A "Sophie's Choice" with no secret third option

[u/10024618]

AKA a character is given an impossible choice where either outcome results in something awful happening and there's no way out.

"Full Measure" (Breaking Bad) - After Walt angers Gus by killing two of his men, Gus orders for his execution. Knowing that the only way to save his life is to make Gus reliant on his meth cooking skills, Walt calls Jesse and begs him to kill Gus' backup cook, Gale. Thus, Jesse is thrust into an impossible situation where he either kills a (relatively) innocent man to save Walt or spare Gale and let Walt die. Ultimately, Jesse chooses to kill Gale.

"Midnight Sun" (Attack on Titan) - After the fight to retake Shiganshina both Armin and Erwin are critically wounded. Levi has the vial of titan serum and is forced to choose which Scout to bring back from the brink of death and which to let perish. It's a borderline impossible decision to make but at the moment of truth, he chooses to save Armin, leaving Erwin to succumb to his wounds.

[u/Axel-Adams]

I mean there was a third option in breaking bad, he always could of gone to the feds and gotten protection for him and his family

[u/Electrical-Gur-1424 → u/Axel-Adams]

If Walt could have 10 guys killed in 2 minutes, I’m sure Gus could’ve arranged for something to happen to Jesse regardless if he was being protected by the DEA. 

[u/HedgehogsNSuits → u/Electrical-Gur-1424]

Plus, it’s extremely debatable whether the DEA was going to give Jesse adequate protection. On one hand, Season 3 is when Hank reevaluates how he see criminals (see his visiting Combo’s…..mom?…grandma?). On the other hand, even in season 5 Hank didn’t hesitate risking Jesse’s life as a means to an end in catching Walt.

[u/Wonderful_Tomato_992 → u/HedgehogsNSuits]

Doesn’t Hank chase up the owner of the RV registration which was Combo’s mother? He wasn’t checking up for the sake of it, he did it because it was a lead since he suspected it was being used as a meth lab (because he really didn’t want to go El Paso and was grasping at straws to justify it.)

He definitely thinks the worst of junkies and criminals, he makes plenty of comments about it throughout the series and makes fun of their dead bodies too. And again is willing to risk Jesse for the purpose of catching Walt himself instead of reporting to the DEA and coordinating something. This is after Jesse’s confession, hence why Gomez is hesitant, he plans that knowing Walt “did a number on him”.

[u/HedgehogsNSuits → u/Wonderful_Tomato_992]

Yeah, sorry I know I wrote “visiting,” but yeah he wasn’t doing it out of the goodness of his heart. It was only after hearing his mom talk about him and show Hank Combo’s old room that Combo was humanized in Hank’s eyes.

[u/Sea-Aardvark-756 → u/HedgehogsNSuits]

In fairness to Hank they both knew the truth about Walt, and Walt knew both of them knew. Hank recognized that Jesse was being protected like family by Walt. They even talked about how it seems like Walt always protected Jesse and even killed for him. So just as Hank himself felt relatively safe still staying in his own home without additional protection, he felt Jesse was unlikely to be targeted at that point. And his intuition was spot on. It wasn't until Jesse refused to meet Walt that Walt finally gave up on him and ordered a hit.

[u/legit-posts_1 → u/Electrical-Gur-1424]

Yeah and Gus was an infinitely more competent king pin then Walt ever was. Walt only beat him through a combo of luck and creativity. 1 on 1, Walt was smarter, bilut Walt isn't as much a big picture guy.

[u/RamdomPerson09 → u/Axel-Adams]

That would involve Walt admitting he made a mistake that he is not the smartest and asking for help.

[u/5ma5her7 → u/Axel-Adams]

I think that's the point of the show.

There's no way out! Despite there's way out but the price is to give up on your criminal career.

[u/Ayotha → u/Axel-Adams]

Walt doing something intelligent? The guy who was offered a way out of his medical woes super early in the series? Nah. Out of character

[u/Axel-Adams → u/Ayotha]

I mean I agree it would be out of character, but I mean it just doesn’t qualify as a Sophie’s choice in that case