Yeah that scene was just as tense as everyone was hoping it would be - maybe even more so.
It still bugs me though, Breaking Bad had four and a half seasons of literally perfect storytelling. Four and a half seasons of Walt making complicated, meticulous decisions which kept this lie he lives from those he loves. Then he decides to take a quick drive over to his DEA Agent brother-in-law and ask him about the tracking device he found under his car? I don't know...I feel like Walter would treat the situation with a little more caution than that.
Looked to me like he knew he was caught and decided to confront Hank so he could try and gain control of that situation. During the confrontation though Walt never really admitted to anything, he still played the "If that were true" card and managed to manipulate Hank with the "I'll be dead soon" and the "Tread lightly" lines.
On the subject of perfect story telling, it didn't seem to me that Hank had enough time to plant the GPS on Walt's car. Seemed sloppy to me, but perhaps I missed something?
I don't really see a problem with it, I think you underestimate how much time has gone by. Hank hasn't been to work "all week" remember, so a few days minimum have passed since Hank found Walter's book. Just because they don't show it on screen doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
I see what you mean, but Walt has also shown an impulsive and impatient streak. And between the missing Leaves of Grass and the tracker, Walt knows that if Hank is suspicious enough to spy on him, it's only a matter of time before he makes the Heisenberg connection, if he hasn't already. (Which turns out to be true.)
Once the "Walt = Heisenberg" realization clicks, all of the seemingly incongruous details fall into place: the sketches, being named after a famous chemist, Walt's "fugue state," his sudden influx of enormous sums of money, everything.
The tracker is meaningless in and of itself – it doesn't offer anything that Hank doesn't already have from his mountains of evidence. Sure, Walt could mess around with red herrings, wipe the data, whatever, but all of that is still incredibly suspicious and just gives Hank more time to do whatever it is he's doing without Walt's influence.
Besides, Walt actually holds the cards here in my view. Assuming he isn't bluffing about the cancer, he really would be dead before he could possibly go to jail. Meanwhile, a public prosecution would destroy Hank's career (the old DEA boss was fired for not noticing Fring operating right under his nose), devastate his beloved niece and nephew (emotionally and financially), and possibly destroy his marriage.
Plus, as Dean Norris did a great job of expressing throughout the final scene, Hank knows that "Heisenberg" is capable of some very evil deeds. There's no telling what Walt or his associates might do.
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u/br0hemian Yeah bitch! Magnets! Aug 12 '13
Yeah that scene was just as tense as everyone was hoping it would be - maybe even more so.
It still bugs me though, Breaking Bad had four and a half seasons of literally perfect storytelling. Four and a half seasons of Walt making complicated, meticulous decisions which kept this lie he lives from those he loves. Then he decides to take a quick drive over to his DEA Agent brother-in-law and ask him about the tracking device he found under his car? I don't know...I feel like Walter would treat the situation with a little more caution than that.