Breaking Bad Video Essay - Walter White's Satanic Pride and Ego

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 31 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 113

  • @DrUpauli
    @DrUpauli  Рік тому +11

    Buy my book!
    www.amazon.com/Muscular-Christianity-Spiritual-Physical-Fitness/dp/1739055500/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1700633663&sr=8-1

  • @dualtahunter4043
    @dualtahunter4043 Рік тому +93

    "Mr White, he's the devil"
    Didn't realize how literal that quote was

  • @vinsmokedsanji9962
    @vinsmokedsanji9962 Рік тому +120

    In an interview, Vince Gillian said that the real reason Walter Broke-up with Gretchen, and ultimately sold his shares of Grey Matter, was because he found out that Gretchen was from a rich family. His pride made him end that relationship because he didn't want to marry into a rich family.

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +19

      I didn't know that. That's a cool fact

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +11

      Easily

    • @-Scrapper-
      @-Scrapper- Рік тому

      that's stupid

    • @alligatorsun1854
      @alligatorsun1854 Рік тому +9

      I can't even follow this man's line of thought anymore-

    • @cumber3631
      @cumber3631 Рік тому +13

      Walters an egotistical bastard? b-but what about those sigma edits?

  • @adrian_veidt
    @adrian_veidt 10 місяців тому +23

    Walt Jr will remember him as just a criminal.
    And Holly will only know him like that.

    • @Randomuser335
      @Randomuser335 2 місяці тому

      Man holly is a great actor

    • @bajorekjon
      @bajorekjon Місяць тому

      No Walter jr. Will still have 15 years of good memories when he was a normal dad. But Holly will only remember him as a monster, which was Walter's biggest fear

  • @laraantipova389
    @laraantipova389 Рік тому +77

    This is a great essay. Most other essays are better kept to themselves as they have no substance. I also thought that Walt was always prideful, but did not really change into Heisenberg, but only revealed his true identity, a prideful, arrogant man.

  • @Of_infinite_Faith
    @Of_infinite_Faith Рік тому +23

    At the begining walt had everything many people wish they had. He had a nice family and an honourable job. But he just had to get "more".
    Its almost similar to Kim who also feeds her dark side, but she does pull away from it and learns her lesson.

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +5

      Real

    • @Of_infinite_Faith
      @Of_infinite_Faith 4 місяці тому +2

      ​@@DrUpauli it's good to be ambitious, especially for men since it drives them, but it doesn't always drive them to something good. They'll have to make sacrifices, I guess it depends on what they have to sacrifice. Walt sacrifices his blessings for the curse of power.

    • @abhinavwagh2663
      @abhinavwagh2663 28 днів тому

      It wasn't just about he had to get more, he had freaking cancer. Before cancer, he was putting up with people's shitty behavior (Bogdan and the student who saw Walt at car wash for example). I'm not justifying his actions but it makes me wonder. Without cancer does he still break bad... eventually?

  • @kiffthewriter
    @kiffthewriter Рік тому +61

    The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +7

      So real

    • @-Scrapper-
      @-Scrapper- Рік тому +2

      thw church?

    • @justforrow
      @justforrow Рік тому +2

      In other words, Walter.

    • @darlalathan6143
      @darlalathan6143 Рік тому

      By never showing up. People do evil because they want to. Disasters happen by chance. Animals attack us out of instincts, such as hunting, jealousy, or territoriality.

    • @silverlion1269
      @silverlion1269 11 місяців тому

      Nah I’m real

  • @lovefromwonderland
    @lovefromwonderland Місяць тому +1

    I like how Hank’s death served as that reality check for Walt. He felt like he was really on top of the world, like his whole family was invincible. He ran on pure fuel, allowing his ego and pride to boost him like a hypersonic child poisoning rocket. But when he truly saw the worst possible consequences for his actions, something finally clicked.

  • @AntoineBandele
    @AntoineBandele Рік тому +7

    Glad to see you back AND with Breaking Bad!

