2.13 ABQ

Summary and spoilers

There’s that almost all black and white scene that we’ve seen before: a one-eyed pink stuffed toy floats in Walt’s swimming pool; white-suited DEA agents collect samples; two pristine white body bags grace the pool deck. And now, something more: in the distance, twin plumes of dark smoke rising.

Jesse is trying to CPR Jane back to life. Failing, he collapses into mental anguish and tears. Walt receives Jesse’s call, tries to calm him down, and promises to call someone.

Jesse waits outside his apartment. A man shows up, sent by Saul. He cleans up the drugs and the money and coaches Jesse strictly in the simple "I woke up, I found her" story that will be the extent of his knowledge. Donald arrives to pick Jane up for an early rendezvous, sees the paramedics unloading a stretcher, and a gray shadow falls across his face. Inside, he watches with the catatonic sadness of a father as Jane’s body is zippered into a black bag and taken away. Those who were expecting a violent outburst directed at Jesse will be surprised to watch as Donald leaves the apartment quietly and gets ready to arrange funeral services. And, after a time, Donald returns to his work as an air traffic controller to take his mind off Jane’s death. He seems okay, but air traffic controller is not the ideal job to test out your reaction to grief. He freezes up, gets distracted, and two planes collide over Albuquerque.

Saul’s cleaner has discovered Jesse in an abandoned house among meth users. These are the bottom of the barrel users, living in squalor, with only one priority – to get high. Walt goes in to rescue Jesse. Jesse is resistant but soon breaks down in tears. Walt checks Jesse in at Serenity (a relaxation/detox center?) and leaves for his operation.

Walt Jr. (I mean, ‘Flynn’) is excited to see that his website has earned 510 dollars so far from small contributors all across the USA and Canada. Walt manages a ‘thank you’ after being prompted by Skyler. It’s no surprise that the total continues to grow.

Marie arranges for a newspaper story on Walt Jr.’s website success, then she goes one step further and gets a television interview instead. Walt looks particularly uncomfortable going on camera while Walt Jr. talks about what a decent guy his dad is.

The website isn’t the only source of Walt donations. Hank has started a Walt fund at work. Coincidentally, he’s also investigating Kombo’s death, because Kombo was selling that pure blue meth. Hank has discovered that the blue meth has disappeared from New Mexico but is popping up in neighboring states. He thinks Heisenberg is still around.

If Hank could read minds or had a sixth sense about criminals, he’d be doing well. He would have sniffed out Walt long ago. And there are other persons of interest crossing his desk. He meets and gives a tour to three prominent Albuquerque businessmen who are sponsoring this year’s Fun Run. One of them is Gus. Hank doesn’t discover anything about Gus, but Gus sees the donation jar with a picture of Walt’s face above it, and discovers that Hank is Walt’s brother-in-law!

It’s time for Walt’s big risky operation. Skyler and Walt Jr. say their farewells as Walt sits in prep and the drugs start to take effect. Walt slips up and mentions having two cell phones, but perhaps Skyler will let this pass and attribute it to the anesthesia.

When we next see Walt, he has a ‘some time has passed’ goatee and he looks much healthier and way less stressed. At a meeting with Skyler and his doctors, Walt confirms this. The surgeon says he has bought himself some real time. Skyler confirms that Walt is well enough to take care of himself.

Back at home, Skyler tells Walt that she is leaving for the weekend and asks him to move out. When Walt asks why, Skyler emotionally explains how the ‘which phone’ line prompted her to speak to Gretchen and Walt’s mom and to discover some of Walt’s biggest and most blatant lies. Skyler now knows that Walt paid for his hospital bills with 100 thousand dollars that he got from some mysterious source. She is afraid to find out the real story.

After Skyler leaves, Walt sits by the pool, alone. His reverie is interrupted by a boom. In the sky, two planes collide, sending debris hurtling toward the earth, including a pink stuffed toy that splashes into the pool.

Comments

This is an interesting episode. It meanders along, simmering quietly, until Skyler confronts Walt with his lies, and then suddenly it feels intense and raw and sickening. I could feel Skyler’s inner turmoil, her love blanketed by her betrayal.

I cannot say enough good things about Aaron Paul’s portrayal as Jesse. I’m embarrassed to say that initially (after a couple of episodes) I thought he was just a one-dimensional obnoxious character. Was I ever wrong. His acting depth and sincerity is now matching or surpassing Bryan Cranston; that’s what makes them such a unique duo.

Likewise, Anna Gunn (Skyler) gets a chance to shine in this episode, and she is extremely effective is bringing her feelings to the forefront.

Memorable Moments

• The squirmy look on Walt’s face as Walt Jr. sings his dad’s praises on camera

Breaking Bad Quotes

"I haven’t given much thought to the programs to be honest, I guess they should be, uh…I don’t know, just, just…use your best judgment. There’s no yellow dress here; it’s all, it’s all black and gray. When’s the last time you saw her ever wearing a yellow dress? What about blue? Blue’s better than black, right? No, no, not dark blue, more like, well, um, super-bright either – I mean, blue is blue. No, no cleavage. Long sleeves. Yeah, it’s nice. It’s nice."
- Donald, picking out a funeral dress

Jesse: I deserve this.
Walt: What?
Jesse: What you said in the desert – I get it – what you meant. I deserve whatever happens.

Reporter: He’s a good man, isn’t he?
Walt Jr.: Absolutely. Ask anyone…anybody. He’s a great father, a great teacher. He knows like everything there is no know about chemistry. He’s patient with you. He’s always there for you. He’s – he’s just decent! And he always does the right thing. And that’s how he teaches me to be.
Reporter: Would you say he’s your hero?
Walt Jr.: Oh yeah, Yes, ma'am. Totally. My dad is my hero.

Skyler: Where’s your phone?
Walt: Hmm?
Skyler: Your cell phone, you bring it?
Walt: Which one?

Skyler: I want you gone by Monday morning, I want…I want you gone.
Walt: Okay, can you at least tell me why?
Skyler: Because you’re a liar, Walt.

"But then it got me thinking again about all the strange behavior, not the least of which was the disappearance. Out of my mind with worry. Calling hospitals, checking the morgue. Your fugue state? I had to believe that, didn’t I? I had to find a way. I mean – who would lie about such a thing?"
- Skyler

"Over a hundred thousand dollars…out of where? Out of thin air?"
- Skyler

Walt: If I tell you the truth, will you stay? Stay and I will tell you everything.
Skyler: Whatever it is, I’m afraid to know.

2.12 Phoenix

Summary and spoilers

Walt eventually gets to the hospital and holds his new baby girl well after she was born. Skyler is happy, yet she can’t help but express her disappointment that Walt was not there for the birth. Walt takes a while to notice that Skyler’s hospital chauffeur Ted is also in the room. Walt leaves to return home and get Skyler’s overnight bag (and his own). It is here that he begins to unload a huge bag of cash, and we learn in this manner that the drug deal must have gone down well.

Jesse emerges from his endless trip and finds that someone has taken all the meth – and he has no memory that it was Walt, and that he was the one who told Walt where it was stashed. Jesse calls Walt and breaks the news to him, but Walt is so disgusted that he simply says nothing and hangs up, leaving Jesse to still believe that the drugs are gone forever.

Jane meets her dad Donald at an AA meeting. Afterward, she once again denies that she is involved with that tenant living next door.

Walt is planning on getting a high-tech sonar alarm system to warn if anything like a baby falls into the pool. Hank and Marie offer to take care of it; Skyler says she is going back to work soon, and even Walt Jr. is going to get a job, all to help out with Walt’s upcoming surgery. Walt is silently frustrated that no knows he has an almost bottomless bag of cash stashed away. And it’s going to be difficult for him to use that money without coming up with a reason to have it in the first place. With no one else to share his riches with, he brings new daughter Holly to have a look while he is attending to one of her night feeds.

Jesse makes a rare visit to Walt’s school classroom, there to confront him about taking the drugs and leaving him to hang in the breeze. But Walt fires back; he’s disgusted with Jesse’s drug use, which caused him to miss the birth of his daughter. Jesse wants his 480 thousand dollar share of the drug deal, but Walt, believing that Jesse will kill himself with drugs, refuses to give it to him until Jesse submits to a urine drug test and is clean. Jesse refuses the test. When Walt says bad things about Jane, Jesse throws the pee glass at Walt and shatters it against the periodic table. The meeting ends in silence, as Jesse stalks out. This is by far the most tension ever seen between the pair; it feels almost like Jesse could kill Walt if given the chance and the right circumstances.

The difference in philosophies of Walt and Skyler are highlighted when Walt Jr. completes a website dedicated to his dad, and featuring a big ‘Donate’ button linked to a PayPal account. Walt immediately says that they can’t ask for money because that would be charity, a word he obviously finds distasteful. Skyler has no such problems with the word or the site, and begs Walt to let Walt Jr. leave it up.

Walt goes to Saul with his problem of having money and being unable to spend it. Saul’s plan is to use a hacker to funnel money in small bits through Walt Jr.’s website.

Jesse returns home and starts prepping another heroin/meth combo syringe. As he drops off, he tells Jane that Walt owes him 480 thousand dollars. Jane’s interest is highly piqued. Never trust a junkie.

When Jane doesn’t show up for her next AA meeting, Donald drives to her place and catches her leaving Jesse’s apartment. Inside, he finds Jesse passed out and a batch of needles on the bedside table. In a rage, he tries to throw Jesse out, but Jesse grabs a baseball bat and holds him at bay, stating that he’s a rent-paying tenant with rights, yo. Donald gets on the phone to the police to report drug use, but stops short when Jane promises to go back to rehab ‘tomorrow’. After Donald leaves, Jane plants the idea in Jesse’s head that if they had enough money, they could do whatever they wanted and not have to listen to anybody.

Jane takes the lead now, calling Walt and demanding Jesse’s share – immediately. When she doesn’t get it, she threatens to blackmail Walt and expose him to his school and family. Jesse has to decide who he is going to side with: his old partner, or his new one.

