My take is that Gus figures Walt is addicted to the money and power from making meth. It’s like giving drugs to a junkie straight out of rehab. Pretty soon he’ll be going back to it, which is what Gus wants.
Nice catch. That’s the only way I see Walt surviving for another season.
But it is. If she can line up a sugar-daddy, she needn’t worry about paying her mortgage, health care for Walt Jr., and college for Walt Jr. and the Turnip.
Are any high school teachers tenured? My experience is that none are, but when the layoffs come, people with seniority are protected.
In what states is legal “separation” an issue?
Did anyone think the Hank at gas station scene was flimsy? The cashier said that the employee (whom Hank was actually calling upon) had been fired a few weeks prior. The next step should have been to get his contact details. Hank dropping the baggie on the counter was too convenient.
I missed this episode. Does anyone know where I can see it besides AMC? I checked their schedule and it only runs at midnight. (I don’t have any recording technology like a DVR.)
I don’t know about New Mexico, but in Alabama some teachers are definitely tenured.
IIRC correctly he said he wasn’t fired. Just put on a indefinite sabbatical rather than being offically canned. Same end result but technically he’s still on staff.
My impression on Walt’s job is that they’ve decided he’s too erratic and crazy to be at the school on a regular basis any more. I think he still has some built up sympathy because of his cancer and probably even his boss thinks his weird behavior is because of all the medications and treatments he has had to undergo. I’m sure that the people at the school probably heard rumors about Walt’s strange fugue state incident as well (which only the doctor Walt confessed to knows was fake for sure, Skyler however is all but convinced that it was faked–for good reason.)
I just realized that no one has even mentioned Jane’s dad shooting himself.
Thoughts?
Walt’s thoughts: “Pussy! Can’t even kill 160 people without gettin’ all suicidal.”
I suppose it just adds to Walt’s burden. Also, many people were probably feeling sympathetic to Jane’s dad (he wasn’t drunk or high, he was bereaved), and the attempted suicide will just make them more sympathetic. And then there’s Walt, the one who’s most directly responsible, and nobody’s feeling sorry for him.
Shot himself but evidently survived (leastwise they didn’t say he died), which makes me wonder if he’ll be back to take revenge on Jesse. (I don’t blame Jesse for her death- she introduced him to heroin, not the other way around- but her father probably does. With all of the publicity around the aircrash I wonder if Walt has recognized him yet as the man he talked to in the bar, and while John de Lancie isn’t A-list he’s way better known (and probably better paid) than just another unknown middle aged actor, so another reason to think they’re not done with him yet.
Ooh, since Mike came into the house that day and Walt had watched her die maybe somehow that’s where the Mike/Walt resemblance comes into play- perhaps somebody saw Walt entering and leaving).
I asked in another thread but got no answer, so maybe here somebody will take pity: if this were real life, would Jane’s dad likely face any charges for his negligence? Obviously he’d testify until he’s hoarse in committees and investigations, but I was wondering if there would likely be any criminal proceedings.
ETA: Bryan Cranston was the guest on DAILY SHOW last night for anyone interested. Video online at their site.
I took pity on ya and googled through about ten pages, but can’t find any US cases of air traffic controllers facing criminal charges. The FAA is sued, the controller is disciplined, but I’m not finding anything else. It did happen in Switzerland – some controllers went to jail – but nothing in the US, not even in situations where it looked like criminal charges would have been appropriate.
I would assume that when Hank got the employee’s name he also got his contact details. Hank probably checked his house first and then went to his place of employment. After coming up short in both locations it was probably a smart move to see if any of the other employees knew about their coworker’s drug problem.
Sort of. “File for separation” is a misnomer I guess because it doesn’t have to be done through the courts, but around here, anyway, it means to officially start the process of obtaining a divorce, becoming “legally separated.” (which may be a misnomer as well.)
It usually involves the drawing up of a marital separation agreement. In Union County, you usually don’t start the process by actually filing for divorce, because once you do, the court pushes you through the process really fast. You can remain legally separated as long as necessary while you’re working out the details.
If nothing else, filing for separation creates legal documentation that one or both parties are actually seeking a divorce. IIRC, the cop asked Skylar if she and Walt were “separated.” She had to say no. The clear implication was that if she had been able to say yes, the cop might have been able to take some sort of action to remove Walt.
I might have some of the details wrong, but I think you get the idea.
(Here is a FAQ about marital separation agreements in NJ if you’re interested.)
Are we sure? He told Walter Jr. that, but he could easily have been fudging the reality a bit.
Regardless, it’s still pretty damn hard to get a tenured teacher out of the classroom at all. Or even a non-tenured teacher. But I’m speaking from a NJ perspective, so it may be really different in other places.
I’m not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou.
Based on my extensive law enforcement knowledge and experience (aka watching ridiculous amounts of Law & Order), a list of 29 is nothing. How many times have we seen Van Buren tell Briscoe to call all of 138 dry cleaners in a certain neighborhood or whatever.
Hank could probably tentavely cross off half the list and prioritize the rest in a couple of hours using the DMV database and the phone. He’s an experienced DEA agent. I’m sure he knows what clues signal a likely or unlikely suspect. An RV registered to the original owners, a retired couple in their 70s who say they never lend it to anyone? Probably not the RV you’re looking for.
I think the boss was being a hard-ass because Hank was defying direct orders. But he let him stay in Albuquerque because he trusts Hank’s judgment and/or saw that Hank reeeeaaaally didn’t want to go to El Paso, even if he didn’t know exactly why.
Also, I assume that Hank would be smart enough to start with the RVs located in Albequerque and then work his way out from there. Which means he most likely is going to find it toot suite.
How I read it is that he’s faking the erratic behavior that could be either a psychological break or, given his known cancer diagnosis, a brain tumor, either of which could get him a medical leave of absence in most states. He’s tired of teaching but this allows him to keep his foot in the door should he ever choose to return to teaching and his medical benefits (which even though he has piles of cash laying around, COBRA’s a lot cheaper than paying out of pocket for cancer care and family).
I agree with others that Skyler has gotten extremely unlikeable this season. I understand she’s had a lot to deal with, but she’s deliberately baiting him and doesn’t seem to understand that he didn’t begin selling meth so he can live like a pimp but because he thought his number was almost up. He’s still the same guy, just one who arguably did something really stupid.
Sampiro, interesting, that Walt could have been faking. I didn’t even consider it. I thought he’d always been a bit interested in the principal, and now that Skyler’s gone off range, he’s letting his urges take over. But he didn’t act befuddled in any other scenes, so you just might have something there.
He could have just asked for medical leave, but since he’s in remission, they might not have given it to him.
I can see that, what with it being a union job and all (at least for public schools around here)
I worked in the legal department of a teachers union in the 70’s. Their contracts were negotiated so much in favor of the teachers that it was almost impossible to fire a teacher – transfer was the usual “punishment” – and the transfer would include a stipulation that the teacher’s records weren’t revealed to the new district. I suppose it happened anyway – people will talk. After awhile, I stopped wondering why some of my kids’ teachers were so bizarre – good contract.
Isn’t the actor playing Mike (Saul’s henchman/Gus’ henchman) the same actor that played the fake Heisenberg" in last season’s “Better Call Saul” episode that Badger has to identify for the DEA?
If so, that would be an explanation as to why they look alike.
Never mind, the actor that played Jimmy In-N-Out, the fake Heisenberg, was Jimmy Daniel, not the same guy playing Mike.