FoxPhile

I don't know what it is about this show, but it often makes me emotional - and I'm just not like that! But Walter especially. There are some facial expressions of his that are just triggers - like I know exactly what scene it is, and what was happening - and I'll just get all weepy about it.

Maybe part of it is just that, if you know the character, you know how much he struggles. And Elyes has such an amazing ability to convey that struggle in his face. I think that may be part of why Walter in particular affects me so much.

WeBuiltThePyramids

That's big for me too. Walter struggles so much with the emotions, and Elyes is great at not only showing those emotions, but showing them in a way that you can see how difficult it is for Walter. And just how fully he is feeling those things.

FoxPhile

Saw this today. I've seen it before, of course, and I love that scene. But some things struck me about it today.

1. In addition to exhibiting growth, Walter is openly acknowledging the value of his growth - his greater ability to understand emotions and even extrapolate valuable information based on his growing understanding of emotions.
2. He's openly admitting this to a person with whom he has previously enjoyed a very exclusive "we geniuses are better than the normals" relationship. From what we know of their past, these two routinely shut themselves away from the world in a very isolationist way. Walter is effectively negating the value of this sort of exclusive relationship with a person who he was once very much like.
3. Mark likely will never understand any of this, because unlike Walter, Mark will never accept that a person who does not have an intellect similar to his own - a person like Paige - could possibly teach him anything or provide him with anything of value. Walter's ability to recognize the value in someone who is not intellectually gifted is one of the key things that makes him different from Mark and will allow him to become much greater, regardless of their relative IQs.

WeBuiltThePyramids

Your entire post was amazing but especially this. Collins is Walter's excuse - his justification for going back to the way he was. Collins is the closest he's gotten to himself in that sense. In rejecting Collins' ideas and thought process in that scene, he's rejecting his former self.

FoxPhile

Exactly.

The thing is, I think a lot of fans (me included) got so caught up in the Toby kidnapping - and then so caught up in the relationship dramas - that this amazing, life-changing moment in Walter's development tends to get overlooked. But it's such a watershed moment for him - and I think it leads directly to his next watershed moment, when he goes chasing after Paige. I'm not sure he could have made that decision if he hadn't first gone through this re-evaluation of his former life.

WeBuiltThePyramids

I just wrote up this, just a version of what we've been saying for Tumblr.

WeBuiltThePyramids

Just posting because I was about to bump this guy to the second page and I didn't want that.

FoxPhile

We cannot have Walter / Elyes on page 2! Hopefully we'll see more of him at Comic Con.

WeBuiltThePyramids

And hopefully he appears in bts stuff the cast puts on social media!

WeBuiltThePyramids

He was almost there AGAIN

It's good we are getting posting in so many different threads though!

FoxPhile

We may need to appoint an official Walter Watcher to be sure he doesn't drop off again.

To make this post marginally newsworthy - does anyone else wonder if Elyes will keep the beard and mustache he's been sporting once filming starts?

WeBuiltThePyramids

Unless Walter grew that in seven hours my guess is nah.

WeBuiltThePyramids

I made this yesterday and wanted to share it here because Heidi and I were talking about Walter's facial expressions, and how we could hear his breathing, and just how agitated and frustrated and desperate he is in this moment, and how so much intensity comes from Walter in very subtle ways but when you see gifs, it makes it more noticeable.

FoxPhile

I could (and have) stared at those gifs for what seems like hours.

I love how the gifs progress through the wide-eyed stare through varying stages of near panic. The poor boy has to drive - so he needs to maintain some focus, but you can tell his emotions are overwhelming him there.

Kudos, Nicole!

WeBuiltThePyramids

I love when Walter feels things, because he feels them so intensely. And I especially love when he's feeling things for Paige.