Breaking Bad 5.04 "Fifty-One" Aug. 5, 2012

[Invisible Chimp]

Walt told Skyler about how Jesse wanted him dead but changed his mind. How did Walt turn Jesse around? By poisoning a kid Jesse cared about. Walt will try to turn Skyler around by poisoning a kid she cares about, one of their own. Walt may even try to be a hero and tell the doctors that it might be ricin. It won't work on Skyler, but Walt will try anyway.

[coremelt]

Originally Posted by Invisible Chimp

Walt will try to turn Skyler around by poisoning a kid she cares about, one of their own.

For this to work Walt would have to be trying to convince Skyler that someone else was the danger and that Walt was her only chance of escaping it. Who exactly are you suggesting that Walt is going to frame this time?

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by voltaire

Unless I see a cite, or a lawyer chimes in convincingly

Just FYI, I am a lawyer. I'm not a criminal lawyer. Bricker would be our go-to for full explanations of criminal law, but I can assure you that barring some exceptions, yes, the spousal communication privilege allows a spouse accused of a crime to prevent a testifying spouse to reveal communications between them, even after they have divorce. This may vary in detail from state to state, but a simple Google search should convince you that the basic principle is sound.

There is another half of the spousal privilege—the spousal immunity—which belongs solely to the testifying spouse. Even if Skyler chose to testify against Hank by waiving this particular privilege, she still couldn't reveal confidential communications under the spousal communication privilege.

Originally Posted by Joey P

Maybe I'm misremembering, but it seems like everyone keeps saying allegedly or supposedly cheats/sleeps with Ted. I'm pretty sure Skyler and Ted did sleep together (after some sort of weird flirting phase). I didn't think there was a question about it.

They definitely sleep together, and not just once. She goes over to house house daily for some period of time—it's not made clear whether it's a few days (at least twice, but I'm guessing more) or a few weeks—but they are shown having a routine in which Skyler comes over with the baby, sleeps with Ted, and then enjoys the luxury of his heated bathroom floor. And this happens enough times for her to slowly realize that she isn't really enjoying it. At the end, she puts her towel underneath her feet to avoid feeling the warmth.

It's not until there is a family crisis—Hank's attempted assassination, if I recall correctly—that she stops going to see TEd.

[Joey P]

Originally Posted by coremelt

For this to work Walt would have to be trying to convince Skyler that someone else was the danger and that Walt was her only chance of escaping it. Who exactly are you suggesting that Walt is going to frame this time?

Sometimes exes, parents that have drifted apart or a marriage on the rocks fixes itself when kid gets sick. I think what IC may have been saying is that by putting the kid in the hospital Skyler may forget about all this (in his mind) nonsense and be more worried about her family. When the kid comes through it, she may (again, in his head) start focusing on the 'important things in life'. Or something like that.

Walt's relationship with Jesse was very different and had to be dealt with differently. Walt could trick Jesse into thinking that Gus was out to get him. He'll have to play Skyler differently. But I'm not sure if he plans to play her at all.

[Bytegeist]

Originally Posted by Joey P

[ Skyler ] also had a 'breakdown' in front of Marie (but haven't we all wanted to say that to Marie) ...

Marie gets that every day actually, off camera.

[Invisible Chimp]

Originally Posted by coremelt

For this to work Walt would have to be trying to convince Skyler that someone else was the danger and that Walt was her only chance of escaping it. Who exactly are you suggesting that Walt is going to frame this time?

How about Mike? They don't like each other. Walt recruited Mike to restart the business, but now that it's up and running again, Walt may think He can takeover Mike's job.

Originally Posted by Joey P

Sometimes exes, parents that have drifted apart or a marriage on the rocks fixes itself when kid gets sick. I think what IC may have been saying is that by putting the kid in the hospital Skyler may forget about all this (in his mind) nonsense and be more worried about her family. When the kid comes through it, she may (again, in his head) start focusing on the 'important things in life'. Or something like that.

Mostly this. Worst case scenario in Walt's mind is that by putting the kid in the hospital, Skyler is neutralized.

[rTracker]

Skyler is now a full time smoker. If Walt decides to kill her, it will be with a ricin cig.

