CliqueClackBreaking Bad – It’s now all a matter of Gray Matter
As ‘Breaking Bad’ leads to its final episode, one glaring piece of the past needs wrapping up, and it will all lead to Walt’s final actions and how his family might still live (somewhat) happily ever after, or at least not poor.
This is it. This is the last time we can say we’re looking forward to the “next” episode of Breaking Bad. Next Sunday, it all ends. So, you’re wondering: how is it all going to end? That I don’t know; I’m betting there are really not many who do know, especially outside the show’s actors, production crew and staff. With the incredibly tight writing this season, though, you can certainly make some decent guesses for some of it.
For me, I say the majority of the final episode comes down to Gray Matter Technologies, the company Walt help found many years ago. It’s certainly not a stretch: the final scene of the second-to-final episode (“Granite State”) included Walt watching his old colleagues — Elliott and Gretchen Schwartz — denouncing Walter’s contribution to their company. If you listen to that television interview closely, though, you’ll note two things that could have caused Walt to react the way he did.
Firstly, Charlie Rose — the interviewer — let it be known that the Heisenberg-famous blue meth was back on the streets and even back in parts of Europe. This told Walt a couple of key things: Todd and his Nazi “family” were using Jesse to cook HIS blue meth recipe, and Lydia — of Madrigal — is actively working with them to distribute overseas.
The second thing that would clearly ruffle Walt is Elliott and Gretchen downplaying Walt’s prior involvement with Gray Matter, other than being the “white” part of the “gray.” Go back and watch a few episodes from the first two seasons, in particular “…and the Bag’s in the River,” “Gray Matter,” and “Peekaboo.” There you can see some flashbacks to those early days of Walt with Gretchen, and also how Walt feels about his being “cheated” out of a large share of the company he helped found. Walt’s version of the story makes his departure from Gray Matter seem as though he was forced to do it, while Gretchen says he abandoned them. So who’s right?
Let’s start with the blue meth part of the story. You’ll recall in past episodes that Walter is very adamant that the blue meth recipe is his and his alone, and that a Jesse version of it would be inferior. Now that Jesse’s version is circulating — and under the Heisenberg name — that’s clearly going to piss Walt off. This would flow in well with why Walt purchased an M-60, in the flash-forward scene from the beginning of this season: he’s going to take out the Nazis. This would clearly be the easy guess, but it’d also be pretty surprising that he’d be able to take on the well-armed thugs himself. Plus, he’d have to find them, and without Saul’s help.
This leads us to Lydia, Walt’s only clear connection to finding Todd and the others. It also explains what Walt will do with the ricin he retrieved from his broken-down home: right into Lydia’s stevia. Note that, in the last episode, it was no mistake that we saw Lydia once again ordering her usual tea from the diner and then asking for “more stevia.” This was no small detail: it is where Walt will plant the ricin. The question is, is Walt just killing her outright out of spite/revenge? Or could it be that he’s going to bait her into something else, i.e. “you’re going to die from the poison I just gave you unless you do as I say.” More on that later.
10 Comments on “Breaking Bad – It’s now all a matter of Gray Matter”
I agree with your comments. Here are my thoughts on finale. Jesse will do one last cook. We saw Jesse taking out a cigarette in the ole RV when first starting to “cook”. Walt comment, “What are you stupid do not light that in here”..Jesse in return sates “I am not stupid Yo”…I believe Told will force Jesse into anther cook. While cooking the Todd Clan will be in the compound along with Walt’s millions in the background. Jesse will kill two birds with one stone. Jessie will blow himself up along with Todd’s gang and Walt’s barrels of money.
As for Lydia…She is about to get some Ricin in her drink. They clearly showed her drinking another Java while meeting Todd. Walt is upset she continues to sell his product. She must be dealt with.
As for Grey Matter…Walt is furious. He was cut out/left behind in this business adventure. They stole his ideas thus making Millions. Heisenberg would never allow this. I see Walt going in with the machine gun devastating the place killing the Husband and Wife team of Grey Matter.
As for Walt still up in the air on this one. Cancer is either going to get him or will die in the shoot out. Who knows maybe Walt Jr is the Love Child between him and Grey Matter chick.
If everything comes to an end what will happen to Maria, Skyler, Walt Jr and Baby? We know if will be without Walt. Walt still has the winning Lotto numbers correct?? Maybe those will hit a jackpot leaving Skyler and Family legit money. Or just maybe Walt Jr is that Love Child. When Walt kills the Mother and Husband Billions from Grey Matter left to Walt Jr???? Hmmmm
I like your idea with Jesse and the lottery numbers — I’d forgotten I wanted to mention that! That is sorta a loose end, but then again I feel like it wouldn’t be a suitable thing for a show that’s been so tight. I also imagine the numbers have been chosen by now — it’s been months. It’s *possible* they just never checked into it, but that just seems too convenient.
