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Carter Wenger
Mrs. Williams
English 1102
February 5 2014

Observational Overview

Note: The three observations that are within this paper are each based on a different
episode of Breaking Bad. The first observation lapses one day while the last two each
portray the events of a two-day period. Each episode is around 48 minutes long, and the
times and events noted are relative to the duration of the episode. These observations serve
to depict an accurate representation of the figured world of Walter Whites drug empire
and the way that the three discourse communities within it function both collectively and
independently.

Location Description:
All episodes take place in residential Albuquerque, New Mexico. Though the location itself
appears to be, and mostly is, a typical middle-class neighborhood, there is still an active drug
market functioning within it. Throughout the episodes, we are taken throughout the town, and Ill
do my best to integrate setting descriptions into my observation notes as we change settings.


Figured World:
Obviously as an inherently immoral practice, the world of cooking and selling meth is
one with very unique laws and rules for what type of comportment is and isnt acceptable. Most
notable is the way that doing the societally correct thing is nearly always wrong in the drug
world. To alert the authorities of any drug-related activity would be the worst possible things to
do. Essentially this figured world is entirely counter-intuitive. It juxtaposes all moral behaviors
in its definition of what ones obligations are. So, it is quite possibly most accurate to say that
doing the wrong thing is usually doing the right thing in this grim world. The only definitive
obligations are that each and every tier of the operation remains subservient to their superiors.
Walt and Jesse cook the meth at their own pace and will. The meth is then given to sellers who
must sell the product and secure all of their dues to then give to Walt and Jesse. The dealers are
then given a cut of the total income. Saul Goodman is their primary line of defense at any time
authorities get involved. Saul is needed by Walt and Jesse, but he is also there at the will of Walt
and Jesse, so they remain in control of the empire. It is vital that every involved member
effectively completes their tasks in order to maximize profits. Aside from these duties, all moral
values are negated. The sole task is to individually and successfully complete these tasks no
matter the cost so that the system isnt disrupted by a necessity of the branches to cover for one
another.


Actors:

Walter White is the visionary of the entire meth operation. He has the knowledge to make stellar
meth from his background as a high school chemistry teacher and professional chemist. He is the
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most important figure in his figured world. He is battling cancer and is driven to cook
by the desire he has to leave as much money as possible to his family in the event that
he dies. This task drives him to near insanity. He is swallowed by the drug world and becomes
too tied to it to escape, and he likely wouldnt leave if he could due to the vast amounts of money
he is securing for his family. He is very well calculated and thinks all of his moves through to
ensure his operation isnt busted by his brother-in-law, , who runs the DEA. Walter is very
thorough and very logical.

Jesse Pinkman was a student of Walts in high school. Walt heard that Jesse was mixed up in the
drug world and tracked him down to assist him in his operation. He needed his knowledge of the
drug markets dynamics. Jesse is often hyperactive and impulsive in his actions. He is nearly the
antithesis of Walter. Walt remains well collected in tense situations while Jesse is often driven to
act erratically by his paranoia. However, he becomes very skilled at cooking through working as
Walts assistant, and Walt quickly comes to regard him as an equal in his operation. Jesse is also
fundamental in Walts success. He is most important to Walt.

Saul Goodman is the corrupt lawyer who works to keep the names of Walt and Jesses
subjugates clear of a criminal record or a file with the DEA. Any time one of the operations
members is detained, Saul devises a plan to get them out of trouble and cleared of the DEAs
watchful eye. Saul is vital because he has the legalistic knowledge to cheat or trip the justice
system in Albuquerque.

Badger is the best representation of a dealer. They dont possess strong intellect, but they are
able to distribute the product on the streets. While it is imperative to have dealers, the
individual dealers are expendable. Badgers encounter with the DEA is exemplary of the way a
dealer must deal with heat from the authorities. He remains steadfast and doesnt break under
the pressure. Badger is a leader to the other dealers and interacts most directly with Walt and
Jesse.




