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From what I gather, their source doesn't allow for the purity Walt gets from the methylamine. They weren't necessarily interested in achieving that though, they just wanted that much source agent that Heisenberg could use to be off the street. That's what held up Mike's original deal with them when they wanted all of it.
They get a purer product and can cut it from there. Makes perfect sense to me.
I was thinking that yesterday. Maybe a threesome with Saul and the former car wash owner.
YOU GOT FAT ROLLS, YO!
Yo Mrs. White - lay of the carbs, b*tch! You gots more rolls than Pillsbury.
What they put on the street is inevitably cut with something else by dealers, at least a couple of times, to increase their own profits. The more pure it is, the more times you can cut it (without sacrificing as much quality), and the more you have on the street. And thus the more Heisenberg (or whomever) can charge for it.I imagine the market for "high-end" methamphetamine is rather small.
I was thinking that as well, after the two seemed to share a moment of empathy at the car wash. Would not be shocked at all if they end up knocking teh boots
People step on meth? How do you do that?
You read that as a moment of empathy? I read it as she's disgusted by him.
I know nothing about meth but aren't Walt and Jesse making just a bunch of crystals? Can you "cut" something that comes in crystal form? I know they cut powder drugs (coke, heroin) with milk sugar or baby laxative or whatever.
I think she recognizes someone else who is trapped
A family member of mine used to be in the meth business. Incidentally, his partner (who ended up successfully skipping the country and disappearing, my family member did a bit of time, but not much) was a Chem major from MIT. As such, they were able to put a superior product on the market. Maybe not 99.1%, but much better than what else was out there. We actually talked about this a few weeks ago, and he laughed hysterically in re: to the degree that meth gets cut. So it happens, but I'm not sure about the exact chemical process. Maybe on BB, it's crushed down and sold as powder by the time it gets to the street?
I believe this is the case.
seems like you just go to your local candy store and buy some blue rock candy
But Hank and the DEA people are always talking about the blue meth being back on the street. I guess they can dye whatever they are cutting to match Walt's crystals though?
With sarcasm?
I think it is both, with the second point being a result of the first. IIRC from earlier BB episodes when Walt started cooking he was insistent on certain products that Jesse, who cooked traditionally, didn't even know about and was genuinely appalled at how crappy the science of it was. Regardless, while it's obvious he can't protect his intellectual property and others can figure out his ingredients, he's still the best at thinking on his feet with it and keeping it churning at such high yield. However, it does seem clear too that people with a half-decent brain and training (as we have seen with Gale and the underrated intelligence of Jesse) can essentially duplicate what Walt does in a good lab with a supply of the right ingredients. So I think it is fair to say Walt is expendable and, perhaps if Jesse was open to cooking, would have been potentially killed by the Phoenix guys.
The impression I got is that they don't cut the meth and that they rely on the quality of the blue meth to justify the price-spike and an increased profit margin (or that somehow in the old style of cooking some methalymine was wasted?). I could see it, as generally drug addicts are going for the biggest high. Generally, a decent "teener" (enough to get high for a day or two) goes for 20 bucks on the street. If they could sell the blue stuff for 30, I think enough addicts would buy it. The counter to this though is that most often addicts are not wise purchasers (they NEVER buy in bulk because they just care about their next high when the price drops rapidly for the higher the quantity) so a 50% mark-up may not be realistic. That said, the crappier the meth the more often people have to buy/more they have to smoke so this blue stuff could be a godsend to addicts.
Which makes it really curious that he would point out to the Phoenix guys that Jesse can cook the product too. Maybe he's trying to assure them that there's a fallback if something happens to him, and I know he is trying to pump Jesse's ego in hopes of keeping him in the fold, but that probably wasn't the forum in which to do it. Walt's trump card is that he is the one guy who can make that pure of a product.
I absolutely loved the, "Walt, shut the #### up and let me die in peace" line. I didn't want Mike to go, but if he had to the way they did it was awesome. Also, was it clear to you guys that his granddaughter's 5 million was confiscated?
This was my take. I think Walt is at the point where he will become overly frustrated at any wrinkle in his plan to become the God of meth and do drastic things. I also got the odd impression from the last scene that Walt respected Mike because Mike was so good at his "job."
Agreed. I didn't think that was terribly wise, but understood it given that, in Walt's mind, Jesse is probably on the fence Walt and cooking in general and wanted to pimp Jesse's ego so he took a gamble.
It wasn't the whole $5M, but of course.
Walt said the Arizona guys were using the "P2P" method, whatever that means.But apparently for a chemist as talented as Walt, making his own methlymine shouldn't be that hard, so it's all Suspension of Disbelief about how the chemistry works. If the characters agree with what he's saying, we're supposed to, too.
My impression was that Walt killed him b/c:1. Mike didn't say "thank you" - this is what initially set him off2. Mike didn't give him any credit and basically said his ego ruined everything for everyoneNote that Walt had to go back into the car for the gun, he didn't have it in his pocket.
I'm probably just nitpicking way too much, but there's a good legal argument the cops couldn't search and/or confiscate those safe deposit boxes (based on what was present on the show - maybe they had uncovered other indicia we don't know about).
The Wire >>>>>>>>>>>> Breaking Bad
I'm not so sure of that. It was already full from the prior visit, so he wasn't loading it. They never saw him loading it and I'm not sure that it could be subject to a warrant just because he has a key. The box is unlikely to be in his name. But that's irrelevant, and we'll likely never know.
Easily. Two completely different leagues.
Yes, you are.Over and over again.
I think it's relevant to the whole "point" of the show. Money gone = going "bad guy" doesn't have its rewards and Mike ultimately failed at his goal.
I thought that was the point of this thread.
Pretty sure he only killed him once he had his tantrum. I'm sure the thought crossed his mind but I doubt he'd want to try taking Mike on in a physical confrontation. He's been too smart for that. Mike would have vanished to wherever had he not pissed off Walt.
There is no "point" of the show. And if there is one, it's that power + bruised ego = toxic.
I'm not sure shooting somebody when they're not necessarily expecting it is taking them on in a physical confrontation. Why did he take Mike's gun?
If Walt hadn't lost his cool, he would have been able to think that Lydia had the names as well. Although, the fact that Walt removed the gun and had it at the ready may tell us he intended on killing Mike all along.
You're not thinking like a drug dealer.
This generalization is incorrect, and I'm amazed that somebody could come to this conclusion.
Walt took the gun out of Mike's go bag for a reason. So he could have the option to use it.
We didn't see that for sure. I don't recall hearing any car door, he just walked out of frame for a few seconds and then stalked back in. I think he had it on him and instead of walking away, couldn't leave with his ego bruised. He also didn't have the holster for it either, which iirc, the gun dealer told him it was easier to hide the bulge of a gun without the holster. I see no reason why Walt would take the gun but not have it on him. He knows Mike has more than one. If I missed the sound of a car door, then I could be wrong. But the way it was shot it could have been done on purpose to make us wonder either way. I still think that odds are way in favor that he had the gun on him the hwole time.
Not necessarily to use it on Mike, though. Walt has precious few contacts in the criminal world. If he wants an unregistered gun, taking it out of Mike's bag might have been his best option. Although maybe Saul could have gotten him one. Or Todd? I don't know.
I agree that Walt had the gun on him when he first approached Mike.
we're not talking powder here
