3.05 Mas

Summary and spoilers

A long time ago, Walt gave Jesse a wad of cash and entrusted him to buy an RV. Jesse promptly spent most of the cash on a stripper party, and then used what little was remaining to ‘buy’ a stolen RV.

Skyler is at Ted’s house again, raving about the heated tile floor in the bathroom. (Having just recently experienced this myself at a ski resort, I can totally relate).

Why is Walt in the closet of his room? He is having a cell phone argument with Jesse. Jesse thinks Walt went behind his back and sabotaged his deal with Gus, getting himself half of the money. Walt swears he knew nothing, and promises to get to the bottom of things, but there is not trust between these two.

Hank has turned down a career-building stint in El Paso to prowl campgrounds for his prized RV kitchen. Deep into the night, he has found one that matches, at least externally. With no way to get in, Gomez suggests they call it a night and return with a search warrant, but Hank thinks he’s onto something. He climbs on top and peers in, serious startling an innocent old couple in their underwear playing cards.

Hank is able to smooth things over by the morning, but when he suggests to Gomez that they check out a few more, Gomez says he has to go home to pack for Texas – he has gotten the El Paso job. Back at home, there was tension between Hank and Marie. She’s found out that he is not going to El Paso and that Gomez is. Her attempt to talk to Hank about his feelings end up with him yelling and her walking away, with little chance she will try that again.

Later, Marie tells Skyler about her lack of communication with Hank, about how the El Paso job is dividing them. Listening to Marie describing how Hank has changed after he faced his own death makes Skyler think a bit about how much Walt has changed after a similar experience. She still sleeps with Ted, but she begins to wean herself off the heated floor tiles by placing a towel between them and her feet.

Walt has a face to face with Gus about why he has entrusted Jesse to produce an inferior product. Walt believes that Gus is trying to lure him back in, and Gus plays along, apologizing for doing so. Gus takes Walt to a hidden underground, brand spanking new meth lab – large, clean, and shiny. Walt is more than impressed with this safe, sparkling spectacle.

Walt, Skyler, and Walt Jr. share a quiet but pleasant dinner. Walt Jr. excuses himself, leaving his parents to contemplate recent development in each of their lives. The baby cries, breaking this silent reverie. Skyler sees the longing in Walt’s eyes and invites him to hold her, and then she slips away. This is all she can do for now.

Later, Skyler confides to her lawyer that she is sleeping with her boss. She says this is the only action she can take, the only thing that keeps her alive. After Skyler mentions that there is a big bag of drug money in the house, and seems to be asking the lawyer for permission to spend it, the lawyer comes down hard on her, telling her she should get out of the house and away from Walt before she and her children are also implicated as accessories to a crime.

Skyler returns home to find the money missing and the divorce papers signed.

Hank takes a short break from his dogged RV investigation to wish Gomez all the best. Hank can barely raise his eyes or look Gomez in the face.

Saul has set up a meeting between Jesse and Walt. Jesse’s deal is to pay Walt 10 percent of everything Jesse makes. But Walt has a little big surprise. First, he gives Jesse that half of the money from the last deal, so that he owes nothing. Then he informs Jesse that he is back cooking and Jesse is out. After Saul grovels all over Walt to get the rights to launder the 3 mil that will be made in 3 months, Walt warns Jesse not to cook using his formula. Jesse stalks out in anger and throws a big brick onto Walt’s windshield.

Hank has tracked down the original owner of Walt and Jesse’s RV – Combo’s parents. Combo’s mom tells Hank why she never reported the RV stolen – so her son would never get arrested. As Hank examines Combo’s shrine, he comes across a photo of Combo and Jesse, posing beneath a stripper’s breasts.

Comments

Strike those thoughts I had after the previous episode about any jumping of sharks, as this episode is top shelf, with a number of moving, highly emotional scenes that balance well with the arc of Hank’s relentless investigation.

The scene where Skyler invites Walt to hold the baby was very moving and brought me close to tears. I thought just before the baby started crying that Walt was about to tell Skyler about his new job opportunity.

Likewise the scene were Gus convinces Walt to cook again is a wondrous study of a man knowing more about another man than that man knows about himself.

Finally, the confrontation between Walt and Jesse, in the gluttonous darkness of Saul office, is perhaps one of the best scenes these two have played together. Walt is quiet, controlled, and ultra-confident. This is a man who has stared death in the face and defeated it, and he has little to fear.

Breaking Bad Quotes

"When you have children, you will always have family. They will always be your priority, your responsibility. And a man…a man provides. And he does it even when he is not appreciated – or respected…or even loved. He simply bears up and he does it…because he’s a man."
- Gus to Walt

"You wanna take her?"
- Skyler, inviting Walt to hold the baby and come back into the relationship

"And this man that I’m seeing, you know – as wrong as I know it is, as much as I know I’m probably doing it just to make Walt leave me, it is the only thing in my day where I don’t feel…like I’m..drowning."
- Skyler

Skyler: I didn’t marry a criminal.
Lawyer: Well, you’re married to one now.

Jesse: Do you think this will me from cooking?
Walt: Cook whatever you like, as long as it’s that ridiculous ‘Chili P’ or some other drek. But don’t even think about using my formula.
Jesse: Just try and stop me…bitch.