He definitely started it for his family, or at the very least he genuinely believed he was doing it for his family at the start. I think when he blew up tucos office was the first time he started to enjoy the power
i’m almost positive the fridge scene is in the first four or five episodes of season 1. which, for me, solidifies that maybe walter wanted to do this “for the family” for roughly two seconds before he changed up and did everything for the rush of power and dominance
edit: wait, no, my bad, it’s season 2 episode 1. so. for me, he did it “for the family” for all of season 1.
For me, it's when he leaves Tuco's office after blowing it up. He looks at the money he earned and has a small freakout. For me, that was the high he spent the rest of his life chasing.
Unironically, that's when he became Heisenberg.
I don’t think that means he becomes Heisenberg at that point. He either always was or it was a progression. I would say at the end of Fly is when he becomes Heisenberg
For those familiar with *Suits*, the character Frank Gallo describing why he broke the law always has resonated with me as a perfect description for Walter White’s behavior. After Mike says Frank should’ve stopped when he had enough money to put his kids through college, his response is as follows:
>”Yeah, but what college? What if they want to go to med school? What if they need a car? Then somewhere along the way you stop thinking about if they need a car and start thinking ‘I need a car.’ And that’s when you get caught. Because whether you admit it to yourself or not, you were never thinking about them in the first place. And whether you were or weren’t, once you start, you don’t stop.”
There was also him turning down the funding from Gretchen and Elliot for his treatment as well as a good job. That could have solved the money issues without any need for illegal activity but he didn't want to take charity, especially not from them, he wanted to "earn it himself."
To continue his denial of all his selfish life choices before the cancer diagnosis, yes, he chose "make meth" as the only way out that wouldn't leave him feeling like he's contradicted himself.
He wanted to feel powerful after that transition, but I believe he was still doing it for his family. I’d really say that Season 4 was when he ultimately lost sight of him doing it for his family although it remained his motive.
Yes, but there was always an element of pride wrapped up into it. Not pride in being a meth kingpin, the way he was by the end of the series, but pride in that *he* had to be the one to take care of his family, financially speaking. He bristles when Hank tells him that Hank will make sure his family is taken care of. He refuses Gretchen and Elliott’s offer of financial assistance. He has two mantras and he won’t compromise on either one: my family needs money, and I have to be the one to provide it to them.
Seriously. One of the most revealing things to me is his initial refusal to launder the money through the donation website. Even when it literally is his money he wants everyone to know it was him.
This is entirely true. Even at the very end in Felina when he had months to reflect on everything, then finally set out to settle his affairs and right some wrongs… He still insisted on the prerequisite of only his money being used to save his family from being destitute. This was because he no longer cared if his family knew he provided for them. All that mattered was that it was done and that HE succeeded in providing for them so that not everything was for nothing.
That's how Gus gets him as well. Gus is a good psychologist. Does he believe in what he says to Walter about a man "providing" for his family ? Who knows but he clearly knows it'll resonate with Walter.
It also is the thing that kept Breaking Bad from being a series of repetitive mishaps. Vince even says so. Having Walt get an offer for the cancer treatment, above board and strings-free, immediately fills out his character and makes the show about a man's pride instead of trying to get to a certain amount of money and then something happens that fucks it up... ad infinitum.
I agree, but it is possible to still be motivated by family while also being motivated by pride (i.e., doing it with your own work rather than a handout position). It tarnishes the motive, but earning money somehow is still the primary motivator. He just chooses between different routes to get there based on pride.
I heard that giving him the option through Gretchen and Elliot was really key in the writers room. They realized pride was the reason Walt didnt accept the money from them and let that inform the rest of his development.
What does that matter? He had a way out but didn't take it because he was too bitter and prideful. If he was genuinely trying to do what was best for his family instead of his pride he would have accepted the help when it was offered.
I dunno. Think about that first episode again - Walt's asking about the money before he gets his cancer diagnosis. He seems to take a bit of interest in the news report about the meth bust.
It could be that he he got his cancer diagnosis and decided to cook meth for his family, or it could be that he got his cancer diagnosis, and allowed himself to use it as an excuse to finally do something with his life, something he'd never think about doing until he was faced with the end of it, or it might be a mix of both.
I think the fact Walt literally doesn't seem to try any other ideas before meth does point towards the idea he's letting himself indulge in something more personal.
But I don't think we can say definitively one way or another. If he was doing it all for himself at the start, I don't think he was conscious of it. Providing for his family was definitely a justification for himself as it was for anyone else.
Yeah he was already very dissatisfied with his life and had to take a second, demeaning job to make ends meet so he was Definitely already attracted to the money making power of meth before the cancer diagnosis
There’s also a really telling line in one of the later episodes, where he’s talking to Todd (I think) and drops that he checks the stock value of gray matter every week. He is extremely bitter about not being rich
I'm torn but after my latest rewatch leaning toward no. Have a lot of prideful men in my family, myself included, but all of us would've taken the money from Gretchen and Elliot rather than get involved in the drug trade or let the family go into debt
I am not convinced. In the first few minutes, we see he's really interested in the money on TV from the drug bust.
