The beginning of episode 3 of AMC’s Breaking Bad was not for those with weak stomachs; the episode opens up with Walter and Jesse cleaning up the acidic remains of Emilio that melted through the pipes. In a very ironic flashback, however, the audience sees a young Walter White trying to figure out the percentages of the different elements in the human body. Walter, who once tried to figure out what made up the human body, was now scooping up melted flesh and bones of a body he destroyed. Later, Jesse gets on Walter’s case about not killing Krazy 8. Walter goes down the basement to where they are keeping Krazy 8 captive, with a bike chain around his neck holding him to a pipe. Krazy 8 complains to Walter that being chained to a wall is degrading and in a show of his good side, Walter apologizes. Krazy 8 then starts to get inside Walter’s head to make Walter trust him so he can be set free. At the same time, Hank’s wife believes that Skyler “inferred” that Walter JR. is smoking pot so she asks Hank to use some of his DEA scare tactics to scare Walter JR into stop smoking pot. The irony in the situation, however, is that Walter JR’s father is the one involved with drugs. Skyler also finds out that Walter has been lying to her about staying so late at the car wash everyday. In a quiet rage, Skyler tells Walter not to come home that night. While Walter is at his most vulnerable, Krazy 8 continues to cast his net around Walter. The two drink beer together. Krazy 8 reveals that his real name is Domingo and Walter shares that he has lung cancer; Domingo is the first person to know about Walter’s lung cancer besides Walter himself. A very important but small action in that scene is that Walter physically hands Domingo a beer. Up until now, Walter always stood at a distance and rolled things to Domingo. This is symbolic of Walter’s growing trust in Domingo.
As the episode starts to draw to a close, Walter seriously considers letting Domingo go until he realizes that a piece from the plate he broke when giving Domingo his sandwich is missing. Walter confronts Domingo about this and Domingo started to swing the chard of ceramic at Walter. In retaliation, Walter pulls back on the bike chain and strangles Domingo. When Domingo’s dead body slides to the ground, Walter began to cry and apologize to Domingo’s dead body profusely. The episode ends with Hank and the DEA examining the patch of desert where Walter and Jesse first got tangled up with Emilio and Domingo. The officers are surveying the burnt desert when a mother comes up to an officer with her son bearing a gas mask her child found in the desert.
Upon further thinking after the episode, the internal between good and evil inside Walter is still prevalent. Walter’s good side shines through when he makes a list of reasons why he should not kill Domingo and number one of the list was “It is the moral thing to do”. Good also prevails when making Domingo’s sandwich, Walter cuts off the crusts. Walter’s cannot escape the human compassion he has for Domingo. However, his bad side wins out when Walter kills Domingo. In another irony in this third episdoe was Krazy 8’s real name, Domingo. Domingo, in Spanish, means Sunday. Sunday is typically the day of the Lord or our Savior. Domingo makes promises to Walter that he will not kill Walter’s family and he will write Walter a check to leave for his family when he dies of cancer. Domingo offered, even if it was not true, to save Walter.
Molly,
Great post this week! I really liked how you included more of your thoughts and opinions in the second half of the post in addition to summarizing what happened in the episode itself. The struggle between good and evil in Walter’s consciousness is very interesting to me, as it is something that we all really do deal with, albeit on a much smaller scale, in our own lives.
Another thing that I find interesting about this post is that you highlighted the fact that Walter actually handed Krazy 8 a beer, rather than rolling it to him. This is a detail that probably not many people would pick up on, so I commend you for that! I cannot imagine how detailed the production of this show was for the producers to include such a seemingly small, but important, detail.
I look forward to seeing what happens in the next episode, specifically with Walter’s relationship to his wife and son! Great post!
–Elissa Hill
Molly,
I really need to start watching this show. You always do a great job of summing up the plot in detail, but not too much detail. I liked how you got more into the good vs. evil debate in this post. I think this was definitely the point of no return for Walter when he killed Domingo. I also find it ironic that Domingo means Sunday in Spanish. I’ll bet you weren’t expecting your Spanish skills to come in handy with this little piece of information in the episode. I find it interesting that you mentioned Walter cutting of the crust of a sandwich. This is often something a parent would do for a child and I find it fascinating that he does it for someone who he has tied by his neck to a pipe in his basement. This small act of kindness as well as the sharing of beer leaves me to believe that this war between good and evil in Walter is not quite over. Obviously it’s tipping in the evil direction due to the strangling of Domingo, but the remorse he feels after leaves me with some hope for him in the future of the show. As always I love reading this, and I look forward to the next episode!
-Rachel Finley
Mary,
I really enjoyed reading this specific blog post because even though it has been a really long time since I saw any of the Breaking Bad episodes, I remembered a lot of the scenes you covered here. I think the reason these stuck out to me is exactly what you referenced; this is the tipping point in Walter’s character transitioning between good and evil. I though it was really interesting how you pointed out the variance between his compassion and his absolute brutality in murdering Domingo. Who would have thought that the same person who took the time to cut the crust off his bread would be the one who ultimately strangled him?
Another point you brought up that was really intriguing to me was the fact that Domingo means Sunday in Spanish. That is such a small detail that which is easily overlooked, but I think the fact that the author’s chose that name was not unintentional at all. I really like how you point out small details about the plot which would typically go unnoticed. It definitely adds a deeper level of contextual analysis to the blog posting which is crucial to facilitating discussion.
I’d be interested in knowing, what do you think the exact moment was when Walter’s personality made the final shift from good to evil? Can you pinpoint an exact scene, or do you think his character continues to sway on a continuum throughout the whole series? I’m still not sure exactly what my answer would be…but I’m confident your analysis of Breaking Bad will guide me to a final decision!
I look forward to reading your next blog! 🙂
Katie