After entering through the backdoor with his gun drawn, he finds the living room soaking with gasoline but no Jesse. Huell picks up the car and cleaners attempt to clean up the gasoline but Walt has to lie to his son and wife about the scent, claiming a broken pump at a gas station covered him with gas.
He suggests the family stay at a hotel to stay safe where Skyler calls him out on his lies and although Walt previously met with Saul to find Jesse to keep him safe despite Saul's suggestions to put him down Skyler suggests that Walt kill Jesse. Later that night, Walt sits at the hotel pool, contemplating his next move, when Walt Jr. Walt Jr. As he waits on a park bench at Civic Plaza the next day, he gets a call on his cell phone from Jesse who tells him that he knows the meeting was a set-up, and that he's going to go after him where he "really lives".
Walt, left with no other options, calls Todd and tells him he has some more work for his uncle " Rabid Dog ". Meanwhile, Hank and Gomez use police tactics on Huell to figure out more info about Walt and his money. Huell reveals to them that Walt and the rental van were dirty when he returned from the desert. Walt meets with Uncle Jack and his gang at their headquarters and discuss the hit, Walt tells them he wants it done painless and fast.
When Walt brought up payment for the hit, he says he will pay triple from last time but instead, Jack wants Walt to do another cook for Todd to try and bring the blue color back into the meth. Walt agrees and devises a plan to flush Jesse out into the open. He tells her he cannot find Jesse and is worried for his safety. Walt gets Andrea to call Jesse's new phone and leave a message, he then departs. Outside the home; Walt calls Kenny , who is parked on the opposite side of the street, he says he does not want Andrea nor Brock to see Jesse's body if they have the chance to kill him.
In the mean time, Hank receives the phone call from Andrea on Jesse's phone and dismisses it. At the car wash, Saul talks to Walt about the hit and his fear of Jesse's anger, Walt tells him to stop worrying and that he will take care of Jesse. Moments later, Walt recieves a photo text of a pile of money surrounded by sand followed by a call from Jesse saying he found all of Walt's barrels in the desert.
Walt runs out of the car wash, into his car, and starts speeding out to the Tohajiilee Navajo Reservation while still on the phone with Jesse. Jesse says if Walt loses the connection or hangs up, he will burn all of Walt's money. During the call, Walt reminds Jesse of everything he has done to save his life, who the money really belongs to, and the poisoning of Brock, but Jesse begins to speak less and less by the end of the call.
Walt arrives at To'hajiilee and in seconds notices Jesse has outsmarted him; Jesse is not there and there has been no sign of any person at the burial spot. He soon takes the battery out of his phone to stop the GPS track Hank placed on it.
Walt flees behind a large bush when he notices a SUV coming towards the burial spot and puts the battery back into his phone. Suspecting Jesse is in the SUV, Walt calls Jack and tells him the coordinates from the lottery ticket, hoping Jack and his gang will arrive there and kill Jesse. Walt understands he cannot run from Hank or Gomez and gives himself up to them. Hank slaps his cuffs on Walt's wrists and gives him his Miranda rights, then places him in the back of his truck.
Soon after, Jack and his gang arrive heavily armed. A colossal gunfight erupts between the two parties " To'hajiilee ". After Jack's gang stops firing, Walt watches as Hank crawls toward Gomie's shotgun, only to have it taken away by one of Jack's men. Jack then asks Walt why he hid the fact that he had a DEA brother-in-law from them, as Walt asserts that it's none of their concern and that the DEA wouldn't get involved, causing Hank to promise that the very opposite would happen.
As Jack attempts to proceed with the execution, Walt becomes desperate and offers to pay him for Hank's life, revealing the location of the eighty-million dollars he has buried away. Jack, now amused asks Hank if he'll accept that offer, only for Hank to reject it and tell Jack to "go fuck himself. Walt watches in horror as Hank fearlessly tells Jack to go on with the execution, before Jack shoots Hank in the head, killing him.
Grief struck, Walt falls onto the ground and sobs in agony, collapsing emotionally and mentally over the death of his brother-in-law. The gang members proceed to load up seven barrels into their truck after Todd convinces his uncle to leave one for Walt as an apology for what they did to Hank. Walt then notices something beneath his car. They then help him up, take the handcuffs off of him and Jack shakes hands with him, saying that there are no need for bad feelings about what happened.
