Why Didn't Hank Find Out Sooner? - Breaking Bad

Why did it take Hank so long to find out about Walter White being Heisenberg? I take a look at all the clues he missed and how Walt was able to hide in plain sight for so long in Breaking Bad.

[@porpetassassina7]

Hank was biased towards Walt because he was family. A detective with the same skill level as Hank but neutral towards Walt would have made him suspect #1 during the investigation of the missing school equipment.

[@tabemsins]

And that also helps with the fact that Hank sees Walter as less than him, always trying to be dominant towards Walt, so he sees him as no threat at all. Always "Heeeyy Buddy"ing

[@Ocelopillin]

No only he was family, family with cancer and money problems

[@ingydegmar2060]

I mean think about it, missing school equipment that ended up being used for creating meth. New incredibly pure meth shows up, the teacher happens to be a brilliant chemist. First response to "do you recognize this gas mask" is a no despite him being a chemist 10 steps away from where the school keeps their gas masks. On top of it all, the teacher is gone for hours every day after work and later on disappeared for a couple of days. If Hank didn't know and look down on Walter he would have caught him in a heartbeat.

[@thephoenix4093]

honestly it wasn't even because they were family. hank from the start of the series was shown to be plain disrespectful to walt and called him less of a man. he just didn't think someone like walt would be brave enough to break the law.

[@thephoenix4093]

@@ingydegmar2060 don't forget that the teacher happens to have cancer, he gets a lot of confidence and even changes his beard signifing how much he's changing during the time the blue meth comes out and is the best in the business, anyone could realize that walt is a criminal that gets self confidence from the sucess of his product. but he thought too low of him to ever be a genius.

[@eastoncook5740]

crazy how hank needing to take a poop is one of the most influential things in the show

[@igotfobiaz7036]

Onggg

[@ebeck01]

Best ideas come to me in the bathroom lol

[@johnmyers1099]

Hank was making a Mr. Hanky. Howdy Ho! Catching Walt was a Christmas miracle

[@tarkeke]

Toilet reading op

[@shaynelewis1587]

Near the end, I do think Hank caught on… the poop just helped push it along. 💩

[@gotalotofpencils]

From what I noticed in all my watching of Breaking Bad, Hank naturally has a blind spot for those he loves. Marie's stealing is a great example. He asks for everyone to turn a blind eye despite it being a crime because he loves her and though he disagrees with it, supports her through it. Not to mention that throughout the series Hank constantly thinks that Walter is soft. From the first episode he always talks about how Walter needs to 'man up' and do 'man things.' It may be just the way men talk to each other, but it's clear that no one would have ever considered Walter to be Heisenberg because it was out of character for him. We don't know much about their history prior to the show, but it's easy to guess that Hank always thought of Walter as a little brother who was the definition of a goody-two-shoes. Despite the numerous clues it would be ridiculous to think that someone like Walter would be THE drug lord he's been hearing about. I'm sure a good majority of us would reconsider the idea if we found out a family member, despite fitting the possibility, happened to be one of the state's most wanted person. Our perpection becomes biased easily because we like to think "oh, but it can't be them, because of these reasons." Walter White was a perfect coverup for an identity like Heisnberg. He was easily ignored, normal looking, he had a reputation for being quiet, reserved and unlikely to even hurt a fly. It just so happened, maybe with a stroke of luck, that Hank was a DEA agent and could vouch for his character whenever it was questioned. Because in his point of view, Hank would never consider the idea that the version of Walter he knows could never be Heisenberg.

[@Tuco-bg8kj]

Hank always thought Walter as older brother not little brother.

[@cadencornobi5796]

I never understood the main point of Marie’s stealing until now, this is amazing! It demonstrates, like you said, Hank’s blind spot for those he is close to. He shrugs off Marie’s stealing and is mainly just annoyed because he doesn’t want to deal with her.

[@WeebJail]

this is different. he's aware of maries blind spot. he chooses to ignore it. for walt, he doesn't ignore it. he can't see it, because he pities him.

[@danielgreen6302]

You see, hank actually held some sway Inside a DEA bubble, but hank is not the dea as a whole there are different office, state, federal districts(hundreds or thousands of agents) at some point in time walt would have been brought in if for nothing else, than confirming others stories timelines etc.... The main problem is that most people consider Hank to be the representative Face of the DEA...."he is not",just a single agent . If anybody else decided to restart the investigation from scratch, Walts praises would be sung in a cell. 😬

[@alluja]

Heinenterb

[@ishanray]

I don’t get why it’s so unbelievable for Hank to miss it. I think most would too. Walt also had terminal cancer. Not only did he not seem like he would do anything like this, but he was extremely sick (even more sick in other’s eyes). Some say well, Walt changed. He was given a terminal illness and was going through a marital separation. People change from those things.

[@HulkTheSurgeon]

Only an idiot would miss that detail, only believable for Hank to miss those details if he had half his brain removed. The exact chemistry equipment used was missing in Walt's lab, one of two people who had the keys, with no sign of breakage. Additionally, the cancer diagnosis could be a telling factor, but without that, it comes down to a cancer patient with extreme chemistry knowledge, or some janitor who just got clean and no use for the chemistry equipment. Pretty cut and dry.

[@ishanray]

@@HulkTheSurgeon so nobody could steal the keys? It couldn’t be a student who is a dealer? Drug distribution goes deep and there’s connections everywhere. You forget how easy it to to be blinded by things that don’t seem real. What if you found out your mom was a serial killer and you had every sign to see it but you just could not imagine it because she’s close to you and things like that just don’t happen. Joker in the Dark Knight said something like “we aren’t surprised by things that are supposed to happen”. The janitor can easily work for a network that is making meth within the Native American tribe where the mask was found. How is that not a likely scenario?

