After Mike reassures Gus' men that their hazard pay will be reimbursed and that they need to keep their yaps shut, the group's focus moves towards finding a new base of operations.
Saul has a few possibilities lined up. It really seemed like that first factory would have been an ideal setup, but alas Walt points out that the atmosphere would taint the quality of the product. It goes downhill from there. It was amusing to see Saul bring up the laser tag center again. Granted, it would be in a different capacity this time, but it doesn't matter as it gets soundly rejected.
They do find something of a workable solution in a pest control company. Jesse notes that the place is too small, but Walt has something else in mind: using the tented houses as a temporary base. It takes the best of both worlds: the mobility of the RV and the space and quality of a more high end lab. It gives them cover as nobody really goes into bombed houses and the company has all the perks of a legitimate company while also having ties to more criminal enterprises. This means that they'll keep quiet about what's going on and won't have any moral compunctions about allowing them to do what they do. It's actually a really good setup.
Good, however, isn't cheap. While Walt knew about the various overhead costs back in the early days, it seems that working for Gus has spoiled him as he's dismayed at how much is taken away from the trio's initial cut. They're still left with fat wads of cash, but the number shrinks rather quickly when all the costs (that are before taxes, mind you) come into play.
Walt, especially, gets vexed when Mike takes the "hazard pay" to reimburse Gus' men. It's nice that Mike is so committed to keeping his guys happy, but you can see why Walt would not see this as his problem. Gus' operation is more or less done for and this new venture is completely independent.
I'm more puzzled by Mike's assertion that this is an ongoing expense. Wouldn't that just be a finite amount of dollars that needed to be replaced? I'd imagine the number is fairly large, but it's something that they could eventually take off their books at some point, right?. Unless the hazard pay was ongoing, I don't know.
One could argue it's moot anyway. Jesse's quick to note that the number is smaller, but so was the amount of product made. It may not be the $270,000 a week that they're used to, but they get a bigger cut of what comes in because they're in charge now.
At the very least, you'd think that Skyler would be happy as this makes her job a bit easier. It's clear in this episode that she could use the break, but we'll get to that.
Jesse actually gets several chances to shine here. Not only is he a good buffer between the conflicting Walt and Mike (quickly offering up his cut to cover the aforementioned hazard pay when Walt fights back), but he does offer helpful insight. Even his time in Mexico ends up being useful as he saw them use plastic tents that they could use to keep the smell from permeating the houses they use.
He also gets some development as Walt coaxes him into breaking things off with Andrea. It's an action that could be seen from a variety of angles. On the one hand, you could just say that "Heisenburg" doesn't want Jesse distracted. At the same time, it could honestly prove dangerous to Andrea and her son, being close to someone in Jesse's line of work. Or, maybe Walt doesn't want to see and hear about the kid that he poisoned. The scene he has with Brock is rather awkward, even though the kid has no idea who did it and I doubt Walt feels guilty about it. It's just awkward.
Manipulation aside, this scene between Walt and Jesse was a rather strong one. They were just hanging out, watching some "Three Stooges" and shooting the breeze after a long work day. It was a nice, quiet character moment.
The two get another great scene at the end when Walt muses that Gus killing Victor was more about punishing someone who was acting out of line. The implication is, of course, that Walt is considering taking similar action against Mike.
I love the look on Jesse's face after Walt starts walking off. It's a mix of surprised, confused, and maybe even a bit unnerved. He doesn't say anything but that look speaks volumes. It was a great way to end the episode as it's a "wham moment" of sorts, but of the more understated variety.
I alluded to Skyler's state, so now seems as good a time to go into that. Yeah, she's not taking this new Walt too well. She kind of flips out on her sister for seemingly no reason. To be fair, Marie was kind of babbling, so you can see why Skyler would tell her to shut up. You can even see why she would start repeating it in an increasingly annoyed tone when Marie keeps talking despite being told to shut up, but it's clear that her mood is more about Walt than about Marie.
While Marie is naturally worried, Walt is able to allay her fears using Ted's condition and their affair as a cover story. It accomplishes its goal.
I was very happy to see Badger and Skinny Pete come back. They continue to be awesome minor characters. Skinny Pete, especially, gets to shine as he is revealed to be a very talented pianist. That came out of nowhere, but I dug it. It adds yet another layer to the character and it made for a nice musical interlude.
Sadly, when they express interest in getting in on the ground floor of Jesse's operation, Mike scares them off with a look. I'm not sure why, it's said that they use dealers and mules; so why couldn't they work in that capacity? Even if Mike hasn't vetted them, Jesse knows them and knows that they're reliable. You'd think that would count for something, but Mike did say that he runs the business, so maybe not.
This was a strong episode. A lot of things moved forward both in terms of plot and character arcs. It's also good to see Saul have a role in things after being sidelined as a result of the pair going to work for Gus. All in all, this is turning out to be a strong season. It's hard to believe that we're already at the quarter mark, but that's what happens. I'm looking forward to seeing where things progress from here.
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