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Observation Analysis Notes Zach Denault, 2014
Assignment One
Observation One
Friday, September 26th, 2014
AMCs Breain! Bad" Season #, $pisode 6
Note: All observations took place in the frst 30 minutes of a 43 minute
program. Information used in the analysis is from all 43 minutes of the
episode. iming is represented as !inutes:"econds# e$: three minutes and
30
seconds %ould be sho%n as 3:30 from the start of the episode.
(Characters: e!t" #alter #hite, Center" $%yler #hite, &ight" #alter #hite 'r( )'unior*(
+hoto courtesy o! A,C-s $eason 1 +hoto Album.
%e&evant Ba'!ro(nd )n*ormation+
)/rea%ing /a0* is a !ictional series about a 10 (no2 11. year ol0 high school chemistry
teacher 2ho is 0iagnose0 2ith cancer an0 given a !e2 years to live( 3e 0eci0es that he
2ill sto4 teaching, an0 4rovi0e !or his !amily even once he is 0ea0, 4artici4ating in the
4ro0uction an0 0istribution o! metham4hetamine5 crystal meth( 3e 0oes this !or 6
p.2
months7 by the e4iso0es 8 chose to observe( 3is cancer is in com4lete remission, an0
he has alrea0y ac9uire0 more than enough money to leave !or his !amily, but has gotten
so !ar an0 into the business, es4ecially 2ith big cartels in ,e:ico, that leaving is almost
im4ossible( /y this 4oint in the series, #alt has seen 0eath, violence, is !acing a
0ivorce, an0 all he 2ants is to go bac% to the 2ay his li!e 2as be!ore he starte0 this
li!estyle( ;he locations 8 observe0 in this e4iso0e are 4resent 0ay Ne2 ,e:ico,
4articularly Albu9uer9ue an0 the surroun0ing suburbs( ;he locations most im4ortant
are as !ollo25 #alt-s con0o, 'esse-s house, 3an%-s $<=, >us-s restaurant, #alt?>us-s
meth su4erlab, an0 a local @un%yar0(
%(&es and Conventions+
8n the 2orl0 that #alt lives in, violence is common an0 lying an0 cheating are almost
re9uirements !or the @ob( $eeing a %ni!e or han0gun !lashe0 or use0 is not uncommon
2hatsoever in the meth 2orl0( ,any 4eo4le 0ie in the series an0 it is acce4te0( #alt
has lie0 to his 2i!e, $%yler, !or over si: months about 2here he has been 2hen he is out
late at night, on 2ee%en0 )business tri4s*, an0 about 2here his money !or treatment is
coming !rom( 3e @usti!ies this by saying it is to )4rotect his !amily* an0 that there is no
2ay aroun0 it, but in the long run it has @ust en0e0 u4 s4litting his entire !amily a4art an0
the one thing he 2ante0 to 0o !or them, 4rovi0e everything they nee0, $%yler 2ill not let
him 0o as she sees the !un0s as )bloo0 money*( Another norm in the series is actors
@ust ran0omly 0rin%ing an0 0oing meth at any 4oint 0uring an e4iso0e( Aor e:am4le,
'esse o!ten o!!ers to let his !rien0s try the meth he coo%e0 to see its 9uality an0 that is
seen as a normal every0ay event( Ainally, seeing #alt or 'esse committing a !e0eral
crime5 actually 4re4aring the meth itsel! is something that ha44ens in almost every
e4iso0e by season B( 8! a normal 4erson 2al%e0 in on somebo0y coo%ing meth they
4robably 2oul0 not be o%ay 2ith it, but the actors in this sho2 have become use0 to
being involve0 in or 2itnessing that %in0 o! behavior on a 0aily basis(
A'tors+ Actors are characters 2ho are the center o! events in the sho2( ;he 4eo4le
2ho cause actions to occur an0 2ho can change the 0ynamics o! the !igure0 2orl0( ;he
actors liste0 belo2 are only a han0!ul o! the very signi!icant ones 4resent in this series(
,a&ter ,hite- A./.A.+ 0eisenber!"- A 11 year ol0 high school chemistry
teacher 2ho 0eci0es to manu!acture an0 0istribute crystal meth a!ter being
0iagnose0 2ith cancer( Cno2n !or ma%ing the 4urest, highest 9uality meth in the
mar%et( Also his 4ro0uct is notorious !or its 0istinct blue color, 2hich 0istinguishes
it !rom others( $ome even go as !ar as to 0ye their o2n meth blue an0 try to sell it
o!! as #alt-s 4ro0uct since 4eo4le are 2illing to s4en0 signi!icantly more on his
p.3
meth( 3e is starting to lose his !amily 0ue to the !act that he is al2ays out
coo%ing, an0 never seems to have time !or them, even though they are 2hy he
starte0 coo%ing in the !irst 4lace(
1esse 2inman- A high school burnout, 0rug 0ealer, meth a00ict, an0 !ormer
chemistry stu0ent o! #alt-s( /ecame #alt-s assistant in the !irst t2o seasons o!