[@wm1958]

@ishanray yeah they even thought it was students because the amateurish way they stole the methlamine, Hank even made the comment they are probably amateurish kids with chemistry knowledge. Jessie being a former student and dealer put eyes on him and not Walter.

[@johan_94]

​@@ishanrayeasy for us to be blinded by those clues, but not by an investigation officer. There is a level of expertise we expect. Using just cell phone records he could have gained so much information about heisenberg.

[@deagle2yadome696]

the whole point of the show is that walt *never* changed

[@rjjitzu]

so in summarization: Hank gave the benefit of the doubt because he initially thinks Walt as a loser which is the central egotistical drive to the entire story

[@seewhativescene]

Add this to the pile of analysis with the exact conclusions that already existed, divided by your lack of awareness to it

[@D-class9341]

​@@seewhativescenethat's crazy anyway I think I have to call someone

[@somedud1140]

I would say it's also Hank's overconfidence in his people reading skills. Because Hank's close relation to Walter and his position in DEA office in Albuquerque, nobody dared to cast any suspicion on Walter. Moreover remember in first season, when they found out that a gas mask was stolen from local high school. If Hank sent anyone else to investigate, they would've suspect Walter. Pure meth, stolen material from a lab, without chemistry teacher noticing, nervous behavior... who is that teatcher guy? Oh look, he was a big shot who specialized in crystallization and now suddenly he needs a lot of money. The guy is capable, has access to tools and he has a motive, that's a person of interest! But Hank came himself and brought his prejudices against Walter, at the time he knew that Walter got cancer, so he cast aside his suspicions, he ignored all the red flags. Hank even joked about suspecting Walter

[@za9883]

@@somedud1140 Yeah, Hank sees himself as a macho cop hunting hardened criminals and he sees Walt as a bit of a lovable loser who could never be one of those hardened criminals that he was hunting down

[@KPW2137]

@@somedud1140 Hank's people reading skills were not that bad though, which makes it all even more interesting. I mean, he had his doubts and questions regarding Gus when literally everyone around, from the top DEA to people below him thought very highly of Gus and ruled him out. The missing equipment - I can fully believe Hank considering it very unlikely to be Walt's doing. He probably assumes that Walt, with his ways and persona rather completely forgot to close the lab or failed to notice that something was missing. However, you bring about one interesting point: Walt needed money. BIG money. Hank knew it, yet did not follow at all.

[@Scottdick6]

I think people overplay the scene where Hank thinks gale is Heisenberg. Yes, it would’ve bought more time, but the meth would continue to be on the streets which would leak to the conclusion of it not being gale anyways.

[@seewhativescene]

I know you just wasted a paragraph to relay the obvious about the most overanalyzed show in modern history

[@Trash2000s]

@@seewhativescenewell you wasted a paragraph responding to a paragraph that was wasted relaying what’s already known about the most over analyzed show. :)

[@tylerhartley5031]

Well you wasted a paragraph, responding to a paragraph, responding to another paragraph talking about the most analyzing show

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

@@tylerhartley5031 , How long can this go on for??

[@pierren___]

Hank would have switched to Lydia & Madrigal then, Walt would have died

[@jamessanders145]

You're forgetting how drunk he was when he told Hank to keep looking, despite everything else, I seriously doubt he would have been that stupid without the effects of the alcohol.

[@serialbinger]

good point

[@homer_shitposting]

it was extremely stupid

[@sentpain8354]

Im sure the lazy writing would have done it anyways.

[@nouhorni3229]

It's a pattern that Walt often does the dumbest stuff when he's drunk.

[@jamessanders145]

@@tbproductions5713 who said it wasn't?

[@MLennholm]

It's perfectly believable that the thought of Walt being Heisenberg never even entered Hank's mind because of how he views Walt. The problem with this is that one scene where he insinuates that WW is Walter White, showing that he did have that idea, and I believe that as soon as that happened, he would inevitably start to think about it and the whole thing would quickly unravel.

[@za9883]

I think it's that Hank just never took Walt seriously and saw him as the harmless non-masculine relative, and that Hank's view of himself as badass macho DEA agent meant that he was hunting hardened ruthless criminals which he couldn't ever imagine Walt being

[@codyramirez2866]

@@za9883exactly that

[@codyramirez2866]

That’s exactly what their goal was with his character

[@bananasinfrench]

​@@za9883YES you get it

[@sneakyfloats]

Dawg, Hank was making a joke

[@johnnytransam5894]

I mean, honestly, arrogance played a big part of it. Hank saw Walt as a pathetic person that Hank was better than. He never looked at him more than that.

[@HookupCultureCommunity]

Being underestimated is one of the greatest gifts you can ever have

[@liamdonegan9042]

If you're evil. If you're a good person, I'd say it's the opposite

[@zenvultra4457]

Tbh I’m surprised Hank didn’t deduce that the blue meth was being manufactured by multiple cooks, and therefore the idea of Heisenberg could’ve been a red herring to keep the DEA looking.

[@homer_shitposting]

exactly

[@ronweasly778]

THIS

[@FutureDeep]

Blue meth. Red herring. Blue + red = purple. Purple is Marie's colour. Marie is Heisenberg. I cracked it!

