The 10 smartest moves Walter White ever made in Breaking Bad

Walter White implemented several strategic decisions in Breaking Bad, which turned his life from chemistry teacher to drug cartel king through malignant means. The sequence of main decisions made by Walter White served as fundamental elements to establish his ascent from a humble teacher toward becoming a controlling drug lord. In this article, the season and the episodes are abbreviated as ‘S’ and ‘E’ respectively. Here are the 10 smartest moves Walter White ever made in Breaking Bad.

Please note that this entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.

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10. Teaming Up with Jesse Pinkman

Walter’s choice to work with Jesse in Breaking Bad S1 turned out to be a crucial one. In this season, Walt looks for Jesse who is a former student of his. He now became a minor meth maker. Throughout this collaboration, Walt was able to take advantage of Jesse’s contracts and street smarts, which were important for their first foray into the drug trade. Apart from laying the groundwork for their activities, this action enabled Walt to keep a low profile while quickly learning the dynamics of the illegal drug business.

9. Setting up a State-of-the-Art Lab

Walter makes a big move in Breaking Bad S3 by establishing an innovative meth lab disguised as an industrial laundry. This shift was planned in conjunction with Gus Fring. This shift gave Walt a safe and incredibly effective manufacturing space. In the episode ‘Mas’, the audience witnessed the lab’s painstaking setup, complete with premium tools and security precautions. Walt’s image as a great chemist in the drug trade was established by this facility. Consequently, it not only boosted their manufacturing capacity but also guaranteed the quality and purity of their product.

8. Entering the Drug Trade

In Breaking Bad S1, Walter White makes his first crucial move to engage in drug dealing activities after his terminal cancer diagnosis. During this crisis, Walter uses his expertise to synthesize excellent methamphetamine to ensure financial security for his family. His brave decision created the first milestones that transformed his life from an ordinary instructor into a prominent drug kingpin while triggering shifts throughout the entire narrative.

7. Using Phosphine Gas

Through a resourceful application of phosphine gas in Breaking Bad S1 E2, Walter manages to escape from danger. Under dangerous circumstances, Walt creates phosphine gas using household chemicals, which causes an explosion to disable Krazy-8 and Emilio. Walt proves his ability to survive through traumatic events through his scientific knowledge thus enabling him to rise in criminal rankings.

6. Creating the Ricin Cigarette

In Breaking Bad S4, Walter demonstrates his devious foresight by creating the ricin cigarette. This smartest move was introduced in E2, where the ricin cigarette became a tool of threat and advantage. Through the series, Walt demonstrates his chemical skills to weaponize the ricin and gain complete control over dangerous situations that solidify his position in criminal activities. Thus, Walter shows his readiness to adopt any extreme tactic when he plans to use the cigarette against Gus Fring.

5. Manipulating Jesse

Walter's manipulation of Jesse takes a new level in S4 of Breaking Bad. In E11, Walter isolates Jesse and Fring from one another as he manipulates Jesse into believing that Gus plans to kill him. With his understanding of the dynamics of human psychology and his ability to control individuals, Walt manipulates Jesse through the exploitation of Jesse's emotional vulnerabilities. The deception works in Walt's favor and drives both Jesse and Gus to ruin as it gains Jesse's allegiance to him.

4. Hiding His Money

The way Walter uses Jesse for his own needs intensifies during Season 4 of Breaking Bad. At E11, Walter creates discord between Jesse and Fring by feeding false information to Jesse that Gus intends to carry out his assassination. Walt makes Jesse his victim through psychological manipulation and his expertise in controlling people. Walt benefits from his deception which causes Jesse and Gus's downfall since Jesse starts to become loyal to him.

3. Creating Fulminated Mercury

Walter displays his audacity by intimidating Tuco Salamanca with fulminated mercury in Breaking Bad S1 E6. Walt reveals both his strength and surprising characteristics by throwing a tiny crumb of fulminated mercury crystal that leads to a powerful explosion. Through his strategic action with Tuco Walt demonstrates his position as an intimidating power in the dangerous world of the illegal drug industry.

2. Expanding to Gus Fring's Operation

Walter's choice in Breaking Bad S3 to grow his business by collaborating with Gus Fring is genius. In E11, Gus presents Walt with a super lab of cutting-edge technology and a lucrative partnership with him. The choice to collaborate with Gus gives Walt uninterrupted access to a very lucrative distribution network. With the strategic choice, Walt gains massive growth for his drug business enabling him to produce and distribute on a large scale to solidify himself as a drug trafficking kingpin.

1. Killing Gus Fring

White's plot to assassinate Gus in Breaking Bad S4 E13. His plan involves a wheelchair that has been rigged with a bomb and Hector Salamanca, an ex-cartel member. In the tense finale, Gus goes to see Hector before the bomb explodes. Once the bomb explodes, it kills both of them. This carefully executed plan shown by Walter's strategic brilliance and cruelty worked. Therefore, his wisest action was to kill his biggest threat and allow him to take over the drug business and he did.

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It can be concluded that through his strategic choices, Walter White evolved into Heisenberg to obtain complete supremacy in the drug market. His intellect and resourceful nature became apparent as he controlled Jesse while eliminating Gus Fring through his decisions. Through his strategic mindset, Walter secured his survival until he made choices that brought about his inevitable downfall.