the series an0 has since bro%en o!! !rom #alt 0ue to com4lications in their
relationshi4( Currently going through rehab an0 trying to coo% his o2n meth an0
sell it 2ith his cre2, 2ithout hel4 !rom #alt(
0an S'hrader- A Ae0eral Drug Dn!orcement agent 2ho has great morals an0
has an incre0ible amount o! 4assion !or his @ob( 3e has been assigne0 2ith
trac%ing 0o2n a ne2 meth lor0: )3eisenberg* ACA #alter #hite, his brother in
la2, only he 0oes not %no2 that #alt is 3eisenberg( 3as been involve0 in the
3eisenberg case since the very beginning an0 has al2ays been very eager to
catch the cul4rit res4onsible !or the !amous blue meth that is running ram4ant in
his @uris0iction( All o! the evi0ence that the DDA has is 4ointing to #alt, an0
'esse, but 3an% com4letely overloo%s the !act that #alt coul0 be involve0 in
anything li%e this, an0 tries to convict 'esse !or most o! the )blue meth crimes*(
Arom the very !irst e4iso0e, #alt an0 3an% have been in a 0ea0ly s4iral o!
interactions 2here 3an% 2oul0 !in0 a ne2 4iece o! evi0ence, an0 it 2oul0 4oint to
#alt, an0 #alt 2oul0 someho2 convince his that it really 2as 4ointing to
someone else, usually an enemy o! #alt-s(
3(stavo Frin!- ;he ma@or meth 0ealer !or the entire $outh2estern <nite0 $tates(
A!!iliate0 2ith the 'uareE cartel in ,e:ico an0 o2ner o! the meth su4erlab hi00en
un0erneath a laun0ry 4lant he also o2ns( Dm4loyer o! #alter #hite at this time(
3e uses his massive chic%en restaurant chain, os +ollos 3ermanos, to 0eliver
mass 9uantities o! meth across the $outh2est(
Sy&er ,hite- #alter #hite-s house2i!e 2ho sells items on e/ay an0 2rites short
stories !or her income( $he is e:tremely loving in season 1 an0 even most o!
season 2, but in season B she has starte0 to sus4ect #alt is having an a!!air( $he
9uestions 2hy he is out late at night an0 has the same set o! e:cuses every time(
$he is a2are o! the !act that he is a 0rug 0ealer by season B, an0 she 2ants to
get a 0ivorce 2ith #alt( Dventually she 2ill en0 u4 being #alt-s 4artner in money
laun0ering, but she still resents him 2hile 0oing this(
,a&ter ,hite 1r.- A./.A.+ 1(nior"- A 1F year ol0 boy 2ith cerebral 4alsy 2ho
2as close 2ith his !ather, #alt, in the beginning o! the series, but 0ri!ts !rom him
p.4
as his !ather is gone most o! the time an0 has starte0 to change 0rastically( 3e is
one o! the main reasons #alt 0oes 2hat he 0oes(
Arti*a'ts+ ;hese are either a 4hysical ob@ect5 something you can hol0, or an emotion(
;hey must be signi!icant to the !igure0 2orl0 as 2ell(
Crysta& Meth- ;his is 2hat the entire series is about( ;he money in this com4le:
combination o! chemicals is astronomical an0 #alt 4lanne0 to ta%e millions o! it
!or himsel! an0 his !amily( 8t re4resents the secure !uture o! #alt-s !amily, 2hich is
ironic consi0ering the volatility surroun0ing it(
,a&ts %4- ;his is ho2 #alt 4lanne0 on ma%ing the millions o! 0ollars he 2ante0
!or his !amily( A moving lab to coo% meth in is ingenious, as it 2oul0 be highly
unli%ely to be !oun0( 8t re4resents #alt-s vessel !or attaining his goals an0 goes
han0 in han0 2ith crystal meth(
1esses Street Smarts- ;his is not a 4hysical ob@ect, but rather a set o! s%ills that
'esse attaine0 through selling 0rugs on the street an0 be!rien0ing? living 2ith
