As Gus didn't take the poison cigarette, Jesse starts to wonder where it went. He can't find it anywhere and worries that some kid might find it. Granted, this fear is unfounded as Walt still has it, but he doesn't know that.
Now, a normal person would simply replace the cigarette, but Walt decides to create a duplicate cigarette using a vial of salt and keeps the poison himself. Honestly, it makes sense. Given their line of work and the people they've worked with in the past, it's nice to have in their back pocket and Jesse would likely insist that they flush the stuff.
I said before that Walt was in a prime position to walk away from their current trade, but it turns out not to be the case. While Walt would certainly intend to restart the business even if money wasn't a problem, he does note that he's broke and owes Jesse money for the loan from last episode.
I did like that Walt immediately dismissed the idea of going back to an RV. It was a nice callback. Jesse sticks up for the idea, rightly pointing out that the first one served them pretty well, but Walt wants something bigger.
Speaking of bigger, Walt offers Mike a role in the operation. Not just a role, but a promotion. Walt specifically notes that he'd be a partner, making him an owner as opposed to just an employee. Granted, Walt wants to put Mike's connections to use, but it was still a solid pitch and given their history, it was something vaguely resembling an olive branch. Mike declines, but the effort was made.
He has his reasons, but he also has his hands full as Gus' death has opened up a whole new can of worms. Not only did the DEA immediately jump to the conclusion that the magnets were gunning for Gus' laptop, but they now have financial records linking to several members of the operation.
Hank brings up the fact that the laptop was encrypted, implying that Walt could have left well enough alone and been fine (or even better off), but don't they have tech guys who could work around that? Yeah, Gus probably had it set up pretty well, but I doubt it would be impenetrable. Even if the DEA didn't have anyone on staff, I'm sure they could find some whitehat hacker who would do it as a sort of "independent contractor" deal. On top of that, they probably would have found the bank information anyway, but oh well. It is what it is.
As a result of this, a new character, Lydia, jumps into the fray. She's spooked and asks Mike to kill the people on the list so that she can right her father's wrongs and save the city...wait no, that was something different.
Oddly enough, Mike isn't too keen on this plan. You'd think that being the cleanup guy, that this would fall in his wheelhouse, but he actually chastises the idea saying that they don't just go around killing people en masse. More than that, he notes that they're people he's personally vetted and people who are paid good money not to squeal. Mike recognizes squealers and these guys aren't them.
It's not enough, and Lydia decides to go through with the plan anyway. She even goes after Mike himself, which was a questionable decision to say the least.
It isn't like Mike didn't have a chance to rat people out. Hank and Gomez do interrogate him. It was a rather enjoyable scene as the dynamics changed as the scene played out. At first it seems like Mike has the advantage as he has his stories covered, but then the duo reveal that they have some solid incriminating evidence and suddenly they have Mike backed into a corner. He still doesn't break, but you can tell that they're closing in.
In any event, Mike isn't too pleased and decides to go after Lydia in her own home. She's spooked, but does seem to take her fate with grace. Her only request it not to get shot in the face as she thinks it would be too gruesome for her young daughter.
Oddly enough, she's more afraid of "being disappeared". She wants her daughter to find her. Mike questions her logic, but you can see where she's coming from.
Honestly, I'm not sure which is the better way to go. Having her corpse there gives her daughter closure and certainty, sure, but it would also be highly traumatic, especially given how young the girl is. Of course, having no body means that she'd think her mother abandoned her, or worse, harbor hope of a reunion.
I suppose it's moot as Mike finds a reason to keep her alive anyway. It turns out that she is able to get them a vital cooking component; as such, Mike not only agrees to join Walt, but brings another player into the fold.
The last scene is...weird. We see Walt try to be tender with Skyler while she's visibly spooked by the whole thing. It's uncomfortable, which was the point, but it was an odd way to end the episode. You'd think that Mike's call letting Walt know that he's in would be the stronger note on which to end. Maybe they set it up that way go against the curve? I don't know.
The episode isn't quite as strong as the one that came before it, but there was a lot to like. The interrogation scene was fun and Aaron Paul got a chance to shine as Jesse breaks down in his remorse over accusing Walt. The brief scene where Mike plays "Hungry Hungry Hippos" with his granddaughter was also rather heartwarming. The episode also moved the plot forward on several fronts and expanded the scope as the larger corporate workings seem to be coming to the forefront.
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