Breaking Bad Review – “Granite State” S5E15

But it was personal… only read ahead if you are cool with spoilers…

This episode was considerably slower than last week’s “Ozymandias”.  Many scenes were quiet, and that is one reason Breaking Bad has been so great.  The premise is about drugs and guns, but the majority of scenes don’t involve either.  “Granite State” was quiet, but hard-hitting.  There were several scenes that were very hard to watch, or had you on edge of your seat.  It was what the audience needed after such mayhem just a week ago.

At the beginning of the episode, the ominous red van pulls up to … an actual vacuum repair shop… with front of the building’s design resembling the pick up spot.  Now you’ll never be able to go to the vacuum repair shop/U-Haul rental down the street without wondering what kind of criminal petri dish is hiding in the basement.  The Exterminator (that’s what I’m calling him) gets out and Saul follows, which was very unexpected.  It was unclear if this was how he came to ABQ or how he left, but we quickly find out it is how he left.  For the first time since the end of the 2nd season, Saul is not wearing his blue ribbon, which symbolizes McGill (Goodman’s real name) finally shedding his scumbag lawyer facade and becomes “just another douchebag with a job and three pairs of Dockers.”  Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) as The Exterminator takes Saul’s new ID picture in the shop, directing Saul to fix his hair.  Saul flicks his hair back like a woman preening in the mirror.

I’m so pretty, so pretty…

The exterminator makes the Nebraska ID.  Saul asks, “What’s in Nebraska?” a question which many people have thought of themselves.  The Exterminator tells him it will be a few days before he can get Saul out of New Mexico, but it will have to be faster than normal since his ads are still plastered all over the city.  Saul will have a roomie, and Saul looks at surveillance footage of Walt throwing a temper tantrum in his room.

Marie is in the DEA car.  She is being told by other DEA agents that they will find Hank.  Sadly, it is after the death of her husband that we find Marie the most attractive Marie has ever been.  As they arrive at the Schrader house, it is clear it has been broken into.  I guess we got this wrong last week.  I never thought the Aryans would actually go get a tape they weren’t sure even really existed.  As the agents realize the house has been compromised, two agents hop out and Marie is whisked away. I have no doubt that this will not be the last time we see the lady in purple.

In the background the viewer hears Jesse’s voice on the confession tape.  We see Jesse on the TV and the Aryans watching the video while drinking beers.  Todd looks at the video like he is proud while Jesse describes the “Opie dead-eyed piece of shit” murdering Drew Sharp.  The Aryan’s go out to Jesse’s dog-pound and Jack is ready to kill Jesse because of the tape.  Todd stands up for Jesse, saving him once more and then Jack realizes that Todd likes Lydia.  That would be the only reason to keep cooking meth after they have so much money. Jack also likens the uptight Lydia’s lady parts to a wood chipper.  Ouch.  In the dog-pound, Jesse pulls out the picture of Andrea and Brock from Todd’s meth lab.  He takes the paperclip from it and begins to pick the locks on his cuffs.

Back at the vacuum shop, Saul and Walt are having a jammy party in the basement, waiting for their new lives.  Walt asks Saul for a list of five hit-men.  Walt wants to kill the Aryans to avenge Hank and Walt’s money.  Saul says he doesn’t know any hit-men.  Walt tells him “you know a guy who knows a guy”, something that is classic about Saul.  Saul then gives Walt is first tid-bit of free advice: if he leaves, he is leaving his family high and dry and in danger.  He tells Walt that without him giving himself up, he is putting Skyler in jail because she would have no leverage for the lawyers to offer a plea.  The money and house will be gone and everything will be tapped.  Walt tells Saul he doesn’t want to leave and he will give all of his money to his children.  He must kill Jack and his crew, get his money back and then he will be through.  We’ve heard Walt say he will be through many times before.  He is also jumping the shark by believing he alone can take out Jack’s crew.  The Exterminator enters and tells Saul he’s ready to go.  Walt tells him that Saul and he will being going together.  “I’m not your lawyer anymore.”  Walt backs Saul into the wall and tries to use his best Heisenberg voice on him before he has a nasty attack of cancer-cough.  Saul tells Walt, “It’s over.”  And for Saul, it really is.

At the lawyer’s office Skyler, wearing her, of late, signature white, is hearing the white-noise of lawyers going back on forth on her case.  Her lawyer, certainly no Saul Goodman, looks over at her like a deer in headlights, which oddly enough is how he is referred to later in the episode.  When Skyler comes to, she answers the lawyers pleas for giving up Walt and she admits she doesn’t know where he is.  At the house, the police watch the White residence.  Skyler looks out her window at the beat down cop car and takes a drag off her cigarette, her vice when she is stressed the whole series.  Holly cries and she goes to check on the baby.  Three of the Aryan’s dressed in black with masks are in the nursery.  Todd talks calmly to Skyler.  She pleads for them to not hurt Holly and Todd tells her that he respects her husband.  He then tells her to not say anything about Lydia to the police.  We see Todd’s love for Lydia here, because it seems odd that she would be who he is worried about in Skyler’s confession to the police.  As he leaves, he touches her shoulder in such an odd, reassuring way.  Todd is so icky!