[@aeway_]

​@@FutureDeepIncredible. You'd fit right in with the DEA

[@rashcamindia956]

You know the show is legendary when there are theories coming up even after a decade of the show being called off

[@hardboiled2987]

How many thousands of dollara did you pay for that pfp

[@mm-gk6xg]

@@hardboiled2987 waste*

[@randywhite3947]

This Friday will mark ten years since it ended

[@richardanderson3612]

I just screen shotted and got it for free, thanks​@@hardboiled2987

[@funnydude1344]

@@hardboiled2987probably saved the photo

[@ryefi_yt]

The Hank-Walter tension was something I haven't felt since Death Note

[@AutomationDnD]

it WAS Brilliant story telling. When Hank . FINALLY . Did realize the truth. He went from rage to just simply a baffled (& broken) Heart.... when he saw the veil drop, and instead of Walt.... THERE Stood Heisenberg, his ultimate nemisis. Hank _Literally_ said it: "I don't know who I'm looking at" ..... .... he realized he did not "KNOW" the Real Walt, all along

[@izayah8su810]

He was just simply that guy. mans was such a raging egomaniac he didnt think anyone COULD catch him. Why do you think he kept that damn book on his toilet?

[@dash4800]

We the audience are biased in deciding if someone should suspect Walt because we already know its him. But take away that prior knowledge, then add to it what Hank already knows about Walt over years of knowing him. Hes meek, quiet, unambitious, and now sick and dying. Given all of that its unlikely that anyone would make that leap based on tidbits of circumstantial evidence.

[@serialbinger]

Good points👍

[@missychelle33]

Denial. He loved him and respected him. It took him a beat to admit it to himself. Plus you don’t accuse your brother in law of being a meth king pin without real evidence.

[@kekero540]

Hanks biggest mistake was not pursuing the missing school equipment. That was the smoking gun and I’m surprised it wasn’t what he used to implicate Walt as Heisenberg during the final season of the show. A lot of the hints are often circumstantial at best, like people have this tendency to mentally separate their work and home lives to the point that they forget they share the same reality. Walt is extremely, unfathomably sloppy but also extremely unfathomably lucky in what he was able to get away with. If he had waited he would have been able to get a warrant on Jesses house and test for any residue left over from cooking in the basement. After he suspected Walt for the missing school supplies he could have tested his hair for similar residue.

[@sidvicious332]

That warrant would have been a stretch. Also, the operation was only in it's infancy back then. Hindsight is 20/20.

[@kekero540]

@@sidvicious332 Very hard disagree the numbers on the gas masks tracked right into Walt’s classroom supplies there is nowhere else they could have came from. it wasn’t a stretch whatsoever. Especially given that there were no break ins recorded. The skill required to make that caliber of meth in a TRAILER. Was something that would make Walt stick out like a sore thumb. He was the only person with a college education in chemistry other than the other chemistry teachers that could’ve possibly made the meth. It is not a stretch whatsoever he could get a warrant on Walt. He and his entire class would have been prime suspects day one.

[@Sweet.G]

He arested the school janitor, but really they should of put him under sevailance , so hanks fault

[@Catalyst512]

The best show ever written and produced hands down

[@XxRedRocket15xX]

Its like how it was in Death Note. Mr. Yagami saw the evidence but didnt want to believe his son was Kira, so he blinded himself to the truth. L was neutral, and thus could relentlessly pursue Light properly. Walter better be glad he didnt need to face an L.

[@bluehornet197]

Walter was family to Hank and people ALWAYS have a blindspot when it comes to family this is the biggest point everyone misses when making these videos or even discussing this topic its easy for us to say that Hank should have seen it earlier even with his training as an investigator and detective but the matter of fact still remains that we all have a blindspot for those we care about even when all the signs are pointing to it

[@frostyxmeboi8878]

Gus had the largest emotionally driven villain arc realistically

[@milesgerschefske6231]

Things get stolen from the school Walter works at Hank sleeps Walter has sudden mood swings and altered personality Hank sleeps Walter has an insane amount of money coming from nowhere Hank sleeps In a search for missing Walter Hank stumbles upon a major cartel distributor and gets in a gun fight Hank is asleep internally Walter openly rights off hanks investigation while on a steak out, and wrecks a car to end it early Hank sleeps Hank receives last minute life saving tipoffs about assassination atemps Hank sleeps Hank is told the house isn't safe for the children and Walt and sky refuse to explain Hank sleeps Someone writes something nice about Walt in a book Hank goes on full alert

[@serialbinger]

😅👍

[@Mosslistic]

I think it’s that he was giving him the benefit of doubt, however when he saw the handwriting, he remembered the ww thing he said the Walter, the way he reacted and recognised the handwriting, so everything clicked

[@spikester]

@@Mosslistic Love the analysis. Hank was so blinded by family hierarchy it completely disabled his ability to be a DEA agent, that said, why didn't Hank's well-experienced DEA partners come onto Walter sooner? Maybe they did and they got shut down by Hank and I simply didn't notice. That book was the only thing he came across in his investigation that directly tied to Walter and there was no other way it could end up on Walter's toilet, breaking the benefit of doubt chain. Again, no other show can ever seem to captivate a mind again like this one had. EDIT: What really ticks my mind is how Walter himself became so blinded that he didn't realize Pinkman was working with Hank to lead him towards the primary evidence they can use to convict. The cash. Walter knew Hank knew, yet Walter still fell for very old police trickery due to his ego. Had Walter been more experienced this or even apply a smidgen of what he learned as a drug lord it would have never worked.

