I’ve never read Kafka. Was the counselor correct, using that reference?
Jesse just can’t wrap his head around applying business principles to criminal activity. Didn’t he watch The Wire? Anyone think that maybe, if Saul had offered him something more masculine, Jesse might have gone for it? Like an auto shop, or a tattoo parlor? He did manage to figure out a marketing strategy though. That was evil, really evil.
Anyone think that Walt wished that he’d come up with Skyler’s gambling story instead of confessing to meth making? I loved the look on his face as she responded to Marie’s questions.
At least we know where the conflict will be for the rest of the season. The cousins are gone and the cartel is probably reeling, but there’s Jesse, skimming.
Jesse might have been happier with a more macho business, but whether Saul knew it or not, if it was a business Jesse liked, he would have wound up being too hands on with it and probably would have either run it into the ground or got to greedy and ended up with the IRS/FBI/DEA knocking at the door.
As for Walt, no, I think he was VERY happy that Skylar came up with that. Until she mentioned that she did it because she feels Walt is responsible, I think Walt saw it as her defending him and figured it was a sign that she might want him back. In fact, the way she explained it, I kinda figured that as well.
Also, what’s with the overages. I understand that he just wants to make one batch and send it all out the door and probably adjust his numbers for next time. I guess since he’s on a salary he just doesn’t really care if there’s a little overage. I did like Jesse at the end though, as someone who’s been running a company, I’ve seen MANY MANY employees with that attitude* and it tends to preceded them stealing.
*the attitude of making the boss rich, and the misconception that all the money that comes in is pure profit. I’m surprised Walt didn’t say something along the lines of “Yes, he’ll sell it for 96 million dollars, but with our salary, the raw goods, the distribution costs (including profit for the local dealers) and the equipment depreciated over a number of years, the 96 million Gus collects will put [amount of profit, probably close to 10-20 million] in his pocket.”
Didn’t Saul say that the price for the nail salon was something like $312,000? That seems like a lot for a nail salon. (I mean, between the equipment, lease, employees, etc. it looked like it was worth $50,000 at best.) My guess is that Saul already bought it for a lot less than that (or already owned it for other reasons) and was trying to scam Jesse.
And I know it was a plot point but was Hank and Marie’s insurance issues a legitimate one? I imagine that a DEA agent wounded in the line of duty would have no problems getting first-class treatment.
They would probably just get whatever insurance the DEA/union negotiated through a major insurance company for whatever rank they are. Also, it’s probably important to note that not only was Hank not in the line of duty at the time (he was at the supermarket) but was also, more importantly, suspended. If this happened while actually on the clock, this would probably be a workers comp issue and a lot easier to deal with.
That plot point irritated me for awhile – it’s almost too topical – but I keep hearing about vets coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan who are having lots of hassles getting treatment, and if it can happen to them, it can happen to other federal employees as well.
And maybe Hank and Marie opted for a low-cost plan. It’s obviously a PPO, where going out of network can end up costing you. But it almost sounded like if they were willing to wait for the wheels to turn – get approval to go out of network – it might have been okay.
I thought maybe Skyler’s plan might involve Walt’s website, maybe some money left over from that.
And for a minute I thought Hank was fudging about what he could feel when the doctor was poking him – that he was saying he felt something when he really didn’t.
Joey P, I think we’re being led to think that Skyler is softening toward Walt. She sure seems to be finished with Ted. And yeah, Walt should have given Jesse an Econ 101 lesson. He knows once Jesse gets something in his head, he runs with it.
I liked Walt’s expression when Skyler seemed shocked at the “seven figures” comment. What was that expression? It’s not quite a smirk, more of a “What can I say?”
I wonder if that included the building? Then maybe it would be worth $312K (or $250K, 17% of which would be $62,500, which added to it would make $312K).
The cost of setting up the Batcave meth lab had to have been substantial as well. It’s ventilated and the steam is cleaned, even Walt was impressed by the state of the art equipment, none of which is cheap and Gus probably paid above retail since he didn’t want a paper trail.