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +1

      Thanks! Big things are coming 🫡

  • @craftymasterproductions4218
    @craftymasterproductions4218 Рік тому +33

    Oh and coming back to this video, this is also the exact reason why Hank is considered the true hero of the show, since his entire arc is him becoming much more humble due to the things that happen to him throughout the show

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +5

      I'm glad you really liked this video and were thinking about it weeks later haha. You make a very good point. I've been thinking about following this one and my Jesse video up. And I still don't even know how I would do it. Maybe this kernel of a thought you just planted in my head could take me somewhere 🤔

    • @StrifeSoul990
      @StrifeSoul990 Рік тому +1

      I think Jesse is the main character and hero. He never becomes evil or egotistical. He just wanted to be accepted and successful. All he gt was pain and loss. Even after it all, he just wanted freedom. You can see how much the violence affects him.

    • @haustyl12
      @haustyl12 Рік тому +3

      @@StrifeSoul990he’s no Angel. In the first 3 seasons, he was motivated by getting rich quick. In S1, he refused getting a minimum wage job and immediately went back to cooking. Even when he was working for Gus in S3, he skimmed meth to sell to recovering addicts just because he thought he was getting short-changed. And he refused to launder his money because he wanted all of it and not share it, even if it meant going to prison for it.
      S3-5 is about the consequences of this lifestyle and still continuing until it’s too late

    • @franklinbadge1215
      @franklinbadge1215 Рік тому +3

      @@haustyl12 Not like I'm defending Jesse for his decisions involving meth, but I understand him not wanting a minimum wage job during one of the worst years, economically.

    • @haustyl12
      @haustyl12 Рік тому +1

      @@franklinbadge1215 that is fair. Maybe if he picked up a trade or pursued a career in wood carving or art. He always had the potential to be something great. He just didn’t have the patience

  • @emjay2d
    @emjay2d 14 днів тому +1

    One could argue a true coward is someone who puts his morals & family behind for their own self-satisfaction.

  • @errwhattheflip
    @errwhattheflip Рік тому +21

    Walter's biggest sin was indeed pride, but I think there was also a disconnection involved with it. Similarly to how Hank was disconnected to what he was actually doing until he was actually forced to kill Tuco in the desert, Walter never truly seems aware of just how horrible his actions are until everything is spat back at him with Ozymandias where everything is torn apart right in front of him. Walter's escapism is what started this story and it's what began his downfall.
    It doesn't exactly make sense for people to interpret Walt's journey as anything other than him being himself again as he basically says that the only difference between the "family man" and Heisenberg is how they apply themselves. One of them applied himself in the mindset of being afraid of everything. He was meek, kind, loving, etc. because he was afraid of everything. He was beaten down by life.
    When he's told that he will inevitably die in a short amount of time, he has an existential crisis and goes off to apply himself differently. Hell, he's given another option to apply himself differently and he doesn't take it because it was never truly about providing for his family. Yes, it is about providing for his family and that stays the same, but the reason he wants to provide for his family is because that's the kind of guy he wants to be. He wants them to see him as a big, strong, and fearless provider. Someone in control.
    Nice video.
    I wish people would talk more about his escapism because it's one of the best aspects of his character on a thematic level

    • @justforrow
      @justforrow Рік тому +2

      Give a man a few years to live and he'll do everything he ever wanted.

  • @justforrow
    @justforrow Рік тому +33

    Walter White revealed who he truly was. A prideful, egotistical man who ultimately went down living life the way he wanted. But was it worth it? No, it wasn't. He lost everything. Walter should have figured out a lot time ago that even though this docile facade was boring, it was a good choice.

    • @elperrodelautumo7511
      @elperrodelautumo7511 11 місяців тому +5

      It’s why Gus seemed to be the more superior person of the two.

    • @nathanielscott6159
      @nathanielscott6159 7 місяців тому +1

      I know this is an old comment, but I thought it was really cool. Walter's life is a testament to the downfall of proud people like himself. Having only himself to impress he sacrificed true impressiveness in other people. Pride is such a foul thing. Humility is the antithesis of it. You must be humble before you lose pride. Yeilding more obstinance towards change.

