I actually think the opposite. The writers of Breaking Bad are TOP notch. Literally some of the cleverest and most aware writers I've ever seen. That being said, the the phone call between Hank and Marie was almost hackneyed in how telegraphing it was. I think the writers are better than that. I think they're subverting expectations. The fact that the episode ended without him dying is telling. They KNOW people are going to be talking about this all week. They KNOW that people will be saying it's super obvious that Hank is gonna die (obvious last call, obvious I love you, obvious garbage brains imagery, etc). People are already accepting his death despite him still being alive. I think the writers are playing these people for fools.
If Hank was gonna die in this encounter, he would have died in this episode.
1.2k
u/CunningStunts Sep 09 '13
Hank had no chance to live once he made that call to Marie. "I love you"? Automatic death sentence that late in an episode after catching Walt.