He Said He Wanted "Many, Many Thousands of Green People from History Times."

Alternatively: "You're Bald!" "No, I'm Not: I Was Bald."

I can finally talk currently of “Breaking Bad,” specifically the most recent episode “Hazard Pay.” In the wake of Gus’s forced retirement, two very bald men have established a powder keg dynamic.

Walter, Jesse, and Mike have formed an “equal partnership” business that, within its first episode, has already seen its share of power struggles. The conflict stems from both Walter and Mike being painfully stuck in old paradigms as they try to move forward—it, interestingly enough, does not begin and end with their history of strong dislike for each other, as justified as it may be on both accounts (though it certainly doesn’t help).

Walter’s contribution to the friction is easy to identify, which shouldn’t be a surprise at this point in the series. The audience is well aware of his ego, of his need for control. When he agrees to put power over the business side of the operation in Mike’s hands, we expect the impending qualifying statement he makes to Saul: “He handles the business. And I handle him.”

Even the term “equal partnership” recalls conflicts between Jesse and Walt as “50-50 partners.” It’s no accident that when Mike recounts the totals, and Walt does the math, declaring, “Mike, you’re short,” that the audience is transported back to Season 2 and “Breakage.” When distribution was Jesse’s responsibility, Walt questioned why complications in distribution came evenly from both Walt and Jesse’s cuts—as Walt was responsible solely for production. An analogous argument occurs over Mike’s “legacy pay,” and, one might make note, Jesse eventually offers to cover the expense in both cases (which causes Walt to back down, at least momentarily, in both cases).

Mike is undergoing similar growing pains. Under Gus, it wasn’t his responsibility to explain his actions. His actions were justified by the fact that they came from a higher authority, an authority with an intricate and detailed plan that those asking questions could not hope to understand. Mike had what equated to divine right, maintained by faith and history, not immediately by reason. When the cartel began attacking Gus’s men, and Jesse asked Mike if Gus had a plan, the answer was simple: “Ask him.” Now, Mike is continuing to operate under the assumption that his actions are justified on high, only now the ultimate authority is necessity (or, more accurately, what Mike deems as necessary). He continues to work within a hierarchy that no longer exists.

So the clash is inevitable—and in many ways, it has already happened. Mike does not believe he needs to justify his actions, so he denies Walt the two things he holds paramount: power and reason.

The answer to why Mike is acting as he is remains unclear. Perhaps it is a man set in his ways, or stubbornness fueled by dislike for Walt, or a belief that Walt—like all men other than Gus—will back down from Mike’s challenge. If the last is the case, Mike would do well to remember Gus’s fate. And yet that does seem to be the case. Mike, after all, correctly identified Walter as a time bomb. He must believe—even incorrectly—that his actions will lead to either a disarming or an implosion. He doesn’t stand to gain from an explosion, not with his now-close proximity.