0angerous 4eo4le( #alt 4lanne0 on using 'esse an0 the s%ills he 4ossesse0 to
hel4 him turn the meth, 2hich is 2orthless to #alt as is, into har0 cash, 2hich is
e:actly 2hat #alt 2ants( ;hese s%ills re4resente0 the machine that #alt 2oul0
4ut meth into an0 get cash out o!(
Comm(nities o* 2ra'ti'e+ A grou4 o! 4eo4le (minimum o! B. 2ho thin% in similar 2ays
an0 have similar goals, 2ho 2or% together to achieve these goals(
1esses Cre5- ;his grou4 consists o! 'esse, /a0ger, an0 $%inny +ete( ;hey all
2ant to sell meth to ma%e money either to su44ort themselves, or to buy more
meth because they all are or have been a00icts at some 4oint in the series( ;hey
have ha0 varie0 results in this 4rocess, as they 2ere ma%ing tens o! thousan0s
o! 0ollars each, but then a member o! their cre2, )Combo* 2as %ille0 an0 they
sto44e0 selling meth(
0ans 6$A Cre5- ;his grou4 consists o! 3an%, $teven >omeE, an0 >eorge
,er%ert to name a !e2( ;his grou4 o! 4eo4le all 2ant to catch 3eisenberg, sto4
the s4rea0 o! meth an0 0o this by setting u4 sta%eouts, communicate over ra0ios
an0 all bac% each other u4 i! necessary( ;hey all thin% similarly because they are
all Ae0eral Agents an0 have all gone through the same training an0 tests( Gou
coul0 not 4ic% better 4eo4le to 2or% together(
p.5
6omain+ A grou4-s 0esignate0 !iel0 o! e:4ertise an0 share0 commitment to achieve a
goal(
Bein! S(''ess*(& in the Meth B(siness- 8n /rea%ing /a0, the 4ast events o!
the sho2 have !oresha0o2e0 that you can only be success!ul !or so long be!ore
you either a. 0ie or b. are caught by the DDA an0 thro2n in 4rison !or the rest o!
your li!e( #alt is loo%ing to brea% this tren0 by getting in, getting his money, an0
getting out be!ore anything ba0 ha44ens( Obviously this 0oes not ha44en an0
#alt is !orce0 to !igure out a 2ay out o! his situation 2ithout going to 4rison or
0ying or 2orst o! all, getting his !amily in any %in0 o! trouble(
2ra'ti'es o* the Comm(nity+ ;he actions that a community 0oes to achieve a goal(
;he set o! instructions they all use(
6is'overin! 0eisenber!s )dentity- 3an% %no2s !rom the beginning that
something is strange about this ne2 meth coo%( 3e is too smart an0 covers his
trac%s too 2ell to @ust be some @un%ie trying to ma%e a buc%( 3an% %ee4s running
into evi0ence that brings him bac% to #alt, but never sus4ects #alt to actually be
3eisenberg( 3an% intervie2s many sus4ects an0 even %ills some men he
believes to be 3eisenberg, but the blue meth %ee4s a44earing, so the e!!orts to
this 4oint 2ere in vain( 8 believe that 3an% 0oesn-t sus4ect #alt, only 0ue to the
!act that they are !amily, an0 3an% has goo0 morals, so he believes that his
!amily 2oul0 not lie to him(
0o5 to Coo Meth- At some 4oint, #alt ha0 to teach 'esse ho2 to coo% meth(
;heir goal 2as to ac9uire 4oun0s o! meth to sell an0 they 0i0 this by !ollo2ing the
reci4e in #alt-s min0 that 4ro0uce0 the 4urest meth aroun0( ;hat reci4e is #alt
an0 'esse-s (an0 every other meth coo%-s. 4ractice o! the community(
7itera'y 2ra'ti'es+ ;he 2ay actors communicate in the !igure0 2orl0( ;his coul0 be
verbal or 2ritten communication(
8se o* Ce&&phones- ;he use o! cell4hones in this !igure0 2orl0 is im4erative( 8!
