Breaking Bad: Walter White vs. Hank Schrader

 Breaking Bad is one of the finest works of art and entertainment of the 21st century. The series have been unforgettable for its cinematography, story and of course, characters. 

 Related to the characters and actings, many fans have this segregation with the two leading characters: Walter and Hank. Too much happened between them throughout Breaking Bad. Within this time many of us had changed opinions about 'what-to-think' or 'who-to-root-on'. 

 (SPOILER ALERT)

 In order to analyse this conflict and thus to make a rational decision about who to support (or to remain neutral) let's remember what kind of guys Walter and Hank were in the beginning and how was the relationship between them. 

Walter White, as a chemistry teacher

In the beginning, Walter White was a high school chemistry teacher with a very modest life and style. He was an easy man without much ambition, smart in his area yet he was always the one people looked down on. The ones that who 
Walter graduated with were now successful moneymakers with their names on golden plates, like Elliott and Gretchen Schwartz, the owners of Gray Matter Technologies company. It was Walter White's researches behind the success of the company, mainly his intelligence. However, Walter left the company for personal reasons when the company was in its trivial days, however in further period it became $2.16 billion worth. 

 So what this fact underlines about our topic? First, Walter chooses personal reasons (character) over money or fame. His ambition for success do not let him do something contradictory to his character. While this can imply a strong character, it also shows us Walter is not capable of handling professionalism and what it requires, which does not allow him to become a 'successful', 'strong' figure in his environment. Rather he is a good obedient geek with manners. 

In front of Junior (left), Walter (mid-right) gets mocked by Hank (mid-left)

 Another essential point about where Walter White was at in his early days: He was the 'geek' part of his family, where Hank Schrader was the 'blue-eyed boy', meaning he was the favoured by the family (The Family: Walter, Skyler, Junior, Marie and Hank). Compared to Hank, Walter was the weak link. While Walter was more concerned about moral issues, to do things right and teach Junior this way, Hank was the man who encouraged Junior to be interested in 'man kind of things', masculinity. And this distinction between the positions of two men was not regarded as a problem by neither Skyler nor Marie. 

 TV Series always should be considered by remembering how they begin. While watching Breaking Bad, especially the last two seasons, one can simply forget about how it started. But it is important to remember Walter's conditions in the first seasons. He was a man who was almost bullied by his brother-in-law Hank, the tough cop who had been to hard duties, who busted up badass criminals on the streets. While Hank was the man Junior and the family looked up to, Walter was the guy whose presence didn't mean so much at all, even for his own wife Skyler or his son, Junior. 

Hank Schrader

 Hank on the other hand, was the man. He knew how to use pistol, how to handle tough situations. They were Hank's stories the family listened to during their bbq parties. Early on, Hank usually seemed like trying to help Walter in order to 'man him up'. But this efforts were more helped Hank to boast around the silverback as Walter was not even the beta of the pack.  

Then came Walter's cancer. The whole family supported him spiritually. Even still, Walter's position didn't change. For the upcoming child, Walter started working in car washer and treated harshly. For this time we watched Walter as a struggling little fly on the spider's web and Hank as the dominant male of the wolf pack. 

W.W. a.k.a. Heisenberg

 Later on, Walter started cooking meth. After his attempt of running a technology & research company, it was the second time Walter did something he was good at and he could become a legend. And he did. He became 'Heisenberg' with his blue meth all on the streets, demanded by the gourmand junkies and frightening drug kingpins. Throwing a bone to Hank as he was a DEA agent, Walter gone beyond being a cook and involved in power struggle within meth suppliers of the gangland. While his life was under huge danger each time; adrenaline, pleasure, enthusiasm or dopamine that life of crime gave him the spirit to beat his cancer. Now Walter was improving: physically and mentally. 

Walter (left) versus Gus (right)

 Not only cooking meth, Walter was organising meth trade on the streets by trying to recruit his own small gang via Jesse, later struggling with Tuco and Gus. So his new life as 'Heisenberg' was the area where Walter could apply his wisdom, intelligence, character and influence to. For the first time in his life maybe, Walter was the key guy, the important one, the unique. His meth was the best, so he was the best cook for any gang or cartel to have. And later on, he led Mike, Jesse, Saul and some other enforcers & associates and ran his own business. Walter faced death many times and overcame it. He dealt with the 'baddest' gangsters as Tuco Salamanca, but each time he won someway. 

