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CARDS (AND GAMBLING) IN BREAKING BAD

SRI KANKANAHALLI

SEASON 5, EPISODE 16

WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT?

"FELINA"

WHERE DOES IT TURN UP?

The neo-Nazis have been shown playing pool before (in "To'hajiilee"), and here the final confrontation of the entire show takes place with Walt next to a pool table

Gambling as a form of redemption? Or just as disorder again?

(Or maybe even just a fun in-joke? Walt can't see his old swimming pool again, but at least he gets this kind of pool)

SOURCES FOR ART USED

  • Cards: http://pngimg.com/upload/cards_PNG8475.png
  • Pool tables: http://www.epooltool.com/Content/Images/Table1300X735.png
  • Red poker chip: http://www.chipsandgames.com/images/products/detail/209rd.png
  • Black poker chip: http://rocketdock.com/images/screenshots/poker-2.png
  • Neon sign: http://neoneffect.co.nz/images/detailed/0/NEBS-188.png
  • Background is a shot from S04E04: "Bullet Points"

SEASON 5, EPISODE 15

SEASON 1, EPISODE 6

"GRANITE STATE"

"CRAZY HANDFUL OF NOTHIN'"

Poker game between the Whites and Schraders

Cards as a social experience, form of family bonding

Gambling as a competitive activity (Hank insults Walt in top-right, Walt "retailiates" and wins back his pride by winning the round)

An exercise in deceit (Walt's success in bluffing indicates to the viewer that he's become a better liar, he's gaining the skills necessary to succeed in the drug trade)

Walt asks Ed to play cards with him in order to have human company for a little bit longer

Cards as a symbol of isolation again, which is the flipside to the earlier example in the RV of cards as intimacy

Like the earlier example with Hank, card games represent a desire for Walt's return to normalcy (except instead of having a family there to support him, he has to pay for it)

SEASON 3, EPISODE 5

SEASON 5, EPISODE 12

"MÁS"

"RABID DOG"

Hank climbs on top of an RV, looks inside, and interrupts a topless couple playing cards

Cards and gambling again as a form of intimacy/family, and a new added aspect of safety/isolation (safety disturbed by Hank)

SEASON 4, EPISODE 4

SEASON 3, EPISODE 12

Walt stays in a hotel and casino (Isleta Hotel and Casino, Albuquerque), after his real home has been attacked

Gambling now forms a substitute home linked deeply with Walt's safety and family, even as the real home and family are falling apart

SEASON 5, EPISODE 10

"BULLET POINTS"

"HALF MEASURES"

"BURIED"

Skylar and Walt trying to learn how to count cards in order to construct their gambling winnings lie

Deceit on two levels (telling a lie about cheating in a game), switching the meaning of gambling from family solidarity to lying to the family

Continues association with safety also (by telling this lie, Walt and his family will be safe)

Walt guarantees the safety of his money by buying a lottery ticket (reversal of the usual dynamic, where you buy a lottery ticket hoping for money)

Gambling as unity/family solidarity (also signified in the clothing scheme, where everyone is wearing purple)

Playing cards as a form of normalcy (Hank might be in the hospital, but they're still going to play cards like usual), which comes up again later when Walt is similarly isolated

EVOLUTION OF THE SYMBOL

In the end, at his most isolated, gambling ends up being Walt's only connection to normalcy.

As the show goes on, though, gambling becomes increasingly connected with deceit, disorder, and isolation.

Yet even as this transition happens, Walt's own safety and plans are still deeply connected to gambling.

Originally, cards, and gambling in general, stand for family unity and social connectedness.

DECEIT

NORMALCY

FAMILY

SOLIDARITY

SAFETY

ISOLATION

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