Walt: "Please don't let me have done all this for nothing."
Hank was so angry and freaked that he wasn't thinking things through. Calling Skyler turned out to be a tactical error of immense proportions, because while Hank had (correctly) assumed that Skyler was also Walt's victim, he hadn't considered the implications of the car wash, or that Skyler took the kids back and stayed with Walt. How could he possibly expect Skyler to turn on a dime and testify against Walt, just like that?
Skyler is so smart, probably as smart as her husband. She is very aware that she is in danger of going to jail, at the very least for money laundering, and quite possibly as an accessory to murder, too. She met Hank in order to find out what Hank knew, and she gave him nothing. When he wouldn't back down, she made a scene in the restaurant and made Hank back down. Awesome.
In a second epically bad move, Hank sent Marie in for the win. I know he loves Marie, but really -- what could he have been thinking? Morally, Marie was within her rights to slap Skyler for her part in getting Hank shot, and yes, justified in trying to take baby Holly out of the White house, which is certainly not a proper home for a baby. But things haven't been exactly easy for Skyler, and no matter what the circumstances, you don't walk off with your sister's baby. (Dan thought at first that Marie was wearing a wire. That wouldn't have worked on Skyler, anyway, because she again said nearly nothing.) Very upsetting baby tug-of-war scene. It got to me.
What can Hank do? He's right that he is boxed in. (Buried.) If he takes his suspicions to his higher ups without proof, his career is over. If he does nothing, he could wind up in jail, too. I doubt that he's going to get anything out of the practically comatose and clinically depressed Jesse, although I could be wrong.
Walt certainly has grit. A dying man, digging a huge hole in the desert all by himself, that's impressive. So was memorizing the coordinates and buying a lottery ticket. (It would be really funny if that number actually won, wouldn't it?)
I was expecting another nude shower scene, to go with all of the dirty water imagery in this show, but interestingly, Walt stayed dry and passed out this time. I don't think Skyler will be too upset if and when Walt dies, but I think she's absolutely with him when it comes to the money for their kids. I liked Walt at the beginning of the series, but grew to strongly dislike him in the past three seasons. I'm almost starting to like him a little again, now that it's again all about leaving his family money when he dies.
Meanwhile back in the meth biz, Lydia (in a bright blue jacket because it's all about the meth) did something drastic about her quality control problems. So much for Declan and Declan's guys. (When the scene began, I thought it was toast for Lydia; I should have been concerned for Declan.) In a show that has practically constant imagery and symbolism to support the story, I was very amused by a buried bus. This episode was about very important holes in the ground, holes that many people have died for.
Skyler and Lydia. Two women doing what they have to do to stay alive and free. Except that Skyler is still a human being. I can't imagine her setting up half a dozen guys that way, or allying with Todd the child killer. The thing is, it doesn't sound like Todd is doing all that much better than Declan's guys, and I bet Lydia is still in trouble. It all comes back to Walt, doesn't it?
My favorite moment was (of course) Huell and Kuby lying down on the money. It was also funny that there was no chance that they'd take any; they were both too afraid of Walt. Lucky that Walt didn't take them up on their offer to help hide the money, because I'm sure Walt would have killed them when it was done.
Bits:
-- What are those round spinning playground thingies called? At any rate, the one Jesse was on was green (for money).
-- The kid's remote control car escaped getting crunched again. I wonder if this is a little hint that the Schraders are going to be okay?
-- In the restaurant, as Hank and Skyler hugged, a brand new RV went past in the window behind them. That had to be deliberate staging.
-- Hank was wearing dark blood red in the first part of the episode, and bright meth blue later on. He never wears either color.
-- Saul was still wearing a blue ribbon for the plane crash victims.
-- Skyler is still wearing white; she's on Walt's side right now. And Walt moved all that blood money in a white van. In plastic barrels. We all know what barrels like those have been used for on this show.
And pieces:
-- The episode opened at the Schrader garage, where it left off. Loved the little "high noon" touch when Walt and Hank faced each other. I could swear I heard an off key whistle, too.
-- Skyler now knows that Walt's cancer is back.
-- The two cops (agents) with Jesse were the same as the ones that interrogated him about Brock and the ricin comment in "Face Off."
Quotes:
Skyler: (screaming) "Am I under arrest?"
Kuby: "We are here to do a job, not channel Scrooge McDuck."
Saul: "Have you given any thought to sending him on a trip to Belize?"
That's pretty much the best euphemism for a hit I've heard yet.
Three out of four very important holes in the ground,
Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
Yay!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I entirely agree that Kuby and Huell didn't take any money. And I'm not sure Walt would care if they did, hence his hilarious and gruff, "Close enough." Walt has no clue how much money it is. He just knows he has no choice about it at this point, and it's enough.
