Posted on 09/10/2013 11:21:52 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Last night's Breaking Bad left off in the middle of a gunfight, with Gomez and Hank trying to fend off two cars' worth of Todd's Nazi family. Gomez had a shotgun; Jack and Kenny each had some kind of assault weapon. But there were Hank and Todd, each with a handgun. Bang, bang, bang. It was just the most recent instance of Todd mirroring another character. We've seen him be like Walt, we've seen him mirror Jesse, and then last night we saw him mirror both Skyler and Hank. For a very late addition to the cast, Todd sure has become important.
Early on, Todd was a mirror for Mike. In his first appearance — as part of the Vamanos extermination front — Todd spotted a nanny cam in the house Walt and Jesse were about to use as a onetime cook site. It was an instance of Mike-style attention to detail (think of Mike cleaning up Jesse's apartment when Jane died), with the same kind of modest presence that disguises an intense dark side. Two episodes later, in "Dead Freight," Todd works seamlessly alongside Jesse and Walt, pulling off the great methylamine heist of '12. And then in one of the show's most striking scenes, Todd pulls out a gun and kills a child.
But dirtbike-riding, tarantula-trapping Drew Sharp is not the first kid to be shot on Breaking Bad. There was Tomás Cantillo back in season three, who was shot and killed in "Half Measures," presumably at Gus's behest. If Todd and Gus ever crossed paths, we didn't see it, but when he killed Drew Sharp, it was a total Gus move. At that point, Jesse thought Gus had poisoned Brock — so in Jesse's eyes, that was another Gus-style transgression. But Walt knew better; in his eyes, Todd was making a Walt-like move, and in its own sick way, that was flattering. Not unlike the Salamancas, Todd has an important professional criminal relationship with his uncle. Not a lot of solid father-son relationships on Breaking Bad! This is why so many characters seek out authoritative male approval and attention!
Since then, Todd's bounced between Jesse and Walt. He's a protégé — so he's Jesse. But he's very precise and committed — so he's Walt. He doesn't have a natural aptitude for meth-cooking — so he's Jesse. But boy, is he ever applying himself — back to Walt. When he helped Walt dispose of Mike's body, he channeled Saul: I don't need or want a full explanation; let's just get the dirty work over with. In this season's "Buried," Todd leads a blindfolded Lydia through a maze of corpses that she refuses to see or acknowledge, which is more or less how Walt led Sklyer through the first few seasons of the show. Denial's a hell of a thing.
So we've seen Todd channel the bad guys. But he's channeled the good guys, too. (Good being a relative term here; it's Breaking Bad, after all.) When he sat at breakfast bragging to his uncle Jake and associate Kenny about the train heist, he sounded just like a season one Hank bragging about his DEA busts; mostly telling the truth, leaving out the unsavory parts, and basking in the adoration of a rapt audience.
Todd's even able to echo parts of Skyler's story lines. Breaking Bad is a surprisingly desexualized show. Usually in this antihero genre that Walter White gets lumped in with, we see a tremendous amount of womanizing: We saw it from Tony Soprano, from Don Draper, from Vic Mackey. And often shows that have this much violence — say, Game of Thrones or Dexter — have a lot of sex and nudity to go along with it. Not so Breaking Bad. There's very little tenderness, very few loving relationships, and almost no eroticism. But then there was Todd's charged conversation with Lydia and his wistful examination of the lipstick stain she left on his These Colors Don't Run mug, and suddenly things were as sensual as they'd ever been. The only other time we've seen anything that overtly sexual was Skyler singing "Happy Birthday" to Ted, just before they rekindled their affair. And the way Todd cradled the mug felt like a direct callback to Skyler at the end of "Fifty-One," when she sat in the living room, ashing her cigarette into an Area 51 mug.
We see Hank in Todd, we Skyler in Todd, we even see Marie's perky telephone demeanor maybe sort of in Todd. We see parts of Walt and Gus and Mike and Jesse in Todd. And what they all add up to — Todd himself — is someone pretty awful. Oh, he's devoted, he's easy to work with, and he even seems to be enjoying himself at least some of the time. But Todd's also maybe a psychopath, or at least he's someone detached enough from the experiences of life that he's unfazed by murdering a child. He's a bad, bad guy. And with him, Breaking Bad is telling us that the bad side wins out — add up all the good things about the show's universe, and add up all the bad things, and guess what? The bad part wins. The dangerous part, the criminal part, the cold part, the cruel part — even when someone has goodness in them, when he or she is smart and passionate and reliable. Even then, the bad part is more powerful. Just ask Heisenberg.
yeah.
at least now i know who walt is going to use the machine gun against. i had about four-five major potential story arcs that could play out, they’ve narrowed to two and how some go vary but the main storylines are pretty set now.
