Better Question, why is hank dropping a deuce in the master bath. You do not use the master bath if its not yours.

I think Vince's idea is most realistic. If you look at how criminals get caught, it's rarely some dramatic arrogance or meaningful event. He simply didn't think about it, it was just his bathroom, and was overlooked. The banality of it is a perfect representation of how random or seemingly insignificant events can change the course of lives. As they say a criminal must never make a mistake, and nobody can be perfect forever. The banality of this is most poetic to me.

For the writer to say that the audience’s opinion is every bit as valid as his own… that’s a level of humility that makes Gilligan’s work more commendable

I can't see Walter White when I look at Bryan Cranston being his normal self. That is the mark of a good actor.

I've always just accepted that he got careless. Police catch people all the time with stuff that you'd never in a million years think somebody would be able to find and link to a crime.

Love how accepting Vince is of the reality that once a work of art is out there, it becomes the audience's as much as the creator's. Very inspiring

I think Walt's complacency was specifically driven by the fact that he chose to believe that Gale didn't matter. He consistently belittled, disrespected, and under appreciated Gale in order to feel powerful and stroke his ego. When Hank finally figures it out, it's made possible because Gale was a good guy, who just liked doing chemistry, and because Walt was so arrogant he literally forgot. Gale gets a posthumous win just for being kind enough to give Walt a gift.

Vince's comment about the book inscription resonates with me. A few years ago, my brother had a book sent to me ('Lincoln in the Bardo,' by George Saunders), and I thanked him for it, but always thought my brother's reaction back to me was a bit strange -- like he was disappointed with the way I reacted. A year afterwards, when I finally got around to reading it, I noticed the title page was inscribed personally to me, from the author, with a nice little hand-drawn doodle from the author, too. Turns out, my brother had met him at a book signing. I immediately phoned my brother and offered my apologies for my extreme oversight.

I agree wholeheartedly with Gilligan, everyone, even the most careful geniuses, slip into complacency. It’s called being a human being.

Walter got so close to being caught by Hank so many times. Hank missed so many clues before... why would Walt all of a sudden suspect that this seemingly innocuous piece of evidence would not only be found by Hank by pure coincidence, Hank not being the type to read poetry, but also that Hank would read the inscription, rather than going straight to one of the poems, and would then piece it together, remembering a specific detail from his investigation from months ago. That last point sounds more like Hank, but would Walt consider that? Only if he were extremely cautious and methodical in covering his tracks, which he is not, as he demonstrated many times throughout the show.

The bathroom is also a place where Walt find comfort and protection as we see him retreat there multiple times. It is probably one of the last places that comes to his mind when it comes to keeping his charade up.

Good writing doesn't have to mean that the character can perceive every outcome and never make any mistake. Walter White is a human, we make mistakes sometimes, that's it.

Walt had several close calls with Hank and Hank seemed oblivious to each one. He likely never would’ve expected Hank of all people to randomly grab a poetry book out of his bathroom, read the inscription, and piece together the whole implication in seconds.

My take from the situation was that Walt kept the book due to ego. The inscription was flattering, so he just couldn’t bear to part with it

I think it also speaks to Walt's contempt for Gale. To Walt, Gale was literally disposable, no one missed him, and nothing related to him could be consequential to Walt's safety. Walt didn't view him as a meaningful part of the story. And he paid for it.

Another take, I think Walt’s morals and lack of guilt or empathy is a large part of it as well. The average person would look at that book (gifted from a former friend that they murdered) and wouldn’t be able to even stand to look at it, the mere presence of the book would make them uncomfortable and remind them of their actions. Walt showed no remorse or guilt for anything he had done in the later seasons, and this lack of emotions caused him to view the book as anything more than paper and words.

Its such a minor thing, its very easy to accept that it slipped his mind when his whole life is as chaotic as it is. Its hard to be picture perfect when the main detective literally takes dumps in your bathroom.

Bryan missed the chance to say, "He was a very methodical man, emphasis on the meth"

Beautiful response. Well done for Vince for not shying away from it but giving his true interpretation and not apologizing for his own decision! I love this!

