Breaking Bad
Summary
The most burning question throughoutBreaking Badrelated to when Hank Schrader would discover Walter White ’s secret life sentence as the meth kingpin Heisenberg , and based on the many clues that Walt get out throughout the serial it should have been a pot earlier . Of course , the scenery where Hank piece it all together while ride in White ’s bathroom was an iconicBreaking Badmoment , but throughout the show there were plenty of other times when Walt almost unintentionally let his two-fold - life be known . While Walt was often cunning , at other times he was downright reckless regarding his life of criminal offence .
The earliest hints that Hank had aboutWalter ’s life of crime appointment back to the first time of year , and continue right up until he finally figured it all out at the terminal of the second one-half of the fifth time of year . From psychogenic fugue states to driving into oncoming traffic , the increasingly bizarre behaviour of Walt should have been sizable evidence for Hank to jump investigating his genius chemist sidekick - in - police force . ThroughoutBreaking Badthere were so manyHeisenberg hints that Hank should have noticed .
10When Walter Stole The High School Lab Equipment
Season 1, Episode 6: “Crazy Handful of Nothin'”
The first second where it truly felt like Walter White ’s secret life history was going to be discovered by Hank Schrader came after the stolen science laboratory equipment waslinked to J.P. Wynne High School . Hank immediately realized the connection to Walt and even asked him to do an inventory checkwith him to try and discover how much equipment had been stolen . While Hank joked to Walter “ we do n’t want people to start worrying about you ” he remained completely forgetful to Walt ’s role in the robbery .
Hank jest to Walter “ we do n’t need multitude to start out worrying about you . "
Hank ’s first hint come when Walt acted incredibly fishy after he showed him the meth - give gas mask the DEA found in the desert . This clue should have turned to outright mistrust whenHank learned that only Walter and the school staff had access to the laband that despite being such an thoughtful teacher Walt roleplay like he did not know how many respirators or other equipment the storage room was hypothecate to have . Had Hank not reckon Walt was incapable of being a felon , he would have been a select suspect at this breaker point .
9Walter’s Second Cell Phone
After Walter ’s radio link to Jesse Pinkman were discovered by his wife Skyler through a converse dial phone call , Jesse hold Walter a second burner cell phone so that the two could communicate on the Q.T. . While Walter lied and tell his wife Jesse was his gage principal , Walt was less than invisible with his new second cell phone and even answered it in front of Hank while checking the high school laboratory for the stolen equipment . Walter nervously answered the phone and tried to hide it from Hank , but as a seasoned detective , he should have realize something was untimely .
AsBreaking Badprogressed Walter got better at hiding this headphone from the citizenry in his life and he store it above the drop ceiling of his schoolroom , where he was all out of sight and out of mind . However , one time Skyler should have left Waltwas when he expose the existence of his second speech sound by postulate “ which one ? ” when Skyler asked him if he had brought his speech sound to the hospital . Walter ’s seeming unfitness to hide the fact he had two telephone was a major hint about his Heisenberg personathat Hank never picked up on .
8Walter’s Fugue State
Season 2, Episode 3: “Bit by a Dead Bee”
Of all the seemingly impossible situations that Walter White has found himself having to lie down his way out of , the “ fugue state ” excuse may have been most simultaneously absurd and ingenious . In desperate indigence to overcompensate up the fact that he had been kidnapped by Tuco Salamanca , Walter adopt off all his clothes , cuckold around a supermarket , and pretended he had no memory of the previous few day . When the infirmary was unable to find an explanation , his family was force to believeWalter ’s suggestion that it was a mix of medication and chemotherapy that caused a “ fugue state . ”
As a longtime legal philosophy hatchet man , one someone who should have seen right through Walter ’s excuse was Hank Schrader . Through many years of solve cases , question malefactor , and noticing when somebody ’s story just did not make any sense , Hank should have dug deeper into Walter ’s complex and nonsensical lie . While this may not have been enough to tell Hank that Walter was Heisenberg , it should have been a major cue that Walter ’s closelipped lifestyle needed to be inquire .
7When The Description Of Heisenberg Looked Like Walter
Season 2, Episode 8: “Better Call Saul”
One recurringBreaking Badimage was the Heisenberg sketch , which was the only templet Hank and had to what the drug top banana , unbeknownst to them , describe Walter White looked like . While who exactly drew the vignette , which depicted Walt with his theme song chapeau , trash , and mustache , was not get laid , the drawing off look close enough to the real human that had Hank suspected Walt earlierhe would have been catch back in the third time of year . The sketch was initially linked to the cartel , and it could have been a prime clue to Hank linking Walter with Tuco and the Salamanca ’s .
The drawing was not the only cue that Hank had that Walter was Heisenberg as after Badger was arrested was being present by Saul Goodman , he directly described Heisenberg to Hank as an older cat , medium top , with no hair’s-breadth in lineation that gave Hank all the clew he call for to mistrust Walter . While this may not have been immediately obvious to Hank at the metre , once Hank had the Heisenberg outline to go along with it he should have figured out the truth .
6Walter Telling Hank He Had Half A Million In Cash In Duffel Bag
Season 3, Episode 1: “No Más”
For all his dodgy Lie to keep himself out of hassle , the high-sounding ego of Walter White mean that , occasionally , he could not aid but dribble pernicious jot to Hank Schrader that he was Heisenberg . One of these consequence come in the third season premiere “ No Más ” asHank was aid Walt move his property to his Modern flat and lifted the traveling bag full of moneythat Walt had gotten from his with Gus Fring . While Walt adjudicate to take the bag at first , Hank grabbed it and was closer than he ’d ever been to accidentally get hold out the trueness .
