Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 16: 'Felina'

And thus, the series and the story of Walter White comes to its end.  Much like the last episode, this one leans more towards the reflective tone than big explosive finale.

It starts with Walt tracking down Elliot and Gretchen.  It's an odd twist.  I knew that the interview was enough to snap him out of his depression and motivate him to go out on one last hurrah, but seeking them out beyond that was unexpected.  It isn't even like he harbors a grudge against them for what they said.  Rather, he wants them to start up a trust for his kids with the $9 million he has left.

It's true, Walt Jr. renounced the fortune, but were it to come from two wealthy philanthropists who were already committed to helping those affected by the drug trade and happen to be acquaintances of the family, well that would go over a lot better.

Just to make sure that they go through with it, Walt reveals that he's hired two top assassins to keep an eye on them for a while to make sure it gets taken care of, even after Walt is dead.  Their presence is confirmed by laser sights.

Said assassins turn out to be Badger and Skinny Pete wielding laser pointers.  Even though the whole thing was a bluff, both do admit that they felt wrong about it and that it was shady.  As has always been the case, it was fun to see the two again.  It's a quick appearance, but as this is the last episode, it was appreciated.  They also drive the plot forward as it is through them that Walt learns that his blue meth is still being sold, indicating that Jesse is still alive and working with the Nazis (or so he believes).

Before that, though, Walt goes to have one last talk with Skyler.  He gives her the lotto ticket containing the coordinates.  The money may not be there anymore, but Hank and Gomez are.  Not only will it give her and the family some closure, but he says she can use it as a bargaining chip to avoid being incarcerated.  I'm not sure how good a bargaining chip that is and it's kind of messed up to use corpses in that fashion.  I guess if Walt's phone call wasn't enough, they needed something else to cement that Skyler would be able to walk away free and clear.

It also marks a pivotal moment for Walt as he finally admits that he liked what he did, was good at it, and felt alive.  The implication is that his line about doing it for the family was just a load of hot air.  Granted, that line would only get Walt so far, but I don't think it necessarily has to be an either/or scenario.  Then again, he had multiple chances to walk away and kept going back, so his enjoyment was most certainly a factor.

For those who were expecting Heisenburg to pull a roaring rampage of revenge against the Nazis for taking his money and killing Hank, the final act delivers just that. It isn't Walt's most elaborate stratagem, but it gets the job done.

He arranges a meeting under the pretense of offering a new recipe that doesn't require methylamine, but then uses a gun that he rigged in the trunk of his car to clear out the riff raff.  There's still some tension as the Nazis unwittingly almost foil his plan by taking Walt's keys (which he had reconfigured to activate the mechanism).

They also drag Jesse in when Walt implies that he was brought in as a partner when they were supposed to kill him.  Jesse is somewhat exonerated when Walt sees the state he's in.  We also get one last display of loyalty as Walt immediately tackles Jesse.  He does so under the pretense of being angry, but it gets Jesse out of the way of the gunfire that Walt soon commences.

That gun was a lot more powerful than it looked.  The rounds tore through multiple walls with ease and managed to wreck the place up pretty good.

While it clears out a majority of the goons, both Walt and Jesse are allowed to personally confront their own personal nemeses.  Jesse immediately attacks Todd (who was the only one of the gang to avoid the gun fire) and strangles him to death using the chains that Jesse had been shackled in.  It's poetic or ironic or something.  It also gives Jesse some payback for Drew Sharp.  Walt, meanwhile, unceremoniously shoots Jack in the head.

Jack does try to taunt Walt with the location of the rest of his money, but he apparently doesn't care anymore.  It's a drastic turn from when he wanted the whole kit and kaboodle, but $9 million is more than enough to care for his family.

While Walt was close to the ground, we see that he got hit too.  It's what keeps Jesse from shooting him when Walt hands Jesse a handgun.  I imagine the fact that Walt wanted to die also played a part.  You know, sort of a spite kind of thing.  Instead, Jesse just leaves.

This whole time, I was expecting Walt to die from his cancer, but that doesn't prove to be the case as his wound ends up doing it for him.  Either way, he passes just as the police arrive.  I was amused to see a photo excerpt of the script where it describes the scenario as Walt getting away again.

I thought this was a solid wrap up of the show.  Walt's fate was more or less set in stone, but it also wrapped up a lot of other loose ends.  I was surprised to see the Whites get the money.  I was honestly expecting the show to go the tragic route and have the money get seized or something, but it adds at least some element of a happy ending to the proceedings.

Overall, the show was highly enjoyable.  I don't know if I'd mark it as "the greatest show in the history of television".  Much like with 'Ozymandias' being the greatest episode of all television, that's far too subjective and impossible to verify.  The show is very good though.  It was a game changer and it certainly raised the bar.  Even in terms of an individual's viewing taste, I think it raises the standards of what you look for in entertainment.  If you haven't yet, I strongly recommend giving it a watch.



























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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 15: 'Granite State'

After the intensity of the last two episodes, this episode is a bit more low key.  Walt's empire has fallen and the man is clearly broken.  He can't even "disappear" as he is too high profile.  As such, Saul's guy has him holed up in a remote cabin.  It's a cozy place, rustic.  As expected, the connection to the outside world is minimal.  There's no TV or internet or phone.  One wonders how he passes the time.  All he can do is sulk as he inches closer to death.  True, he has a barrel full of money, but he can't really spend it and he can't get it to his family, which was the whole point of getting into the business in the first place.

His state is especially pitiable as he starts off wanting to go on a roaring rampage of revenge.  The Nazis killed a member of his family and took his money.  By all accounts, Heisenburg would not abide this, but he can't do anything.  Even Saul isn't intimidated anymore, as shown in a scene that was a nice mirror and call back to when Walt threatened him earlier in the series.

It gets to the point where Walt pays Saul's guy extra money just to hang out with him a little longer after the guy stops by for a supply run.  Granted, a part of that is just the result of extended isolation, but it's still a sad state of affairs.

As if that wasn't bad enough, his attempt to send money via mail to one of Junior's friends is utterly rejected when Walt tries to discreetly fill his son in on the plan.  Just as his mother did before him, Junior lets his dad know that he's eagerly awaiting the day the cancer takes him.  It's harsh, but he does blame Walt for Hank's death, so you can see why he becomes as venomous as he does.

Things aren't going much better for Jesse, who is still being held captive by the Nazis.  His escape attempt was awesome though.  Not only was it one of the highlights of the episode in terms of sheer edge of your seat tension, but from a purely physical standpoint, it was impressive.  It also marks the one time in the show where the Nazis give off the impression of being Nazis.  That shot of Jesse booking it to the fence, only to have the spotlights center on him and have a group of machine gun toting men rush out and surround him was very WWII camp-esque.

Speaking of the Nazis, they were pretty busy this episode.  They ransack the Schraeder's house to get Jesse's confession tape, bust into the White's house to threaten Skyler as she saw Lydia at the car wash.  After Jesse's attempt, they live up to their implied threat by going to Andrea's house and shooting her in the head.  The fact that Jesse is forced to watch makes it that much more painful for the guy.  I was expecting them to go after Brock too, but the Nazis keep that in their back pocket to help keep Jesse in line.  You know, Brock's such a minor character, but he's really had a bad few months.  First the poisoning, and now his mom's dead.  I know Walt tends to drag those around him down, but for someone so peripheral, he got hit hard.

