I love this show even if I miss it, I have it on tape to watch. Now can someone tell me why I cannot view a clip of episode 7,hmmmmmm? Or any of the clips whats up with that???? Its so sad that the teacher has to result to selling drugs to leave a nest egg for his family when he pass away. Makes you wonder what is this world comming too teachers being drug dealers on the side...

Mr. Chemistry Teacher, I am just 9 years your junior but even so, you could have been MY teacher had I shown any aptitude for science (that side of my brain still doesn't really work ;-) I guess my point is that I'm on the downside of my 50s and I have a different perspective than some of the younger viewers--things have changed A LOT since I went to school. So, one of the things I noticed in the first episode that really struck me was that even though Jesse was a school screw-up, and he and Walt have had some pretty tense and unpleasant interactions,he still addresses Walt as Mr. White. He's done that several times. I see this as one of his redeeming qualities. Silly maybe, but it still shows a microgram of respect and I appreciate it. If I saw one of my teachers today, I'd do the same, but I'm much older. While Jesse chose his lot and Walt didn't, my heart aches for both of them. I'd also like to know how a protein x-ray crystalographer ended up teaching school. My roommate's brother is a PhD in this field and works for a pharmaceutical company. As I understand it, there are a relative handful of people in this specialty. I don't suppose we'll find that out until next season.

Actually it is Ms Chemistry teacher, not Mr. Walt may have decided that working for the drug companies was akin to working for the devil and that he wanted to try to influence young people for the better. Have you read The Constant Gardener by John LeCarre?

Ms. Chemistry Teacher--

Thank you for offering your insight.

My dad taught high school Biology for 35 years. He also had cancer, which he did not survive. Some of these episodes have been hard to watch because of how real the situations are to me, but I'm grateful to the writers, directors and actors for telling this story.

I remember sometimes looking at my dad and wondering why he did this for a living. His students didn't seem to appreciate him and his peers sometimes told me he was brilliant. Why stick with it? But that was his life and so he just kept muddling on.

I think he'd probably be mortified by this show, but his perspective is not mine. If there is one thing I have learned in my life, it is that people are flawed. Sometimes the flaws are all you see. Regardless of Walt's bad choices, he keeps moving and trying to improve, even if he's only trying to improve on how to acquire more money in this new-found way.

It's a human story, above all else and I think that's why it has grabbed me.

Oops, sorry, sorry, sorry! I worried about that gender tag as soon as I posted it. I truly am sorry Ms. Chemistry Teacher.

I just suspect that something happened during that "Gray Matter" period of Walt's career that pushed him in another direction. And I KNOW that teaching is a noble, worthy, underpaid profession. There's no question about it. I've known since I was in high school and my favorite English teacher took me aside and suggested the career to me.

I chose to write instead, but I couldn't have done that without dedicated instructors who brought me along. Again, mea cupla.
Alexis

They keep giving us clues as to how this obviously brilliant chemistry guru came to be a chemistry teacher. It might have something to do with Mr. Gray Matter's wife. Did he steal her from Walt? Did they have an affair? Something happened there because she said "is this about what happened between us".

Poor Jesse. He made his mistakes to be sure. His family has too. Their "perfect" son is also using drugs. It begs the question what is going on in that family. They look "perfect"...they certainly appear to be better off than Walt's family. What drove both of their children to drugs?

This show is compelling on so many levels. As a social commentary about issues of health care, class, and privilege. As an examination of personal and societal morals. As a discussion of the criminalization of drugs. Police tactics. Schools. Labor issues. And as just a damned good show.

With all that passes for entertainment, this show is far and away one of the best shows I've ever seen.