'Breaking Bad' and Swimming Pools

Symbolism is not a rare occurrence in "Breaking Bad." In fact, earlier this week we walked about ticking watches and threadbare hats in our recap. But there's a continuing theme that became more apparent with Sunday's episode, and that got me wondering: what's up with swimming pools in this show?

Oh, and spoilers from pretty much everything up to and including Sunday's episode ensue.

Walt

So maybe that whole airplane crash thing wasn't "Breaking Bad's" shining moment, but it did culminate for Walt near the swimming pool, where the teddy bear (and its creepy eyeball) landed. We also saw Walt attempt to burn a bunch of money at a point, later having to skim it out of the pool.

Also notable is the fact that, at the end of season four, it is while he's sitting by the pool that Walt gets his idea to use the Lily of the Valley. Of course, that makes sense because the plant would be outside, but still.

Gus

In that magnificent flashback scene, we saw Gus suffer heartbreak as he watched his business partner bleed to death into Don Eladio's pool. That was clearly a moment that shaped Gus, as he went back frequently to visit Hector once he built his drug empire.

As for Don Eladio, he met his fate in the exact same pool, thanks to Gus and a very special bottle of tequila.

Skylar

This week's episode had Skylar taking desperate measures in her attempt to escape from Walt, or at least to get the kids out of the house. As Walt was recounting the story of his cancer (but really the story of his drug dealing) to Hank and Marie, Skylar stared into the pool and slowly walked into the deep end, silently threatening to drown herself.

What can we make of all this? It seems that every character is at a low point when they find themselves staring into the swimming pool, so perhaps it's supposed to be a visual representation of the threat of drowning under what's weighing on them. After all, there is a death or the threat of death in every case, whether it be Gus' partner, Don Eladio, Skylar and her children, or two planes full of people.

Or, maybe swimming pools just make for cool visuals, of which there are plenty on "Breaking Bad." Thoughts?