somebo0y 2ants a 0elivery o! meth, they are not going to come %noc%ing on your
0oor 2here you live 2ith your 2i!e an0 chil0ren, they 2ill call you or sen0 you a
te:t( #alt goes as !ar as to have multi4le cell4hones in an attem4t to %ee4 his
2or% an0 4rivate li!e se4arate( Also having cell4hones gives customers an easy
p.6
2ay to communicate 2ith their 0ealer, 2hen all they have to 0o is 0ial a number
an0 set u4 a meeting 4oint an0 time(
9ort(re: )nterro!ations- O!ten times in /rea%ing /a0 either a 4olice o!!icer or
0rug lor0 2ill nee0 in!ormation !rom 4eo4le less signi!icant than them( ;hey 2ill
attem4t to get this in!ormation by either torturing the 4erson or threatening to
torture them or their !amilies? love0 ones, or interrogating them( ;y4ically these
t2o acts go han0 in han0 even though 4olice say they never threaten or torture
anybo0y 2hen 2e have seen 3an% beat 'esse unconscious 2ithout reason( 8n
this case, 'esse live0, but 2ith many 4eo4le in this series they are not that luc%y(
On several occasions, as soon as you either give them the in!ormation they 2ant,
or sho2 that you 2ill not tal%, they %ill you, 0es4ite 2hat you have been 4romise0
or guarantee0( Dven #alt has to torture some other characters several times in
the sho2, 2hen he tries to convince the 4erson to not 0isclose his i0entity( ;his
usually en0s u4 in #alt %illing the 4erson, because he 0oesn-t believe they 2ill
stay 9uiet(
9he Observation+
$eason B, D4iso0e 6
0:B0" $cene o4ens on 4olice o!!icer chec%ing a house 2here a local 2oman might be
missing(
1:B0" O!!icer %noc%s on 0oor an0 there is no res4onse, but he loo%s in a 2in0o2 an0
sees a steaming cu4 o! co!!ee(
1:41" O!!icer sees a grim rea4er !igure in a corner along 2ith a 4iece o! 4a4er 2ith
#alt-s image on it( 3e also sees men-s @ac%ets outsi0e on a clothesline(
2:B0" O!!icer sees?hears !lies in the outhouse( 8nvestigates( $ees 2oman-s cor4se
behin0 the buil0ing( &uns to truc%, calls in bac%u4(
4:00" ,an a44roaches o!!icer !rom behin0 2ith a:e, 2hile o!!icer con!ronts another man
coming out o! the house(
4:B0" ,an 2ith a:e %ills o!!icer
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 8ntro
Cutscene"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
1:B0" $%yler calls #alt to tal% about their 0ivorce?the concern over their son, #alt 'r(
#alt insists on 4aying !or every as4ect o! their chil0ren-s lives, but $%yler 0oesn-t 2ant
that(
F:B0" ;he same men 2ho %ille0 the 4olice o!!icer come into >us-s chic%en restaurant
an0 stare him 0o2n, trying to s4ea% 2ith him(
p.7
H:00" 'esse an0 !rien0s are in his house an0 'esse o!!ers his !rien0s some meth he
coo%e0 an0 they say it is the same 9uality as #alt-s 4ro0uct(
11:00" ;hey 0ebate 2hether or not to restart selling meth, even a!ter their other !rien0
2as %ille0 2hile 0oing it( #hen they tal% about this !rien0, )Combo* they al2ays ta%e t2o
!ingers, %iss them, an0 4oint to the s%y, 2hich is a 2ay that they communicate that he is
misse0 an0 they love0 him li%e !amily(
11:B0" ;hey all agree to coo%?sell meth again an0 3an%, a DDA agent, sees them leave
'esse-s house together as a team(
12:B0" #alt is ma%ing his +/ an0 ' an0 cuts the crusts o!!, suggesting he is very
metho0ical an0 analytical
14:00" #alt is tal%ing to #alt 'r( about the 0ivorce an0 says )Call me craEy, but 8-m
actually !eeling very goo0 about the !uture*( +ossible !oresha0o2ing(
14:B0" >us 2al%s into his restaurant an0 the same t2o men are 2aiting !or him again(
;his im4lies that they are 4ersistent an0 they 2ill tal% to him sooner or later(
16:B0" #alt 2al%s into his meth su4erlab to see an assistant that he 0i0 not 2ant(
1H:00" #alt teaches his assistant to ma%e his meth an0 they get along very 2ell at this