Discourse Communities:

The Bosses/Cooks- Walt and Jesse act as both the bosses and the cooks in the operation. They
cook when they want to and the lower workers are ready and waiting any time there is a new
batch of product to push. They also must remain authoritative no matter how likable the dealers
are. They must sacrifice mercy and pity in order to keep their operation running at optimal
performance. Within this community, Walt is often the logical thinker while Jesse allows
paranoia and impulsive action to interfere with the efficiency of the operation. However, Jesse
is necessary. His knowledge of the dynamics of selling drugs is imperative to the empires
prolonged and increased status.

The Dealers- Badger, Skinny Pete and Combo are responsible for selling the meth that is cooked
by Walt and Jesse. They then return all of the money they made for a cut of the profits. They
must stay out of the clutches of the authorities at all costs, and in the event that they are caught,
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they must not divulge any information about who their employer is. They are vital to the
operation as workers, but not as individuals. If they are killed, they will simply be replaced by
other dealers.

The Defenders- Saul Goodman and his associates are responsible for assuring the continued
anonymity of Walt and Jesse primarily, but also of their dealers. Any time the DEA calls one of
them in for questioning, Saul and his workers are responsible for getting them out of the DEAs
focus. Saul is able to take much pressure off of Walt and Jesse. Without having to worry about
covering their tracks, Walt and Jesse are better able to focus on expanding their empire, and Saul
is always there to give advice on how their plans could possibly be transparent.

Observation One
Season Two: Episode Seven
Negro y Azul

Note: A bit of background information may be necessary in order to properly understand
the following notes. Walter White is a high school chemistry teacher who has been
diagnosed with cancer. In order to leave money to his family in the event he dies, Walt has
taken up cooking meth. His product is nearly perfect due to his chemistry experience and
at this point in the season, Walt and Jesse have just broken away from all past investors
and are now in full control of their operation. They answer to nobody and must also be
sure that nobody gets in the way of their operations. In the past episode, a customer stole
meth from a dealer, and Walt ordered Jesse to track down the thief and kill him if he must
in order to get the money theyre owed.

03:50- The show begins in Walts classroom. The room is set up like the traditional high school
chemistry lab. There are long lines of countertop desks with sinks and gas spouts. He is alone in
the room with a student who is asking for his 58 test score to be raised to a passing score because
he claims he studied like really, like really all night hard. He continues to sputter incoherently
before Walt cuts him off by saying, Dont bullshit a bullshitter. just before pointing the student
to the door.

06:10- Walt climbs atop one of his classroom desks and pulls a cellphone out of the tile ceiling.
He calls Jesse and leaves a message asking why he hasnt responded to him in three days, adding
at the end to forget about what he was supposed to take care of. This is the beginning of the
heightening of Walts double life. It is affecting his attitude both in his personal and professional
lives.

07:15- Walt pulls up to Jesses house and begins banging on the door to no response. The
landlady next door comes out and asks him to stop knocking because Jesse is obviously not
answering. Walt claims to be Jesses father and says it is urgent that he sees his son. She asks
him to return later just before Jesse opens the door and reluctantly lets Walt in. Jesses house is
an empty place with eggshell white walls and no couch or television. The only appliances are in
the kitchen. He only owns a built-in oven and refrigerator.

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09:25- Walt walks into Jesses house and asks Jesse where hes been. Jesse sits down and begins
to attempt to smoke marijuana before Walt grabs the bong from him and threatens to break it,
calling him a druggie idiot before asking if thats all hes been doing while he tried to contact
him. Jesse said he was handling business. Walt asks what business and Jesse pulls a gun out of
a drawer and says This business.

11:20- Walt picks up the gun and counts the bullets inside of it. All five rounds are still inside of
it. Jesse had been told by Walt to kill a couple that had stolen a good bit of their product. After
Jesse sees Walt notice all of the rounds still in the gun, he tells him that it wasnt he that killed
her. Jesse tells Walt that the woman dropped an ATM on her boyfriends head while he watched.
Walt immediately gets silent. This is exemplary of the amount of dirty work Walt and Jesse have
to do to secure and maintain their control.

