Gale Boetticher
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| Gale Boetticher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Portrayed By | David Costabile |
| Age | 34 |
| Occupation(s) | Crystal Meth Manufacturer, former Chemist |
| Status | Deceased |
| Episode Count | 7 |
| First Appearance | Sunset |
| Last Seen | Problem Dog |
| Images of Gale Boetticher | |
Gale Boetticher was a chemist hired by Gus Fring to help set up the new laboratory and serve as Walt's "lab assistant". He holds an MS degree in organic chemistry, with a specialty in X-ray crystallography. He described himself as a "libertarian" and a "nerd". He was also quite cultured, and was perhaps close to an intellectual equal to Walt. As a side project, he was working on a process for brewing a superior cup of coffee, and impresses Walt with his results ("Sunset").
Contents |
Character history
Season 3
On Walt's second day of work at the new superlab, he accuses Gale of making a mistake by setting the wrong temperature on one of the tanks. He assures Walt that he was told to set it at 75 degrees as he had this written down in his notes, but Walt angrily tells him that he must have heard him wrong and that there's no room for this kind of negligence in chemistry ("One Minute").
The next day, Gale finds out that he is being replaced and is, understandably, confused as to what he has done wrong. Walt tells him that although he sees Gale as a promising young chemist, the two of them work at different frequencies. Using music as an analogy, he refers to himself as "classical" and Gale as "jazz," saying that although there is nothing wrong with jazz, Walt requires classical. It's at this point that Gale meets his replacement, Jesse, who enters the laboratory wearing baggy clothing and emoting in slang, further confusing Gale("I See You").
Walt and Gus meet in the New Mexican desert to discuss future arrangements, in light of recent events. Since Jesse is on the run and in hiding, Gus informs Walt that he will require a new lab partner. Walt says he can get on it right away, but Gus informs Walt this time he himself will choose. Later when Walt returns to the lab to work, he notices Gale's Subaru Outback parked outside the laundromat. Walt seems to recognize it and its owner from the recumbent bicycle that is attached to the roof of the vehicle. Gale had been appointed by Gus to replace Jesse as Walt's lab assistant. Gale has seemingly forgiven Walt for letting him go previously and the two shake hands. Gale promises that there'll be no mistakes this time.
Walt and Gale, wearing their yellow coveralls and ventilation masks are working together in the laboratory and tend to contents of a large tank. Gale punches something into a console and Walt tells him that everything is good. They remove their ventilators and Walt tells Victor, who is now supervising all activity in the laboratory, that it is safe to remove his mask as well. As they're cleaning up the floor, Gale asks Walt if Victor ever leaves and Walt tells him that his presence is something new and that there was some drama with the person Gale replaced.
Later, as Gale is watering plants in his apartment and singing along to music, he receives an unexpected visit from Gus, whom he addresses as Mr. Fring. Gus inquires about his knowledge regarding Walt's medical condition. He tells Gale that if push comes to shove, he will have to take over the lab as soon as possible. Gale is visibly confused and reluctant to accept the offer. Gus presses Gale to learn Walt's method and formulas as fast as possible and presses Gale for a timeline when he shall be ready. He tells Gus that he needs a few more cooking sessions to be comfortable. After Gus gives Gale a long look, Gale tells Gus that he will need one more cook with Walt and then he will be prepared to take over.
The next day at the laboratory as the two are scrubbing out a large tank, Gale begins to ask Walt a question, but seems to hesitate as Victor appears and stands by them. After a short pause, Gale asks Walt if there is any trick to purging the catalyst bed and Walt replies that it is a quick and straightforward procedure. Gale seems perturbed by Victor's presence. The two continue scrubbing and as Victor leaves, Gale turns around and looks towards Victor's direction and then looks at Walt.
