Todd is the embodiment of the term “Affably Evil”. Unlike Gus, who politeness and kindness are a facade, Todd’s niceness is entirely genuine despite the fact that he’s tortured and murdered innocent people.
I struggled for a bit to understand the difference between faux affably evil and affably evil, but I think I've got it now.Feel free to correct me if and where I'm wrong. It's the difference between people like Gus and people like Lalo. A Gus will drop the affable part when torturing or killing someone, while a Lalo would still be smiling, chatting joking...just still having a good time while committing these horrific acts
I am around addicts a lot. Addicts are often sociopaths. All addicts are sociopaths to some degree to be honest. Some of them are like Todd. He's realistic as Hell.
I have to skip through that part when rewatching. The sound Jesse makes when he sees Andrea shot just fractures my soul. Even knowing that Aaron was only an actor acting in a scene doesn’t make it easier to watch.
I'm glad it wasn't just me who feels that way. Honestly, that particular scene bothered me so much I pretty much stopped watching television entirely after that. I haven't owned a TV in probably 12 yrs.
There's so many emotional motiffs in that scene. The unfairness of an innocent being killed, the arrogance of Walter for having unwittingly sold him to slavery and guiding these scum to her house, the helplessness of having to watch such an atrocity, and the unquenchable wrath you now have for her killer, which you used to just hate. I can understand the people who can't watch that scene. It's a hard clip.
Todd is the sort of dude who you could go bowling with. He'd buy a pizza for the group, tell you about a funny T.V. show he'd been watching, shoot a child in the face, finish the pizza, and go right back to telling about the T.V. show.
When he first showed up, my immediate gut reaction was 'oh no, this guy seems nice. Walt's gonna kill him, isn't he?'. I wish Walt had. I rapidly went from hoping Todd would survive, to wanting him dead with a passion
The most terrifying thing about Todd is that theres truly people like him out there. They are pefectly polite yet they see murder and torture as. Chores no different than buying milk
I felt the same about Anders Breivik. The photo that circulated about him at the time showed a normal looking guy. You wouldn't have thought of anything bad if you had seen him walking down the street.
@@manwiththeredface7821 It is this societal flaw that allows the real mosters walk among us. Personally, anyone that's very charismatic and socially aware I am skeptical of. There are then tests you can use to further determine, like any blank hawkish staring they might do, or catching them slip up while masking an emotion ore over doing the emotion. I knew someone like this in high school. Idk where they are now or if they ever did anything malicious, but they did used to get in trouble sometimes. He deoesn't come off like a kid that does tho, which is an little unnerving.
Todd's personality is like a robot for me . He has no emotion or conflict within him , he just does the task he is told to do without any hesitation or question.
Todd is kinda like an AI programmed to be friendly and affable yet will also do whatever is necessary above all other tasks or protocols to ensure success. Todd is the poster child for a task orientated psychopath with a high functioning social personality. Whereas someone like Alex DeLarge from Clockwork Orange genuinely enjoys hurting, raping, killing etc, Todd is absolutely emotionless and uncaring one way or the other.
Todd’s are the kind of people who allow for things like genocide to occur, someone who will just carry out a task no hesitation and feels absolutely nothing about it since it’s simply part of their job.
The character of Todd really sneaks up on you, you think 'he's gonna die in two episodes' but then he literally enslaves Jesse and becomes one of the main antagonists of the later part of the series
16:12 I've always took Todd's reaction to the machine gun as it not even occurring to him that Walt is the one responsible for it. Maybe had he lived a minute longer he would have figured it out, because he wasn't completely stupid, but I think his first instinct was that an enemy third party had attacked them, because his respect for Walt couldn't reconcile with the reality of Walt's hateful vengeance against him and his group.
I think you're right. He has genuine respect and reverence for Walt, so it likely never occurred to him that Walt would be capable of planning a revenge plot over months and carrying it out. This is actually consistent with Todd's lack of insight into others' minds. He totally misunderstands Walts' motivations. Walt is a vulnerable narcissist, not a psychopath. He wanted to look into Jack's eyes as he destroyed everything Jack loves and takes back "ownership" of Sky Blue. Todd treats sudden, brutal violence as just part of the business. If you need to do it, that's ok and to be expected. But if you don't need to kill someone, then that's ok, too. When Todd's role models are gone, he's adrift, unsure of what to do. That's when Jesse gets the drop on him because it simply never occurs to Todd that Jesse wouldn't want to be friends after all that he has done to Jesse.
Actually that's not the case.. Todd simply doesn't care and definitely can't love .. Unlike the Salamancas, who are sociopaths have some family or colleagues they care about... However Todd is a psychopath.. incapable of love... Even when his whole family is dead, it doesn't matter.. what matters is he's not dead..
The craziest part about Todd is that after Walt uses the gun to kill the neo nazis, he doesn’t even fear being killed by Jesse or Walt. He probably doesn’t even understand why it was done in the first place.
The scariest thing about Todd is that he started out as a background character that seemed totally harmless, and then he’s revealed to be an absolute monster. The best TV villain ever, in my opinion.
I found Todd so disturbing I avoided anything Jesse Plemons was in for too long. He is a wonderful actor, very underrated. Thank you for covering this one.
He really did ask if they could take Jessie in as a slave in the manner that a child might ask his parents if they could keep a stray dog they happened upon.
in fact on el camino there is a scene where Todd takes Jesse from the cage and before going out he licks his hands to caress Jesse s hair to make it look better and promises him to try washing him more often, just like dealing with a pet.
I felt really bad for him when he died I really wanted him to be able to find some better people to be with he always felt like a little kid that accidentally hung with the wrong people
His death didn't bother me but there is a tragic angle with him. Whether be was born with psychopathic traits or acquired them from being around Jack, there's a really good chance he would be a mostly normal (if a bit weird) kid if he hadn't grown up under people like Jack.
@@TheUnmitigatedDawn that's not scary.. Todd doesn't enjoy murdering others. Nor is he sadistic. You want to know, who to fear ?? Fear Ramsay Bolton.. that guy is genuinely scary. He tortures simply for entertainment and does unspeakable acts of terror. Pure evil through and through.
Todd is the most accurate portrayal of a psychopath I’ve ever seen, he’s not unpleasant, he doesn’t enjoy killing he just doesn’t see a problem with it because he has no concept of empathy
I wish we had more info on the circumstances that led to Todd being raised by Jack. We assume his parents died, but have no idea how. It'd be super twisted if Jack saw potential in Todd, but thought it was being wasted by his parents, and arranged a way to kill them. Todd of course would have no idea. His parents were possibly hard core left-wingers that believed in equality.
The best part is his antithesis in Jesse as a character, they couldn't be more oppositie. And it makes Jesse that much more heroic in how he escaped being a bad person compared to everyone else in the series
Seriously though, it’s thematically undeniable how much they actively oppose each other. While Todd appears to be a seemingly normal, if not upstanding and trustworthy man, Jesse at face value is a worthless thug pissing his life away. Todd carries himself with soft spoken politeness, while Jesse is oftentimes abrasive and crude. Todd does what he’s told with minimal fuss, while Jesse rejects authority and comes to resent his actions of “loyalty”. Most importantly, Jesse wept for the man he shot in cold blood. He wept for both of the women in his life who died for being close to him. He wept for the children he found along the way of the sick and twisted road he walked. Meanwhile Todd killed a child, an innocent woman, enslaved a man, and who knows what other heinous shit he could’ve done in his life, without even batting an eye.
Whats most interesting about Todd is that he's not written like an antagonist like the rest of the villains from the BB/BCS universe. He isn't always a step ahead of the main characters and never acts as a large, looming threat over them. In fact, he's the reason Jesse even survives to see the end. I think Todd is a rare case of a villain not being an antagonist.
@@LazyLizzy706 lol for some reason I’m highly offended that you referenced MJ and not THE BABY VAMPIRE! Tbh the fact that Kirsten Dunst did such an exceptional job as a cold hearted baby vampire playing against Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise at such a young age is scarier than anything on BB lol 😂
The seemingly nice displays of Todd were mere echoes of what Todd's humanity would have been had he been raised properly in his formative years. Truly a tragic figure.