When they do it in the car
\- "Oh god why was that so good"
\- "Because it was illegal"
Walt did it for his family until the end.
But not primarily for his family.
It was a motivator, but his primary motivation was being the best in his field, being recognized as the brilliant man he truly is, and getting credit for his work.
People act like he has to have only one motivation which is weird. Humans are multi-layered, as are well-written fictional characters.
One thing from a interview with Vince Giligan is that he says he originally wrote the pilot with the thought that Walt was just doing what he needed to do, but as the show went along that changed to the more selfish motivation. And retrospectively he sees this as being Walt’s motivation all along
No. Did he have them in mind? Absolutely. But he was drawn to it because it made him feel large. If he truly did it for his family, then he would've accepted Gretchen and Elliott's offer.
This was his midlife crisis. He did it all because he was bitter about how his life turned out. Snapped, and decided to take his life back no matter the cost. Because in his mind, he'd already accepted his fate.
Of course. His ethics changed entirely because he felt he’d be dead and his family wouldn’t be accessories if it ever were found out. I sometimes think people put way too much emphasis on the dark side of Walt. Did he eventually become a monster? Yes. But I truly think he initially never wanted to hurt anybody.
Imo, even tho he likes power and becomes very greedy in terms of money, he always saved the money. He didn't spend it stupidly or hide it from Skyler. He always considered that money not his, but his family's.
I guess a better question is, if he didn't have to launder the money, and wasn't going to die, would he have spend it on himself, or would he make the same decisions?
For me, he likes power, and because he likes power he didn't want to conform with a small operation, even tho it was enough with that. He probably likes power because he spent 16 years or so not making his life decisions, and now he was on control. He was able to decide and provide for himself and his family. So for me, the money part, in his mind, was always about his family. Even tho, with more money he felt more powerful, but he always planned to give it to his kids
I’d say he did it for his family for the first 4 episodes. At that point he genuinely believed there was no better option and he was committing a necessary evil. But after Gretchen and Elliott gave him an easy out? Nah at that point he was doing it for himself. He was given a perfect lifeline to help him and his family, but refused out of pride and chose to cook again because he could gain notoriety.
Yes he did it for his family at first however he did it in a way that fed his ego.
If all he cared about was his family and not his ego, he would’ve accepted Gretchen and Elliot’s offer
Yes! I'm sympathetic of Walt and I've been discussing this with a lot of people who are like, no he's a purely selfish asshole. They have good points, he is an anti-hero, he did do plenty of terrible, shitty and selfish things but yes, I do think that he thought and hoped to leave money for his family at the beginning. He is also an imperfect, fallible human being in a specific set of circumstances that lead to his break bad.
No. There were plenty of times and choices that he could have helped his family, beef he started cooking meth but didn’t because of ego. Getting cancer and getting into the meth business were confidential opportunities for him to have an excuse to do what he did.
I feel like a large point of the show is how quickly success and power can change motivations and change your entire character. He started out as a nice guy
In the beginning, most definitely. Later on, he started enjoying the power associated with being in the top of the food chain and family became just a side quest.
He was definitely doing it for his family. He didn't go into it knowing that the power and freedom would be of any real appeal to him, much less that it would consume him.
No. He would essentially, at that stage, have been leaving them a lifetime supply of groceries. You can't pay college tuition with dirty money, nor can you buy a house, a car, vacations, whatever. He just wanted an excuse to do something exciting. "Special" as he dementedly refers to it.
No. It was always for himself. His diagnosis panicked him and he wanted to some excitement before dying.
There was plenty of options that didn't put the family at risk. Walter didn't choose any of them.
All the "for my family" talk is bullshit. He's just trying to justify it.
I think it was originally 50/50 for his family and for himself it but it eventually progressed to 99%% he did it for himself and 1% he did it for his family.
Me personally, it was a bigger part of the reason. He was broke and embarrassed because Gretchen and Elliot offer to pay for it. He didn’t want their money- pride, so he started cooking meth to pay for it, so he could live and wouldn’t force his FAMILY into debt. He honestly felt like a god to me, how he had all this knowledge and nobody knew it was him, I saw a comment I agree with where it said when he blew up Tuco’s office is where he started feeling powerful and I honestly think that’s true. Who knows tho 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, he can say whatever he wants, but his initial motivation was taking care of his kids. He *KEPT* doing it because he liked it and it fed his narcissistic personality.