Walt tells Jack that he still owes him a hit on Jesse, in which he reveals that Jesse was hiding under his car. The gang members drag Jesse out from his hiding spot and Jack puts him at gunpoint. Before the gang members drag him away, Walt reveals to Jesse that he watched Jane die, and that he could have saved her but he didn't. While driving back to Albuquerque , Walt's car runs out of gas in the middle of the desert. A bullet from the shootout has pierced his gas tank. Back at home , Walt runs inside the house and frantically packs suitcases for his family.
The family enters the house and Jr. Walt screams at his son and promises all the questions would be answered when they leave. Skyler demands to know how Walt has escaped Hank's grasp, and concludes that Walt has killed him. Walt, distraught at Hank being murdered, tells Skyler that he tried to save him, and that they must leave in order to be safe.
As Walt continues to pack, Skyler grabs a knife from the counter. Walt passes by her and she shields Jr. With the knife pointed at Walt, Skyler tells Walt to leave and never come back. Walt attempts to reason with her and Skyler slashes Walt's hand.
A furious Walt attempts to attack Skyler, and they both wrestle. Walt yells at Skyler, telling her "What the hell is wrong with you? We're a family!
Walt grabs Holly and runs out of the house and Skyler screams for Holly as Walt drives away. Walt changes Holly's diaper in a restroom, and throws her bloodied diaper in the trashcan. Walt emotionally embraces Holly as she utters her first words: "Mama.
The residence receives a phone call from Walt, demanding for Skyler to pick up. The police officers instruct Skyler to tell Walt that there are no policemen listening.
Walt, knowing that Skyler is lying, tells her that he had warned her not to cross him, and that Hank is dead. Skyler, realizing that Walt was deliberately giving her an alibi, simply tells him that she is sorry.
At the Albuquerque fire department, a fireman finds Holly inside of his truck. The car arrives, and Walt packs his things in and it drives off " Ozymandias ". Walt holds his daughter Holly while she calls out for her " mama ". The extractor's red van arrives at a vacuum shop.
The extractor's name is revealed to be Ed, and Saul asks about how Walt is doing. Ed tells Saul to see for himself, in which Ed shows him a monitor with live footage of Walt angrily walking around the bunker. Walt plans to exact revenge against Jack and his gang for them murdering Hank and stealing all of his money.
Saul advises Walt to turn himself in otherwise the police will go after Skyler and squeeze her for everything until she gives Walt up.
Ed then calls for Saul, telling him that he is good to go for Nebraska. Walt interrupts and tells Ed that there has been a change of plans, and that Saul will come with him, to which Saul refuses.
Walt attempts to intimidate Saul the same way he did before " Live Free or Die " , but is interrupted mid-sentence to excessive coughing. Saul, no longer intimidated, leaves. Walt is then transported to New Hampshire with a new name: Mr. Lambert, his wife's maiden name. He enters his new home — a cabin with no external utilities. Ed then continues to say if he leaves the property, he will be caught by the police and will not be returning again for his own safety.
Ed then takes off and tells Walt that the cabin is an ideal place for Walt to take his mind off things. After Ed departs, Walt finds his Heisenberg pork hat and heads towards the gate. Walt stops himself and mutters "tomorrow. Months later, Walt opens the property gate as Ed arrives for another supply drop.
Walt has now grown a full beard and a full head of hair. Ed tells Walt that Skyler is living at a place just off Eubank, and that she now works as a part-time taxi dispatcher, still having custody of both children. Ed performs makeshift chemotherapy and prepares to leave.
Walt asks Ed if he would give the barrel of money to his family if he dies, to which Ed replies "If I said yes, would you believe me? In the morning, Walt heads towards the property gate and leaves the reservation, walking along the snow-covered road to the nearest town.
At a tavern, Walt calls J. Wynne High School and asks for Walt Jr. He then asks Walt Jr. Walt, defeated, calls the Albuquerque DEA Field Office and turns himself in, leaving the phone hanging so they can trace it and send police to arrest him. Walt then goes to the bartender and asks for a neat Dimple Pinch Scotch Whiskey.
