Home Featured TV Shows All TV Shows Movie Reviews Book Reviews Articles Frequently Asked Questions About Us

Breaking Bad: Caballo Sin Nombre

Walt: "I can't be the bad guy."

Interesting that in the previous episode, Jesse said point blank, "I'm the bad guy." Walt still hasn't caught up emotionally with Jesse. How about that.

Jesse got some satisfying payback. His parents cheated him out of the house his aunt wanted him to have, and he got it back by thinking it through and outsmarting them. He even got a remodeled bathroom and granite countertops in the deal. I couldn't help feeling just a bit proud of him, mostly because Jesse is also staying clean, and it felt like he deserved something. The situation with his parents trying to double their money made me wonder if their self-righteous eviction of their son had more to do with greed than it initially appeared. Jesse is looking healthy right now, wearing "normal" clothes, and he's exuding calm. It's a good look for him.

In contrast, Walt just fell apart. He completely melted down when he was stopped (for a good reason) by a cop, and got pepper sprayed and arrested. Walt is not stupid and he's usually so careful not to call attention to himself. I think Walt lost it with the cop because subconsciously, he wanted to punish himself. Or... maybe Walt is starting to think of himself as above the law?

In contrast to Jesse regaining his home nonviolently, Walt broke into his own house (for the second time) and moved back in without Skyler's permission. And he managed to bring a couple of ax murderers with him. He was that close to getting chopped into pieces and left as an unpleasant surprise for Skyler and Junior. Walt now owes Gus, big time, even though he doesn't know it.

The thing with Tio (*ding*) Salamanca and the Killer Twins is a little confusing. Clearly, Tio assigned them to kill Walt in revenge for Tuco, and just as clearly, the Twins left Walt's bedroom without carrying through because Gus sent the "Pollos" text message to one of them. How are they all connected? They must all be involved with the same cartel. It also seemed that Mike (Jonathan Banks), who so cleverly planted bugs at Walt's house, is working for Gus. I thought at first that he worked for Saul. Maybe Mike is the connection between Saul and Gus. Whatever.

It's ironic that Hank just used his influence to get a meth manufacturer out of jail. And I'm not sure what descriptor to assign to Skyler, who has just left her criminal husband and is now dealing with a criminal boss. Skyler asked Ted, "What if your kids found out?" That sounded like she was talking to Walt. Ted's response was that he hoped his kids would understand that he was doing it for them. Which is probably what Walt would have said.

Skyler doesn't want Walt's presence or his food. I absolutely loved the immense pizza Walt tossed away landing on the roof of the house; there is so much delightful symbolism I can assign to it. I also loved Walt passed out on the floor, waking up, and staring at the plastic toy eyeball under the bed -- his crimes are staring right at him. One of the Killer Twins noticed the eyeball in Walt's suitcase, too. It's almost funny.

Bits:

-- "Caballo Sin Nombre" means "Horse with No Name," the song Walt was singing along to, quite loudly, when he was pulled over. The lyrics, of course, refer to the emptiness of the desert and there are supposedly drug references. It could also refer to Walt's emotional emptiness.

-- Nearly everyone was wearing a blue ribbon for the crash victims. It's interesting who was and who wasn't. (I knew Gus would. Being socially conscious is one of his disguises.)

-- Jesse got a 45-day sobriety token, much like Jane's.

-- Saul drives... was it a Caddy? I'm terrible with cars, with a vanity plate that said LWYRUP. (Lawyer up.) Mike (Jonathan Banks) drives a big old anonymous-looking blue Buick.

-- Walt was cleaning the pool at his new digs, which one would assume was not his job. Dirty water again. Will all great Neptune's oceans wash this blood clean from my hand? Walt got filthy several times, too -- pepper spray, popcorn and booze, crawling under the house.

-- "Flynn" has decided that he wants to be called "Walter Junior" again. He's so upset about Walt's departure that he doesn't even care that his web site is making a ton of laundered cash.

-- The Killer Twins communicated with Tio Salamanca using a Ouija board. I think that's delightful. It was almost like Tio was foretelling Walt's future. And one of the nursing home residents dropped a puzzle piece on the floor just as the Twins came in.

And pieces:

-- Mike has a granddaughter.

-- Saul was right that Skyler will keep her mouth shut, but I think he's wrong about the reasons. Saul is a real misogynist, isn't he?

-- Hank thought Walt was cheating on Skyler. Marie guessed correctly that it was much more than that.

-- This had to be a physically strenuous episode for Bryan Cranston, what with crawling under the house and climbing out the crawlspace. He did another nude scene, too. And Cranston actually threw that pizza up on the roof himself. I wonder how many times they had to try it? How hard is it to throw a pizza on a roof?

-- Walt: "I got your restraining order right here! (grabs his crotch) Restrain this!" Almost exactly what he yelled at his car wash boss with the eyebrows. Walt, you need some original material.

Three out of four plastic eyeballs,

Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

3 comments:

  1. I've just started this show and it's really delicious with your reviews.

    By the way, the pizza scene is one shot according to IMDb trivia: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615186/trivia?item=tr1897686

    ReplyDelete
  2. Like you, I am terrible at identifying cars. And I used to be a bookkeeper at an auto repair shop. Customers would call and say "Is my '95 Chevy (or '99 Buick or '94 Ford) finished yet?" And I'd say "Is that the little yellow one or big black one or blue mini-van?" My husband will ask, when a car pulls into the drive "what kind of car is it?" and I have to say "I don't know - it's red?" LOL, you can tell this was many years ago, before I retired.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOL, Melody. :) I can identify any car that I have personally driven for more than a couple of years, but that's about it.

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.