[@spikester]

Mike would have easily smelt that one from a mile away, even would have told walter the DEA was using pinkman had he not ruthlessly killed him. Biggest mistake of Heisenberg the entire series. Very high probability Mike knew all about GPS tracker laws and that rental companies were barred from using them state-wide.

[@Mosslistic]

@@spikester Walter was blinded by his parental love for Jesse. Honestly I think he loved him more than Flynn. He was also so money oriented and desperate to prove how man he was whilst his family fell apart he probably just panicked in the moment, not thinking to check or look for longer (which would have shown him that really, they had no clue where the money was) I think he felt so betrayed by Jesse, after everything he believed he’d done for him, he couldn’t contain his anger like once before. Walt learned very little from his time as a kingpin - only killing was almost commended (think Jesse pretending he killed that man and everyone respecting ww and jp) he used this belief in his personal life too (“a man gets shot and you think that of me? I am the danger”(badly paraphased I’m sorry)) this leads to his criminal life bleeding into his personal life even more. But Hank saw Walt as almost less that. ‘Walt couldn’t be a threat? He was scared of holding a gun in s1e1!’ Hank simply didn’t think it was possible for Walter to do something so uncharacteristic (at least in hanks view of Walt) Not to say Hank wasn’t innocent. He was a relatively good man who although undemonstrative, really cared about things, and had really bad anxiety (probably ptsd too) which likely clouded his thoughts and judgement. But he saw his family as almost above the law (e.g Marie and her kleptomania) so when all the evidence (and really it didn’t take a rocket scientist to work it out) pointed to Walt - the missing Highschool equipment, skylarks suddenly smoking again, the kids not being safe, Walter literally having a degree from I think Harvard? In chemistry. But he refused to believe it. Because barely even a year ago, Walt was the doting father and husband with a dead end job and end stage cancer. A perfect law abiding citizen who loved his family. It’s difficult to blame hank when we knew the whole time. Because hank had a personal involvement with Walt, he struggled to connect him and Heisenberg more than a random dea agent would. But I think even they wouldn’t connect it because why would someone so connected to the dea do this (same with fring) it was so dangerous that it wasn’t dangerous anymore. The dea called hank insane for suggesting fring was involved. Then they found out he was.

[@jmichaeljohnston4937]

Hank's confidence was both his greatest strength and weakness. If he thought you were the guy, he pretty much ignored everything pointing to the contrary. When he bet Gomez that "Captain Cook" was Latino, he was so laser focused focused on that, he didn't even notice Jesse was still there once they caught a brown guy. The same is true in reverse. Once Hank got the idea Heisenberg wasn't Walt, he didn't even look for evidence otherwise.

[@user-gk7rz7ey2o]

He trusted Walt and never thought of him as someone who would even consider something like that

[@FrankDaBank25]

Yeah they definitely laid it on thick with the whole "walt is timid and mild mannered" in the beginning. But Hank should have definitely seen the change in behavior over time and put the clues together. They wrote hank as the most intuitive agent ever. Doesn't make sense that he never even considered walt even in his own mind

[@rebeccaclark7465]

I agree! He'd known Walt. He was family. Hank was too close, he couldn't see the forest for the trees.

[@redhood444]

@@FrankDaBank25you have to remember Walt is also GOING THROUGH CHEMOTHERAPY . I wouldn’t think someone dying of cancer could cook pounds of meth either

[@FrankDaBank25]

@@redhood444 That's called being naive.

[@urce8622]

@ballsdeep69420 I’m sure you would have seen it right away

[@Ivantheterrible81280]

Walt would constantly play into people underestimating him.

[@user-zy8ij2rd6h]

Hank was too confident in himself. He overlooked a lot because of it.

[@slippyio3548]

I love how this channel has the infographic channel’s voice, but isn’t wasting it.

[@zoomerjack5435]

Imagine if AMC remade Breaking Bad but from Hank’s perspective. It would follow Hank’s investigation into Heisenberg only to reveal at the very end in a plot twist that his own brother-in-law was Heisenberg the whole time.

[@serialbinger]

Would defenitly watch

[@fanofcodd]

It is easy , Walt lived 40+ years as a quiet and wimpy science teacher. It is a good cover like Fringe who played the perfect citizen.

[@Cybele1986]

I think this leaves out Hank’s considerable character growth over the series. Hank starts off the series as a loudmouth asshole who looks down on most people. His struggles make him shrewder, more patient and calmer. He is only able to find Heisenberg because he’s shed a lot of the ego that held him back from being able to see things clearly. And when he dies, that’s the effective end of the story. Hank was essentially a tragic hero - a flawed but good man who realizes his mistake too late

[@Nadayan]

I think Walt knew if he let Hank give up the search for Heisenberg, he would be found much more sooner by a DEA Agent who reopens the case. Theyd start from step 1 again, meaning the missing school equipment, making Walt prime suspect. Since Habk has already closed Walt as innocent, he just needed to keep up the facade longer instead of let his egos get the best of him

[@sleepydragonzarinthal3533]

Every time he got within a mile of a clue towards walt, walt would do something or something would happen that would cloud Hanks jock brain up with "walts a sad shriveled pussy" and it would end there. He was too close, walt was family, he KNEW walt would never have the brass bearings to hurt a fly, let alone commit any serious crime. He knew it so well, and he was so shocked, off put and low key proud when walt grew a pair that it blinded him. Thats the whole point of Hank, he was the best cop that could have possibly been on heisenbergs case, IF heisenberg had been literally anyone else in the world. That irony is the foundation of his entire character, and lets face it, he played the shit out of that character, so perfect. Hank, walt and all the criminals, everyone involved in the heisenberg side were all perfectly cast, everones family and coworkers could have been played by anyone (sorry gomy) but hank walked that middle line, he and walt were the perfectly played characters top to bottom, even when the writing got thin, they turned that shit out hard.