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by rTracker

Skyler is now a full time smoker. If Walt decides to kill her, it will be with a ricin cig.

Does ricin in crystal/powder form work that way? Doesn't it have to be ingested?

[Invisible Chimp]

The cigarette was just a way to store the ricin. It was never meant to be smoked.

[Reverse]

I'm pretty sure that secondhand smoking ricin is a tad bit unhealthier than regular secondhand smoking. If he gonna do her with ricin, he gonna slip it in her drink or something, not get every melon farmer in the house dead.

[SenorBeef]

Nah, Jesse was going to try to peer pressure Gus Fring into smoking for the first time. COME ON MAN, ALL THE KIDS ARE DOING IT. BITCH.

I'm sad we never got that scene

[LawMonkey]

As an on-again, off-again smoker, I think I'd notice something if half of the tobacco in my cigarette were replaced with a glass tube of crystalline poison. Flavor, burn rate, burn characteristics, the glass tube sliding out after I smoked the three puffs worth in front of it, difficulty drawing through the sealed glass tube...

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by Invisible Chimp

The cigarette was just a way to store the ricin. It was never meant to be smoked.

That's what I said before, but people keep bringing it up as if it can be used to kill someone who smokes it.

[coremelt]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

That's what I said before, but people keep bringing it up as if it can be used to kill someone who smokes it.

It certainly could be smoked if the powder inside the glass cylinder is sprinkled in a cigarette. From wiki:
" A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult human. The LD50 of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram (1.76 mg for an average adult, around 1⁄228 of a standard aspirin tablet/0.4 g gross) in humans if exposure is from injection or inhalation.[1]"

bolding mine

[Joey P]

Originally Posted by coremelt

It certainly could be smoked if the powder inside the glass cylinder is sprinkled in a cigarette. From wiki:
" A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult human. The LD50 of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram (1.76 mg for an average adult, around 1⁄228 of a standard aspirin tablet/0.4 g gross) in humans if exposure is from injection or inhalation.[1]"

bolding mine

Will it survive being burned?

Even if it won't, he could probably just put the powder on the filter so it gets in her mouth or stop over thinking it and put it in her coffee cup.

I wonder if Jr might decide he wants to try a cigarette.

[SenorBeef]

This debate is fairly ridiculous. It's not even in cigarette form now. It was clearly never meant to be used in cigarette form. But Walt is going to hide it back in a cigarette, risk it being discovered, risking the contaminants getting all over his own house rather than just putting it in her food or drinks? Come on.

[coremelt]

Originally Posted by SenorBeef

This debate is fairly ridiculous.

I agree with you, I'm just pointing out that it can be inhaled.

Anyway, if the ricin is used on anyone, it won't be Skyler, I think its going to be used on Mike instead. If walt kills skyler he'll make it look like suicide and the ricin wouldn't really fit for that.

[Fiveyearlurker]

Originally Posted by coremelt

If walt kills skyler he'll make it look like suicide and the ricin wouldn't really fit for that.

What about intended for Skyler, but ends up getting Walt Jr.?

[HazelNutCoffee]

Originally Posted by coremelt

I can see a scenario where skyler does "suicide by Walt". She tells him outright that she will go to hank the next day and tell him everything and that the only way to stop her is for him to kill her.

So he does

Would Skyler ever kill herself? I can't see her going down that route - she cares too much about her kids. If somehow by killing herself she could ensure that Walt would never get custody of them - maybe.

[Andiethewestie]

The Ricin won't be smoked. There is a fear it will be ingested. My worry is that vile is hidden in Baby Holly's room. What if when the Baby comes home she goes crawling around, touching everything as babies do, and that electrical outlet plate comes off? Baby's look at things and the next thing it's in their mouth.

[Pine Fresh Scent]

It was a nice visual touch that the pool was the same color as the blue meth, making Skyler "fully immersed in Walt’s poison" as noted by Donna Bowman in her review.

