I Am The One Who Knocks
Breaking Bad (2008)
YouTube captions are often inaccurate. The transcript below is verified for accuracy.
Characters
Skyler
Walter
Transcript
[Skyler]
Jesus, what was I thinking? Walt, please, let's both of us stop trying to justify this whole thing and admit you're in danger.
[Walter]
Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I make a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going into work? A business big enough that it could be listed on the NASDAQ goes belly up. Disappears. It ceases to exist without me. No, you clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skylar. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks.
Clip Context
Skyler is worried about Walter's safety, but Walter reminds her of why there is no reason to be worried.
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Vocabulary
Read each word out loud.
clue in
/kluË ÉŞn/
phrasal verb
to give someone information they did not previously know; to explain or update someone about a situation
Example:
Let me clue you in on what really happened during the meeting yesterday.
cease
/sis/
verb
to stop; to bring to an end
Example:
After signing the peace treaty, the war finally ceased.
belly up
/ËbÉli ËĘp/
idiom
(informal) to fail completely, especially in a financial or business context; to go bankrupt or stop functioning
Example:
After months of declining sales, the small restaurant finally went belly up.
NASDAQ
/ËnazËdak/
noun
abbreviation of 'National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations'; a stock exchange in the United States
Example:
Shares of the company surged after it was officially listed on the NASDAQ.
justify
/ËdĘĘstÉŞfaÉŞ/
verb
to give reasons why you did something or why it is right; to prove something as reasonable
Example:
Abandoning the project and starting over was a bit reckless, but the amount of errors being produced justified it.
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Conversation Practice
Working with a tutor? Try asking or answering these questions out loud with them.
Working alone? Try speaking your answers out loud or write them in the lesson discussion below.
1. Do you often find yourself trying to justify yours or others' actions?
2. Have you ever had a business or hobby that went belly up?
3. Have you ever traded stocks?
4. What is one thing you wish would cease to exist?
5. Based on Walter's monologue, would you fear him or should he fear you?
Lesson updated:
March 29, 2026
Film and series information sourced from TMDB.
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