As this is the second to last episode of the show, it was a good way to set up Walt's end.  His life is in shambles, and it looks like everything he did will be for naught.  The ending does set up the finale pretty effectively.  Walt was all ready to turn himself in and end it, but an interview with Elliot and Gretchen pisses him off enough to make one last go of it.

Having them show up one last time was a great move.  Not only did it show how big Heisenburg had gotten, but it allowed them to unintentionally lay into Walt as they disavow any involvement he had with their company.

It's a strange move.  Yeah, they want to avoid bad press, but he hadn't been involved with the company in years and his run as meth cook was a fairly recent development.  Couldn't they give Walt his due and still clear the air about their company?  It achieves the goal of motivating Walt and it gives the episode one last chance to kick him while he's down, but I do wonder if, from their perspective, they could have handled it better.

We're down to the final episode.  It'll be sad to see it go, but it's been a fun ride.  There's plenty of fodder for the finale as Walt sets his final machination against the Nazis into motion.  I do wonder if the Whites will end up with the money.  Junior doesn't want it and it would be appropriately tragic if they didn't, but at the same time, after all that, it would be nice to have something to show for it.  I am fairly certain that Walt's cancer will finally take him, though I could be wrong on that front.  It's one of those things I'll have to discover by watching it as we wrap up the saga once and for all.











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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 14: Ozymandias

While not the finale, this episode had a lot of hype behind it.  I've read some argue that the episode is so good that there was no way that the finale could live up, some say it's the best episode of the show, and (as I noted in the last episode) some even call it one of the greatest episodes in television history.  The latter I think is the easiest to argue against.  It's far too subjective a title and there have been so many episodes of television produced over the decades that there's no way a person could effectively determine that without the assistance of a Lazarus pit.

The flashback to the early days was a nice touch.  It was a good way to show how far both Jesse and Walt have come (or fallen) since they first started on this little venture.  It also sets up some symbolic foreshadowing for things that occur in this episode.

Where the last episode made it seem like the Nazis had terrible aim, we see here that Gomez was gunned down and Hank took a bullet to the leg.  Considering how many shots were fired, you could still argue it's a bit of a stretch, but it is a lot more believable than the impression the last episode gave.

It looks like Hank is boned, but that doesn't mean that Walt won't try to save him.  He even goes so far as to offer them his entire fortune to just walk away and pretend that the whole thing never happened.  It doesn't work and Hank is killed.  To add insult to injury, they go ahead and take Walt's money anyway, even though that wasn't part of the deal.

Actually, all things considered, they were pretty reasonable.  They leave Walt one barrel of cash (amounting to about $10 million) and Jack is even insistent that they part on somewhat pleasant terms, lest they have to do the same thing to Walt.

Ah, but there's still the matter of Pinkman.  After all, Walt did call the Nazis out to kill him, so it's only fair that they settle this.  They just have to find him.

Yeah, it isn't hard and Walt gives him up.  As if handing the guy over to Nazis to be tortured and killed (or press-ganged into cooking again) isn't enough, Walt decides to finally let Jesse know about the circumstances with Jane's death.  It seems like a plot point left behind, but it comes up one last time to emotionally punch Jesse in the stomach.  He takes it well, all things considered.  His eyes tear up and he slumps a bit, but there wasn't the sort of outrage that you'd expect.  Maybe at this point, he wasn't surprised.  Still, some sort of violent reaction would have been appropriate.  The goons had his arms, but Walt was within leg's reach.  A solid kick to the crotch would have given him at least some justice.

While Jesse wasn't present for it, he'll have to settle for Walt's car running out of gas, forcing him to push a barrel for miles until he comes across the home of an elderly Native American man.  This scene is probably the closest the episode comes to offering comic relief as Walt buys the man's truck.  He initially protests, saying it isn't for sale, but a fat wad of cash manages to persuade him into making the sale.  

Things don't go so smoothly for Walt on the home front either.  In his absence, Marie and Skyler let Junior know about Walt's activities.  Ever the loyal son, he gives his dad the benefit of the doubt and chastises Skyler for lying to him about it. Not gonna lie, the kid has some warped priorities.

His eyes do start to open, though, when his dad arrives home.  This development comes out of left field for Skyler as, last she heard, Walt was in cuffs about to be arrested.  This just begs the question...where's Hank?

I wouldn't be surprised if most of the praise for this episode centered around this scene as it was executed perfectly.  Walt insists that everything will work out and that they just need to pack their things and go.  He doesn't really want to go into details, but it'll be fine.  Skyler, by this point, can see through Walt's pretense and keeps pressing the question.  It starts building up tension with a nice slow burn that increases in intensity when Skyler grabs a knife.

The resulting standoff just escalates things and it isn't long before the two are physically fighting.  It's pretty jaw dropping to see the two come to this.  It makes for a decent action scene, but the ramifications are somewhat lacking.  I was honestly expecting either Skyler or Walt Jr. to get wounded as a result of it.  Both Walt and Skyler slam into a couple of walls, but as far as knife fights go, they should both count themselves lucky.

Credit to Junior, though.  When it looks like Walt is getting the upper hand, he immediately tosses aside his crutches and jumps into the fray, pulling the larger man backward.  He even uses himself to shield Skyler and calls the cops.

Walt takes the Kenny Rogers song to heart and knows that it's time to fold em and walk away.  Of course, before he goes, he takes a parting gift, Holly.

This scene was odd.  It's an effective "oh crap" moment and Skyler's reaction is perfectly understandable.  At the same time though, you know the kid's not in danger.  Walt wouldn't hurt her.  He has no reason to.  As bad as he's gotten, Heisenburg still values family and Holly obviously falls into that category.

Odd as it may sound, it ends up working in everyone's favor as Holly's calls for her mother lead to Walt having a change of heart.  He drops Holly off at a firestation with a note containing their address pinned to her clothes.  According to producers, Holly's "line" was unscripted, but I'm skeptical.  It plays such a pivotal role that it's hard to believe that they altered the entire narrative.  Maybe just looking at her face was supposed to achieve the goal and the actual words just made it more effective?

In any event, Walt then calls Skyler to "rip into her".  It sounds harsh at first, but it's clear that he's trying to give her a way out.  Even Skyler catches on fairly quick, though her stunned silence leads her to contribute little to the facade.  It's also made clear that Walt hates doing it.  It's an interesting contrast to his scene with Jesse, where he was more than happy to kick the guy while he was down without feeling any remorse.  It really does illustrate the dichotomy between Walt and Heisenburg.  It was a standout moment for Cranston as his performance was top notch here.

Under the pretense of "having other business to tend to" Walt has himself disappear.  It's surprising as he already called the guy and Saul made a point to say that the guy doesn't come back when people bow out.  It does however lead us into the flash forwards that we saw earlier in the season.

I think hype backlash came into effect here.  Don't get me wrong, the episode really is quite good.  However, I'm not sure it lives up to the hype.  I wouldn't call it the greatest hour of television and, honestly, there are stronger episodes even within the confines of this show.  I thought the last episode was a stronger outing.  It is, by no means, a dud.  Far from it, it's jaw dropping at points.  There are highlights, no doubt.  It's what you come to expect from this show.  However, I think some people set the bar a bit too high and it didn't really clear said bar.    It may work in my favor, though, as I can still hold out hope that the last two episodes will bring the saga to an appropriate end.