Walt mulls his options and decides to bring the money to Jesse. Jesse and Jane get inspired upon seeing it, deciding to flush their remaining drugs and get clean. But the sight of those needles changes their mind; they get high instead.

After dropping the money, Walt stops at a bar for a drink and, coincidentally ends up sitting next to Donald. Walt shares his troubles with Jesse, leaving names out and actually making it sound like Jesse is his nephew. Donald says you can never give up on family. Walt returns to Jesse’s place to talk. When no one answers, he breaks in easily and finds Jesse and Jane passed out in bed. He tries to wake Jesse and fails, and in the process, Jane rolls over on her back. When she begins to vomit and choke, Walt at first starts to help her, then hesitates, then leaves her like that to die, feeling that this is the best solution for his problems and for those of his ‘nephew’.

Comments

This is by far the most intense episode to date. Walt’s cold decision to let Jane die leaves us wondering just what factors were being weighed in his mind as he stood there and let it happen.

Memorable Moments

• Walt places Holly on her side, tucking a towel next to her to stop her from rolling onto her back. Later, Jane does the same for Jesse as he starts his meth/heroin trip

Breaking Bad Quotes

Skyler: Oh, Ted – Ted drove me here, thank God. I mean, this - this little bundle of joy of ours was practically on rails. I mean, halfway here I thought he was gonna have to pull over and deliver her himself. [laughs]
Walt: Wow! Well, I’m glad…it didn’t come to that.

"That’s right – Daddy did that. Daddy did that for you."
- Walt, showing Holly stacks of drug money

Walt: Like you dropped the ball? When have you EVER not dropped the ball, Jesse? Blasted out of your mind on whatever the hell that was – what was that? Heroin? Jesus!
Jesse: I was on my day off, man. What I do on my day off is -
Walt: Day off? We were on call, you junkie, on call for the biggest deal of our lives. And I just managed to pull it off by the skin of my teeth, no thanks to you. And YOU – made me miss the birth of my daughter. Son of a bitch.
Jesse: How much?
Walt: How much what?
Jesse: How much did you get for the deal?
Walt: 1.2 million.
Jesse: 600 thousand each.
Walt: 480 thousand. Saul’s cut is 20 percent.
Jesse: Alright, so where’s my money?
Walt: [laughs]
Jesse: What?
Walt: You are joking, right? If I gave you that money, you would be dead inside of a week.
Jesse: Yo, man, look I’m off the heroin. I didn’t even like it anyway, it made me sick. And the meth, you know, I can take it or leave it. I’m clean, Mr. White – for real.
Walt: [tosses glass to Jesse] Prove it. Pee in that.
Jesse: How gay are you, seriously?
Walt: Pee in it. They’re selling testing kits at the drugstores. If you are clean, I will give you every last dime. No, huh? Well, I guess until then, you’ll just have to depend on the kindness of strangers to get high. That and your little junkie girlfriend.

"New Zealand, that’s where they made Lord of the Rings. I say we just move there, yo, and, I mean, you can do your art. Right? Like, you can paint the local castles and shit, and I can be a bush pilot."
- Jesse to Jane

"Can’t give up on them. Never. What else is there?"
- Donald to Walt regarding family

2.11 Mandala

Summary and spoilers

Walt and Jesse and their gang of pushers have been enjoying a long run with good sales and no conflicts, but that has ended. A young boy kills Kombo (Jesse’s friend and foot soldier). This was the offshoot of trying to sell more and moving into new territory – plus the word on the street now is that everyone knows Jesse did not kill a man with an ATM.

Kombo’s death causes Skinny Pete to quit too, and Badger has already left town. This is bad news for Walt. He has just decided to have a lobectomy, an operation that, if successful, would rid his body of cancer. The cost will be close to 200 thousand dollars.

Walt and the depressed Jesse meet with Saul. Saul knows someone who knows someone who…knows someone who can move huge amounts of meth quickly and safely. Walt and Jesse have a meeting arranged in a fast food chicken place, but no one shows up. On a hunch, Walt returns and stays there most of the day, finally realizing that the man he is looking for works (and actually owns) the fast food place. Walt speaks to him – the man, Gus, has reservations centering around Jesse’s drug addiction, but he is somewhat swayed by Walt’s arguments concerning the quality and profitability of the product. Gus makes no commitment, but the meeting appears to be open-ended.

Jesse’s depression has escalated. He blames himself for Kombo’s death. Preparing to drown himself in bowls of smoky meth, he asks Jane, the recovering addict, to leave. She does not leave – she stays, and before long the apartment is a wreck and Jane and Jesse only leave to get more drugs. On one of Jane’s trips, she returns with heroin and syringes. For the first time in his life, Jesse tries a combination of heroin and ice injected, and appears to be having a non-stop orgasm.

Skyler has an ultrasound and all is well. Walt arrives late from his first drug meeting. Skyler has decided to have a c-section this time. She dashes off to get a cake and return to the office for Ted’s birthday party, where – at his request – she imitates Marilyn Monroe and sings a sultry, "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to him. Later, Skyler finds a huge discrepancy in the books. Ted has been hiding millions of dollars in revenue from the tax office. Skyler agrees to keep it a secret but says she cannot be a part of it. Yet the next day, Ted is pleased to see what she has returned to her desk. She is still torn and upset, and as she stares at her Benecke screensaver, she feels the first pang of labor. She rings Walt, and then SMS’s him, but Walt is involved in a different drama. Walt has just received word that he can move the whole 38 pounds of meth through Gus, but he must have it at a truck stop in an hour, or no deal – ever again. When Jesse does not answer the phone, Walt drives over at top speed, breaks in, shakes the location of the meth out of the comatose Jesse, bags it up, and rushes out, ignoring the messages from Skyler.

Comments

This feels like a season-ending cliffhanger, even though I know it isn’t. It’s such an intense, well-paced episode.

Hank and Marie do not make an appearance in this episode, nor does Walt Jr.

Memorable Moments

• Jesse floating above the bed in the throes of a heroin/ice trip

Breaking Bad Quotes

Skinny Pete: This game we playin’ – we don’t got the street cred to survive it. Back when everyone thought you killed Spooge, maybe we were doin’ okay, but that whole…thing to the head thing, the ATM?
Jesse: Yeah?
Skinny Pete: His junkie bitch copped to it - whole town knows it wasn’t you.

"Let’s start with some tough love, alright? Ready for this? Here goes: you two suck at peddling meth. Period."
- Saul

Jesse: One of my guys…a friend who worked for me…got murdered. It was my fault, I put him on that corner. I’m gonna smoke some crystal and …I just think you should go, being that you’re in a program and all.
Jane: You could come with me to a meeting?
Jesse: No. No meetings.

"Yeah, we’re, uh, we’re in the big time now."
- Jesse (underimpressed with the fast food meeting location)

Gus: I have to ask – why? Why him?
Walt: Because he does what I say. Because I can trust him.

"And you shoulda seen the coffin! It was like this shiny white pearlescent, like I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the exact same paint job on a Lexus, right? So we’re definitely talkin’ high end."
- Skinny Pete (describing Kombo’s funeral)

2.10 Over

Summary and spoilers

The episode opens: we look slightly into the future, as DEA agents in full protective gear remove evidence linked to Walt and Jesse’s meth crimes. Next to Walt’s exploded car are two body bags. Are our blowfish-confident protagonists about to die?

Skyler encourages and convinces Walt to take the week off from work until his radiation issues clear up. Walt waits until she leaves and then meets with Jesse to tell him the good news about his condition, and to say that they will not need to cook any more.

At a party to celebrate Walt’s remission, Skyler warmly thanks the absent Gretchen and Elliot for funding Walt’s treatments. The party turns ugly when Walt keeps pouring straight tequila for Walt Jr. When Hank steps in and takes the bottle, he is confronted by Walt, who will not back down. The tension ends when Walt Jr. starts throwing up in the pool.

Jesse and Jane are still very much an item, with Jesse making a huevos rancheros and able to dedicate a whole day to her, now that Walt has slowed down the business.

Walt calls Skyler at work to apologize, but she gets interrupted by Ted just before she hears his explanation, which was lame anyway. Skyler uses this moment to confide to Ted about Walt’s illness.

Walt has discovered that the water heater is leaking. He pays cash for a tankless unit at the hardware store, but has to pull back one of the bills when he sees it has spots of blood on it.

Jane and Jesse are enjoying a lovely afternoon in bed leafing through Jesse’s superhero drawings. When Jane’s dad arrives unannounced, Jane zips back into her apartment through the back door and – for her dad’s benefit - acts as if Jesse is a tenant and nothing more.

Walt installs his new on-demand heater. He tries to apologize to Walt Jr. about making him drink, but Walt Jr. is more impressed with his own drinking prowess, and brags that he kept up with Walt and Uncle Hank.

Jane pops into Jesse’s as if nothing has happened. Jesse asks for an explanation. Jane thinks what she has done was to protect Jesse. Jesse sees it as a slight. And it is, because while Jesse thought they had a relationship, Jane sees it as merely a fun fling.

Walt has found some dry rot where the old water heater was leaking. Bored by lack of activity, and with plenty of cash to spend, he loads up a huge trolley at the hardware store and starts in on a number of diverting projects. Now he’s under the house, removing huge sections of rotted wood.

Working late, Skyler breaks into tears and confides to Ted that the good news hasn’t made things feel any different. Ted has kind words and extends a hand of comfort, and they holds hands for a good long while.

Walt is going mad now, refusing to go to work until he alleviates all the rot; Jesse, thrown from the safety of his relationship, is smoking meth. He is saved by Jane, who slips an ‘Apology Girl’ superhero drawing under his door.

Working late again, Skyler watches Ted walk by to leave the office. She quickly scatters her pens across the floor. This attracts Ted back to pick them up.

