A Guide To Every Time Walter White Has Broken Bad

This may come as a surprise, but Walter White isn’t a very nice man. In fact, one might even say over the course of five seasons and countless cooks and threats, he’s…broken not-good. Which might explain the show’s title.

Vince Gilligan has said that he had thought it was a commonly used phrase when he decided to use it as a title, not knowing that the expression was a Southern regionalism from the area in Virginia from which he hails. It means “to raise hell,” he says, as in “I was out the other night at the bar…and I really broke bad.”

That older use of “break bad,” meaning “to go bad,” requires little knowledge of regional slang, and it makes enough sense that anyone might come up with or at least understand it. (Via)

We’re going with the “bad sh*t happens” definition. Anyway, with only four days left until we check in with the Whites one final time, let’s revisit all of Walter White’s Breaking Bad breaking bad moments, beginning all the way back in pilot, some much more heinous than others. I hope he repaid Ted for that plant he dinged up.

When he wrecks Bogdan Wolynetz’s car wash display (and grabs his junk).

When he teams up with Jesse Pinkman.

When he steals lab equipment from his school.

When he takes out the legs of a bully taunting Walt, Jr.

When he cooks every batch of meth (including every single instance here).

When he traps and gases Emilio Koyama and Krazy 8 in the RV.

When he chases after and drags a wheezing Krazy-8 into his car.

When he smokes weed (/this entry submitted by the DEA)

When he comes up with a plan with Jesse that turns Emilio’s body into stew.

When he kills Krazy-8.

When he hides his drug money in his unborn baby’s nursery.

When he explodes a rich asshole’s car (deservedly so, but still).

When he turns down Elliott and Gretchen’s job offer, with health insurance (debatable)

When he gets friendly janitor Hugo Archilleya fired.

When he wears this robe.

When he drops the crystalline nugget in Tuco’s hideout.

When he steals more supplies from a warehouse.

When he gets into business with Tuco.

When he kind of, sort of, maybe rapes Skyler.

When he “let him bleed.”

When he shows DAT ASS in public.

When he lies to his family and the doctors about his whereabouts.

When he calls Jesse a “pathetic junkie” and they fight.

When he gets greedy and raises the price of his product.

When he and Jesse kidnap Saul.

When he gets Jimmy In-‘N-Out arrested.

When he uses visiting his mom as an excuse to Skyler to spend the weekend cooking.

When he tells two tweakers, “Stay out of my territory.”

When he chooses dealing with Gus > the birth of his baby.

When he show Holly his ill-begotten drug money.

When he doesn’t help Jane.

When this happens because of him, basically.

When he tries to manipulate Skyler into not divorcing him, and then reveals his meth side project.

When he merrily sings along to the Eagles.

When he threatens a cop over a broken windshield.

When he wastes a perfectly good pizza.

When he refuses to leave the house, making Skyler seem like the bad one to Walt Jr.

When he tries to throw a potted plant through Ted’s window (the intention isn’t bad; the lob is).

When he attacks Saul in his office in front of Mike.

When he gets back into the game.

When he “prank calls” Hank, getting Francesca to say that Marie had a car accident.

When he convinces Jesse to be his partner again.

When he fires a very confused Gale.

When he consoles Marie in a hospital waiting room, because he’s a lying monster.

When he agrees to a $15-million-a-year salary bump with Gus.

When he plays chicken with a truck.

When he smacks Jesse with a flyswatter.

When he doesn’t tell Jesse about what happened to Jane.

When he runs over a dealer…

…and shoots another in the head.

When he gets Jesse to kill Gale.

When he dissolves Victor’s body in a barrel of hydrofluoric acid.

When he buys a gun with a filed-off serial number from Lawson.

When he intends to visit Gus’s house, gun in hand.

When he won’t allow Hank to praise the great Gale, a copier of “someone else’s work.”

When he “I AM THE DANGER.”

When he buys Walt, Jr. a fancy new car, in direct defiance of his and Skyler’s cover.

When he bribes three laundromat employees to help him clean up the lab, as a f*ck you to Gus.

When he blows up Walt, Jr.’s new car.

When he tells Jesse to poison Gus with ricin.

When he fake bugs Gus’s car for Hank (before Gus tells him it’s OK to do so).

When he actually bugs Jesse’s car.

When he gets into an ugly, angry fight with Jesse.

When he misses Walt, Jr.’s birthday.

When he purposefully gets into a car accident with Hank, so that they won’t visit the lab.

When he goes breaking insane.

When he poisons Brock.

When he rigs Gus’s car with a pipe bomb.

When he sends a neighbor into his house to make sure that the “coast is clear.”

When he BOOM.

When he takes care of some meth lab guards.

When he buys more guns from Lawson.

When he, Mike, and Jesse destroy everything in the evidence room because MAGNETS BITCH.

When he plants the fake ricin for Jesse to find.

When he just acts hella creepy in this scene.

When he begins cooking again.

When he gleefully watches Scarface with his baby.

When he manipulates Jesse into breaking up with Andrea.

When he buys Walt Jr. a new car, again.

When he makes an unwilling Skyler spell out “51” in bacon on his birthday.

When he plants a transmitter on Hank’s work computer.

When he, Jesse, Mike, and Todd rob a train.

When he helps dispose of Drew Sharp’s body.

When he has the chance to get out, but doesn’t because he’s in the “empire business.”

When R.I.P. Mike.

When he makes friends with Uncle Nazi and the Good Time Gang…

…and they take care of his prison problem.

When he scares Carol.

When he advises Hank to “tread lightly.”

When he rejects table-side guacamole.

When he records a confession, saying that Hank was the mastermind behind everything.

When he calls Todd to talk about “another job.”

When he uses Andrea to try to find out where Jesse is.

When he lies to Skyler for the first time.

When R.I.P. Hank (technically his fault, even if he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger).

When he gives up Jesse’s hiding spot.

When he tells Jesse about what happened to Jane.

When he scares and threatens his family.

When he nabs Holly and drives away.

When he tries to get Walt, Jr. back on his side.

When he leaves behind an unfinished glass of Dimple Pinch.

Walter White is the devil.

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