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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 13: 'To'hajiilee'

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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Breaking Bad: Season 5, Episode 12: 'Rabid Dog'

The last episode ended with Jesse in a blind rage soaking the White's house in gasoline.  As such, one would expect Walt to come home to an inferno, but his house is oddly still standing.  Even stranger, the house is empty.  Thus, we see the true machinations of Pinkman and the extent of his wrath. After all, burning the house down would have been too simple, too quick.  Jesse's playing a long game and that smell is going to linger and be an absolute pain to get out.

Seriously though, it is. Multiple cleanings are insufficient and the gas has soaked in to the point where they would have to remove the carpet entirely if they want to get rid of the smell.  

It does lead to Walt coming up with one of his weaker cover stories.  Skyler immediately sees through it and wants to know what's going on after they move to a hotel for a couple of days.  Even Junior suspects something is up, though he's under the impression that it's Cancer related.  On the one hand, given how skilled a liar Walt has become, it was surprising to see, but given the circumstances, I don't think there is a plausible story that would have gotten the job done.  

If you were expecting a roaring rampage of revenge, the episode dodges that.  While Walt is convinced that Jesse changed his mind and just needs some time to cool down, we later learn that Hank got to Jesse first and managed to talk him out of burning the house down.  It seems like plot convenience, but Hank's presence there is explained as he had been tailing Jesse since they let him go.  Given the two have a fair amount of disdain for one another, it was interesting to see them forge alliance as both are bent on making sure that Walt gets what's coming to him.

Jesse does offer a video confession detailing the nature of his and Walt's business venture.  It's better than nothing, even Gomez admits that it all makes sense, but they still don't have any physical evidence to put Walt away..

Meanwhile, Walt tries to find Jesse.  Again, Saul proposes the idea of killing the person who is posing the problem.  And again, the ruthless Heisenburg is the one who turns the idea down.  It's a bit odd as he had his gun drawn when he first tried to "talk" to Jesse, though Hank notes in a later scene that there is still a loyalty there.  How did Walt not get the "Old Yeller" reference?  Even if you haven't seen the movie, it's been referenced enough that he still should have picked up on where Saul was going based on context alone.  It allows Saul to give a speech that reinforces the title, but I'm not sure how necessary it was.  Just the mention would have been enough and given the state Jesse was in, the title made perfect sense even before I hit play on the Netflix player.

It does lead to a nice parallel where Walt chides Saul for using euphemisms, only to get the same lecture from Skyler.  It's unclear whether Walt legitimately wasn't using them and his shock at the accusation is genuine or whether he was covering.  You could make the argument for either side in all honesty.  It makes Walt a much more interesting character to watch now that his angle isn't exactly clear.

The two subplots collide as Hank convinces Jesse to use the situation to setup a sting operation of sorts.  Jesse is against it as he is convinced that the DEA is out of its element, but they give it a go anyway.  Using a wire was a risky move, if Walt decided to pat Jesse down it would have been over.  Luckily, it doesn't get to that point as Jesse finds a new way to torment Walt and claims he has a better way to bring him down.  This leads to Walt calling Todd's uncle saying that they require his services, implying that Walt has finally come around to the "put Jesse down for good" plan.  Of course, it could be another misdirect, but that's what the next episode is for.

While there was plenty of drama to be seen here, I think that the real strength of the episode comes from the humorous element that makes a comeback here.  The dialogue has a lot of dry and dark humor that adds to the episode's enjoyment factor.  Even Walt's lie to Skyler about why the house reeks of gasoline is largely played for laughs, making up for the fact that he clearly isn't succeeding.

The episode also delivers a few quieter character moments courtesy of Marie and Junior.  The latter's heart to heart with his dad was simple but well done.  It looked like even Walt was taken aback by the emotion.  We also see Marie talking to a therapist as she tries to deal with her anger.  It's good to see that the revelation isn't so easily shaken off.  While she notes that she would never do anything violent, she admits that thinking about it feels good.

I also rather liked seeing her interactions with Jesse.  It's very brief.  She offers him coffee after Hank lets him crash there for a while and he accepts.  Both are rather polite to one another but these two had never crossed paths this entire time so it was interesting to see how that played out.

Things are certainly kicking into gear as we get ever closer to the show's final episode.  Both sides are setting things into motion so there should be plenty of scheming and plotting to come.

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Breaking Bad: Season 5, Episode 11: 'Confessions'

Things aren't looking good.  Jesse is in custody and being pressured to flip and Hank shows no signs of letting up the pressure as he is dead set on nailing Walt for his crimes.  As bad as his relationship with Walt has gotten, Jesse's disdain for Hank still trumps it and he remains quiet until Saul shows up.

Marie's attempt to get Junior out of the house backfires, but does result in a rather tense meal at a restaurant where she and Hank press Walt to confess.  It's an odd dynamic as Walt asserts innocence, but uses language that implies guilt.  Skyler even tries to argue that the things that "didn't happen" are behind them.  You can see why Skyler would try to play that card, but at the same time, when you're trying to assert innocence, it really doesn't make any sense.

I did feel bad for that waiter, though.  They were never hostile towards him, but the tension between the main four was so thick that his attempt at jovial friendliness is rather jarring.  It gets so bad that Marie tells Walt to just kill himself so that it can all die with him.  Even that doesn't satisfy Hank, who thinks that death would be too easy.

Walt eventually leaves, but not before leaving a jaw dropping video confession.  It seems like an odd thing to do, but when you see the video, you see what game he's playing.  Rather than cop to the crimes, Walt instead incriminates Hank.  In true Heisenburg fashion, Walt spins a believable narrative about how Hank put him up to it that still sounds convincing while being completely fabricated.  Not every point is covered.  There's no mention of Gale or Tuco, but the ordeal with Fring is discussed at length and Walt notes that Hank was able to use his DEA connections to help set Walt up, possibly tying back to Krazy-8.  The cherry on top is using the money that they lent Marie to pay for Hank's treatment to further tie the two together and add legitimacy to Walt's claims.

Odd as it may sound, the video was one of the major highlights of the episode.  It was a gutsy move on Walt's part, but it worked well and from a strategic standpoint, it was downright brilliant.  I dare say Light Yagami would have been proud.

As if that scene wasn't tense enough, it's followed by another where Walt tries to convince Jesse to use Saul's guy to disappear and start a new life.  It sounds completely sincere and Walt isn't wrong in saying that Jesse could use a fresh start.  I mean, look at the guy.  Still, Jesse sees through it and cites that it's just Walt's way of getting him out of the way so that he can't incriminate Walt.

Jesse's not wrong, but at the same time, are the two things mutually exclusive?  Walt could have just stipulated that, yes, Jesse disappearing benefits him, but thinks that it would really be good for him to get away from it all.  Instead, all he does is give Jesse a hug.  You'd think it would be a genuine moment as Walt realizes how badly his relationship with Jesse has gone awry, but there's not a whole lot of emotion in it.