At yet another trip to the hardware store, Walt sees a cart loaded with materials for meth cooking. He instructs the cart owner that the matches he is buying are the wrong type. The young guy flees with terror in his eyes. Walt goes about his business for awhile, until something clicks in his brain. Possessed, he walks with purpose out to the parking lot, straight to the two tough young punks who would be meth cookers. "Stay out of my territory!", he tells the tougher one, and this guy, despite his bulk, reads something in Walt’s body language that tells him to back away.

Comments

This is a fully engrossing episode – so much so, that 2/3 of the way through, I had forgotten that Walt and Jesse might be in those body bags at the end.

If Walt does go a bit mad, and lose his very pregnant wife to an affair, he kind of deserves it for all he has done. In any case, he is evolving into something very different. He tells Skyler that it was not he who did those acts at the party, yet it was the Walt that he has consistently been since learning of his illness.

It’s always great to see John De Lancie (a Star Trek alumni) getting some work.

Memorable Moments

• Frypan-cam (below-pan view of Jesse frying an egg)
• Walt’s steely warning to the other meth merchants

Breaking Bad Quotes

"It’s kind of funny. When I got my diagnosis – cancer – I said to myself, ‘Why me?’ And then, the other day, when I got the good news, I said the same thing."
- Walt

Jane: [sees Jesse is making breakfast] Wow!
Jesse: You weren’t supposed to wake up.
Jane: Ever?

Jane: And this guy? What’s his secret power?
Jesse: That’s, uh, Kanga-man.
Jane: Kanga-man. Half man, half kangaroo. And who’s this in his pouch?
Jesse: His sidekick Joey. He rides around in his pouch and, you know, fights crime.
Jane: So that makes Kanga-man a she. You know that, right? Only female kangaroos have pouches?
Jesse: Yeah, yeah, I know, but, you know, he’s definitely a dude. He’s a product of experimentation.
Jane: He’s kinda hot I guess…nice haunches.

Walt: But son, I owe you an apology most of all. I should have used better judgment all around. I mean, having you drink in the first place – it was not right, and for that I’m very sorry.
Walt Jr.: But I kept up, right? You and Uncle Hank – I drank three.

Skyler: There’s supposed to be a light at the end of the tunnel, but lately it just feels like -
Ted: More tunnel.

"Stay out of my territory!"
- Walt to the other meth cookers

2.09 4 Days Out

Summary and spoilers

Walt gets an ominous preview of his CAT scan that he wasn’t supposed to see by reading the reflection in a framed photo behind the technician’s monitor. The lumps and bumps convince prompts him to make more money fast, especially since Saul’s laundering fees are just about halving what he makes. There’s another reason: the barrel of methylamine has a use-by date that is fast approaching. It’s use it, or lose it and steal more, so even Jesse agrees to cook. But Jesse has to blow off his new girlfriend to do that.

Skyler drops Walt off at the airport, believing that he is going to visit his mother; meanwhile, Jesse is waiting outside the terminal to pick Walt up in to the mobile meth lab. In a remote desert location, they cook an amazing 1.2 million dollars of meth. But then things start going terribly wrong. First, Jesse leaves the keys in the ignition and drains the battery. They try to jump start it with a generator that catches on fire. Jesse douses the fire with the last of their water. Walt finally relents and lets Jesse call Skinny Pete to pick them up. After waiting some time, Jesse calls him again and discovers that Pete is on the wrong road just as the phone battery runs out – and the gas lantern is finished too.

Bleakness forces Walt to remember that the generator can be slowly hand-cranked to create electricity. For the better part of a hot day, the guys take turns cranking that generator. Exhaustion also brings clarity to Jesse, who realizes that Walt’s painful coughing indicates that they are not cooking because of methylamine’s use-by date, which is a fallacy. Jesse briefly gets the engine to start, but it soon dies again before they can move. Outside in the desert, Walt coughs up blood and faces up to his own death.

Jesse won’t let this happen, however; he is the fighter who berates and prompts Walt to come up with a scientific solution: a series of battery cells made from the graphite in the brake pads and assorted loose change. Walt’s device works and they drive out.

Walt also has good news about his scan; his tumors have been reduced by 80%. The blob he saw on the scan and his coughing are caused by a non-life-threatening reaction to the radiation and can be easily remedied. The family, gathered in the doctor’s office and seated in chairs arranged like a home theater, is thrilled by this good news, and they share tears of joy. Later, alone in the hospital bathroom, Walt punches the paper towel dispenser in frustration.

Comments

Hopefully I’m not missing something obvious here, but I assume Walt is frustrated and punching the towel dispenser because he had completely accepted and been at peace with his impending death, and had provided for his family…only to find out that the struggle was going to continue indefinitely.

Those who want to see more about Skyler (count me in) might be a bit disappointed that a couple of episodes ago, she was dressing up for work with her old colleague, and that plot area has been completely dropped in the last couple of episodes.

Breaking Bad Quotes

Jesse: Yo, you wanna go shopping, go do it yourself, alright, I got plans.
Walt: Smoking marihuana, eating Cheetos, and masturbating do not constitute plans in my book!

Walt: You brought a meth lab to the airport.
Jesse: What! You said we were in a hurry; I saved us a trip.

Jesse: What are we building?
Walt: You said it yourself.
Jesse: A robot?
Walt: A battery.

2.08 Better Call Saul

Summary and spoilers

In an episode that could have been titled, “We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Badger”, Badger is arrested while selling meth to an undercover cop. It’s coincidental or convenient that the bench he is arrested near is adorned with an ad for flamboyant but effective criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. Saul takes the case and the money for his services are paid up front via money order made out to a separate company for tax purposes.

Hank is rattled by his experiences down south, but a visit and pep talk from Walt gets him back into the office, even though he is having to fight hard to control his stress levels. His first task is for he and Gomez to question Badger, the street dealer caught with Heisenberg’s blue meth.

Walt visits Saul to make payment and finds out that Badger has been visited by the DEA. Badger’s blue meth has been traced back to the mysterious Heisenberg. Saul is happy to share what he feels is good news ᾦquot; that Badger will walk if he tells the DEA about his supplier. But Walt is less happy; in a show of cold self-preservation, he offers Saul an additional 10 grand to ‘throw’ the case. Saul refuses; desperate, Walt and Jesse don those pom-pom ski masks and abduct Saul. At gunpoint, they demand that he continue to represent Badger, while at the same time promising not to let Badger give any information to the DEA. Walt’s coughing alerts Saul to the fact that he was in the office earlier. Soon, Walt and Jesse have both taken their masks off and agreed to work with Saul to solve their problems.

Saul has a plan; he will facilitate a paid professional jail term server that Badger can finger. The cost: 80 grand. Walt and Jesse have no alternative, and no other way to keep Badger out of jail.

Badger makes the drop and implicates the stooge. It all goes down perfectly, but Hank’s reaction after the bust reveals that he’s not convinced they captured the right guy. You can almost feel that he is close to linking Walt in this scenario.

Jesse’s hand-holding with Jane ended with love-making on sleeping bags on the bare floor. Afterward, Jane reveals she is a recovering druggie and has been clean for 18 months. Later, after the events of the day, Jesse returns to his apartment to find that a king-sized mattress has been delivered. Jane drops by; Jesse flips the mattress onto the floor, and he and Jane crash down onto it, squirming together and creating that special noise that only plastic covered material can make.

Saul’s PI has discovered Walt in his classroom at school. Saul visits Walt there, not to shake him down, but rather to offer his services as silent partner to help Walt to make ᾦquot; and keep ᾦquot; more money.

Comments

Walt notices that Skyler seems a little too dressed up for her end-of-quarter Saturday overtime work at Beneke. We only get to see Skyler heading off to work; we’ll have to wait until the next episode to find out what happened there.

Memorable Moments

• The shonky TV ad for Saul's legal services

Breaking Bad Quotes

Hank: Honey, I’m home!
Gomez: Got more lives than a damn cat.
Hank: Now if only I could learn to lick myself.

Jesse: Badger’s gonna spill?
Walt: Like the Exxon Valdez.

“So if you want to make more money and keep the money that you make…better call Saul!”
- Saul to Walt

2.07 Negro Y Azul

Summary and spoilers

Jesse is burying himself in bongs, avoiding contact with everyone (including Walt) and trying to forget the disturbing ATM death he just witnessed. Walt comes for a visit and, as usual, berates Jesse for being a lazy druggie. But when he hears the details of what happened, he backs off and takes over Jesse’s role as liaison with Badger and the other foot soldiers. Badger and Skinny Pete want to know if the street rumors are true: did Jesse really crush a guy’s head under an ATM? Walt neither confirms nor denies, at once seeing the value in letting these rumors fly. Back at Jesse’s place, Walt pumps Jesse up with stories about how he is now feared as a blowfish no one wants to cross. Walt encourages Jesse to expand the operation. Suitably inspired, Jesse fires up his troops to get more sub-dealers.

Maybe Jesse and Walt would think twice about this if they knew what we happening to Hank. In El Paso, Hank is seemingly the only guy in the department who doesn’t speak Spanish. He’s also not used to the way his co-detectives treat their local snitch Tortuga (The Tortoise) with such respect. On his first stakeout, things go terribly wrong: in the desert, Tortuga’s has been severed and attached to a real tortoise that is wandering around with ‘Welcome DEA’ painted on its shell. Seeing this, Hank has another of his panic attacks and stumbles back to the vehicle while the rest of the guys laugh at him and gather around the tortoise. Then the tortoise explodes, killing agents and scattering appendages; Hank is spared because he had moved away.

We’ve watched as Skyler has become extremely restless regarding her relationship with Walt. She’s now actively looking to get a job, partly because the bank account is dropping, but perhaps for other reasons as well. She applies for a data entry position at Beneke, a place where she worked before. Using speed of foot, she slips past a protective secretary and talks directly to the top ranking dude at Benke: Ted, a man whom she knows from her last stint there. Ted is also happy to see her, and offers her old job back. She takes it. Marie is appalled; years ago, Ted had groped Skyler at an office Christmas party while drunk. Skyler assures her that it was a one-off and Ted had apologized profusely. Besides, he’s married with two kids. It’s only after Skyler starts her first day of work that she learns that Ted is now divorced. Although both remain professional so far, there’s obviously some chemistry and vulnerability from both sides.