At the coffee house where Lydia and Walt first make the Czech deal, Todd dressed for a date and sipping a cup of Lydia’s signature tea and waits for Lydia.  Lydia refuses to sit with him, which visibly hurts Todd’s feelings, and lets him know she is going to back out of their deal, even saying they are going to take a break (ouch), because she is worried about being given up to the police.  He tells her his batch of meth is at 92% (Heisenberg Level!) because of Jesse.  Todd turns in his chair to look at Lydia.  He talks of their partnership as being more than just the meth deal.  He thinks they are in an actual relationship.  If anyone in that coffee shop were to look at them, they would think he was just as creepy.  He picks the lint off her blazer.  Weird-o!

Hey Girl. you can’t spell methylamene without ‘me.’

Walt is in the bottom of a propane truck.  He gets out of the awkward holding cell, and enters the cold, snowy emptiness of New Hampshire.  The Exterminator greets him as Mr. Lambert.  In the long shot, similar to the ones we get of the New Mexican desert, we see the vast amount of snow and trees and a very tiny cabin that will be Walt’s new home.  It will be a lonely life in the forest.

Walt wheels in his barrel of money into his new shack.  The Exterminator gives him the grand tour and gives him the all the downsides to the place (no internet, no TV, no phone).  Walt finds the two copies of Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Mr. Magorium dies of cancer just like Walt, although his Emporium is way cooler than Walt’s).  The Exterminator tells him that he will make a supply-run for him in a month.  Walt is paying him a substantial amount of money to come back and check on him every month.  For news, Walt will get the Albuquerque newspaper.  Walt is insistent that he still has business to conduct, presumably killing Jack and the clan.  The Exterminator lets Walt know that he is wanted nationally by the DEA and that his face is all over the news.  He will surely be caught if he leaves.  The Exterminator says his goodbye.  Walt opens his bin of money and takes some cash out.  In classic Heisenberg fashion, Walt puts on the pork-pie hat, smoothing the rim.

Say my name.

He walks in a determined pace to the gate and sees the long roadway with nothing in else in sight.  Walt has a coughing fit, closes the gate and promises himself he will go to the town “tomorrow.”  The Heisenberg is still determined, but Walt still has cancer.

Back in the dog-pound, Jesse has uncuffed himself.  and he is struggling to reach the grate at the top of the cage.  He hears the voices clan and Todd walks to the cage.  Jesse is laying on his mat, cuffed again.  Todd lowers a bucket to Jesse with two different flavors of Ben and Jerry’s.  It is a “prize” for cooking 96% percent (closer to Heisenberg level) in the last batch.  Todd lights up a cigarette and watches Jesse eat his ice cream.  Jesse asks Todd to keep the tarp off the cage because he wants to “see the stars”, appealing to Todd’s softer side.  In a mad dash, Jesse takes the cuffs off again, piles this blankets and bucket to balance on and in the coolest Mission Impossible stunt, Jesse Tom Cruise’s his way to the top of the cage, hanging by one arm off the grate.

For a meth-head, he’s pretty strong.

He finally is able to get both arms on the grate, unlock it and run.  He sees the long fence surrounding the property, but does not see the cameras.  As he climbs the clan surround him.  He turns around and asks them to kill him.  Aaron Paul’s intensity is mind-blowing here.  The way he screams at them, especially the use of the F-bomb is so real.

Todd walks up to what we know is Andrea’s house.  It was hard to deny what was coming next.  This time, it is Todd who knocks.  Todd kindly approaches Andrea and as per usual, is very polite to her.  He lures her out by telling her that Jesse is out in the truck outside.  Considering this girl grew up in the hood, its amazing she falls for this.  But she does and Todd being so fucking polite tells her “Just so you know, this isn’t personal” and shoots her in the head.

What is it with AMC and killing off “Andrea”?

I really can’t wait until that fucker dies.  Jesse looks on crying and screaming uncontrollably.  Todd gets back in the car and Jack warns Jesse that he needs to settle down and that “the kid” is still to be killed.  This was one of the hardest scenes to watch in all of BrBa history.  I didn’t have much of an attachment to Andrea, but rather what she represented for Jesse and any kind of normalcy he knew in the series.  Poor street smarts or not, Andrea was the last presence of innocence left in all of Albuquerque.  Forcing him to watch her die really could be the factor that causes him to go psycho on the psychos.

This was too heartbreaking to watch.

Back in New Hampshire, Walt is a little snow bunny.  He walks to his gate to let The Exterminator in for his monthly drop.  Walt did not choose to go out “tomorrow.”  He now has hair and a full beard.  The Exterminator brings Walt new glasses, as his aren’t working anymore (now we know how he got that look).  He updates Walt on his families well-being.  She and the kids don’t live in the house anymore, she works as a taxi dispatcher and she is using her maiden name (also Lambert).  The house is fenced in because it has become a tourist attraction.  The Exterminator pulls out the chemotherapy IV.  He assures Walt he can administer the needle because he watched YouTube videos (yikes!).  The IV hangs from the deer antlers on the wall where the pork pie hung earlier in the episode.  After the needle goes in, The Exterminator gets ready to leave.  Walt offers him 10,000 dollars to keep him company.  It is a new kind of sad and lonely for Walt to have to pay a stranger to sit with him in his condition.  As The Exterminator deals cards, it is hard not to notice the wall Walt has created of all the news paper clippings of his pictures and claims against Skyler from the newspapers.  Walt asks The Exterminator to give his money to his family after his death.  It becomes clear, this would not be the case, because who would rightfully give a free 11 million to who it belongs to?  Later, a very thin and sickly Walt wakes up form a nap.  His wedding ring has fallen off his finger due to his weight loss.  He ties the ring around his neck, still trying to keep his family a part of his being.  He looks at the boxes of Ensure The Exterminator brought him to gain weight and gets an idea.  He was warned to not wire the money, but not to mail it.  He puts the money in the ensure boxes and finally makes his trek to the one horse town.  Walt is clearly weaker.  He walks slowly and is coughing more.  Also, a note on AMC’s choice of commercials: whose idea was it to go from the shot from behind Walt walking into the stark snow to a back shot of Rick from The Walking Dead waking up to a zombie apocalypse.  Talk about a shitty transition.