Best comment about Todd I so far read about. Congrats. Everyone weirdly thinks he is the “perfect psycho” or something. Todd is a victim of his environment he takes no pleasure from killing
I think I know a few people that are "weird" in this way....but they have stable and decent lives, they don't lust for violence or blood He's just doing his base "programming" in a way, he's strange and lacking in humanity but he's not a monster
First off, i think you mean secret agent, not secret service. The secret service protects the president and other high ranking public servants, what you are talking about is espionage, sabotage etc. Secondly, Todd would not be fit for such a role. He is not intelligent enough and lacks the ability to read situations or people. He only works within this framework, because his obedience and unassuming demeanor makes him useful and reliable for ordinary tasks, and get along with brutes without causing a stir. A good foot soldier, nothing more. He could never maneuver the mine field of high espionage.
@@MinnowTF Which Jack? Also Anton isnt really a probable representation of a psychopath as much Todd was. However, he is still realistic in the sense that people like him do exist.
Hes so naive yet kills without remorse, its so terrifyingly dark and twisted that he doesnt understand the evil that he commits and acts as if hes an unaware child performing a task his elders gave him.
The scariest thing about Todd Alquist is that despite his monstrous behavior, one can still recognize him as a tragic figure. It is apparent that he was once a boy who could have grown up into a normal human being, but that chance was squeezed out of him by circumstance. That said, Todd's death is one of the most justified, satisfying deaths in all of television. It was the real catharsis of Felina, not the gunning down that happened seconds prior.
Plemons was perfectly casted here. That everyman vibe of his appearance gets more and more sinister as the story progresses. Pretty good analysis of that character's evil.
Vile Eye looks like that one really chill nightclub bouncer who'll have a friendly chat with you and looks out for everyone, but won't hesitate to absolutely annihilate someone who starts a fight or gets caught with drugs.
He's a special kind of evil amongst those in Breaking Bad. Out of every evil character in the show, he's the one who's most detached with his actions. He simply doesn't feel pleasure doing evil things, he just simply thinks it's right.
@@TrouvatkiDePercusionit is doing the dishes, it's dirty, he doesn't want to do it, but its a begrudging task that no one else will do (or so he's told)
One of the things mentioned about psychopaths is that there had to be some external factors as to why they are psychopaths. When in reality there could just be that they were simply born that way. No rhyme nor reason, just what you are at the exit of the womb.
Yup. Had a family member like this. Mother described him as 12 going on 35…. There was an awful lot of stuff that went clean over my head. I now know I was going as hard as I could to simply stay out of trouble, and much of what was happening was beyond my limited capacity to perceive. It was many years afterward when I learned in (small) part what had been happening.
Even though it wasn't Todd that did it, when I and my mother first watched the episode where Hank was murdered, when Jack lets Walter keep one barrel of money over the objections of his fellow gang members, my mother said out loud: _"He's a more decent person than Walt. Walt wouldn't even let his old boss at the car wash keep the first dollar he earned."_ Your mention of Todd having a small amount of empathy brought that observation to mind, and I wonder if it's related.
That because Todd respects Walt. Walt never treated Todd bad. Walt didn't respect his old boss. Maybe you forgot but Walt's car wash boss was an @sshole. There a big difference there you are missing
@@anxiety1018 I think it’s also because Todd has a weird way of fairness for lack of a better word. He thought that Walt should be rewarded for helping them out just like how he was going to give Jesse a pizza in El Camino for helping him dig a hole even asking him what kind of pizza he likes. He genuinely believed that Jesse earned that pizza for his work
I remember that the actor compared Todd to the child of the meth addicts trying to break into the ATM. He thought Todd would've grown up and experienced a vast amount of trauma.
I believe that could be interpreted as an unintentional metaphor for Jesse’s decision to keep selling meth. You could argue this experience was Jesse’s moral test by god or something to see if he would keep selling drugs to the meth addicts after seeing how it affected others. After he kept selling, fate decided to give him karma. Obviously Jesse’s crime didn’t fit the punishment, but it’s food for thought.
@@Noah_BanyasVery true because that kids father "Spooge" was actually a normal looking guy in better call Saul. The influx of meth tore that whole area up as Jesse and Walt stacked their millions
Todd is (in my opinion) the scariest kind of evil. The man who sees no difference from Murder and filling your car with gas. I’d love to see you cover Mike in the next episode that covers Breaking Bad
A subtle detail from the episode where Todd kills the young boy: At the start of the episode, it shows the kid on his dirt bike finding a spider, and curiously observing it, before putting it in a jar and moving off before the opening sequence starts. In the next. episode, Todd is shown looking at this same spider, with the same mannerisms and wonder as the young boy he murdered in the episode prior. This gives further characterization of Todd effectively having the mindset of a child, and not really having a keen understanding of the world around him. I always found that parallel fascinating when I first watched breaking bad years ago.
@@natsomething0 Yeah, it’s meant to be. I guess he used some of Walt’s stash to buy it a new container and take care of it (unlike what they did for Jesse).
Todd and Jack are astonishingly well written characters and the acting is impressive. It’s the intelligence mixed with sociopathy that really chilled me. No remorse, no guilt but both following their own internal logic. Some of the best villains I’ve seen in any show.
@@TashaRial he is quite intelligent as he always thinks based on logic, like when he refused to kill Skyler when cops were guarding her home as It would draw attention
I think Hector Salamanca also deserves a video on his own. He was one of the founding leaders of the Cartel, the main antagonistic force across the Breaking Bad Universe, trained all of his nephews including Lalo Salamanca into becoming the monsters they have become and was also the cause of Gustavo Fring dedicating the last 20 years of his life to avenging the death of his boyfriend. The man is almost literally the root of all evil in the franchise.
@@calvinhuff7873 He already did a video on Lalo tho. As much as I hate to say this, Tuco and the Twins don't really have that much going for them like Hector or Lalo had if you understand what I'm saying. But Hector is literally the worst of the worst in a universe already filled with drug lords, a corrupt lawyer, shady companies and even being worse than a gang of Nazis.
Ill never forget how quickly my stomach dropped after they finished robbing the train and Todd just so casually murdered that kid. Probably the most shocking moment in fictional television history.
The two scenes that had me shocked was 1. Him putting on the suit immediately after torturing Jesse like he was his best bud/coworker. 2. Him being so casual about Walter gunning down his family and friends, being more impressed about the mechanics than scared or vengeful.
Vince Gillian said the direction was supposed to be Todd under the effects of adrenaline, see what was outside, then turn around. Y’all are digging too deep into this. “This was the moment Walter became Heisenberg” oh please 💀
I’m pretty sure he was upset about his family and friends getting killed, but he was trying to assess the situation and threat. He barely had time to even process it. That part specifically isn’t really a testament to his apathy.
With people you meet who are like Todd, it's scary to think whether or not they would have turned out differently if their experiences didn't leave them with the conclusion that "murder is ok"
The one thing that always stood out to me is how he decided to go against Lydia’s demand to kill Walt’s family. He was obsessed with Lydia and would do anything for her yet defied her in this instance and took mercy on the family. That’s what made my think that he is not completely evil. Also we know nothing about his upbringing but my guess is that it was mostly with Uncle Jack, so that made him into a bad person in most ways because it’s all he has ever known.
I also suspect, from what we know in the Breaking Bad universe, his lack of empathy is not a predisposition, but must be learned, probably due to growing up around brutes and goons, and the things he witnessed and heard. It is useful for him and his mind to be this way, as a self protection measure, and despite trying to be obedient and useful (also a learnt self protection mechanism) he looks for small openings to let out what little humanity he has left in him. A nuanced character, where one person is not reduced to a single trait. Many characters on Breaking Bad are complex, even a somewhat stunted simpleton like Todd.
Pragmatism. It would’ve been a stupid move to kill Skyler while the cops were surveying the house. I’m willing to bet Todd brought Lydia’s request to Nazi Jack himself and Jack forbid them from actually killing Skyler because it would draw heat to them.
It's not a predisposition, its a mechanism to protect himself, learnt in early childhood. Thats what growing up around brutes and goons can do for you, and what you yourself must become to minimize risk and pain to yourself. He is not inherently bad or sadist, he just learnt to not make a fuss about such things and to view them as normal part of life. Also he is really bad at reading people, and a bit dense.
Incredibly scary character, you’re always on edge in his scenes. Sometimes he comes off as a kid wanting to help out best he can but sometimes we see the monster he is.
I love that you don’t make these videos to just talk about how evil some characters are. You actually dive into what’s behind the evil, but you do it without ever excusing the evil.
I loved the touch, that Todd kept the pet spider as his own. Not like a serial killer's "trophy," but bc it's a cool. Another example that, at heart, Todd is still a disconnected little boy without a heart. Being the youngest, Todd probably grew up quite lonely.
I recall that the actor who plays Todd stated he thinks Todd grew up in an environment similar to the kid who loved with Spooge and his girlfriend/wife.
