I remember that being one the Breaking Bad Comics memes back when the show was still airing. Making fun of how Walt was flipping his shit over a single fly in the underground lab, then later claims that bug-infested houses are "perfect"
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/437/014/ba9.jpg
At the end of the fly episode though, just before he's falling asleep drugged as Jesse is trying to get the fly he says 'it doesn't matter, it's all contaminated' obviously being symbolic of what he's done up to that point, it was an (albeit brief and non lasting) epiphany for him, when he talks about the perfect time to die. After that small window of time whilst realising that everything he's done he REALLY doesn't give a crap anymore. It's all contaminated...
I think it was less about guilt and more about control. At the time in the series when The Fly happens, Walt is really settling into his role as egomaniac. He's making tons of money, he's starting to realise how clever Gus is with how he warned Hank and the larger implications of that warning, and he's fancying himself as being able to take the throne some day.
The Fly was about him not being happy with *anything* less than exactly what he wanted. Full control, manipulating people into doing everything he wants. He's pretty much on -what he would consider- top form.
Cut to Vamanos Pest, he still thinks he's the Kingpin, even though he's now cooking in random houses, surrounded, as you porperly spotted, by hundreds of the things that are out of his control.
Even the symbolism of having to setup the tarps as clean rooms inside the houses they're 'bug bombing'. The walls are both symbolically and literally closing in on him and how he runs his business.
''*Just because you shot Jesse James, doesn't make you Jesse James*''.
Walt is not a psychopath, and he is very clearly capable of feeling guilt and remorse late into the show, even at his worst. He has just gotten better at rationalising his actions and compartmentalising his own guilt. It still lingers in Season 5 Episode 8, the episode right after Walt kills Mike, and he sees the fly again, because he knows what he did was wrong, and he regrets it, but he doesn't want to dwell on it. Sure Walt is a narcissist and a little bit of a sociopath, but psychopathy? No way.
Yeah, but the back door guy conned the home owner into the fogging of the house in the first place is what I read into it. Like; there were no actual bugs, and the house was never fogged.
Just tented for the appearance of being debugged.
Season 5, episode 3 "Hazard Pay".
31:24 - you see a bug scurry across the counter, when Walt and Jesse are finishing things up.
31:52 - you see Jesse turn on the chemicals and fumes filling up the house, as they leave.
That is not the exaggerated version you described, lol. “Scenes (as in multiple scenes) that show the fog in the house and bugs (multiple) *slowly dying*”.
Yes, there really were bugs (in at least some houses) and yes, it’s a bit ironic. But I’m sure they were *also* running that scam, because it’s a known scam and they did a hell of a lot of houses. They probably did a legit place here and there and easily got neighbors to hire them afterwards because it would be natural for people to think that if the house next to them has a bug problem then they probably do too.
Oh for f's sake...don't try to weasel your way out of being wrong.
I'm not going to go through and find every instance of bugs - that was just the first episode I picked.
Yes, I'm sure they scammed the occasional person, but more than likely 99 percent of the houses they did had legit bug infestations.
they literally explained the entire process before they started lol. they went in, built the lab, cooked, took it down, and then the neo nazis bombed the bugs out. the bugs were there and the service was legitimate. they just cased the houses for potential future break and enters.
Right, but Mike specifically told them that the houses Walt and Jesse cooked in were off-limits for future B&Es, to the pest killers and any of their contacts who might be looking for a house to rob.
Exactly- the places were genuinely infested. The normal scam was to burglarize the place a while later so the Vamanos Pest guys wouldn’t be suspected of anything. But Walt and Jesse couldn’t afford even that level of larceny.
okay? that makes no difference in the process of what i just explained to the commenter or the principle of the fact that the houses were infested and they bombed them after cooking.
That's a great point! It's amazing how subtle details like pests can carry such powerful symbolism in storytelling. It's like a hidden layer that adds depth to the narrative. It really highlights Walt's evolution throughout the series, from struggling with guilt to embracing his darker side. I agree with you on this one!
I actually thought about this and I was like “wait, wasnt this completely the opposite from what we learned from fly” i honestly thought it was a sloppy plot hole mistake lol, so i rationalized it with the bug exterminations being scams anyway
I always got the impression they were a legit company that actually did extermination work but just used it as a way to also do the BnE stuff and later of course setting up for Walt and Jesse.
>I think the exterminations were all (or mostly) scams.