Back in Albuquerque, “Flynn White” is called to the principal’s office, but not for anything his fault.  Carmen, the administrator Walt used to have a crush on tells him that his Aunt Marie is on the phone.  A fat biker lady is on the other line in a bar.  Walt takes a hold of the pay phone and tells his son why he did what he did.  He then tells him that he sent him a box of money for the family to Jr.’s friend, Louis.  Walt is degrading himself for not doing more.  Flynn has the opposite reaction Walt expects and freaks out about Hank and the money.  Walt says, “It can’t all be for nothing” while Flynn screams at him to “Just die already.” Again,  Walt is defeated.  It really could all be for nothing and his son hates him, an opposite reflection of when Flynn gets so mad that Walt won’t get chemo in the first season, telling him to die.  When the line is cut off, Walt makes another call, to the Albuquerque DEA.  It’s pretty amazing he knows their number by heart.  Anyway, he asks for the agent in charge of the investigation and tells them it is Walter White.  At this point, with nothing left that matters, he is ready to just give it up.  He leaves the phone hanging and is knowingly and willingly about to go down as the kingpin of Albuquerque.  He grabs a drink at the bar, “dimple pinch neat”, and watches the TV.  He asks the bartender to stop on a channel where he sees his old pals Elliott and Gretchen Schwartz being interviewed about their contribution to drug rehab facilities in the Southwest United States.  They are asked if this contribution was to cut the ties of Walter White “the methanphetamine kingpin” being the co-founder of Grey Matter.  They say that Walt had nothing to do with the company and where it went other than the name.  There is also a mention of the blue still being sold in the Southwest and Europe, even though the Walt is not the cook any longer.  When asked if Walt is still out there, Gretchen is sure that he is not.  Now that Walt has lost his family and his money, he now looks at the TV and realizes that his pride and legacy are gone, too.

Walt is all about his pride. He will not take being an Ozymandias.

Walt’s life has come full circle.  He lost all credit for everything he did for Grey Matter, and now he has lost control of his precious blue meth.  Pride gets the best of him, as it should, or the story wouldn’t be consistent.  The theme song plays as the New Hampshire police swarm the bar.  As the enter we get a shot of Walt’s drink, the tip and an empty seat.  One of the best uses of music this series.

Nothing but the drink.

Hush Comics gives “Granite State” an A.  It’s hard to knock the writing, because it is Breaking Bad and the second to last episode.  It is hard to tell how much of this episode will effect what happens next week.  After the lack of movement in this episode, and how little we saw of Skyler or Jesse in the several month period, it is hard to see how the entire series will culminate in only an hour and fifteen minutes.  But as always, amazing acting and amazing character development. It was a bit disappointing to not end this episode where the season premiere started. There were about four months of time skipped to convey Walt’s physical depreciation, desperation and loneliness instead of focusing on other major characters and their lives during this  pandemonium.

written by Adrian Puryear

Breaking Bad Review – “Ozymandias” S5E14

Spoilers ahead

Agreed.

That shit was bonkers.

But before we get to that… let’s start off with the teaser. Enter the RV. And may I say, I’m so glad we get a glimpse of the RV one more time. It has been such a symbol to represent the show and I for one have truly missed it. We are at the first cook, as made clear by Walt’s lack of clothing and tighty whities. Jesse asks Walt questions about the cook and Walt says “The reaction has begun.” A great use of dialogue to sum up what that first cook really was. The reaction began for everything and everyone else in the series. Walt and Jesse step out of the RV and we get a close up of Walt calling Skyler with the background of the desert, the RV and Jesse practicing his karate moves. Walter tells the lie that starts all the lies that Bogdan has a “bug up his butt” and is making Walt stay late. The use of the “bug” in this episode is a nice little twist on the symbol. Meanwhile, Skyler is packing up ceramic crying clown that is dressed in blue and white, just like how Walt is dressed in the shootout from last week. The clown is also creepily crying red tears. The tears of the clown is usually an expression for someone realizing truths of their own life and it becomes too hard to handle for them. Once we come back to the shootout scene, it becomes clear the situation is too much for Walt. The fading of the first cook scene to present day is so well done. First Jesse and Walt fade, then the RV fades and then we just have the desert. From then until now has been quite a journey.