Rose then asks Elliott and Gretchen about their association with Walt, and they both falsely claim that Walt's contributions were only for the Gray Matter name Gretchen and Elliot are truly only doing this to protect their company's reputation and do not want to be associated with a meth kingpin. Rose then asserts that the blue methamphetamine is still circulating around the southwestern United States and even in Europe, which implies that Walt White is still active in the meth business.
Walt becomes visibly angry and leaves the tavern just in time before the police arrive " Granite State ". After discovering from a woman named Susan that Gretchen and Elliott will be home tonight, Walt immediately departs for the Schwartz residence. After waiting for the couple to arrive, Walt sneaks into their house behind them while they are busy chatting about their stocks. While examining their home and various photographs, Walt is quickly discovered by Gretchen and then Elliott after hearing her scream.
After Walt greets his former colleagues, Gretchen asks him why he is there, to which Walt responds by letting them know that he had seen them on Charlie Rose. After questioning if Walt is there to hurt them, Walt corrects the two and tells them that he has something to give to them instead.
Elliott points a short-bladed kitchen knife at Walt which he dismisses, causing the couple to submit. However, they eventually end up agreeing when Walt tells them to pass it to his son as a gift from their foundation. After shaking on it, Walt makes a signal and two lasers start shining on Gretchen and Elliott.
Walt leaves moments later after scaring them sufficiently and gets in the car with Badger and Skinny Pete. It is revealed that they are the ones who used laser pointers on Gretchen and Elliott, an act that makes the two uneasy until Walt pays them. After inquiring about his signature blue meth still being on the streets, Walt comes to the conclusion that Jesse had partnered up with Jack and his gang and was now cooking for them " Felina ".
Walt visits a New Mexico Denny's restaurant the next day to celebrate his 52nd birthday. A waitress tries to make conversation with him, but Walt keeps to himself and gives her a fake name Lambert, which is Skyler's and Marie's maiden name and shows her a fake ID from New Hampshire. Excusing himself to the restroom, Walt then trades an envelope of cash for a set of car keys in the bathroom with Lawson , his previous gun dealer. Before exiting the restroom, Walt lets out a slight cough and takes some medication.
The keys belong to a car in the parking lot with an M60 machine gun in the trunk " Live Free or Die ". A short time later, Walt returns to the White family residence, which has become unoccupied and vandalized to the point of being ruined, with graffiti all over the walls.
Teenagers are using the empty pool for skateboarding outside. Walt quickly sneaks through the empty house and retrieves the ricin that he hid in the electrical socket, making his way out before being noticed by his former neighbor, Carol , who looks at him in shock as Walt casually greets her " Blood Money ".
Walt immediately leaves, and Carol reports him to the police, prompting a city-wide manhunt as many more sightings of Walt are reported. Various prank callers or people Walt hired to phone the police had made various threats toward the city. Walt returns to the diner where he conducted his meetings with Lydia and poisons a packet of Stevia with the ricin, knowing full-well that Lydia would put it in her tea, while making sure it is the only packet left on the table where she is bound to sit.
Walt waits there until Lydia and Todd arrive and confronts them immediately with an offer to produce crystal meth without methylamine. Lydia asks Walt how he knew they would be there, to which Walt responded by telling Lydia how predictable her habits are. Todd tries to dismiss Walt's offer, but Lydia questions Walt on how much it would cost them before Todd attempts to dismiss him yet again. After offering to visit his uncle to discuss it with him, Lydia sends Walt off as the waiter comes to take their order, before adding the ricin-spiked Stevia into her tea.
In the middle of the desert, Walt modifies his M60 machine gun by creating a homemade contraption to make the weapon automatically fire in a wide radius. He attaches the modified weapon to the trunk of his car. Afterwards, he confronts Skyler in her home. Marie calls soon after, warning her that Walt is back in town, for which Skyler calmly thanks her. Giving Walt five minutes to talk, Skyler asks if he killed or hurt anybody sneaking into her home.
Skyler notes how terrible Walt looks, which he does not deny but assures her that he feels good. Questioning why he came back, Walt tells Skyler that it is over and that he needs a proper goodbye in contrast to their last phone call. Asking if he is going to turn himself in, Walt assures her that the police would indeed be coming for him.
Not reassured, Skyler asks if the people who broke into their house would come after them if he is in custody. Walt adamantly tells his wife that after that night, they would not be coming back, which prompts even more questioning from Skyler, who inquires what would happen. Walt hands Skyler a lottery ticket with the GPS coordinates to where Hank and Steven's bodies are located and reveals the truth that he was not the one who killed them.
