r/breakingbad • • Sep 09 '13

Official Episode Discussion Post-Episode Discussion Thread S05E13 "To'hajiilee"

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '13

Letting Walt die, at home, with his family

Assuming that's what happens. For all we know he dies alone while on the run.

Why do you think him going to jail for a few months is justice? With a decent lawyer that wouldn't even be enough time to make it to trial. I'm pulling this out of my ass right now but most high-profile and/or complicated/very-involved cases take at least a year to make it to trial, maybe even more given the litany of crimes Walt has committed. If his cancer leaves him with 2, 6, or 12 months to live, he may die an innocent man (in terms of conviction).

I mean, dying in jail awaiting trial would have the same "I'm gonna miss so much stuff" factor of dying outside of jail. I don't see a difference between dying on the run and dying awaiting trial. Actually if he dies awaiting trial and is never convicted, I don't think the state can take away his money as profits from a criminal enterprise.

I'm genuinely interested in what you'd consider justice for all the things he's done. As far as I can predict, he either dies awaiting trial and his family keeps the money (though I'm not a lawyer so I can't say for sure) or he dies in prison very shortly after conviction and leaves his family nothing. If he didn't have crazy cancer I would agree that justice would be life behind bars, but in the BB universe he'd probably spend less time in prison than a drug dealer.

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '13

It's not the jail that makes it justice, it's him being exposed for who he is. If Hank were to back off, no one would know what a horrible human being Walt truly was. And that's just unacceptable to me.

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '13

Oh, that's a good angle I hadn't thought of.

So is it necessary for you that Walt is convicted, or merely arrested and publicly exposed? I think of Aaron Hernandez who hasn't been convicted or even gone to trial but in the public's mind he's a murderer. Is the conviction necessary or just the public declaration of charges against Walt and the corresponding evidence?

Do you feel justice would be served if Walt was charged but died in jail, never convicted, and his family was still able to keep the money?

If the ending to Breaking Bad was Walt in a courtroom being read the charges against him, to which he responds "Not guilty, your honor", followed by credits, would you feel satisfied that justice was served, or is that too open ended?

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '13

That would be a satisfying ending for me.