Breaking Bad

[fredr123]

Hank knows Walt is Heisenberg, but there's probably zero chance he could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Heck, even if he arrested Walt in the garage, he probably doesn't have enough evidence to charge him with anything at this point. He'd be held for questioning and released. All the while, questions would be raised about Hank's level of knowledge, him bringing Walt to the station and along on surveillance operations, Hank's unwarranted use of the tracking devices, etc. Plus, who is going to believe the mild-mannered, cancer-stricken school teacher could be capable of such acts?

If evidence gets tossed because you didn't have a warrant, fruit of the poisoned tree, yada yada... I've watched enough arguments between Lenny Briscoe and Jack McCoy to know that you'll often only get one shot at these things.

If Hank got to Jesse or Skylar, maybe he could flip them. Even then, both are highly complicit in Walt's activities and could be unreliable and uncooperative witnesses. Who knows if Hank has even connected Jesse to Walt. It would take time to build a case and time is something Hank doesn't have.

[Flash Walken]

well, he knows Jesse and Walt are involved together. He said as much recounting to Walt that it wasn't Jesse who said Marie had been in an accident, Walt was the one who had his phone number and knew what button to press.

The conspiracy is starting to crumble. I would wager Hank's next move is talking to Skylar.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

The conspiracy is starting to crumble. I would wager Hank's next move is talking to Skylar.

Problem is that you can't bring down Walt without bringing down Skylar as well as she would end up doing time for being an accomplice as well as money laundering. Is Hank willing to completely destroy the entire family in his quest to close the book on this case?

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Is Hank willing to completely destroy the entire family in his quest to close the book on this case?

"#### Family"

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Problem is that you can't bring down Walt without bringing down Skylar as well as she would end up doing time for being an accomplice as well as money laundering. Is Hank willing to completely destroy the entire family in his quest to close the book on this case?

I think so.

She's a meth dealer. Hank is losing his mind trying to comprehend the two. If Walt is 50 shades of Grey, Hank is Spy Vs. Spy, 1 shade of White, 1 shade of Black.

I think what others are speculating is the significant obstacle here: he doesn't have a case to bring to anyone else yet. As an investigator, he knows Walt is Heisenberg, but for anyone else but Hank, it's going to be much tougher to prove.

Worse possible scenario he goes to someone half cocked without the ability to produce a case. Suffers career and personal embarrassment, ruins his family and fails to see justice done.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

"#### Family"

As far as Walt goes but what about his wife's sister? Given the circumstances that he's persuing a dying man Hank would be kind of a D-bag for destroying the lives of the family to get a man that will never live to see his punishment.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Rathji

The trip to Jesse would be enough to get Walt in serious trouble, considering Jesse's frame of mind, it wouldn't take much to flip him.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking happens. Jesse's not going to find relief in his giving away of his money, he probably feels more and more that he needs to fess up. Especially because of the situation of the kid. That's the kicker. It's not like it's case closed, like Gail. The kids parents still think he could be out there. I can think of nothing worse.

Hank comes over, tells him he knows about Walt, apologizes for the face beating, and Jesse starts singing.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

As far as Walt goes but what about his wife's sister? Given the circumstances that he's persuing a dying man Hank would be kind of a D-bag for destroying the lives of the family to get a man that will never live to see his punishment.

That was Hank's quote in the garage to Walt - I think he's got a one track mind. The job. Justice. Catch the bad guy. He's been relentless with his pursuit of Heisenberg - the realization that he was right beside him this whole time only makes him more determined. IMO.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Is Hank willing to completely destroy the entire family in his quest to close the book on this case?

Hank is flawed and evil in a way different from Walt, in that he believes his cause is the one of righteousness and that he alone is the arbiter of what is right and wrong. Like Walt, he is convinced that the ends justify the means.

He has already beaten up Jesse, and now he has assaulted Walt. He is disobeying direct orders to leave the Fring case alone, after getting in trouble before his promotion with similar disregard for authority. When others, such as Gomey or Marie, question his priorities, he doesn't consider their arguments but instead lashes out and reaffirms his obsessions. He bullies and he manipulates to get his way, always.

The telling moment for his character is when he is crippled after the attack by the cartel's assassins, where he externalizes his pain by projecting it onto Marie. I can't stand Marie, but you have to sympathize with even her when Hank is constantly belittling her efforts and rejecting her kindnesses, as when he complains that she bought the wrong kind of snacks and mocks her for stupidity. This is a man who craves power and control no less than Walt, and when he feels powerless he is unable to deal with dependence and his essentially petty nature is exposed.

It's become a power struggle between the two men, and I think Hank is the kind of man who would rather see both of them lose everything than let Walt "beat" him by getting away with it all. Hank wouldn't let go of the case when he didn't know it was Walt at the bottom of the conspiracy, so he's certainly not going to relinquish his obsession now that he realizes he's been made a fool of and cynically used by a man he still considers his physical, mental, and social inferior.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Worse possible scenario he goes to someone half cocked without the ability to produce a case. Suffers career and personal embarrassment, ruins his family and fails to see justice done.

