The Tragic Case of Walter White Jr.

[ SPOILERS -- seriously, DO NOT READ if you're not caught up to this season ]

Right now, I'm wondering if Walt Jr. is dead.

If the flash-forward of the wrecked White house at the start of this season depicts a point in time wherein Walt's entire family has been killed.

At the very least, it depicts a point in time wherein Walt Jr. knows the truth about his dear old dad. That character has been kept in a bubble for all this time and I'm so curious what happens when that bubble bursts. The character, up to this late hour, has been more or less a pawn. A character that's primarily existed to ratchet up the stakes for Walt. (He doesn't just have a son, he's got a special-needs kid.) Show-creator Vince Gilligan has ADMITTED that he tried to overcompensate the sympathy factor for W.W. upfront with all of this because he knew how bad Walt was going to become and he wanted to try to get people to care about him for as long as possible... and in hindsight, he's been SURPRISED at how many people still maintain affection for Walt Sr.

There's a limit to what RJ Mitte has had to do so far as an actor. He's had to be perennially naive. He's had to be a petulant adolescent. He's had to enjoy breakfast.

I'm so curious what level of acting challenge they presented to him for this final stretch...

... or if they just end up killing him.

Walt Sr. doesn't really seem to take much interest in Walt Jr. There's never been much *serious* talk of college or higher education for him. Is he a good student? Does he have a propensity for the maths and science, like his old man? Walt Sr. has never spoken of him as someone who could carry on his legacy. As far as we've seen, Walt just sees his son in terms of the amount of money it would cost to take care of him for a lifetime.

(Not sure if this developed because RJ Mitte doesn't have a lot of acting experience and they never wanted to put too much on him.)