WHAT DO MEN DO?

Since the season premiere, Walt has suffered one emasculating humiliation after another. He was pepper-sprayed by a highway patrolman, kicked out of his house by his wife and suspended from his job. His awkward romantic advances to his supervisor were rejected. That little whipper-snapper Jesse whipped up a mess of meth using his chemical recipe. The icing on the cake was learning Skyler was now bumping uglies with Ted.

Up to this point, Walt’s response to most of this has been further humiliation. A mousy apology to the policeman. Sneaking back into the house. Quietly eating supper prepared by a wife fresh off her latest afternoon delight.

Thanks to Gus, Walt now officially has his mojo back. Despite trying to lure Walt in with cash and a flashy new lab, it was a simple statement that finally hooked him again. What does a man do? According to Gus, a man provides for his family. He does it when he is not appreciated, respected or even loved. With a few simple words, Gus has taken Walt back to the reason he broke bad in the first place. While I like Jesse, it was a hoot watching Walt dress him down with manly authority in Saul’s office. Jesse calling Walt “bitch” seemed downright effete in comparison. Perhaps he should blow some more of that cash at the titty bar to feel better.

Then we have the seething pot of rage and testosterone known as Hank. He has not been the same since El Paso. He is too much of a man to seek help for his panic attacks or even share with his wife. Like a petulant grade school bully, he tries to make himself feel better by attacking others physically (bar room brawl) or verbally (commenting that his partner’s balls are in his wife’s purse).

What Walt recognizes and Hank does not, is that the strength of a man is sometimes measured by his ability to be gentle. Hank could have some of the pressure removed from his shoulders if he simply told Marie what he was going through. Walt on the other hand is on the verge of cracking Skyler’s armor by virtue of his genuine love for his family. His anguished longing to pick up his baby as she cried slowly transformed into a moment of paternal joy as Skyler let him do just that. That is what men do.

Holly, I have a question though. Do real men have heated bathroom floors?

P.S. On the flip side of the gender coin, I am ecstatic to report that Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks has officially dislodged Megan Fox as the Sexiest Woman Alive according to Esquire Magazine. Amen and Hallelujah. A real woman with curves.