Walt tells her to trade the ticket to the prosecutor in order to get herself out of the ordeal he left her in before reminding her that all the things he did were for the family. No longer impressed by Walt's justification, she denies this, and Walt agrees, saying that he did it for his enjoyment, that he was good at what he did, and truly felt alive while he was doing it. Skyler tells him that Walt Jr. After spending one last moment with Holly and Skyler, Walt leaves the house and watches his son arrive home before leaving to confront Jack and his gang.
After arriving at Jack's hideout, Walt is promptly checked for weapons and allowed entry to see Jack. Upon arriving, Jack is surprised to see Walt with a full head of hair, calling it impressive but that the rest of his physical appearance is poor. Walt asks to talk business, but Jack rejects his offer, telling him that they are not really in the market because they can get more methylamine through Lydia quite easily.
Walt, now desperate to distract them, asks Todd to tell his uncle the benefit of his offer, but Todd apologizes to Walt and tells him that he should not have come back before Kenny pulls a gun on him. Jack orders him to take Walt out back before Walt tells him that he owes him, since he partnered up with Jesse in order to cook their product instead of killing him like they promised.
Enraged that Walt would suggest that he is a liar, Jack tells Walt that Jesse being alive does not make them partners. Ordering Todd to bring Jesse in order to show Walt exactly what has become of him, Walt picks up his car keys while they wait.
As a broken and defeated Jesse is brought in, Jack asks Walt if he looks like a partner to him. Walt tackles Jesse to the ground, but before Todd can get them up, he activates the modified M60 machine gun in the trunk of his car, which massacres Jack's entire gang within seconds, with the exception of Jack himself, who is gravely injured, and Todd, who remains unharmed by ducking down just in time.
After it is over, Walt watches as Jesse strangles Todd to death in the same manner in which he killed Krazy-8 also the same manner in which Jesse witnessed Mike kill Gaff. Walt walks up to Jack after Todd is killed, pointing a gun at him as Jack tries to get him to stop, picking up his cigarette and smoking one last time.
He tells Walt that if he wants his money back, he will need to let him live, before Walt shoots him in the head anyway in the exact same manner Jack killed Hank. After Jesse gets out of his cuffs, Walt passes his gun to Jesse and tells him to shoot him, since it is what he wanted. Jesse refuses, tearfully saying he will only do it if Walt himself says he wants it.
Walt, now ready to die, assures Jesse that he wants it. Jesse however, notices Walt's wound and concludes that he will die anyway, and leaves the gun with Walt, telling him to do it himself. Hearing Todd's phone ring with a custom ringtone for Lydia, Walt answers the phone as a now sickly Lydia, thinking Walt is Todd, asks if "he's gone".
Walt assures her that they are all gone, which causes Lydia to panic and ask who it is. Walt reveals himself and tells Lydia that he poisoned her with ricin using the Stevia she put in her tea.
Saying one final farewell to a horrified Lydia, Walt hangs up the phone and sees Jesse off. After his former partner leaves, Walt looks down at his wound, aware of his impending death.
Walking into Jack's lab, Walt examines the equipment blissfully, smiling and placing his bloodied hand on a tank before passing away peacefully, knowing his family's physical and financial safety is now ensured. The police arrive moments after, discovering Walt's dead body laying on the floor, ironically, in the same place where he most and last felt alive: a chemistry lab. Walt in one of Jesse's flashbacks in El Camino.
In a flashback, Jesse and Walt spend the night in a hotel after their misadventures in the desert " 4 Days Out ". During breakfast, Walt tells Jesse that he should enter college and use his abilities for something else other than selling drugs. Looking at the RV parked outside, Walt comments that Jesse is lucky in that he didn't have to go his whole life before he did something extraordinary.
In the present, Jesse, Skinny Pete and Badger see and hear several news reports about the aftermath of the massacre. In one report, Walt's poisoning of Lydia is mentioned and although Lydia is still alive, she is not expected to survive. The same report mentions that Walt was found dead by the police in aftermath of the gang massacre which claimed the lives of nine people. In the news reports, Walt's Drug Empire is called the largest meth manufacturing operation in US history.
