blog post 15: little kids cooking meth

So the blue rock candy and blue candy cupcakes that you might have seen have been to be somewhat controversial as I have stated before in a previous post. What about this show and meth makes it so popular? Why do we make every type of merchandise to sell? Tshirts, cups, candy, just about anything. Why do we glamorize this idea of meth? Before this show the idea of meth was it was a disgusting drug. While many people still think that, there is almost less of a stigma because of the show. Breaking Bad shows normal, decent looking Americans who are involved in the cooking, selling and using of meth.

But now Legos? Is this too far? While this show does have a more adult audience and a Breaking Bad Lego set would probably be a gift to a Breaking Bad fanatic, Legos are still associated as a child’s toy. While this is a harmless toy, it kind of shows how comfortable we are with the idea of drugs and meth in particular. Breaking Bad is just one of many series and that introduces drugs to its viewers. When we see things acted it out its almost as if we start to become okay with the idea of it.

blog post 14: uhh duh?

So it took Hank 5 seasons to figure out who Heisenberg was. That makes you wonder how Hank could possibly be a DEA agent. How did he not realize his own brother in law was the biggest meth cook in the southwest? He doesn't piece everything together until he reads the book of Walt Whitman's poems in Walt’s bathroom. After this he just about loses it because he cannot believe Walt was there all along. He doesn’t have any concrete evidence but it all finally made sense.

This just goes to show people are not always who we think they are. This is true when it comes to anyone in our lives. I think people get so deep into drugs; the people around them have no idea. I mean how many parents out there are clueless about their children’s lives when it comes to drugs and alcohol. As I’ve said before, everything in the series is somewhat exaggerated, but just like everything else, this idea of not knowing people as well as we think is very relevant to everyone’s lives during any time.

blog post 13: let's launder some money

The amount of money Walt launders is mind-boggling. Eventually Skylar rents a storage unit because she doesn't know what to do anymore. At first Saul agrees to launder Walt’s money for a fee. Walt declines at first because of his greed. He then has the money transferred to Walt Jr.'s charity account so that the money isn't coming from strangers and Walt Jr. can keep his site.

The car wash ultimately becomes the final decision for laundering the money. They scare the previous owner (Walt's old jerk of a boss) into selling. This is just another instance where the Whites are scaring others for their own personal gain.

But in the end they have more money to deal with than they can and eventually lose it all… The fact that Skylar at one point was putting it in spacebags and putting it down under the floorboard is crazy. This shows that Walt went to far. His original plan was only to get the money he needed, but then let his pride overcome his rational mind. Skylar even asks him to stop because she can’t launder any more money. He replies to her with anger that he refuses to sell out again, referring to when he let others buy him out of his company Grey Matter. I believe this is often what causes people not to be able to leave the drug lifestyle. They make a lot of money in a short amount of time. It becomes an addiction.

blog post 12: the killer carpet

So Ted, we never really see what happens to him. The last we see of him is in the hospital when Skylar visits him after he manages to trip over his own carpet and almost kill himself. This all started because he would not pay the IRS the money Skylar gave him. He instead bought himself a new luxurious sports car… Skylar was very upset and sent two of Saul’s associates over to scare him. They came in threatening him but really they were both harmless. Ted becomes frantic and tries to run which is when he tripped over the rug.

I think this shows how selfish people can be. I see a lot of people who come into money but don’t give any attention to their true priorities. Also in the end Ted and Skylar were only concerned about saving themselves, even when she visited him in the hospital. Ted was willing to let Skylar take a hit because he did not want to pay the IRS. Karma? Maybe. He did have an affair with Skylar… Eventually Ted agrees not to say anything about the whole incident.

Our decisions make larger impacts than we think. This is something that I’ve been reiterating throughout many of my posts. Breaking Bad obviously takes these situations to the extreme, but it’s true.

blog post 11: not even once

Often people think that if they are dealing or associated with drugs but not using they are somewhat superior. They become wrapped up in their own pride and ambitions. This is something that we really see with both Hank and Gus. Both of them had been screwed over in the past and had this strange drive to be the most successful drug head and meth cook.

Both Gus and Walt belittle those who use especially Jesse. They talk down to him and do not trust him because he uses. Gus especially refuses at first to let him be part of his “company” because he is a junkie.