Agreed, it is brilliant and the vest character development I have seen.
But was Walt always like he has vecome? I don’t think a genuinely good soul evolves into Walt, The nidus of bad was always there I do believe.
I’ve been watching Low Winter Sun in hopes of it getting better and it has.....a little but I tend to agree with one local Detroit critic.
Its got some great actors reading mediocre lines in hopes that Detroit’s reputation will carry the show. The critic who is himself black also points out that the show seems to be trying to deliberately hide the fact that Detroit’s population is primarily black.
I did like the Coleman Young lookalike mayor who was portrayed as a disinterested idiot last week.
Why are you here displaying an astounding level of lack of thought?
This series isa morality play with brilliant writing, acting, production.
Really???? I mean REALLY???? Exposition of the inner angst of a television show???? bleeeech
yup. did you notice he wound up drinking from lydia’s mug as she drove away? practical too. tea left in the cup, may as well drink it. to me he kind of reminds me of what that little kid from the junkie parents - where the woman kiled te guy with the atm - would grow up to be. no real parents to instill right/wrong, so the kid grows up without much of a conscience. he is loyal though. but that only goes so far.
ok, is Walt a dead man?
I’m thinking the heavy weaponry is going to be used against Todd’s kin.
Have you ever bothered to watch it? Oh, let me guess...you’re probably a Freeper who likes to brag he hasn’t watched TV in twenty years.
you realize it’s not a good person losing their soul.
it’s a revealing under certain harsh and stressful circumstances of what was there all along.
and to all varying degrees this plays out in every major character on thge show. hank as well. so fixated on getting a crook he doesn’t give a crap about what happens to snitches he’s using, to get his own kudos and promotions.
walt wasn’t a good guy. i think this shows all people have evil in them and under certain conditions they will do things they wouldn’t normally consider. the illness didnt turn walt evil, the illness revealed some disturbing truths about walt’s real character.
that’ and rationalization is the second greatest human drive.
Todd????
I think the author is placing too much emphasis on a mnor character role. There are and have been far more secondary characters who have added real value to the show.
Todd? No. Just no.
yep. this episode confirmed it for me.
Thanks for the brain fart.
Exactly...like Badger and Skinny Pete.
It’s not vile.
It doesn’t promote or glamorize drug use despite the claims. It’s like saying Othello promotes domestic abuse or Hamlet glamorizes violence.
The show has repeatedly showed the accurate and devastating effects of drugs and violence. The protagonist is doing a slow burn where he literally started off saying “no rough stuff” and now he doesn’t even blink when he watches a kid get shot in front of him. All because he wanted to help his family after he dies. The drug users are regularly shown to be foolish or low character. The only sympathetic bad guy on the show is Jesse (who is in constant torment because of his actions) and possibly Mike (who meets an unfortunate end). The criminal lawyer, his underlings, etc and all shown to be awful people. The only positively portrayed characters in the entire show are Walt’s son and Hank, both men who are always portrayed to be of the highest moral character. Hank even had a story arc where he was forced to shoot a drug dealer who pulled a gun, the result being grief over having to take a life. No glamorizing it or taking joy in it.
It’s a pretty good morality play done in 50+ acts.
its not
You’ve convinced me. I’ll stop watching. I should have never started.
Good eye.
It was shown in several episodes that Walt’s career in chemistry was limited due to a combination of arrogance and poor treatment of others. His relationship with past colleagues is strained and he snaps at a past flame.
Ultimately, it seems as if he wasted his life and talent due to his own poor character. He just never broke the law as large and clearly as he is doing during the show.
That’s a good point, you’re right.
I thought the scene w/ Lydia was a little strange. Especially knowing that Vince Gilligan doesn’t waste anything on-screen. One of the things I enjoy so much about the show is that almost everything means something and interconnects with things to come.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