Jesse returns home with his new wall-mounted wide screen TV (stuck on Channel Search). He confides to Jane that his real name is Jesse Pinkman, not Jesse Jackson, then invites her in to watch. Sitting in lawn furniture, watching the bland search screen, Jane tentatively reaches over to hold Jesse’s hand.

Comments

Like the frank, depressing muses that followed Bravely Bold Sir Robin in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the episode opens with three black-clothed Mexicans strumming matching guitars and singing in Spanish (with subtitles) about a gringo called Heisenberg who is the new king of the drug trade in New Mexico, and how the drug cartels are about to express their unhappiness about this by killing him. Walt stands in the background, his body turned away from the strummers, looking out over the desert.

There’s an element of self-referential incredulousness between Jesse and Walt about the outrageousness of the ATM head-crushing script. Likewise, the way Walt and Jesse play both sides of Walt’s motivational blowfish speech momentarily ranks these two actors as one of the top comic teams. I hope they get a chance to do an encore.

Memorable Moments

• The surprise tortoise
• Walt’s hilarious motivational blowfish speech, and Jesse’s hilarious reactions to it

Breaking Bad Quotes

Walt: Look, I’m his father, alright?
Jane: You’re Mr. Jackson?
Walt: [pauses] Yes…that’s me.

Jesse: I didn’t say I killed him.
Walt: Tell me what happened!
Jesse: The dude’s wife crushed his head with an ATM machine.
Walt: Crushed his -
Jesse: Crushed his head with an ATM machine, right in front of me.

Walt: What have you heard?
Badger: Did Jesse really, uh, I mean, uh, did he really…squash that dude’s head with an ATM machine?
Walt: Who’s saying that?
Skinny Pete: Hell, man, it’s all over town! Everybody’s like, "Whoa, snap!" Usually I gotta chase dudes down for their money, but today, everybody’s paying up!
Other dealer: True that. Serious.
Badger: But like…he really did it?
Walt: [pauses] You didn’t hear that from me.

Walt: The game has changed. The word is out. And you are a killer.
Jesse: What are you talking about?
Walt: Apparently it’s all over town. Somebody crossed you; you got angry. You crushed their skull with an ATM machine.
Jesse: That’s not how it happened -
Walt: Who cares? Just as long as it’s our competitors who believe it and not the police.
Jesse: Oh, my -
Walt: No, don’t you see how great this is? Look, you, you are - Jesse, look at me. You…are a blowfish.
Jesse: What?
Walt: A blowfish – think about it. Small in stature, not swift, not cunning. Easy prey for predators, but the blowfish has a secret weapon, doesn’t he, doesn’t he? What does the blowfish do, Jesse? What does the blowfish do?
Jesse: I don’t even know what -
Walt: The blowfish puffs up, okay – the blowfish – puffs himself up four, five times larger than normal! And why? Why does he do that? So that it MAKES him intimidating, that’s why. Intimidating! So that the other, scarier fish are scared off. And that’s you – you are a blowfish. But you see it’s just all an illusion. It’s noting but air. Now…who messes with the blowfish, Jesse?
Jesse: Nobody.
Walt: You’re damn right.
Jesse: I’m a blowfish.
Walt: You are a blowfish. Say it again.
Jesse: I’m a blowfish.
Walt: Say it like you mean it.
Jesse: I’m a blowFISH!

Skyler: Speaking of riding desks…I got myself a job today.
Marie: You did not…as big as you are.

Walt Jr.: Mom got a job.
Walt: A job – why?
Skyler: Do I need to get out the checkbook and show you?
Walt: No…you think it’s a good idea in your condition?
Skyler: No, no, the doctor said I can work practically up until I go into labor. It’s just an office job; I’m just sitting on my butt.
Walt: Where?
Skyler: Beneke. I’m back working in the accounting department.
Walt: Skyler! What about the welding fumes? Isn’t that why you had to quit in the first place?
Skyler: Um, they’ve gone green since then. They have some kind of green…welding…or something. I didn’t smell anything while I was in there.

2.06 Peekaboo

Summary and spoilers

Jesse is following up Walt’s directive to ‘take care of it’: ‘it’ being the two junkies who stole an ounce from Skinny Pete at knife point. Jesse loads up his gun, smokes some meth to bolster his courage, and enters their graffiti-scrawled house. Whereas the outside of the house is run-down, the inside is shocking. Apart from being kept in a state of darkness preferred by junkies, there is stuff everywhere – ashtrays filled with cigarette butts, piles of scattered rubbish on the floor, half-empty bottles, and a feeling that, obviously, all the occupants care about is where they are going to get their next hit. All this would be depressing enough if the drug couple were the only occupants, but that isn’t the case; a skinny, dirty, cute little boy, no more than three, emerges from a back bedroom, turns on the television, and starts watching the Home Shopping Network while his spare hand loosely fiddles with the duct tape that is holding the lounge together. Jesse, sitting on the other end of the lounge and basically ignored by the boy, is shocked and saddened. When Jesse attempts to change the channel to a program more suitable for kids, he discovers there is only that one working channel. The boy quietly says, "I’m hungry," so Jesse makes the boy something to eat. When the couple returns, Jesse puts the boy back in his bed and tells him to stay there. He bashes the Mr. Spooch and holds he and the woman at gunpoint, demanding his ounce of meth and his money back. After many denials, they each pull some drugs out of their anal hiding places, although most of the meth is already gone – lost, or so they say. But Mr. Spooch has a better plan – he’s stolen an ATM in what he said was a victimless crime (although we see that the store clerk was killed during the robbery). Spooch moves the ATM inside the house and proceeds to bash at it for hours with a mallet, which has no effect. Distracted and tired, Jesse plays peekaboo with the boy, and is knocked out by the mom.

When Jesse comes to, he no longer has his gun. Spooch is now underneath the propped-up ATM, trying to drill through the supposed weak point. His lady wants some more meth, but he says she lost her share. When he calls her a skank one too many times, she pushes the ATM back, crushing his skull. She then removes the remaining meth from his pocket and collapses on the lounge, happy and out of it. Jesse examines the ATM; the door pops open and money pours out He pockets the money, calls 911 and leaves the phone off the hook, then takes the boy from the bedroom, telling him to cover his eyes (and saving him from seeing the dead man). He leaves the boy outside on the steps of the house, wrapped in a blanket, as the sirens draw nearer.

Walt is back teaching at school, under the watchful eye of Principal Carmen. The story Walt chooses to tell is focused around the element Carbon, and Tracy Hall, the man who invented the process for making synthetic diamonds. Walt says Hall was working for General Electric and made countless millions of dollars for the company. His reward? A ten dollar savings bond. Carmen watches as Walt gets a little emotional and dramatic at this point in the story, but it’s no surprise: this is Walt’s story with Gretchen and Elliot’s company, Gray Matter, except he didn’t even get the savings bond.

Speaking of Gray Matter, Gretchen calls, checking on Walt, and gets Skyler on the phone. When Skyler profusely thanks her for providing the money for Walt’s treatment, Gretchen doesn’t let on that she has not done so, and instead accepts an invitation to come around for a visit. The visit with Skyler is pleasant, but when Walt comes home, Gretchen suddenly has to leave. Walt walks her to her car, asking her not to tell anyone the secret, but Gretchen does not respond.

Later, Walt and Gretchen meet at a restaurant to discuss the matter. Walt apologizes for dragging Gretchen and Elliot into his lie, but for Gretchen, this is not enough. She wants to know why Walt did it and where the money is coming from. Walt says this is none of her business, that all she is owed is an apology. The anger from each of them stems from the past – when Walt ran out on Gretchen, and Gretchen and Elliot screwed Walt by using his research to make millions for their company. The meeting ends in anger, with nothing resolved. Later, at home, Skyler says that Gretchen called to say that she and Elliot will no longer be paying for Walt’s treatment. Walt partially admits to having met with Gretchen that afternoon (he says it was Gretchen and Elliot) and immediately involves them in another lie, telling Skyler that the reason they stopped paying is that Gray Matter is sliding down and they are broke. Skyler at first seems completely accepting of this reasoning, but then wonders aloud why Gretchen is still driving a Bentley.

Comments

Series creator Vince Gilligan co-write this sometimes achingly sad episode. The attention to detail in the meticulous squalor of the house of the two junkies is depressing enough, but, cleverly, we don’t know there is a child under their care until we’ve had a good long look at how sad their lives are. Immediately, their self-destruction moves from ‘pathetic’ to something approaching ‘evil’.

Memorable Moments

• Beetle-cam and fridge-cam

Breaking Bad Quotes

Walt: You know who might have done it?
Walt Jr.: I have no idea.
Walt: Well, here’s what I think: you I.D. him, and then together, you and I put a bag over their heads. We tie ‘em up, drive ‘em way out into the desert, strip ‘em naked, then bury them up to their necks in a huge mound of fire ants. Saw it in an old western. You with me?
Walt Jr.: Scorpions?
Walt: Scorpions are good! Yeah!.

Jesse: What the hell kind of mother are you?
Meth mom: Huh?
Jesse: How ‘bout you feed the kid a decent meal every now and then, huh? Give him a bath. Put some baby powder on him. Get him some decent TV to watch; I mean, what is that shit? Are you serious?
Meth mom: You give me one hit, and I’ll be any kind of mother that you want.

Gretchen: How can you say that to me? You walked away; you abandoned me – Elliot.
Walt: You rich girl – just adding to your millions.
Gretchen: I don’t even know what to say to you. I don’t even know where to begin. I feel so sorry for you, Walt.
Walt: Fuck you.