But ironically, Gus and Walt both end up dying due to their choices. Neither of them ever used drugs. They were both very clean cut. I think what most people do not realize is there are a lot people out there that deal but don’t use. The consequences however are the same. You are still putting yourself and those around you at risk as we saw throughout the series. Not many people in the show actually did drugs. The only ones really did were Jesse, the hookers, Tuco, and occasionally Jesse’s drug dealers who eventually clean up.

blog post 10: true colors

Something that I think most people don't realize is the colors of each character's wardrobe. The only person who somewhat stood out was Marie who just always wore purple. But each character had a specific color pallet to go along with what was going on in the series.

Hank's color's for example changed as he became more and more uneasy about his job. When he started to move up in his career he had more anxiety since the cartel is notorious for having horrific crimes. One instance in particular was when Hank was in the desert and their informant had been decapitated and blown up causing the deaths of multiple DEA agents. But eventually his colors change back as he becomes more confident. While Walt’s color change as his cancer changes. When he is sick he has drab neutral colors on. When he is in remission his colors change.

The list goes on and on for each character. I believe colors have more of an impact on our minds than we think. Color is a huge aspect when it comes to advertisement. The colors of each character help the viewer understand what the character is going through. We associate certain colors with certain feelings. I believe this is something that can even relate to the drug world. Gangs and drug rings associate themselves with certain colors as well.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/08/12/breaking_bad_colors_infographic_clothing_provides_a_clue_to_understanding.html

blog post 9: brock the orphan

One of the most devastating deaths throughout the series is in the second to last episode. Todd shoots Andrea, someone I like to consider Jesse’s true companion, in order to motivate Jesse to continuing cooking for him. What makes this so devastating is that she really had nothing to do with the situation. She was a clean recovered addict who loved her son and would do anything for him and she was the only one who truly cared for Jesse throughout her presence in the series. She hadn’t seen him for what we can assume to be months, and she was still concerned about him and wanted to see him. She didn’t forget about him.

While this was a more extreme situation of imprisonment, it is very similar to the real world. People who try to leave the drug lifestyle or anger the wrong person end up causing others more pain than themselves. To gangs and drug rings, their people are assets. They don’t want to dispose of them, but rather things that mean the most to them to scare them.

This is also another aspect of the drug lifestyle that is really scary to think about. Andrea not once had anything to do with Jesse’s “work”. While Jane’s death was also a tragedy and had more serious consequences, she wanted to take all of Jesse’s money and run off to Europe. She became more interested in his money and stopped caring for him the same way. Because of this, Brock now grows up without a mother.

blog post 8: the plane crash

The plane crash that takes place about half way through the series becomes a major component throughout multiple seasons. The bear in the water is referenced many times and you see body bags outside of Walt’s house. The viewer can assume Walt probably had something to do this. The viewer might even think that Walt killed these people. Turns out he did… Just not directly

By letting Jane, Jesse’s girlfriend, overdose and not rolling her on her side to prevent her from chocking to death, her father cannot cope with the idea of her being gone. She was supposed to go to rehab the day before. Because he cannot handle reality, he does not perform at his job to the fullest, which is the directing of aircrafts through their altitude and speed. He in a sense leaves his body and lets two large jets crash into each other right over Walt’s town causing a high loss of lives. Walt and Jesse begin to carry this guilt from it because Walt knows he let her die and Jesse got her to start using again.

I believe this scenario became such big part throughout the middle of the series to emphasize how much actions can have a chain reaction. This is just one of many instances in the series where Walt and Jesse’s actions affect those who are not even involved. It’s kind of scary to think about. This was probably the biggest chain reaction throughout the whole series. Hundreds and hundreds of people died because of a junkie and a selfish man.

blog post 7: hair vs. no hair

This might be one of the funniest cartoons talking about Breaking Bad. If you’re a true follower of the series, you understand all the “weapons of choice”. You understand what it means by “ATM” and the scratched out “rocks” replaced by “minerals”. This is an interesting analysis of the characters’ appearance. It is something that once you start thinking about, it’s actually pretty accurate.

While this idea of hair and violence was most likely done on purpose by the writers, it is something that we can think about in real life. We judge people based on appearance. Walt has a much more intimidating persona once he decides to shave his head. He continues to shave his head to appear more intimidating and I think it gave him some confidence. The same goes for Jesse when he has shorter hair in later seasons and longer hair in earlier seasons. Throughout the series they both become more violent. However, in the last episode when they both finally leave the drug life behind, they both have more hair than they did at the very beginning.

Even in the drug world, I think it is more than plausible that people try to look more intimidating. People in gangs have tattoos directly on their faces. I think there is this general stigma that when we see tattoos in general we think something, let alone if they are on someone’s face. Drug dealer's WANT to look scary.


-----> http://theoatmeal.com/comics/breaking_bad_hair