We are all Walter White
And here I am, lying from the get-go. The following article is being republished here, originally appearing on my now-defunct Medium profile. I wrote about the character of Walter White, and why I thought you might cheer him on. In case you didn't see Breaking Bad, well... spoilers up ahead
All bad things must come to an end.
Put all these words together with no spaces in between, and youāll get the hashtag used on all social networks to promote the final episodes of AMCās groundbreaking series, Breaking Bad. Now, Breaking Bad is truly a TV phenomenon; itās an incredible display of what good scriptwriting can do. The result can be seen in millions and millions of junkie-like fans who are hibernating during the weekdays, stumbling like zombies through their lives just to get to the next Sunday evening (or Monday morning if youāre living in Europe like me) to watch the next episode of Breaking Bad.
The showās creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan managed to polarize entire legions of TV viewers and pit them against each other at their homes and workplaces, as well as on the battlefields of social networks and comments sections of websites. Viewers form teams identified with hashtags such as #teamwalt and #teamjesse. And as youāve probably realized by now, people are rooting for their favorite BB characters and hoping that the rest of them will fail. But itās not only a case of differing opinions. In the case of Breaking Bad, teaming up and vehemently defending characters as you would your friends or family members is a sign of absolute support for what these BB characters stand for, and not for what they do on-screen (if that was the case, we would all be at an insane asylum by now).
#teamwalt a.k.a āTeam Walter Whiteā is probably the team with the strangest make of ā Waltās team is developing and changing depending on the changes in Walter Whiteās character himself. It is unique for TV audiences to respond so emotionally to character development. Some people stick with Walt for various reasons, but those who leave āTeam Waltā donāt just fall out of love with him ā they publicly disown him. Walter White was a benign chemistry genius stuck in the lower-middle-class suburban family hell while a malignant tumor grew inside. Now heās a drug lord gone mad whose destiny is yet to be revealed this Sunday during the showās final episode.
Lately, Iāve realized itās not all that uncommon to hate Walter White. Over the years, his character turned truly rotten just like his insides. Heās a liar who is best at lying to himself. Itās not his family that he cooks for ā itās his enormous ego that destroys everything in its path. His transformation from Walter White to Heisenberg was complete when he shaved his head after his hair started to grow back as his cancer went into remission. That act was a statement of acceptance of his new role, his new job, and his new persona ā Heisenberg, The Cook, The Drug Lord, The Danger, and The One Who Knocks.
Walter White/Heisenberg isnāt the kind of guy youād want to hang around with. He isnāt someone you would introduce to your family. He is not a good guy. Heās an evil, manipulative liar and true sociopath that at this point in the series has nothing to lose and God (meaning, Vince Gilligan) only knows what will happen to him this Sunday.
Somehow, there are still millions in his camp, rooting for him, hoping that he will succeed. His success is not measured only by his successful battle with cancer or all the money that he has earned, but also the fact that the Heisenberg legacy will live on, whether or not Walt will still be around.
I should point out that this ālegacyā consists almost exclusively of meth production, murder, blood-stained money, and kids who end up going to their graves young because Walt provided them with the purest ā and the most addictive ā crystal meth ever.
Why do we root for this guy? Have we all gone mad, or are we just simply ā evil?
The answer is, whether we like it or not, far more simple: we are all Walter White.
GETTING OLDER AND ANGRIER
Iām 27 years old, a journalist who graduated from the Faculty of Political Science in Sarajevo, at its Department of Communication. 2013 marks the first decade of my work experience. Iāve worked at numerous TV and radio stations, internet news websites, newspapers ā you name it, Iāve been there. Iām currently working as a program manager (fancy title, right?) at a local music TV station. I do 40 hours a week for a salary that is enough to only cover my bills and one visit to the supermarket where I can afford no more than a weekās worth of food. And thatās it. Did I mention that my last paycheck showed up on my account in May? Yes, Iāve been living a life of debt since May. Iām underpaid, over-educated, and to be quite honest, getting angrier and older by the day.
My situation mirrors the problems of at least 70 percent of youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Iāll guesstimate it and say that I think that there are millions of humans worldwide whose situation closely resembles my own? I am the typical textbook example of a guy with good ideas and solid work habits living in a completely wrong time and place. And then we have Walter White, an underpaid chemistry genius. I can identify with this character: thankfully, the main similarity between our stories is not a deadly disease, but rather the same feeling of helplessness.
Just like Walter in Breaking Bad, Iām a family man with a daughter and a girlfriend who I feel the need to respect, feed, and serve. These are the types of needs I want to fulfill, and although I am not trying to fulfill them as a man, a father, or a victim of patriarchy, but rather as a human being who feels empathy for those who are close to me while not harming those that I donāt know. Now, when the situation thatās clearly out of your control ends up governing your life, you either turn your head the other way or you fight back. Walter White decided to fight back. Most of us never will, at least not on the same scale as Cranstonās character did. And thatās why we adore him ā because he probably has a bigger pair of balls than the rest of us.
ARE YOU PINKMAN?
On the other end of the Blue Sky universe, thereās the character of Jesse Pinkman: a troubled kid, a high school drop-out, a drug addict, and a guy that is, pardon my French, seriously fucked (up). Not only is he getting used and abused by Walter White/Heisenberg, but heās also dealing with his own personal turmoils (which isnāt something that Iāll mention because I hate spoilers and Iām sure that you do, too).