Walt, knowing that Gus needs at least one chemist who knows the "Blue Sky" formula to continue cooking, proposes to Jesse that they must kill Gale and since Walt is under constant surveillance, Jesse has to be the one to do it. Jesse declines, but assists in the plan by tracking Gale back to his apartment and gives Walt the address so he can do the job himself. As Walt is leaving his house, he is confronted by Victor and is told that he must go to the laboratory at once, since there has been a leak. Arriving at the laundromat, he is led to the lab and encounters Mike who instructs Walt to go down and fix the problem. Walt, who by now has realized that this is a ruse to get him down into the lab where he is going to be killed, pleads with Mike and tells him that he "... doesn't have to do this."
Failing to negotiate and fearing for his own life, Walt tells Mike that he will work for free and pleads for his life. He offers to to give up Jesse in exchange for his life. Walt phones Jesse, and tells Jesse that he hasn't killed Gale yet. Walt tells Jesse that he must kill Gale now or Victor and Mike will kill him. He tells Jesse that he has a twenty minute head start. Mike and Victor seem puzzled and questions Walt as to what the phone call meant and Walt reveals to them Gale's address. Mike and Victor realize that they know where Gale lives and that they are planning to kill Gale. Mike stays at the laundromat holding Walt at gunpoint and Victor is seen leaving and attempting to call Gale.
Gale is at his apartment when Mike calls to warn him, but Gale's loud music muffles the sound of his cellphone, which is vibrating atop a stack of CDs on a table. Gale is also preoccupied with a kettle of boiling water on the stove, which has begun to boil. Gale methodically raises an infrared thermometer to measure the surface temperature of the kettle. He removes the kettle from the stove to prepare a glass of tea when he hears a knock at his door. Gale walks towards not noticing that his cellphone is vibrating anxiously along the table. Gale answers the door to a distraught Jesse, who appears to have been crying. It is not immediately clear if Gale recognizes Jesse as his former replacement at the lab since when the two met met, Jesse's face was severely swollen and bruised after being beaten by Hank.
He greets Jesse and asks how he could help him. Jesse reaches into his waist and pulls out a gun, aiming it at Gale's head. Gale steps backwards into his apartment, unable to speak any words at first, but finally tells Jesse to take whatever he wants. With his hands in the air and a gun pointed at him, he tells Jesse that he has a lot of money. Jesse, who is on the verge of tears walks towards Gale still pointing the gun at his head but doesn't reply to Gale's offers. Gale looks down and implores Jesse to not kill him, and tells him that he doesn't have to do it. He raises his eyes up to Jesse and appears to focus his vision on the barrel of the gun. A second later, he pulls the trigger and the gun goes off ("Full Measure").
Season 4
Added by Ohmyn0Opening sequence, after the credits, a slow pan of the room reveals some of Gales posessions, vintage cameras, a mask, a water pipe, some books .. a Stephen King novel, Jane Austen in BOCA, The Waverley Novels, "The Magnificent Activist": The Writing of Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Fundementals of Marxism Leninism.
While investigating Gale's murder, the police discover a folder of "Lab Notes" that provides intimate details on the superlab as well as Walt's formula. A friend of Hank's, Tim Roberts, is assigned to the case and provides Hank with a copy of the folder so that he can provide some input, considering his previous work history regarding the blue meth ("Open House"). In the folder, Hank finds a DVD, souvenir from a trip to Thailand that shows Gale performing a karaoke version of "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling ("Bullet Points").
Jesse then goes back to rehab and, upon his turn to talk, begins to cry and explains he killed a "Problem Dog", which in truth he is truly talking about Gale. ("Problem Dog")
Season 5
When Walt is trying to convince Jesse they've done things just as bad as Todd shooting the kid, he brings up Gale.
Trivia
- Gale's home address is 6353 Juan Tabo Boulevard, Apartment #6.
- In Gale's "Lab Notes," book, a Ron Paul sticker can be seen on one of the pages, confirming his libertarian political views. A Ron Paul bumper sticker is also seen on his Subaru Legacy.
- At his home, a copy of Stephen King's "Everything's Eventual" can be seen over a pile of books.
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