4oint( Classical music 4lays in the bac%groun0, suggesting the 4rocess is elegant 2hich
it 0e!initely is not(
21:00" #alt an0 assistant tal% about ho2 they en0e0 u4 2here they are an0 2hy they
ma%e meth( ;hey say that there is crime an0 then there is crime( ;hey 0o not believe
2hat they are 0oing is a real crime( ;hey communicate much more so4histicate0ly than
anybo0y else in the sho2, using !ancy 2or0s an0 4ro4er grammar, suggesting that
e0ucate0 4eo4le also ma%e 0ecisions to 0o ba0 things too( ;hey even recite 4oetry
together(
24:B0" 3an% is 2atching 'esse-s house 2hen ,arie (his 2i!e. calls him an0 tells him to
call #alt !or hel4 catching 'esse an0 his cre2(
2F:00" 3an% as%s i! #alt %no2s about 'esse-s &=, 2hich he 0oes as he coo%e0 meth in
it, but he 0oes not 2ant to turn 'esse in as his o2n !inger4rints are all over it( ;he &= is
an arti!act(
2I:00" #alt calls his croo%e0 la2yer, $al, 2ho tells him to 0estroy the &= A$A+(
2H:B0" #alt 4lans to ta%e the &= into the 0esert an0 burn? 0estroy it there(
$nd o* #0 Min Observation
Observation 95o
Sat(rday, September 1#th, 2014
AMCs Breain! Bad" Season #, $pisode ;
p.8
1:B0" Ol0 man is tal%ing to 2 ,e:ican men on cell4hone about >us an0 ho2 he thin%s
he runs things, but really he is @ust a )!ry coo%* in the big scheme(
4:00" 2 assassins are hol0ing a can0le vigil !or 3an%, they 4lan to %ill him in revenge !or
their cousin-s 0eath in season 2(
1:00" 'esse returns home, 3an% !ollo2s him into his house an0 4rocee0s to beat 'esse
2ithin an inch o! his li!e, 2hich 4uts 3an% in a really ba0 s4ot as a DDA agent( 3e 0oes
call an ambulance !or 'esse though, 2hich sho2s that he is not heartless an0 he sa2
2rong in 2hat he 0i0(
6:B0" 3an%-s boss suggests tal%ing to a la2yer, as he believes 'esse 2ill be 4ressing
charges(
I:B0" $al is tal%ing to 'esse in the hos4ital about ho2 he is sa!e !rom the DDA !orever
no2, an0 ho2 the beating 2as the best thing that coul0 have ha44ene0 to him( /asically
suggesting to blac%mail the DDA 2ith the story o! an innocent man almost being beaten
to 0eath by a !e0eral agent(
10:B0" 'esse tells #alt that he 2ill 4ress charges an0 he 2ill o2n 3an% by the en0 o!
this event( 3e is set on ruining 3an%-s li!e( ;hen $al suggests not 0oing that because
the DDA is a!rai0 o! him right no2, 2hile he has the story in his 4oc%et, but i! he
release0 it, they 2oul0 be !orce0 to retaliate(
12:00" 'esse says he 2ill turn #alt in i! he gets caught coo%ing again( #alt believes he
is blu!!ing but $al 0isagrees(
14:B0" 3an% is giving his o!!icial statement to the 4olice an0 his la2yer a0vises him to
4lea0 the 1th Amen0ment( Co4s then say that 'esse is in !act 4ressing charges an0 that
he is not on 0rugs, so his testimony is consi0ere0 as !act( Also the investigators 2ant a
4icture o! 3an%-s bruise0 han0s, to 0ocument the case(
1F:00" 3an% is 2al%ing through his o!!ice an0 everyone is staring at him, not saying
anything, but communicating the uneasiness in the room( 3e then cries in the elevator
2ith ,arie(
1I:B0" $%yler sho2s u4 at #alt-s con0o to tal% about 3an%( $he 2ants #alt to 4ersua0e
'esse to not 4ress charges( #alt 0oesn-t seem li%e he 2ill an0 then says he has to
leave(
22:00" #alt sho2s u4 at the lab an0 >ale (his assistant. alrea0y has everything set u4
that #alt 2oul0 0o( #alt starts to 0isli%e >ale again(
21:00" 2 assassins buy bullet4roo! vests !rom a man, then shoot him to see i! they 2or%,
2hich they 0o( 8t communicates that they are the real 0eal, an0 i! you 2ere trying to sell
them stu!! that 0i0n-t 2or%, you 2oul0 be 0ea0(
26:00" #alt !in0s that >ale 4ut the 2rong tem4erature into a 4iece o! e9ui4ment, even
though it is 2hat #alt tol0 him to 0o( #alt is clearly trying to get ri0 o! >ale( 3e then
p.9