"Ain’t a skank."
- Meth mom (repeated line)

"You have a good rest of your life, kid."
- Jesse to little boy

2.05 Breakage

Summary and spoilers

Walt and Skyler’s relationship is still in a severely damaged state. Trust is gone and will not be restored until Walt tells all; this would, of course, cause other, perhaps even more serious issues. So instead, Walt goes to his chemo treatment alone, and when he tries to speak to Skyler about Walt Jr.’s whereabouts, tensions erupt and an argument ensues. Walt confronts Skyler about the empty cigarette pack he found in the toilet. Skyler admits to smoking a few cigarettes but says she tossed the rest. Walt is still, ironically, appalled, but Skyler says it isn’t a big deal.

Walt and Jesse’s relationship is changing as well. Jesse is no longer playing the role of the subservient student partner. He blames Walt and his greed/impatience for the situations with Tuco, and, not wanting a repeat, insists that the division of labor be made clear: Walt does the cooking, and Jesse does the selling. Jesse gets a new rental house, and a new (used) car, and settles his accounts with his brother in law. He lines up his druggie friends as resellers and keeps the operation clean: no drugs at his house; all anonymous drops, etc. Jesse is earning 6 grand a day, but still Walt is not satisfied. When he hears that Skinny Pete was held up by junkies and robbed of an ounce, he gives Jesse his gun back and says he wants him to ‘take care of it’.

Hank’s work at ‘apprehending’ Tuco has earned him a promotion to head a tri-state task force that will see him divide his time between Albuquerque and El Paso. Marie is not pleased with this; she sees El Paso as an armpit, not a city, and views it as a dangerous location on the Mexican border, where drug lords regularly deposit the heads of their enemies. Hank appears rapt on the outside, but he is suffering from nerves and at one point seems close to having a stroke/heart attack. He has gotten jumpy as well; one night, gunshots in his house have him stalking his garage with a gun and breathing heavily, but it’s only his home brew bottles exploding.

At a family barbecue, Skyler has had enough of Marie’s small talk and demands an apology. Perhaps Skyler sensed that Marie’s vulnerability in the face of Hank’s promotion to El Paso instead of Marie’s favored Washington D.C. was a good time to try to get a more favorable response. After the usual series of denials, Marie breaks down and sobs a sincere "I’m sorry".

In the opening scene, two fully-clothed men swim across a muddy river. When they reach the opposite bank, one of them finds Tuco’s bridge. This does not bode well for Hank; how did this happen? The real story is not nearly as bad as this would indicate; we find out much later that Hank tossed the bridge out into the muddy river, perhaps as a gesture of humility (in an effort to change his luck).

Comments

The theme of this episode is ‘relationships’: Walt/Skyler, Walt/Jesse, Hank/Marie, and Skyler/Marie. Each relationship is growing or dieing at different rates. Skyler and Marie have restored theirs; Walt and Jesse have stabilized; Walt and Skyler are spiralling downward; and Hank and Marie could go either way.

Memorable Moments

• The ‘toilet-cam’ shot as Walt uses a plunger to find Skyler’s discarded cigarette pack

Breaking Bad Quotes

Walt: [looking at invoice] I thought we discussed cash discount.
Woman at reception: Absolutely. It’s included.

"Dude, I got nowhere else to go. This is it. And I got no game, alright! I just need a chance. [pause] Look, my folks, they kicked me out, I’m a disappointment, apparently – I don’t meet their expectations, again, so, you know, now I’m person non gratis or whatever, but you know what? I’m a good person and I work hard. I’ll pay you every month, and I’ll pay you on time. I will not mess this up, okay, I swear."
- Jesse

Marie: So…let me get this straight. You call in sick the day after receiving a long-awaited, career-boosting promotion so you can play Oktoberfest in your man-cave. I don’t get it; really, I don’t.
Hank: Babe, relax.
Marie: Please don’t tell me to relax. You know I hate that. Dave said I should express that.

Walt: I don’t vote for this plan. I’m not comfortable bringing unknown entities into our operation.
Jesse: Yeah? Well you don’t get to vote.
Walt: I beg your pardon? This is a partnership, remember?
Jesse: I remem – oh, I remember. Yeah, you cook; I sell. That was the division of labor when we started all this. And that’s exactly how we should have kept it! ‘Cause I sure as hell didn’t find myself locked in a trunk or on my knees with a gun to my head before your greedy old ass came along, alright!
Walt: Alright, I will admit to a bit of a learning curve.

Skyler: Shh. Apologize.
Marie: What?
Skyler: I will not listen to one more word until you apologize.
Marie: For -
Skyler: You know perfectly well, Marie.
Marie: Obviously I don’t -
Skyler: Clear lies – to me – the shoplifting – all of it – I mean, did you really think it was all just neatly gonna go away?
Marie: Well, if you hadn’t tried to return it -
Skyler: Apologize! Now or never, I mean it, or it will never be the same!
Marie: [whispered] Why are you punishing me?
Skyler: If you don’t respect me enough to apologize, to tell me the truth [pause] I need my sister back.
Marie: [pause] [crying] I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

"You asked me what I want you to do. [puts gun on counter] I want you to handle it."
- Walt to Jesse

2.04 Down

Summary and spoilers

In the 1930s, the Hollywood movie industry self-imposed a strict censorship ‘Code’ as a way of avoiding outside censorship. Among many other rules, the Hollywood Code insisted that if a movie character did something immoral or against the law, that they would be punished for that transgression. This episode of Breaking Bad sees a revised version of the Code being applied to Walt and Jesse. They've done some bad things, and now its time for them to receive their punishment.

Jesse’s punishment is multi-staged and severe. His parents made an unannounced visit to his aunt’s house while he was out, and saw his meth lab in the basement. They instigate swift eviction proceedings; Jesse must be out in three days. Jesse calls Walt, trying to get half of the remaining money, but Walt is not interested in helping him and feels the remaining money is not to be shared. Jesse turns to his other friends, but they are either unwilling or unable to help. Things keep spiraling down; Jesse’s motorbike is stolen. With nowhere to turn, he breaks into the gated yard where his brother-in-law is keeping the RV, but he falls into a chemical toilet en route. Undetected, he gets in the RV and crashes on the floor, wearing a gas mask to cope with the residual meth chemicals and his own stench. In the morning, Jesse brother-in-law kicks him out at gunpoint, planning to sell the RV and the equipment inside. Jesse breaks back in and steals the RV.

Walt’s punishment is more subtle but in some ways even more severe. Walt has made it clear to Jesse that they cannot cook until Walt has mended bridges at home. He thinks he can accomplish this by doing thoughtful things like making breakfast and finding writing courses for Skyler. Walt continues to come up with supposedly logical reasons why Skyler thought she heard a second cell phone ring that fateful bath night. Skyler sees through Walt’s lies completely and begins her own campaign of escape and mental pressure, leaving the house unannounced and for long periods of time, while refusing to tell Walt where she is going. Eventually, Walt asks to speak to Skyler. He begins with another vague apology, but this time it isn’t enough. Skyler’s anger and frustration explode, and she demands to know what is going on. But Walt cannot tell her, and again feigns innocence. Skyler sees through it easily, and again she leaves.

As Skyler drives away, Walt is appalled to see that the RV is parked outside the house. Walt knocks on the RV door, enters, and confronts Jesse. There is a shouted argument as Jesse again demands the money and Walt berates him mercilessly, calling him a drug addict and idiot. Jesse finally snaps, and a vicious and brief fight ensues, with Jesse ending up on top, choking Walt and ready to beat him. Jesse suddenly rolls off. The two reach a truce and enter Walt’s house. Walt gives Jesse about half the money and then offers to make him breakfast.

In the end, we learn (although Walt does not) that Skyler really isn’t doing much on her outings – just staying away and perhaps smoking the occasional cigarette.

Comments

Do not take it on face value that Walt offering to make breakfast for Jesse means that his attitude toward him has changed. Remember, Walt also made lovely sandwiches for Krazy 8, and even cut the crusts off the bread, right up until the time he killed him.

This episode was directed byJohn Dahl, whose impressive credits include the films Red Rock West (1992) and Rounders (1998), and numerous episodes of television shows, including Battlestar Galactica, Californication, and Dexter.

Nits

It certainly was lucky for Jesse that the keys were in the RV, making it easy to steal. This is stretching credibility just a little.

Memorable Moments

• Skyler’s long period of quiet non-confrontation, culminating in her explosion of anger and frustration

Breaking Bad Quotes

Jesse’s Mom: You have two sets of keys, and the padlock to the garage. Leave them on the kitchen counter when you leave.
Jesse: No, mom, mom, mom! Where am I supposed to go?
Jesse’s Mom: I don’t know, sweetheart, but please: turn your life around.
Jesse: Yeah, yeah, this is gonna help big time with that. Bitch!

Walt Jr.: Morning.
Walt: Oh, yeah…morning.
Walt Jr.: Where – where did mom go?
Walt: Out.

Skyler: Okay, so talk, Walt! Shut up and say something that isn’t complete bullshit! You want to know what you have to do? You have to tell me what’s really going on, right now - today. No more excuses. No more apologies. No more of these obvious, desperate breakfasts! You don’t want to lose contact with me, Walt? Good. Then tell me…now!
Walt: Tell you what?

Jesse: Yo, I’m really sorry, okay?
Walt: What is wrong with you? Why are you blue?

2.03 Bit by a Dead Bee

Summary and spoilers

Walt and Jesse bury the gun that was used to shoot Tuco. They walk out across the desert and, eventually, reach a road. They split up by design, with Walt accepting a ride in a pickup truck, while Jesse staying behind to get home some other way. Walt turns up naked in a convenience store, again by design; when he is rescued, the story he tells is that he has no memory of what happened the last two days. The story backfires a bit when his doctors show grave concern and insist that he stay in hospital indefinitely for psychiatric observation. Walt cuts his stay short by confiding the truth – that he remembers everything that happened – to his psychologist in their first session. His memories, however, are of simply walking and hitchhiking, and do not involve shooting any drug dealers. His honesty is safe with the psychologist, who is bound by the rules of doctor/patient confidentiality, and it means Walt can leave the hospital after one more night.

