Breaking Bad Hot Take

i hate Walter White. there, i said it. he doesn't become a worse man over the course of the series. he always had that streak of cruelty in him, that need to put others down. he blackmailed Jesse into cooking with him from day one, manipulated him and ruined his life. he assaulted Skyler in the first season, then tried to do the same with the principal. he isn't even a tiny bit likeable, nor relatable. he willingly worked with ne0 naz1s. by the end of the show, Walt doesn't even try to excuse it even more- he is the excuse. he believes he's the exception, the one who's so smart, so special. Walter never became Heisenberg. to Walter himself, Heisenberg was an unattainable personification of what he considered aspirational masculinity. in the world of "Heisenberg", women and children are seen as near property, a source of ego growth. the men are reduced to competitors in his imaginary hierarchy. Heisenberg is invincible, always comes out on top, is always respected and always right. in order to believe in the illusion that a Heisenberg can exist in the real world, a man must let go of his compassion, simply because of the need to win against the threat of being emasculated. his male power fantasy shatters in the last episode. and you still like him, even with the tighty whities? goddamn.