0um4s all o! the slu0ge that >ale ma0e on the !loor( ;his communicates that #alt is
unha44y 2ith >ale(
2I:00" 3an% is 4re4aring !or his trial an0 ,arie tries to tell him to lie about 2hat
ha44ene0 an0 say 'esse attac%e0 him 2ith a 4i4e or 2ea4on( 3an% says no an0
ac%no2le0ges that 2hat he 0i0 2as 2rong in the situation( 3e says that the %illing !rom
season 2 in ,e:ico change0 him signi!icantly(
$nd o* #0 Min(te Observation
Observation 9hree
S(nday, September 14th, 2014
AMCs Breain! Bad" Season #, $pisode <
2:B0" 'esse is being 0ischarge0 !rom the hos4ital, as 3an% arrives in an ambulance 2ith
!our gunshot 2oun0s( 8t is ironic, 'esse leaves as 3an% arrives, an0 it is even more
ironic 0ue to the !act that 3an% 4ut 'esse in the hos4ital in the !irst 4lace(
B:B0" 'esse says he is 0oing great an0 grins 0emonically at 3an%-s mis!ortune( 3e
4robably believes it is Carma at 2or%(
6:00" #alt is telling >ale to leave because he is more )classical* an0 >ale is more
)@aEE*, 2hich >ale starts to believe, an0 ho2 #alt nee0s another )classical* 4erson to
2or% 2ith( ;hen 'esse 2al%s in an0 is being obno:ious an0 very clearly sho2s >ale that
#alt @ust 0oesn-t li%e him, as 'esse is 0e!initely not )classical*(
I:00" 'esse tells #alt about 3an%-s con0ition an0 #alt runs to the hos4ital 2here
3an%-s boss says that the men 2ho shot 3an% are ,e:ican nationals, a!!iliate0 2ith a
0rug cartel(
11:00" ,arie overhears that 3an% 2as unarme0 0uring the !ight, an0 screams his boss
an0 4artner !or ta%ing his gun, an0 blame them !or his situation(
1B:00" $he then blames #alt !or 3an% even investigation 'esse in the !irst 4lace an0
then a4ologiEes once she realiEes that she is 2rong(
14:00" ;he DDA are all 0onating bloo0 to hel4 3an% survive, 2hich sho2s that they 2ill
all sacri!ice 4art o! themselves !or him(
16:00" 'esse is messing aroun0 in the lab 2hen #alt nee0s him to be coo%ing, as #alt
is stuc% in the 2aiting room 2ith his !amily(
1I:B0" 'esse calls #alt at the hos4ital an0 $%yler %no2s 2hat the call 2as about, but
she 0oesn-t 0isturb him about it( $he realiEes that it is im4ortant !or him to %ee4 0oing
2hat he is 0oing( ;hey communicate 2ith their eyes very 2ell at this 4oint in their
relationshi4(
p.10
20:00" ,arie com4lains about ho2 the hos4ital utensils are )0irty* an0 she has no clue
ho2 anybo0y coul0 survive the hos4ital( #alt then says that he survive0 the hos4ital
an0 ho2 3an% is t2ice the man that he is, so 3an% 2ill be !ine(
2B:00" >us gets a call !rom the cartel as%ing 2hy his men are 0ea0 an0 2ho or0ere0
the hit on 3an%( ;here is an in!inite amount o! 0istrust bet2een the t2o men(
24:B0" Doctor tells the !amily that 3an% might be 4aralyEe0, but he is alive an0
stabiliEing in the 8C<(
26:00" #alt 2al%s 0o2n the escalator an0 >omeE, 3an%-s 4artner, is eager to sho2
#alt 2hat 3an% 0i0 to the assassin 2ho survive0 the !ight, but is in critical con0ition(
;hey all go u4stairs an0 #alt sees that the man has ha0 both legs am4utate0, but he
recogniEes )3eisenberg* an0 starts cra2ling to2ar0 the 0oor to get to #alt, an0 that is
2hen #alt realiEes they 2ere a!ter him(
2I:B0" 'esse is still 2aiting !or #alt an0 hasn-t !rea%e0 out yet( ;his sho2s that he is
loyal to #alt no matter 2hat(
B0:00" 'esse gets caught messing aroun0 in the lab, he gets himsel! an0 #alt in trouble
2ith >us-s assistant( ;his en!orces the 4erce4tion that 'esse is not the man !or the @ob,
ma%ing #alt loo% ba0 to >us, 2ho is alrea0y 4lanning on getting ri0 o! him(
$nd o* #0 Min(te Observation
)ntervie5 ,ith ,a&ter ,hite
=(estion One+ ;ell me about 2hy you 4ic%e0 'esse +in%man as your
4artner?assistant(
Ans5er One+ 8 chose 'esse +in%man !or my assistant sim4ly because he 2as the
!irst?only 0rug 0ealer 8 %ne2 bac% 2hen 8 starte0 coo%ing( Also 2e ha0 some sort o!