The money Walt gave Skinny Pete and Badger for helping him deceive Gretchen and Elliot is, ironically, given to Jesse to help him evade the cops and eventually enlist Ed Galbraith's aid to move to Alaska. Walt White starts off as a milquetoast, overqualified high school chemistry teacher.
He lives with his family in a modest house, but has trouble making ends meet. To earn extra cash, he works a part-time job at a car wash after school.
Though hired to work the register, his boss forces him to wash cars outside, where he's humiliated by one of his students who drives a much nicer car than Walt does. At home, his sex life appears to be passionless; Skyler seems more involved in selling their household items on eBay than sharing an intimate moment in the bedroom, and Walt has trouble getting "inspired" in any case.
Furthermore, Walt has an alpha-male brother-in-law, Hank, who has a flashy job as a DEA agent and is infinitely more impressive to Walt Jr. It is clear from the start that Walt is suffering from a mid-life crisis. He feels beaten down, stretched thin, passed over, cheated, emasculated, exploited, and unfulfilled. Even the field where he has the most skill, chemistry, falls on the deaf ears of his disrespectful, apathetic students. Even before his diagnosis, Walt felt like a failure, unable to adequately provide for his family and fulfill the role expected of him by American society.
The news of his terminal lung cancer leaves Walt numb and he shows almost no emotion upon learning of it, as if he was already dead. Learning that his life will be unexpectedly cut short, coupled with the knowledge that he's going to leave his already financially struggling family bankrupt, is the final slap in the face, the last humiliating insult life can dish out.
When Walt partners up with Jesse to make meth, he claims that his motivation is his family. He says that before he dies he wants to be able to take care of his loved ones. He wants Skyler to be able to pay off the mortgage, to cover college educations for his children, and medical bills for the whole family.
While deciding to make meth is morally dubious, the anger Walt feels about having to scrounge for every dollar while being trapped in an monotonous cycle, his life passing by day by day without any job or fulfillment, is legitimate, and it's compounded by the importance placed on the "traditional" patriarchal family unit, as well as the pressure and expectation put on men to provide for their families.
After surviving his first foray into the dangerous drug underworld - a foray that was life threatening, terrifying, and violent - Walt feels invigorated for the first time in years.
He goes home and sleeps with his wife. Skyler, surprised by his sudden sexual advance, asks, "Walt, is that you?! When Jesse questions Walt about his decision to enter the meth business, Walt reveals that he feels "awake. Walt more frequently uses the concept of providing for and protecting his family as a justification for his actions and crimes, but his true motivations are gradually revealed to be personal satisfaction, pride, authority, and power.
He wants to shed the image of the nerdy science teacher who can't take care of his family. Walt wants respect, and wishes to seek revenge against the society that he views as having screwed him over, undervalued his worth, and overlooked his potential.
Walt does what he does to give himself a sense of worth and pride, and he justifies his murderous, nearly insatiable greed by claiming he's just doing it for the good of his loved ones even as he pushes them away. Underneath that thinly veiled altruistic excuse is a naked desire to dominate others for the sake of unfettered growth and power. Walt finally reveals to Skyler in the final episode of the series that truly everything he did was for himself, admitting he enjoyed it and that it made him feel alive.
Walt inspecting his "Heisenberg" hat " Fifty-One ". Chips into Scarface", and he deliberately made the character less and less sympathetic over the course of the series. Gilligan said, "He's going from being a protagonist to an antagonist. We want to make people question who they're pulling for, and why.
As he says, he's in the "empire business. Walt is an extremely prideful, egotistical, arrogant, ignorant and megalomaniacal man, yet deeply complex and insecure. When he and Skyler need to buy a business to launder their drug money, Walt gradually becomes determined to purchase the very same car wash that wounded his pride when Skyler mentions that the owner, Bogdan, insulted his manhood.
Walt also refuses to let Bogdan keep his framed dollar on the wall, and out of spite he decides to use that dollar to buy a soda from the vending machine " Cornered ". Walt's pride, ego and arrogance is what keeps him from accepting any form of financial aid such as Gretchen and Elliot's "charity" offering to pay for his treatment and an offer to return to Gray Matter and is further shown by his barely concealed fury and disgust at his son asking for donations through the website SaveWaltWhite.
Furthermore, he tells his son Junior that he doesn't want to be remembered as a weak, dying man " Salud ". While drunk at Hank and Marie's house, Walt's can't stand listening to Hank who has ended his involvement with the case laud Gale's genius.
