What’s worse: Doing something bad, or not stopping something bad? Actively murdering someone, or not doing anything to prevent someone else’s death? On BB, the strange answer seems to be that the lack of action is the more reprehensible choice.
But his death is almost more tragic for his killer than for him - the image of little Tomás holding the gun is more overwhelming and heartbreaking than Combo face-down in the street.ĭies in: “Phoenix,” season two, episode twelve Still, a machete beheading gets our attention.ĭies in: “Mandala,” season two, episode elevenĭrug-dealer Combo reappears in flashbacks in season three, and we learn that he was sort of a fun guy, at least a fun enough one to give Jesse an RV. We’d already seen the informant’s severed head on top of a tortoise, so it was a pretty safe bet that something bad had befallen Tortuga himself. Jesse and Walt - and the show’s story lines in general - are pretty far removed from day-to-day meth heads and the squalor and sadness meth addiction can bring.ĭies in: “I.F.T.,” season three, episode three We’ve all seen enough shows and movies to know that tweaky drug traffickers will probably die, so Tuco’s end didn’t even come as much of a surprise.ĭies in: “Peekaboo,” season two, episode sixĭecrepit, child-abandoning Spooge gets his head crushed under a stolen ATM, and as much as it plays like a borderline farce, the rest of the episode is incredibly sad. BB has invested more in its characters as the show’s gone on, and early introductions, like Tuco, didn’t have quite the emotional depth as, say, Mike. The earlier a character on the show died, the more likely it is that their death wasn’t sad. No-Doze is just the first of many characters on the show to be killed by his boss (this time, Tuco), but poor Gonzo dies as the “world’s dumbest criminal” by Hank’s estimation, after injuring himself while trying to bury his friend.ĭies in: “Grilled,” season two, episode two Heartbreak level: Low and slightly higher, respectively. That happens to Walt, and to a greater extent to the audience, as Krazy-8 sits in the basement, helpless, pathetic, describing himself as a family man, and rejecting sandwich crusts.ĭies in: “A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal,” season one, episode seven, and “Seven Thirty-Seven,” season two, episode one
The opposite of Stockholm Syndrome is sometimes called Lima Syndrome, when captors develop sympathy for their victims. He has a frightening natural affinity for those dangerous, deadly choices, and he makes them with a detached calm.ĭies in: ” … and the Bag’s in the River,” season one, episode three (Later, Walt and Jesse destroy the body with acid.) Emilio’s death is our first sign that Walt isn’t just making a few dangerous choices under duress.
Emillio was Jesse’s original drug buddy, and he became the first victim of poisoning on the series when Walt gassed him and Krazy-8 in the RV. Heartbreak level: Zero? Are we horrible if we say zero?Įmilio’s death isn’t there for us to mourn over Emilio, it’s there for us to learn just how serious Walt is about making meth. Let’s look back through all the deaths so far on this show and consider how heartbreaking they are. Death and misery go hand-in-hand on the show, but less so death and traditional sadness.Įxcept for every once in a while, when Breaking Bad goes full-on weepy, and suddenly all the other ambient pain on the show becomes focused into a single moment. (It’s a lot!) Most of the deaths, though, aren’t played up for sadness’s sake they’re there so other characters can feel fear or feel empowered. It is not, however, a show about grief - which is surprising given just how many characters on the show die. It’s a show about greed and fear and power.
And masculinity, and the American Dream, and the horrors of aging, and the uselessness of the war on drugs.