  • @zombiekiller4313
    @zombiekiller4313 Рік тому +28

    If satan were reincarnated into a human,walt in season 3 -5 is what i would imagine him to look like.He even abmits he's going to hell but won't "stop" until he gets there.Its scary how fast he changed in the series.

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +4

      So true

    • @errwhattheflip
      @errwhattheflip Рік тому +4

      Nah, Walt's a lot more complex than just "Satan". His guilt speaks towards this

    • @Stratilex
      @Stratilex Рік тому +4

      I think satan, even not in human form but especially in it, is very cunning and deceitful. Not in the way Walt does it, sloppily and agressively. You would genuinely probably not catch that he's lying and not looking out for your best interests, while he slowly lures you to your doom like a mouse seeing peanut butter on a mousetrap

    • @dualtahunter4043
      @dualtahunter4043 Рік тому +5

      ​@@Stratilexin other words, Lalo Salamanca

  • @tuanisthename
    @tuanisthename Рік тому +5

    the description in the beginning of this video about walt being visited by his son is almost word-for-word the same as "The Hidden Origin of Heisenberg" by Aleczandxr, uploaded a year before this one was

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +2

      That is true. I summarized the event using similar words, but the actual point of each video is wildly different. I just thought it would save me some time and effort by taking his synopsis of the story. It's basically just Wikipedia information

  • @YouBetImLoopyAlright
    @YouBetImLoopyAlright Рік тому +3

    I don't watch video essays at all, but the title of this one caught my attention. Don't regret clicking. Very well put together and insightful.

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +2

      Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think the music and the way I spoke made it feel a little bit like a montage/ASMV too. I think it's a good mix of an essay and just something that makes you feel a certain way

  • @zeitgeist5134
    @zeitgeist5134 Рік тому +5

    Back again, my friend, Dr. Upauli. I was thinking about how so many people want to see Walt as a satanic monster, driven only by pride and ego. They seize on his statement, "I did it for me.", as if it were an admission that egotism was his only motive. In saying this partial truth, a humble admission, Walt did offer Skyler closure, an act of generosity to her. To give a full explanation of his motives would have taken a long time on the psychiatrist's couch. He didn't have time for that, and Skyler didn't have the patience for that (understandably so).
    There is a quotation from the revered Dostoyevsky that I try to keep close to my heart as a matter of self-discipline. To wit: " Don't let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them." Do give that some thought when you analyze BB.
    I believe that Dostoyevsky understood Christianity far, far better than most Christians. There has always been a prevalent tendency among them to take the self-righteous position that people can be seen as either good or evil, rather than being immeasurably more complex. Alas. Compassion, not judgment, is all. And humility.

    • @nathanielscott6159
      @nathanielscott6159 7 місяців тому

      This video reminds of my self. There is so much that I am afraid of becoming that I think that I cause more harm towards myself, thru inadvertently squandering away what I still had.
      There is so much of my self that wishes those around me could empathize with what it is I am truly thinking.
      For WW, he feared that death would be the confirmation that his pride orientated hopefulness towards the future... Was ultimately a lie. His obstinacy was intended to be a indefinite attempt to deny his reality. He didn't die a poor man. Instead he was a prodigy who fought against death refusing to give in until the end. By accepting chemo, he would be in some way giving up the dream of better things. His action of taking chemo would be outside of the usual denialcentric lifestyle he carefully maintains.
      What Heisenberg was, was what WW wishes he was. It is the characature he needs to feel like this was what he was destined to achieve all along. It is what he believes he is not.
      Everything that succeeded were the most validating moments of WWs life. Every set back that occurred as a consequence was a direct blow to his confidence. Everything that succeeded was validation that WW, when given the chance , he would've been great, and he would've achieved in life. And the failures were anathema to that perfect validation. I believe what WW designed to achieve by the end of it all was stability. Confirmation that he did not ruin the lives of his family. And that like with the life of humiliation he suffered from in the beginning of the series was a temporary condition, just waiting to turn towards greatness.

