Money is power.
The idiom has been passed around for years, however; does it mean to say that money creates power? Or, that money is powerful?
Both notions were prevalent concepts in the last 62 episodes of Vince Gilligan's "Breaking Bad". Certainly, money equated to power, hence the drive by nearly every criminal character (i.e. Walter, Gus, Mike, Tuco, etc.) to gain fiscal rewards in search of power over their lives. For Walt, this was power over his cancer and his lowly teacher salary. For Mike, this was power over his criminal background and his perpetual desire to do right by his granddaughter.
But then there's the other side of the idiom. No pun intended, but the "other side of the coin".
Money is power-ful.
In "Felina", the gripping finale to "Breaking Bad", our protagonist, Walter White, hires two signature BB characters, Badger and Skinny Pete, to help instill fear in Walter's former business partners, Gretchen and Elliot Schwartz. After the two rejoin Walter and return the laser pointers to the criminal genius, the two junkies (turned drug dealer, turned back to junkies) question the virtuous motives of scaring the Schwartzes. "For real yo" says Pete, "Whole thing felt kind of shady. Ya know, morality wise".
Silently, Walter hands the two characters two stacks of crispy $100 bills. Instantly, Badger and Pete's qualms about their recent actions dissipate into the night's air.
Money is power-ful.
Badger and Skinny Pete are the lowest form of drug dealers we see in the duration of the five seasons of "Breaking Bad". If Walter and Gus, are the top-echelon of drug dealers; these two gentleman are firmly stuck at the bottom of the totem pole. However, the power of money drives Badger and Pete, but also Walter and Gus, to disregard their moral fiber in their relentless drive for more and more fiscal rewards. Yes, (it is safe to say) money creates power, but more so, money is incredibly powerful.
Money is the wind in our drug dealers' sales. It is the gas to their engines. Heck, it is the methylamine to their crystal blue.
I have adjusted the classic idiom, "money is power", to fit within the context of "Breaking Bad", but also in connection with life and, nearly, any financial situation. In my tweaking of this phrase, I continually would think of another expression, closely related to money, that was popularized in the early 1960's by the world's greatest songwriters. On their sixth British single, the Beatles' sang, "money can't buy me love".
When Walter returns to Albuquerque to set things straight with those who have wronged him, it is the visit to Skyler's new home that prompted this song/expression to enter my mind in replace of "money is power-ful". A broken Skyler looks ghostly in the face of her husband's return. She has no desire for Walter's money and, certainly no desire for his love.
No, money cannot buy love nor happiness. It cannot mend the massive tear that Walter creates for his family. He attempts to use money to mend his situation between himself and Walt Jr. in "Granite City" (S.5, Ep. 15), but fails miserably as he sends his son into hysterics while he is taking a phone call in his schools' principal's office. No attempt to fix any situation, connected to love and emotion, can be repaired through barrels, even bags, of money.
This begs the question, if money is an all powerful motivator, but it can't buy you love or happiness, what does money leave you with?
Sure, money can buy you fast cars, fancy clothes, massive yachts, beautiful homes, and more.
However, all tangible benefits aside, what does money leave you with?
As Walter White laid on the floor of Uncle Jack's meth lab, dying, he is left with no money and no love. Instead, he is left to die in the reflection of the lab's stainless steel equipment. There, in the literal location that represents Walter's talent; the location that represents Walter's passion; Walter's life ends.
All the money in the world couldn't fix Walter White's life. It couldn't bring back Hank. It couldn't ease Walt Jr.'s anger toward his dad. It couldn't sway Jesse to accept Walter, despite his wrongdoings.
When Walter returns to Skyler for the last time he reflects on his actions saying, "I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really...I was alive".
Walter obviously cannot take his money with him when he dies and his money had no place on mortal earth. It is here, finally, that we realize that the thing that motivated Walter was not money.
When Walter wanted to pay his bills and when he wanted to be apart of the "enterprise business", it appeared that money was his driving force, but the reality is that something much more powerful than money drove Walter. Instead, what drove Walter White and Heisenberg, alike, was Walter White.
Money drives lowly drug dealers to overlook their morals and shoot laser pointers at wealthy benefactors. Therefore, there is something more powerful than money that drives characters like Gus and Walter to the means they choose to achieve their preferred ends. Their desire for money cannot explain it. Their desire for power is not the answer. Their desire for love is simply not logical.
What drives Walter? And, what does money leave you with?
The answer to both questions is the same...
Your talents.
Your passions.
You.
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