13:15- As Walt and Jesse are still in Jesses living room, Badger and Skinny Pete call to tell
Jesse that theyre got their cash. Walt asks if Jesse is going to get the money and Jesse says, I
just want to forget everything. Walt leaves, mumbling Sorry just before shutting the door
behind him.

16:30- The dealers (Badger, Skinny Pete and Combo) are standing in a local museum. They are
in a secluded corner with displays about communism waiting for Jesse to come meet them to
trade cash from the last batch for a new batch of product to sell. Walt shows up instead,
introducing himself as Heisenberg. (When Walt is Heisenberg he wears dark sunglasses and a
black bowler cap.) The dealers ask if Jesse really killed the guy who stole his meth without
paying and Walt asks what theyve heard. They say nobody has missed a payment since hearing
that the cooks werent tolerating any payment delays. This is great news for the operation. The
dealers dont need to know the truth (that Jesse didnt kill the man) and if they did know the
truth, they would feel relaxed possibly at the expense of increased productivity. Walt and Jesse
only answer to each other.

23:20- Walt and Jesse are staring at a map in Jesses kitchen. Walt believes that the quality and
demand for their product alongside the operations newfound respect from those who fear them
offers them a window of opportunity to expand their territory. Walt tells Jesse that no other drug
operations will cross them due to their fear. Jesse fears that they will be targeted for infringing on
others markets, but Walt convinces him that there is no way the plan could fail. This is another
revolutionary moment for Walt as his interests have moved from localized sales (which are
already bringing in massive profits) to expanded operations. He is fast becoming a drug lord.

29:00- We are now taken to the home of Walt. In a mid-sized, warmly-lit kitchen, Skylar is
speaking with her sister Marie about a new job she has gotten. Marie asks if money is tight and
Skylar says yes. Marie offers her financial support and Skylar becomes quiet immediately as
Walt enters. Walt has kept Skylar completely in the dark about his greatly increased income, and
she seems to be reluctant to tell Walt that shes gotten a job. To Marie and Skylar, Walt is still
the same clean-cut, bland good guy that hes always been.

39:00- Jesse walks into the museum to speak with the three dealers who await his arrival. He
tells them that the town now belongs to them and only them. He says that they are going to build
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an empire and live like royalty. Jesse walks outside and gets into Walts car. Jesse fastens his
seat belt just before Walt tells him that they must raise the price. Jesse becomes bothered and
asks why. Walt responds, We corner the market and then raise the price. Its simple
economics. They drive away. This entire episode shows drastic changes in Walts psyche. From
the moment he learns that his empire is feared, he is consumed by thoughts of how he can use his
power to appropriate more power.

Artifacts:

The Cellphone hidden in the ceiling of Walts classroom is representative of the double life Walt
has started to construct for himself. He is comfortably maneuvering his way through his double
life while raising no red flags and leaving no traces.

The Map that Walt shows Jesse represents a big change in Walts approach to his meth business.
Up until this point, all of the cooks of meth were based around producing specific amounts of
meth to make very well calculated amounts of money according to Walts plans for what he
intended to leave his family in the event of his death. The authority and financial gains have
begun to skew Walts views of his empires intentions. He is becoming consumed by his success
and the potential he sees to live a lavish lifestyle by greedily putting his abilities to use.

The Gun provides another example of Walts departure from an existentially morally justified
operation (providing for his family) to a much more power-driven mindset. Hes no longer so
bothered by the implications of his actions. He is willing to stop at nothing to maintain the
control hes attained for himself.

Literacy Practices:

Self-Justified Immorality: Were again faced with self-justified immorality in this episode. Walt
and Jesse deem it acceptable to keep all of the dealers and locals in the dark about the fact that
Jesse didnt actually kill the thief. This is the type of behavior that is often unacceptable, and is
perhaps even unacceptable in this context. However, in terms of utility, the viewer is led to
understand how this lie cultivates a spirit of fear in all who hear of the tale of Jesse and Walts
intolerance towards those who dont pay their dues.