  • @letsreadtextbook1687
    @letsreadtextbook1687 Рік тому +7

    Great video.
    Just wanna add that the toxic masculinity video doesn't strike me as "BB is _mainly_ about toxic masculinity", especially considering that the vid was made in respond to comments of previous vid which only mentioned the phrase as one of the things BB is about.
    ...which indeed it and other things BB is about can be generalized as pride here. 😊

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +3

      Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

    • @cleangoblin2021
      @cleangoblin2021 Рік тому +2

      Im already irked by the word toxic masculinity. But its true and it gets the best of us

    • @panickedshears
      @panickedshears Рік тому +3

      @@cleangoblin2021so am I. I’ve heard the words “toxic masculinity” probably has much as I’ve heard the word “woke”, and after a certain amount of time they just kinda started to lose meaning and just kinda make me roll my eyes when i hear it, even if they’re used in proper context.
      People really need to start learning what words mean before just throwing them everywhere for no reason, it’s annoying.

  • @letstacoboutit8205
    @letstacoboutit8205 Рік тому +11

    How does this not have more views

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +5

      Because you haven't shared it with everyone you know and on every social media site. Not yet anyways 😉

  • @mariogame_dev8004
    @mariogame_dev8004 Рік тому +11

    Pride leads to destruction

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +1

      So real

    • @darlalathan6143
      @darlalathan6143 Рік тому +1

      Unless it's a parade with rainbow flags, LOL!

    • @Randomuser335
      @Randomuser335 Місяць тому

      @@darlalathan6143 when did we speak of that?

  • @kludgedude
    @kludgedude 11 місяців тому +3

    Is WW the devil? Jesse thought so

  • @Bentons-Crib
    @Bentons-Crib Рік тому +6

    the fact that the people that constantly defend walter and somehow think he's the good guy could watch this and not change their minds is incredibly sad

  • @craftymasterproductions4218
    @craftymasterproductions4218 Рік тому +7

    Gotta say, this and your essay on Jesse are gems in a sea of poop (basically a bunch of Breaking Bad essays that don’t actually state their own opinion and parrot others mindlessly).

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +2

      Haha thanks. I'll take that as a compliment but I'm sure there's other essays that are good as well

    • @craftymasterproductions4218
      @craftymasterproductions4218 Рік тому +4

      @@DrUpauli Pretty much yeah. Also, the scariest thing about Walt’s transformation for me personally is that he never actually changed who he was *fundamentally.* He just showed a different side of himself that was repressed for years.

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +3

      @@craftymasterproductions4218 yep. It wasn't until ozymandias or so when I was watching and realized that there wasn't any major character development. I was told he was a bad guy, but I could never pin what he did later on that seemed unlike something he would have done earlier

    • @craftymasterproductions4218
      @craftymasterproductions4218 Рік тому +2

      @@DrUpauli It’s like the RDR2 quote “People don’t change, they just become more of who they really are”.

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +2

      So true. Also, if you don't mind, could you share this video? You seem to think highly of it and I would like for it to get more views :)

  • @nadilsaleem1677
    @nadilsaleem1677 6 місяців тому +3

    Everything was going very well in BB universe until a random Chemistry teacher got lung cancer which eliminated all of them.

  • @zour2361
    @zour2361 7 місяців тому +3

    This is the best analysis of the show!
    In the last episodes he sits in a snow covered car talking expressing his wishes to someone. Any thoughts on who he spoke to?

