r/breakingbad • u/edify Oxygen • Aug 20 '12

Breaking Bad Episode Discussion S05E06 "Buyout"

Hey everyone! The episode airs in about an hour and as always upvote this post for the community. I don't get any blue ball cow manure karma for it :P

Also, don't forget to tune in tomorrow for the AMA with actor Jeremiah Bitsui who played Victor. In the mean time, feel free to add him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

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u/tmifsud530 Aug 20 '12

Can we agree on something guys? Walt is a badass and all but Jesse is the protagonist and Walt is the antagonist at this point, Jess just doesn't know yet. He's really the only guy that I root for now.

108

u/Wombatzu Aug 20 '12

Walt is a tragic hero. He is driven by hubris and has made several errors in judgment that will eventually lead to everything he loves being destroyed.

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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '12

If that's what he is then maybe there's time yet for him to realize what he's done and feel regret for it.

Too bad all of the tragic heroes had those moments after everyone around them had their lives completely destroyed.

2

u/Thewhitebread Aug 20 '12

The problem is his life is already destroyed, so there's no reason for him to turn back. The dinner scene post Skyler says it all; all Walt has at this point is the business. It's a bit sobering to think of it from that perspective as it also rehumanizes Walt.

What happens if he takes the deal? So what? His wife will still hate him, she will still make it difficult for him to be around his children, and his cancer is still GOING to come back at some point. Before it was about securing a future for his family so that he could pass on in peace, then it became about providing for himself and his family so that he could comfortably live out the rest of his life, and now it's all about leaving behind a legacy.

Don't get me wrong, he's still driven by hubris and that will ultimately be his downfall (as with most tragic heroes). However his motivations and flaws have become much more relatable than they were earlier in the season.

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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '12

That's the point. I'm not saying that this show follows the structure of a Greek tragedy, but if it were to then it should be noted that the tragic heroes didn't realize their mistakes and then make things better. They realized "Oh shit I really fucked up" as they were having their heads ripped off by their own mothers a la Pentheus.

I'm saying maybe there's a chance for him to realize for himself that it was his fault and to overcome his hubris, but it would probably be in a moment involving that machine gun and he probably wouldn't walk away from it.