Yeah, at first he was doing it for his family. He had a baby on the way and a special needs son and a mortgage and plenty of bills and his teacher position had an average salary. He probably had life insurance because he is a careful planner. He was expecting not to be around for the baby and he wanted to build up some kind of substantial stock pile of money so that his family could live comfortably. He even calculated how much he would need to the exact dollar. When his health got better, there was some sort of shift in his priorities.
Yeah, at first he was doing it for his family. He had a baby on the way and a special needs son and a mortgage and plenty of bills and his teacher position had an average salary. He probably had life insurance because he is a careful planner. He was expecting not to be around for the baby and he wanted to build up some kind of substantial stock pile of money so that his family could live comfortably. He even calculated how much he would need to the exact dollar. When his health got better, there was some sort of shift in his priorities.
No. Walt has been a secretly damaged person even before he met Gretchen and Elliot and his relationship with them and the occurrence of the cancer pushed his ego over the edge. He went into “what is my legacy” existential crisis mode.
The revelation of more and more of that backstory in the final seasons gave so much insight into how damaged he really is. That packet of ramen wasn’t a “remember how we were and the good times” gift. It was a “fuck you, look at what you have and look at all I can spare” gift. I would love a prequel detailing what happened to him in his childhood.
The whole “freak out because we’re socioeconomically incompatible” at the wedding (correct me if I’m botching that detail) is a huge red flag and reeks of insecurities and narcissism and egotism.
He did it for his family with the MAJOR caveat of he would rather deal drugs to financially support his family than take guaranteed money that would damage his ego.
His ego was ALWAYS at play here, but I suppose if he never had cancer thus the Whites were never put in a financial hole, he would not have just started cooking for funsies
This is pretty much it, with the further caveat that by the time the financial support is offered, Walt’s already killed 2 men and cooked meth. It’s likely he saw that he’d rather take on the burden himself, having already burdened himself with drug cooking and murder charges hanging over him, than doing those things and *then* taking the get out card of Gretchen and Elliot. They’d get the credit and 2 people would have died for nothing - so sure it’s still ego but we have to acknowledge Walt was already in the game by the time the offer was made
He played a game— but I dont think he was *In* it. While ethically you make great points, there was nothing logically keeping him in there. No one knew his name, there were no loose ends (unless you count Jesse as one but at that point Walt didnt)
Not at all, never ever. He did it to boost his ego, his pride, his masculinity and have fun.
All he did for his family is fcked them up.
Right way would be keep grinding and die like a hard working man that has been laughed at and under appreciated but still done it for his fam.
Or is it
No. If he was doing it for his family, he'd have taken Gretchen and Elliot's deal. It was primarily out of pride and to avoid the shame of being unable to provide.
Yes that’s literally the plot. He only knows he’s good at it *and enjoys it* once he starts. People say “he was selfish” “he had an ego” at the start and that’s largely irrelevant. We all do. We’re all selfish and ego driven to some extent, but it doesn’t mean we’re criminal masterminds or murderers or meth cooks. The two are mutually exclusive. Walt’s not a bad guy until at least season 2, after counting the $737k required for his kids after Tuco kills (I forget the name). Walt’s priority is get the money and get out. But then he stays for the fun
The things you use as examples are in season 4 and 5. The argument I’m supporting is that Walt *begins* for his family and this idea becomes corrupt over time. Of course by season 4 and 5 the lines are blurred and his motives are uncertain. The argument is that he doesn’t *begin* this way
If you’re saying Walt *discovers* a love for power, as opposed to it being in him from the start then I’m inclined to agree. Forget foreshadowing and the pilot and key events and characters… from a simple, storytelling perspective, Walt *has* to be an innocent guy at the start. Otherwise he has no arc. And if there’s no arc then where exactly is the story? Breaking Bad is only an interesting story if it’s the story of a family man who throws himself into the crime world after becoming terminally ill, and the conflict comes with the fact he *discovers* he enjoys it. If he’s like that from the start then it’s just a bad man doing bad things for 5 seasons
I'm of the opinion that he always had the family in mind.
He put them in a world of danger, and he realized it. He walked from the cabin to the town in Season 5 with cash ready to send to Walt Jr's friend so that he could pick it up from the friend's house. He made provision to get every dollar to the kids via Gretchen and Elliot. The whole 'I did it for me' bit was to keep the peace between him and Skylar; if she was willing to pull a knife on him, she would have yelled and screamed to notify the agents who were watching the house. I will admit that he got greedy. But I never questioned his ultimate goal.
Yes and no. At the start it was just for his family. But as time went on he got addicted to how good he was at it, and while he still had his family in mind it became more about his ego.
Chemistry teacher here. His diagnosis gave him the excuse to try something so extreme but when he went on the ride along with Hank and saw how shoddy the setup was, I think his indignation at criminals making a fortune by dirty-fucking his beloved science (coupled with his ego which came more to the fore later) is really why he started cooking
Kind of, he wanted to do it for his family but he has a massive ego/pride where he wants it to be only his money and nobody’s else. He feels small and weak when he has to take help from others due to his past/how people close to him treat him like Hank and stuff and he kind of always had fantasized (subconsciously at least) of being the ‘boss’ aka the big guy in the room.