Jesse does agree to book it until he comes to the sudden realization that Saul and Huell were the ones who took the ricin cigarette.  How did he come to the realization?  It turns out that Huell pickpocketed a bag of weed that Jesse had.  Upon realizing that said bag was gone, he concludes that the same thing could have happened with the cigarette.

Technically, the cigarette had nothing to do with Brock being poisoned (or he wasn't poisoned by the cigarette to be more specific), but it does show Jesse that Walt was behind it.  Suffice it to say, he's none too happy about it.  Kids getting hurt was always a berserk button for him, but it gets taken to new heights here.  He pummels Saul, holds the others in the office at gunpoint, and even starts soaking Walt's house in gasoline, presumably with the intent to burn it to the ground.  The next episode's title is "Rabid Dog" and you can already see that comparison as the look on Jesse's face, as well as the primal grunting he makes are very much in that vein.

This episode has gotten rave reviews and it is definitely deserving of them.  The acting is top notch and there are so many great scenes that take place.  Even though the episode is more dialogue driven, the plot does still manage to advance significantly and the status quo is upended on several fronts.  It also ends on a great note as Jesse is fully consumed by manic rage.  It's the sort of ending that leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what happens next.  All in all, a great hour of television.










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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 10: "Buried"

After their confrontation in the garage, both Walt and Hank have the exact same response: try to contact Skyler.  It's for very different reasons, obviously.  In the end, though Hank wins.  It turns out that he's rather sympathetic towards her and asks her to help him put Walt away before the clock runs out.  He even offers to house both her and the kids so that they can be safe from what he perceives to be a monster.

This leads to a lot of role swapping.  Not only does Skyler utterly refuse to let Hank and Marie take the kids (a 180 from her earlier desire to keep the kids there as long as possible), but she is now in the position that Walt was in with Gus, desperately trying to prove that she didn't flip.  Unlike Walt, she doesn't have the benefit of being able to tip Walt off and hinder Hank's investigation.  She repeatedly attempts to call Walt, but the latter is convinced by Saul not to answer as the call could be bugged.

Saul has a...unique solution to the problem.  He suggests "sending Hank to Belize"...much like they did with Mike.  Even in full Heisenberg mode, Walt utterly refuses to consider the idea and chides Saul for suggesting doing such a thing to family.  It's heartwarming in it's own peculiar way.

While Hank has a lot of the pieces, he doesn't really have enough evidence to build a full case (one of the reasons why he wanted Skyler to help).  The only real concrete evidence is the huge stack of money that is sitting in Skyler's storage locker.

Seeing that stack again, it's still glorious.  Even Saul's henchmen are taken aback by the size of it.  They do what anyone would do and lie down on it for a while.  I wonder if Skyler ever did that.  "Making it rain" would be another option, but that would be a bit counterproductive as they do have to move the money and that would just make it harder to collect.

Strangely, Walt decides to bury the money by himself in the desert.  This results in him passing out as soon as he gets home.  I get the feeling that this was supposed to be a sign of his cancer returning, but couldn't it just be exhaustion?  He was doing hard work out in the desert for a lengthy period of time.  He didn't appear to have any water with him, so dehydration could have been a factor too.  Maybe it was a combination of everything.  Despite Walt hitting his head on the tile floor, it never occurs to Skyler to take him to the hospital.  He wakes up eventually, but no one considers the idea that he has a concussion.

Walt does tell Skyler that he'll turn himself in as long as they don't reveal the location of the money.  He wants to make sure that everything he did wasn't for nothing.  Skyler does him one better and says that he shouldn't turn himself in at all.

Sadly, Jesse doesn't appear much in the episode.  We see him in the episode's open, just after his giveaway.  He's not doing so well, just sitting in a park staring at the sky.  He's found by a nearby resident who collects not only the stack in his lawn, but the wads in adjacent lawns. On the one hand, one can't blame the guy, but at the same time, he had his cut already.  Those other wads were clearly meant for other people.

Jesse shows up again at the end, after he's been brought in by authorities who want to know more about his money.  It makes for an interesting bookend to the episode.

The episode hinges on both Hank and Skyler and both Norris and Gunn do a good job of carrying the weight.  Hank's shock and anger is still apparent.  It gets elaborated on a bit as Hank notes that bringing in Heisenburg will mark the end of his career.  Both he and Marie are still determined though.

Yes, Marie knows now too.  Just as Hank confronted Walt last episode, the two sisters have a not so friendly chat.  Where Hank gives Skyler the benefit of the doubt, Marie becomes furious when she realizes just how long Skyler has been in on Walt's secret.  Marie even goes so far as to try and take Skyler's daughter, though even Hank steps in to convince her not to go through with it.

While the episode title fits, one could argue that it should have been called "Cat's out of the Bag".  It makes more sense as the fallout from Hank's discovery is the more prominently featured plot point, but it would also act as a nice mirror to the first season episode "Cat's in the Bag".

I was surprised to read that there was quite a bit of speculation about the significance of the numbers on Walt's lottery ticket.  It seemed obvious that they were just the coordinates of where he hid the money.  The ticket was just a way of having those on hand without drawing suspicion.  For those curious, the actual real world coordinates lead to the studio where the show is filmed.  It's a nice Easter egg, but nothing Earth shattering.  Frankly, I'd find it odd if the numbers did have any more significance.  Introducing something like that this late in the game is rather pointless.  Maybe if they were numbers that had popped up in the show before, you could see it s some sort of symbolism, but that isn't the case.

This wasn't a powerhouse episode, but it was engaging enough.  It was largely character driven, which worked rather well.  It did manage to advance things and set them up for future development as we move closer to the show's end.

On the one hand, my brain wants to say that there's only six episodes left.  On the other hand, that's half a season, so who knows where the show is going to go from here?  Well, besides the people who have already watched it, I mean...or the people who made it.










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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 9: "Blood Money"

After a brief flash forward that lets us know that Walt's secret does, in fact, get released to the public (and that he still has the ricin), we see Hank grapple with the ramifications of his discovery.  It was nice that the flash forward wasn't completely forgotten, but there is also a nice juxtaposition as we see Walt say hi to the same neighbor in both time periods with radically different results.

Suffice it to say, Hank is less than pleased and he immediately books it under the pretense of stomach illness.  It's too little too late, though, and he ends up having an anxiety attack that leads to a small car crash.  It ends up working in his favor, though as he is given time off work, which is what he needs to put the pieces together.  It leads to a rather entertaining montage as we see photos of various people tied to Heisenburg over the years and even go back to the days of Tuco and the initial chemical heist once mocked by Hank himself.

It's really bad timing as Walt's claim to be out of the game seems to be on the up and up.  Lydia even comes to the car wash to coax Walt into coming back, even temporarily to act as a tutor, but he rebuffs her. Skyler, especially, doesn't take kindly to it and reinforces Walt's answer in rather glorious fashion.

It seems like the Whites are in the legitimate car wash business.  Walt does suggest opening another branch to facilitate bringing the money through at a faster clip.  It's a good idea, though it may be more of a long term plan as opposed to something immediate.

Jesse, meanwhile, has his own money problems as he doesn't want his cut anymore.  He tries to get Saul to give it to Mike's granddaughter and to the Sharp family, but the idea is nixed, both by Saul and by Walt, who comes to have a heart to heart with Jesse.