The bedroom scene reminded me of Tony and Carmella Soprano's showdown.. Skyler's "I thought you were the danger" = Carmella's "you f***ing hypocrite." Walt now makes Tony Soprano look like Ward Cleaver. When the screen goes black on Walt at the end of the series, I don't think I'll be as concerned about his fate as I was when Tony's story ended (or does it go"on and on and on and on"?)

[cmyk]

Originally Posted by Andiethewestie

The Ricin won't be smoked. There is a fear it will be ingested. My worry is that vile is hidden in Baby Holly's room. What if when the Baby comes home she goes crawling around, touching everything as babies do, and that electrical outlet plate comes off? Baby's look at things and the next thing it's in their mouth.

I think they showed him hiding it behind the faceplate of the outlet behind his night table in his bedroom.

[standingwave]

Insider podcast is up.

http://podcasts.sonypictures.com/tv_...nsider_504.mp3

I didn't realize that the director of this episode is also the director of Looper.

[Gadarene]

Originally Posted by standingwave

Insider podcast is up.

http://podcasts.sonypictures.com/tv_...nsider_504.mp3

I didn't realize that the director of this episode is also the director of Looper.

And Brick, and The Brothers Bloom, and the Breaking Bad episode "Fly."

I love Rian Johnson's stuff; if you haven't seen Brick, watch it as soon as you can.

[Erdosain]

This is from a few pages back but when the mechanic was talking about "some sort of gunky build-up" behind the Aztek's front fender that he had to steam off, he was referring to the blood and gore left behind from Walt running over the drug dealers in season 3.

Walt got rid of the Aztek for selfish reasons, but being reminded how stupid he was driving around with DNA on his car for 6 months probably didn't hurt either.

[Bytegeist]

Originally Posted by Erdosain

This is from a few pages back but when the mechanic was talking about "some sort of gunky build-up" behind the Aztek's front fender that he had to steam off, he was referring to the blood and gore left behind from Walt running over the drug dealers in season 3.

Thanks for that. For some reason I had it in mind that it was a chemical residue.

Walt got rid of the Aztek for selfish reasons, but being reminded how stupid he was driving around with DNA on his car for 6 months probably didn't hurt either.

This is still my thinking. Despite the mechanic promising the Aztek was well cleaned, Walt realized it was a bad idea to keep it, with whatever other incriminating evidence it might still contain. (Maybe spots of Krazy-8's blood in the trunk?) It's why he wanted to sell it right then and there, for only 50 bucks.

I suppose the point is moot now though — unless the Aztek somehow resurfaces in a later episode, which seems unlikely.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Fiveyearlurker

What about intended for Skyler, but ends up getting Walt Jr.?

Yes, please god.

[McDeath_the_Mad]

Maybe it will get mixed into his pancakes?

[Push You Down]

Originally Posted by Joey P

Never, ever, forget that Saul is the same slimy weaselly ambulance chaser that he was when we first met him. He's going to tell anyone anything that they want to hear if it means a couple more billable hours or a few more dollars that he can help move from one side of a table to the other side so that he can take a cut. He's [almost] always go to do what he can to be everyone's best friend.
Now, granted, in that case, Saul was fearing for his life, but he's still hardwired to try to fix every situation he runs across to his advantage.

I think there's a lot more to it than that. Or Odenkirk is playing it like there's much more to it. He looks to get legitimately hurt when Jesse or Walt remind him or even don't even acknowledge his comments of a greater bond between them.
Walt and Saul had this goodbye scene where Saul goes to shake Walt's hand and Walt doesn't even acknowledge it and just asks for a favor. Saul loos a little hurt.

[davidm]

As I recall, ricin takes a day or two before symptoms even show.

Is Skyler still nursing the baby?

[Tangent]

Originally Posted by Rigamarole

Oh yes. Bitch has it coming. Doesn't matter that she's freakin' hot!

I like how Hank described Lydia as the woman "with the banjo eyes." And as soon as the DEA showed up at her office, I knew Hank would pick up on her mismatched shoes.

[Tangent]

I don't think there's any way Hank tries to off Skyler with the ricin. If she dies by his hand, he'll have to make it look like suicide or an accident. Ingesting ricin doesn't fit either of those.

[davidm]

Ricin looks like the flu. There's no reason anyone would test her for ricin. They didn't think to test the kid for ricin until Jesse mentioned it.