While in the hospital, Walt finds out more about Hank’s shootout with Tuco. Walt is worried that Hank is getting closer and closer to knowing something about him. Truly, Hank is inching nearer to Walt’s trail. Toward the end of the episode, Hank muses on the connection between Krazy 8’s death, where a very pure meth was found, Tuco, where a very pure meth made with P2P was found, and the video of the ‘two stooges’ breaking into a warehouse to steal a barrel of P2P.

Hank is about to be crowned a hero by his peers for killing Tuco, but first he does have to face some hard question from his superiors about why he was there in the first place. He has all the right answers. His co-workers throw him a party with a cake and a special gift: Tuco’s diamond bridge. Later, Hank shows this gift to Walt, and Walt is almost sick on the spot.

Jesse and Badger wait for the cops to stop poking around the outside of his house, then get in quickly to move the meth lab equipment back into the RV, which is then towed away by Badger’s cousin.

Jesse and his girlfriend Wendy are busted by Hank and a DEA squad, dobbed in by Badger (as per Jesse’s instructions). Jesse is interrogated by Hank and Gomez. Jesse says he was in the hotel room partying for three days, and had no idea his car was stolen. Hank thinks Jesse knows who killed Tuco. Jesse’s girlfriend Wendy is also questioned, but she sticks to her story. Jesse believes he will be released until he hears a familiar bell sound from the hallway: Hank and Gomez have brought in Senior Salamanco, the wheelchair-bound elderly man that was there with Tuco. But Salamanco abides by the code that states that latino gangs should never help the FEDs, and refuses to admit that Jesse was at the house.

After a debrief from Jesse, Walt freaks about the stashed cash at his house. He sneaks out of the hotel and into his own house and moves the cash from the diaper box back into the wall vent.

Walt is happy to be back home, but Skyler seems ill at ease with the events of the past two days. She questions Walt about whether he has two cell phones, and accepts his answer that he has only one – but she seems almost resigned to the fact that he is still hiding much from her.

Comments

If you’re looking for a moral upside to this series, you can latch onto the fact that Walt and Jesse have now killed three drug dealers further up the chain than themselves.

Breaking Bad is fond of using ‘reverse perspective’ camera angles (for example, in the premiere episode, when Walt is drying money in the dryer, we see the view from inside the dryer looking out). Here, we get ‘shovel cam’: a ground-up perspective as Walt and Jesse scratch out a desert grave for their gun.

Quotable Quotes

"I mean, he was naked, naked in a supermarket. It wasn’t Whole Foods, was it?"
- Marie

"I think you know who Tuco Salamanco was. I think your car was there ‘cause you were there. Tuco had a bullet in him when I got there, and I think you know somethin’ about that too."
- Hank to Jesse

Walt: Look, doctor, I feel fine, really. If this is truly necessary, can’t I continue as an outpatient?
Psychologist: Walt, a fugue state is a very serious event. What if you were to disassociate when you were driving? What if you were to get into a situation where you could be shot by the police?

Psychologist: Why run away? What did you feel you had to run from?
Walt: Doctor, my wife is seven months pregnant with a baby we didn’t intend. My fifteen year old son has cerebral palsy. I am an extremely overqualified high school chemistry teacher. When I can work, I make 43,700 dollars per year. I have watched all of my colleagues and friends surpass me in every way imaginable, and within eighteen months, I will be dead. And you ask why I ran?

Jesse: You still want to cook – seriously?
Walt: What’s changed, Jesse?

"Uh…say, honey, uh…I was just thinking about going out to 7-11. Do you…need anything? Big gulp? Slim Jim?"
- Walt, naked again

2.02 Grilled

Summary and spoilers

Skyler fears that Walt may have committed suicide; he disappeared from the house, obviously distraught, and there is no sign of foul play. Hank pulls himself away from the manhunt for Tuco to manhunt for Walt. Also called in is a detective friend of Hank’s; he comes to the house and interviews Skyler. He’s very thorough, but Skyler is impatient with being asked for clues when she was kind of hoping that the detectives would find the clues.

Tuco has taken Walt and Jesse to a small, isolated house in the desert, where an old, catatonic, wheelchair-ridden man named Hector lives. Hector is related to Tuco in some way, and Tuco alternates between taking care of the man and screaming at him. Walt and Jesse are badgered, and Jesse’s life is threatened, but Tuco still sees some value in them (especially Walt). Tuco’s plan is to take them as virtual prisoners to Mexico, where they can cook all day and all night. They have no choice but to go along with this. Tuco says his cousins will be there by sunset to smuggle them in a truck; he prepares some food to give them strength for the long journey.

Tuco is on the run; his place of business was raided by the DEA. Tuco has assumed that Gonzo (the big guy who got crushed underneath the car stack) was the snitch; he doesn’t know that Gonzo is dead. When a news story about Gonzo’s death plays on TV, Walt changes the channel. Hector, who isn’t as out of it as he appears, notices this. He also notices when Walt spikes Tuco’s burrito with the poison meth. Hector, who can only ring a bell to communicate, saves Tuco’s life by demanding the burrito. Tuco thinks this is because it is larger. When Hector gets the burrito, he summons all his minimal strength to fling it off the table, eliciting a vicious response from Tuco.

Walt Jr. prints ‘missing’ posters on the home printer, unaware that just below the desk is a diaper box with wads of cash and a gun. Skyler and Marie have formed a truce; they distribute the posters as fast as Walt Jr. can print them.

Tuco has finally started to ‘listen’ to Hector. He interrogates him, and through a series of yes and no bell noises, realizes Hector believes that Hank and Walt are lieing. Tuco goes mad, dragging Jesse outside and beginning the process of beating him to death. Walt stops this carnage temporarily with the only weapon he has available: shock. He admits to Tuco that he and Jesse had tried to poison him. Tuco loses concentration for a moment; Jesse smashes him with a rock, and in the ensuing fight, Jesse grabs Tuco’s gun and shoots him in the chest. They then dump him in a hole to let him bleed to death. Walt and Jesse prepare to make their escape, but the keys are not in Jesse’s car, and there’s another problem; another car is approaching. They slink away to hide and watch, assuming this car contains Tuco’s cousins, but it’s Hank; looking for clues about Walt, he has tracked Jesse’s car to this location. Walt and

Hank arrives, expecting to find Jesse, but instead, he ends up in a machine gunfight with Tuco. Hank avoids numerous bullets and kills Tuco with one well-placed shot, while Walt and Jesse watch in disbelief, cowering, then take off and run, still undetected, through the desert.

Comments

Hank may be a wanker in the world of social skills, but he’s a very good cop. Despite being outgunned by an automatic-weapon-wielding drug-dealer, he still manages to win the shootout. And he’s poised throughout.

What was the small device that Hank quickly found and removed from the wheel well of Hank’s car? Should we assume it was a tracking device planted earlier by Hank? And that brings up an interesting theory that I can’t believe I had ignored. Let’s go back to episode one of the series. Hank raids a meth lab and Jesse escapes out a second floor window. Jesse is implicated as the snitch. Now Tuco has been raided. Is Jesse still the snitch? Has Jesse been feeding information to Hank? And has Jesse also implicated Walt?

Nits

Jesse has been kicked around plenty during the course of the series, but his quick recovery after being pounded and tossed around like a rag doll by Tuco is nothing short of miraculous. He should be quite groggy at this point, with a serious concussion, but he just jumps up and gets in the car.

Memorable Moments

• Tuco and the motor on the lo-rider both die in the desert, side by side, at about the same moment
• As Hank stands above the dead body of Tuco, he hears Hector’s bell chime three times

Quotable Quotes

"So…study the face, study the file, get a big old raging hard-on at the idea of catching this piece of shit! Oh – my apologies to the HR Department. ‘Grow tumescent with anticipation’."
- Hank

Detective: Anything else you can think of?
Skyler: Anything else…um, I called the credit card providers, and there’s no report of any, um, recent activity. I checked with every hospital within 50 miles, every police station, every morgue. So, no, I really don’t, I don’t have anything else. I was actually hoping that you had something else, being that you’re the expert. [pause] I’m – I’m sorry.

Walt: No, no no NO no – I need him, Tuco. I need him very, very badly. He’s my partner. And if he doesn’t go, I don’t go.
Tuco: I’ll tell you this: my cousins are driving up here right now to smuggle us back down – they’re gonna be here by sunset, and you’re gonna be on that truck, or you’re gonna be DEAD! [turns to Jesse] And you – you’d better hope they’ve got room in the trunk.

Walt: How was I supposed to know you were chauffeuring Tuco to my doorstep?
Jesse: Well, at least he wants you alive.

2.01 Seven Thirty-Seven

Summary and spoilers

This episode picks up exactly where the last episode of season one left off: Walt and Jesse have been deeply shaken by watching Tuco brutally beat one of his sidekicks merely because the guy spoke out of turn. Walt recovers quickly and calculates the amount of money he needs (737 thousand dollars) and the time it will take to get it (11 weeks of drug deals at one big deal a week). As the guys drive away, Tuco returns and tosses his beaten and now dying sidekick out of his SUV, yelling at Walt to do something. Walt tries some half-hearted CPR, but it is way too late, and the guy dies. After a few evil stares, Tuco pushes Jesse to the ground and says they can go. They leave as Tuco’s other homey provides a makeshift grave for the dead guy under a pile of junked cars.

Jesse is past scared now. He buys a gun and tells Walt of his plan to shoot Tuco. Walt grills Jesse for specifics and shoots huge holes in the plan, assuring Jesse it will never work. He has a better idea: to use castor beans to manufacture a poison called ricin, a poison so powerful that a miniscule amount can kill a man within 48 hours, and totally undetectable, so they will not be implicated. Walt and Jesse cook the beans and produce a small bag of ricin in powder form. Their new plan is to mix it with a small amount of meth, pass it off as a new blend they want Tuco to try, and then wait to hear the good news.