We join our BrBa buddies with the big shoot-out behind us. The gun smoke has cleared the air and we see that Steve Gomez lies lifeless on the desert floor, with Hank having a rather painful bullet wound in his leg – this guy just can’t catch a break. As Hank army-crawls towards Gomey’s shotgun, Uncle Jack and his crew find out that Hank and his partner are indeed law enforcement. The apathetic reaction that Grand Dragon Jack has to this news suggests that it wouldn’t have changed the initiation of their encounter a bit. As Jack reaches for his pistol to finish off Hank, Walter pleads with Jack to spare his brother-in-law, and everybody can just go on their separate ways, pretending that none of this ever happened. Walt even tries to buy Hank’s life by offering up the 80 million. Fat chance, Heisenberg. Walt also insists upon Jack using Hank’s name when before he was referred to as “fed”. Respect is a big deal to Walt and using one’s name is the utmost sign of respect. In what might have been his most heroic act of the series, Hank recognizes his fate and looks death straight in the eye, telling the head of the Aryan brotherhood to go fuck himself and taking back his name by not just being called Hank, but dying with his life’s work, ASAC (Assistant Special Agent in Charge) Schrader. Hank is a proud man, too, and decided to take control of his title directly tying it to his life’s work. Walt expects that Hank will want to save himself and in what will become one of the most memorable lines of the series, Hank looks up at Walt and says, “You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met and you’re too stupid to see he made up his mind ten minutes ago.” And then Jack shoots Hank point-blank in the head. It was so hard to watch, and the scene cut away before we even see Hank really fall. It wasn’t nice, but it was the what had to happen for the rest of the story to continue. Hank spent the entire time we have known him trying to take down the Heisenberg, and seemingly, he actually did it, because his own death is what set in motion Walt fleeing town at the end of the episode.

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

After Hank is shot, Walt falls to his knees. He lays on his side and cries uncontrollably. Todd looks at him and wipes his nose. Again, Todd is a reflection of Walt and feels bad for Walt’s loss, as he says a few minutes later. The similarity between Walt and Gus crying over the death of a loved one must be noted. Through the broken glass of Hank’s suburban, we see a shovel being pulled out of a car. Jack tells Walt that his directions were so specific. He knows the money is buried at those coordinates because Walt was too specific on where to go. He goes to look for Jesse by Hank’s car, but says there is no sign of him. I find this odd because we find out that Jesse is under the car. Who wouldn’t look under the car for someone? One man is sent to look for Jesse and the others uncover Walt’s money. They pull out the barrels and move Gomez’ and Hank’s bodies into the grave that Walt dug. Amazing imagery of the place that once held Walt’s money now holds his family. Jack tells a catatonic Walt that he is leaving Walt a barrel of his own money. Jack then tells Walt that Todd would be unhappy if anything were to “go the other way.” In this scene, Jack leaves Walt little choice to accept his terms, and in the same way that Walt embraced Jesse when he asked him to “start over” in “Rabid Dog,” the handshake here is a symbol of submission. Walt better accept that the two parties are even, or the Neo-Nazis will murder him and his family with the same reckless abandon that they just dusted two highly-ranked lawmen. Walt then does something unexpected; amongst all the calamity of watching his family member die in front of him, he reminds Jack that the deal is not complete until they kill Pinkman.

Why the importance of ending Jesse’s life? It’s evident that Walt holds Jesse accountable for Hank’s death (although it was Walt that figuratively and literally dug Hank’s grave), but why is it so paramount that Jesse is the last loose end? Even as they brush off his request with a “sure, if you find him, we’ll do it,” Walt has already spotted him underneath the Chrysler 300 and orders they end his life. The drag Jesse who is kicking and screaming from underneath the car. After a season of spiraling out of control and being lost in the abyss all fifth season, it was gut-wrenching to see Jesse finally fight to live. As Jesse kneels on the ground before Walt, he looks up at two black birds flying free in the sky, almost poetically, to explore the unknown blue, wild and free. I was almost convinced they would end his life there, until Todd saves the day, suggesting that perhaps they should find out what Jesse has told the feds before “doing the job.” Todd says that Jesse and he have “history,” which should somehow help him get information more easily, I guess. Having a history with Todd hasn’t been too much help for anybody thus far in the series and it no doubt insinuates torture and death for Jesse, a fate that Walt agrees with. As they drag Jesse’s defeated body away, Walt has one last anecdote to share with his former partner. “I killed Jane. I was there and I watched her die. I could have saved her, but I didn’t.”

I could have saved her…

I am not sure he said this line just to spite Jesse. The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice say that he is saying it to make himself feel better. It is something Walt has held in for a long time and this is his moment to get it off his chest. Jesse is put in the Aryan’s sedan and they drive away leaving Walt in the desert. The scene pulls back and we get a long shot very similar to the end of the teaser, this time Walt alone in the desert.

By the time we come back, the episode is at his halfway mark, but we just now get the credits. It doesn’t mean much for the episode, but it is worth noting. Walt looks at his reflection in the rear view mirror and quickly turns the mirror to look behind him at the desert. Not only does Walt not want to look at his reflection (reflection is a common theme in this episode), but he is looking at the scene behind him where Hank now rests. As Walt drives away, his car makes strange sounds and he sees he is out of gas. He gets out of the car and looks under it to see a gas leak. The next shot is so great because it is exactly the cinematography that matters in Breaking Bad. Walt stands to look at the bullet hole in the side of his car. The sole intent of the scene was not to show that we know why the gas is leaking, but we see Walt’s reflection in the car several times over. The most obvious reflection is Walt’s face with the bullet hole in his forehead. And for me, this confirms that Walt dies at the end of the series.