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  7 місяців тому

      Thank you! And idk

  • @MostafaElazab-ik1ip
    @MostafaElazab-ik1ip 5 днів тому

    I like this video since it discusses how Walter White’s pride destroyed his relationships with his family, friends, colleagues, and the city because pride is a sin where people believe they are superior and everyone else is inferior. In addition, Walt’s pride caused him to be mad and egotistical, and it caused him to lose everything he wanted, such as his empire and family. Lastly, his pride caused him to do heinous actions, such as poisoning Brock, bombing a nursing home, and murdering 10 prisoners so that they would not testify against him, and he did without remorse, which is why he is considered pure evil. In my opinion, Walter’s pride would have been eradicated if he was practicing gratitude and that he could’ve joined Gray Matter.

  • @Thechomp1eman
    @Thechomp1eman Рік тому +1

    I think it started for the family on ep 1 after ep 2 it was for him

  • @BenXiX01
    @BenXiX01 Рік тому +3

    Can you make one on Tony Soprano

  • @detailedinfodisplay5210
    @detailedinfodisplay5210 8 місяців тому

    I mean his character looks like Anton LaVey decided to get a real job

  • @ThugMasterFlash
    @ThugMasterFlash Рік тому +6

    7 deadly sins, the original bring pride

  • @estebantrejo6722
    @estebantrejo6722 Рік тому +1

    Can you do an video essay on my home hero. I’ve heard it’s similar to breaking bad but in anime

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +3

      I haven't seen it sorry

    • @vinsmokedsanji9962
      @vinsmokedsanji9962 Рік тому +1

      ​@@DrUpauli it started airing this season, it's currently 9 ep, and it's really good. It's like the other side of a character breaking bad. While Walter turned to crime out of pride, and then uses his family as an excuse, Tetsuo finds himself in his situation truly out of genuine love for his family. I'd highly recommend it as well. The animation isn't the best but the story, and narrative are very engaging. 9/10.

  • @zour2361
    @zour2361 7 місяців тому

    This is the best analysis of the show!
    In the last episodes he sits in a snow covered car talking expressing wishes. Any thoughts on who I spoke to?

  • @GlennDavey
    @GlennDavey Рік тому +3

    That's not what the Church of Satan is about

    • @darlalathan6143
      @darlalathan6143 Рік тому +2

      Exactly! In the 7 Necessary Evils, Pride is needed for survival. To take proper care of ourselves, we need to feel important. What Walter White did wrong was to become a druglord, instead of marrying a rich woman and becoming a tech billionaire with his co-founded company. He'd have the life he wanted without hurting anybody!

  • @bajorekjon
    @bajorekjon Місяць тому +1

    One of the most chilling scenes is after Drew is shot and Jesse is torn up, and Walter claims to be torn up too. But then Jesse catches him whistling "Lily of the Valley", which is a gospel song. Now why would an athiest even know that song, let alone whistle it?

  • @ThugMasterFlash
    @ThugMasterFlash Рік тому

    Popcorners!