Marie is still partially in denial about her kleptomania; she’s avoiding her therapy sessions, despite prodding from Hank. Skyler is still angry at Marie and refuses to answer her calls. Hank visits Skyler, attempting to re-start a dialogue between the sisters, but he does little to further his argument when he admits to knowing that Marie had stolen the tiara and had kept this a secret from the family.

Hank appears to be on an inevitable path to discovery that his brother- in-law is cooking. Now he has seen video evidence of Walt and Jesse’s break-in to steal methylamine. Later, he’s at the crime scene where not one but both of Tuco sidekicks are dead. Hank sends a cell phone photo of this crime scene to Walt, just as a joke. When Walt and Jesse see the photo, the assume Tuco killed both men and that he is definitely coming for them next. Walt takes Jesse’s gun and heads for home, suggesting to Jesse that he leave town. Jesse grabs his cash stash and gets ready to flee.

Later, Hank discovers that the second man died from natural causes when the car stack collapsed on him, so perhaps Walt and Jesse did not need to panic (although they do not know that).

Walt arrives home to find Skyler in the bath and Walt Jr. having dinner at a friend’s house. Skyler presses the silent, stressed Walt to talk to her. He seems poised to do so when he hears a sound and sees Jesse’s idling outside. When he walks up to the car to berate Jesse for coming there, he is ordered to get in by the gun-wielding Tuco, who is crouched down in the back seat. Walt complies, and the three of them drive away together.

Comments

This episode was directed by Bryan Cranston.

It may have seemed obvious from the start, but Walt’s original plan to make money by cooking meth as a way of protecting his family from financial hardship was also riddled with holes. It seems there is no way to partially and safely enter the drug arena without endangering yourself and your family. Walt is now unraveling, his relationship with Skyler is deteriorating fast, and the stress he is under is not going to help his health issues.

Hank makes a passing reference to a rival drug gang. This could be who has been watching and calling Hank and Jesse.

When Walt is last at his house, he removes all the cash from the wall vent and places it and his gun in a diaper box – then forgets to hide the box, leaving it askew in full view. I wonder if Walt Jr. or Skyler will find it.

As Walt mentioned, ricin, a poison extracted from castor beans, is a lethal and virtually undetectable poison. In 1978, the Bulgarian secret police used an umbrella to deliver a tiny pellet of ricin into the leg of dissident Georgi Markov, who died in hospital a few days later. It is believed that the KGB supplied the Bulgarians with the technology for this assassination.

Memorable Moments

• Walt returning his night-time companion, a big kitchen knife, back to the knife rack

Quotable Quotes

Tuco: Get rid of him.
Henchman: But, Tuco, we can’t do him like that, man. Buzzards and rats and all that. [pause] Um, I’m just saying, you know. It’s not very Christian.
Tuco: This sounds like arguing

"How can you suggest that we kill a man, and you can’t even open the gun?"
- Walt to Jesse

Walt: I got a better idea.
Jesse: Thank god! Alright, what is it, Mr. White. Lay it on me.
Walt: Beans.
Jesse: Beans.
Walt: Castor beans.
Jesse: So what are we gonna do with them? Are we just gonna grow a magic bean stalk, huh, climb it, and escape?
Walt: We are going to process them into ricin [note: pronounced ‘rice-in’].
Jesse: Ricin beans.

Season 2 Intro Minisodes

As the ultimate hook into season two of Breaking Bad, the creators released six short minisodes for free distribution on the internet. Click here to view the minisodes at amctv.com.

Good Cop Bad Cop

It’s Valentine’s Day: Hank and Marie try to spice things up in the bedroom with a little cop/perp role play, but the passion ends when Marie gets frustrated with Hank’s insistence on due process.

Wedding Day

It’s Hank and Marie’s wedding day, but Hank confides to Walt that he can’t go through with it because he had sex 4 ½ hours ago.

TwaughtHammer

Jesse Pinkman presents and stars in a mini-rockumentary about his Albuquerque-based alt-emo-thrash-metal band, Twaughthammer, where they divide their time equally between making music and infighting.

"Fallacies" by TwaughtHammer

Jesse’s alt-emo-thrash-metal band, Twaughthammer, plays their ‘hit’ song, ‘Fallacies’.

Marie's Confession

Marie vlogs her private thoughts on America’s inferiority complex and the unexpected comfort of Madonna’s cone-bra.

The Break-In

Wearing his pom-pom adorned ski mask of choice, Walt prepares to break into a house and steal back a money-filled vacuum cleaner sold during a Skyler yard sale. Walt’s lock-picking helper is the talkative Badger.

Quotable Quotes

(from Good Cop Bad Cop)
Hank: I have the right to remain silent. Just say, "You have the right to remain silent -
Marie: Oh, Jesus – for God’s sake, Hank!
Hank: I’m just saying, I got rights, you gotta Mirandize!

(from Wedding Day)
Hank: I was not looking for it, but I made a love connection.
Walt: What does that mean?
Hank: Mouth love, if you get my drift. BJ and the Bear…minus the bear. Like baby, will you blow my skin flute -
Walt: I get it!

(from "Fallacies" by Twaughthammer)
 "At the crystal palace where I try to make my stand,
My girls all call you Yoko, say you’re gonna kill the band."
- ‘Fallacies’ by Twaughthammer

(from Marie’s Confession)
 "If you have found this tape, that means you have been in my shoe closet, which I expressly asked you not to do."
- Marie

(from The Break-In)
Walt: So your thinking was that I would have a lock pick up my ass, is that right?
Badger: You don’t?

1.07 A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal

(This is the final episode of season one)

Summary and spoilers

At a school/police meeting to discuss the missing lab equipment, Walt loses concentration (the police have no leads and are still investigating). Walt’s hand wanders down between Skyler’s thighs, and she resists at first and then responds. They consummate their passion in the car after the meeting.

Walt visits the recovering Jesse, who is in the process of selling his house (which he says is haunted) and is now living in the RV. Walt puts about 32 grand in cash in Jesse’s hand, but Jesse is still upset that Walt made a deal with Tuco. Jesse also has bad news; Walt should not have made a deal to supply 2 pounds of meth a week, because Jesse cannot get enough over the counter ‘pseudo’ to make more than half a pound a week.

Walt and Skyler’s consultation with the doctor is anticlimactic. He says Walt’s ‘friskiness’ may not be a sign that the chemo is working, and he won’t know until the round is over and he can do another cat scan.

Walt and Jesse meet with Tuco at a car junkyard. Tuco is unhappy at only getting half a pound instead of the promised two pounds. He pays for the half pound, but Walt pushes him for all the money, in advance, as a capital investment. Tuco gives in for the most part, giving Walt 52 grand and the rest as a loan with interest to be paid back; then Walt promises 4 pounds. Jesse wonders how Walt is going to get enough pseudo to make that much.

At the baby shower for Holly (formerly Esmeralda), Walt gives a nice speech to the coming arrival, telling her that she will always have a family who loves her. Marie’s gift is a sparkly, diamond-encrusted tiara. Walt Jr. films the event and mixes in a little voyeuristic cleavage shots. Hank asks Walt for something stronger than beer; alone, Hank pulls out a couple of his illegal Cuban cigars and they discuss why the illegal things are better. After the party, Walt tells Skyler that he’s interested in the alternative therapy of a sweat lodge that takes place over a weekend. Skyler is thrilled. Of course, Walt is going to use the time to cook.

There’s just one problem – Jesse has been unable to get a key ingredient. But Walt decides they can break into a chemical warehouse and get it, using his skills to create an explosive that can cut through the serious security doors on the place.

When Skyler tries to return the tiara to the jewelry store, she is arrested, as it is a stolen item. Held in the manager’s office, Skyler threatens to tell the media that she, a pregnant woman, was held with no evidence. She then fakes going into labor. Skyler is released, and she immediately calls Marie – but gets her answering machine.

Wearing stylish ski masks with pom-poms, Walt and Jesse lock the guard in a portajohn and steal the chemical they need. The RV won’t start, so they move the lab to the basement of Jesse’s house, unaware that an open house is planned for later that day.

Skyler confronts Marie about shoplifting. Marie denies everything.

Walt returns home, exhausted, and collapses in a chair. Skyler brings him a yummy drink and asks about the sweat lodge. She asks about Walt’s strange smell – he says it is sacred Navajo herbs. Skyler tells Walt about Marie’s kleptomania.

Walt and Jesse deliver the meth to Tuco. Tuco hands over all the cash easily, and the meeting goes well for the two cookers, but not so for one of Tuco’s gang, who makes the mistake of speaking out of turn, and is beaten unconscious by Tuco.

Comments

The theme of the show is ‘the desirability of illegality.’ Walt, Marie, and Hank all dabble to different degrees in illegal activities, while Tuco wallows in the illegal. There is a half-hearted attempt to draw parallels between Hank’s possession of illegal Cuban cigars and Walt’s bulk manufacture of a dangerous drug.

Raymond Cruz (Tuco) deserves mention for his over-the-top yet believable performance as a crazed drug lord.

For those who don’t know, ‘pseudo’ is short for pseudo ephedrine, over the counter cold medication that forms the main ingredient in crystal meth.

Memorable Moments

• The priceless look on Walt and Jesse’s faces when they realize that they are stuck in a no-expiry-date business relationship with one of most violent and insane drug dealers in the world

Quotable Quotes

Skyler: (after making love in the car) Where did that come from? And why was it so good?
Walt: Because it was illegal.

Walt: This is the first day of the rest of your life, but what kind of life will it be, huh? Will it be a life of fear, of ‘oh, no, no, no, I can’t do this’, of never once believing in yourself, huh?
Jesse: I don’t know!

Jesse: How much cash do you need?
Walt: More.