Observation Two
Season Two: Episode Eight
Better Call Saul

0:01- We open to see Badger sitting on a bench selling meth on a street corner to a fidgety and
shady character. They are at a local playground on a bright and sunny day. Cars pass by
frequently and the sidewalks bustle with activity. They are in the open in a seemingly non-
threatening area. As the customer asks Badger for drugs, Badger feels that something is off, and
he is skeptical of whether or not to offer him his goods.

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4:10- Badger has just sold meth to an undercover cop, and he has been detained. This will greatly
complicate the operation and security of funds for Walt and Jesse. It also could potentially reveal
their identities if Badger were to snitch on them, but that would be greatly outside of the
appropriate behavior for a dealer.

15:25- Walt and Jesse are at Jesses apartment, which is a bare place with eggshell white walls.
There is no furniture and nothing other than a plain white oven and refrigerator in the kitchen.
They are currently counting the money that returned from the latest sold batch of meth. They see
that Badgers money hasnt arrived yet. Jesse begins to defend Badger because he still sees him
as a friend, but Walt reminds him that they are the bosses of the dealers. They call and hear that
Badger was arrested, and they now must go out of their way to get him out of trouble.

19:15- We are now in a DEA interrogation room. There are blue walls, a wooden table at which
Badger is seated and a camera on the wall with a blinking red light. Badger is being interviewed
by the undercover cop who busted him. Enter Saul Goodman. He is the corrupt lawyer who has
been hired to represent Badger in court and in his testimony. He arranges for Badger to get
another phone call and helps to fool the DEA into believing Badger is irrelevant to their
investigations.

25:10- Walt meets with Saul after being called by Badger to pay Saul the money needed in order
to clear his name. Sauls office has plaster pillars around its circular walls on which are printed
the Declaration of Independence. His dark wooden desk is cluttered with books and papers. Saul
mentions that the DEA is searching meticulously for Heisenberg, which is the alias Walt goes
under in the drug world. So, Walt learns that the DEA is closing in on him. Also, Saul speaks
about the fear Badger has of his employers, so Walt also learns that he has solid authority over
his subjugates. Walt begins coughinga side effect of his cancer treatments. Walt tries to bribe
Saul into doing all he can to divert the DEA, but Saul throws him out.

30:00- Now behind the office of Saul, Walt and Jesse kidnap Saul and hold him at gunpoint
while wearing masks. It is nighttime and the area behind the office is a vast expanse of desert.
Walt and Jesse have dug a grave as a scare tactic. They tell Saul he should have taken the bribe
from an associate of theirs and when he begins to backpedal they say it is too late. After
scaring him enough, they ask that he represent Badger with the best possible representation. He
advises that they kill badger, but Walt begins coughing, and Saul recognizes the cough. At this
point, Saul calls him by his name, and Saul becomes a part of their figured world. They remove
their masks and begin to make a deal for how to free Badger. Saul becomes a vital part of their
defense tactics, always acting as a seemingly naive intermediary that removes dealers and others
from the grips of the authorities when they get involved.

35:50- Walt and Jesse are now in Saul Goodmans office together. Saul reveals his plan. For
$80,000 Saul will arrange that Badger be released for leading the DEA to Heisenberg.
However, they wont lead him to Walt, they will lead him to a stand-in who accepts money for
posing as a criminal in the place of others, and ultimately serves their jail time. Walt and Jesse
accept the deal.

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38:30- Walt and Jesse are in a car watching Badger as he sits next to a man on the same bench
that the episode opened on. The DEA is also close by watching the deal from afar to catch
Heisenberg. The stand-in arrives and sits on a different bench as Badger attempts to strike up a
deal with the wrong man. Walt sends Jesse to tell Badger to move to the next bench, but Jesse is
worried that the DEA will see him. Jesse gets out and Walt blocks the DEAs view by driving in
front of the DEAs car and speaking with his brother-in-law, Hank, who is the head of the DEA.
Walt carries a conversation with an impatient Hank who is obstructed of the view of his set up to
catch the Heisenberg stand-in. The plan works. Badger moves to the stand-in and the DEA
doesnt see Jesse speak with Badger. The heat is off from the DEA for the time being.