history, as 8 2as his chemistry teacher in high school( #e 0i0 not get along 2hen he
2as my stu0ent, but it still gave me a connection 2ith him that 8 0i0 not have 2ith
anybo0y else( As time 2ent on, 8 0i0 begin to a44reciate him more, as he 0i0 start to
become a better an0 more ca4able 4artner as time 2ent on( 3e 2asn-t the 4er!ect
4artner, but 2e 0i0 a hell o! a @ob 0i0n-t 2eJ
=(estion 95o+ #hat is your o4inion on 3an% $chra0erJ
Ans5er 95o+ 3an% is a great man( #e ha0 a goo0 relationshi4 be!ore 8 starte0
coo%ing, but ever since, 8 have ha0 to 2atch my bac% an0 since 3an% is in the DDA, it is
becoming har0er an0 har0er to associate 2ith him, as 8 get bigger in the ,eth 2orl0( 8
also !eel terrible about 2hat ha44ene0 to him in relation to the t2o ,e:ican assassins
p.11
!rom the cartel, as they 2ere coming a!ter me, but >us nee0e0 me !or bigger an0 better
things(
=(estion 9hree+ #hy 0i0 you stay involve0 in illegal activities even once you ha0
millions o! 0ollarsJ
Ans5er 9hree+ 8 0i0 not 2ant to stay in the ,eth 2orl0 once 8 ha0 the money 8 nee0e0(
8 2as !orce0 to because o! the things 8 ha0 gotten mysel! into( ;o 4ay 0ebts to other big
4layers, namely >us, 8 ha0 to 2or% !or him an0 ma%e 200 4oun0s o! my signature ,eth
every 2ee%, to avoi0 being %ille0( 8 coul0 not @ust 0isa44ear 2ith my !amily because o!
my situation 2ith 3an%, 2ho 2oul0 instantly %no2 that something 2as u4 an0 2oul0
investigate it an0 eventually !igure out that 8 am the in!amous )3eisenberg*(
=(estion Fo(r+ ;ell me about your relationshi4 2ith your son, #alt 'r(
Ans5er Fo(r+ #alt 'r( an0 8 have al2ays love0 each other( 8n light o! recent events5 the
im4en0ing 0ivorce, 2e have not ha0 as much time together an0 there!ore our
relationshi4 is not 2hat it use0 to be, but 8-0 li%e to thin% that 2e are still on goo0 terms(
On a si0e note, 8 am starting to ac%no2le0ge that 8 am babying my son a little too much
an0 8 have realiEe0 that he is ca4able o! o4ening 0oors !or himsel! an0 8 0on-t nee0 to
treat him li%e a little boy anymore( 3e has gro2n into a strong young man 2ho can ta%e
care o! himsel! !or the most 4art(
=(estion Five+ 3o2 has your o4inion o! violence change0 since you starte0 actively
4artici4ating in illegal actionsJ
Ans5er Five+ ,y o4inion has not change0( 8n the beginning 8 believe0 that i! 8 ha0 to
4rotect my !amily an0 %ill another human being, 8 2oul0 0o it( 8 still have the same belie!