I’ve also heard that Jack’s actor has his own theory that Todd was rescued from said environment by his uncle, with Todd’s mother possibly being a drug addict.
@@capncake8837 It's refreshing that the actors playing such characters have that awareness of such situations....and sad that those said situations are very real and present that this show is based on a lot of the reality of those
It’s always been a very underrated performance from Jesse Plemons. This character could have been a very stereotypical henchman-like villain but the subtle nuisances in his demeanor that Plemons integrated into the role made Todd more lifelike and consequentially, more terrifying.
As a behavioral psychologist I can say that Todd is a very unique but not completely unrealistic portrait of anti social personality disorder. He was an incredibly stark and chilling infusion of horror into the otherwise thrill and drama orientation of BB characters
Its so funny when they say Todd is a ‘perfect psycho’ when truly he isnt evil and takes no pleasure. He definitely victim of the lifestyle of his uncle who is the true psycho
@@PolishGod1234 yeah im pretty sure psychopaths are evil. Theres a whole lot of amoral people so there must be millions of psychopaths around us. In fact my neighbors love calling me Clarice
@@AY-qy4jnno, psychopath are not evil. You can read many psychologic book who explain that with many scientific detaiks. Its deeper that " they are evil guys ".
Todd is definitely an unsettling character, but only after you see enough of him. If you only saw him for the Train heist and after killing the kid, he'd come off as just another person that Gus Fring can hire to do cruel acts for him. But it's his actions with Jesse that really show you how messed up he is. That and he was able to talk Jesse out of killing him when Todd let his own gun out of sight. And he did so without directly begging for his life either, just talking Jesse down.
This has been one of your best videos by far. You don't come at a purely evil person with distain, but one from empathy, understanding why he is the way he is. Is Todd evil? Maybe. But he is a victim of circumstances
@@captainhowlerwilson508 he's not a villain, not is he supposed to be. He's a complicated simple person that was born from evil. But in almost every scene you can see the empathetic guy he could have been.
@@CharlieKellyEsq Sure, but he became a remorseless psychopath that I felt nothing for and wanted nothing for him but an agonising death, which he got.
Jesse Plemons has such a boyish charm, but when he clipped that kid who waved at him I never realised he be playing some of the most evil characters going forward(can't wait to see him in Civil War)
Jesse is an interesting case of Protagonist Syndrome (where the audience is more forgiving of main characters because they witness more of their struggle - not to be mistaken for Main Character Syndrome where someone thinks they're the 'protagonist' of life). If you look at him purely from a detached, character sense, Jesse is, ultimately, no better than at least half the characters on Breaking Bad. But people will root for him even when he fucks people over because they see so much of him.
@@trianglemoebiusit's true that Jesse's done things as bad as the others, but the reason why fans don't put him in the same box is because he's the only one who feels remorse for it. Remorse doesn't excuse anything, obviously, but the fact that he feels it does say something compared to the rest of the bad guys
@@goolgepl2112 Sure, but a few characters could feel the same way that were already covered....when the channel is low on options he'll come back probably...and maybe with Badger and Skinny Pete! (mostly joking)
A few possible suggestions for future videos: * Gul Dukat from _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine_ * Borg Queen from _Star Trek: First Contact_ & _Star Trek: Voyager_ * The Shadows from _Babylon 5_ * Hector Salamanca from _Breaking Bad_ and _Better Call Saul_ * Francis Underwood, Claire Underwood, or Doug Stamper from _House of Cards_
The REAL difference with Anton and Todd is Anton is philopshical and self aware of his evil. Todd thinks he's an alright guy, at least Uncle Jack says so!
the actor that played todd played his character perfectly, in such a short run of the characters life, he did a great job expressing the character in a way that makes you empathize with him for being misunderstood, but also remember he was raised by psychopathic guardian.
as with all of breaking bad, it's really sad how emotionally stunted he was due to his family and upbringing. despite his inability to really feel empathy for others, he definitely somewhat longed for relationships even if he didn't understand how to. i hope others who feel low empathy know that they aren't like todd, they're human and deserve love and aren't any less of those just because of their low empathy
From what we saw in the show, the low amount of empathy might have been learned, not a genetic predisposition. A necessity to protect oneselfs mental state when growing up around brutes and goons.
@@Jonathanizer en realidad hay varias escenas en donde muestra sentirla, cuando muere hank se le ve mostrando respeto a walter porque era su familia, cuando mato a su nana la llevo a un lugar que considero lindo, se le veia poco predispuesto a matar a andrea porque sabia que jessi sufria, incluso es probable que trate como mascota a jessi porque ve que es la manera correcta en como tratarlo ya que es un esclavo, no un compañero
@@juanpablogarcia6293 From what i gather from google translate, i think we mostly agree. Todd has the capacity, but is emotionally stunted and doesn't let it show. As i said, the most plausible explanation to me is, it's a survival reflex.
You made a lot of valid points about Todd that I always noticed but couldn’t quite put together about how and why just how he comes across as eerie, uncanny, strange, yet cold blooded. Even the kid like responses he often relayed so casually for so many episodes….. made him even more disturbing of a killer tbh. Well done
Really like the new video style where you cut between the visual examples and you speaking from the chair. I think it really adds to the presence you create with your narration
Todd looks like your brother you could count on to pick you up whenever you need him. That's why it was one of those shockong moments in the show when he killed that kid Drew.
I think Todd, more than any other person, is the most terrifying part of season 5. I remember my first watch of the show and i was surprised by him when he first showed up. Hes polite, almost nice, and shows a lot of respect for Walt and Jesse. And then the end of dead freight happens.
What a great video, it shows how different and well written most if not all Breaking Bad characters are if you can do a whole episode on a side character
To be fair, he also put a science-related ringtone for Walt. I think he just uses relevant custom ringtones for different people he knows. He’s certainly obsessed with Lydia, but that scene there doesn’t necessarily prove it.
Nah, I don’t think that counts. He probably didn’t even realize that Walt was the one who did it. He was trying to assess the threat and determine where it came from before helping Jack. Remember that Jack told Walt Todd would never forgive him if he killed him and that Todd held a little funeral for his housekeeper. He clearly likes some people and doesn’t want them to die, so I’m sure he loved his uncle. He just had to deal with the threat first, but Jesse got him before he could figure it out.
@@capncake8837 its not that i think he didn't care about all his loved ones dying, its the fact that he was basically entirely calm in that situation that showed me without a doubt. Any mentally healthy human in that situation would be panicked and filled to the brim with adrenaline. Todd crawled over to the window, calmly looked out, and started speaking calmy, without even a shake in his voice, to Walt.
Thanks for another video so soon vile! You're the best! Todd is truly one of the darkest villains of the show i always thought that if Jesse is Walter White's "son", then Todd is the direct offspring of Heisenberg. I'd also say that Todd is Jesse with no loyalty, Gale with no aesthetics, Mike with no code. He’s a tool who’s perfectly content with having no other identity than how others might want to use him.
Todd is one of my favourite characters in the entire series. He is frighteningly loyal, yet remorseless and with seemingly no morality whatsoever. Todd is an extremely dangerous man because he would do literally anything he's told without questioning it.
@@MultiMasterfelixChris Partlow was the truth. He still had his own sense of morals tho. He was elite soldier like Wee-bey, except deadlier…much deadlier.
@@gurrierpl that doesn’t make him evil. He’s hustling for his grandchild. It would absolutely be laughable to see Mike discussed on this channel. That’s like wanting to see a random GI from WW2 on the channel because he killed for his country. You have no idea what you’re talking about so I’m not going to continue this conversation, especially with a person of short intelligence who is quite obviously uneducated in the world of psychology. Ta ta.
Oh please the fact that he knows that murder is wrong even if only from a logical standpoint, but he commits it anyway. That is the very definition of evil. This is why psychopath cannot use psychopathy as a legal definition of insanity. A psychotic cannot be blamed for their actions, but a psychopath knows the difference between right and wrong yet they commit criminal activities anyway
4:27 It's interesting that you bring up that possibility - because IIRC Jack and Todd's actors developed backstories for the characters to help flesh out their development, where Todd's mom kept having abusive boyfriends, so Jack kept constantly killing them to protect his sister, which caused him to take Todd under his wing because he didn't want to deal with the headache.
When I see a new upload & it's a character I recognize (~70% of the time) I always think "Damn that's a gooood one." His scene in El Camino driving down the highway singing with Jesse and the housekeeper in the trunk summarizes his whole character IMO. People like this actually exist in our world. Thank you Vile for the excellent content!