Good thing this show doesn’t ever use foreshadowing… oops!

We then see Walt rolling his one barrel of money through the vast desert. Several things are of note here. 1. Walt has finally learned to roll the barrel, unlike his grand theft of the barrel of Methylamine with Jesse. 2. He passes by the pants he loses in the Pilot episode, the same episode “Ozymandias” flashes back to. 3. The song playing to the epic rolling. It is called “Time’s a Gettin’ Hard” by Eddy Arnold. In the lyrics played, we hear the chorus of the song, “Take my true love by her hand/Lead her through the town/ Say goodbye to everyone.” The rest of the song that we don’t hear is just as interesting, mentioning being happy a year ago, having a house, the money being scarce and having no place to go. My question is, who is his true love? It isn’t Skyler. Is it the money or the blue? This will most likely be answered once we find out why Walt comes back to Albuquerque.

Walt rolls the barrel to a man’s home on the To’hajiilee Reservation. The man looks out his window and sees Walt’s reflection coming up to his property. Walt offers to buy the man’s truck, and the man says its not for sale. But Walt is actually able to buy his way in this situation offering the man a stack of cash. Walt has the truck and loads up the barrel of money.

In the next scene, Marie enters the carwash to talk to Skyler. I love the production’s attention to detail. Marie is wearing black in this scene, a very rare occurrence when she normally wears her signature purple. The death of Hank touches everything. The two sisters sit in Skyler’s office. The shot of them sitting across from each other, Skyler wearing white, Marie wearing black and a purple orchid sitting between the two is striking. With a smug look on her face, Marie gloats that Hank had won, “dead to rights,” she believes was the way Hank put it. As much as it pained us to see Hank go, I was personally satisfied to see Skyler’s world turn to shit by it. Marie corners Skyler, telling her to give up the fake videotape she and Walt made and give up everything she knows to get herself off the hook, on the condition that Skyler tell Walt, Jr. everything. Of all the things I dislike Marie for, the prospect of making Jr. find out the truth from his family before a random officer was the closest endearing moment she’s had this season. Skyler goes from kingpin’s wife and accomplice to total victim in five seconds flat. In my opinion, she’s a total wuss and is willing to sell her husband down the river to save her own skin, using the children as a shield to hide behind.

The scene shifts to Jesse, who is chained like a dog in an empty cellar and has had the utter shit beaten out of him. Again. It seems as though the Aryans have already interrogated him for information, or fun, when the gate opens suddenly, sending Jesse whimpering and crawling into the corner. The right side of Jesse’s face is so beaten in that his eye is swollen shut, and it almost looks like it is missing. The symbol of “one eye” has recurred throughout the series and particularly in this season.

Eye See You.

In total gentlemanly fashion, Todd lifts Jesse out of the grated pit and shows him their super secret meth hideout. Classic Bond villain mistake. Which brings the comparison of Jesse and James Bond in last week’s episode a little more to fruition. After chaining Jesse to a sliding ceiling pole, it becomes apparent that Todd’s plan all along was to have Jesse teach Todd to cook the blue. Now, while the words “Todd” and “plan” are seldom mentioned in the same sentence, it shows that Todd is not just a pawn in his uncle’s scheme, but is capable of his own actions outside of Jack’s posse. It can be assumed that he’s keeping Jesse a secret from the rest of the Aryans and we predict that, since thinking is not Todd’s strong suit, his journey will end in death during the next episode, in the way of some good old fashion Red Phosphorus to the face via Jesse, especially since Jesse sees a picture of Andrea and Brock hanging in Todd’s lab. This would give Jesse even more reason to kill the guy who either has a creepy obsession or is planning a future hit.

Back in the carwash office, Jr. is visibly upset and calls Skyler and Marie out on lying. But really, who is telling the customer’s to have an A1 day now that no one is manning the cash register? Anyway, Jr. calls them out and demands to talk to Walt. After realizing that Walt is supposed to be in jail, he wants to call Hank. Hank and Marie have always been better parents to Jr. than his own parents have been. Back at the house, Walt frantically packs his clothes and his family’s clothes. In the car, Jr. tells Skyler she is “as bad as he is.” It’s about damn time someone told her that. The shot of them in the car is also ominous. It’s usually not a good thing when the camera is following someone from behind, because they usually die soon after. We see the back of Skyler and Jr.’s head and Holly faces the camera. Is Holly the only one to make it out alive?

As the family comes together in the house, Walt yells to everyone to pack the things that are most important to them, Jr. wants to know if what Skyler and Marie told him was true, and Skyler is bent on why Walt is there and what happened to Hank. Walt tells her he negotiated and Skyler becomes increasingly angry demanding to know what happened. Walt says, “everything’s going to be fine,” the same thing Hank told Marie on the phone in their last conversation. Walt also tells Skyler that he “needs” her to trust him, just like he needed Jesse to trust him regarding Mike. No one trusts Walt anymore. Continuing the reflections of past conversations, Walt also tells Skyler that he has 11 million dollars and they can go and do whatever they want, very similarly to the conversation Jesse and Jane have when they want to take their money and go to New Zealand. Skyler then calls Walt out for murdering Hank. He yells that he didn’t but that he tried to save him. Walt will never blame himself for anything.

