Lauded as one of the best shows of all time, Breaking Bad stole hearts (and time) during its highly motivating run from 2008-2013. The series went on to amass multiple awards and was critically acclaimed for the acute representation of the American society of its time. Though the show was a runaway hit, that’s not to say that there haven’t been controversies surrounding the series either. And one of the most controversial things was the depiction of the lead character, Mr. Walter White. Though antiheroes haven’t been a new addition to television, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) set the bar quite high by his excellent portrayal of the doomed yet unapologetic character.
Walter began his arc as an underpaid chemistry teacher with stage three cancer. With nothing left to lose, he decided to leave financial security for his family after his time. This leads him down the dark path of drugs and cartels. Though Walter initially set out on this journey to gain some quick money, he’s wonderstruck how quickly he grew through the ranks and decides to milk the cow the best he can. This decision causes him to stray away from his intended path as he rubs shoulders with international drug kingpins and cold-hearted enforcers. And during this time, Walter’s greed makes him do some highly ambitious and debatable things; one of which is the poisoning of Andrea Cantillo’s son, Brock.
The Greater the Fall
As Walter strays from the light, his ambitions get boundless and his ways morally questionable. Though the viewers rooted for Walter at first and defended his decisions, some incidents make even the hardcore fans of the show question whether Walter is indeed the hero of this story. After Brock gets poisoned, Jesse confronts Walter with a gun, threatening to pull the trigger. Jesse is certain that Walter has poisoned Brock as a means of getting back at him, but Walter swears that he’d never hurt a child.
Though Jesse sees through the bluff, Walter manipulates Jesse into thinking that Gus is the one behind the poisoning and misdirects Jesse’s anger, furthering the rift between the two characters. The reason Walter poisoned Brock was to increase the chances of his survival. Remember, it’s the time after Gus had fired Walt, and Jesse was cooking for him. This made Walter both expendable and vulnerable. He felt like a sitting duck.
Moreover, poisoning Brock was the only way he could get Jesse back on his side. Before Brock was poisoned, Jesse refused to allow Gus to kill Walt, but that guarantee was too thin for proper protection. The only way Walter could live was to eliminate Gus and get Jesse back. Walt manipulated Jesse to think that Brock took the ricin, a heavy poison. But Walt managed to shift the blame to Gus, as he already had an incident of hurting kids. This reasoning, along with the fact that Gus wanted Walter dead, turned Jesse’s suspicion away from Walter and toward Gus.
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Who Actually Poisoned Brock?
The short answer? Walter White. Despite claiming innocence, Walter is the true mastermind behind the poisoning of young Brock in Breaking Bad. Though Jesse was right to suspect Walter, the means of the poisoning are not what he concluded. Walter never poisoned Brock using ricin. It was via the means of the poisonous plant, the Lily of the Valley.
In the season 4 finale, Walter is shown sitting by the pool near the poison plant Lily of the Valley, implying his connection to the poisoning. This horrific revelation led to a huge shift in the viewers’ mentality as they realized they had been rooting for the villain all along. So, though Walter “won” this battle, he certainly stooped to a new low which even he didn’t know was possible. And while Walter didn’t mean to hurt the boy personally or cause him lasting harm, he viewed Brock as an expendable whose existence didn’t matter to him in the long run. The season 04 finale of Breaking Bad shows how to let the audience catch up to the story on their own terms and connect the dots themselves than getting all the details spoon-fed. The moment of revelation was certainly the epitome of the show.
Gus’ mistake was pushing Walt to his very limit but not finishing him off; he unknowingly made Walter reach his full potential… for evil.
Also Read: How To Watch Breaking Bad In Order? Ultimate Binge Guide