The actor's performance is just phenomenal. I really am focused on him whenever I see him, especially his parts in Fargo S2 and that really weird Star Trek homage on Black Mirror.
People have a very skewed perception of how antisocial personality disorder manifests in people both outwardly and iwardly. This is a fantastic explanation of what a common psychopath/sociopath would be like as opposed to a more severe example. Imo its a spectrum like many other mental disorders/afflictions
Please do at least one of these villains I’d be on cloud 9 if u did - Darksied (dc comics) - Phil leotardo (sopranos) - Pablo Escobar (narcos) #1 contender - Avon Barksdale (the wire) - Homelander (the boys)
Todd is such a fascinating character. He is a guy who at first seems totally normal. Someone you would meet and start talking with about what you did during the weekend and stuff. And he tells you he murdered someone and shows you pictures of the dead body. This is the true face of evil.
Todd's presence is unsettling as you get to know him throughout the seasons. HOWEVER, EVERYONE around his uncle is off-putting IMMEDIATELY in some way.
Both are great, but Todd is how we all can experience people with psychopathy in real life. Of course they rarely kill, but ruin other people in other ways, like abusing the law.
A great choice. Todd is one of the most interesting characters in this show. I'd love to see some of the villains from Sons of Anarchy like Clay and Pope.
Suggestions Again: Dr. Christian Szell - Marathon Man David Kleinfeld - Carlito's Way Rick Masters - To Live And Die In LA Brad Whitewood Sr. - At Close Range Nino Brown - New Jack City
Amidst all Literary mediums - Books, TV, Drama, Film and Video Games - I can think of few villains, if any, who I grew to absolutely despise with such intensity, more than Todd Alquist. Andrea's death was certainly one of the darkest moments in TV. I particularly liked the discussion of Todd's outward "normality", something that makes him all the more frightening. That he can go from his banal, childlike friendliness, to an act of psychological torture & murder like the killing of Andrea without a moment's thought is genuinely terrifying. It is also a truly sobering notion to consider the truth that people like this, are not like Antoine Chigurh or the Joker; they don't wear their psychopathy outwardly. They actively work to mask and hide their true natures. This was a very frightening and dark episode. Brilliant work, as always.
Suggestions: Hector Salamanca from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul Hopper from A Bug's Life Mike Ehrmantraut from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul The Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2 Vilos Cohaagen from Total Recall
He’s essentially the perfect partner/minion for Walter white He’s devoid of emotions but can blend in just well enough And, mostly importantly, he does what he’s told
One of the best if not THE best character written in this show. Also a perfect casting that really put Ugly Matt Damon on the map for me as one of the most underrated actors in the business.
Todd is the embodiment of the term “Affably Evil”. Unlike Gus, who politeness and kindness are a facade, Todd’s niceness is entirely genuine despite the fact that he’s tortured and murdered innocent people.
I struggled for a bit to understand the difference between faux affably evil and affably evil, but I think I've got it now.Feel free to correct me if and where I'm wrong. It's the difference between people like Gus and people like Lalo. A Gus will drop the affable part when torturing or killing someone, while a Lalo would still be smiling, chatting joking...just still having a good time while committing these horrific acts
@@an-animal-loverwow I think ur spot on
@@tdog1143 yay
YES!!
You got it!!
@@PzedP1818 Excellent example.
Todd is such a terrifying kind of evil. The evil of apathy. He feels no pleasure, anger, annoyance, or hesitance when committing his atrocities.
Honestly, I think someone who feels absolutely nothing while doing it is even scarier than someone who enjoys it.
@@thewandererslibrary9928business as usual
I am around addicts a lot. Addicts are often sociopaths. All addicts are sociopaths to some degree to be honest. Some of them are like Todd. He's realistic as Hell.
Like Roose Bolton
@@Skoopyghostwtf?
Him luring Andrea outside to murder her in front of Jesse was one of the most vile scenes in TV/film that I’ve ever witnessed
I have to skip through that part when rewatching. The sound Jesse makes when he sees Andrea shot just fractures my soul. Even knowing that Aaron was only an actor acting in a scene doesn’t make it easier to watch.
I'm glad it wasn't just me who feels that way. Honestly, that particular scene bothered me so much I pretty much stopped watching television entirely after that. I haven't owned a TV in probably 12 yrs.
@@HandsomeHank5150 you’re soft😂
There's so many emotional motiffs in that scene. The unfairness of an innocent being killed, the arrogance of Walter for having unwittingly sold him to slavery and guiding these scum to her house, the helplessness of having to watch such an atrocity, and the unquenchable wrath you now have for her killer, which you used to just hate.
I can understand the people who can't watch that scene. It's a hard clip.
Aaron Paul's acting definitely helped in that scene
Todd is the sort of dude who you could go bowling with. He'd buy a pizza for the group, tell you about a funny T.V. show he'd been watching, shoot a child in the face, finish the pizza, and go right back to telling about the T.V. show.
He needs to do Kratos
How annoying was the kid?
Definitely shouldn’t go bowling with him he’ll make you the pins
@@sebastianriemer1777his dirtbike was loud
@@sebastianriemer1777He trapped a tarantula. Unforgivable
I love how the show lures you into a false sense of security with Todd, by presenting him as a polite young man who never even gets mad.
To be fair I don't think there is a single moment where Todd gets mad
Exactly bro.
he just feels like a generic background character who might receive some slight development and then.....THAT scene happened
The most vicious evil always comes unexpectedly. They come to you with smiles
When he first showed up, my immediate gut reaction was 'oh no, this guy seems nice. Walt's gonna kill him, isn't he?'.
I wish Walt had.
I rapidly went from hoping Todd would survive, to wanting him dead with a passion
The most terrifying thing about Todd is that theres truly people like him out there. They are pefectly polite yet they see murder and torture as. Chores no different than buying milk
That kid had nothing to lose.
its all just is part of the job for him
I felt the same about Anders Breivik. The photo that circulated about him at the time showed a normal looking guy. You wouldn't have thought of anything bad if you had seen him walking down the street.
A huge chuck of some of the most charismatic people are either sociopaths or psychopaths.
@@manwiththeredface7821 It is this societal flaw that allows the real mosters walk among us. Personally, anyone that's very charismatic and socially aware I am skeptical of.
There are then tests you can use to further determine, like any blank hawkish staring they might do, or catching them slip up while masking an emotion ore over doing the emotion.
I knew someone like this in high school. Idk where they are now or if they ever did anything malicious, but they did used to get in trouble sometimes. He deoesn't come off like a kid that does tho, which is an little unnerving.
Todd's personality is like a robot for me . He has no emotion or conflict within him , he just does the task he is told to do without any hesitation or question.
He is your average Todd. Todd gonna do what Todd gonna do.
No, he does have certain motivations, such as approval of the "adults," and his childish desire for Lydia.
Then you didn't pay attention.
Todd is kinda like an AI programmed to be friendly and affable yet will also do whatever is necessary above all other tasks or protocols to ensure success. Todd is the poster child for a task orientated psychopath with a high functioning social personality. Whereas someone like Alex DeLarge from Clockwork Orange genuinely enjoys hurting, raping, killing etc, Todd is absolutely emotionless and uncaring one way or the other.
Todd’s are the kind of people who allow for things like genocide to occur, someone who will just carry out a task no hesitation and feels absolutely nothing about it since it’s simply part of their job.
The character of Todd really sneaks up on you, you think 'he's gonna die in two episodes' but then he literally enslaves Jesse and becomes one of the main antagonists of the later part of the series
Thanks for the spoilers
@@guiyome325why would you watch this video then bro 😭
@@guiyome325why are you complaining 💀
@@guiyome325 walter white dies btw
@@NonConsensual nice bait
16:12 I've always took Todd's reaction to the machine gun as it not even occurring to him that Walt is the one responsible for it. Maybe had he lived a minute longer he would have figured it out, because he wasn't completely stupid, but I think his first instinct was that an enemy third party had attacked them, because his respect for Walt couldn't reconcile with the reality of Walt's hateful vengeance against him and his group.
Well reasoned and I tend to agree
I think you're right. He has genuine respect and reverence for Walt, so it likely never occurred to him that Walt would be capable of planning a revenge plot over months and carrying it out.
This is actually consistent with Todd's lack of insight into others' minds. He totally misunderstands Walts' motivations. Walt is a vulnerable narcissist, not a psychopath. He wanted to look into Jack's eyes as he destroyed everything Jack loves and takes back "ownership" of Sky Blue.
