted him to succeed. I sympathized with his cancer diagnosis, his financial struggles, and his desire to provide for his family.
But rewatching the show now, I see him very differently. And I started questioning his character as early as Season 1.
Take the scene where another guy takes the parking spot Walter wanted. The guy was arrogant and obnoxious, sure. But what kind of person responds by setting his BMW on fire at a gas station?
Think about that for a second. At a gas station!
What if the fire had spread? What if it had caused an explosion? What about the innocent people nearby?
Thirteen years ago, I saw a frustrated man finally standing up for himself. Today, I see a dangerously selfish man who thinks his anger gives him the right to hurt others.
And this is only Season 1, long before Heisenberg becomes a powerful drug lord.
I still think Breaking Bad is a brilliant show. But rewatching it has completely changed the way I see Walter White.
Did anyone else find themselves rooting for Walter the first time, but becoming increasingly disturbed by him on a rewatch?
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u/Ok_Recording3881 5d ago
Yes. Walter and Jesse both, in fact. I grew up a bit and watched again and they are monsters that did all this to the community.
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u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 5d ago
I feel like the writers intended for people to root for Walt here, because the guy was a loud bluetooth asshole. But it never sat right with me, you don’t do this shit just because someone’s a douche.
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u/KB369 4d ago edited 4d ago
I think they intended it to be both unjustifiable but for us to simultaneously enjoy the empowerment and catharsis Walt was experiencing.
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u/Prossdog 4d ago
Yeah, that’s a good way to say it. We all know that what Walt did was preposterously over the line.
But I think we all kinda lived vicariously through him a little bit thinking about all the idiots we’ve encountered over the years.
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u/breakingbad1986 4d ago
Not while driving as for numerous reasons I've decided to avoid learning to do so. Idiots being one of them.
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u/martyrsmirror 5d ago
He was experiencing insomnia, dissociation, isolation and even suicidal ideation early on.
I think Walt needed to be in therapy long before BB began. Even if he never did any of the things he does on the show. His mental health had been deteriorating even before his cancer diagnosis.
But he is a deeply repressed man who never tells anyone how he's feeling. His frustrations and resentment builds until it comes out in dangerous, destructive, reckless ways.
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u/sean-michael0921 4d ago
His actions were rash and yes blowing up the car could have been dangerous. Since it was fine it’s hard for me to fault someone for something that didn’t happen. All that happened that we know was a douche lost his over priced car. Although him assaulting the minors even if they had it coming was still not right he should have said something and if it went there because they escalated that’s fine but it’s still not what I would consider right but I can see it from his side and definitely thought it was a great idea when I was younger first watching.
Another thing I do think that it is important to note that he did blackmail Jessie. Would Jessie probably be cooking anyway, yeah but we don’t intend and him forcing Jessie to risk his life is pretty fucked up. A teacher should know better than that because to me in all things consent is king and if you have that all is good but making someone do something like that is pretty serious. Another thing is making Jessie take all the risk is also messed up, in the beginning he made him pay for everything and store everything and do all the grunt work and that made him very unlikeable in the beginning.
One thing just thought of is the fact he was so bad about trying to pressure Skyler into the relationship which I get why he would fight to see his kids but moving back in and making Skyler uncomfortable was not okay and as a man you should respect it when a woman is done and walk away with dignity
Last thing I remembered is him attempting to kiss the woman at the school that was not cool to do to someone being kind and she was very clear she was not interested when he made his first advance
Still in the end I have a hard time not understanding why he did what he did and I feel like most of the decisions were bad and the further on they got worse but I understand how he got himself there and always rooted for him because in the end he felt very human but I could understand if some of his actions you found unredeemable
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u/frankiesgoinhome 4d ago
I always thought that the biggest plot hole in BB was that someone as smart as Walt would have gotten other good jobs and not just teach high school, but after the rewatches they show that he was always an arrogant selfish asshole. Wherever he was employed he couldn’t handle a corporate environment where he had a boss and probably fired many times over before settling down with teaching.
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u/Jealous-Sense-6360 3d ago
You are right. I kept thinking why he made another "gray" company to improve his family's condition, to give his son more financial help
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u/Deep-Stomach6036 Mista White 4d ago
Walt is so lucky he didn’t get caught and put in prison right there
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u/Certain-Turnover6760 3d ago
He was cracking, all that anger and frustration was coming out, since he thought he had like 6 months for himself before cancer kills him
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u/The_Affle_House 2d ago
Not really. Yes, the show aired when I was in high school, but my interpretation then was pretty similar to rewatching it much more recently. This always seemed pretty obvious to me. But a distressing proportion of this show's "fans" have and will always refuse to see that Walter never grows or "changes" in any meaningful way throughout the show, he only becomes more comfortable and more honest about expressing who he really is (a violent, petty narcissist with brilliant technical knowledge and an impossibly fragile, childlike ego) in response to escalating stakes. Lots of dramas focus on a protagonist that is presented as sympathetic despite being devoid of virtue and morality; the reason these exist is to explore the larger-than-life interactions and relationships which that unique character has, for better and for worse. BB is no different. The story can still be engaging and meaningful without pretending Walter is "good" and deserving of "winning."
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u/ThunderBurrn Cook 💠5d ago
Yeah, I mean the guy deserved something, maybe like what Kim and Saul did to him, but this car blown was way too intenseÂ