[@RealLaone]

When someone lies to you specifically, no matter how stupid the lie, you'll always be the last to find out compared to people they're not hiding from. We see this in relationships everyday.

[@mikeh2887]

Hank trusted and loved walt so much that he could nevee imagine him being involved in that dark world. Hank got so many clues that walt was the man he was looking for but it never even occured to him because of the love hank had for his brother n law.

[@DavidBrocekArt]

We as viewers think it's easy to spot, because we are biased with all the "obvious" clues. But don't forget that for us the story is really just a show about like 20 people so it feels like Hank got all the clues around him. But the city has almost milion people there and in Hank's eyes it could be literally anyone... I would personally suspect some low life criminals than my good-guy-teacher brother in law

[@jsmacks11]

Hank while a great detective was human and had a case of subconscious denial and bias. Walt was Hank's friend and considered him family. I think with Hank's job and training he viewed the Drug Dealer as the enemy. He didn't want to entertain the thought of Heisenburg being a close friend. In Hank's mind, a drug dealer was a monster like Tuco, or an outcast looked down by society like Jesse. I think also Hank used Walt's outward presence of being mild mannered as an excuse not to pursue further. And by all accounts, the fact that Walt lived a squeaky clean life until recently would throw Hank or anyone else off. I think Hank probably would have gotten laughed at even if he told others his suspicions as they would imagine Heisenburg as a cold calculating sociopath. That kept Walt safe from Hank for a long time until it became too obvious. Also I think deep down Hank respected Walt's intelligence and in a sort probably looked up to him. Even if Walt had financial troubles, Hank figured Walt had the intelligence and Wisdom to not do it by drugs. Hank also had a soft spot for Walt's illness and stress of having a new kid. Hank kind of hinted at this before he died by telling Walt he was the smartest person he knew but kind of "street stupid" Ultimately though Walt being a part of his family, having no record of drugs, being mild mannered, and respected by him caused him to deny the evidence and leads towards him. People say that Hank didn't respect Walt because of his timidness but I disagree as when Hank told Walt to man up, he was just joking (something he did a good bit). I think Walt getting a police tour early on, and asking questions about cases, caused Hank to respect him more as he viewed it as someone interested in his line or work and appreciating his job.

[@serialbinger]

Good take👍

[@kurikong2379]

When you have cancer people would pity you so much that they’ll overlook everything. Every behavior will also becomes acceptable, Walter being away for several days wasn’t shady, it was pitiful bc it was a man who might probably had a nervous breakdown due to his fate

[@miguelpizarro5217]

Your breaking bad videos are so amazing. Your takes and perspectives on the show make it even better to look back and think about.

[@serialbinger]

really appreciate your feedback. Makes it worth it to keep making em😀

[@seewhativescene]

Cuckolding like this deluded generic gimmick "creators" into delving deeper into obvious takes to click bait more traffic

[@seewhativescene]

Oblivious vapid cluelessness of KZbin content "creators" deluded into accepting praise from those they've conditioned ​@@serialbinger

[@ryanlemley4866]

Plain and simply put he followed the 2 cardinal rules. 1 dont flash your cash and 2 dont get high on your own supply.😅

[@ibrahimshaffi6282]

I think a good similarity between Gus and Heisenberg is their ability to hide in plane sight. Walt on the surface is a soft- spoken family man and school teacher while Gus is a pillar of the community. Both had a dark side that they kept secret for so long that even the ones closest to them didnt notice The same can be said for Mike

[@anthonythibert7022]

Most people do not turn into such huge criminals after most of their life has been spent. Hank also loved Walt as family and nobody wants or even suspects that their own loved ones are capable of things they never even fathomed. Also Hank had little reason to even think a mere high school chemistry teacher and family man would even think of cooking meth out of the sky blue.

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

Basically Hank always thought Walt was a wimp

[@senpaisally69]

I think Hanks main reason for not catching Walt was because he undermined him. Yes Walt might of been ‘smarter’ than Hank however life for Walter was a shitshow however, for Hank it wasn’t. Proved to Hank that intelligence does not equate to money. There was a scene on the show, where Walter admits that he has $1M at the back of the truck but Hank laughs because he knows Walter is a joke. I think once he realised it was Walter, it was an eye opening scenario for Hank because it made him realise that you can never undermine someone even though you think you may ‘truly’ know them.

[@austinb3560]

Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer

[@makumba9629]

Hank was constipated up until the last season preventing him from finding out about Walt

[@AaronTapp]

I always felt this tension rewatching. Like Hank is more complex than we realize. He says all of these passive things like he’s putting pressure on Walt to determine for himself without making it obvious, only never “finding anything.”

[@swifty5285]

like how Walter is deemed this man who wouldn't hurt a fly, but he goes out of his way to kill one, poisons a child, and goes on to murder multiple people in multiple different ways. As well as distributing to a 'drug ring' of course

[@rohnkd4hct260]

I think Hank did wonder how Walt knew too much about the case.. As the show went on, he knew Walt had to Hinesonburg.

[@faithiestatheist6638]

Hank had enough evidence to suspect Walt way before he did. By early season 2… 1) Hank discovered supplies were stolen from Walt’s lab. 2) Hank realized the dealer knew enough chemistry to switch to (and successfully use) methylene masterfully. 3) Hank noticed Walt was suspiciously disappearing for large swaths of the day and night. 4) Hank knew Walt was using a secret second cell phone. If I was Hank I think I’d convict on those four item alone, (if only in my mind).

