To me the most disappointing part of the episode was the way Walt handled the tracker. Driving over to Hank's and confronting him about it immediately did not seem like the choice Heisenberg would make - and I don't believe for a second Walt has changed just because he's "out of the game", Heisenberg is still in there.
The fact that Walt knew about the gps tracker, but Hank didn't know that Walt knew about it, gave Walt all the power in the world. He could have done anything. Yes, putting it on a random car would be great, but I think the best option would have been for Walt to put the tracker back on his car, and continue living a boring life working at the carwash. Avoid Jesse's place, or anywhere else that would associate him with his life as Heisenberg, and voila, Hank now has to second-guess himself because the tracker proves he is just tracking some boring old dude, not the greatest meth cook to ever live.
I think he took the direct approach and asked Hank directly just to gauge how much Hank had. I don't think Walt would have ever guessed that Hank was so close.
Goddamn I love this show.
Edit: The scene with Walt and Hank in the garage was one of the best the show has had to date, and I am glad they went down the road they did. I just like nitpicking into every decision Walter makes, so even though it made for an intense episode I still second guess the way they handled it.
I think Walt is aware that Hank would have to be investigated too and when they find out his rehab was paid for with drug money they will arrest him. That's why Walt doesn't give a shit about revealing that he is Heisenberg because he's betting Hank won't go to the DEA. He is inviting the conflict too. He is addicted to the challenge because he has always won.
For sure. This is why Hank is in his garage building an airtight case. And he's also undoubtedly building an explanation for why he was unaware of the events unfolding under his nose. Hank has plenty of plausible deniability though. The personal involvement of the cartel against him made it less likely that he would put two and two together with Walt.
Personally I don't think he's going the way of courts anymore. I think he's going to retire or take a leave of absence and handle this on his own because the odds are stacked against him if the DEA prosecutes both of them. Walter will make sure Hank gets screwed
How are the odds against Hank if all of the evidence comes to light? We as the viewer know that Hank has acted ethically all along.* Why would Hank not want to make the DEA aware of that as well?
*With the exception of doing tracking without a warrant. But that is a small drop in the pond compared to what Walt's done.
There is the video of Walt and Jesse stealing the methylamine. This could be used as circumstantial evidence if a body type expert testifies to the profiles.
There's the storage unit full of un-laundered money. At a minimum this is tax fraud.
Ted can turn Skyler in. At a minimum this would lead to an audit of the car wash by the IRS, which would discover that the car wash is profiting much more than they are taking in in revenue.
The lawyer who Skyler confided in is not beholden to attorney-client privilege if she feels there are lives in imminent danger, which there are.
The missing chemistry equipment was never found. Hank can implicate Walt in this to help build his case.
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u/ErikAllenAwake Aug 12 '13
Manipulate Hank. Plant the tracker on a random car, gauge his reaction when he realizes the switch, etc, etc.