Jesse’s such a dumbass. His sales to the members of the group are going to earn him and his pals from the MY NAME IS EARL- Meth Division a few thousand tops when he’s earning over a million as a sure thing with a guy who can protect him from the cops. Was he telling the truth about the teak and zebra wood box do you think or just playing a game?
I think the overhead estimates are way high. I’d imagine you could set up that lab for a couple million. Distribution is free, since all he does is piggyback a couple buckets of meth on each chicken truck.
I want to say that Jesse’s done that before – opened up, shared a heartbreak – and that it wasn’t true, that he was just yanking a chain. But I might be remembering a different show altogether.
But the Jesse who took the rap for his brother in S1, I can see that Jesse doing something like that. I choose to believe it, mostly because I’m a mom, and I refuse to give up on Jesse.
Jesse is just begging to be killed. Over and over again people try to look out for his interests, or at least keep him out of trouble, and his impulsiveness and ego get in the way. He’s so damn aggressively stupid that I’m pretty much rooting for his death at this point. It’s gone from “a cold calculating person could make a reasonable case for offing Jesse” to “pretty much anyone involved in Jesse’s life is almost obligated to off him”.
Plus… what a massive dick move, trying to push drugs to a rehab group.
This episode cemented my hatred for Sky and her idiot bitch sister. God! I HATE those two! Walt would be so much better off if he just dropped off the face of the earth. However I did love that scene where Sky was spinning that yarn, and Walt was just as engrossed in the story as Marie was. There was that once scene where he and Marie both leaned forward to hear the story better. Totally cracked me up.
There were a few episodes where I was on Jesse’s side; when I thought he was going to be a cold hearted, but smarter criminal. Nope. Same dumb ass as before. He just doesn’t like the idea of being a criminal where no one knows he’s a criminal. :rolleyes:
I guess this is the beginning of the end. Marie now knows that Walt has a pile of cash 7 figures deep. When Hank finds out, he’ll probably find something amiss, and put two & two together.
I’m a bit confused about Jesse being unencumbered. A few episodes ago, Hank identified Jesse as the likely possessor of a RV, which he suspected of being a meth lab. Hank followed Jesse to a salvage yard and tried to enter the RV, but was forced into calling in a search warrant. That search warrant was on its way, right? So when someone from the DEA came in with the warrant but found the RV missing, wouldn’t the next step have been to get a search warrant for Jesse’s home, or atleast remain vigilant about Jesse’s activities. Because, if they simply follow Jesse when he heads to the lab, the whole thing unravels, even if slowly. Would Hank’s outburst really make Jesse untouchable or a non-entity to the DEA?
Great episode, but one thing really pissed me off. Gus is using his clean side business to distribute the meth. That is just dumb and out of character, one of those trucks gets into a bad enough accident that causes one of the buckets to break and it all comes back to Gus, surely they could have come up with a better distribution angle.
It’s a lifestyle thing I’ve come to realize. Jesse I now believe is partially only into drugs and the selling thereof because of “gangsta” lifestyle that has been sold to him by whatever rap musician is the new flavor of the month.
See his strip club when he got the eight thousand from Walt.
Jesse wants the gangsta lifestyle that drug dealers supposedly live, as far as he knows. The ultra professional and blue collar environment that Walt and Gus are into just isn’t Jesse’s slice of pie. I’d wonder if Jesse would stick to being a street seller even if Gus started paying him substantially more.
I thought the same thing. Would a doctor really do such a test with visitors in the room, and in full view of the patient? I would think there would be too many false positives – the patient really wants to feel something, and wanting it SO much might lead to their saying they feel it. I’m dating myself here when I recall Mary Ingalls’ visit to a doctor when she lost her sight. She could “see” the flashlight in her eyes, knowing that the light was on by hearing the “click.” Then the doc tricked her and silently turned the light off, and Mary, thinking the light was on, “saw” it.
I thought of that, too. Was it being packed into the batter buckets at the laundry warehouse? Gus is SO careful to keep his two “lives” separate that I wouldn’t think he’d even want Los Pollos Hermanos hinted at near the meth.