[@FELENATOR]

That's not evidence.

[@esior8284]

⁠@@FELENATORHank based his investigations on his conjectures and believes without solid evidence. And later it all turned out he was right. So it means he didn’t need a solid proof to connect someone to particular crime. But only if he had a one single thought about Walt being an embodiment of brutal masculinity rather than a failed chemist, he would’ve found a real evidence on him

[@richyc.6465]

@@FELENATORtrue but it’s enough for hank to start suspecting walt and begin digging for connections

[@dashx1103]

@@FELENATOR It is "evidence."

[@JassZoigel]

@@FELENATOR indirect (circumstantial) evidence is still evidence. It is the inductive processor of law

[@timschlieper330]

Hank wasn’t watching the show like we were. He saw Walt as a weaker man (not as manly) than himself. This is shown from the get go. When you label someone as “weak”, you don’t expect much. Edit: the result is always extreme. Wether it be surprised, upset, angry, happy. But there’s always some sort of shock when you label someone as weak in your mind and they surprise you.

[@UenoHeavyIndustries]

I always felt like Hank looked down upon Walt and thought of him as a lesser man. Like Walt staying undercover was less him being good at playing innocent and more Hank not taking Walt seriously even when presented with reasons to be suspicious

[@naheemquattlebaum2267]

I always felt like Hank "knew" but was silently hoping and praying that it wasn't "true" or his involvement would be minimal at best so he avoided it as if to give Walt "time" to get out of it.

[@mushthemoist4ever729]

He didn’t though, at all. He literally asked him to help him track Gus car. He didn’t have any idea at all.

[@jasonbower7763]

Yeah...bruh - he didn't know

[@Fajowski50]

People keep seeing Hank has a blind spot for his family, but that is completely irrelevant when Walt’s chemistry equipment goes missing and the meth they found could’ve only been cooked by a genius chemist. Walt would have been suspect #1 and the show would have ended after a few episodes. There is literally zero justification for it taking so long, and the fact that the DEA just ignores the missing chemistry equipment case is infuriating. They even say they know it wasn’t the janitor, but then stop investigating!?? Why?? Why would you not interview all the people who had keys to that equipment. There were so few possible suspects, and then when you add in jesses car found at tucos house, and Walt has a known connection with Jessee, and then badger says Heisenberg is an older bald man. Like CMON!!! I don’t care if Walt is family. You don’t just ignore obvious clues. You don’t just leave loose ends and stop investigating because someone is your family.

[@gnome12347]

because suspension of disbelief

[@Jamnonit]

Hank’s biases kept him from finding out about Walter. Initially, his racism ruled Walter out. Then, him thinking that this had to be a seasoned criminal. Lastly, him knowing Walter to be a stand up guy.

[@nataliedaniels1443]

Cause he didn't want to know...

[@KenMabie]

How did Hank not know the drawing was Walter?

[@imanthonyjames]

Friends close and Enemies closer

[@Letyourcolorsblendwithmine]

If Hank had brushed up on physics he'd have caught Heisenberg in a month at most. Walt choosing the name Heisenberg was the single most egotistical thing that he had ever done, he named himself not after the man but after the man's uncertainty principle.

[@KenMabie]

Physics? Chemistry you dolt

[@kramarancko1107]

Why would he name himself after the uncertainty principle

[@KenMabie]

@@kramarancko1107 did you know professor Farnsworth on Futurama is named after the guy who invented television... ?

[@perfectenrager]

Hank never looked at Walt that way. Always thought he was a weak man and no way he could do such a thing. Funny thing is prior to Walt getting caught, he actually never lied to Hank. He even told Hank that bag had half a million in cash but Hank shrugged it off as a joke. This was something established in Season 1 Episode 1 of Breaking Bad when you can clearly see Hank bully Walt for even holding that gun. Only for the show to end by Walt killing his enemies with a machine gun.

[@raybarrows4418]

I think he was able to get away with it all for so long because it was a tv show

[@brandonochs1902]

Los polos hermanos sounds like a fire t-shirt brand name

[@GoomDuy28]

If Hank is not related with Walt, I'm pretty sure he asks himself Why the hell Walter put some interest on drug lab and next day the property of Walt's Lab is on desert (suspecting RV Lab) And also ain't no way he didn't recognize Heisenberg draw

[@filipvadas7602]

Its a combination of both bias on Hank's part, what with him seeing Walt almost like a little goody-two-shoes brother and the fact Walter really was just so below Hank's radar. He was highly intelligent and always had a planet sized ego he buried deep down, but overall he was so straight and narrow that even the thought of him intentionally doing something illegal or questionable was almost unthinkable. I mean, back in season 1 Hank thought that the idea of Walt even smoking pot was "out there" because of how out of character it was for him. And , mind you, we know that these two have been genuine friends for *years* so they know each other pretty well. So we can't exactly blame Hank for basically letting Heisenberg walk around under his nose, when the prime suspect would have been unthinkable to him.

[@spikester]

EDIT: [Spoilers] Walter's planet sized ego trying to save his precious cash above all else ultimately gets his brother in law murdered; he should have known that Pinkman was setting him up as the supposedly experienced Heisenburg. Totally blinded by the bias that he had over Pinkman especially since he revealed the ability to replicate his cook.

[@spikester]

Walter's was still the purest but he knew his recipe would survive in the finale with how he looked impressed at the equipment dials. Love this show.

