Breaking Bad - Season 5, Part 1 - Sundays on AMC

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You've obviously missed a lot of the nuanced gestures that Dean Norris has thrown in, then, because regardless of where Hank has ended up with Walt, there have been moments where he seemed intent on dragging Walt into the investigation to trip him up.

Yeah, he was joking in the flashback, but look at his face. Look at his face when the Madrigal employee is mentioned as being under their nose the whole time.

They're subtle visual clues, but we've been supposed to think Hank has seeds of doubt planted ages ago.

But you also hate Skyler, so...

Hindsight bias...
 
Stet's probably on some crystal blue sensation right now.
 
Part of the tension in every scene where Hank needed Walt to drag him out to the car wash and to Los Pollos was that we had JUST seen him question Walt as W.W. -- and the way he acted as though he was pushing Walt to go through with it for a reason.

You've been projecting the audience's knowledge onto Hank.

I'd hate to have watched this show through your eyes.
 
You've obviously missed a lot of the nuanced gestures that Dean Norris has thrown in, then, because regardless of where Hank has ended up with Walt, there have been moments where he seemed intent on dragging Walt into the investigation to trip him up.

Yeah, he was joking in the flashback, but look at his face. Look at his face when the Madrigal employee is mentioned as being under their nose the whole time.

They're subtle visual clues, but we've been supposed to think Hank has seeds of doubt planted ages ago.

But you also hate Skyler, so...

Nope. Those subtle looks from Hank have everything to do with him suspecting Walt and Skylar aren't telling him and Marie the entire truth about their problems or where they got the money for cars and shit from.

There has never been any slight hint that he suspected him of being Heisenberg. Not once until right now.
 
This was the best episode of the season - so far - and perhaps one of the best in the series. The directing, the soundtrack, the writing and dialogue, everything from how each scene built up to the following sequence was genius imo. No complaints what so ever about the ending, it was something set up to be simple yet made complete sense. The best scene was at Hanks house where Walter and Hank are sat down having a drink. I love how that scene ended and it gave an indication to where the story 'seemed' to be heading.

Hank: "I've been thinking about that job more and more lately, maybe I should have enjoyed it more? Tagging trees is a lot better than chasing monsters." Walter: "I use to love to go camping." Both of them are identifying a change of pace, and when Walter finally announces he's out to Skyler, the one thing that prevents he's happy ending was he's sense of achievement and pride in the life he once lead and I think that was by keeping that book. It's poetic much like Leaves of Grass.

I also found the scene where he was having a scan interesting. I'm guessing it was to reaffirm he still had a future. I cannot wait to watch how the series ends, if this episode was any indication of how good of writers these guys are the series finale will not disappoint.
 
Part of the tension in every scene where Hank needed Walt to drag him out to the car wash and to Los Pollos was that we had JUST seen him question Walt as W.W. -- and the way he acted as though he was pushing Walt to go through with it for a reason.

He wanted some help because he physically couldn't do it himself. Nothing more. Even when Walt purposely crashed there was little to no suspicion on Hank's part.
 
This was the best episode of the season - so far - and perhaps one of the best in the series. The directing, the soundtrack, the writing and dialogue, everything from how each scene built up to the following sequence was genius imo. No complaints what so ever about the ending, it was something set up to be simple yet made complete sense. The best scene was at Hanks house where Walter and Hank are sat down having a drink. I love how that scene ended and it gave an indication to where the story 'seemed' to be heading.

Hank: "I've been thinking about that job more and more lately, maybe I should have enjoyed it more? Tagging trees is a lot better than chasing monsters." Walter: "I use to love to go camping." Both of them are identifying a change of pace, and when Walter finally announces he's out to Skyler, the one thing that prevents he's happy ending was he's sense of achievement and pride in the life he once lead and I think that was by keeping that book. It's poetic much like Leaves of Grass.

I also found the scene where he was having a scan interesting. I'm guessing it was to reaffirm he still had a future.

I dunno... I'd say it's just as likely that it affirms he does not have a future.
 
Also we can assume his cancer is back right? After that MRI, we assume it was him that punched a dent into the towel holder.
Unless it was some other unlucky fellow who got bad news before Walt walked in there.
 
Guess I just disagree with all of you. Thanks for telling me how I'm watching a show, though.

Yes, everybody else is obviously an idiot and missed out on Hank's master plan to catch Walt by feeding Walt inside information into his investigation at every step. You're right.
 
Anyone who thinks Hank has ever suspected Walt is completely wrong.
Just wrong.

Maybe not. From an interview with Dean Norris last year:

TVLINE: Coming out of that moment, is any tiny part of Hank thinking that Walt could possibly be Heisenberg?

Dean Norris: I think that subconsciously Hank thinks that exactly. I don’t know how much really he wants to allow himself to believe it, but as the season goes on … there’s some sort of a process there, like, “What am I going to do?” There are all kinds of things in play, including Hank being partly culpable and having this guy so close to him, that I don’t know that he wants to come right out and say it, but I think that he’s feeling it. Especially now that we’ve got the end game in sight [with next season announced as Breaking Bad's last], Vince Gilligan [the series' creator] has said outright that we’re going to deal with that issue of Hank finding out what Walt’s up to. I don’t think we’ll skirt it.
 