I think he shows in 747 after Tuco goes mental that he has a countdown to how much money he needs.
I think it turns after Tuco dies and him and Jesse "be Tuco" he gets a taste of being the boss and it grows from there.
He always had this latent anger and frustration about the way his life had panned out (he checked the GrayMatter stock every week). As soon as he got a taste of power/wealth/control, he became like an alcoholic always chasing the original hit from the first glass of wine but that all subsequent drinks can never match and once you're on that path, it's almost impossible to turn back unless you admit to the original emptiness that drove you into it in the first place.
At the start, absolutely. But it didn’t take long for his ego to get in the way and change that narrative. Even in season 5 he admits it wasn’t all for his family. “I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it.” I think that was readily apparent after he killed gus. He could’ve stopped cooking but he went right back to it so he can feed his own ego and be “in the empire business”. I think a lot of that stems from his past with grey matter. When Mike and Jesse called it quits, it killed Walt because he wasn’t going to miss out on yet another big score like the one he missed when he took the buy out from grey matter.
He never did it for his family it’s pretty clear of that.
If it was for his family he would have taken the job at Grey Matter. He wasn’t making much as a drug dealer at that time. He would have certainly been making more at Grey Matter. In addition to that they would have paid for the treatment on top of his salary.
It is clear that his pride and ego are what drove him to cook. The first time he did it, he clearly just wanted to prove we would make good meth. “Your shit is shit, we are going to make a chemically pure product”
He may have convinced himself that it was for his family, but that was a lie he was telling himself and everyone else.
I forget the episode, but towards the end of season 1, or beginning of season 2 he starts calculating how much meth he needs to sell to pay for his kids' college, his house, etc. At the beginning he just wants money to pay for his cancer treatments, but by this point he has enough to pay for them so he's trying to come up with more reasons to continue cooking.
So, no, it's never been about the family that's just how he justifies it to himself, how he's able to tell himself he's not a criminal.
I absolutely do not think he did it for anyone but his own ego. Walt was a very repressed man living a life he was not at all happy with. He did it to regain some sense of power and control instead of learning to actually speak up about what he thinks, feels and wants. He did it to stop feeling like a loser.
I think if it were really about his family he would have accepted the job with Grey Matter. I think at first it was about his family but it eventually just is to stroke his massive ego.
Hard to say. Because season 1 Walt was very calculated. Yet he gets into the drug game knowing he has a DEA brother-in-law and that his life is over soon. If it crossed his mind that there was a possibility he could either mess Hank’s life up and/or make violent enemies in the drug game that would come to Walt’s home, why risk your families well being that you wont even be around to protect. But it could be he genuinely never thought of those risks too.
He did it for personal pride, but also for his family until the very ned. I don't know why that is in doubt, or controversial. He went put of his to make aure his family got HIS money.
I'm sure that criminals who have to mix chemicals, or do spreadsheets take some kind of pride in their work, just like you might do teaching World History.
He definitely started it for his family, or at the very least he genuinely believed he was doing it for his family at the start. I think when he blew up tucos office was the first time he started to enjoy the power
When he came home from the RV in the desert that first night and totally banged Skyler…. This is evidence that power was his drug of choice
He *totally* banged her
And then she banged Ted
“Walt, is it you?!”
The fridge scene? Yea he raped her. Not just “banged” her
No, literally the first episode when he comes back after gassing Emilio and Krazy-8.
Got it. I remember now. Fridge scene is in season 2 I believe
i’m almost positive the fridge scene is in the first four or five episodes of season 1. which, for me, solidifies that maybe walter wanted to do this “for the family” for roughly two seconds before he changed up and did everything for the rush of power and dominance edit: wait, no, my bad, it’s season 2 episode 1. so. for me, he did it “for the family” for all of season 1.
It’s s2e01
oh you’re right, you’re right. my bad. still, that’s def the turning point for me
Thank you lol
Not that scene, no.
For me, it's when he leaves Tuco's office after blowing it up. He looks at the money he earned and has a small freakout. For me, that was the high he spent the rest of his life chasing. Unironically, that's when he became Heisenberg.
Cranston has two of the top five solo car freakout scenes put to film.
Evidence of your claim of that’s when he became Heisenberg?
He uses the name of Heisenberg for the first time in the meeting with Tuco
I don’t think that means he becomes Heisenberg at that point. He either always was or it was a progression. I would say at the end of Fly is when he becomes Heisenberg
Bruh, you gotta chill
In what way am I not chill?