[@tbag4justice707]

i think his involvement with gus help to most to remain hidden as gus was master of it for years and under his shadow walter took use of it without even being aware of it

[@dkilla5483]

This whole vid just sounds like a intro to a vid that never starts

[@mercuryy94]

He didnt get caught sooner, cause hank didnt take a shit at walts house before season 5

[@Jakefromstatefarm56503]

Walt's motivation, smarts, and brazeness in the drug game grew more and more each time he came across Hank in everyday settings. I know the scene with the whiskey bottle was a good show of this but it definitely could have been built upon further in other scenes. Would have been even more icing on the cake to an already phenomenal series. I mean just imagine how you would feel with your braggadocious, slick-talking, bad-boy esque brother-in-law being cool in 90% of the social settings youre in all while being an old high school chemistry teacher with a disabled son, and overly emotional wife who can barely afford hospital bills. One dude is catching bad guys chopping it up with the bros in the department getting promotions and at the cause of fixing the all the world's problems while youre at the recieving end of seemingly all of life's misfortunes. Shit Id break bad too.

[@neptun2810]

There is one instance at the very beginning of the show that I can’t excuse in any other way than plain bad writing. It’s ok, most shows start of rather weak and get better over time, but let’s just look at it from the DEA’s perspective: The DEA found that mask in the desert, with traces of Walt’s super pure Meth on it. And they identified it as a mask that belongs to the school where Walt is teaching. And when Hank inspected the school, he found no traces of burglary, like broken windows, cut fences, etc. This clues combined give the DEA some information about the person they’re looking for: The person they’re looking for is a genius in the field of chemistry (because of the super pure meth), and the person has access to the schools chemistry rooms. And Walter White, besides maybe one or two other chemistry teachers we never saw on screen, is the only person that fits both criteria. This would have made Walt the prime suspect from the beginning, and then Hank would have found proof like two days later. And even if Hank was to blind to see this obvious clue, some of the other cops would definitely have realised it.

[@kingc8531]

Someone could have asked a kid to grab some materials so it could also have been any student or anyone else who had access to the chemistry lab. Although they would surely want to speak with Walter to ask him about who had access to the lab. Or maybe they were overwhelmed with evidence and just didn't think this was significant. Maybe they couldn't rule out cross contamination as to how the mask had traces of meth.

[@neptun2810]

@@kingc8531 The mask didn't have traces of just any meth, but of that specific, ultra pure meth. Yes, the one that stole the maks doesn't have to be the same that cooked the meth, and this clues I explained are surely not enought to put Walt on trial. But it's enought to make him a prime suspect, and this would result in the DEA finding hard proof soon after.

[@ishanray]

@@kingc8531I agree. The mask wasn’t a dead giveaway, it could have easily been stolen.

[@thephoenix4093]

I disagree. because walter is well known to the DEA as a good person and close to hank, who hank considers a loser that is incapable of amounting to the genius of the blue meth, so he would have easily convince his people that walt is not the guy. I think the dead giveaway is walt's transformation in acting, apperance, his decaying relationship with skyler and change in confidence, and a bunch of money to pay for treatment and the cancer itself. so only hank, who doesn't believe in walt's abilities knows all of this.

[@ishanray]

@@thephoenix4093 the transformation could easily be attributed to him beating cancer and going through a divorce. You have to eke Eve that people on the outside only saw small pieces of his transformation and not all of it. Jesse is the only person who has seen the full spectrum of his transformation; dorky teacher to ruthless kingpin.

[@egbertjeeeee]

I think he didn't notice earlier because the writers of the script figured that the longer it will take for him to find out, the more tension was being built for the watcher

[@AaronSmith-kr5yf]

What threw Hank for a loop was Walter being straight as an arrow his whole life until his cancer diagnosis. Hank just couldn't imagine Walt being a gang banger/cartel member like all these terrible people he arrested. And even if Walt was cooking meth, he had no criminal connections, how in the hell was he going to move the product??? The fact that Walt wasn't connected/wasn't in the game, was so risk averse/meek/scared to even associate with people in "the game" just ruled Walt out as a suspect. That bias Hank had ended up being his undoing. I could also imagine Hank getting some pushback from his DEA associates to look closer at Walt, with that break in his classroom. Hank was like, "hey I know the dude, its not him" and because of his status/respect at the DEA they just took Hank's word on Walt not being a suspect.

[@brianmorash3962]

Also, Walt just kinda acquired a very valuable asset- Saul Goodman. Like Saul said in the finale, Walt couldn’t have done it without him. Saul’s high level of skills and ways of circumventing the system got Walt far and stopped him from getting caught much sooner. Walt, while brilliant, was an a amateur criminal and definitely would’ve been caught sooner if not for Saul’s lifetime of smarts, experience and connections.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Like Clark Kent, the seemingly most unlikely is never obvious, even if they are right in front of you. Hank's perception of Walt never shifted from the persona we were introduced to in the beginning of the show. We were met with a meek, down-trodden, emasculated Walt that would never dare to break a law. This is how Hank continued to see Walt, which enabled Walt to maneuver his machinations in plain sight of Hank with never arousing suspicion.

[@jimmyd6740]

The real question is, why was Walter teaching at a high school instead of a university? Or why didn't he get a job with a corporation that hires chemist's and would pay him big money? He had the education and experience

[@moisesblandon9136]

Probably had ndas with Gray Matter. After all it was his radiation research they used... but the university level is what stumps me

[@marissadraper950]

I think he was hard up for a gig fast since ge had a baby on the way. Once you're in education it's really difficult to leave without losing a lot of invested retirement funds etc. Plus some contracts only allow you to leave march through June ish when new teacher contracts are made. He also had a kid with challenges - and it might have been good for him to be in the district. Also - just low shattered confidence.

