[WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD]
It’s getting hard out here for supporters of sociopathic, drug-pushing megalomaniacs.
I really hate to say this, but I think the people who write #BreakingBad should maybe have their kids taken away.
— DJ Qualls (@TheOnlyDJQualls) September 16, 2013
I mean, it just seems like you can’t cheer on while watching someone have nine prison inmates horrifically murdered, or shrug as he lets some poor drug addict asphyxiate on her own vomit, without suffering a backlash in public opinion. Ridiculous! What is the world coming to?
Last night’s Breaking Bad episode, poetically titled “Ozymandias,” was the final straw for many Walter White fans. Following the murder of his brother-in-law Hank, Walt’s support group seems to have shrunk considerably. Only the most hardcore fans remain in his corner. Not even the emotional pain visible in Walt’s eyes following Hank’s untimely demise could save him.
Of course, he did randomly kidnap that baby.
On Twitter, Walter White fans have come together under one hashtag, #TeamWalt. As the show gets closer to its grand finale, the hashtag is being used in one of three ways: cheering for Walt; justifying why you’re still cheering for Walt to your friends and family; and telling people who cheer for Walt they’re sociopaths who should all snort ricin.
Behaviorists estimate that between 2 and 5% of the population are psychopaths. Now, thanks to #TeamWalt, we have an easy way to find them!
— Frank Beaton (@frankbeaton) September 16, 2013
It was a horrible (awesome) night for Team Walt, but the best part was the absurd reaction from those hoping the fictional Walter White and all of his real-life fans would get what’s coming to them:
#TeamWalt is full of literal sociopaths arrest this hashtag
— Geneva (@cartoonfuntime) September 16, 2013
For all those who are #teamwalt take a ricin and fuck off.
— Guillermo Munoz (@GuillermoMunoz1) September 16, 2013
I swear if anyone is still on Team Walt after this episode, i hope u fucking die in a fire seriously :( ugh that episode destroyed me.
— Crystal Desiree (@SinnCityAngel) September 16, 2013
@loyalx3andrea *Slits wrist*
— Robert Vissichelli (@TheRobbieV) September 16, 2013
Anyone still on #TeamWalt needs to be taken out before they hurt someone else.
— NoSlackDelta (@Demon31G) September 16, 2013
If ANY of y’all are still Walt fans after this I will report you to the FBI. #breakingbad
— Neville Killjoy-Park (@neville_park) September 16, 2013
I have no problem with the NSA spying on people who are #TeamWalt
— BenDavid Grabinski (@bdgrabinski) September 16, 2013
Following a cliffhanger that left thousands of people screaming online, it was clear show creator Vince Gilligan had something dramatic in store. Of course, Hank’s death wasn’t the only surprise. The one thing that kept Walter White from going completely apeshit and blowing up half of New Mexico was his wife, daughter, and son. Let’s face it, there’s no hope of reuniting this family. It’s more likely that Walter White will soon be using the M60 that we all know is resting in the trunk of his car.
The seething hatred experienced by Walt’s fans right now has a lot to do with his transformation from an antihero with noble intentions into one of the most prolific TV villains of all time. Without a doubt, everyone religiously tuning into AMC every Sunday was a member of Team Walt at one time. No one hated him when he strangled his first victim to death after keeping the guy prisoner in a basement for several days.
Sadly, the truth is there was never any hope for Walter White. What kind of lesson would that have been? You can’t make millions of dollars cooking meth and maintain your humanity.
Former Team Walt members are going through the classic stages of grief. Bereaved by the loss of Walt’s goodness, they suffered through several years of denial and have slowly worked their way towards the second stage, anger. Stage 3 is bargaining, and by the end of the next episode, we’ll see a lot of that going on—praying that Walt redeems himself in some sort of suicidal grand finale. No matter his choice, Breaking Bad will eventually come to an end, and we’re all going to be depressed (stage 4) because AMC’s new show, Low Winter Sun, is perpetually boring and no one can relate to any of those characters.
Screengrab via AMC