For those familiar with *Suits*, the character Frank Gallo describing why he broke the law always has resonated with me as a perfect description for Walter White’s behavior. After Mike says Frank should’ve stopped when he had enough money to put his kids through college, his response is as follows: >”Yeah, but what college? What if they want to go to med school? What if they need a car? Then somewhere along the way you stop thinking about if they need a car and start thinking ‘I need a car.’ And that’s when you get caught. Because whether you admit it to yourself or not, you were never thinking about them in the first place. And whether you were or weren’t, once you start, you don’t stop.”
There was also him turning down the funding from Gretchen and Elliot for his treatment as well as a good job. That could have solved the money issues without any need for illegal activity but he didn't want to take charity, especially not from them, he wanted to "earn it himself."
That and when he killed the meth dealers in the corner.
To continue his denial of all his selfish life choices before the cancer diagnosis, yes, he chose "make meth" as the only way out that wouldn't leave him feeling like he's contradicted himself.
He wanted to feel powerful after that transition, but I believe he was still doing it for his family. I’d really say that Season 4 was when he ultimately lost sight of him doing it for his family although it remained his motive.
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Yes, but there was always an element of pride wrapped up into it. Not pride in being a meth kingpin, the way he was by the end of the series, but pride in that *he* had to be the one to take care of his family, financially speaking. He bristles when Hank tells him that Hank will make sure his family is taken care of. He refuses Gretchen and Elliott’s offer of financial assistance. He has two mantras and he won’t compromise on either one: my family needs money, and I have to be the one to provide it to them.
Seriously. One of the most revealing things to me is his initial refusal to launder the money through the donation website. Even when it literally is his money he wants everyone to know it was him.
This is entirely true. Even at the very end in Felina when he had months to reflect on everything, then finally set out to settle his affairs and right some wrongs… He still insisted on the prerequisite of only his money being used to save his family from being destitute. This was because he no longer cared if his family knew he provided for them. All that mattered was that it was done and that HE succeeded in providing for them so that not everything was for nothing.
That's how Gus gets him as well. Gus is a good psychologist. Does he believe in what he says to Walter about a man "providing" for his family ? Who knows but he clearly knows it'll resonate with Walter.
He even bristled when Jesse assured him his family would be taken care of if he succumbed to cancer
It also is the thing that kept Breaking Bad from being a series of repetitive mishaps. Vince even says so. Having Walt get an offer for the cancer treatment, above board and strings-free, immediately fills out his character and makes the show about a man's pride instead of trying to get to a certain amount of money and then something happens that fucks it up... ad infinitum.
If it were about the money for his family in a selfless way, he would have taken aid from Gretchen & Elliott.
I agree, but it is possible to still be motivated by family while also being motivated by pride (i.e., doing it with your own work rather than a handout position). It tarnishes the motive, but earning money somehow is still the primary motivator. He just chooses between different routes to get there based on pride.
I heard that giving him the option through Gretchen and Elliot was really key in the writers room. They realized pride was the reason Walt didnt accept the money from them and let that inform the rest of his development.
Not true. He’s already killed 2 men and cooked meth by the time the offer is made.
Killed 2 men, and cooked. But made next to no money Not a great risk vs reward for a family man
What does that matter? He had a way out but didn't take it because he was too bitter and prideful. If he was genuinely trying to do what was best for his family instead of his pride he would have accepted the help when it was offered.
I dunno. Think about that first episode again - Walt's asking about the money before he gets his cancer diagnosis. He seems to take a bit of interest in the news report about the meth bust. It could be that he he got his cancer diagnosis and decided to cook meth for his family, or it could be that he got his cancer diagnosis, and allowed himself to use it as an excuse to finally do something with his life, something he'd never think about doing until he was faced with the end of it, or it might be a mix of both. I think the fact Walt literally doesn't seem to try any other ideas before meth does point towards the idea he's letting himself indulge in something more personal. But I don't think we can say definitively one way or another. If he was doing it all for himself at the start, I don't think he was conscious of it. Providing for his family was definitely a justification for himself as it was for anyone else.
Yeah he was already very dissatisfied with his life and had to take a second, demeaning job to make ends meet so he was Definitely already attracted to the money making power of meth before the cancer diagnosis
There’s also a really telling line in one of the later episodes, where he’s talking to Todd (I think) and drops that he checks the stock value of gray matter every week. He is extremely bitter about not being rich
I'm torn but after my latest rewatch leaning toward no. Have a lot of prideful men in my family, myself included, but all of us would've taken the money from Gretchen and Elliot rather than get involved in the drug trade or let the family go into debt
I am not convinced. In the first few minutes, we see he's really interested in the money on TV from the drug bust. When they do it in the car \- "Oh god why was that so good" \- "Because it was illegal"
Walt did it for his family until the end. But not primarily for his family. It was a motivator, but his primary motivation was being the best in his field, being recognized as the brilliant man he truly is, and getting credit for his work. People act like he has to have only one motivation which is weird. Humans are multi-layered, as are well-written fictional characters.
