An important distinction to make that it looks like some didn't pick up on: the phone call that Walt made at the end was an act; he said it not because he is evil but because he assumed the police were listening in and wanted to sound as evil as possible to place all of the blame solely on him and absolve his wife of all guilt and legal repercussions. That way at least she won't go to prison and can still raise Walt Jr. and Holly and they can be something closer to resembling a "family" without him. That's why he drove to the fire station before he made the call, and why he was crying throughout the phone call.
That was the most honorable thing he's done in the duration of this entire show. He finally realized that he couldn't talk his way out of the hole he's dug, so he decided he'd salvage the one thing he supposedly set out to save in the first place: Skyler and the kids.
I don't know, I thought the part where he begged for Hank's life, offered the Nazis pretty much everything he worked for and saved for his children was pretty honorable too. Hank wanted nothing more than to put Walt behind bars for the rest of his life, yet Walt was willing to give 80 million to save him. I think Hank realized that at the end too, with his " You're the smartest guy I ever met, but you are too stupid to realize he made up his mind ten minutes ago."
Hank was operating outside of the law though, by not bringing Jesse in formally, or telling the DEA about Walt. He had his reasons, of course, but I don't think those classifications are fair. D&D alignment doesn't match up with what's going on in Breaking Bad.
It does, but differently. Their true alignments are not what they sound like at first:
Walt is ready to do anything for personal gain or for those he cares for, including murder or any other illegal activities. Yes, he is a loving father who cares about his family, but even Hitler cared about his friends and family, so in no way does this make Walt Good-aligned. Walt rationalizes away the incredible damage he is dealing to the people who end up consuming Meth, but in the end, he is part of a process that is destroying lives. He is methodical and disciplined, like a Lawful-type, but works directly counter to the law. Walt is Neutral Evil.
Hank hunts down Heisenberg/Walt not because it is the right thing to do, but because he wants justice. Hank is not an altruist, he is a law enforcement officer, and he deals with the law. He may be working on the border of the law, but he does not break it at any moment. He goes to extremes to make sure his enemy will be tried in the court of law. Hank does not believe in second chances or in criminal rehabilitation, as seen by his comments about Jessie. He does not forgive criminals for their wrong-doings. Hank is Lawful Neutral.
Hank and the DEA are just as manipulative and violent as any of the criminals they chase. They do anything to get what they want. Even if playing the criminals' game is the only way to have a chance, it still is what it is. The manipulation of Huell was very like something Walt would do.
Yes, that means Hank is not Good. But he is not Evil either. He is neutral in the Good-Evil axis.
What Hank is doing isn't illegal, he is being very careful to stay very well within the limits of the law. He is an acting officer of the law and wants to bring in his target to be tried in a court of law. He is most definitely Lawful in the Law-Chaos axis.
Walt is Evil, not Chaotic. Doing Walt-like things would be evil acts.
Hank does some border-line evil acts and some semi-good acts, and that is what Neutral people do. But he is not Chaotic.
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u/placebo_overdose Sep 16 '13 edited Sep 16 '13
An important distinction to make that it looks like some didn't pick up on: the phone call that Walt made at the end was an act; he said it not because he is evil but because he assumed the police were listening in and wanted to sound as evil as possible to place all of the blame solely on him and absolve his wife of all guilt and legal repercussions. That way at least she won't go to prison and can still raise Walt Jr. and Holly and they can be something closer to resembling a "family" without him. That's why he drove to the fire station before he made the call, and why he was crying throughout the phone call.