Honestly I think "Walt just forgot/wasn't cautious" is a perfectly valid explanation. People do mistakes all the time, even criminals, and yes, even geniuses. And we even saw him 'almost' do that before, when he thought he cleaned everything after the Brock stuff, then realized he forgot to throw away the Lilly of the valley, so he went to pick it up. This time, he didn't catch himself forgetting something. To me this is perfectly fine and believable. If I had to point out THE #1 writing mistake on the show, I'd say it's Walt letting Tuco bleed out... That was ridiculous. It helped create a great scene with Hank and all that, but that decision from Walt was insanely idiotic. And it wasn't a "oops I didn't think about it", he seemed to actually consider the options, and then picked the worst of them.

I tend to agree. Walter just straight up didn't think about it. Walter wasn't some super mastermind, pretty much everything he did was just pure luck and frantic decisionmaking. Things just worked out for him, and it gave him an inflated ego.

Walt knew the inscription was on that book. That’s what got him curious enough to look under his car for Hank’s tracker after the book had gone missing.

I think Vince is right. The irony of doing big maneuvers successfully and then getting caught because of a stupid slip up like not placing a random book in a particular place is exactly the beauty of it all. His arrogance from his many successes goes to show that while being brilliany, he's still flawed

Fring to Heisenberg: "You are not a cautious man at all."

It's his trophy. And he never expected Hank to use his throne.

To be fair, the inscription is cryptic. That is, if one didn’t know the exact details of Walter’s life, it would be impossible to connect this to a large meth lab hidden in an industrial laundromat.

I always took it as it just something that he overlooked. It syncs up with what Skylar told him in Season 3 after they bought the car wash and Walt bought an expensive drink. She tells him that for the whole operation to work and remaining working, EVERYTHING needs to be accounted for and tie into the story they tell people. The smallest irregularity, the smallest inconsistency, the slightest oversight could bring everything crashing down. And that's exactly what happened.

Vince is so damn humble haha ‘take my take with a grain of salt’ bro you ultimately made this art! But it’s sweet how there are so many perspectives to take on the matter

crazy how witty bryan cranston is haha, guy never fails to make me laugh

Love that Seinfeld callback at the end.

Interviews with creators/actors where they talk about the show/movie/characters go so hard

The way vince addressed and answered the question made me respect him even more than I already did

HE FORGOR 💀

I think of it as he finally let his guard down after being out of the business for a month. We have to remember that Walter at this point in the story is indefinitely rich and laundered money through the car wash business to justify his expenditures. He did not have to hide his money like in earlier seasons. He finally got to relax and not have to worry about anything. He no longer was scared of being caught and it led to his arrogance. We can see this as Walter seems very comfortable with Hank right before Hank steps into the bathroom.

Gale respected Walt and Walt loved the recognition he received. He wouldn't have destroyed evidence of that recognition from one of his peers and leaving it in such an accessible place showed that Walt knew there was a chance of someone else seeing that recognition.

To really sell the idea of how much more careless Walt became overtime, there's an intentional contrast between the 2nd season when Walk berates Jesse for bringing a meth lab to an airport, then later at the very end of Season 4, Jesse berates Walt instead, after Walt just brought a bomb into a hospital.

even the smartest people fuck up sometimes

Walter left it there out of nostalgia.

i strive to be a writer like Vince. i’ve always loved the idea that once a character has been created you don’t always have 100% control over them, that’s what makes a world come alive imo

So refreshing to hear an answer to a challenging question that’s more than “it’s just a show, don’t think too hard”

That Seinfield reference was splendid. In adittion, I like how he mentions that Walter was a man of science. I studied engineering and in my personal life sometimes I lack common sense, because I think way to much in the science side of things. Maybe, in this paricular case, Walter was a man of science, but not a man of common sense.

i believe its kind of foreshadowing in a way if i you remember Skyler talking about the Watergate scandal and supposedly how they got caught "Leave a piece of paper/note on the door" or something. Walter's faith eventually unfolded in a similar fashion

The fact that the guy asked Vince a question is a foreshadowing that Vince was going to answer it. Woah… did Vince write this Q&A session? Brilliant writing, Bravo Vince!