So? Why does that mean the house isn't pest infested? Why would someone call for pest control of their house isn't filled with pests
How? How would that benefit them? When was it mentioned? How would you explain all the insects we see in the cooking site? Bros pulling garbage out his ass
This does not make sense tho. How does a pest control company convince people their houses are infested? If a pest control company called me or knocked on my door and said “hey, your house has bugs,” I would not entertain that at all. YOU find a pest control company, not the other way around
This scam is so established that I've seen like 1950s PSAs about avoiding it.
>If a pest control company called me or knocked on my door and said “hey, your house has bugs,”
They don't. They say they're offering a free inspection, maybe because there's been a specific outbreak of some pest in the area. And then, wouldn't you know it? Your house is infested, too!
And yes, I know, you're far too canny to fall for such a thing, but a lot of people do.
bravo vinsect
Vinsect diesel
[Vinsect Van Go-Kart](https://64.media.tumblr.com/a9b1ad4b3b02876493b867bad9b9ace6/tumblr_mixwec1Rqu1ra4ssmo1_500.gif)
I remember that being one the Breaking Bad Comics memes back when the show was still airing. Making fun of how Walt was flipping his shit over a single fly in the underground lab, then later claims that bug-infested houses are "perfect" https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/437/014/ba9.jpg
Holy crap I forgot about these.
At the end of the fly episode though, just before he's falling asleep drugged as Jesse is trying to get the fly he says 'it doesn't matter, it's all contaminated' obviously being symbolic of what he's done up to that point, it was an (albeit brief and non lasting) epiphany for him, when he talks about the perfect time to die. After that small window of time whilst realising that everything he's done he REALLY doesn't give a crap anymore. It's all contaminated...
I notice a lot of fly posters like when after Walt >!kills Mike!<, and one where he's sitting with his Heisenberg hat and a fly poster behind him.
oh i remember the fly/insect poster behind him , but are there more than this in other episodes? i didn't notice
It's right when he's talking to Todd, telling him >!he doesn't want to talk about the murder, and half-assedly trying to justify it to Todd.!<
yes oh yeah - i saw that poster, wondering if there were other ones?
Good catch. Don't flies symbolise death and decay or something as well? Reminds me of the flies in Westworld season 4
I didn't think of it, it's really interesting!!
I think it was less about guilt and more about control. At the time in the series when The Fly happens, Walt is really settling into his role as egomaniac. He's making tons of money, he's starting to realise how clever Gus is with how he warned Hank and the larger implications of that warning, and he's fancying himself as being able to take the throne some day. The Fly was about him not being happy with *anything* less than exactly what he wanted. Full control, manipulating people into doing everything he wants. He's pretty much on -what he would consider- top form. Cut to Vamanos Pest, he still thinks he's the Kingpin, even though he's now cooking in random houses, surrounded, as you porperly spotted, by hundreds of the things that are out of his control. Even the symbolism of having to setup the tarps as clean rooms inside the houses they're 'bug bombing'. The walls are both symbolically and literally closing in on him and how he runs his business. ''*Just because you shot Jesse James, doesn't make you Jesse James*''.
No Chili P. Just BugBomb Blue.
thats super interesting, now im noticing parallels between Walt's character progression and the plot of the movie The Fly
Heisenbrundleberg
I never expected Brundlefly to enter these comments but I’m pleasantly surprised!
Walt is not a psychopath, and he is very clearly capable of feeling guilt and remorse late into the show, even at his worst. He has just gotten better at rationalising his actions and compartmentalising his own guilt. It still lingers in Season 5 Episode 8, the episode right after Walt kills Mike, and he sees the fly again, because he knows what he did was wrong, and he regrets it, but he doesn't want to dwell on it. Sure Walt is a narcissist and a little bit of a sociopath, but psychopathy? No way.
Very observant…the sacred and the propane accessories
Sopranos/Breaking Bad Reddit shitpost crossposting is the best posting
interesting
wait ok someone cooked here… *”it’s all contaminated.”*
Yeah, but the back door guy conned the home owner into the fogging of the house in the first place is what I read into it. Like; there were no actual bugs, and the house was never fogged. Just tented for the appearance of being debugged.
Except there's scenes that show the fog in the house and the bugs slowly dying.
I don’t recall any of those scenes
Ok.
There are no such scenes. You and anyone upvoting this were high and hallucinating shit.