What's amazing about this scene is the fact that Walt is blatantly lying to Jesse, but he's doing a surprisingly good job of it.  Honestly, the way Cranston delivers the lines, you wouldn't believe that he would have killed Mike even though we know for a fact that he did.  Granted, it's implied that Jesse doesn't buy it, but it was still a rather impressive effort in its own right.  Also, credit to Jesse for deducing what Walt would have done.  At first, it seemed like he pulled the "Mike's dead" fact out of thin air, but he knows that Mike wouldn't have been happy about his guys being killed and Walt wouldn't want to be looking over his shoulder all the time in fear of retribution.  As such, it would be something filed under "had to be done".

Jesse does, however, come up with a way to get rid of the money.  He gives one wad to a homeless guy.  Said homeless man is surprisingly reluctant to take it, but at the same time, it isn't often that something like this happens and he could have thought it was a trap of some kind.  After that, he proceeds to just drive around, chucking wads of cash into people's lawns.  It really does expose all the income equality activists and the wealth redistribution advocates as being completely full of it as there is nothing stopping them from doing this.  You really don't need the government to fix the imbalance if you actually put some thought and effort into it.

Back at the home front, Walt suspects that his cover's been blown.  Just as Hank found out about Walt by pure happenstance, so too does Walt discover that the book is missing.  Between this and seeing that a GPS tracker, similar to the one they used on Gus Fring's car, was placed on his, Walt is sure that Hank knows.

I was expecting more of a cat and mouse game between the two that would play out over the course of the last few episodes, but Hank lets Walt know upfront that he knows; mainly by punching him in the face.  His vows of getting justice seem to fall on deaf ears as Walt lets Hank know that he's dying anyway, his cancer's back.  Given Walt's ability to lie displayed earlier, one might come to the conclusion that he is putting this ability to use again, but we do see Walt is undergoing treatments again and he does vomit at one point, suggesting that he is actually being honest here.  If this is a misdirection, it is a pretty elaborate one.  

Overall, this was a strong outing.  The tension doesn't really come to the forefront until the final scene between Hank and Walt, but there is plenty of great character fodder to keep you engaged before that.  Jesse gets a strong showing here and we get to see Badger and Skinny Pete, which is always a highlight.  The two bring some levity to what would otherwise be a pretty heavy episode.  Badger's musings on Star Trek were rather funny.  He's not the first to suggest that the transporters kill the user and just create a copy, but his idea to use said transporters to cheat in a pie eating contest was inspired.  They should make an internet micro-series where the two just sit around and shoot the breeze.  It would be a fun watch.









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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 8: 'Gliding Over All'

Mike may be out of the picture, but the guys he was paying still need to be dealt with. After all, they aren't getting paid anymore and it's only a matter of time before one of them flips and endangers the operation.

As such, Walt meets with Lydia to get the names on the list.  Lydia is reluctant, as she doesn't want to become a loose end, but she does give up the names.  Walt scoffs at the idea that he would kill her, but her fears turn out to be legitimate as we see that Walt did have the Ricin with him.  Fortunately, for her, she found a new purpose, distributing his product internationally.  It'll allow for greater sales and it is what she does.  It was good to see her more confident and in her element.  It was a refreshing change of pace from the constantly panic-stricken person we usually saw.

With the names, Walt needs people to do the dirty work.  As such, he calls in Todd's uncle and it is here where the Nazis come into play.  Sadly, they don't live up to the hype.  They're just thugs with swastika tattoos.  There's no thick German accents, no Herr Doktor type character, and no one yells "schnell" or even goes "jawohl".  It's like these people don't even know how to Nazi.

They do get the job done as we get a montage of shankings.  They make it sound like some elaborate operation, but it seems like you could have just paid some inmates to do it. Oh well.  It was pretty gruesome in any event and delivers one of the episode's more jaw dropping moments as one guy even gets set on fire.  Where are the guards?  Some of the attacks happen too quickly to stop, but you'd think that there would be some repercussions.  They all just walk off and nothing is made of it; it was weird.

On other fronts, Marie tries to coax Skyler into taking the kids back.  It's been 3 months and she says that she and Hank feel like they're being enablers.  Marie does clarify that they love having the kids there, but one of the major selling points of being an aunt or uncle is that the kids eventually go back to the parents.  You get all the perks without the downsides, though I guess you can't exactly tell her that.

This causes Skyler to take Walt out to a storage unit to show just how much money they've made.  I noted before that I was amazed at how much money was moved around.  To wit, this episode features another montage where we see large piles of cash move back and forth.  That was all just build up to the money shot featured here.  Get it?

Seriously, that pile of cash was freaking huge.  That $600,000 loss wasn't really that big a setback all things considered.  Skyler notes that she doesn't even know how much there is and that it's more than they could spend in their lifetime (I could spend it!)  With this, she tells Walt that she wants her family back and asks how much is enough.  It seems to work as Walt later says that he's out.

Considering Walt's desire for an empire, it's a pretty surprising turn.  One might think he's lying (I do have the slightest suspicion that it's not going to stick) but at the same time, Skyler does appeal to Walt in the most effective way possible, so you never know.

From what we see here, Walt was on the up and up, as we get some nice scenes of the family together having a good time.  It was reminiscent of scenes in early episodes and implies that things may finally be calming down.

In true 'Breaking Bad' fashion, the episode ends on a wham moment as Hank finds another clue about Heisenburg's identity.  I wasn't expecting him to make the discovery until closer to the end of the series, but it makes for a great way to close out the first half of the season.  It is especially surprising as the episode, by and large, is pretty calm.  There isn't much in the way of tension or intensity, but it could just be the prelude to a storm.  




























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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 7: 'Say My Name'

Walt's plan to keep the empire going is rather effective in its simplicity.  Instead of selling the methylamine, Walt offers Mike's stake in the "company".  It makes sense as Walt needs someone to distribute it.  Even from DeClan's perspective it makes sense.  They were losing to Walt anyway, and Walt does point out that they can make more money by working with him.  While they are oddly reluctant, the deal does go through.  Mike is still out and gets his $5 million.  Jesse insists that he's out too, but Walt is oddly dismissive of the claims.

The scene where Jesse finally emphasizes the point is one of the highlights of the episode.  It was rather odd how Walt's arguments jumped all over the place.  One minute he'd talk about how great Jesse was, then he'd follow that up by talking about how he sucks at life and this is his only real purpose, then he talked about how no one else was going to die, and followed that by saying that they were already going to hell anyway, so whatever.  It's jarring in hindsight, but it actually flowed surprisingly well.  At the end of the day, though, Jesse walks, even forgoing his $5 million cut.

As such, Todd is brought in as Jesse's replacement.  It's true, Todd doesn't know the chemistry, but Walt says he'll teach him, thus bringing the character full circle as he is doing what he was way back in the pilot.  Credit where it's due, Todd seems to do fine.  He seems to be off to a better start than Jesse was back in the day, so there's no reason he can't pick up on how all this stuff works.  Both Todd and Walt do note that it'll take a few cooks for him to get it down, though.

