Spoilers about the episode to follow, and also please keep anything from the previews in spoiler boxes.
Walt and Skyler get the carwash for $800,000, but dare not be seen spending $300. Hank is getting involved again indirectly in the hunt for Walt. Marie is back to trying to do something to make her character interesting. Jesse is just losing it, and bound to cause some pretty serious problems soon.
And be sure to catch the Breaking Bad podcast after the show has aired!
My thoughts:
[ul]
[li]“Don’t chop chop me.” – such a great line. The entire interaction between Walt and Skyler as they were rehearsing their story was fantastic. “I’m sorry to put you through this,” especially.[/li]
[li]I’ve never seen television be as simultaneously hilarious, discomposing, and tense as in the scene where Gale is singing “Major Tom (Coming Home).” When Hank pulled out the DVD, I knew he was going to show Walt and Junior a video of Gale, but I wasn’t expecting him to be performing karaoke. I don’t know what to think about his epigram to Walt, or even if it was addressed to him instead of Walt Whitman, as Walt suggested to Hank.[/li]
[li]The direction in the opening scene with Mike in the back of the Pollos Hermanos truck was especially well-done. It wasn’t very tense, but I suspect the writers weren’t trying to make it so. I was never worried that Mike was going to be mortally wounded, as I was with Hank when he got into the fire-fight with The Cousins. The look of tired exasperation when he realized that his ear had been clipped was a nice touch. We’ll see what comes of Gus’ operation now that the Mexican cartel is trying to put the screws to him.[/li]
[li]Walt claiming that Mike – that “grunting, dead-eyed cretin” – sucker-punched him is yet another attempt to salvage his manhood, much the same as when he told Skyler, in the previous episode, that he didn’t fight back because Mike was a “much older gentleman.”[/li]
[li]And what the fuck was Jesse thinking keeping all that money in an unsecured dresser drawer. Counting the money he lost in the whole Tuco debacle, how much, exactly, has he managed to lose? It’s at least the better part of a million now.[/li]
[li]I was expecting to be upset that he lost the money, but his blasé attitude toward the whole thing was more depressing than infuriating. And finding out that he’d brought the addict into his room to play videogames instead of fuck was as equally disarming.[/li][/ul]
And so… any guesses as to where Mike is bringing Jesse?
Mike’s look after he finds his damaged ear was priceless. It looked to me from the preview that Jesse was taken to Tuco’s uncle’s place in the desert, but that could be misdirection. A solid episode: liked Hank and Walt’s interaction; Saul’s self-preservation kicking in, and offering a solution for Walt’s problems that’s feasible. Jesse is just pissing me off, so I hope this whole self-destructive binge is going somewhere besides a hole in the desert.
Possibly — although in a dedication to an author who’s safely dead and gone, you’d think most people would write out the name. That he used initials instead is still a little suspicious. (Or at least Hank might begin to think so.)
Some fans have been speculating that Mike killed Gus, offscreen. (“You won’t be seeing Gus anymore.”) At least now we know that’s not true.
I might have misheard, but Mike seems to say there’s “$72,000” in the bag — which means Jesse is keeping the bulk of it elsewhere, or much worse, he’s burned through nearly all his stash.
I’m at a loss for the moment, since I can’t imagine they’re going to kill off Aaron Paul’s character this early, if ever, but I don’t know how else they can reign him in. The preview for next week’s episode certainly looks like Jesse might be in for a fight, of some sort.
They won’t kill Jesse any time soon, he still has to find out about Jane.
Much better episode this week. It looked to me like Mike was taking Jesse either to Tucos uncles house or to the chicken farm.
My speculation based purely on nothing but my gut:
Walt is going to pull the old “I’ve placed documents detailing you’re entire operation and those involved in a safe deposit box to be opened in the event of mine or Jesses death.” at some point during the season.
In fact why hasn’t he already done this? Seems easy.
I think they’re gonna dry Jessie out old school.
A good few weeks of cold turkey will have him in enough pain to provide a lesson.
Or they could be taking him to Cancun Disney World for all I know.
I did mishear a little. I just re-watched the episode and he actually says $78,000.
Not only that, but it seemed like he’s lost quite a bit of weight (you could see it in his face) and I don’t think they’d have him to that it he only had an episode or two left…OTOH, that could all be part of the demise.
Also, what was going on with two people getting their heads shaved at the same time?
And how did Mike catch the guy with the money when presumably he [Mike] didn’t even know it was missing. The only thing I can think is that Jesse mentioned it to Walter in the lab, Mike picked it up via the cameras and went looking for it. Jesse may have had a hunch it was ‘the Mexican guy with the lip ring that looks like Uncle Jesse.’
Well he did have to buy the house off his parents for, what, $400,000? Something like that?
Alright, I must have misheard it as something more. $78k is more in line with what I’d expect him to have left from his and Walt’s initial sell to Gus, taking into account his purchase of his Aunt’s house, however much he’s paid to Saul so far, and his constant partying.
A house that’s probably worth $100,000 now, if you count the cash that’s in it.
Two comments of Walt to Hank that I loved: “We wanted to be thorough” (about the gambling cover story) and “You got me”.
I was thinking that Walt needs to set up a real “In the event of my demise” message. Can’t you set up an email to be sent automatically? Do this so that you have to manually cancel it every 7 days or so.
Jesse has become TV’s ultimate nihilist hasn’t he? I wonder where the rest of his money is.
Walt Jr. actually got some screentime tonight. Not much, but enough to earn his name in the credits, and more lines than Gus or Marie.
Is it me or did Saul’s comments about an ‘end game’ sound suspiciously like a con? Basically, somebody would take your money and then you’d never be heard from again but it’s not because you’re living under a new identity.
[quote=“Tarwater, post:3, topic:591885”]
[li]I’ve never seen television be as simultaneously hilarious, discomposing, and tense as in the scene where Gale is singing “Major Tom (Coming Home).” [/li][/QUOTE]
That’s a great description. I hope they post the whole video online. Awesome performance from David Costabile.
Nice to see Hank acting something like his old self again. Good episode.
New Victor has the house under constant surveillance.
Now that Jesse has joined Team Bald, when will Walt, Jr. shave his head?
A lot has been said about Marie’s association with purple and the symbolism that might carry. Makes you wonder about Skyler’s recuring green outfits (green=$$$?).
Walt’s comments about Hank’s mineral was a nice little payoff to Hank’s newfound hobby–while manganese is most stable in a particular oxidation state, it can take a wide range of other states (like Walt himself).
Does anybody remember if Gus rang the doorbell when he came to speak with Gale about taking over for Walt?
And…
That guy walked out with a random duffel bag. That shouldn’t have aroused any suspension.
You guys are good!