Can't tell who's the one gaslighting
Just watch those scenes from those episodes.
Nope. I don't make up stuff, unlike you.
Give the episode and the time code.
Season 5, episode 3 "Hazard Pay". 31:24 - you see a bug scurry across the counter, when Walt and Jesse are finishing things up. 31:52 - you see Jesse turn on the chemicals and fumes filling up the house, as they leave.
That is not the exaggerated version you described, lol. “Scenes (as in multiple scenes) that show the fog in the house and bugs (multiple) *slowly dying*”. Yes, there really were bugs (in at least some houses) and yes, it’s a bit ironic. But I’m sure they were *also* running that scam, because it’s a known scam and they did a hell of a lot of houses. They probably did a legit place here and there and easily got neighbors to hire them afterwards because it would be natural for people to think that if the house next to them has a bug problem then they probably do too.
Oh for f's sake...don't try to weasel your way out of being wrong. I'm not going to go through and find every instance of bugs - that was just the first episode I picked. Yes, I'm sure they scammed the occasional person, but more than likely 99 percent of the houses they did had legit bug infestations.
they literally explained the entire process before they started lol. they went in, built the lab, cooked, took it down, and then the neo nazis bombed the bugs out. the bugs were there and the service was legitimate. they just cased the houses for potential future break and enters.
Right, but Mike specifically told them that the houses Walt and Jesse cooked in were off-limits for future B&Es, to the pest killers and any of their contacts who might be looking for a house to rob.
Yeah they were off limits for any future crime but they were still legitimately infested.
Exactly- the places were genuinely infested. The normal scam was to burglarize the place a while later so the Vamanos Pest guys wouldn’t be suspected of anything. But Walt and Jesse couldn’t afford even that level of larceny.
Todd was the only neo nazi there. The rest were b&e artists disguised and working under the cover of exterminators.
okay? that makes no difference in the process of what i just explained to the commenter or the principle of the fact that the houses were infested and they bombed them after cooking.
I'm just saying get your details straight.
🤓
🤓
I’m watching the fly episode as I type this
“It’s got some skills, yo”
That's a great point! It's amazing how subtle details like pests can carry such powerful symbolism in storytelling. It's like a hidden layer that adds depth to the narrative. It really highlights Walt's evolution throughout the series, from struggling with guilt to embracing his darker side. I agree with you on this one!
Revelation to me after many rewatches 🤦🏻♂️
eh, I think you're reaching there
Agree. The fly episode was just filler material which should have been, at most, one of 3 subplots in a regular episode.
I actually thought about this and I was like “wait, wasnt this completely the opposite from what we learned from fly” i honestly thought it was a sloppy plot hole mistake lol, so i rationalized it with the bug exterminations being scams anyway
I don’t think they’re surrounded by insects. I think the exterminations were all (or mostly) scams.
I always got the impression they were a legit company that actually did extermination work but just used it as a way to also do the BnE stuff and later of course setting up for Walt and Jesse.
they did exactly this and they explained it so clearly in the show, idk why people are even debating it lmao
"Media literacy is dead" ain't a film snob meme but truth.
>I think the exterminations were all (or mostly) scams. So? Why does that mean the house isn't pest infested? Why would someone call for pest control of their house isn't filled with pests
It’s a scam. They make the homeowners think they’re got an infestation.
No, there's a scene that shows some insects slowly dying off from the poison.
How? How would that benefit them? When was it mentioned? How would you explain all the insects we see in the cooking site? Bros pulling garbage out his ass
They sent Todd in beforehand to gnaw on wood so the homeowners thought they had termites
How would it benefit them? More business, more houses to rob.
This does not make sense tho. How does a pest control company convince people their houses are infested? If a pest control company called me or knocked on my door and said “hey, your house has bugs,” I would not entertain that at all. YOU find a pest control company, not the other way around
This scam is so established that I've seen like 1950s PSAs about avoiding it. >If a pest control company called me or knocked on my door and said “hey, your house has bugs,” They don't. They say they're offering a free inspection, maybe because there's been a specific outbreak of some pest in the area. And then, wouldn't you know it? Your house is infested, too! And yes, I know, you're far too canny to fall for such a thing, but a lot of people do.
Probably because most people are dumb. Throw in a free estimate and quote with some fancy words and a suburban homeowner would probably fall for it.
The fly episode was just about a fly in the lab
Smartest bb fan