Just heard Vincent Gilligan say that they battled back and forth for a long time as to if they were going to kill off Mike in episode 7 or 8 and kept changing plans last minute and the way he summed it up was (something SORT of along the lines of this) "You always want to save your biggest dramatic moments for last or very end of the season and Jonathan (Mike) being killed... we just wasn't sure to put it in 5x7 or 5x8 because that WAS our biggest dramatic moment until we came up with what happens in Gliding Over All" =-0 Also, for those wondering, Vince and the writer/director of the last episode confirmed that Walt did NOT take Mike's gun with intentions of killing him rather than a safety measure in case Mike suddenly felt he had to take Walt out. The shooting was merely a fit of rage and result from the straw that broke the Walts back by never getting Mike's respect despite everything Walt had done (in that episode especially). Walt's biggest drug is his pride and demand for respect, even if neither is deserved.
that's kind of a flaw for me, mike was so meticulous. how in the hell does a pride-high newb walter get the jump on a pro like mike?
Well look at Mike's situation. He was in a rut he's never been in. The game was over for him. The DEA had him figured out and was zeroing in and he was a trip away from disappearing. On top of that - he's human. We saw this side of Mike first show its face when he was pained with the option of getting caught with his grand daughter or jetting and leaving her at the park. No one on Earth is going to be in their right calm-cold-calculated mindset. On top of that, why would Mike think Walt of all people would blast him?? Mike doesn't know the details of what Walt is capable of committing in close range now a days besides us and Jesse. They were partners on that last run.. partners on rocky grounds but partners none-the-less. The thought of Walt shooting him wasn't present, I'm positive. We wouldn't have even thought it if we didn't see the scene of Walt opening the bag right before meeting him, either.
Anyone else notice them use a overhead corner camera shot for a few seconds during the scene where Walt is talking to Hank after removing the bug? Could he have been recorded on the surveillance tape?
Same thing with Gus Fring. He was way, way more careful than Walt. He took out an entire group at the party, key members of the cartel, and he gets killed at the hands of...Walt? I really think Walt is set up to be this type of person who, despite being a bumbler, causes otherwise cautious men to drop their guard.
Exactly- thank you! Why some can't see that, I have no idea. It's like they're plagued with Hamlet's indecision, and it comes back to haunt them.
I had no problem with Mike's fumble at the end, because really the show has been setting up his increased carelessness for a while. He was the man who gave the speech on 'half measures', but as Fring's empire fell apart he was continuously guilty of doing just that. He was on his way out/decline and getting sloppy. Not killing Lydia, leaving Walt cuffed with one hand free, etc. I think Walt getting to him in the end was just an extension of that.
As cautious as Gus is, I dont think he couldve foreseen a wheelchair bomb coming at him...it was a great plan by Walt. And if you guys remember, Gus` desire for revenge against Hector and his clan was his biggest weakness.
Mike blamed Walt for ruining the great set-up everyone was enjoying under Gus but in reality it was Jesse that caused the face-off. They were all playing nice until Jesse tried to murder two of Gustavo's guys (for Combo & the kid who murdered him). Walt stepped in for Jesse...the end result was that Gale had to go, which led to Walt's days being numbered as a member of Gustavo's organisation.
That's what I thought- yes, Walt is the lynchpin- but there's a lot of blame to go around. Todd shooting the kid. Mike certainly killed a few. Jesse shooting Gale. Skylar having Saul send his goons to Ted's- and then what happened with that. Hank's assaults. Marie's thievery. But Walt is the one who changed the most. And dammit, that first 2 minutes of Live Free or Die is driving me crazy!!
I agree. It's like Omar in The Wire. There is no way you could get the fix on him. So, his death had to take that in consideration; hence, an unsuspecting, gutsy 10-yr offs him in a convenience store while Omar pays no attention to him...and even while he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Jason Bourne had amnesia and didn't even know who is was and that he was a trained assassin, and he maintained an high-alert mindset at all times. Mike calculates escape and protection plans in his sleep. It is second nature and sheer habit to him. It's like saying a 20-yr vet Navy Seal forgot to check his back, or an assassin like Borne doesn't scan his surroundings out of pure habit. I think it's a flaw in the writing, too.
