Nah, I think Walt was way too relieved when Jesse told him that Brock was going to make it and recover from the poisoning. Walt didn't want Brock to die obviously, but was willing to risk it, so we can't really say Walt knows what he was doing in regards to Brock's well-being, but Walt knew what he was doing in regards to manipulating Jesse.
He might have calculated the dosage to give to the child, but he knew he could still kill him due to unknown factors of chance.
Same with the magnet.
Walt says "Because I say so" to compensate for his insecurity, and is playing a game of chance, albeit with the odds stacked in his favor due to his intelligence. Mike is more methodical and precise and is not about that game, but knows that Walter has luck on his side besides all his other advantages.
David Caine
2019-12-04 07:26:18 +0000 UTC
Welcome ladies to the EPIC Season 5 of Breaking Bad! Are you ready? Because after you experience Season 5 you will know why Breaking Bad is the Greatest show in Television history! So hold on to your seats and enjoy this roller coaster Masterpiece to the Fullest! ๐
Nathaniel Benjamin
2019-11-29 22:05:12 +0000 UTC
It's important to remember the Grey Matter episode where he blamed Gretchen for his own decision to leave the company and told her to go fuck herself for offering to help. I kind of think of season 1 Walt kind of like the Howling Man character from the Twilight Zone where he's portrayed as being a sympathetic character imprisoned by fanatics but once he's freed he gradual transforms into Satan. Meaning yeah Walt was kinda harmless at first but it turns out what we were really seeing was just someone who's kind of an asshole who's been beaten down because of the consequences of his own shitty attitude or decisions.
Joel Davis
2019-11-29 14:01:22 +0000 UTC
Do people really change or just embrace who they were on the inside all along? More of a philosophical question I suppose. I believe that Walt did go through a change. Sure, he always had some of these traits like pride and anger. But I think the events of the show emphasized those traits and erased other things like his morality. We all have negative things in us that could make us bad people if unchecked, but Walt let those things overwhelm him. But I could see some arguments for the opposite. It's the main reason I love this show so much.