A prideful Walt insists Gale was not a genius, but was rather copying off someone else's work and that this genius could still be at large. This action convinces Hank to re-open the case, which eventually leads him to evidence incriminating Gus " Shotgun " and eventually to evidence incriminating Walt himself " Gliding Over All ". It is evident that Walt is also a complete hypocrite and his beliefs and claimed moral standards rarely conform to his own behavior.
His hypocrisy is mainly exemplified by his common excuse and justification that his reasons for becoming a meth manufacturer and kingpin are solely to provide for and protect his family when in reality it is all for his own interest and pure enjoyment, with his family's welfare being barely a second priority and constantly makes decisions that only further endanger his family.
Walt also rarely, if ever, admits responsibility for problems that are clearly his own fault and is quick to blame others and find an excuse for said problems. Notable examples of his ignorance in this regard include him bitterly blaming his former colleagues Gretchen and Elliot for ruining his life and stealing his work all the while completely ignoring the fact that he himself chose to leave the business he helped to co-fund, later revealed to be due to feelings of inferiority to Gretchen's family and set himself down pathways to failure.
Another noted example is evident when he blames Mike for screwing up and putting the DEA on his own trail while refusing to admit that his killing of Gus did nothing but cause disaster and put the DEA on all of Gus' former associates. Walt's severe ignorance makes him almost the polar opposite of Jesse who actually faces and feels remorse for what he has done and accepts responsibility for it.
This is highlighted by Jesse blaming himself for Jane's death even though Walt is responsible and the subsequent aircraft disaster caused by her father, Donald while Walt is quick to point out other variables such as a possible radar malfunction and poor technology and overall claiming he blames the government for the disaster rather than himself. Every time Walt comes up against someone with more power than he does, instead of retreating he systematically destroys them directly or indirectly and takes their place, starting with Krazy 8, then Tuco, Gus, and finally Mike, until only he is left holding the keys to the kingdom.
He is shown to possess a kingpin's unbeatable survival skills: sociopathy, cunning, emotional manipulation, meticulousness, and violence — or at least the threat thereof. Bryan Cranston said by the fourth season: "I think Walt's figured out it's better to be a pursuer than the pursued. He's well on his way to badass. Walt White orchestrating the mass jail killings " Gliding Over All ".
As Walt delves deeper into the criminal underworld he increasingly sees people as expendable pawns, who he either manipulates to further his interests or eliminates. Early on such as in Season 1, Walt has great difficulty bringing himself to murder, but by the end of Season 3, he barely gives killing a second thought as shown by ordering Jesse to murder Gale and later was also capable of poisoning a young child without any remorse at all.
Nothing can stand in the way of his growing empire, and being in the position of power numbs his empathy for other human beings. He also comes to find his new status as a drug lord as psychologically rewarding, leading him to become less and less reluctant to resort to criminal acts such as theft, extortion, money laundering, and murder, showing pleasure, enthusiasm and even a sort of depraved indifference in these acts to a degree.
Walt's Machiavellian descent into the criminal underworld reveals a surprising level of repressed ambition, rage, resentment, vanity, and an increasing ruthlessness which has alienated him from his family and colleagues. Walt proves himself to be a natural liar. According to Vince Gilligan, "[Walt] is a man who lies to his family, lies to his friends, lies to the world about who he truly is.
But what I think makes him a standout liar is that first and foremost he is lying to himself. This shows to an extent that Walt is more than willing to be captured and arrested for his crimes and take all the credit and recognition as the mastermind rather than have anyone else, such as Gale, receive any credit for his work. He recognizes his former student, Jesse Pinkman Figure 2 , fleeing the scene.
Figure 2. With a mixture of cool calculation and pure desperation, Walter decides to get involved in the narcotics business and to synthesize crystal meth N -methylamphetamine to a very high quality. He forces Jesse into a partnership by mentioning his connections to the DEA in order to establish the contacts necessary for the sales and distribution of the meth. This rather involuntary but apparently logical combination of scientific expertise and knowledge of the drug market experiences its highs and lows throughout the series, just as one might often find in other business start-ups [1].