Worst possible scenario is that Walt kills him.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Rathji

The trip to Jesse would be enough to get Walt in serious trouble, considering Jesse's frame of mind, it wouldn't take much to flip him.

Yes, that and Hank already knows Jesse and Walt are connected in some way. Would Jesse flip on Walt though? I wonder if Jesse in his current state of mind would just confess to everything out of guilt. He isn't the kind of guy to throw anybody else under the bus.

[Flash Walken]

Great post, Jammies.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Yes, that and Hank already knows Jesse and Walt are connected in some way. Would Jesse flip on Walt though? I wonder if Jesse in his current state of mind would just confess to everything out of guilt. He isn't the kind of guy to throw anybody else under the bus.

Yeah that's the only problem with my idea. I agree that Jesse wouldn't really want to snitch on Walt.

Although, it is pretty obvious that Jesse's opinion of Walt has been reduced dramatically. As I mentioned before, the whole incident with the kid seems to be the straw (cinder block) that broke the camels back.

[Tinordi]

We also don't know who put the bug on Walt's car yet.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

We also don't know who put the bug on Walt's car yet.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

The Chileans!

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

We also don't know who put the bug on Walt's car yet.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

Exactly. Hell for all we know it could be some version of Tapatalk bugging Walt.

[Huntingwhale]

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

well, he knows Jesse and Walt are involved together. He said as much recounting to Walt that it wasn't Jesse who said Marie had been in an accident, Walt was the one who had his phone number and knew what button to press.

The conspiracy is starting to crumble. I would wager Hank's next move is talking to Skylar.

I don't think we should be too quick to count on Skylar to roll over. She seems to enjoy being rich. Her story, if she sticks with it, is plausible. Hank's got nothing on her at the moment other than his suspicions and he won't get anything if she sticks to the script. We've seem how convincingly manipulative she's been in the past with Ted Beneke and the ruse with the inspectors to buy the car wash.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by jammies

Hank is flawed and evil in a way different from Walt, in that he believes his cause is the one of righteousness and that he alone is the arbiter of what is right and wrong. Like Walt, he is convinced that the ends justify the means.

He has already beaten up Jesse, and now he has assaulted Walt. He is disobeying direct orders to leave the Fring case alone, after getting in trouble before his promotion with similar disregard for authority. When others, such as Gomey or Marie, question his priorities, he doesn't consider their arguments but instead lashes out and reaffirms his obsessions. He bullies and he manipulates to get his way, always.

The telling moment for his character is when he is crippled after the attack by the cartel's assassins, where he externalizes his pain by projecting it onto Marie. I can't stand Marie, but you have to sympathize with even her when Hank is constantly belittling her efforts and rejecting her kindnesses, as when he complains that she bought the wrong kind of snacks and mocks her for stupidity. This is a man who craves power and control no less than Walt, and when he feels powerless he is unable to deal with dependence and his essentially petty nature is exposed.

It's become a power struggle between the two men, and I think Hank is the kind of man who would rather see both of them lose everything than let Walt "beat" him by getting away with it all. Hank wouldn't let go of the case when he didn't know it was Walt at the bottom of the conspiracy, so he's certainly not going to relinquish his obsession now that he realizes he's been made a fool of and cynically used by a man he still considers his physical, mental, and social inferior.

While I don't disagree with your assessment of people like this and law enforcement people like Hank, and to an extent Hank himself, I think it might be a little over the top for this character. Hank did feel bad about beating up Jesse. He even told Marie that he deserved to take his punishment and not fight it (even though he might be able to) because he was in the wrong. It's not how police should do things and it isn't how he should do things. Now he still did it, true enough, but a lot of people do a lot of dumb things in the heat of the moment. It's not like he beat up a routine traffic stop. He had the very real notion that a dangerous person had his home information.

I would agree that Hank is more law and order vs. morality, and it is sometimes a bad thing, definitely often annoying, but I think the assessment above is pretty over the top.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I would agree that Hank is more law and order vs. morality, and it is sometimes a bad thing, definitely often annoying, but I think the assessment above is pretty over the top.

I notice feeling remorseful over beating up Jesse didn't stop him from beating up Walt. That's the problem, he thinks he is a moral man, but he's not, which is why he's going to fall - if he had stayed away from all the ethically questionable things he did to move his case forward, he wouldn't be in half the dilemma he is now.

If Hank truly was "law and order", he would not constantly be breaking the rules to further his agenda. He is specifically asked, on more than one occasion, why he is neglecting the dozens of other drug cases in favour of this one particular one, and he has no good answer, so he just ignores the questions, and also ignores all the orders to desist. Why? Because Hank is about Hank, not about the law or putting away the villains or keeping the streets safe.

He puts on a good show of being a normal, moral person, but when he is stressed his true nature is apparent. That's why, when he figures out that Walt is Heisenberg, he crashes the car and then can't even look Walt in the eyes - it's not that Walt is a terrible human being who makes and sells drugs, it's that Walt has destroyed the illusion of the omnicompetent vigilante with a badge that Hank has built himself up to be in his mind.