Walter (left), Junior (middle) and Hank (right)

 Now think about it, 'the geek' became 'the man', he manned up as Hank (quasi) demanded from him. Meanwhile, Hank's development followed a similar path, as he faced Cartel twins and dealt with more dangerous situations as fighting Tuco Salamanca. Hank got more serious about his job and understood what it's like to face death. We can say Hank's boasting attitude might got more tranquil than it was before.

 Straight to the point: the secrets had revealed and the two men came to face-to-face. We all remember how pissed off Hank was when he found out Walter was Heisenberg and he physically faced with Walter after knowing the fact. Since then, Hank focused on nothing more than destroying Walter, no matter what it takes or no matter how it would affect Junior or Skyler. His main motivation throughout the time was to bring Walter down. 

Hank finds out Walter is Heisenberg

On the other hand, Walter always tried to keep Hank alive and to avoid him die. Even after Hank found out he was Heisenberg and started working on his destruction, Walter tried to maintain the least danger for Hank. 

There is a big question to be asked right on this spot, what's behind Hank's anger for Walter? For Walter being Heisenberg? For Walter fooling him?

 My answer would be no. What Hank, Skyler or Marie couldn't take was the new Walter. The strong-willed, determined, powerful Walter who was way more than the 'geek' they were used to. Hank was not the man of the show anymore, for he was fooled by 'the new men of the show'. And this was not only valid for the family matters but widely, concerning Hank's business life and reputation. Heisenberg was a more powerful figure than Hank was ever in his lifetime. 

Hank (left) with Walter (right)

 This is what Hank couldn't take. Might the reason for his fury includes he was about to die because of the incidents ignited by Heisenberg, but his rage was to the evolution of Walter, from the geek to the criminal mastermind, for Heisenberg was an image Hank was never a match to. 

In short, Hank was outsmarted by the man he always despised, the man Hank looked at and said 'thank God I'm not weak like him'. 

 Similar fact goes for Skyler. Yes her protective attitude was something proper for motherhood. But what pissed Skyler off was a husband that she could not control or manipulate unlike her 'good old chemistry teacher' husband. 

Nobody could stand the idea of a Walter with his own agenda. 

Walter smoking weed

 For the last seasons, we watched a man who pushed to the limits of his potential and became a great figure. We also watched some people watching this man going stronger every day and growing envy towards him. Now the man was not in the position these 'upset' people supposed him to be in, Walter was not the man anymore Hank or Skyler wanted him to be. He was 'out of control', 'out of affect'. 

The family meeting after Hank & Marie found out Walter was Heisenberg

 For Hank's part, the guy he always used for boasting around turning into a criminal genius was not an acceptable fact. Hank's self-esteem deeply shook, his trust for his own intelligence probably vanished and this shock showed itself as pure anger for Walter. After that, it was all about revenge, which Hank couldn't get. 

Boasting Hank (left), mocking Walter (right) 

Of course those do not mean Walter was all O.K. Rather, he turned into a monster whose drive got dangerous for his surroundings. Destroying Gus to takeover his organisation or killing Mike showed Walter lost his rational decision-making ability and decided to follow the path of his pure ambition. The more significant mistake: Walter didn't stop after getting rid of Gus and the other troubles. Not the Cartel was gone, Gus was gone, the police was off his neck. Yet none of them retained Walter from producing and earning more than he could launder. And soon, his earnings became his abyss in which he got sinked more and more as the time went by. 

Walter (left) vs Hank (right)

Back in our question, so 'Who to root on?' I cannot answer this question directly, but those who hate Walter for blaming him about Hank's death are not so correct I think. Hank followed a path very similar to Walter's. Both men loved what they did and didn't care about deadly risks. Walter found himself in meth business, for the first time in his life maybe, he did something for himself and himself only, which put forth fruit and turned Walter into a legend. Same is valid for Hank. He got promoted, reputed and was about to catch Heisenberg, the street legend. In order to accomplish this final goal, Hank (knowing it) took the risk and pursued Walter (even Walter warned him).

And both men died following their own enthusiasms. Hank believed his DEA work was for the good of society, Walter believed the meth business was for money and his family's well being. But indeed they both followed their enthusiasms and gave their lives accordingly. 


Deniz Taylan Sağır

15.05.2016