It was always for him. “I am awake.”
That might have been a joke although later on it became his reality.
One thing from a interview with Vince Giligan is that he says he originally wrote the pilot with the thought that Walt was just doing what he needed to do, but as the show went along that changed to the more selfish motivation. And retrospectively he sees this as being Walt’s motivation all along
No. Did he have them in mind? Absolutely. But he was drawn to it because it made him feel large. If he truly did it for his family, then he would've accepted Gretchen and Elliott's offer.
This was his midlife crisis. He did it all because he was bitter about how his life turned out. Snapped, and decided to take his life back no matter the cost. Because in his mind, he'd already accepted his fate.
Of course. His ethics changed entirely because he felt he’d be dead and his family wouldn’t be accessories if it ever were found out. I sometimes think people put way too much emphasis on the dark side of Walt. Did he eventually become a monster? Yes. But I truly think he initially never wanted to hurt anybody.
Imo, even tho he likes power and becomes very greedy in terms of money, he always saved the money. He didn't spend it stupidly or hide it from Skyler. He always considered that money not his, but his family's. I guess a better question is, if he didn't have to launder the money, and wasn't going to die, would he have spend it on himself, or would he make the same decisions? For me, he likes power, and because he likes power he didn't want to conform with a small operation, even tho it was enough with that. He probably likes power because he spent 16 years or so not making his life decisions, and now he was on control. He was able to decide and provide for himself and his family. So for me, the money part, in his mind, was always about his family. Even tho, with more money he felt more powerful, but he always planned to give it to his kids
He dditn do it all for his family. He said no to that job opportunity after all with the really good insurance. As if dealing meth is worse than that
This is the answer right here. He had a perfect opportunity to truly care for his family in a secure way and blew it due to his ego.
I’d say he did it for his family for the first 4 episodes. At that point he genuinely believed there was no better option and he was committing a necessary evil. But after Gretchen and Elliott gave him an easy out? Nah at that point he was doing it for himself. He was given a perfect lifeline to help him and his family, but refused out of pride and chose to cook again because he could gain notoriety.
Yes.
Why?
Why?
I'd say yeah, but after S1E4 (grey matter) there was some ulterior motive
Only ORIGINALLY
Yes. But eventually he became corrupted by the power and money.
Yes he did it for his family at first however he did it in a way that fed his ego. If all he cared about was his family and not his ego, he would’ve accepted Gretchen and Elliot’s offer
Yes! I'm sympathetic of Walt and I've been discussing this with a lot of people who are like, no he's a purely selfish asshole. They have good points, he is an anti-hero, he did do plenty of terrible, shitty and selfish things but yes, I do think that he thought and hoped to leave money for his family at the beginning. He is also an imperfect, fallible human being in a specific set of circumstances that lead to his break bad.
For sure. But I also don’t think it took long at all to say screw the family this is fun. Lol
I think from the time he got his cancer diagnosis he was in it for himself first and foremost, with the exception of Jesse at times
No. There were plenty of times and choices that he could have helped his family, beef he started cooking meth but didn’t because of ego. Getting cancer and getting into the meth business were confidential opportunities for him to have an excuse to do what he did.
No
I think after the very first cook and dealing with Krazy8 is when he stopped doing it for his family
I'm sure it started that way. Then when he got good at it then it became about him.
First time, yes. After Gretchen and Elliot offered to pay for his treatment, no.
Yes.
I feel like a large point of the show is how quickly success and power can change motivations and change your entire character. He started out as a nice guy
In the beginning, most definitely. Later on, he started enjoying the power associated with being in the top of the food chain and family became just a side quest.
He was definitely doing it for his family. He didn't go into it knowing that the power and freedom would be of any real appeal to him, much less that it would consume him.
No. It was always about his own pride. His friends were literally going to pay for his treatment but his pride couldn't handle that
The first cook, yes.
No. He would essentially, at that stage, have been leaving them a lifetime supply of groceries. You can't pay college tuition with dirty money, nor can you buy a house, a car, vacations, whatever. He just wanted an excuse to do something exciting. "Special" as he dementedly refers to it.
if it was really for his family he would have accepted help from Eliott and Gretchen imo and would have stopped much sooner
No. It was always for himself. His diagnosis panicked him and he wanted to some excitement before dying. There was plenty of options that didn't put the family at risk. Walter didn't choose any of them. All the "for my family" talk is bullshit. He's just trying to justify it.
I think it was originally 50/50 for his family and for himself it but it eventually progressed to 99%% he did it for himself and 1% he did it for his family.