Skyler turns and in the same shot from the flashback, we are facing Skyler and into the hallway of the home. The phone and the block of knives are sitting on the kitchen island. Skyler grabs a knife, enters the hallway and puts her hand on Jr. to block him from her future attack. She tells Walt to leave and when he refuses she slices the palm of his hand. In a very dramatic scene, Skyler and Walt wrestle to the ground with the knife. It was terrifying to think that either one of them could be mortally stabbed in the fight. Due to Jr.’s abnormal forearm strength, he is able to put his dad in a headlock and save his mother. Jr. then calls 911 and lies that Walt attacked Skyler with a knife. Walt gets his bags, grabs Holly and goes to his new truck. Skyler realizes he has taken Holly and runs out of the house screaming. Walt backs out of the driveway, pushing Skyler’s car out of his way while she chases after the truck screaming. It’s a scene that the neighbors definitely overheard, as is the Amber Alert then put out on Walt for baby Holly.

Walt takes Holly to what we assume to be a restaurant bathroom (Koala Kare stations are usually only found in restaurants and airports) and changes her, taking an intimate moment out of his frantic life to be the father that, up to that point, he has not been. In large, Holly has been but a prop to Walt – a means to justify the monstrous acts committed throughout the series. Holly begins saying “mama” repeatedly, showing Walt that Holly is indeed not his, but Skyler’s. He has effectively missed the very precious moments that he hoped to cherish by making and selling meth in the first place. With his terminal cancer back and currently a fugitive on the run with no place to turn, Walter White commits the single most selfless act throughout the series. He calls Skyler and berates her for being a terrible person, mother and accomplice, implying that she could not follow instructions and that she should “toe the line, or end up just like Hank.” While viewers can follow that he is upset with her, he is uncharacteristically violent in his words towards her. It’s not until you see tears streaming down his face that the audience realizes that he knows he is being recorded and that he is going out of his way to clear her name of all charges, an act that Skyler would never do for her husband. He fights back the sorrow as he explains to Skyler that they will never see Hank again, sending Marie into hysterics and, in turn, accepting responsibility for his murder. Accepting that a lonely and shameful end is not one to be shared with his estranged infant daughter, Walt leaves Holly inside of the cab of a firetruck with what can be considered the least-attentive fire-fighters in the world.

Yes, I’d like one Hoover Max Extract PressurePro model 60 and a piece of my soul back, please.

As Walt takes his last barrel of money to meet the disappearer the following day, it brings up the question of where Walt was the previous night. It’s a pretty big blank page to fill; we know that he had to have called Saul to arrange for a new vacuum cleaner because he meets at the same spot Jesse met Saul’s “guy,” but we don’t get many answers as to what links this moment to the flashbacks in the beginning and mid-season premieres. It’s great symbolism that the viewers don’t even get a glimpse of who the guy doing the disappearing is. What we do get, however, is a closing season of the van driving away, likely to the Granite State of New Hampshire, and a dog running across the scene – noticeably without a leash. This has been a symbol for Jesse, the “Rabid Dog,” a “Problem Dog” and now a dog on a leash while Walt is the stray dog with no place to go. The news of Jane’s death being a play of Walt’s hand will not be taken without vengeance. We both firmly believe that Jesse will follow Hammurabi’s Code, taking a lover for a lover and, gulp, a son for a son.

Predictions for the rest of the series are wild in theory, but one thing is for certain – the secret is out. Marie, by way of Skyler and the confession tape Jesse made for Hank and Gomez, will out Walter White as the notorious meth kingpin of Albuquerque, and Carol will lose her oranges somewhere in the process. We believe in a future where Jesse or the Aryans murder the remainder of Walt’s family, save for little Holly, and spray “Heisenberg” sarcastically in yellow. We also predict a ricin-flavored cup of tea for Lydia, who is really the only loose end that needs to be dealt with subtlety. And we believe an epic showdown between the Whites and the whites are going to bring the series to a close.

Hush Comics gives Breaking Bad‘s “Ozymandias” an A+(++…+). A beautifully shot and written episode that tugs at the heart-strings and makes you cheer for others’ misfortunes. After watching the episode, the viewer feels like a true Heisenberg. There’s no going back now, as we are two weeks away from ending this tragic journey. Thanks to The Heisenberg Chronicles and AMC for the pictures in this week’s review.

written by Adrian Puryear and Sherif Elkhatib
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Breaking Bad Review – “To’hajiilee” S5E13

Spoilers below! Be warned… if you have yet to watch “To’hajiilee” the following will absolutely ruin it for you. Do not read if you don’t want to be spoiled. I highly suggest you do not read this if you have not watched the episode because the thrill of it will be lost on you once you do watch it… that being said… here is my recap and review.

So the above is pretty much my face after watching this episode. But before I get to that epic-ness, the rest of the episode is pretty darn important, too.