Him simply not being cautious is a pretty good reason, I mean the whole first meeting with Gus was about how Gus was a very cautious man while Walter thought of himself as cautious but Gus saw how he trusted Jesse even though he was late and a junkie. Walter gave himself an illusion of cautiousness as he does take good care in hiding things but he is never 100% thorough.

That’s a great response honestly from both of them. It reminds me of in “The House That Jack Built” where Jack starts being more confident and careless with his murders simply because of the ego he’s developed from always getting away with it.

Not as cautious as he should have been, sounds right to me.

From any side you look at it, this story is a masterpiece, from the acting to the writing and directing 👌🏼

I never for a second thought this was an unbelievable scene. Walt got away with messing with Hank for a whole year. So many times he went right over Hank's head because he knew Hank would never believe he was a criminal. Why not hide the book in plain site? It makes perfect sense and is a totally believable scene.

I own the show as much as he does? Sweet. Where's my royalties, Netflix?

He thought of the book as a trophy, pure and simple.

I love this! I honestly always took it as Vince’s way-Walter was full of chemo, dealing with the stress of being a murderous drug lord, and trying to save his marriage on top of all of that. It’s not that crazy he simply didn’t think of the book after that one time.

0:29 Vince really is one of the greatest ever. Some Star Wars directors need to learn this as well.

"You own it as much as we do" Oh man, thanks Vince. When will I start getting my royalty checks?

I always just thought if it as a costly mistake, like he genuinely forgot it was there and how damning if evidence it was as well. I think that even MORE now, due to how Vince points out that he got the book back in season 2, during a time where there was no way to link that book to Heisenberg. The only time Walt would’ve have thought about it is right after he killed Gus. (Burning down the lab, cleaning up the bomb making supplies, and throwing away the lilac plant) The think about everything that was going on at the time, and the fact that they had forgotten about the laptop even. It’s no wonder he overlooked the “Leaves of Grass” book.

I love how Vince never got a big head from all the success Breaking Bad got and is still one of the most well-spoken people I've ever heard

I appreciate how great a show is that both fans and creators can have a pleasant back and forth about its scenes.

now see, this is the appropriate way to say 'walter kinda forgot about it'

I was always under the impression that because he was in the "I got away with it all" mindset, Walter simply became arrogant and that book was the consequence for it.

"This show is yours as much as it is ours" That's a true artist, he understands it's not just for people like him watching, it's for us

I honestly love the interpretation that Walt never even opened the book. Gail was always too good for him.

God I love Vince and how humble he is

Ok, my phone is definitely listening in on my conversations. Yesterday I randomly thought about this exact question and brought it up to my sister then today I come across this video in my recommended. Haha!

There are numerous stories of criminals who thought out & planned their criminal activities "to a T" yet overlook or ignore something as trivial as what Walt did. Intentional or not, I thought how Hank finally figured out Walt was 100% believable.

I think it makes sense how Vince views it. It had been months of Walt being out of the game he probably thought that he was in the clear and didn't have to worry about little things that might tip Hank off especially since every time Hank or anybody has gotten close to discovering his secrets he always finds some elaborate lie to brush it off. On top of that Vince is totally right about getting stuff from people and sometimes not actually looking for some sort of inscription, everybody gets gifts or buys random things only to put them in a closet or drawer or bookshelf never to be seen again and I'm sure that's just what happened with Walter hell I'm pretty sure most of us had even forgotten that the book was still around. Had Hank found some evidence like this in one of the earlier seasons I'm sure Walt could've found a way to lie himself out of it but by this point I feel like there were just too many coincidences for Hank to ignore it and it helped piece together everything including all of Walt's lies. I respect Vince for saying that it's up to the viewer though, there doesn't have to be a concrete explanation for everything that happens in a show.

It could be a plot device that Walt left the book in the bathroom knowing that it has the note from Gale and Walt’s initials. He probably just thought that nobody would want to read it much less Hank would look at the very first page

This is also why accidents on the roads can happen. You can be 'extra coutious'. But if you drive 1 hour straight and you're in some routine and everything is fine, you will subconsciously underestimate the importance to be alert. Even just for a little while once in a while.