44:15- Saul shows up at the school that Walt teaches Chemistry in. Walts classroom is a large
chemistry lab with multiple sinks and gas spouts. He makes Walt aware that he needs to be
harder to find. This personal contact with Walt is exemplary of Sauls thoroughness in his job.
He offers his full services in protecting Walt as he tries to build a drug empire. Saul says that in
order to make and keep the money he aims to attain, Walt will need his services. Thus, Saul
becomes a vital part of Walt and Jesses drug empire.

Artifacts:

The Money Counter is representative of Walt and Jesses authority in the way that they can
calculate their individual profits without any higher powers intervening. Its small construction
and use in Jesses humble and bare apartment represents the centrality and small size of their
operation despite its income. They secure maximum profits by keeping all tangential roles
minimized.

The Grave is representative of their willingness to go to extreme measures to scare their hesitant
subjugates into cooperating. They are okay with being highly immoral so long as it means the
operation isnt disruptive and it continues to grow in strength.

Sauls Commercial is highly unprofessional and crude. It is fully representative of his behavior
as a low-brow lawyer. Sauls behavior goes hand-in-hand with the dark, tragicomic nature of the
show. Hes exactly the type of gritty and dishonest lawyer the system needs.

Literacy Practices:

Discreetness is vital in everyones jobs. When Badger is selling in the park, he hides a paper sack
with the product inside of a trashcan. He acts as though hes throwing something away in order
to take the bag out of the trash. Walt and Jesse both have separate phones they use solely for
business purposes. They must not leave any trail for the DEA to easily track back to them.







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Observation Three:
Season Two: Episode Nine
Four Days Out

00:01- We open to Walt and his family sitting in the waiting room at Walts doctors office.
Also there is Walts brother and sister in-law. His brother in law, Hank, as youll remember, is
the head of the DEA that is currently looking for Heisenberg. They make small talk as Walt
shifts uncomfortably before excusing himself to the bathroom. He goes into a stall and begins
coughing uncontrollably.

02:25- Walt is getting a cat scan in a dark-blue tinted testing room. He completes it and as he
leaves the room he accidentally sees the X-Ray and a look of disbelief crosses his face as he sees
a giant white blob on one of his lungs. He is obviously greatly concerned, as the results look very
negative.

03:40- Walt is now sitting in Saul Goodmans office. Saul is present and talking Walt through
options as he discusses his hopes to launder money into his familys bank account. Walts funds
are greatly depleted after the cost of freeing Badger, and Walt is troubled by the little amount
hes secured for himself alongside the seemingly poor test results.

04:55- Walt and Skylar lay in bed and Skylar suggests they make weekend plans to get their
minds off of the tests. Walt says he feels he needs to visit his mother and Skylar, picking up on
Walts negativity, scolds him for his lack of positivity. Walt convinces her he just feels its been
too long since hes visited.

09:00- Walt calls Jesse from a payphone to tell him that they need to cook immediately. Jesse,
waking up at his home with his girlfriend, tells Walt he has plans to go to an art museum (which
he does). Walt tells Jesse that their methylamine is expiring and they must cook before it ruins.

10:45- Skylar and Walt pull up to the airport. She drops him off to go see his mother, and she
leaves as soon as Walt enters the doorway. When her car is out of sight, Jesse arrives driving the
mobile meth lab (an old RV). Walt gets in and they leave immediately.

13:30- After a montage of the RV traveling deep into the remote New Mexico desert, they slow
to a halt and begin preparing to cook. Jesse lays the keys on a counter inside the RV, which Walt
reprimands him for, claiming it is part of the work station. Jesse moves the keys to the ignition
without turning them. A red light begins blinking dimly on the dashboard.

15:25- Jesse starts a generator and we are shown a montage of their routine making meth. Walt
and Jesse begin working. They measure and fill beakers. The RV fills with smoke and they put
on gas masks and continue working. They are both very involved in the process. They ask no
questions and say nothing as they complete their first batch. It is very flawless and mechanical.