We start off in the meth lab the Aryans have made. Lydia is with Todd, his Uncle Jack and the other creepy white guy. Todd tests the meth he just made and it is at 76%. The best part of the two older Aryans interactions are their references to pop culture. They tell Lydia that the best the “Wolverine” look-a-like made was less than 70%, referring to Declan. I notice that Lydia is always wearing her blue jacket now-a-days. She represents “the blue” that she so desperately wants to attain again. Apparently she is dressing for the job she wants, not the job she has. The men all discuss that they believe the meth is tinted blue, even though Lydia has made it clear the product needs to be blue and it is not. The Aryans suggest they add food coloring to the mix, just like it is done to salmon. This just shows how little these men care about quality. Later on, Todd makes Lydia tea, addressing her politely as Miss Quayle, and then he tries in a very uncomfortable manner to hit on Lydia. Isn’t Todd like 18? It’s just gross. When she leaves, he rubs her lipstick on her cup and then drinks out of it. Before that, he receives the call (with the ringtone, “She Blinded me with Science”…is this only Walt’s ringtone on Todd’s phone, or everyone’s?) from Walt to kill Jesse. Todd asks no questions and offers to set up a meeting with his uncle.

Hank and Gomez meet up in a tunnel. Gomez then says that Jesse is safer behind bars than out in town in “open season”. I only note the importance of this because it becomes open season later in the episode. The tunnel they are in looks exactly like the one Jesse picks up his meth money from Victor. Oddly enough, Jesse then tells them his brilliant plan is to go after Walt’s money. That is where he really lives. I promised I would give a shout out to my friend Evan Lowe for getting that one right last week.

Back at Hank’s house, Gomez comes in with a brown paper bag. They have a cryptic discussion about another DEA agent not asking questions, but agreeing to “babysitting”. Gomez also lets Hank know that if “he” (at first I assumed he meant Jesse, but now I realize it is Huell) gets a lawyer, Gomez will put a stop to the whole thing. It is the first time Gomez has really stood up to Hank. It will probably be the last time. Hank takes out a brain (animal) and puts it on the kitchen floor. He turns to Jesse and says, “You’re up.” ‘What the hell does that turn out to be?” were my initial thoughts. Hank and Gomez go to an apartment where Huell is being babysat. They let Huell know, in a very large ploy, that he is on Walt’s hit list. They bluff and say Kuby is already missing. Hank also shows him a picture of “dead Jesse”.

You spilled something.

Huell easily gives up that he moved the money to the barrels from the storage unit. He lets them know the details of the van, its dirt, where it came from, the shovel, and the exact description of the barrels. It seems that all this questioning of Huell and keeping him in the apartment is illegal. Even if it all worked out for Hank, would Huell’s testimony mean anything to a judge?

At the Aryan’s house, Walt, Todd, Uncle Jack and the other white guy discuss the price for killing Jesse. They assume Jesse is a rat and Walt states very clearly that “Jesse is not a rat.” Little do any of them know. He tells them that Jesse is “angry.” Again the Aryans and their pop culture references, asking if Jesse is The Hulk, Rambo or James Bond (ummmm is James Bond angry???). Walt tells Uncle Jack that Jesse is like family, so he can’t do it himself. When he says this Todd looks at Walt like he is hurt that Jesse is considered family. Uncle Jack agrees to the hit, but the price isn’t money, no matter how much Walt is willing to throw out there; it is to be their cook. Walt is very reluctant to agree, but eventually says he will do one cook after the hit is done. It seems strange that they would be so trusting that Walt would actually do a cook for them after the fact. They offer to do it that night, and Walt tells them he has to “flush him out” referring to Jesse. The tic-tac-toe game is in full swing. Who will flush the other one out first?

Walt goes to Andrea’s house and gives her the story that he can’t find Jesse. Andrea invites him in which seems odd because of her problems with Jesse and that she has only met Walt once at Jesse’s house. Walt greets Brock and Brock gives him one of these:

Da fuk you doin’ here?

I think it is clear that Brock recognizes Walt as someone more than just Jesse’s friend. Andrea calls Jesse’s phone and leaves a message. Walt tells her that he will call her later because he has her number. If I were Andrea, I would wonder why he had my number. She seems pretty cavalier about it all. Walt then goes to his car and instructs Uncle Jack and crew to wait for Jesse and not to alarm Andrea or Brock.

Hank listens to Andrea’s message on Jesse’s Hello Kitty cell phone. I know I mention this phone in every recap, but who thought it would become the symbol of season 5b? It is a reminder of the pink teddy bear; a cute children’s toy that has its innocence destroyed. After Hank hears the message he says, “Nice try, asshole,” mimicking Jesse saying the same thing to Walt in “Rabid Dog.” Hank doesn’t tell them about Andrea’s message, but does say they are going to continue the game by making Walt think there was a GPS on the van he used to bury the money.

Walt Jr. and Skyler are at the carwash. Skyler is teaching him the cash register, but she is really keeping him away from the house in case there are more problems. Saul Goodman enters the car wash. Skyler is freaked out that he is there and Jr. is starstruck. Walt approaches Saul as to why he’s there. They discuss that Huell is missing and that Jesse is still AWOL. Saul tells Walt that Jesse isn’t as dumb as Walt thinks. Walt has yet to find this out for himself.

Better call Saul!