The focus here is on the chemistry in Breaking Bad and its portrayal and plausibility. N -methylamphetamine S - N -methylphenyl-propaneamine , also known as meth, crystal, or pervitin, is the drug at the center of Breaking Bad. Scientific literature details many different means of synthesis [3], which are all to be found to varying extents in grey literature and blogs. As the authors do not have practical knowledge in synthesizing crystal meth, they can only rely on such sources.
Throughout the story, two different methods of synthesis are used Figure 3. Standard Synthesis At the beginning, Walter pursues synthesis using pseudoephedrine. This is used in the real world, as well as in Breaking Bad by many meth cooks. However, by applying his knowledge of chemistry, his experimental abilities, and a half-way professional lab set-up, Walter is able to achieve much better results.
The base substance, pseudoephedrine is a plant-based phenyl ethylamine alkaloid and is used commercially in treatments for nasal and sinus congestion and can be extracted from these treatments.
Due to the restrictions on sale, an extensive procurement network is required, which generally means involving a large number of drug addicts, in order to secure the necessary quantities. Blue-Meth Synthesis Walter proceeds to develop a synthesis method based on methylamine, acetic acid, and phenyl acetic acid, although acquiring this brings its own, new challenges see below. It is, however, not entirely clear which sources Jesse gets certain ingredients for the new synthesis from e.
As can be seen from the synthesis route in Figure 3 and by considering the stereochemistry, the alternative synthesis route most likely involves the production of the less intoxicating racemate more information. Unfortunately, this makes the remarkable effect of the product, which is often emphasized in the series, rather inconceivable. The fact that the S - N -methylamphetamine is pharmacologically considerably more effective than the R isomer [2] should lead us to assume that the racemate has a weaker effect.
The characters — or at least the minds behind the story — seem, however, to be aware of this discrepancy. It remains unclear, however, where this blue color comes from and can likely be assumed to be a dramaturgical instrument. It can only be speculated that characteristic impurities, e. It has already been shown that such a signature from different synthesis routes or producers can generally be analytically identified [3].
Figure 4. Statements about the purity of the crystal meth are generally made throughout the series on a very phenomenological level Episode I-1 or only the analytical result is announced Episode I The analytical methods are not really explained except for a few vague exceptions. For example, a gas chromatograph is used in a Mexican drug lab without further explanation Episode IV In Breaking Bad , the chemistry is, thus, clearly depicted as a manufacturing science and not as an analytical science.
On their way to becoming the top dogs among the drug manufacturers in New Mexico, Walter and Jesse gradually improve their laboratory equipment. Walter steals some basic equipment and chemicals from his school and Jesse gets hold of more specialized equipment through shady channels. So Walter and Jesse acquire a recreational vehicle RV that can function as a lab, and they drive out into the desert to cook.
Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Walter and Jesse slowly begin to panic, as one could expect. Using screws, dollar coins galvanized metal , and brake pads graphite blocks with mercury oxide he builds electrochemical cells. This proves enough energy to start the engine and saves them both from dying of thirst. However, the battery that Walter made would really only supply a maximum of 9.
Probably not. The main problem, however, is that the thin cables used by Walter to connect the galvanic cells seem unsuitable to convey the typical minimum current A required to start an engine.
Success in sales is normally not only a question of the product quality, but also of marketing and logistics. Jesse and Walter do not have to concern themselves much with marketing.
The quality of their Blue Meth speaks for itself. Jesse also identifies drug therapy centers as a potential market for the product. Saying that they are looking to come off the drug, he takes part in sessions with a few friends to enthuse to the junkies there about the indescribable highs they experienced with the Blue Meth. The question of logistics and, in particular, sales remain.
Walter and Jesse quickly realize that violence is a common and effective means of asserting market interests in the narcotics business. Their experience with violence takes place right from the pilot episode I-1 , with their first experience involving the small-time dealers Emilio and Krazy The situation escalates during a negotiation in the desert when Emilio mistakes Walter for a DEA spy.
Emilio is killed by the resulting phosphine in the RV. Walter steals two canisters of hydrofluoric acid from his school and tells Jesse to go and buy a large plastic tub made of polythene. Jesse approaches this task with little motivation and cannot find a tub in the hardware store that seems big enough.