17:15- Walt and Jesse have packed the finished product of the first batch into plastic bags and
stacked them onto a scale. Jesse asks Walt to calculate how much this batch will earn them. Walt
thinks for a moment and recalculates before saying in disbelief that this batch will produce
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$672,000. Jesse asks if that is split between them and Walt smiles and says $672,000..each.
The two of them beginning shouting in celebration as Walt momentarily breaks from his usual
composed and serious nature. Walt suggests that they continue cooking but in the joy of their
success, Jesse convinces Walt that they should take the night off, drive to the closest hotel, and
resume the next morning.

19:30- Jesse and Walt prepare to leave and as Jesse turns the keys which had been left in the
ignition and they find that the battery is dead. Walt immediately shouts at Jesse for his poor
decision of placement for the keys. This draws attention to the constant tension between the well-
calculated actions of Walt and the impulsive and analytical nature of Jesse.

21:00- Walt and Jesse syphon gas out of the RV into the generator, but Jesse accidentally spills a
good bit of the gas over the top and sides of the radiator. Walt doesnt see this and as Jesse
begins to pull the ripcord to start the generator, it explodes and a huge fire starts. Walt runs to
grab the fire extinguisher but Jesse beats him to the fire with all of their drinking water. He pours
it over the generator, thus ruining the generator while also disposing of all of their drinking
water. Again, we see the intellectual contrast between Walt and Jesse. Walt immediately
becomes infuriated with Jesse at his poor decision.

24:05- Jesse calls Skinny Pete to come pick them up, giving him somewhat vague directions to
where they are currently stranded.

26:10- Jesse calls Skinny Pete to check on his progress. Skinny claims to have crossed the
river. When Jesse says this aloud, Walt immediately yells What river? Theres no river! Just
as Jesse tries to explain this to Skinny Pete, the phones battery dies.

27:25- It is the next morning now and Walt and Jesse are still stranded. Walt has started to
manually turn the gears of the radiator while it is connected to the RVs battery. He hopes to
eventually generate enough power to jump the battery manually. Jesse is impatient and
complains that Walts approach is absurd. He says it will never work and Walt snaps back It has
to work! It is seemingly their last hope, and Jesses pessimism is greatly hindering their
progress.

30:10- Walt is asleep on a lawn chair as Jesse continues turning the gears alone. He wakes Walt
to ask if they can try to start the RV yet. Walt begins coughing violently and is becoming clearly
weak. Jesse begins to believe that maybe Walt is anxious to cook because he sees his condition
worsening. He asks Walt, Methylamine doesnt spoil does it? Walt then gets out of his chair
and walks away, confirming Jesses suspicion.

32:05- Jesse cranks the keys and the RV starts just before the battery dies again. He begins
shouting and walks outside of the RV to see Walt kneeling in the middle of the open desert. He
approaches him and immediately stops yelling as he sees Walt remove him hand from his mouth
after coughing. Walts hand is covered in blood. Jesse becomes very sensitive to Walts
condition.

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33:40- Walt and Jesse are now resting inside of the RV. Walt is very weak and after claiming he
deserved all of his misery, Jesse reassures him that all he has done has been for the benefit of his
family. Jesse then becomes impatient and says hes going to walk fifteen mile back to town
alone. Walt tells him theres no way hell make it back alive. Jesse begins shouting at Walt to
start thinking scientifically. Jesse yells a variety of far-fetched suggestions before suggesting
they build a battery.

36:20- Walt gets up and tells Jesse to begin gathering coins, nuts and bolts. Jesse asks if theyre
building a robot, and Walt looks at him in disbelief and says, Were building a battery. This is
common of Jesse. He inadvertently drags Walt into the worst possible situation just before
accidentally coming up with a solution as well. The battery works and they return to the airport.
Jesse asks Walt how the cancer is and Walt cuts him off, quickly saying, Good. Until this
point, Jesse and Walt havent been very personal, but their relationship as individuals is clearly
growing.

42:15-All of the people from the first scene are sitting in a doctors office. Walt and Skylar are
closest to the desk while the others are seated behind. The doctor tells Walt that his cancer is in
remission just before saying his tumor has shrunk by eighty percent. The family celebrates. Walt
is in disbelief due to the look of the scan. He begins coughing. The doctor tells him that the
cough is a reaction to the treatment that must be worked on immediately, but that it is nothing to
be concerned about. The entire family is very happy.

