Despite the fact that there are still four episodes remaining, one could be forgiven for thinking that this is the first part of the series finale. Just as Walt was able to manipulate people and devise elaborate strategies, so too is he apparently taken down by one courtesy of Jesse and Hank.
It made for a really captivating watch. The strategy they displayed in duping Huell into giving up information, which they later use to trick Walt into outing himself was impressive. Watching the master strategist get played like a harp from hell made for great television. I was expecting Jesse to taunt Walt with the line, "I won", to mirror what he said about Gus. It would've been poetic, but really wouldn't have made any sense once I thought about it as he didn't hear Walt say it before. Jesse does get to spit in his face though, that was awesome and rather amusing.
I also loved Jesse's phone conversation with an increasingly frustrated Walt as the latter races to save his fortune. It shows the power of great voice acting as Aaron Paul really sells it when he starts taunting his former mentor. Even though we just hear his voice, we see why Walt gets as enraged as he does and why he buys into the ploy.
On top of that, there was something satisfying about seeing Walt get caught. Both Gomez and Hank really relish it and there is a sense of triumph that Heisenburg is finally being brought to justice.
At the same time, there's an element of tension as you know things aren't going to go the way they appear to be going. As noted, this isn't the series finale, so there's still three hours of show to do, not to mention the flash forward material we have already seen. At first, I thought Walt was going to improvise something at the last second the way he had so many times before. You keep waiting for that moment when Walt turns the tables and he doesn't. It seems like he's beaten..until the Nazis arrive.
Oddly enough, from their perspective, the Nazis probably view themselves as the big damn heroes. Walt called them for help, so they geared up, cued the 'Magnificent Seven' theme song (writer's note: they didn't officially cue up the music, but they could have and it would have been awesome if they did), and rode. Sure, the fact that they probably care more about Walt as a means to cook better product undercuts it a bit, but still.
In an interesting twist, by the time they arrive to help, Walt doesn't want them there. He even told them not to come earlier in the episode, but they did anyway because Nazis don't listen. That's why you can't trust Nazis, even these lame ones who don't fall into the over the top, cartoonish stereotypes that we expect.
The standoff between the two agents and the gang was appropriately tense. It was odd to see the out-manned and outgunned agents try to order them around, but the scene still worked. The ensuing shootout is also one of the show's bigger action beats. It reinforces the "could have easily been part of the series finale" concept alluded to earlier. It is undercut somewhat by the fact that EVERYONE HAS TERRIBLE AIM!!! The Nazis have some element of cover, but the two agents are out in an open field and they aren't that far away. You'd think somebody would get hit, even grazed, but nope; whiffs all around. Imperial stormtroopers were more accurate.
It does still make for a great cliffhanger as we don't see the resolution of the gunfight; rather, we cut to credits in the middle. You'd think it would hurt the show's pacing, but it worked wonderfully and really leaves you wanting to see what happens next. This is how you encourage binge watching.
While the episode thrives on the big things: the strategy, the final confrontation; there are a few smaller scale highlights as well. I got a kick out of seeing Walt Jr. geeking out over having Saul Goodman come to their car wash. Again, we have two characters who never interacted until now do so. It was a brief scene, but still a fun one.
I also enjoyed seeing Hank's reaction to how much money Huell and Kuby had transported. When Hank hears the word "barrels" he does a double take and needs several seconds to process how much that is. As if the pile itself wasn't jaw dropping enough, the fact that people who are close to the business are still taken aback by the size of the fortune shows how big Walt's product got.
This is hailed as one of the show's best and it's easy to see why. Better yet, the next episode, 'Ozymandias' is hailed as the pinnacle of the show. I've read some argue that it's the greatest hour in the history of television. It's a high bar to jump, but between the track record the show's had so far and the lead up that this episode gave it, I have no doubt that it's going to be amazing.
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