[@felipedeornelas8054]

Hank didn't find out sooner because he didn't fuck around enough.

[@dhondtlaurent]

Walt always wears a bulletproof vest made of Scenarium (Sc 404 very rare element).

[@ArtLeeThree]

His brain COULDNT see it. People think the Superman/Clark Kent disguise is stupid but they’re not around Clark being a meek dork all day and hunching over, being unathletic and I’m sure changing his voice. Perry White or Jimmy Olsen isn’t like wait…. That’s Superman because he isn’t what Superman is in their head.

[@vinnymac7565]

Walt was just a cook for Gus. How would Hank know that Walt ordered the hit of the nine guys?

[@valhallaoutcast]

he didnt have to take a shit earlier cant believe you thought it was deeper than that

[@shrimpguy6900]

One of the surprising things about the justice system in all aspects is how slowly it moves. Cooperation and the sharing of information between organizations is complicated. My old dealer had been being investigated for two years before he got caught. He was small time but the biggest name in our town.

[@SamsarasArt]

Well there's two reasons. First Walt is his own brother-in-law and Hank wouldn't entertain the idea of Heisenberg being a family member at all. The second reason is how Hank viewed Walt, which was as a weak timid little man. Not only that Walt was suffering from cancer. So in Hank's mind, Walt was the last person he would suspect. He was so convinced of this he dismissed clues pointing to Walt being Heisenberg. When Gale was found along with the evidence pointing to him being the blue meth cook; Hank concluded that he had to be Heisenberg and would have considered the case closed....if it wasn't for what Walt said.

[@CharlesVanNoland]

RIP Hank :(

[@nicholasdirenzo7711]

Hank knew the whole time

[@Rosecatcuno]

Hank knew all along

[@Zeroshiki]

Hank knew, he just didn't want to know or truly see it. There were plenty of times that Wait made it very apparent that he was Heisenberg, especially with his endless pride and ego getting in the way. I don't think Hank wanted that confrontation until absolutely necessary, like the evidence basically falling into his lap.

[@AO-Pgh]

Nicely put

[@williamgiesen4910]

I’m not so sure, Hank was truly shocked when he finally found out it was Walter all along, it even sent him into a panic attack. As others have said I just think Hank never suspected Walter because in his mind Walter would never have the capability to be Heisenberg

[@thephoenix4093]

no he didn't. the thought never crossed his mind, he just saw walter as a loser that can never amount to nothing, let alone something as genius as the blue meth.

[@jasonbower7763]

Bruh... hank didn't know lol

[@Tomson419]

its easy for us to ask this question because we literally knew from the beginning he was heisenberg lol

[@DRSTRANGELOVEIN]

Spoilers, but it’s incredibly simple. He didn’t see because he didn’t want to. At the end, Hank was a brilliant detective but he couldn’t see because he literally couldn’t believe it. After all, Walt was family.

[@arikalogerakis5311]

why am i so obsessed with this show

[@Mortum99]

Unrelated to the video, but hank would’ve never found out who walt was if walt didn’t confront him about the tracking device on his car. During that episode I’m pretty sure walt completely retired from the meth business and had dedicating his time with his family. Sure, hank connected the dots and found out but he never really had any evidence against walt and so if walt had just played dumb he could’ve gotten away with it maybe. Just a thought tho

[@ReneiYarrow]

Yes, he wanted one last challenge and I believe a part of him wanted to be caught. I’m the only person I know who never sees Walt as a villain. I’ve seen it 4 times thru

[@whatsaname7645]

Ye,but he would be out of money thanks to Skyler.The IRS would find her

[@douganderson7251]

He knew he had no evidence. That’s why he enlisted Jesse.

[@bluewondervfl1848]

Because Vince Gilligan want it that way

[@_trm_4339]

Tell me why, ain’t nothing but a heartbreak

[@TheJasonVoorhees]

The evilest among us hide in plain sight

[@marleneg7794]

Uhh because he couldn't imagine Walt being a drug lord

[@DrunkBiden]

He didnt suspect someone close to him...simple as...Walt constantly came off as a weak man to Hank

[@cvcxn477]

Easy answer… plot armor

[@eleutheriakouin]

"was what it about Walt that enabled him to stay ever so elusive through the entirety of the series?" plot armor

[@TheStarBeyondTheSky]

Willy wonka

[@MaximusNV]

before watching a second of this... so the show can last "6" seasons

[@masonroot3784]

5 seasons

[@fredroberts8275]

But only two years in universe.

[@MaximusNV]

yep, its my favorite, it's the goat- but i did "6" because they still qualified for emmys for season 5 part 2 the following year @@masonroot3784

[@jadesoda5305]

No this isnt twd😂

[@MaximusNV]

@@jadesoda5305 BB never got stale minus the "fly" episode... hot take

[@broncoscountry7667]

Hank could have found out so much earlier but we wouldn't have a show if Hank found out so soon.

[@MaverickRhodes-il4hq]

Mate, seriously, you literally robbed my line 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@sleepyandhollow.]

just finished bb. it bothered me alot when walt showed up to distract hank at the scene where they were going to arrest the wrong heisenberg by setting him up with badger. I felt walt was acting very differently than he had been before and it felt obvious he was trying to distract hank while working and it didn't seem unusual to hank at all

[@serialbinger]

agree