Todd treats sudden, brutal violence as just part of the business. If you need to do it, that's ok and to be expected. But if you don't need to kill someone, then that's ok, too.
When Todd's role models are gone, he's adrift, unsure of what to do. That's when Jesse gets the drop on him because it simply never occurs to Todd that Jesse wouldn't want to be friends after all that he has done to Jesse.
@@mrkeoghhad someone like Jack survived, I have no doubt that he would've tried killing Walt.
Excellent point. 👍
Actually that's not the case.. Todd simply doesn't care and definitely can't love .. Unlike the Salamancas, who are sociopaths have some family or colleagues they care about... However Todd is a psychopath.. incapable of love... Even when his whole family is dead, it doesn't matter.. what matters is he's not dead..
The craziest part about Todd is that after Walt uses the gun to kill the neo nazis, he doesn’t even fear being killed by Jesse or Walt. He probably doesn’t even understand why it was done in the first place.
it shows his social absence
The only thing scarier than a monster who knows why they’re a monster is a monster who DOESN’T know why they’re a monster.
“Mr. White?”
He didn't even care about his Uncle and friends being gunned down
He was stupid. Not completely unintelligent, but stupid nonetheless.
The scariest thing about Todd is that he started out as a background character that seemed totally harmless, and then he’s revealed to be an absolute monster.
The best TV villain ever, in my opinion.
Imo the greatest television villains are Walter White and Tony Soprano
Smoking crack
Todd is great but I’d argue Gus is the best and most iconic, along with the Governor from Walking Dead
@@PolishGod1234I agree. There are contenders for this position.
It's a big reason they picked Landry from Friday Night Lights. To add to that shock value.
"just so you know this isnt personal" Chilling
Scene was hilarious
IT IS! IT IS PERSONAL....
@@_MaZTeR_😂😂
"I'm sorry for your loss."
He sent Andrea on a trip to Belize. Truly an American hero.
I found Todd so disturbing I avoided anything Jesse Plemons was in for too long. He is a wonderful actor, very underrated. Thank you for covering this one.
He was very good in _Killers of the Flower Moon._
He was good in Black Mass. I agree, he is a good actor.
He also appeared in Fargo Season 2. He has a good range of acting.
Besides Killers of the Flower Moon he's fantastic in Game Night.
He played another creepy character in the episode USS Callister of Black Mirror...not too dissimilar from Todd in fact lol!
He really did ask if they could take Jessie in as a slave in the manner that a child might ask his parents if they could keep a stray dog they happened upon.
in fact on el camino there is a scene where Todd takes Jesse from the cage and before going out he licks his hands to caress Jesse s hair to make it look better and promises him to try washing him more often, just like dealing with a pet.
@SalvatoriusMyspace and when he oats Jesse's face when they get the the place they bury that house cleaner.
The scariest part of Todd is that he straight up doesn't know what he's doing is evil.
Not an "I don't care" sort of evil. Just..."I do"
it’s just a “what? what’s wrong? why are you so scared?” after he just murdered someone’s whole family
I felt really bad for him when he died I really wanted him to be able to find some better people to be with he always felt like a little kid that accidentally hung with the wrong people
His death didn't bother me but there is a tragic angle with him. Whether be was born with psychopathic traits or acquired them from being around Jack, there's a really good chance he would be a mostly normal (if a bit weird) kid if he hadn't grown up under people like Jack.
@@TheUnmitigatedDawn that's not scary.. Todd doesn't enjoy murdering others. Nor is he sadistic. You want to know, who to fear ?? Fear Ramsay Bolton.. that guy is genuinely scary. He tortures simply for entertainment and does unspeakable acts of terror. Pure evil through and through.
Here's a funny thought the orange hair kid that Jesse saved with the junkie parents can probably turn out like todd...
Todd is the most accurate portrayal of a psychopath I’ve ever seen, he’s not unpleasant, he doesn’t enjoy killing he just doesn’t see a problem with it because he has no concept of empathy
I wish we had more info on the circumstances that led to Todd being raised by Jack. We assume his parents died, but have no idea how. It'd be super twisted if Jack saw potential in Todd, but thought it was being wasted by his parents, and arranged a way to kill them. Todd of course would have no idea.
His parents were possibly hard core left-wingers that believed in equality.
To him it's like swatting a mosquito or cleaning up a spillage.
No big deal 🤷🏻♂️
THE MOST EVIL 😈 TODD TWISTED CHARACTER.
@@BrandonScott-mi5pz He’s not the most evil by far.
I think he needs to work more on getting out of mafia/gang roles. Seen him in those a bit too much.
The best part is his antithesis in Jesse as a character, they couldn't be more oppositie. And it makes Jesse that much more heroic in how he escaped being a bad person compared to everyone else in the series
Seriously though, it’s thematically undeniable how much they actively oppose each other. While Todd appears to be a seemingly normal, if not upstanding and trustworthy man, Jesse at face value is a worthless thug pissing his life away. Todd carries himself with soft spoken politeness, while Jesse is oftentimes abrasive and crude. Todd does what he’s told with minimal fuss, while Jesse rejects authority and comes to resent his actions of “loyalty”. Most importantly, Jesse wept for the man he shot in cold blood. He wept for both of the women in his life who died for being close to him. He wept for the children he found along the way of the sick and twisted road he walked. Meanwhile Todd killed a child, an innocent woman, enslaved a man, and who knows what other heinous shit he could’ve done in his life, without even batting an eye.
Oh wow I didn't even think of that but you're both absolutely right! That's really cool!
Didnt jesse shot the other very nice cook in the face? No good guys in this show.
@@wittyjoker4631 because of psychological pressure from Walt, remember?
@@keithfilibeck2390 ah so someone told him to do it... then that makes it all ok?
I like how the honking gesture in El Camino was improv, fits his character perfectly
Whats most interesting about Todd is that he's not written like an antagonist like the rest of the villains from the BB/BCS universe. He isn't always a step ahead of the main characters and never acts as a large, looming threat over them. In fact, he's the reason Jesse even survives to see the end. I think Todd is a rare case of a villain not being an antagonist.
Meth Damon
What I find interesting is that he’s married to Kirsten Dunst (MJ from original spiderman) 🙃
@@LazyLizzy706and he got fat😂
@@LazyLizzy706 lol for some reason I’m highly offended that you referenced MJ and not THE BABY VAMPIRE! Tbh the fact that Kirsten Dunst did such an exceptional job as a cold hearted baby vampire playing against Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise at such a young age is scarier than anything on BB lol 😂
The seemingly nice displays of Todd were mere echoes of what Todd's humanity would have been had he been raised properly in his formative years. Truly a tragic figure.
Best comment about Todd I so far read about. Congrats. Everyone weirdly thinks he is the “perfect psycho” or something. Todd is a victim of his environment he takes no pleasure from killing
I think I know a few people that are "weird" in this way....but they have stable and decent lives, they don't lust for violence or blood
He's just doing his base "programming" in a way, he's strange and lacking in humanity but he's not a monster
Todd would’ve made a great secret service agent. Bro could’ve had a career in killing/dealing in heinous acts that would never see the light of day.
Very true.
First off, i think you mean secret agent, not secret service. The secret service protects the president and other high ranking public servants, what you are talking about is espionage, sabotage etc.
Secondly, Todd would not be fit for such a role. He is not intelligent enough and lacks the ability to read situations or people. He only works within this framework, because his obedience and unassuming demeanor makes him useful and reliable for ordinary tasks, and get along with brutes without causing a stir. A good foot soldier, nothing more. He could never maneuver the mine field of high espionage.
"Here i go killing again"
That would have been terrifyingly fitting for him ngl
Or perfect soldier
Todd is without a doubt the most realistic portrayal of a psychopath ever put on television.
I’d say Anton Chigurh and Jack are more realistic as psychopathic characters, but he’s a fantastic one.
Marlo and Snoop from the Wire are realistic psychos as well. And Agent Knox from Boardwalk Empire
@heisenberg no
@@MinnowTF Which Jack? Also Anton isnt really a probable representation of a psychopath as much Todd was. However, he is still realistic in the sense that people like him do exist.
He’s up there but some characters from The Sopranos are pretty realistic too. Tony Soprano included.
Hes so naive yet kills without remorse, its so terrifyingly dark and twisted that he doesnt understand the evil that he commits and acts as if hes an unaware child performing a task his elders gave him.
The scariest thing about Todd Alquist is that despite his monstrous behavior, one can still recognize him as a tragic figure. It is apparent that he was once a boy who could have grown up into a normal human being, but that chance was squeezed out of him by circumstance.