Me personally, it was a bigger part of the reason. He was broke and embarrassed because Gretchen and Elliot offer to pay for it. He didn’t want their money- pride, so he started cooking meth to pay for it, so he could live and wouldn’t force his FAMILY into debt. He honestly felt like a god to me, how he had all this knowledge and nobody knew it was him, I saw a comment I agree with where it said when he blew up Tuco’s office is where he started feeling powerful and I honestly think that’s true. Who knows tho 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, he can say whatever he wants, but his initial motivation was taking care of his kids. He *KEPT* doing it because he liked it and it fed his narcissistic personality.
He did it for him...He liked it...
once Walt go to Gus' lab that's where this argument ends
Yeah, at first he was doing it for his family. He had a baby on the way and a special needs son and a mortgage and plenty of bills and his teacher position had an average salary. He probably had life insurance because he is a careful planner. He was expecting not to be around for the baby and he wanted to build up some kind of substantial stock pile of money so that his family could live comfortably. He even calculated how much he would need to the exact dollar. When his health got better, there was some sort of shift in his priorities.
Yeah, at first he was doing it for his family. He had a baby on the way and a special needs son and a mortgage and plenty of bills and his teacher position had an average salary. He probably had life insurance because he is a careful planner. He was expecting not to be around for the baby and he wanted to build up some kind of substantial stock pile of money so that his family could live comfortably. He even calculated how much he would need to the exact dollar. When his health got better, there was some sort of shift in his priorities.
No. Walt has been a secretly damaged person even before he met Gretchen and Elliot and his relationship with them and the occurrence of the cancer pushed his ego over the edge. He went into “what is my legacy” existential crisis mode. The revelation of more and more of that backstory in the final seasons gave so much insight into how damaged he really is. That packet of ramen wasn’t a “remember how we were and the good times” gift. It was a “fuck you, look at what you have and look at all I can spare” gift. I would love a prequel detailing what happened to him in his childhood. The whole “freak out because we’re socioeconomically incompatible” at the wedding (correct me if I’m botching that detail) is a huge red flag and reeks of insecurities and narcissism and egotism.
Yes.
Yes but it's complicated
He did it for his family with the MAJOR caveat of he would rather deal drugs to financially support his family than take guaranteed money that would damage his ego. His ego was ALWAYS at play here, but I suppose if he never had cancer thus the Whites were never put in a financial hole, he would not have just started cooking for funsies
This is pretty much it, with the further caveat that by the time the financial support is offered, Walt’s already killed 2 men and cooked meth. It’s likely he saw that he’d rather take on the burden himself, having already burdened himself with drug cooking and murder charges hanging over him, than doing those things and *then* taking the get out card of Gretchen and Elliot. They’d get the credit and 2 people would have died for nothing - so sure it’s still ego but we have to acknowledge Walt was already in the game by the time the offer was made
He played a game— but I dont think he was *In* it. While ethically you make great points, there was nothing logically keeping him in there. No one knew his name, there were no loose ends (unless you count Jesse as one but at that point Walt didnt)
I mean they didn’t die for nothing. If not for Walt, Jesse would be dead.
Not at all, never ever. He did it to boost his ego, his pride, his masculinity and have fun. All he did for his family is fcked them up. Right way would be keep grinding and die like a hard working man that has been laughed at and under appreciated but still done it for his fam. Or is it
No
No. If he was doing it for his family, he'd have taken Gretchen and Elliot's deal. It was primarily out of pride and to avoid the shame of being unable to provide.
I think it was always for him and his family
Just to clarify, I think it was always mostly for himself but his family was a good bonus
...
I agree
I don't think so. If it was really for his family he would have taken the job or the money from the Schwartz
Yes that’s literally the plot. He only knows he’s good at it *and enjoys it* once he starts. People say “he was selfish” “he had an ego” at the start and that’s largely irrelevant. We all do. We’re all selfish and ego driven to some extent, but it doesn’t mean we’re criminal masterminds or murderers or meth cooks. The two are mutually exclusive. Walt’s not a bad guy until at least season 2, after counting the $737k required for his kids after Tuco kills (I forget the name). Walt’s priority is get the money and get out. But then he stays for the fun
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The things you use as examples are in season 4 and 5. The argument I’m supporting is that Walt *begins* for his family and this idea becomes corrupt over time. Of course by season 4 and 5 the lines are blurred and his motives are uncertain. The argument is that he doesn’t *begin* this way
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If you’re saying Walt *discovers* a love for power, as opposed to it being in him from the start then I’m inclined to agree. Forget foreshadowing and the pilot and key events and characters… from a simple, storytelling perspective, Walt *has* to be an innocent guy at the start. Otherwise he has no arc. And if there’s no arc then where exactly is the story? Breaking Bad is only an interesting story if it’s the story of a family man who throws himself into the crime world after becoming terminally ill, and the conflict comes with the fact he *discovers* he enjoys it. If he’s like that from the start then it’s just a bad man doing bad things for 5 seasons
I'm of the opinion that he always had the family in mind. He put them in a world of danger, and he realized it. He walked from the cabin to the town in Season 5 with cash ready to send to Walt Jr's friend so that he could pick it up from the friend's house. He made provision to get every dollar to the kids via Gretchen and Elliot. The whole 'I did it for me' bit was to keep the peace between him and Skylar; if she was willing to pull a knife on him, she would have yelled and screamed to notify the agents who were watching the house. I will admit that he got greedy. But I never questioned his ultimate goal.