You've obviously missed a lot of the nuanced gestures that Dean Norris has thrown in, then, because regardless of where Hank has ended up with Walt, there have been moments where he seemed intent on dragging Walt into the investigation to trip him up.

Yeah, he was joking in the flashback, but look at his face. Look at his face when the Madrigal employee is mentioned as being under their nose the whole time.

They're subtle visual clues, but we've been supposed to think Hank has seeds of doubt planted ages ago.


Huh? he was joking like he usually does when he talks to Walt.


The only scene that could remotely pass was after Gus died and Hank's superior officer was talking. And even then the only hint he got was that it could be someone he least have expected.
 
Also we can assume his cancer is back right? After that MRI, we assume it was him that punched a dent into the towel holder.
Unless it was some other unlucky fellow who got bad news before Walt walked in there.

What? That was from the first time Walt found out he was clean. The hospital staff are just lazy and never replaced it.
 
Haha.


Haha. Their interactions have been about Walt acting like a wierdo, not about him thinking walt is Heisenberg.


Haha.
A weird chemist with the initials "W.W." who was oddly interested in a methamphetamine bust, interrupts multiple important police activities involving Hank, has had massive health and family issues, who comes into possession of a business after working dead-end jobs, and is always right in the back of Hank's mind. Not contrived at all that he finds fairly conclusive evidence (the most important aspect of which has never been seen before) in the mid-season finale of the final season while on the toilet. On a show with clear examples of writer's tomfoolery and an ending in mind with no end-date. Opinion is from Neptune confirmed.
 
Guess I just disagree with all of you. Thanks for telling me how I'm watching a show, though.

Oh c'mon we're just discussing it. The fact that there is so much to interpret in the characters motivation is part of why I love this show so much.

I just think in the case of you thinking Hank has suspected Walt as Heisenberg before the infamous shit you've simply mis-interpreted some scenes.
 
Maybe not. From an interview with Dean Norris last year:
TVLINE: Coming out of that moment, is any tiny part of Hank thinking that Walt could possibly be Heisenberg?

Dean Norris: I think that subconsciously Hank thinks that exactly. I don’t know how much really he wants to allow himself to believe it, but as the season goes on … there’s some sort of a process there, like, “What am I going to do?” There are all kinds of things in play, including Hank being partly culpable and having this guy so close to him, that I don’t know that he wants to come right out and say it, but I think that he’s feeling it. Especially now that we’ve got the end game in sight [with next season announced as Breaking Bad's last], Vince Gilligan [the series' creator] has said outright that we’re going to deal with that issue of Hank finding out what Walt’s up to. I don’t think we’ll skirt it.

Gonna quote this again because people seem to be selectively ignoring it.
 
And Jonathan Banks thought Mike wouldn't leave his granddaughter in the park, doesn't mean the writers agreed with him.
 
Subconsciously, sure. He never truly shows it though.
 
Gonna quote this again because people seem to be selectively ignoring it.
Read the final sentence, its Deans opinion based on facts the character has no access to.

Again you seem to inject information to the chacters and judge their actions on that.
 
I dunno... I'd say it's just as likely that it affirms he does not have a future.

I mean in terms of where the story seemed to be heading with him tying up all he's loose ends before announcing he's out that's what that scene seem to imply to me. But I guess you can look at it from both perspectives, in the end he's out of luck and he's future looks bleak.
 
Read the final sentence, its Deans opinion based on facts the character has no access to.

Again you seem to inject information to the chacters and judge their actions on that.

Part of acting is having subconscious influences. I'm not saying I'm right. Sorry that I read a character's glances the way an actor played him, but I guess I'm as wrong as Dean. That's all I'm saying. It's pretty awful for people to say "WHAT SHOW HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING" and "UGH I'D HATE TO WATCH THROUGH YOUR EYES" when I'm watching the characterization an actor gives his role.
 
So the song playing during the barbecue scene at the end was 'up the junction' by Squeeze, and I just listened to it now and paired the lyrics to the show and it's great.
 
You don't think he suspected Walt at all? Are you serious? They showed a flashback in the very last episode where Hank was noticeably suspicious.

It's hard to argue it was suspicion in Hank's eyes. Very hard.

The last 5 minutes were really effective TV. Walt's out of the business, has made amends with Jesse and informed his wife of his decision. All seems well for just a few minutes, but you know it isn't going to last. I was on the edge of my seat during the dinner party. I thought maybe Walt couldn't resist dropping one more ego-inflating comment that might get Hank suspicious, I and was really cheering for him not to. He didn't, thank God. The book discovery in the restroom is just one piece of a larger puzzle that Hank is going to have to piece together during the next 8 episodes. He won't even mention anything to Walt before they leave the dinner party (if the series picks up there next year), he'll just go away quietly and start to investigate the case surreptitiously. And as others have mentioned, he'll have doubts and concerns over whether or not he's doing the right thing, etc etc. and that internal struggle will make for really good drama. I can't wait!
 