Ps Belize responded!
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/belize-tourism-makes-most-countrys-unflattering-mention-breaking-bad-151988
Another great episode. They are going to leave no stone unturned in these final episodes.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest moments in the episode for me were skylars meeting with hank and then her confrontation with Marie. Anna Gunn is amaxing and That scene in the restaurant was terrific. You are totally right that Hank went about it the wrong way Billie. He is freaked out and acting on his emotions, rather than thinking it through strategically like a DEA agent should. Although I can't blame him. When it comes to family it's difficult for most to stay emotionally level-headed.
And Marie and Skylars discussion was equally as important in regards to the world our characters inhabited. Her slap and silent glare at Skylar when she realized all her sister knew was so emotionally heavy. It's obvious that there is no turning back point from here. Their relationship as sisters will never be the same and these two family's will never be together in the porch drinking together again. It's been many seasons in the making and the writers, directors and cast are not backing away from showing the tragic reality of the choices Walt and Skhlar have made.
My only complaint is that the hour goes by way too quickly every week! I want more. And at the same time I don't, because I don't want this incredibly powerful show to be over just yet.
Just a question:
ReplyDeleteIs Walts cancer really back? I find it entirely possible that hes' staging everything to evoke sympathy and get away with things.
I thought of that too, Henrik. But then they did show him actually getting chemo, and staring resentfully at the IV. And in the future scenes, he was coughing.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the way this show is paying off all the things and confrontations that have been building for so long. The scenes between Hank and Skylar and Marie and Skylar were so, so tense and wonderful because of all the years of material that have brought us to these places. It's great to see the history between the characters and the full weight of all that has happened starting to pay off so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThe baby tug-of-war scene was unbelievably brutal. One of the tensest and most upsetting scenes of the series for me. Something about that particular panicked cry just ignites a very visceral reaction in a parent. Tough to watch.
I think Hank may actually get something out of Jesse. He went into the office that day prepared to do the right thing, and tell all to his superiors, and so he was karmically rewarded by having Jesse suddenly fall into his lap. Possibly the key to bringing Walt down for Hank. (Just like when he was karmically rewarded for doing the right thing after beating Jesse and confessing his sins by surviving his encounter with the Cousins.)
Your pull quote was the first humanizing moment we've had for Walt in a long time. The way Bryan Cranston delivered that line, it made me momentarily see Walt as something slightly less than the monster he is. It makes me wonder if, in the flashforwards to Mr. Lambert, he's back in town to do a "good" thing, and not to go out in a blaze of "glory." And it also ticked me off a little, because I don't want to feel any more sympathy for this man.
Some other favorite bits for me were the "high noon" shot, and the shot of Hank and Marie just sitting in the car after leaving the White house. The way she said, "You have to get him" was chilling.
I agree with Mark about Kuby and Huell taking some of the money. I think they took a little something, but they just didn't take the whole lot and run off like Huell suggested.
Ladies, this week you've learned that if you're on a first date and the guy wants to split the bill, you can just start yelling "AM I UNDER ARREST???" and leave the restaurant without paying. And gentleman, we can do this *every time*. I don't think Walt is actually concerned only about leaving his family in a comfortable situation. Remember he's about to die, and he plans to leave a mark in this world. When he left the cooking business, he knew that Heisenberg wouldn't be a name to be feared for long. The money is his legacy. If he dies and the money is gone, he won't be eternal. Walter is denying his own mortality, because he feels powerful over anything; in contrast, at the beginning of the first season he confronted his mortality. I don't think that what he told Skylar ws a redeeming quality. So Jessie, you can be free not to sympathize with him anymore.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to share this genious ad:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adweek.com/adfreak/belize-tourism-makes-most-countrys-unflattering-mention-breaking-bad-151988
Oh God, this series blows my mind (and traumatizes me) more and more with every episode. Jesse's pain absolutely breaks my heart. Please let him get a good end...(Wishful thinking?)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in response to: "What are those round spinning playground thingies called?"
It's a merry-go-round.
I'm close to the end now. Desperate to see how it finishes, but dreading it being over, too! I don't know if I'm ready to say goodbye to all these characters I love and hate...
Loved Lydia's Christian Louboutin stilettos. (His shoes always have red soles.)
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with Ren. Jesse was on a roundabout; a merry go round is a carousel.
Both roundabout and merry go round are correct :)http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel
DeleteAnne - actually, there is a difference between a merry-go-round and a carousel. Carousels have only horses while merry-go-rounds feature multiple kinds of animals. I honestly have no idea how I know this.
ReplyDelete