That said, Todd's death is one of the most justified, satisfying deaths in all of television. It was the real catharsis of Felina, not the gunning down that happened seconds prior.
Plemons was perfectly casted here. That everyman vibe of his appearance gets more and more sinister as the story progresses. Pretty good analysis of that character's evil.
Perfectly cast.😊
@@Mostopinionatedmanofalltimegood opinion man
I didn't expect to see Todd so soon. He's definetly one of the most underrated villians.
Vile Eye looks like that one really chill nightclub bouncer who'll have a friendly chat with you and looks out for everyone, but won't hesitate to absolutely annihilate someone who starts a fight or gets caught with drugs.
😭😭😭
Bro is in the meth lab 😂
Sid Haig.
He looks and sounds ai generated which makes it even more terrifying to know that he's A Real Person who actually looks moves and sounds like that
I was wondering... @@Mae_Dastardly
He's a special kind of evil amongst those in Breaking Bad. Out of every evil character in the show, he's the one who's most detached with his actions. He simply doesn't feel pleasure doing evil things, he just simply thinks it's right.
Not even really that it's right, but rather, that it's a task, an errand, a chore.
@@TrouvatkiDePercusionit is doing the dishes, it's dirty, he doesn't want to do it, but its a begrudging task that no one else will do (or so he's told)
@@darrenthetuber743 Exactly. It's just a thing to be done. That makes him especially terrifying.
Tuco loves hurting others,
Gus hurts others as long as it's to benefit himself,
But Todd doesn't want to hurt others, but doesn't care if he does.
@@TrouvatkiDePercusionnah he isnt particularly evil i would prefer teaming with him rather than someone like tuco
One of the things mentioned about psychopaths is that there had to be some external factors as to why they are psychopaths. When in reality there could just be that they were simply born that way. No rhyme nor reason, just what you are at the exit of the womb.
Yup. Had a family member like this. Mother described him as 12 going on 35…. There was an awful lot of stuff that went clean over my head. I now know I was going as hard as I could to simply stay out of trouble, and much of what was happening was beyond my limited capacity to perceive. It was many years afterward when I learned in (small) part what had been happening.
I knew Todd was never taught the value of life when I saw that scene with the kid.
Even though it wasn't Todd that did it, when I and my mother first watched the episode where Hank was murdered, when Jack lets Walter keep one barrel of money over the objections of his fellow gang members, my mother said out loud: _"He's a more decent person than Walt. Walt wouldn't even let his old boss at the car wash keep the first dollar he earned."_ Your mention of Todd having a small amount of empathy brought that observation to mind, and I wonder if it's related.
That because Todd respects Walt. Walt never treated Todd bad. Walt didn't respect his old boss. Maybe you forgot but Walt's car wash boss was an @sshole. There a big difference there you are missing
Yeah forget child murder and human enslavement. Taking a dollar from a guy is just too far man…
Tbf Todd liked Walt. Walt rightfully so hated Bogdan and used that dollar to exert power over Bogdan
@@anxiety1018 I think it’s also because Todd has a weird way of fairness for lack of a better word. He thought that Walt should be rewarded for helping them out just like how he was going to give Jesse a pizza in El Camino for helping him dig a hole even asking him what kind of pizza he likes. He genuinely believed that Jesse earned that pizza for his work
Typical, how women see the money aspect over morality.
I remember that the actor compared Todd to the child of the meth addicts trying to break into the ATM. He thought Todd would've grown up and experienced a vast amount of trauma.
todd also looks very physically similar to that child
I believe that could be interpreted as an unintentional metaphor for Jesse’s decision to keep selling meth.
You could argue this experience was Jesse’s moral test by god or something to see if he would keep selling drugs to the meth addicts after seeing how it affected others. After he kept selling, fate decided to give him karma.
Obviously Jesse’s crime didn’t fit the punishment, but it’s food for thought.
@@Noah_BanyasVery true because that kids father "Spooge" was actually a normal looking guy in better call Saul. The influx of meth tore that whole area up as Jesse and Walt stacked their millions
@@sholomoone I always thought Todd had the features of fetal alcohol syndrome. Wide nose, slinty eyes.....
Todd is (in my opinion) the scariest kind of evil. The man who sees no difference from Murder and filling your car with gas. I’d love to see you cover Mike in the next episode that covers Breaking Bad
Are you from New Jersey? Everybody else fills their own gas. Random comment lol I know
God yes I want a Mike episode. Easily one of my favorite characters in the show
A subtle detail from the episode where Todd kills the young boy: At the start of the episode, it shows the kid on his dirt bike finding a spider, and curiously observing it, before putting it in a jar and moving off before the opening sequence starts. In the next. episode, Todd is shown looking at this same spider, with the same mannerisms and wonder as the young boy he murdered in the episode prior. This gives further characterization of Todd effectively having the mindset of a child, and not really having a keen understanding of the world around him. I always found that parallel fascinating when I first watched breaking bad years ago.
I wonder if this is the same spider he keeps in his apartment in El Camino.
@@natsomething0 Yeah, it’s meant to be. I guess he used some of Walt’s stash to buy it a new container and take care of it (unlike what they did for Jesse).
Todd and Jack are astonishingly well written characters and the acting is impressive. It’s the intelligence mixed with sociopathy that really chilled me. No remorse, no guilt but both following their own internal logic.
Some of the best villains I’ve seen in any show.
Intelligence?. Todd is polite, but hardly intelligent after months of practice he couldn’t even get waltz blue meth recipe, correctLol
@@TashaRial he is quite intelligent as he always thinks based on logic, like when he refused to kill Skyler when cops were guarding her home as It would draw attention
I think Hector Salamanca also deserves a video on his own. He was one of the founding leaders of the Cartel, the main antagonistic force across the Breaking Bad Universe, trained all of his nephews including Lalo Salamanca into becoming the monsters they have become and was also the cause of Gustavo Fring dedicating the last 20 years of his life to avenging the death of his boyfriend.
The man is almost literally the root of all evil in the franchise.
Hell do one on the entire Salamanca family
@@calvinhuff7873
He already did a video on Lalo tho. As much as I hate to say this, Tuco and the Twins don't really have that much going for them like Hector or Lalo had if you understand what I'm saying.
But Hector is literally the worst of the worst in a universe already filled with drug lords, a corrupt lawyer, shady companies and even being worse than a gang of Nazis.
Boyfriend?
@@rajghosh217
Yeah, Gus is gay and Max was his boyfriend. Have you even watched the shows?
@@WhyTho525they never fully stated he was his boyfriend
Ill never forget how quickly my stomach dropped after they finished robbing the train and Todd just so casually murdered that kid. Probably the most shocking moment in fictional television history.
And he keeps the kids spider in his room
That was a serious "WTF" moment. 😮😮😮😮
So used to carrying out atrocities that when he saw the boy he pulled out his gun and fired.
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul have some of the most complex portrayals of evil in entertainment
The two scenes that had me shocked was
1. Him putting on the suit immediately after torturing Jesse like he was his best bud/coworker.
2. Him being so casual about Walter gunning down his family and friends, being more impressed about the mechanics than scared or vengeful.
Vince Gillian said the direction was supposed to be Todd under the effects of adrenaline, see what was outside, then turn around. Y’all are digging too deep into this. “This was the moment Walter became Heisenberg” oh please 💀
I’m pretty sure he was upset about his family and friends getting killed, but he was trying to assess the situation and threat. He barely had time to even process it. That part specifically isn’t really a testament to his apathy.
With people you meet who are like Todd, it's scary to think whether or not they would have turned out differently if their experiences didn't leave them with the conclusion that "murder is ok"
The one thing that always stood out to me is how he decided to go against Lydia’s demand to kill Walt’s family. He was obsessed with Lydia and would do anything for her yet defied her in this instance and took mercy on the family. That’s what made my think that he is not completely evil. Also we know nothing about his upbringing but my guess is that it was mostly with Uncle Jack, so that made him into a bad person in most ways because it’s all he has ever known.
I'm obsessed with Lydia, She's hot.
I also suspect, from what we know in the Breaking Bad universe, his lack of empathy is not a predisposition, but must be learned, probably due to growing up around brutes and goons, and the things he witnessed and heard. It is useful for him and his mind to be this way, as a self protection measure, and despite trying to be obedient and useful (also a learnt self protection mechanism) he looks for small openings to let out what little humanity he has left in him. A nuanced character, where one person is not reduced to a single trait. Many characters on Breaking Bad are complex, even a somewhat stunted simpleton like Todd.
