By “understanding” I meant there is no coming to a realization that he was right to make the decisions he did.

So Walter’s actions in the first season, apart from maybe the initial bad idea of making meth for a quick buck, are entirely rational and relatable. Everything that happens to him is the result of that initial bad decision and he handles it (barely) in the same way most of us would in that situation, which is why it is so compelling.

As the show carries on, much of his actions are, likewise, just dealing with or making the most of the situation he has found himself in. But it is also sprinkled in with a few things that you really can’t say you would do in the same situation. It starts a bit morally ambiguous, like letting a woman (who is ruining the life of your surrogate son by getting him back into using drugs) die from her own bad choices. Then it gets a bit less morally ambiguous, like exposing a child to a poison (that he is saved from) to manipulate that said surrogate son.

But for the most part, his choices are kind of made for him by the circumstances and justified by trying to protect others from dangerous people. But then at a certain point he has successfully changed his circumstances, eliminated all threats, and he is 100% free to walk away scott free as a very wealthy man in good health with an intact family, as are his allies. But his transformation is truly completed at this moment. Instead of seeing this as his opportunity to escape that life, he sees his opportunity to take the place of the men who have exploited and endangered him for years. And he convinces his allies to be a part of it. And, as a result, he eventually ruins the lives of every single person around him because of it, including himself.

The point is that there is no understanding what he did in the end. Much of it was out of his control, but all of it ultimately happens because of his personal weaknesses, his ego and his greed. Even the initial decision to make meth was completely driven by ego because he couldn’t accept money from an old business partner for his medical bills because of ego. By the end, that is all that is left, him, his ego, and his meth.

My father in law decided randomly one day I was going to learn to drive manual. So he started up the pickup truck, and said “it’s easy to get started going down hill” as he demonstrated rolling down a steep hill. Then he u-turned, parked the truck at the bottom of that steep hill, turned off the engine got out and said “your turn”. Dick.

I’ll keep on breathing while you wait, if you don’t mind.

“Bomb drop”… I’ll take “no shit” for $1000, Alex.

Literally none of the things Ally was put through were truly negative in a lasting way. Tattoo, green hair, embarrassing herself singing or getting her roommates to join an MLM scam… everything just kind of rolled off of her. Grant, though? That guy went through some shit on that show. So sad watching him sell all his stuff.

Banker: “And what is your account … number?”

Child on another child’s shoulders in a trench coat with a fake beard: “seven”.

Banker: “seven? . . . Sevennnn?”

Child inside coat: “Try eight!”

Child with beard: “Eight.”

I mean, not all of those are less cute.

I mean, we all know about it now. Does that ruin the kink for them? Or do they like that we know?

Little Rascals (1994)

So many quotes burned into my brain, particularly from buckeheat and porky. To this day, I sing “We got a dollar” and “I got two pickles”, ask “Quick! What’s the number for 911?”, and recite Alfalfa’s “Dear Darla” letter.

Supposedly, if impeached and removed, they can be liable for criminal charges. Idk if that still is the case after the Supreme Court ruling or not.

Was wondering myself. I’m worried we’ve done the same thing to these bugs that we did to bacterial pathogens with antibiotics. I.e. we found a REALLY powerful weapon, used it enough to massively alter the survival pressures of the species, but not enough to eradicate it entirely until they just genetically adapt around that new pressure. If some genetic lines of the species were more inclined to radiation resistance or to altered reproduction patterns/sexual selection, then those became the only genetic lines that can propogate. Would be slow at first, but exponential growth is a bitch. There is a finite window of generations to wipe them all out before they’re all replaced by the more resistant genetic lines. Super bugs.

Because fire doesn’t give a fuck about your imaginary lines in the dirt…

So I’m not disagreeing with you about fire not caring about borders. It is worth noting, though, that the border between the US and Canada is not just imaginary. It does have an actual physical demarcation. And that demarcation actually can slow the spread of fire across the border, if only slightly. The trees at the border have been cleared for a 20 foot wide gap, often referred to as “The slash”.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada–United_States_international_border_vista

Blade 3. Ryan Reynolds.

They got cut from the team

So, ostensibly, pardons are meant to be a way to override the Justice system where it has failed to provide justice. If the law is unjust or it’s application was unjust, a pardon can correct that. And ideally it is used sparingly and by a President that that can be trusted to be an arbiter of wisdom and morality. So there’s just about no limitations on the power. And the other branches are meant to give consequences for unethical applications of it, like quid pro quo pardons/bribery. But obviously that is not how it works in practice.

I see what you did there. Would that I were a sword nerd. I was just googling the original because I couldn’t remember how it went and noticed it had an entirely different dude in it.

This isn’t the original image and that sword doesn’t really look like it goes with that scabbard. Did someone recreate/enhance the image with AI?

The original:

I had a manager once tell me during a casual conversation with complete sincerity that one day with advancements in compression algorithms we could get any file down to a single bit. I really didn’t know what to say to that level of absurdity. I just nodded.