On other fronts, Mike's exit isn't as smooth as he would probably like it.  He's able to avoid the DEA as he knows they're tailing him, but the hazard pay ends up being his undoing as they are able to track the lawyer who delivered the funds to Fring's various underlings.  Continuing the payments made sense as it kept them from flipping, so it was something of a Catch-22.  The only thing that probably could have avoided it was if they hired more than one lawyer.  Saul himself takes umbrage that they didn't involve him and doesn't speak highly of the lawyer that was used.  I'm not sure that was a factor, but at the very least, using more than one lawyer would have covered their tracks a little better.

Speaking of covering tracks, Walt decides to store the methylamine in the car wash.  Don't you generally want to keep the illicit activities away from your legitimate business front?  That's the whole point of the thing.  Walt says it's temporary, and it did have to go somewhere, but it was an odd tactic.

Another odd tactic was using the same distraught act that allowed Walt to plant the bug to remove it from Hank's office.  It's probably tough to come up with reasons to just pop in to the DEA, but it was a bit of a stretch.  Even Hank doesn't seem to be as sincere in his concern as he was the first time.

I felt bad for Mike's granddaughter.  Sure, she has no idea that the money existed in the first place, so she's none the wiser, but she had nothing to do with it and you could only imagine the elation she'd feel waking up to find that she has a small fortune in her name.  There's a sort of wish fulfillment there.  Speaking of fortunes, it is still jaw dropping to see the amount of cash that is involved.  Your mouth starts to water, it's nuts.

Oddly, Mike blames Walt for what's happening.  He does give a good speech that calls Walt out on his pride and ego when Walt asks for the names of Fring's men.  I do question how accurate his "you should have just kept cooking" claim is.  It seemed like Gus was pressing things too.  Walt was more than happy to keep cooking until he was backed into a corner.

In any event, Walt shoots Mike in revenge.  Considering Mike's brutal beatdown of Walt a while back, I figured that Walt would milk this a bit more, but it's surprisingly abrupt. Heck, Walt even apologizes as he realizes that he could have gotten the information he needed from Lydia.  He seems to show more remorse for Mike than the death of Drew, which lends credence to Jesse's earlier claim that Walt wasn't really all that torn up about it.

Thus we come to the mid-season finale.  It looks like Walt's empire is starting to crumble before it even forms, but it's safe to say that Heisenburg won't go down without a fight.  It should make for some good watching in the days to come.










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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 6: Buyout

As they have before, Walt and Jesse dispose of the boy, now named Drew Sharp's, body using acid.  They're even able to dismantle the moped he rode and dissolve that in acid too.  It's amazing how many problems can be solved with acid.

Sadly, it doesn't solve all of their problems.  Jesse is still miffed at the fact that the kid was killed with no real thought.  Oddly, Todd makes a solid case.  He's not a sadistic psychopath.  He didn't want to do it, or enjoy it, but at the same time, he didn't want any witnesses.  Even if the kid had no idea what he saw, it could still pose a problem for them down the line.  As such, he made the tough call.

Jesse still isn't too happy, but he does get to clock Todd in the face and is adamant about forcing Todd out.  It's an option, though Walt notes that they would have to buy his silence.  Killing him is an option that's brought up, but quickly dismissed.  As such, they decide to keep him on in his original role.

That doesn't stop Mike from accosting the guy later, though.  I figured that, as a grandfather, what Todd did may have hit a nerve, but Mike is more annoyed that Todd brought a gun without telling him about it.

Keeping Todd on almost becomes a moot point as both Mike and Jesse voice interest in getting out.  Jesse's reasons are obvious as he is torn up by guilt, but Mike reveals that the DEA has been tailing him.

Mike knows a guy who is interested in buying their supply of methylamine and is willing to pay enough for them to retire.

Not surprisingly, Walt isn't interested.  This becomes a problem when the buyer makes it known that they want the whole supply so that they can wipe the competing product off the market.  Suffice it to say, Walt doesn't budge.

Actually, the episode did a good job of showing us why Walt refuses to walk away.  It isn't just that the plot demands it, or a one dimensional desire for unlimited powa!  Walt points out that their supply can make them a lot more than what is being offered and even his backstory with Gray Matter is brought up as Walt relates to Jesse how he took what seemed like a reasonable buyout there and regretted it for years when the company skyrocketed.

It was a nice touch.  I'm not sure if that was planned from the get-go or if it was just a happy coincidence.  It initially seemed to just be to establish Walt's scientific prowess (as well as show Walt's pride as it allowed him to turn down multiple offers to have his cancer treatments covered), but it panned out very well in terms of Walt's overall arc.

Jesse does point out that this isn't exactly the same as no one else can produce Walt's product, but it doesn't matter.

I'm not sure about Walt's claim that his empire is all he has left.  If Walt really did walk away, it would probably go a long way towards repairing his home life.  Even Jesse says that it would put them out of danger and that he would have more money that he thought he would need to ensure his family's financial security.  Of course, it falls on deaf ears.

One of the real highlights of the episode comes when Walt invites Jesse to stay for dinner after Skyler comes home.  The show has often thrived on edge of your seat tension, but this scene deals with tension of the more awkward and uncomfortable kind.  You really feel bad for Jesse as he futilely tries to fill the silence with small talk.  You can see why Paul got an Emmy nomination for his performance here as he really sells it.

I also rather enjoyed Cranston here.  He looks like he's having fun now that Walt is more of a villain.  His escape from Mike's restraint was also a highlight.  Granted, Mike catches him again and has a gun to his head, but Walt isn't too worried.  Even a season ago, Walt would have stammered to some extent, but he doesn't even flinch as he reveals that he has a new plan so that they all come out ahead.  Even Jesse seems willing to hear him out.

This episode was good, but not as great as many of the other episodes this season.  There are highlights to be sure.  It had a lot of character fodder and it does move the plot forward, but it didn't resonate as much as others have.          











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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 5: 'Dead Freight'

This show really likes the random cold opens, doesn't it?  The scene showing a child finding a tarantula in the desert and putting it in a jar doesn't seem to have any bearing on the plot, but it does come into play at the episode's end and does make for a rather peculiar bookend.  Truth be told, I was expecting the kid to get bitten, but he doesn't.

On more obviously relevant fronts, Walt goes to visit Hank and unload about his worries about his marriage.  You'd think that this would be genuine remorse on Walt's part, but the instant Hank leaves the room to go get coffee, Walt uses the opportunity to plant a bug on Hank's phone.

The purpose is to determine whether or not Lydia planted the GPS unit on that barrel of Methylamine herself or not.  They force Lydia to call Hank to make an innocent inquiry about it, with Mike emphasizing that any sort of mishap will result in her getting her head blown off.  There's a nice misdirect as neither Hank nor Gomez know of any sort of devices being planted, but it turns out that a different branch did, in fact, plant the trackers.

One would think that this is good news, but Mike still thinks that Lydia needs to die.  She does call him on it and it's clear that it's more vindictiveness over her putting a hit out on him, but when it's revealed that the DEA planted devices on all of the barrels at the warehouse, Lydia's worth once again gets called into question.

While those barrels are obviously not an option, Lydia does offer them access to "an ocean" of the stuff by giving them information about a transport freighter that ships the chemical through a "dead zone".  No cell service, no security checks, and no surveillance.