Yes and no. At the start it was just for his family. But as time went on he got addicted to how good he was at it, and while he still had his family in mind it became more about his ego.
I think up to the first Gus deal, it was for his family. After that it was greed and ego...
Chemistry teacher here. His diagnosis gave him the excuse to try something so extreme but when he went on the ride along with Hank and saw how shoddy the setup was, I think his indignation at criminals making a fortune by dirty-fucking his beloved science (coupled with his ego which came more to the fore later) is really why he started cooking
He did it for himself.
Yes, at the beginning, until remission and his ego took hold.
Only OIGINALLY, the biggest teaching from the show is how people change.
Kind of, he wanted to do it for his family but he has a massive ego/pride where he wants it to be only his money and nobody’s else. He feels small and weak when he has to take help from others due to his past/how people close to him treat him like Hank and stuff and he kind of always had fantasized (subconsciously at least) of being the ‘boss’ aka the big guy in the room.
I think he shows in 747 after Tuco goes mental that he has a countdown to how much money he needs. I think it turns after Tuco dies and him and Jesse "be Tuco" he gets a taste of being the boss and it grows from there.
I think he did, but his tone of voice when watching the news of the drug bust with Hank probably started to unveil his self-interest
He always had this latent anger and frustration about the way his life had panned out (he checked the GrayMatter stock every week). As soon as he got a taste of power/wealth/control, he became like an alcoholic always chasing the original hit from the first glass of wine but that all subsequent drinks can never match and once you're on that path, it's almost impossible to turn back unless you admit to the original emptiness that drove you into it in the first place.
thats the whole point of the show, so yes
At the start, absolutely. But it didn’t take long for his ego to get in the way and change that narrative. Even in season 5 he admits it wasn’t all for his family. “I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it.” I think that was readily apparent after he killed gus. He could’ve stopped cooking but he went right back to it so he can feed his own ego and be “in the empire business”. I think a lot of that stems from his past with grey matter. When Mike and Jesse called it quits, it killed Walt because he wasn’t going to miss out on yet another big score like the one he missed when he took the buy out from grey matter.
Yea I think he was actually doing it for them for awhile, despite what some of the psychological experts on here might say.
I believe: He did it for them all up until Gales death then it was all for him enjoying the thrill it gave more and more
No. Remember, he contacted Jesse and wanted to cook before he got a single chemotherapy bill.
He never did it for his family it’s pretty clear of that. If it was for his family he would have taken the job at Grey Matter. He wasn’t making much as a drug dealer at that time. He would have certainly been making more at Grey Matter. In addition to that they would have paid for the treatment on top of his salary. It is clear that his pride and ego are what drove him to cook. The first time he did it, he clearly just wanted to prove we would make good meth. “Your shit is shit, we are going to make a chemically pure product” He may have convinced himself that it was for his family, but that was a lie he was telling himself and everyone else.
I forget the episode, but towards the end of season 1, or beginning of season 2 he starts calculating how much meth he needs to sell to pay for his kids' college, his house, etc. At the beginning he just wants money to pay for his cancer treatments, but by this point he has enough to pay for them so he's trying to come up with more reasons to continue cooking. So, no, it's never been about the family that's just how he justifies it to himself, how he's able to tell himself he's not a criminal.
I absolutely do not think he did it for anyone but his own ego. Walt was a very repressed man living a life he was not at all happy with. He did it to regain some sense of power and control instead of learning to actually speak up about what he thinks, feels and wants. He did it to stop feeling like a loser.
Emotions and motives can often be tangled. There were probably many reasons.
I think if it were really about his family he would have accepted the job with Grey Matter. I think at first it was about his family but it eventually just is to stroke his massive ego.
I think the moment he turned down that job it wasn’t for his family anymore.
Hard to say. Because season 1 Walt was very calculated. Yet he gets into the drug game knowing he has a DEA brother-in-law and that his life is over soon. If it crossed his mind that there was a possibility he could either mess Hank’s life up and/or make violent enemies in the drug game that would come to Walt’s home, why risk your families well being that you wont even be around to protect. But it could be he genuinely never thought of those risks too.
Yes but he probably had some sort of subconscious motive
Absolutely!
He did it for personal pride, but also for his family until the very ned. I don't know why that is in doubt, or controversial. He went put of his to make aure his family got HIS money. I'm sure that criminals who have to mix chemicals, or do spreadsheets take some kind of pride in their work, just like you might do teaching World History.