[Scupper]

Somebody has to die by ricin, though, so who?

[Living Well Is Best Revenge]

Originally Posted by Scupper

Somebody has to die by ricin, though, so who?

I hope no one. It's too obvious at this point.

[Yeticus Rex]

Originally Posted by Scupper

Somebody has to die by ricin, though, so who?

I think Walt is going to lose his entire family by his 52nd birthday....and indirectly by his hands:

Holly killed by the Ricin.
Walt Jr. killed in a car accident.
Skyler, by suicide after her two kids die, but will leave clues behind to implicate Walt as Heisenberg.

It would make an epic modern day Greek Tragedy: A good man facing death within 2 years who tries to ensure security for them after he dies, instead ends up killing his family in those same 2 years, and he lives as the villian.

[Stowed Bob]

Originally Posted by Joey P

Never, ever, forget that Saul is the same slimy weaselly ambulance chaser that he was when we first met him. He's going to tell anyone anything that they want to hear if it means a couple more billable hours or a few more dollars that he can help move from one side of a table to the other side so that he can take a cut. He's [almost] always go to do what he can to be everyone's best friend.
Now, granted, in that case, Saul was fearing for his life, but he's still hardwired to try to fix every situation he runs across to his advantage.

One of my favorite parts about Saul's turn around to trying to get away and bitching about how much he has to do to cover Walt and Jesse's ass is that he blackmailed them to be cut into their business. What was supposed to be sweet, easy money has turned into a nightmare of a hassle, and it's all his fault.

[Morbo]

Bonfire!

[interface2x]

Originally Posted by Yeticus Rex

It would make an epic modern day Greek Tragedy: A good man facing death within 2 years who tries to ensure security for them after he dies, instead ends up killing his family in those same 2 years, and he lives as the villian.

Man, if they did that, it would make the darkness of season 4 look like nothing. That'd be the darkest season of any television show, pretty much ever.

[Andiethewestie]

Originally Posted by cmyk

I think they showed him hiding it behind the faceplate of the outlet behind his night table in his bedroom.

Is it? My bad. I guess I mixed it up with the money stashed behind the vent in the Baby's room.

[Andiethewestie]

Originally Posted by interface2x

Man, if they did that, it would make the darkness of season 4 look like nothing. That'd be the darkest season of any television show, pretty much ever.

I tend to think it's going to go dark. And more to the point, Vince is not going to leave any loose ends... unless there's a movie.

[Push You Down]

Other than Sex and The City... has any show had a direct follow-up theatrical run movie?

[Frylock]

Originally Posted by cmyk

What a nice, 3-year decline. (2 years, actually)

Didn't he say it had just been one year since his diagnosis?

[interface2x]

Originally Posted by Push You Down

Other than Sex and The City... has any show had a direct follow-up theatrical run movie?

The X-Files involving one Mr. Vince Gilligan.

[Andiethewestie]

This is so dopey but it's hilarious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csDM1MQ7Wt8

[Bytegeist]

Originally Posted by cmyk

What a nice, 3-year decline. (2 years, actually)

Originally Posted by Frylock

Didn't he say it had just been one year since his diagnosis?

The most recent episode does take place around Walt's 51st birthday, one year after his diagnosis.

The above image that cmyk refers to shows a span of two years, with snapshots of Walt's 50th, 51st, and (presumed) 52nd birthdays.

[Rigamarole]

Originally Posted by Andiethewestie

This is so dopey but it's hilarious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csDM1MQ7Wt8

I don't get it. Clip of BB then cut to a bunch of black kids jumping around?

[Andiethewestie]

Originally Posted by Rigamarole

I don't get it. Clip of BB then cut to a bunch of black kids jumping around?

It's an acknowledgement of Skylar's "gotcha" moment on Walt. It's dopey but I thought funny.

[Andiethewestie]

I am still thinking about that watch gift from Jesse and how it harkens back to Mike saying Walt is a "time bomb" I wonder how that watch is going to figure into this season.

[Washoe]

BTW, what kind of watch is that? Is it a brand that is considered a status symbol?