Walt: What would you do if it were me?
Skyler: What do you mean, if it were you?
Walt: If it were me [engaging in illegal activity], what would you do? Would you divorce me, would you…turn me into the police?
Skyler: You don’t want to find out.

1.06 Crazy Handful of Nothin’

Summary and spoilers

At the same time as Walt is laying down the new law to Jesse, telling him that he will do the cooking while Jesse handles the street side of things, and that there will be no more violence, we are flashing forward to what appears to be the aftermath of a bikie rumble, where an almost-bald Walt walks slowly away from the scene, bleeding from the nose.

Later, Walt is in a comfy chair alongside others, all getting their chemo drips. He assures Skyler that he got and deposited a check from Elliott.

At school, it’s painful to watch Walt trying to expend energy in teaching while he is suffering the effects of the chemo.

At a therapy session, Skyler and Walt Jr. confront Walt about where he is spending his afternoons, and why he is coming home late. Walt says he likes to be alone, go for walks, and enjoy nature. Of course, he’s not enjoying nature, except that which he can see from the desert-parked Winnebago as he cooks meth. But his health issues are starting to interfere with his batch-making. Jesse identifies the radiation target mark on Walt’s chest and realizes he has cancer. Walt is unable to continue cooking, but he believes in Jesse, telling him to take over and finish the job. Jesse doesn’t look so sure.

Hank and Gomez have identified that a piece of lab equipment found near the Winnebago site came from Walt’s school.

In a montage of quick edits, we see Jesse frequenting a series of seedy places and selling small quantities of meth to seedy meth users. When he returns to the lab, Walt is unhappy with the total cash haul of 2600 dollars. Walt says they need to move meth in bulk and to think outside the box. Jesse says he does know a distributor, but that he cannot just approach the guy without a referral.

Walt’s ongoing chemo treatments are continuing to make him sick at school. He isn’t cheered up by a visit from Hank. Hank has the gas mask found at the desert cook site and wants some help from Walt. Walt also finds out from Hank that there was a snitch involved (and possibly suspects Jesse?). Hank discovers all the missing items that Walt took to start the lab, but does not yet see Walt as a suspect, preferring to think that a student borrowed the store room keys.

Jesse has found a buddy, Skinny Pete, that will take him in to see the new distributor, Tuco. Tuco likes the meth very much and agrees to a deal, but he wants to take the meth on consignment – without giving Jesse any money up front. When Jesse tries to take the meth back, he is beaten until he is bleeding from the mouth.

Hank arrives one morning at Walt’s school and arrests Hugo, the janitor who had shown true compassion towards a sick cancer patient named Walt. Hank mentions something about a background check. It hurts Walt to have to watch someone else take the blame for his crimes, but it doesn’t hurt enough for him to do anything about it.

Walt is trying to find Jesse but only gets his answering machine message.

A family card game allows Hank to explain more about why Hugo was arrested (he had a record), and to say that he was not the person who stole the lab equipment. Hank and Walt also mirror their real-world cat and mouse game by ending up head to head in a poker hand, and Walt bluffs Hank and wins. The victory is short-lived for Walt, as he discovers later in the shower that his hair loss has begun. Later, he tries to beat the slow thinning by shaving completely.

Walt makes another call to Jesse and tracks him to a hospital, where he lies unconscious, being watched by his ‘friend’ Skinny Pete. Walt grills Pete about Tuco.

Skinhead Walt arrives at Tuco’s, and is able to gain entry to the compound. Walt asks for 50 grand – 35 grand for the pound of meth Tuco already took, and 15 grand for his partner’s pain and suffering. Tuco has no intention of doing any of that, but Walt has a little surprise – the bag of meth-looking crystals he brought is an exploding compound called fulminated mercury, and when he throws a single crystal, it causes a major explosion. Walt grabs the bag and threatens to use it all unless a deal can be made. Tuco agrees to buy two more pounds of meth. Back in his car, Walt celebrates with a throaty roar that only a brush with death can bring.

Comments

The show’s delay/moratorium on selling meth has now been fully lifted, with Walt and Jesse sellng small and large batches as fast as they can make them. So any semblance of morality has also been fully lifted.

With Walt’s chemical expertise and lack of moral fiber, he could make money a lot of ways – such as by supplying home-made explosives to terrorist groups.

Nits

As Walt was leaving Tuco’s, I thought he would get a bullet in the back. This would have been a safe way for Tuco to dispose of him and get his money back. Sure, you say, but Tuco wanted those next 2 pounds of meth. True, but Tuco also stole the first batch of meth with no regard for the opportunity to set up a supply deal with Jesse.

According to Anne Marie’s Chemistry Blog, fulminated mercury would not look like glassy crystals the way it was portrayed in this episode – it is a grayish-brown powder. And it sounds like Anne Marie knows what she’s talking about.

Memorable Moments

• Walt’s chemically-laden orange urine
• Tuco’s maniacal mannerisms

Quotable Quotes

Walt: Yes, yes! That’s what we need, we need a distributor. Now - do you know anyone like that?
Jesse: Yeah, I mean I used to, until you killed him!

"Damn! Chick’s got an ass like an onion…makes me wanna cry."
- Hank

Tuco: It’s your meeting! Why don’t you start talking and tell me what you want!
Walt: 50 thousand dollars,
Tuco (laughs) Oh, man! 50 Gs? How you figure that?
Walt: 35 for the pound of meth you stole, and another 15 for my partner’s pain and suffering.

1.05 Gray Matter

Summary and spoilers

Jesse’s all dressed up to interview for what he thinks is a sales position, but it’s actually a job where he would dance as a big wavy dollar bill and entice people to save by spinning a big red ‘savings’ arrow around. His old drug friend Badger is spinning the arrow successfully. Badger accosts him as Jesse leaves the unsuccessful interview and tries to convince Jess to start cooking some more of that fantastic crystal again. But Jesse says his ex-cooking partner was an asshole. Badger offers to partner up instead, and the initially uninterested Jesse changes his mind and goes for it after not being able to face more interviews.

Walt and Skyler are attending the upscale party for birthday boy Elliott and his partner Gretchen. Elliott just recently secured a scientific patent for his very successful company, and he invites Walt to work for him. Elliott wants Walt’s fresh eyes and expertise, and Walt wants Elliott’s health plan – but he grows suspicious when Elliott stresses this job benefit. Walt confronts Skyler; she did tell Elliott about Walt’s condition. Walt turns down the job offer and Elliott’s subsequent offer to pay for Walt’s treatments.

Jesse and Badger cook – well, Jesse cooks and Badger clowns around. The end product is probably smokable but it is cloudy and no longer up to the new-found standards that Walt has instilled into Jesse. Jesse dumps the batch and vows to start over while Badger picks up crystals and blows on them to clean them off. When Jesse gets ready to dump the third straight batch, Badger has had enough. He attacks Jesse, but Jesse is able to kick him out of the Winnebago and drive away, stranding him.

Walt Jr. gets arrested for trying to get someone to buy alcohol for a minor. He calls Hank instead of his father to come pick him up. Hank is not happy about being called, but he does the fatherly thing and takes Walt Jr. home. This gives Skyler a chance to straighten out that earlier misunderstanding about Walt Jr. smoking pot (Skyler explains it was Walt, not Walt Jr.). Skyler also suggests that Walt be the focus of an intervention (although she’s more comfortable referring to it as a ‘family meeting’.

When Walt finally arrives home, he is invited into the lounge to join Skyler, Walt Jr., Marie, and Hank. Skyler speaks first and asks Walt to accept Elliott’s offer because it is in the best interest of the family. Hank says take the money and run, but he uses so many cliches that no one can tell what he’s talking about. Walt Jr. expresses anger that Walt is afraid of chemo, after all he has had to go through. Then Marie messes up Skyler’s plan by saying she thinks Walt should do what he wants. When Skyler objects to this reasoning, Marie expands, saying that as a health care professional, she sees unhappy people being prodded by doctors until their last breath. Those people, she said, are there because their families convinced them to do it. Hank now is compelled to change his mind and agree with Marie, which causes Skyler to go off. She doesn’t want to lose her husband. An all-out shouting match ensues, silenced by a sudden Walt whistle. Walt then gets his chance to eloquently explain why he has chosen to maintain his dignity and not have the treatment.

In the morning, Walt has acquiesced and tells Skyler he will have the treatment, and, later that day, he begins.

Still later, Walt receives a call from Gretchen urging him to take the money for the treatment. When Walt again refuses, Gretchen asks if his refusal has to do with ‘them’, indicating that they have a past. Walt diffuses that suggestion, instead lieing and saying that his insurance is covering everything. He then gets out of the car and asks Jesse, ‘Want to cook?"

Comments

The majority of this episode is taken up with the misadventures of Jesse and Badger, and Walt’s intervention.

It looks like Walt is happier feeling he has some control of his life by cooking meth. There’s no charity and no past relationships to cloud the issue, just his expertise with chemicals and those teeny twin problems: it’s illegal and immoral.

Memorable Moments

• There’s a nice time-lapse sky sequence used to indicate the passage of time as Jesse and Badger cook
• Walt’s moving soliloquy as he explains his reasons for choosing not to have treatment

Quotable Quotes

"Not yet – please – I have the talking pillow."
- Skyler to Walt at the intervention

"Skyler, you’ve read the statistics, you’ve – these doctors talking about ‘surviving’ - one year, two years, like it’s the only thing that matters. But what good is it to just survive if I am too sick to work, to enjoy a meal, to make love. For what time I have left, I want to live in my own house. I want to sleep in my own bed. I don’t want to choke down 30 or 40 pills every single day and lose my hair, and lie around, too tired to get up, and so nauseated that I can’t even move my head. You – cleaning up after me. Me, what a…some dead man, some artificially alive, just marking time? No, no. And that’s how you would remember me. That’s the worst part. So that is my thought process, Skyler. I’m sorry. I just - I choose not to do it."
- Walt