If there was one thing that’s notably missing in Netflix’s El Camino teasers, it’s Walter White. Of course, that’s a given since he kicked the bucket in the final episode of Breaking Bad but his apparent absence will surely leave a gaping void. The chemistry teacher turned drug lord all because of lung cancer was a tale of Shakespearean magnitude and Walter White’s big brain is at the center of it.
Suffice to say, “Mistah” White’s genius is what made each and every episode bring us to the edge of our seats. His every move is calculated and every reaction (chemical or otherwise) is taken into account. Adversely, Walter White is not without his human side– that is, he also makes plenty of costly judgment errors. You could say it’s poetic, a man with two facades also has genius and a not-so-smart side. Here are the best examples of Walter White’s volatile duality.
MERCURY FULMINATE (GENIUS)
Even though the Mythbusters pooped this party for everyone, it still remains a classic tweak of chemistry that had us all sold with the legendary TV series. It was Walter White’s daring and high-stakes ace against the unreasonable and cruel Tuco who will surely not respond kindly to a show of force.
Hence, Walter White responded with his brains rather than his brawn (or lack thereof) by basically making mini-bombs and going full bomber man on Tuco’s headquarters. It’s Hollywood science, yes, but it’s something that completely blindsided everyone and the show made a genius chemistry teacher’s existence a little more plausible in the criminal underworld.
SELLING GREY MATTER FOR $5,000 (NOT TOO BRIGHT)
This is one of the reasons for Walter White’s woes and burning regrets. Out of pure toxic pride and narcissism, Walter White broke up with his girlfriend Gretchen and even sold his share of the scientific research and patent for $5,000 just because he can’t accept the fact that his girlfriend was richer than him.
Had he not done that, Walt could have gone his merry way towards a Nobel Prize for his contributions in chemistry or science. Too bad his impulsiveness and machismo got the better of him. This led to Gretchen getting together with Eliott Schwartz and inheriting the patent that went on to become a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Walt’s only human, after all.
ACID BATH CORPSE DISPOSAL (GENIUS)
It’s usually the corpse of the victim which ruins the perfect crime or murder. Thankfully, it looks like Walter White seems to have watched too many crime shows and thus knows that you can’t leave bodies lying around… intact, at least. So, in a true cynical chemist fashion, he disintegrates the corpses of his victims by bathing them in a bubbling broth of hydrofluoric acid, yum.
Turning your enemies into a slushy stew of meat and bones is by far, the most macabre way of disposing of corpses in television. Even Jesse Pinkman had to learn the hard way to do it correctly; it also served as the point of no return for Walter White’s crime career.
POOL STANDOFF WITH HANK (NOT TOO BRIGHT)
Anyone who’s seen Breaking Bad from start to finish will know that Walter White is merely the mask; Heisenberg is the true person behind that harmless passive chemistry teacher/father persona. Walt has tried his best over the years to keep it inside but there are times when Heisenberg starts rearing out its ugly head, most notably when Walt entered remission and became frustrated.
This led to a destructive confrontation with Hank Schrader (his brother-in-law) at a pool party nonetheless. Walt, or should we say, Heisenberg, can be seen nearly losing all his composure and revealing his Mr. Hyde side. It was tense and unforgettable but not exactly smart on Walt’s part.
RICIN (GENIUS)
Ah yes, the “rice and beans” as Jesse Pinkman put it. It was Walt’s most subtle attempt to try and kill someone and only he could have come up with something so effective and stealthy in the history of TV fiction.
Unlike with Mercury Fulminate, the whole ricin plan was accurate; ricin was indeed that lethal, easy to obtain, and easy to make. In fact, it was even used many times as assassination attempts towards politicians, and a lot of these attempts took place in the US.
STORMING INTO TED BENEKE’S OFFICE (NOT TOO BRIGHT)
Despite putting up with his disappointing life, Walter White apparently still loves his family enough to care about a certain homewrecker named Ted Beneke. Granted, Beneke was mostly Skyler’s attempt at goading Walt into breaking up, but the effect was a lot less predictable than Skyler could have imagined.
Walt, like a typical furious husband, charged into the Beneke’s workplace and awkwardly tried to pick a fight with him. He murdered a plant pot in doing so. Both Saul Goodman and Mike Ehrmantraut had to intervene before Walt could enact on his impulses any further.
BLUE SKY (GENIUS)
Let’s not forget the most obvious reason why Walter White is a bonafide genius in his own respective field: the signature blue methamphetamine, also nicknamed “Blue Sky.” Not only was it a product of his perfectionism and craft, but it also was the best form of meth ever– at least that’s what Breaking Bad, implied.
It was interesting to see how Walt manages to keep coming up with the means to continue production even under intense pressure. Nevertheless, the purity and style of Walt/Heisenberg’s meth is pure Hollywood science and something real-life chemists have shaken their heads at. Even so, that didn’t prevent actual meth dealers from dyeing their meth blue and selling them at twice the price after “Blue Sky” took pop culture by storm.
SHOOTING MIKE EHRMANTRAUT (NOT TOO BRIGHT)
Mike Ehrmantraut, television’s favorite underworld fixer, is a fan favorite and probably even deserves his own series. Sadly, Walter White doesn’t think so; he abruptly and recklessly shot and killed Mike based on a mere distrust that he will keep quiet regarding Walt’s drug empire.
In Walt’s defense, he simply couldn’t take chances, but any Breaking Bad viewer will know that good old uncle Mike is the last person who will snitch on someone or try to take on Walt without any gain. Walt really should have known better than to backstab Mike.
OUTSMARTING GUS FRING (GENIUS)
Heisenberg’s international drug empire still somewhat fails in comparison to some of his earlier achievements. After all, Walt’s creations could never have turned into something profitable without Gus Fring. It was Gus’ already established drug empire that secured a place for Walter White’s reign.
That’s why outsmarting the meticulous and cautious Gustavo is Walter White at his peak. Who would have thought that a chemistry teacher could dethrone a drug lord? It did require someone willing to do the dirty work and luckily, Jesse Pinkman and Hector Salamanca fit the bill
DEAL WITH JACK WELKER (NOT TOO BRIGHT)
In a last-ditch effort to save Hank Schrader from a bullet to the head, Walter White revealed the location of his most prized possession to Jack Welker, the leader of the neo-fascist group Walt worked with. It was a deal with the devil, to say the least, and cost Walt his brother-in-law and most of his drug empire profits.
To be fair, Walt still did care for Hank, but showing all his cards to Welker when he isn’t really in a position to bargain is just poor thinking on Walter’s part. Come to think of it, working with people like Jack Welker was a mistake in the first place, at least Gus Fring’s people were more professional and most of them never cheated anyone. In any case, such a scene worked well to show Walt’s humanity, at least what’s left of it.
