“Coward”
No show has ever had me ping-pong’ing with my allegiances to characters as much as Breaking Bad does. One minute I’m rooting for Jesse, then I’m rooting for Hank, and then I’m back with Walt. Although I love Jesse, I can’t help but root for Walt again as Jesse has become a rat, the #1 no-no in this world of crime.
Even for the biggest fans of Walt, most of us agree that he does deserve to get punish through some form of justice. The moment that we had all been waiting for finally came during “To’hajiilee”, but it didn’t feel nearly as satisfying as we thought it would. Hank worked with Jesse and Gomie to catch Walt, and they succeed. But Jesse is a rat, and Hank got to where he is through some questionable law/ethical means, ones that doesn’t make the capture of Walt as truly good as you’d expect. Everyone in the show has truly broken bad (except for say Walt Jr.) which makes it all that much more compelling.
The episode starts once again with Todd, Uncle Jack and Kenny. Only this time they’re joined by Lydia. Todd successfully cooks a higher percentage batch, but Lydia is not satisfied, as Heisenberg’s trademark blue is no where to be found. Lydia has an awkward one-on-one chat with Todd about it (notice the mug she drinks tea from says “These Colors Don’t Run”) challenging him in her friendliest way possible to do better with the meth. Todd seems to take a real liking with Lydia, to the point where he creepily caresses the lipstick mark she leaves behind on the mug. Todd’s admiration of Lydia may be a problem down the line if Walt ever runs a hit on Lydia by Todd. It’s pretty clear Lydia/Todd will play an important part in Breaking Bad’s end game, and I think every bit of interaction between them is important to analyze.
Jesse’s plan to get to Walt is smart, hit him where it really hurts, his money. They successfully trick poor Huell into spilling the beans on Walt’s hiding of the money, aside from the exact location. Poor Huell never stood a chance against them, especially when he saw a dazed looking Jesse playing dead next to some brains. The plan did work however. But lets not ignore that Walt stopped by Andrea/Brock’s house to try and “flush” Jesse out. It almost worked, as Andrea did call Jesse, but Hank intercepted the call and never brought it to Jesse’s attention. This show is too good not to bring it up without going back to it, and I’m going to guess Jesse won’t be too happy with Hank if he finds out that Hank didn’t warn him that Walt stopped by Andrea’s, especially since Walt’s poisoning of Brock was the whole reason Jesse was sent to the edge.
We see Walt Jr. manning the A1 Car Wash with Skylar’s guidance, and we finally see Saul meet Jr. in a truly hilarious and somewhat awkward scene (just look at Jr.’s face!). Saul is there to talk to Walt, he’s worried about Huell’s missing status, so much so that he resorts to wearing a bullet proof vest. As Walt goes back inside he gets a photo of what looks like his money, but it’s just the work of Hank/Jesse/Gomie, and it works.
Walt comes speeding down the highway like Vin Diesel, his mind clouded with pure greed and in defense of all the hard earned money he made for his family. He didn’t stop to think that there was no way they could have traced it, but with barrels and barrels of millions of dollars, I can understand why his judgement would be clouded. Jesse and Walt engage in a thrilling conversation during his drive that sees Jesse spit out dialogue that almost seems to be a written script by Hank (Seriously, read it over in Hank’s voice), minus the bitches and assholes, of course. Walt says he is sorry for poising Brock, defending himself by saying he knew just how much to give him. Walt literally confesses to all the murders and crimes he did to protect Jesse and himself, only Jesse was “too stupid to realize it.” If they taped this conversation, it won’t look too good for Walt, although the legal bounds to the recording are another conversation entirely.
Only ironically Jesse just outsmarted Walt, keeping him on the phone just long enough to trace the call, and as soon as Walt figures it out, its too late. Hank and Gomie arrive with Jesse, and it breaks Walt’s heart (Bryan Cranston’s range of emotions in this scene were mind blowing). He always saw Jesse as a son to him, and to see him betray him like this, with Hank, is a double whammy, and he doesn’t know what else to do, and so he gives himself up. He is ironically arrested in the same place that he and Jesse did their first cook in the old RV. Only before that, in a panicked rush, he called Jack and told them where to find him and Jesse, putting the hit on. He cancels it after he sees Hank is with him, still not wanting to harm Hank, as that would probably be the line where Skylar disapproves.
It’s too late. Jack, Todd, Kenny and the rest of the team come to the rescue. It seems Jesse was right, Walt truly is luckier than them. With Walt in one car, and Jesse in another, Jack’s gang squares off with Hank & Gomie in a thrilling ultra-tense scene that had my heart pounding. Walt orders it all off, but Jack’s side disregards it, sending bullets ablaze, sending Hank and Gomie into what is likely going to be a bloody end. Walt scrambles on the floor of the car to avoid getting hit, and Jesse seems to be considering making a escape.
Then it ends. We have to wait until next week to see what happens, but things are not looking good for Hank and Gomie. Possibly Jesse too. It was as tense of a cliffhanger as you could ask for, and one that I’m already counting down the days to see just what happens.
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