  • @zeitgeist5134
    @zeitgeist5134 Рік тому

    Hm. This video does not sit well with me. BB is all about moral complexity, which is the human dilemma, a dilemma addressed by all great literature. (A simplistic good-versus-evil perspective is the province of simple-minded children's literature.) All actions in BB are the consequence of layers of motives. Every character has a back story. No character is entirely good or entirely evil . Every character in BB has moral flaws and sins to be regretted. (There's lots of hypocrisy to be found in BB's "good" characters.)
    There are elements of good to be found even in the villains. Tuco, in Better Call Saul, dearly loves his abuelita, treats her with unblemished respect, treats her with kind, warm, affection, is fully committed to protecting her from harm. Tuco, however, is also mentally ill, a psychopath who was raised in a toxic "honor" culture. In short, Tuco is not pure evil, he's sick. Of course, he should be locked up to prevent him from doing dire harm to others, but he is, nevertheless, a human being. The writers provided the "abuelita" element to diffuse a simplistic good-and-evil perception of Tuco.
    Walt's pride (and his shame at his emasculated, humiliating life before diagnosis) gets him into trouble. I myself, however, apply a compassionate lens in viewing Walt. Yes, as a practical matter, he should have swallowed his pride and taken the money proffered by Elliott. Yet I believe that it is absurd to see Elliott and Gretchen as wholly good, to see their offer of money as arising from pure goodness. They are tainted. Elliott is a calculating business man (as his incontrovertible perfidy is demonstrated in the interview with Charlie Rose). Elliott, properly guilt-ridden, offers Walt a job, a job which would be a deductible expense for the company, a job which would place Walt in a demeaning subordinate position to Elliott, keeping Walt in his place. (I assert that if Elliott had been an honorable man, he would have given Walt half of his own equity in the company, long before the cancer diagnosis, with no strings attached.) So, the practical matter aside, I am with Walt in his indignant rejection of Elliott's offer. In short, I ask myself to stand in Walt's shoes, as is proper when assessing a fellow human being.
    Yeah, Walt's choices appall us, though the very first is an almost-ignorable throw-away, i.e., his threat to expose Jesse if Jesse does not submit to his demand that they partner-up (ugly blackmail). The writers, however, intend us to observe the danger of the slippery slope, one action triggering a crisis that compels the next appalling choice, a gradual landslide of appalling choices. It happens. Let us be warned. And let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
    Begin by contemplating Walt's pre-diagnosis life. It's a banal, vapid life devoid of beauty, dignity, joy, and hope. A living hell. It fills me with horror. Another warning from the writers. I wish that he had escaped from that living hell long before the diagnosis, restarted his life (taking Flynn with him!). He had been "going where the universe [took him]." He should have made his own decisions, for once, striking out for the territory ahead. (Wise advice from Jane.) But remaining in that living hell drove him to a worse hell. A living hell will do that to you. Poor Walt.

    • @Twolet
      @Twolet 7 місяців тому +1

      no one is reading all dat

    • @MyMoon80
      @MyMoon80 7 місяців тому

      ​@@zeitgeist5134 fr lil bro? Bet ur like 16 and sit inside all day and try to sound smart af

    • @baitreview
      @baitreview 2 місяці тому

      ​@@Twolet not like you could read anyway

  • @careforjusticealways
    @careforjusticealways 10 місяців тому

    Walt 🤦🏽‍♀️😂

  • @futura.free17
    @futura.free17 3 місяці тому +1

    He was the devil since episode 1

  • @Darth_Vader258
    @Darth_Vader258 8 місяців тому +3

    Obedience and Humility are the 2 of the GREATEST Virtues in Heaven, while Pride and Disobedience are the 2 of the most HORRIBLE Sins in Hell.

  • @justalittlecucumber
    @justalittlecucumber Рік тому +2

    I hope you do know tho that christian satanism and satanism itself is smth different. but besides that, good one

    • @DrUpauli
      @DrUpauli  Рік тому +1

      How so?

    • @justalittlecucumber
      @justalittlecucumber Рік тому +3

      @@DrUpauli satanism isnt about any satan or evil, its about selflove and acceptance and living free with others in respect as long as you dont harm them, unless theyd harm you yadayada. its more on philosphy based than the christian satanist stuff.

    • @Gabagool4Christ
      @Gabagool4Christ Рік тому +1

      @@DrUpaulithey don’t believe in Satan, he serves as a mascot for self love and such. There are theistic Satanists who believe in him but the Satanic Bible is an atheist book more so.

    • @franklinbadge1215
      @franklinbadge1215 Рік тому +2

      @@DrUpauli Satanists don't actually believe in a literal Satan, they use Satan as a metaphor for personal autonomy and rebellion against arbitrary authority.

    • @potato4dawin1
      @potato4dawin1 Рік тому

      @@franklinbadge1215 That's not even a metaphor. That's literally just Satan's worldview as described by the Bible. They're actually just copying Satan. Christians know this.
      Of course, when they follow The Great Deceiver himself it's no wonder that they'd be deceived into thinking they're not "really" following him.
      Otherwise they might have a "are we the baddies?" moment, or at the very least would struggle a bit more to explain to others how they're "totally not evil guys trust us"