As for Walt shooting up Gray Matter, I don’t think that’s really something we want to see him resort to. The Gray Matter folks have done nothing so far for us to want to see them dead. We’re talking Walt’s word that they screwed him, and they sure seemed to sincerely want to help him when they learned of his cancer. Him laying waste to them would truly cause us to hate Walter, and I’m not convinced Gilligan wants that.
Good points. I do like the idea of Walt funneling money through Grey Matter. However, In the last episode Walt appeared so violently angry with them. I feel he wants revenge for his ideas. Its as if Walt seeing Grey Matter using his formula as Todd/Lydia continue to use the Meth recipe. I think Walt to prideful to let them off. We see him slam the door when Grey Corp offers him a job and becomes angry at Skyler when he suspects them paying for his treatment. As Grey Corp commented Walt is already dead and Hindenburg LIVES.
Yet another scenario I considered was Walt using the AK to gun down Todd’s gang. However, Walt is all alone and a AK machine gun is huge. Not sure Walt is that handy with a gun.
At this point we have seen Jesse beaten, tortured and mentally anguished with the death of Brock’s mother. I don’t see Jesse escaping. In fact most viewers would like to see Jesse have revenge on Todds gang. Blowing himself up along with Todds gang would be a quick solve. Who knows maybe Walt will be in the Lab as well since Walt always concerned Jesse was going to blow things up.
So many sceneries..
Two things are pretty certain, to me: Walt will not save Jesse, and Jesse will die in the end. Jesse’s too broken to have a life he can live. Walt has already written Jesse off completely, going so far as to give the nod to the Nazis to shoot him in the head. Walt has no reason to save Jesse, and Jesse — at this point — is beyond being saved from anything anyway.
Agreed!! He is WAY beyond saving. The pure emotion displayed last episode in the car suggest he has no will to carry on. Its sad, because I loved Jesse’s character and hate to see him suffer so much. He has truly lost everything. Would have like to see him catch a break.
Walt has destroyed sooooo many lives it will be interesting to see what takes place.
Americone Dream ice cream that Todd gives Jesse also fits with the Fourth of July theme.
Agreed that it’s now all a matter of Gray Matter. But, why does Walt need to threaten Gray Matter or otherwise having them distribute the money to his family? Recall that Charlie Rose referred to “shoring up stock price”. With the $80 million plus Uncle Jack’s cash stash for the ongoing meth sales, Walt and his ego/pride can probably purchase majority ownership of Gray Matter. He could then either leave the shares to family (perhaps just to Holly) or simply die happy that he owns the company at the root of his troubles. As to the unlikelihood “Walter White” would ever get approved so as to purchase stock of Gray Matter, perhaps “Mr. Lambert” could! After all, doesn’t Saul’s form of witness protection include not just an ID but also a Social Security # and a life story?
Regarding the ricin, I don’t see why Lydia needs to be killed and moreover, what is morally stopping Walt from using a gun on her? I think its rather for suicide. Walt won’t last very long on the run especially in ABQ. Likewise, he also knows he probably has weeks to leave before succumbing to cancer, He’ll dodge authorities just long enough to kill the nazis, get the cash and purchase the stock. He’ll die satisfied, taking the ricin just as the police surround him. Perhaps a series- ending pan out to stock certificate in Gray Matter….in the name of “Lambert in trust for Holly White”.
I recently did some hair-brained theorizing about this… https://meaningofbreakingbad.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-path-i-take-1-facebook-buy-out.html
I disagree about the remaining barrel of money. Once again Walt “broke bad” and “left the reservation,” the risk in his mind was justified to “help” his family. When Jr reacted as he did, it pretty much crushed Walt. At that moment he decided to take Saul’s advice and turn himself in, hence the call to the Albuquerque DEA office. Also by making that rash decision he effectively decided to give up the remaining money he has with him and the money in the barrel. Whatever epiphany he had watching the Charlie Rose interview with Elliott and Gretchen caused him to change his mind. However as we see the police raid the bar, his glass of alcohol is still on the bar. To me that means he only had a few minutes to high tail it out of there before they got there. I don’t think he can risk going back to the cabin to retrieve the barrel without getting cornered there. So that means he now only has a little over $100,000 left out of his $80,000,000 fortune. Being that we are witnessing his rapid descent into his own personal hell, I don’t think Walt is going to “pull a rabbit out of his hat” to help his family and redeem himself. I think he will die a penniless, sad and lonely man!
I don’t think we can necessarily assume Walt lost that barrel of money — the authorities went to that town to find Walt, not to his cabin that’s miles away and isolated. I’m not sure how they’d find him all that quickly.