Pinkman may be a victim of circumstances and well as poorly planned actions, but that doesnāt make him a character that people can easily identify with. I donāt. From what I could gather by reading other peopleās opinions, the majority of support for Pinkman comes from the simplified human need for empathy-based on no logic at all, a play on moral issues, and Aaron Paulās good looks. Iām not trying to discredit anyoneās opinion, but when people judge fictional characters according to their physical appearance, thereās something gone horribly wrong there.
Now, the issue of ethics and morals, which is the primary motive of this show. Weāve all heard people whine about Waltās actions ā he sold out his family, he killed this person, he poisoned another, he lied to anyone and everyone. How come the hammer of truth and justice didnāt strike him down at the beginning of the show when Walter White cooked his first batch? After all, even back then he was making stuff that would poison the bodies and lives of many. Isnāt that bad enough? Innocent people would probably also end up being affected by the first batch of Blue Sky. Somehow, back then, we felt indifferent to Walter Whiteās villainy. And all of sudden, it took us a few murders, poisonings and a plethora of lies to get a grip on ourselves and condemn the character.
NOW YOU HATE WHITE? TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
As far as Iām is concerned: if you hated Walter White from the very beginning when he decided to cook his first batch, I will bow down to your sense for ethics and moral rules ā and as far as I know, no one hated him back then. If you ended up waiting until the fourth season to start hating White, itās too little, too late. Because at that point ā not in terms of brain chemistry as much as his state of mind ā Walter White had already gone slightly mad.
When it comes to supporting Pinkman, I think most people look at him as a less evil, benign version of Walter White. Theyāre both criminals following the same path. At a certain point, Walter decides to travel at a faster pace and take the road less traveled, so the risks he takes and the decisions he makes then begin to differ from Pinkmanās. Their reason to cook meth and commit that atrocity is the same ā in essence, both of them are doing it for the money.
The difference between them is seen when Waltās hunger for money and power is intensified by the fact that his time is running out and the sudden boner he got from making more money than ever. Most people stopped supporting Walt and embraced Jesseās side when Walter became a hardened criminal. Although I stand for Walter as being part of all of us, we are all Jesse Pinkman too ā one of those kids who canāt handle his own sins and some of the consequences of his actions.
Doesnāt that remind you all of those difficult teenage days weāve all went through when sometimes we just couldnāt cope with reality and couldnāt do much except scream, āWhy does he keep getting away with it?ā When you support Jesse, you support emotional fulfillment ā you cheer for support (Badger, Skinny Pete and Jesse) and love (Jane and Jesse) ā all those small things we feed off of every day. When you support Walt, you support difference, the big victory, rising above your situation. Being satisfied with āsmall thingsā such as love and friendship, there is nothing wrong with that. But there shouldnāt be any stigma attached to us who like to dream big.
Iām not trying to justify Walter Whiteās actions. It would be completely irrational if not crazy to do so. What Iām writing about is the fact that as a human being, I am not capable of condemning Walter White because of actions done while wearing Heisenbergās hat. I would be the first to admit that I would, given a chance to make a barrel of money, try and make another three. I would take risks, make mistakes and try to fix my mistakes the best I can, and sometimes the best way is not the right or the morally dignified way. My own ego would probably drive me insane in one way or another. We all rely on our own egos, ideas, and thoughts, and some of those are better than the others.
Just as Walt is the best at lying to himself, humans are the best at lying to themselves while bashing a profound character like Waltās. Most people today admit that they are either saints or whoresā¦ But only a few of us are willing to openly admit that weāre a mixture of both.
White is the perfect example of an antihero, a complete human ā a person who could have been something and who became something completely different. Heās a middle-class hero of all the new kids on the block who graduate from college today with big dreams and big plans and all they can get is yet another job in McDonaldās, an office cubicle, or somewhere else where their intelligence is being insulted daily.
And all these kids need is a trigger ā death of a loved one, a serious health issue, or something even less grim ā to go slightly mad and to become a Heisenberg in their own field. Being marginalized by society and the economy, with shiny promised futures taken away from us, all we can do is to tuck our tails between our legs like dogs do or stand up and fight for something else, something more, something better. Hopefully, itās something more legal and more useful, anywayā¦
I AM WALTER WHITE AND WALTER WHITE ISā¦
Thatās why I love Walter White and thatās why I root for him. In the end, youāll probably realize itās not about drugs, money-making, or murder when it comes to reasons to love this character. I am Walter White and Walter White is me; we are all fallen anti-heroes in some way or another, and thatās why we desperately root for WW and hope that he will make it. Fighting a good fight with the wrong weapons and leaving a trail of too much collateral damage, Walter White stands as a symbol of opposition to tyranny and the life of accepting everything thatās being thrown our way.
I think that the most appropriate way to end this tirade of mine is to quote Vince Gilligan, Waltās creator. I leave you with his statement from a Rolling Stone interview Iāve read recently:
āThe sad truth is, thereās more Walter White in me than Iād care to admit, because if I truly was as kind as people think I am, I wouldnāt be able to write Walter White. We all put on faces, as Walter White does. We put on faces when we meet our friends, when we meet new people, when we present ourselves in interviews. We try to be who the people we meet want us to be, or who we want to truly be.ā
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