He heads home empty handed and throws the body into his ceramic bathtub in the upstairs bathroom. He pours in the acid and leaves the room. Despite the fact that the scene is filmed to maximize the shock effect, certain basics regarding the handling of chemicals are impressively communicated. In a later episode IV-1 Walter and Jesse carry out this task much more professionally. A henchman who is killed by drug boss Gus Fring personally is quickly thrown into a chemical barrel, which is then filled with hydrofluoric acid.
Tuco and the Fulminated Mercury Once Emilio and Krazy-8 have successfully been reduced to their chemical constituents, Walter and Jesse encounter the drug dealer Tuco. This man is living proof that intelligence and a tendency to violence are generally inversely proportional. To do this, he visits Tuco in his office, pretending to be making a meth delivery. When Tuco threatens Walter too, Walter throws a crystal on the floor and the resulting explosion destroys the room.
Walter makes clear that the bag of supposed meth crystals he carries with him is also explosive and he threatens to destroy the entire building. Tuco is visibly stunned and cooperates. He pays the sum Walter had demanded without further question and agrees to continue doing business.
Entering a Chemical Warehouse with Thermite The thriving drug business brings its own problems with it, as Jesse cannot acquire enough pseudoephedrine to manufacture the required quantities of crystal meth. Chemistry is not only Walt's strength but his passion. After Walt scavenges lab supplies from the school stockroom, he goes through them with Jesse with more than a little reverence. Then, in short order, he gets exasperated with Jesse, in true impatient-teacher-to-former-student form: "You wouldn't apply heat to a volumetric flask!
That's what a boiling flask is for. Did you learn nothing from my chemistry class? There's so much slipping from his fingertips and falling apart at the seams, but chemistry is always there. In addition to scenes of meth synthesis, chemistry is front and center in other parts of the show.
In the second episode, Walt has Jesse dispose of the body of a deceased meth dealer by dissolving it in hydrofluoric acid. Jesse, unfortunately, ignores Walt's orders to use a polyethylene container and instead puts the body in a second-floor bathtub. The acid eats away the tub and floor, raining body parts and gore below. In the sixth episode, Walt substitutes crystals of fulminated mercury for meth, then uses them to create an explosion.
The display encourages a drug distributor to agree to Walt's terms. A self-described science groupie and reader of Popular Science and Discover , Gilligan says getting the science details correct is important to him.
The idea for using fulminated mercury stemmed from the movie Mister Roberts , in which one of the characters uses the substance to alleviate boredom by setting off explosions on a U. Navy ship. Gilligan and his fellow "Breaking Bad" writers determined that fulminated mercury makes crystals somewhat similar to crystal meth, so they'd pass as a substitute.
He welcomes constructive comments from a chemically inclined audience, he adds. The show did seek out advice from the U. How would a chemist do it? Bravenec's contributions show in the glassware choice and apparatus setup as well as in how pseudoephedrine is ground and solvents are poured.
He also worked with the special effects and art departments to help ensure that solutions and glassware stains looked real. Bravenec notes that Gilligan was very sensitive about not making the show a "how to" video for cooking meth, so key components are left out. Scientific accuracy aside, the "Breaking Bad" cast is, of course, not actually cooking meth or setting off explosions with fulminated mercury.
The task of the special effects department is to make it look like they are, within certain parameters. In one scene, Walt poisons two meth dealers by dumping red phosphorus into hot water, ostensibly making phosphine gas. In the end, he used synthetic gunpowder along with a red "Spectrasmoke" product made by Tri-Ess Sciences. The meth crystals used in the show were a clear silicone rubber often used in special effects to mimic chunks of tempered glass when a window is broken.
For Cranston, playing a chemist was a challenge. They went over the script for the pilot episode, and then Cranston got a glassware tutorial as well as a tour of the general and organic chemistry teaching labs. Cranston says he finds the chemistry parts of the show fascinating, noting specifically a lecture Walt gives on chirality and the history of thalidomide.
When Cranston gets a script, he reads it, sees what he needs to learn, and goes online to find out more. It's almost like night school," he says. He believes his interest in the technical aspects not only makes it easier for him to memorize his parts but also gives more spark to his performance.
Cranston is also attracted to the interplay between science and art and in some ways feels a kinship with Walt the chemist. Walt's first batch of meth yields crystals 2 to 3 inches long. Walt replies that it's just basic chemistry. I think it's the artistic mind that questions what else is possible. Contact us to opt out anytime.
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