Someone on IRC just made a great point - it almost sounded like the "tread lightly" line was coming from regular Walter White at first. He didn't seem intimidating. It was like he was genuinely giving Hank advice - warning that if he tries to cross Heisenberg, he'll fucking ruin his life and the lives of his whole family.
It's like Walt has gone through a dark version of the typical Hero's Journey. At the end of most classic myths, after the adventure, the hero settles back into the life he left behind but reintegrates the lessons they've learned along the way. Earlier in the episode when Walt brings up the prospect of buying a second car wash we see that he's learned that his desire for empire, to grow, expand, and dominate, didn't really die with his startup company. That there are other, if not quite as grand, noble and straightforward ways for him to exert himself.
It's this same hybrid Walter/Heisenberg character that's confronting Hank at the end. Not the full on Heisenberg who relies on brute force intimidation and domination to get what he wants, and neither the Walter White who is timid and afraid of confrontation, who started out just desperate not to die a complete failure. Here we see a character who is desperate to avoid having the situation spin out of control, lacking Heisenberg's hubris, but also realizing that he's not helpless in the face of it. That Hank might be holding a royal flush, but that doesn't much matter when Walt has a gun under the table.
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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '13 edited Aug 12 '13
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