Vince truly understands Death of the Artist. It's not surprising, it's a real reflection of how good he is.

I never had a problem with it. The Gale saga was ancient history and a complacency had set in. These circumstances resulted in a natural oversight with profound consequences. Moreover, Walt had long dodged the worst of the many mistakes he made; that luck could only last so long.

I think the most believable theory is that Gale gave Walter the book when they were still working together, and Walter put it in his bathroom soon after. Then when all the evidence about Gale was found, Walter simply forgot about the book in his bathroom, or just didn't think anyone would catch the written message.

Well, it's in the script.

Seeing how men like Vince compose themselves with such poise is such an inspiration to me

Bryan beautifully added to vince opinion and made it completely a rational explanation to me

"How could Walter White leave the book in the bathroom?" We gotta wrap this thing up soon.

I believe that he just got careless because he had already made more money than he had ever dreamed of, finally got the power and respect that he wanted and then retired from the crime business and just thought that everything was ok and didn't even think that the book could incriminate him

Countless times in the series Walter tells multiple people to forget the past and move on. I think a part of him forgets at times that he was responsible of the death of Gale and looks at his gift as a fond memory of a coworker he once had. Walter got careless.

For me it's Walt probably thought no one except him or another well educated person would have picked up the book. He knows Hank is the lead investigator after him and he's been after him for a while at this point so he also started to underestimate Hank which lead to him being careless and leaving the book out cuz in his head why would Hank ever pick up the book and I also don't think Walt was thinking too much about gale

To me, he was out of the game for just long enough to start slipping. If this had happened the day after Hank asked him about “WW” for the first time, Walter would have remembered to ask him to use a different bathroom or something.

As I used to tell the young guys when I was a drug dealer in High School, “Never get too comfortable.”.

What I find most appealing and distinctive about BB. and BCS, is how real the characters are. Many stories in cultures tend to deal in archetypes to represent a set of characteristics that can give a wide application of the lessons learned. What I find so appealing about BB and more so BCS, is that it gives characters an individual identity with the actors showing quirks not necessary for the plot or some grander point. You can't put a label on any of these characters and they are never fully on one end of any spectrum. For all the good in certain characters we see their bad side however rare, and Walter still show moments of empathy despite his out of control ego. None of the main character are 100% anything. There is some yin to every yang. In that, it succeeds in suggesting that it doesn't require a stereotype to fall into these tragedies, but any one of us, with out own unique characters and lives, much like the characters portrayed in these shows, in certain circumstances could fall into the same actions and fate. People change when circumstances enable it, and bad is an inherent possibility in everyone. They suggest that it's circumstance that drive our behavior often against our own interest or principles as much as or more so than out character. Nothing bad ever happens to good people, and bad people always get punished is just not true in the real world. One could argue that Walter achieved his goals while Jesse didn't, even though Walter died while Jesse lived.

It feels believable. If you compare it to something like Death Note, where the protagonist is caught as a killer due to some elaborate scheme that took two masterminds (one being a child) and multiple human errors, I prefer Walts slip up because it feels closer to Occam's Razor - the simplest explanation is usually the best one.

My take is that Walter let his ego control him, and like Vince said he started to act more emotionally rather than methodically, and thus he just plum forgot about the book and placed it in his bathroom without thinking twice about it. I think it's more fitting that of all the things to take down Walter White, a scientific and criminal mastermind always 2 steps ahead of the authorities, he got found out by a simple little poem book that he probably didn't even realize has an inscription on it. And from that inscription being from Gale of all people, someone who Walter ordered be killed by Jesse. Looks like Gale got the last laugh, Walt.

It's completely realistic. Walter wasn't a perfect character, he had flaws. Criminals get caught by tiny details all the time

I think that when Walter received the book he couldn't see any reason on how it could relate to his crimes, as one could just interpret the gift by someone he has taught before. So he just left it in the bathroom maybe as he was reading it one time. It was only once hank was looking for a student teacher relationship between Gale and Heisenberg, that walter had any reason to remove the book. Especially since the initials were matching. But, at this point walter did not think of or notice anything relating to these set of facts, so he did not remember to remove the book, as it probably was a while ago that he had received it. So it is completely plausible that he just left it in a bathroom. If it was me I could of easily done the same.

