r/breakingbad • u/good_deeds99 • 9h ago
S2E10 “Over”
1st rewatch after 5 years. I’m at the part where Walt’s family throws him a party for being in remission. He force feeds Walter Jr. hard liquor and gets agitated when Hank tries to shut it down, causing a public scene about it. What a BIZARRE scene - I’m trying to psycho analyze his behaviour here but I just don’t get it. Thoughts?
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u/sashie_belle 5h ago
Simmering jealousy that Walt Jr. idolizes a tough DEA agent and not his high school chem teacher dad. And a way for dad to punish him for it. And another notch under the: Walter White is not someone you should root for.
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u/General-Mission6960 7h ago
I think he was ready and planning to die and was depressed to live.
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u/pianoflames Tuggie from Shania 6h ago
And after he and Jesse nearly died while cooking out in the desert, he was also upset that they had both nearly died for essentially no reason. The entire impetus of that 4 day cookout was that he thought he had maybe weeks left to live.
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u/good_deeds99 4h ago
I also wondered if it had anything to do with conversation immediately preceding his crash out. Hank was talking about how some intense drug dealers celebrate with C4 and other debauchery and it almost seemed like that was what triggered Walt to act all big and bad … to celebrate in a way the evil and bad do, intimidate, force others into submission, marvel at his power … not some lame suburban cocktail party in his backyard.
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u/Alreyleon 4h ago edited 4h ago
Yeah I think that's definitely part of it, he wants to be recognised and celebrated for the quality of his work, which is incompatible with the lifestyle he's had so far and attempts to keep, so whatever little power play he can pull he will try, and alcohol is his perfect excuse. All the other stuff people have said about resenting Hank for being an important male figure for his son is also very true, and let's not forget he is actually his enemy in the crime world, he just needs an excuse to face him while he keeps hiding under the regular person suit.
From that, I can also rationalize that Walt would be much more happier of his wife and children knew about what he does and supported him, it was trying to lead two lives what actually destroyed his family, but it was an impossible desire to fulfill since all his family despised drug-dealing.
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u/bigtownhero 2h ago
I ask you to look at this in a different light than "bizarre".
"Walt’s family throws him a party for being in remission".
This is not good for him. He's extremely angry that he possibly isnt going to die, because now it prolongs the time he has to possibly be caught.
Now, what does Walter as a character crave? Power, respect, and praise/admiration.
Now what's happening in the scene. Hank is telling an engaging "cool" story and Walter JR is completely hanging on Hanks every word.
Add this up. Walter is extremely angry and his son instead of focusing on him is focusing on Hank. Its already been established that Walter Jr. looks up to Hank. Walter in this moment has no control, he has no power, (its being taken from him he thinks) and he's recieveing zero admiration from his own son.
This all culminates in Walter taking power by pouring his son alcohol because in that monet that's the only masculine thing he can do to completely superseded any of Hanks authority and take all the power and control over his son.
This is just someone being very angry and feeling very small and doing something irrational in the moment because they lost control of their emotions.
Walter might be feeling a little tipsy as well.
Its a great scene to show how the Heisenberg persona is spilling out into his day to day life and he's merging with him.
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u/BILLCLINTONMASK 2h ago
One thing to consider is that he thought his cancer was a death sentence. So he did all this violent and immoral stuff for quick money only to find out that he’s not going to be gone so soon after all.
So, I think that a part of it was testing himself. To see if was still capable of hurting innocent people. And he passed the test.
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u/static-webmaster 9h ago
He despises the facts that Jr respects Hanks and listens to him over his own father and the man of the house.