Mike still isn't convinced (as it would be logistically challenging, not to mention the witnesses that would have to be dealt with) and proposes going back to the original cooking formula.  He's not wrong in saying that making less money is better than making no money, but Walt is adamantly against it as they invested in lab equipment designed specifically for using Methylamine and he notes that Mike is likely more concerned about keeping Gus' men quiet.

Luckily, Jesse is there to, once again, mitigate a tense confrontation by presenting a third option.  He suggests siphoning off some of the Methylamine and replacing it with water so that no one ever knew there was a heist in the first place.  While the dilution will be noticed at some point, Walt later says that it would be chalked up to the Chinese trying to pass off an inferior product.

So, yes, this episode is a heist plot.  At first, I was excited as heists can be fun to watch, but then my brain remembered that they have pulled heists a few times in this show.  Now, granted, this is a more elaborate one.  It's a huge step up from the early days when Walt and Jesse broke into a warehouse wearing ski masks and dragged the barrel out by hand.  It makes for a very entertaining watch.

Given this show, you would expect something to go horribly awry, but all things considered, the heist goes rather well.  The closest thing to a snag comes when a good samaritan comes along and offers to push the truck that they used to stop the train out of the way.  It gives the episode a "down to the wire" feel as Walt wants to get as much as they can before the train leaves.

You almost think that the episode is going to break tradition and end on a high note for the group.  They're all celebrating their big score when it suddenly comes to their attention that the kid from the opening scene is standing there.  We don't know how long he was standing there, or if he even knew what they were doing, but it doesn't matter as one of the men they hired to help pulls out his gun and shoots the kid.  Walt did emphatically say there weren't to be any witnesses, so yeah. It's the sort of "wham" moment you would expect an episode to end on, but I was kind of hoping it would have ended on a more triumphant note.

On the domestic front, Skyler compromises and says that she'll keep laundering money and keeping Walt's secret, but she still doesn't want the kids near him.  She notes that he brought up the fact that a gun was held to his head rather casually and doesn't want anyone knocking on their door.  Walt agrees, though given the fact that Hank was more than willing to let Walt stop by and visit the kids whenever he wanted, he probably didn't see it as much of a concession on his part.

Meanwhile, Walt Jr. throws another temper tantrum because he doesn't know what's going on.  Again, this is a scenario where I should feel sorry for him, but I really don't.  Even Hank refers to him as "emo" at one point in the episode. Skyler's scene with Walt was nothing noteworthy, but it was at least something that needed to be seen in terms of the show's plot.  This, not so much.

Even the opening scene with Hank resonated more.  Not just because we saw Walt being manipulative, but because Hank was being a good brother (in law).  He was there for Walt and offered what help he could.  Yeah, Walt didn't really need the help, but it was still heartwarming.

Really good episode overall.  I enjoy elaborate heist plots, so this was a fun watch for me.  Walt Jr. kind of dragged the episode down, but there was enough good to more than make up for that.    











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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 4: Fifty-One

It's Walt's birthday, marking a full year since the pilot and his cancer diagnosis (though Marie does amusingly point out that it seems like it's been a lot longer).  He seems to be in good spirits about it.  He treats himself by trading in his old car for a new sportier one (oddly the midlife crisis thing is never brought up) and even gives his son another Challenger to drive.

It's nice to see that even Heisenburg can lighten up and have some fun.  Were it not for the final lines of the last episode, you would almost believe that Walt is starting to make a comeback.  His lines to Skyler about how things are calmer and how everything is going to work out seems genuine, though this line of work isn't exactly predictable.

It doesn't seem to matter anyway as Skyler is intent on getting the kids out of the house.  She suggests sending Junior to boarding school, which Walt scoffs at as the kid is a year away from college.  Were the window of time smaller, that would have been a rather convenient work around, but given how much has happened this year alone, waiting another doesn't work.

With no other solution, Skyler tries to drown herself in the pool during Walt's party.  While it's later implied that she knew she wasn't going to succeed with so many people around, the moment is no less dramatic and it still rattles both Hank and Marie.

Walt is rather calm about the whole thing.  He's more concerned about whether or not he'll get to see the kids when Skyler voices her desire to keep him away.  Whatever legitimacy Walt's claims about keeping his work persona at work goes out the window as he grills Skyler about what she plans to do.  Another fake attempt would only get her committed and claiming abuse would be too hard on the kids.

There is the "pack up and go while he's at work" plan that never gets brought up.  She does have that fat wad of cash that Walt gave her.  It would be a way to start a new life.  But Skyler's terrified and notes that even keeping the kids out of the house for a minute is a win for her and that she's just waiting for the cancer to come back.

On the business front, the DEA pays Lydia a visit, which spooks her.  She really isn't cut out for this line of work, is she?  People keep saying she's uptight, but I'd say skittish is the more appropriate description.  Mike's demeanor makes sense given what he does, but it's a wonder that she's been in the game as long as she has been.

They seem to have procedures to evade the feds, so one wonders why she's so nervous.  She even leads them right to her main supplier, hindering Walt's operation.  Wouldn't it make more sense to lead them to someone else?  A fall guy or just some low level person who isn't integral to things?

Her fear appears justified as the barrel of methylamine that she had set aside for the operation is revealed to have a GPS tracker attached to it.

I'd ask why they couldn't just move the device to another barrel, but Mike comes to the conclusion that Lydia put it there herself (based on how and where it was attached as well as the fact that she was the one who spotted it) as a way to get out of the arrangement.

Considering he had already cut her slack by bringing her in in the first place, he's intent on killing her.  Jesse, on the other hand, notes that they need her to keep the operation going.  Granted, the look on his face makes it clear that he just doesn't want anyone getting killed, but the more "pragmatic" argument is the best way to get through to Mike.

Walt ends up siding with Jesse when the issue is put to a vote, but the way he talks, he is clearly more focused on production rather than the preservation of life.  Whether Jesse didn't notice this or didn't care as it worked in his favor isn't clear, but he rolls with it.

He even goes so far as to give Walt a birthday present.  It was a small moment in the episode, but I found it rather heartwarming.

Walt ends up using this to his advantage, rightly pointing out to her that the person who gave him the gift wanted him dead not too long ago and even held a gun to his head.

This could have been a good way to ease Skyler's fears about where things are going, but the way Walt says it makes it sound more like he's ordering her to just suck it up.

This was another strong episode.  The first half was more lighthearted, which was refreshing and added an element of fun to the episode.  Appropriately, the suicide attempt marks a mood shift, where we get scenes featuring the sort of tension that we're used to.  It made for a nice balance and allowed all of the characters to shine in their own ways.










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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 3: Hazard Pay

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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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 2:Madrigal

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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Breaking Bad Season 5, Episode 1: Live Free or Die

I noted that the last season finale seemed like a solid wrap up as Walt was in a position to walk away.  However, just as Walt may have thought he was out, fate pulls him back in.  Not only is Mike more than a little miffed that his boss just got killed, but it turns out that Gus' surveillance footage could land them all in prison.  It leads to a rather uneasy alliance and a scheme that involves a giant magnet.