no2, 8 @ust 4ut my !amily in 0anger more o!ten, 2hich 8 regret, so 8 must 0e!en0 them
more o!ten( 8 0o not en@oy %illing an0 violence, but 8 un0erstan0 that it is a !un0amental
4art o! any 4o2er hierarchy an0 sometimes 4eo4le must be %ille0( 8 still thin% about the
eyes o! every 4erson 8 have %ille0, 8 can see the li!e !a0e out o! them li%e a cu4 !ull o!
tea 2ith a hole in the bottom( 8 !eel a2!ul about those 0eaths, but 8 stan0 by my belie!s(
An )ntervie5 5ith Bryan Cranston A./.A.- ,a&ter ,hite+
http://news.yahoo.com/katie-couric-interviews-bryan-cranston-224913317.html?ch=2
(Click on Breaking Bad near the top of the page to get to the video, and sorry about
the ad. Interview courtesy of Yahoo News.)
p.12
Character
Transformations:
In this section I will
show 2 pictures of a
character and show
their physical
diferences, along
with a textual
description of their
mental changes as
well.
Walter White:
Season 1
Season 5
1esse 2inman+
p.13


$eason 1
$eason 1
0an S'hrader+


$eason 1
$eason 1
(All 4ictures courtesy o! A,C-s $eason 1 +hoto album.

p.14
Menta& di>eren'es+
,a&t+ ;he
0i!!erence in #alt-s
mental state is
everything( 8n
season 1 #alt is a col0
bloo0e0 %iller 2ho has
no issues 2ith
violence, 0rug
0ealing, co4 %illing,
torture or basically
anything a normal
4erson 2oul0 have
4roblems 2ith(
Cilling someone !or him is about as har0 as us 2riting our
name( 8t is clearly visible in his 4ictures as 2ell( 3e is not the
same man 2e starte0 2atching a !e2 years ago(
1esse+ ;he main 0i!!erence in 'esse-s mental state is almost the o44osite o! #alt-s( 3e
no longer 2ants to be involve0 in the criminal 2orl0, an0 @ust 2ants to get out an0 start
a real, normal li!e( ;his is most li%ely 0ue to the !act that !or a goo0 amount o! season 1
'esse is loc%e0 u4 in a cage in the groun0, an0 has en0less amounts o! time to
evaluate his li!e an0 he realiEes that he isn-t 2here he 2ants to be, an0 0eci0es to
change that(
0an+ ;he main 0i!!erence in 3an%-s mental state is that he is 0ea0 an0 it is #alt-s
!ault( 8t is true that #alt trie0 to give everything he ha0, KI0 ,illion, !or 3an%-s li!e, but
in the en0 3an% 2as going to be %ille0 either 2ay( #alt is the reason that 3an%, a DDA
agent, 2as even out at a gathering o! 0rug 0ealers an0 criminals, an0 ultimately en0e0
u4 0ea0( Aor 3an% himsel! though, he has staye0 relatively the same throughout the
series( 3e is the constant i! 'esse an0 #alt 2ere the variables in the sho2( 3is morals
never change0 an0 he 2oul0n-t beg !or his li!e because he %ne2 he 2as 0ea0 either
2ay an0 2ante0 to maintain his image !or his !amily to remember him by(
An )ntervie5 5ith Aaron 2a(& A./.A.- 1esse 2inman+
http+::555.npr.or!:p&ayer:v2:media2&ayer.htm&?
a'tion@1At@1Ais&ist@*a&seAid@#4#;22#B4Am@#4#;#1#0B
($tart at aroun0 2:B0( Gou 0on-t have to listen to the 2hole 20 minutes, it is very long,
but it is very 0etaile0( 8ntervie2 courtesy o! N+&(.
An Interview with Vince Gilligan-
htt4:??blogs(amctv(com?brea%ing"ba0?2010?06?vince"gilligan"intervie2"4art"i"2?
(8ntervie2 courtesy o! A,C(.
p.15
=ince >illigan is the creator o! )/rea%ing /a0* an0 in this intervie2 he 0iscusses #alt
an0 $%yler-s relationshi4 in a goo0 amount o! 0e4th( 8 really li%e ho2 he goes into his
o2n thoughts about the sho2, as he is the creator an0 really coul0 have 0one 2hatever
he 2ante0( 8n!ormation means more coming !rom him, %no2ing that he ha0 an i0ea o! a
character in his hea0 an0 0i0 his best to 4ut that i0ea into the sho2(