Part of acting is having subconscious influences. I'm not saying I'm right. Sorry that I read a character's glances the way an actor played him, but I guess I'm as wrong as Dean. That's all I'm saying. It's pretty awful for people to say "WHAT SHOW HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING" and "UGH I'D HATE TO WATCH THROUGH YOUR EYES" when I'm watching the characterization an actor gives his role.

His influence clearly adds to the tension, but that doesn't do anything for the plausibility that Hank at any point had a legitamate reason to think Walt is Heisenberg.

If you look back through the thread when that episode aired a lot of people were hypothethizing that Hank knew all along, but it has never made any sense whatsoever.
 
Okay? I didn't post that.
He's never said it was the writers' intentions. Only that he interpreted the character's actions in the same way in which the actor that plays said character does. Your comment is grasping at straws to try to pin something on him. At least that's how it appeared to me.
 

And that's why you shouldn't take artist (whether actor or writer or producer) with anything but a grain of salt. Dean Norris was playing it that way, but that doesn't mean that's where the total sum of the show has been. It's been clear for a while now that gears are turning in Hank's head about Walt, but whether that was a general "wtf is up with this guy" or a "could he be W.W.?" was open to interpretation. Now we know that it was almost certainly the former.

Even Vince's "Mr. Chips to Scarface" quote should be taken with a grain of salt. If the show goes a different direction because of the sum of everything involved in making it or because of how the audience interprets it, that's life.
 
Part of acting is having subconscious influences. I'm not saying I'm right. Sorry that I read a character's glances the way an actor played him, but I guess I'm as wrong as Dean. That's all I'm saying. It's pretty awful for people to say "WHAT SHOW HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING" and "UGH I'D HATE TO WATCH THROUGH YOUR EYES" when I'm watching the characterization an actor gives his role.

Yes but again that doesn't make it the directors intention. If we were supposed to think Hank has suspected Walt before you can bet Vince would have made sure of it, it seems clear to me that he never intended for that until now. The fact that you are in the minority in having this opinion must surely stand for something too, unless we're all missing out on something.

I'll concede that I think the thought has crossed hank's mind before the toilet, when he was in the office talking with his boss about the case that was 'right under his nose' then there was almost the same look on Hank's face that he had when he read the book. That was intentional, I think we were supposed to think 'oh shit' then. That was the first moment and the toilet was the second.
 
It's such an interesting dynamic going forward. Hank knows that Walt is Heisenberg, but what he doesn't know is EVERYTHING Walt has done, how he has done it, and so on. And Walt has no idea that Hank knows anything right now.

Anxiously awaiting their confrontation when everything is out on the table. Which Walt are we gonna see at that point.
 
Personally, I think Hank was written to be oblivious until last night, but that Norris played him with a subconscious awareness. The scenarios that Hank was placed in with Walt gave Norris plenty of room give that impression. I think either viewpoint is correct.

But to me, the moment Hank looks up from the book (and we see the flashback to the scene where Hank pokes at Walt) is Hank realizing that his buried intuition was right all along.
 
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He's never said it was the writers' intentions. Only that he interpreted the character's actions in the same way in which the actor that plays said character does. Your comment is grasping at straws to try to pin something on him. At least that's how it appeared to me.

I'm the one grasping at straws here? Okie dokie.
 
A weird chemist with the initials "W.W." who was oddly interested in a methamphetamine bust, interrupts multiple important police activities involving Hank, has had massive health and family issues, who comes into possession of a business after working dead-end jobs, and is always right in the back of Hank's mind. Not contrived at all that he finds fairly conclusive evidence (the most important aspect of which has never been seen before) in the mid-season finale of the final season while on the toilet. On a show with clear examples of writer's tomfoolery and an ending in mind with no end-date. Opinion is from Neptune confirmed.
Post quoted for the new page. I'd like one of the people who've said or insinuated that I'm trolling respond to it.
 
Part of acting is having subconscious influences. I'm not saying I'm right. Sorry that I read a character's glances the way an actor played him, but I guess I'm as wrong as Dean. That's all I'm saying. It's pretty awful for people to say "WHAT SHOW HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING" and "UGH I'D HATE TO WATCH THROUGH YOUR EYES" when I'm watching the characterization an actor gives his role.

I think that this is very different from what you were saying before. Yeah, this I can agree with, but to say that Hank gave Walt advance notice (which would give Walt the opportunity to cover his tracks, as he did in the show) in order to see if he slips is absurd. If Hank truly suspected Walt (consciously), there's no way that he would take Walt into confidence as he did. Hank could have had anyone else drive him around and he might've made some real inroads in his investigation. On the other hand, what are the two most probable outcomes of showing his hand to Walt? 1. Walt covers up all of the evidence, as he did; 2. Walt has Hank killed.

But sure, Hank suspecting him at a subconscious level is reasonable.
 
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