The change in Walt is noticeable here.  He's much more forceful and confident than he ever was.  There are times where even Mike and Jesse seem taken aback by the change.  Even in the domestic scenes, where Walt would usually revert to his old self, his mannerisms are off.  He sounds just as menacing trying to reassure Skyler that she has nothing to be afraid of as he does when he pressures Saul into continuing to work for him despite the quasi-ethical lawyer's protests.  At face value, it seems counter-productive, but if you needed more proof that "Heisenburg" was in control now, that's a pretty good indicator.

While some might mourn the loss of Walt, I've been waiting for this for some time now.  Now we're really seeing Walt as the cold, calculating figure that his reputation presents him as.  I enjoyed it immensely.  It's helped by the fact that Cranston does a great job with it.  It was already kind of weird seeing him in 'Seinfeld' reruns after watching him here, but I think it's going to be to an even greater extent now.  In any event, it's a shame that he wasn't cast as Lex Luthor because he would have been a great fit.

The magnet scheme (which comes courtesy of Jesse) is initially played off as goofy and unfeasible, but it works and on several levels.  Not only does it wipe the hard drive, but it smashes the laptop that houses the aforementioned footage.  On top of that, it destroys a lot of other evidence to other cases so that it isn't clear who was behind it and it even hinders the cops when they become aware that something is wrong as their security cards no longer worked.

True, Walt goes a bit overboard, causing the truck to tilt in such a fashion that they had to abandon it, but he made sure to cover his tracks well enough that it won't become a problem later.  What will likely become a problem later, is that information that was written down on the back of one of Gus' photos.  In true, "hoisted by your own petard" fashion, they only come across this after seeing the smashed frame.

Then again, they probably would have opened the frame eventually anyway.  Yeah, a family photo is easy to dismiss, but at the same time, rudimentary investigation generally involves searching through things, so it could easily be a moot point.

On other fronts, Skyler learns of Ted's fate.  He didn't die, but he's not in good shape.  To his credit though, he tells the cops that it was just an accident and keeps Skyler out of it.

While Walt's new demeanor took center stage, the episode also allowed some of the supporting cast to shine.  We got to see Mike's grandfatherly side come out as he fed chickens (and admonished them when they started fighting over the food) in an early scene.  The junkyard owner made another appearance and he's just as entertaining as he was before.  One of the show's unsung successes is fleshing out even the smaller roles to such a great extent.  Both the junkyard owner, as well as Badger and Skinny Pete are surprisingly layered considering how they don't play a very big part in the grand scheme of things and are often major highlights of the episodes that they do appear in.

Jesse also gets a few moments, coming up with the scheme to cover their tracks, jumping to Walt's defense when Mike is on a rampage, and even letting Walt borrow money without hesitation when Walt asks because he's strapped due to covering Ted's IRS costs.  Mike isn't sure why the two go to such great lengths for each other, but after the brutal falling out last season, it was rather nice to see.

The fifth season is off to a rather strong start.  Heisenburg is in action and things are certainly more dire.  Thankfully, the show has still managed to keep its sense of humor.  I wasn't expecting that, in all honesty, but it does add to the enjoyment of the show.  No Nazis yet, but there are still 15 episodes to go.  It should be an interesting ride.









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Breaking Bad Season 4, Episode 13: Face Off

Thus, the show's fourth season comes to a close and it probably stands as the show's strongest thus far.

As Walt's car bomb plan backfired, he's forced to try to come up with a new plan.  It's easier said than done as every location Gus frequents is surrounded by cameras, not to mention Gus' security personnel.

The difficult situation is made worse when the FBI takes Jesse in for questioning.  It seems he had a little too much knowledge about Brock's condition and they want to know how he knew what he knew.  After all, Ricin isn't exactly common.  It ends up being something of a blessing, as Saul notes, Jesse's safe in custody whereas Walt is in danger, as evidenced by the fact that Gus' men go after him in his own home.

Things take a turn when Saul informs Walt about the vendetta between Tio and Gus.  Most of the information comes from Jesse and what he saw, but it is enough for Walt to formulate a new plan.

While Tio hates Walt, he hates Gus more.  It leads to an "enemy mine" situation of sorts as Walt enlists the old man to help eliminate his enemy once and for all.  The plan is rather elegant in its simplicity.  Tio fakes taking on the role of fink so that Gus will confront him personally.

Considering how Tio's last conversation with the DEA went, it's surprising that Hank went along with it.  Again, we have a situation where the characters point out that it's not smart, though for completely different reasons.

It does lead to one of the episode's funnier moments as Tio just takes the opportunity to curse Hank out.  At first, Tio's secondary form of communication seems tedious.  Well, it is tedious.  He'd be better off using Morse code, but when it comes to the messages he has for Hank, it actually adds to the humor of it as his vulgarities are literally spelled out.

Just seeing the DEA leave is enough to draw Gus' attention.  His mooks offer to do the job, but Gus wants to see the old man die by his own hand.  Precautions are taken, of course. A thorough search of the room is performed, but it turns out that Walt had planted a bomb on the wheelchair that goes off.

I do wonder how they didn't notice the thing.  It wasn't exactly small and, as noted, they did search the room more than once.  I guess they just mistook it for another piece of medical equipment?

In any event, the plan goes off without a hitch.  True, Tio dies, but he knew going in that it would happen and he gets to take his arch-nemesis with him.

It's rather interesting to hear the news report.  They're very solemn, which is understandable as a bomb went off at a retirement home.  However, Walt is pleased, as he is safe and even the losses suffered weren't exactly heavy as they were all horrible people anyway.  

Ah, but what of the poisoned child and Jesse's arrest?  Well, it turns out that Brock wasn't poisoned with Ricin, but with a poisonous berry called Lily of the Valley that kids often eat by accident.  This means that Gus really wasn't responsible for what happened, though both Walt and Jesse note that he still had to go.  I totally called it, kind of.  In fact, Jesse can also make that claim (though he doesn't know it).  The episode's final wham shot shows that Walt had a pot of Lily of the Valley.

While the show has been very enjoyable, I have often felt that Walt wasn't living up to his reputation.  You always hear about how Walt is this badass and how he takes on this more ruthless "Heisenburg" persona.  It popped up on occasion, but it wasn't as prominent as I thought it would be.

Well, those traits comes to the forefront here.  While Walt often did questionable things out of desperation, this marks a turning point as he not only poisoned a child, but used that as only a small piece in a much bigger scheme.  He doesn't even seem all that torn up over it either.  

It also puts the confrontation with Jesse from last episode in an entirely different light.  I do wonder if those who go back for a rewatch find that the scene is less effective knowing what Walt did or if it makes it more effective.  On the one hand, Walt's humanity is gone, but his ability to lie is beyond impressive.

The funny thing is that, until that wham shot, I was thinking that this easily could have been a series finale.  Gus dies, Walt and his family are safe, money is longer a concern.  The duo even destroy the lab for good measure.  It seems like both Walt and Jesse are in a position to just walk away.  It obviously isn't, but the way the resolution plays out, it could have been.

As it is, it looks like the final season is going to take a much darker turn as Walt's descent appears complete.  While Walt and Jesse seem on good terms again, I think it's safe to say that Walt's scheme will come to light and drive another wedge into their relationship.  Then again, his part in Jane's death has remained secret, so I could be wrong.  I guess I'll just have to watch and see.















                       








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