At first , Hank jest about the bag being full of “ clinker blocks ” before Walter amply admitted it was “ half a million in John Cash ” as he had now reached a low item due to his crumbling married couple . However , Hank remained forgetful to Walter ’s confession and laughed away the ideaby saying “ that ’s the spirit . ” This was yet another case of Hank being so blinded by the truth , that he could not see what was gaze him right in front of the eyes , that Walter was the Heisenberg he was so desperately trying to bring down .
5Walter’s Connection To Jesse Pinkman
Season 3, Episode 6: “Sunset"
One of the most damnatory tip that should have told Hank Schrader that Walter White was Heisenberg a circumstances earlier wasWalt ’s consistent affiliation with Jesse Pinkman . As a former student of Walt , the connection between the two characters was obvious from the beginning , and he made several phone calls to their personal home , Skyler visited him to admonish him against the Trygve Lie that he was sell weed to Walter , and there were definitely instance of them being visualise driving their RV together . ThroughoutBreaking Badthere were lots of moment where Hank could have patch their relationship together .
However , the most obvious point where Hank should have suspected that Jesse was work with Walter came in the third season instalment “ Sunset ” whenHank almost busted them inside the RV . With nowhere bequeath to run , Hank got a falsified telephone call telling him that Marie was in a car accident and was being lift to hospital . This caused Hank to flee the scene , and Hank should have pieced together the many hints about Heisenberg and realized that only Walt sleep together this was a surefire way to get him to leave .
4Walter’s Sudden Wealth
Season 3, Episode 9: “Kafkaesque"
Hank should have been more than suspicious about the White kinfolk ’s sudden incredible wealth that seemed to get out of absolutely nowhere . With knowledge about Walter ’s cancer handling , the difficult financial circumstances of the White ’s sprightliness , and even the fact thatWalt necessitate to take a 2d caper at a car wash to make ends run across , it did not make sense that their money worries would vanish so quickly . While Walter concocted a complex lie to excuse forth their money troubles , Hank should know that when something appeared so far - bring , it was usually because it was not true .
Shockingly , spearhead by Skyler , Walter falsely take on to an entirely unlike form of liveliness of crime to excuse their money and extend to ante up Hank ’s medical bills . Together they pretended that Walt made his money gamblingand that this allowed them to pay for his cancer treatment , buy the car wash , and pay for Hank ’s discussion . By accepting their help , Hank was wittingly taking dirty money , but what he should have visualise out was that if a virtuoso pharmacist was in dire need of finances , Walter would be more likely to utilize that skillset to make money than gaming .
3“This Genius Of Yours, Maybe He’s Still Out There”
Season 4, Episode 5: “Shotgun”
After pursuing those distribute blue meth for over four seasons ofBreaking Bad , Hank had finally give in the towel after reason out thatHeisenberg was Gale Boetticherand that he died before they caught him . This was precisely the get - out that Walter White need , but after get word Hank describing Gale as a “ genius ” to Walt Jr. during a dinner , Walter ’s egotism mean that he could not facilitate but dissent . Walter then sowed the seeds of doubt in Hank ’s mind when he recite him that the work in Gale ’s notebook look like “ rote copying . ”
Walt put it all on the line to tell Hank he thought Gale was “ copying someone else ’s work . ”
Walt was so desperate for recognition of his work and so embittered by the idea that Gale would be remember as the genius chemist Heisenberg , that Walt put it all on the line to tell Hank he think Gale was “ copying someone else ’s body of work . ” This short - tending assertion was made after Walt was drinking wine with dinner , this less inhibited version of himself blow out of the water Skyler as he could not serve but drop a trace that he was Heisenberg . Walt was so careless in this moment , that it ’s disgraceful Hank did not read between the bank line of what he was insinuating .
Custom image by Sam McLennan
2When Walter Drove Into Oncoming Traffic
Season 4, Episode 11: “Crawl Space”
While on a ride along with Hank , Walter discovered that his brother - in - law had pieced together Gus Fring ’s tie with an industrial laundry where he cook meth . Not only this , but he wanted Walt to drive him to the laundry where his connection with the whole performance would have sure enough been noticed . In heroic demand to avoid this , Walter get into oncoming trafficand put both of their lives in danger to ensure he could continue life his secret double life as Heisenberg .
Walt ’s nervousness during their interaction and the style thatWalter tried to dissuade Hank from going to the industrial laundryshould have a been clear meter reading that Walter was test to tamper with his investigation . After their close brush with end when Walt drive now into another car , Hank should have realized this was a clear avoidance tactic and that he was on the correct track with his industrial meth lab possibility .
1Skyler Trying To Keep The Children With Hank and Marie
Season 5, Episode 4: “Fifty-One”
In the early part of the 5th season ofBreaking Bad , Skyler was convert that the only way to keep her child , Walt Jr. and Holly , safe from their father was to have them stay with Hank and Marie Schrader for three months . This was a serious lifestyle alteration for the children that should have clew Hank into the fact that something was in earnest wrong with Walter . Withso many other things pointing to Walter ’s secret personal identity as Heisenberg , this fear that Skyler had for the children could have been just the clew he needed to figure things out .
However , Hank never put two and two together to realize the children staying with him and Marie was an meter reading of something more sinister about Walter . rather , Hank believed that it was all due to the United States Department of State of the couple ’s marriage and that they needed that sentence to mould on their relationship and essay to mend their fractured union . Hank should have spotted the true fear that Skyler hadfor their safety and realized that his newfound role as defender to two children was due to Walt ’s criminal twofold life-time .
break Bad , created by Vince Gilligan , follows a interpersonal chemistry instructor turned drug kingpin name Walter White ( Bryan Cranston ) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis . With nothing go forth to fear , White ascends to power in the reality of drugs and crime , transforming the unsubdivided kinsperson serviceman into someone known only as Heisenberg .