46:00- Walt is now alone in the doctors office restroom. He washes his face and crouches over
the sink, seemingly feebly and uncomfortably. He goes to get a paper towel to dry his hands and
face, and as he looks at his reflection in the metal paper towel dispenser, he immediately begins
angrily punching it until it is mangled. Walt is obviously struggling with all of the danger and
trouble hes put himself through under the impression that his cancer would be fatal. Hes slowly
morphing into a monster.


Interview With Walter White:

Note: The following interview has been contrived to represent the likely responses of
Walter White to the following questions. All answers are created based on the actions and
aura that Walter White emits throughout the show.

Q) How did you get your start in your craft?

A) I was very troubled when I learned that I had cancer. I was devastated, really. After years
of teaching, I felt that Id fail my family as a provider if I died leaving them nothing to
sustain themselves. My brother, a DEA agent, took me on a ride along one day and I saw an
old student of mine, Jesse, escape through a window as they entered the house. I learned how
much money cooks make in the methamphetamine business, and I knew Id found my
answer. I got in touch with Jesse, privately of course, and he showed me the basics of the
cooking process, which I then improved upon. We came up with the perfect chemical recipe,
and the whole thing took off immediately.
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Wengei 11


Q) Tell me about the role you play in relation to those around you.

A) I was really the visionary of the whole operation. I knew I had the ability to make the best
meth ever produced. All I needed was assistance from someone who knew all of the caveats
of the drug world. Jesse became an immediate necessity in that regard. We are both invested
in the business in different ways, and we are both indispensable factors. We make the major
decisions for the direction we want this thing to head. We need dealers, but we dont need
specific dealers. So long as they are compliant and return to us the money our product makes,
it doesnt matter who they are as people. We currently work with many of Jesses friends as
dealers. They lack much common sense, but they are fully subservient. Saul Goodman is
nearly imperishable as well. He has liberated us many times from assured federal
prosecution. He has all of the corruption we need in a lawfully representative figure. I
consider myself to be only slightly superior to Jesse, but given his impulsive behavior, I feel
it best that I stay in possession of the highest hand.

Q) Tell me about the tools that are most vital to your success.

A) All that Jesse and I really require in terms of cooking is the proper chemistry equipment
and chemicals. All of the ingredients are available at hardware stores except for
methylamine. We often have to find ways to break into warehouses in order to attain it. We
currently keep all of our equipment in an RV. It is mobile and we can cook for days in
extremely remote desert areas. We hope to one day move into a well-concealed lab with
equipment to make much bigger batches. It is feasible, but we need much more money and
much more planning before we can make that leap.

Q) What are the biggest challenges to your success and how do you circumvent them?

A) Well, obviously given the illegality of methamphetamine production, we are constantly
having to cover our tracks. The DEA is nearly omnipresent and they are very thorough. It is
imperative that we do all we can to hide our intentions in purchasing ingredients from stores.
We often travel to different stores to buy different products in smaller quantities. It is time
consuming, but mass purchasing of certain products immediately puts you under the DEAs
watchful eye. We also must assure that nobody undermines our power or authority. This is
the most troubling aspect of our operations. We must act with no grace in instances where
our authority is threatened. We have resorted to very drastic measures in the past and we will
do so again in the future to anyone who challenges our capacity for flexibility or forgiveness.
I will not be explicit, and I will conclude my answer there.

Q) What must the outlook of each member of the operation be in order to assure your
success?

A) We ask for nothing other than discretion and diligence from those below us. Jesse and I
assume full responsibility for our own actions and the compliant actions of those under our
command. We also face the biggest dilemmas as a result of this approach. Our outlook must
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often remain verymerciless. The only problems we must solve stem from disruptions to
our operations that are caused by others. We leave absolutely no margin for error and any
and all who pose a threat to our success are immediately reprimanded. When all is running
smoothly, we are devoid of any worry.