That one may have also been motivated by him having respect for Walt.
Based Todd I‘m also obsessed with Lydia
Pragmatism. It would’ve been a stupid move to kill Skyler while the cops were surveying the house. I’m willing to bet Todd brought Lydia’s request to Nazi Jack himself and Jack forbid them from actually killing Skyler because it would draw heat to them.
Todd is a robot. Follows his leader, doesn’t question anything, just goes along with indifference and zero care. Chilling
It's not a predisposition, its a mechanism to protect himself, learnt in early childhood. Thats what growing up around brutes and goons can do for you, and what you yourself must become to minimize risk and pain to yourself. He is not inherently bad or sadist, he just learnt to not make a fuss about such things and to view them as normal part of life.
Also he is really bad at reading people, and a bit dense.
Incredibly scary character, you’re always on edge in his scenes. Sometimes he comes off as a kid wanting to help out best he can but sometimes we see the monster he is.
I love that you don’t make these videos to just talk about how evil some characters are. You actually dive into what’s behind the evil, but you do it without ever excusing the evil.
I loved the touch, that Todd kept the pet spider as his own. Not like a serial killer's "trophy," but bc it's a cool. Another example that, at heart, Todd is still a disconnected little boy without a heart. Being the youngest, Todd probably grew up quite lonely.
I recall that the actor who plays Todd stated he thinks Todd grew up in an environment similar to the kid who loved with Spooge and his girlfriend/wife.
I’ve also heard that Jack’s actor has his own theory that Todd was rescued from said environment by his uncle, with Todd’s mother possibly being a drug addict.
@@capncake8837 It's refreshing that the actors playing such characters have that awareness of such situations....and sad that those said situations are very real and present that this show is based on a lot of the reality of those
@@TheBfutgreg Yes, I agree.
I’m at the conclusion that Todd Alquist represents what Jesse Pinkman would have been like if Walter White fully corrupted him
Just the way he killed all those innocent people while being kind really tells you the mind of this dude.
polite. not kind
It’s always been a very underrated performance from Jesse Plemons. This character could have been a very stereotypical henchman-like villain but the subtle nuisances in his demeanor that Plemons integrated into the role made Todd more lifelike and consequentially, more terrifying.
As a behavioral psychologist I can say that Todd is a very unique but not completely unrealistic portrait of anti social personality disorder. He was an incredibly stark and chilling infusion of horror into the otherwise thrill and drama orientation of BB characters
Its so funny when they say Todd is a ‘perfect psycho’ when truly he isnt evil and takes no pleasure. He definitely victim of the lifestyle of his uncle who is the true psycho
@@AY-qy4jn psychopaths aren't evil or malicious, they are just amoral which fits Todd perfectly
@@PolishGod1234 yeah im pretty sure psychopaths are evil. Theres a whole lot of amoral people so there must be millions of psychopaths around us. In fact my neighbors love calling me Clarice
@@AY-qy4jnno, psychopath are not evil. You can read many psychologic book who explain that with many scientific detaiks. Its deeper that " they are evil guys ".
@@KS-sy9cc yeah its deeper than that but it all ultimately boils down to that my friend
Todd is definitely an unsettling character, but only after you see enough of him. If you only saw him for the Train heist and after killing the kid, he'd come off as just another person that Gus Fring can hire to do cruel acts for him. But it's his actions with Jesse that really show you how messed up he is. That and he was able to talk Jesse out of killing him when Todd let his own gun out of sight. And he did so without directly begging for his life either, just talking Jesse down.
So Todd is my favorite character in this series. I'm so happy they gave him as much depth as they did
This has been one of your best videos by far. You don't come at a purely evil person with distain, but one from empathy, understanding why he is the way he is. Is Todd evil? Maybe. But he is a victim of circumstances
There is no way he can be a favourite character for me. He is another great villain in the series, but he is no Gus Fring or even Walter White.
@@captainhowlerwilson508 he's not a villain, not is he supposed to be. He's a complicated simple person that was born from evil. But in almost every scene you can see the empathetic guy he could have been.
@@CharlieKellyEsq Sure, but he became a remorseless psychopath that I felt nothing for and wanted nothing for him but an agonising death, which he got.
That long pause intro made me LOL
Jesse Plemmons is a phenomenal actor and does not get enough credit. This char gave me chills!
Jesse Plemons has such a boyish charm, but when he clipped that kid who waved at him I never realised he be playing some of the most evil characters going forward(can't wait to see him in Civil War)
I think Jesse would lowkey make for a good episode since no one considers him a bad/evil guy but he has done bad/evil things.
Jesse is an interesting case of Protagonist Syndrome (where the audience is more forgiving of main characters because they witness more of their struggle - not to be mistaken for Main Character Syndrome where someone thinks they're the 'protagonist' of life). If you look at him purely from a detached, character sense, Jesse is, ultimately, no better than at least half the characters on Breaking Bad. But people will root for him even when he fucks people over because they see so much of him.
@@trianglemoebiusit's true that Jesse's done things as bad as the others, but the reason why fans don't put him in the same box is because he's the only one who feels remorse for it. Remorse doesn't excuse anything, obviously, but the fact that he feels it does say something compared to the rest of the bad guys
@@goolgepl2112 Sure, but a few characters could feel the same way that were already covered....when the channel is low on options he'll come back probably...and maybe with Badger and Skinny Pete! (mostly joking)
A few possible suggestions for future videos:
* Gul Dukat from _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine_
* Borg Queen from _Star Trek: First Contact_ & _Star Trek: Voyager_
* The Shadows from _Babylon 5_
* Hector Salamanca from _Breaking Bad_ and _Better Call Saul_
* Francis Underwood, Claire Underwood, or Doug Stamper from _House of Cards_
Edited to add Gul Dukat - probably the best antagonist / villain in all of _Star Trek._
You also need to a video on Chuck “not my precious jimmy” McGill too
The REAL difference with Anton and Todd is Anton is philopshical and self aware of his evil. Todd thinks he's an alright guy, at least Uncle Jack says so!
the actor that played todd played his character perfectly, in such a short run of the characters life, he did a great job expressing the character in a way that makes you empathize with him for being misunderstood, but also remember he was raised by psychopathic guardian.
Jesse’s description of Todd as an “Opie dead-eyed POS” is probably his most astute observation.
another touch, which was great, was when Todd smiled when Jessie mentions the murder later on in Hank's house.
as with all of breaking bad, it's really sad how emotionally stunted he was due to his family and upbringing. despite his inability to really feel empathy for others, he definitely somewhat longed for relationships even if he didn't understand how to. i hope others who feel low empathy know that they aren't like todd, they're human and deserve love and aren't any less of those just because of their low empathy
From what we saw in the show, the low amount of empathy might have been learned, not a genetic predisposition. A necessity to protect oneselfs mental state when growing up around brutes and goons.
@@Jonathanizer en realidad hay varias escenas en donde muestra sentirla, cuando muere hank se le ve mostrando respeto a walter porque era su familia, cuando mato a su nana la llevo a un lugar que considero lindo, se le veia poco predispuesto a matar a andrea porque sabia que jessi sufria, incluso es probable que trate como mascota a jessi porque ve que es la manera correcta en como tratarlo ya que es un esclavo, no un compañero
@@juanpablogarcia6293 From what i gather from google translate, i think we mostly agree. Todd has the capacity, but is emotionally stunted and doesn't let it show. As i said, the most plausible explanation to me is, it's a survival reflex.
Mike and Todd’s dynamic is the most underrated one in the whole bb universe
You made a lot of valid points about Todd that I always noticed but couldn’t quite put together about how and why just how he comes across as eerie, uncanny, strange, yet cold blooded. Even the kid like responses he often relayed so casually for so many episodes….. made him even more disturbing of a killer tbh. Well done
Really like the new video style where you cut between the visual examples and you speaking from the chair. I think it really adds to the presence you create with your narration
Todd looks like your brother you could count on to pick you up whenever you need him.
That's why it was one of those shockong moments in the show when he killed that kid Drew.
I love Jesse Plemons’ performance in this show especially in El Camino, cuz I love that Dark Buddy between him and Aaron Paul
I think Todd, more than any other person, is the most terrifying part of season 5. I remember my first watch of the show and i was surprised by him when he first showed up. Hes polite, almost nice, and shows a lot of respect for Walt and Jesse.
And then the end of dead freight happens.