To be fair Hank doesn't look like a Walt Whitman type of guy. More like a Sports Illustrated/Maxim/look at photographs of dead guys type of guy.

i like the idea that it was a trophy for his ego. and that if he did want to get caught, it was also his ego wanting credit for all his dealings...

Considering he was frantically looking for the book and couldn’t sleep the episode after implies it was mostly an accident that he left the book there. But why the writers chose to to let Walter forget is another question.

The bathroom is your personal domain. The commode, your throne. I've never heard of a three bedroom house with a single bathroom that was only accessible via the master suite.

You can make up reasons why Walter White left the book in the bathroom, because it was never specified, but as far as storytelling goes, it is poetic, the book given to him was from his biggest fan and the one who set up his lab, It all ends how it begins, just trying to do the right thing for yourself, family or friends.. relationships are based on who or what you love, Science is based on what you see or do.. Sometimes people forget who they are, or do not realize what they have become..

Walter had lost himself in the series. every season he was losing more pieces of himself. he became BAD. he wanted to be acknowledged for what he was proud of. It felt like he wanted everyone to know. Remember the scene that they were all on the table talking about a guy who got killed who was a chemistry genius and Walt couldn't hold but show his true face and almost admit he knew the man, he was better than that man and he got him killed. he was proud of who he was, he didn't care if he was sloppy anymore and did not give a damn if hank would take a shit and read a piece of evidence that discriminates him.

Huge fan of how Vince gives his audience the time of day

I’ve always seen it as some small part of him wanting to be caught, sort of a subconscious thing. But the main reason being the bathroom was often his safe spot he went to for things like phone calls, so naturally he would leave it there because he was comfortable and convinced no one would ever find it.

My personal take is that at multiple moments Hank could have caught onto Walt, but Walt somehow got super lucky (You could also say that it was convenient luck for the sake of continuing the story) right up until the time where the series needed to come to a close

bro literally had a shower thought and pieced together the entire mystery while dropping a deuce

It's the same reason that major criminals are usually caught not putting their signal on to turn and get pulled over and then it's over for them.

Walter asks Skylar about the book a few episodes prior to Hank finding it, he didn't know it was in the bathroom, he was looking for it

It's weird Walt didn't check out his book any way after he met with Hank in famous "you got me" scene. One thing Walt didn't notice was Gale being too pleasant to him. He didn't even considered someone from elite could respect him much after years of unrecognition that would make an inscription for him. Walt in this case lost with lack of respect he earned through his life. Hank was less of a robot and more of a human. Walt took long time to learn how to manage emotions and socialize among criminals in criminal world. Hank was a guy to quicker get such things. This story in the end is about lack of recognition due to weaker character set of skills(giving company to his friend, only going do something when almost dying). Few things that you can learn is to do important changes in your life and decide before it's too late, because being desperate is never good thing. One thing taken from equation and Walter will never become Heisenberg.

They, the writers, also needed a way to give Hanks the information story wise...

Walter just didn’t think about it. The only person in the world who could’ve understood the importance of the inscription in the book, was Hank.

Greatest show on tv till date

I think they needed/wanted Walt to be busted in a trivial way. It could be chalked up to Walt's carelessness but they managed to never actually show Gale gift him this book. He just had it all of a sudden. Vince is usually pretty good with foreshadowing by showing objects with seemingly no purpose or meaning and then having everything tie together in later episodes. However, this book just randomly shows up and Walt is all of a sudden curious as to why it's missing. It could be intended to blindside Walt the same way it does the audience but I feel like Vince just wanted to throw in something so Hank could solve the puzzle he's been trying to piece together for a year or so. It doesn't bug me but it does seem rather convenient, especially considering the author of the book would be a dead give away for Hank's curiosity to pick it up in the first place. Hank might not come off as a reader, but his curiosity was peaked because he recognized the author from evidence in Gale's murder, and it was Walt "helping" him with evidence by discussing this topic when they were in Hanks bedroom.