Walt goes back inside. He lightly touches his jacket pocket checking for his gun. He looks on at his family in deep thought. And then the beginning of the end happens. Walt gets a picture message of a barrel of his money, or so he thinks. Immediately he gets a call from Jesse saying, “Did you get my photo, Bitch?” Yes! A bitch moment! Walt runs out of the car wash and gets in his car. Jesse tells him he is burning the money unless Walt comes to him. It is surprising Walt fell for this. He believes the van had a GPS and that Jesse has found the money. It is strange that Walt never realized on the way there what was really happening. But it shows what Walt really cares about and how blinded he is by the money. In this moment when Walt is speeding like a maniac to the desert and Jesse is playing him on the phone, Jesse pulls out one of the best “bitches” in BrBa history, “Fire in the hole, Bitch. There goes 10 G’s. Ah, nice orange flame.” Walt later confesses on the phone pretty much everything he has done, including killing Emilio and Krazy 8, killing Gus and poisoning Brock all the way down to how he did it. He never mentioned cooking meth or Gale. If this conversation is tapped, it still wouldn’t be admissible in court. Hasn’t Hank watched The Wire!? Walt arrives to To’hajiilee and realizes it was a set up. Walt lets out his own “son of a bitch.” He takes the battery out of his phone and drops it. He runs to the top of a cliff and then when he sees a car in the distance he runs back down, gets the phone, puts the phone back together, and calls Uncle Jack. When Walt realizes that it’s not just Jesse, but his brother-in-law and Gomez he tells Uncle Jack to forget the hit and hangs up. Hank looks all around Walt’s car and calls out his name. And for once we see authentic emotion from Walt.

You have something in your eye, Mr. White.

After the last commercial break, the shots of the desert linger on screen. It is very reminiscent of when the cooking was happening out there. Walt shows himself. He drops his gun and walks to Hank with his arms up. This moment reminded me so much of when Gus walked right towards the cartel with his arms in the air. And then the moment that we have all waited for since the first cook, Walt is arrested. It seems like such a moment of relief, yet we all know that it can’t end like this. It is too easy. And illegal still because Hank and Gomez don’t have a warrant for the things they have done. But it still felt good to see it.

Gotchya, Bitch.

Jesse mentions that this is the first place they ever cooked together. Every episode of season 5b has allowed the audience to come full circle with the first season and particularly the first episode. During this whole scene suspense builds. It isn’t quite clear what we are supposed to be anxious about, but with Jesse hanging out in the background, it was hard not to wonder if he would be sniped by Uncle Jack. Gomez searches Walt and takes his car keys. I feel that this will be very important next week if anyone ends up getting out and using Walt’s car to do so. As Walt is being read his rights he is staring at Jesse like he is filth. He finally calls Jesse a “Coward” with hate in his voice. Jesse approaches him and does what everyone else has wanted to do at some point…

You have something on your face, Mr. White.

Finally, someone spit on Walt. It must feel awful to have a drug addict spit in your face. After their confrontation, Hank and Gomez take Walt and Jesse to different cars. Walt is in Hank’s truck and Jesse is in Walt’s car. Hank gives Marie a call to let her know he got Walt. Marie answers the phone and says the best Marie line of all time, “Hank, why is there what looks like brains in our garbage can?” While Hank is on the phone with her, he foreshadows the outcome of the end of this episode. “It’s gonna be a rough couple of weeks, but it’ll get better.” He also says “It may be a while before I get home.” Does Hank die? Or does he get seriously injured like he did at Salamanca twin incident? I find it interesting that Hank is wearing an orange shirt here, similar to the one in the Tuco Salamanca shootout scene.

Bad Ass orange shirt.

As Walt is looking out the car window, he sees the Aryan’s cars pull up. He starts to yell for Hank, but Hank ignores him. Unfortunately, this could have probably been avoided had Hank gotten the hint and they hit the road. But they don’t and the Aryan’s pull up. Uncle Jack, Kenny (the guy I’ve been calling “the other white guy”) Todd and really another white guy point their guns at Hank and Gomez. Hank has a pistol and Gomez has a rifle. They are outnumbered and outgunned, as the main two Aryan’s have assault rifles. Walt attempts to yell for Jack to stop, but Jack ignores him. When Hank and Gomez don’t show their police badges, all out war begins. The Aryans are not afraid to use their ammo.

Holy bejeezus.

They go for the car Walt is handcuffed in because it is the car Hank and Gomez hide behind. Jesse seemingly starts to get out of Walt’s car. Walt is forced to weasel his way in between the seats of Hank’s car. It seems dumb for the Aryan’s to shoot up the car that their new cook is in, but they haven’t ever been for details I suppose. And then it ends. What?! Why?! Who lives? Who dies?

I truly believe that Gomez will die at the least. Of course Walt doesn’t. It is getting so close to the end and even harder to figure out how all these loose ends will tie up.

Hush Comics gives Breaking Bad‘s “To’hajiilee” an A+. It was great to see who could outsmart each other better. Jesse and Hank are worthy adversaries. Walt finally was cuffed and cried. A likable moment for Marie And the cliffhanger ending was b-a-n-a-n-a-s. I have nothing to fault this episode for.

Before I end, did anyone else notice that Todd had the sissy gun??

written by Adrian Puryear