What a great video, it shows how different and well written most if not all Breaking Bad characters are if you can do a whole episode on a side character
Todd making his ringtone a song with the name "Lydia" in it legit gave me shivers. It's the sort of thing an obsessive stalker does.
To be fair, he also put a science-related ringtone for Walt. I think he just uses relevant custom ringtones for different people he knows. He’s certainly obsessed with Lydia, but that scene there doesn’t necessarily prove it.
Todds reaction to his whole family getting murdered is what showed me he is truly a psychopath
💯💯💯💯 Yep
Nah, I don’t think that counts. He probably didn’t even realize that Walt was the one who did it. He was trying to assess the threat and determine where it came from before helping Jack. Remember that Jack told Walt Todd would never forgive him if he killed him and that Todd held a little funeral for his housekeeper. He clearly likes some people and doesn’t want them to die, so I’m sure he loved his uncle. He just had to deal with the threat first, but Jesse got him before he could figure it out.
@@capncake8837 its not that i think he didn't care about all his loved ones dying, its the fact that he was basically entirely calm in that situation that showed me without a doubt. Any mentally healthy human in that situation would be panicked and filled to the brim with adrenaline. Todd crawled over to the window, calmly looked out, and started speaking calmy, without even a shake in his voice, to Walt.
Thanks for another video so soon vile! You're the best! Todd is truly one of the darkest villains of the show i always thought that if Jesse is Walter White's "son", then Todd is the direct offspring of Heisenberg. I'd also say that Todd is Jesse with no loyalty, Gale with no aesthetics, Mike with no code. He’s a tool who’s perfectly content with having no other identity than how others might want to use him.
Todd is one of my favourite characters in the entire series. He is frighteningly loyal, yet remorseless and with seemingly no morality whatsoever. Todd is an extremely dangerous man because he would do literally anything he's told without questioning it.
If you like characters like that, get into Chris Partlow from The Wire. The OG weirdo murderer
@@MultiMasterfelixChris Partlow was the truth. He still had his own sense of morals tho. He was elite soldier like Wee-bey, except deadlier…much deadlier.
I think that Mike Ehrmantraut deserves an episode if we're reviving the BB universe
Mike isn’t evil. This channel is about evil characters.
@@glibglob8755 He definitely is in many ways. Maybe working as a hitman for a cartel as a start?
@@gurrierpl that doesn’t make him evil. He’s hustling for his grandchild. It would absolutely be laughable to see Mike discussed on this channel. That’s like wanting to see a random GI from WW2 on the channel because he killed for his country. You have no idea what you’re talking about so I’m not going to continue this conversation, especially with a person of short intelligence who is quite obviously uneducated in the world of psychology. Ta ta.
@@glibglob8755 Mike has evil inside him. He's done evil things. He, like many of the characters, are complex.
I wouldn't say todd is "evil". Evil is deliberate, Todd is just unable to understand certain things important to most people.
Oh please the fact that he knows that murder is wrong even if only from a logical standpoint, but he commits it anyway. That is the very definition of evil. This is why psychopath cannot use psychopathy as a legal definition of insanity. A psychotic cannot be blamed for their actions, but a psychopath knows the difference between right and wrong yet they commit criminal activities anyway
4:27 It's interesting that you bring up that possibility - because IIRC Jack and Todd's actors developed backstories for the characters to help flesh out their development, where Todd's mom kept having abusive boyfriends, so Jack kept constantly killing them to protect his sister, which caused him to take Todd under his wing because he didn't want to deal with the headache.
When I see a new upload & it's a character I recognize (~70% of the time) I always think "Damn that's a gooood one." His scene in El Camino driving down the highway singing with Jesse and the housekeeper in the trunk summarizes his whole character IMO. People like this actually exist in our world. Thank you Vile for the excellent content!
The actor's performance is just phenomenal. I really am focused on him whenever I see him, especially his parts in Fargo S2 and that really weird Star Trek homage on Black Mirror.
People have a very skewed perception of how antisocial personality disorder manifests in people both outwardly and iwardly. This is a fantastic explanation of what a common psychopath/sociopath would be like as opposed to a more severe example. Imo its a spectrum like many other mental disorders/afflictions
Which is still truly terrifying because it shows you that monsters are truly all around us.
@@mcfrisko834 exactly
It is ridiculous how quickly he let himself go and never lost weight for his wife nor work again.
He only gained weight for another film and lost it not long after el Camino and is looking skinny again right now
Please do at least one of these villains I’d be on cloud 9 if u did
- Darksied (dc comics)
- Phil leotardo (sopranos)
- Pablo Escobar (narcos) #1 contender
- Avon Barksdale (the wire)
- Homelander (the boys)
Phil's a great villain, too bad the show was really vague about how long he spent in the can
I like how you always start talking when the character opens his mouth.
For real. It drives me nuts but it's hilarious at the same time 🤣
I was shattered watching it for the first time. Totally changed the show for me. Thanks for making this!!
This guy embodies what it means to be truly evil. I was waiting for this
He isn't evil as he doesn't understand the weight of his actions
@@PolishGod1234 That's the question, isn't it? Does evil require knowledge and intent, or is it simply the net result of one's actions?
@@PolishGod1234 he knows of the results of his acts he just doesn’t care
@guiden1954 did you not watch the video
@@guiden1954 It's not just that he doesn't care - he doesn't even understand that he *should*.
Todd is such a fascinating character. He is a guy who at first seems totally normal. Someone you would meet and start talking with about what you did during the weekend and stuff. And he tells you he murdered someone and shows you pictures of the dead body. This is the true face of evil.
Todd is literally the dude they’d put to work in the camps in WW2, just guys who do whatever they’re told.
I love that we've been getting to see Viles face more, it makes the video feel more personable to me, also your a handsome bro man, rock it!
He definitely is a good-looking guy.
Todd's presence is unsettling as you get to know him throughout the seasons. HOWEVER, EVERYONE around his uncle is off-putting IMMEDIATELY in some way.
I love his character, best portrayal of a Psychopath ive seen in media
Nah, definitely Anton Chigurh
@@SnootyAndTheRatfinks Todd is way more realistic
Both are great, but Todd is how we all can experience people with psychopathy in real life. Of course they rarely kill, but ruin other people in other ways, like abusing the law.
Another great tv villain that should get a video is Hannibal!
YESSSSSSS and the show's protagonist please!!
I liked Todd. My first thought in the scene was: Damn, they have to shoot the boy, and I was surprised at how quickly Todd acted.
A great choice. Todd is one of the most interesting characters in this show.
I'd love to see some of the villains from Sons of Anarchy like Clay and Pope.
What an insane return to the breaking bad universe. I've been wanting Todd coverage for a while, happy to see this in my notifications!
Two suggestions:
Analyzing Evil: Park Yeon-jin from The Glory
Analyzing Evil: Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen
Suggestions Again:
Dr. Christian Szell - Marathon Man
David Kleinfeld - Carlito's Way
Rick Masters - To Live And Die In LA
Brad Whitewood Sr. - At Close Range
Nino Brown - New Jack City
Amidst all Literary mediums - Books, TV, Drama, Film and Video Games - I can think of few villains, if any, who I grew to absolutely despise with such intensity, more than Todd Alquist. Andrea's death was certainly one of the darkest moments in TV.
I particularly liked the discussion of Todd's outward "normality", something that makes him all the more frightening. That he can go from his banal, childlike friendliness, to an act of psychological torture & murder like the killing of Andrea without a moment's thought is genuinely terrifying.
It is also a truly sobering notion to consider the truth that people like this, are not like Antoine Chigurh or the Joker; they don't wear their psychopathy outwardly. They actively work to mask and hide their true natures.
This was a very frightening and dark episode. Brilliant work, as always.
The actor who plays Todd does an incredibly accurate portrayal of a psychopath. He is simply empty inside.
Meth Damon
Yeah he is hilarious in game night. Plays a similar guy but who is like an autistic lonely cop.
@@nak3dxsnake might have to check it out. Known of him since his small role in “observe and report.”
@@edwardwebb5636 🤣🤣🤣 yes
Suggestions:
Hector Salamanca from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul
Hopper from A Bug's Life
Mike Ehrmantraut from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul
The Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2
Vilos Cohaagen from Total Recall
Hopper and the Fairy Godmother would be so great
He’s essentially the perfect partner/minion for Walter white
He’s devoid of emotions but can blend in just well enough
And, mostly importantly, he does what he’s told
Jesse Plemons is such a great actor. Not much can display it that perfect
One of the best if not THE best character written in this show. Also a perfect casting that really put Ugly Matt Damon on the map for me as one of the most underrated actors in the business.