3.02 Caballo sin nombre

Summary and spoilers

A storm is brewing over the desert as Walt drives along, grooving to A Horse With No Name. His enjoyment is interrupted by a highway patrolman who pulls him over and gives his a ticket for driving with a damaged windshield. The cop doesn’t care that the damage was caused by debris from Flight 515. When Walt argues vehemently and refuses to back away, the cop sprays his eyes with pepper spray, causing much pain and swelling to Walt.

Hank is on the case of the torched illegal carrier; he suspects that a drug cartel is involved, and he wants to know why they did it on the US side of the DMZ.

Jesse stops by his parent’s place, hoping to renew the relationship. His dad is having the place fixed up prior to selling it. Jesse delicately tries to heal the wounds, and he is just as delicately turned away – but at least this politeness is an improvement.

Walt is bailed out by Hank. Walt tells Hank, as a way of explaining his behavior, that Skyler is divorcing him and doesn’t want him to see the kids – but of course doesn’t tell Hank why.

Saul assures Walt that Skyler will never turn him in. His reasoning seems sound, but not so much when he encourages Walt to seek out Thai or Czech women because they are grateful to be in the USA. At the same time, Saul enlists a private detective to watch Skyler.

Walt Jr. is becoming more aloof and angrier. He’s interpreted Walt’s red eyes as being caused by a crying jag, and when Walt says he cannot drive Walt Jr. home, he blames Skyler for that too. This culminates at dinner when Walt Jr. confronts Skyler and calls her a bitch, right in from of Hank and Marie. Hank then tries to talk to Skyler about her refusal to let Walt see the kids, and Skyler tells him it’s none of his business.

Later, Hank and Marie discuss why Walt and Skyler broke up. Hank is sure that it was caused by Walt having an affair and getting caught, but Marie thinks it must be something else.

Jesse visits Saul to get his bag of money. Saul tells Jesse about Walt’s refusal to cook for 3 million and tries to convince Jesse to convince Walt. Jesse ignores him and instead asks Saul to represent him and to buy his parent’s house for cash. They want 875 thousand, and Saul offers 400 thousand. Why so low? Well, if they don’t go for the deal, Saul will use the existence of the meth lab to either start criminal proceedings and/or lock the house from being sold. So it looks like Jesse is still harboring a fair bit of resentment. I hope this soothes it.

Back at his hotel room, Walt is surprised to find Walt Jr. waiting for him to return, a packed bag by his side, ready to move in.

The two Mercedes dudes visit Hector in a nursing home and use a Ouija board to help him spell out the name Walter White.

At work, Skyler is visited by her boss Ted. Skyler is honest and refuses to sign off on the books. Ted promises to fix it up properly. Skyler asks Ted what he would do if his kids found out, and his response sounds very much like what Walt would say if asked the same question.

Walt calls Skyler to tell her that Walt Jr. is with him. Skyler asks Walt to bring Walt Jr. home, and of course Walt agrees. Walt Jr. wants to know why his mom is ostracizing him. Walt can’t really explain, so his talk sounds hollow. Walt gargles and slaps on some aftershave, picks up a big pizza (and dipping sticks), drives Walt home, and attempts to get himself a dinner invitation from Skyler. But Skyler holds firm and closes the door in his face. Enraged, Walt flings the pizza onto the garage roof, then returns to his motel room and drinks himself unconscious. He wakes up, in a bed of popcorn, to a ringing phone. Skyler leaves a message about the pizza on the roof and now threatens a restraining order.

It’s morning at the White house. Walt Jr. drives away, and Skyler follows – and in comes Saul’s offside, bags in hand, to install surveillance equipment. He is interrupted somewhat by Walt, who is there to have a shower. The locks have been changed, so Walt has to climb in through a vent and emerge from a trap door. Walt lets himself in just as the two Mercedes boys arrive, carrying an axe. Saul’s offside watches the skull-boot boys enter the house and quickly calls Gus to let him know what is happening. The skulls wait for Walt outside the shower. A phone message from ‘Pollos’ (I assume Gus) causes them to leave suddenly. When Walt emerges, there is no trace that they were ever there – except that he notices his glass eye souvenir has moved its location in his suitcase.

Breaking Bad Quotes

"You’ve been out of circulation for awhile. You’ll be just amazed at what’s out there. Thailand; the Czech Republic - those women are so grateful to even be here."
- Saul

Hank: Sky, the…I - I know it’s none of my business, but, um…keeping Walt from the kids?
Skyler: You’re right, Hank. It’s none of your business.

Skyler: We have discussed everything we need to discuss; I thought I made myself very clear.
Walt: I got dipping sticks.

Jesse’s mom: Jesse, the house has been sold. The new owners are expected any moment. Where do you think you’re going?
Jesse: Inside. I bought the place.

3.01 No Mas

Summary and spoilers

Why is a seemingly healthy group of male Mexican laborers crawling along a desert road? These laborers are joined by two young men with shaved heads and suits, who emerge from their Mercedes and start crawling too. They crawl to a voodoo-type shrine in the desert, a shrine adorned with flowers, mini-skulls, and a crude drawing of ‘Heisenberg’.

The news reports cover the story of the midair collision caused by Donald. The reports also detail the death of Jane.

Skyler has granted Walt a grievance period while the body parts are cleaned up from their yard. This period is now over, and Skyler is at the lawyer’s office, anxious to get the divorce proceedings started and finished.

A grieving Walt sets the remaining cash alight in the barbecue, then regrets his decision, dousing the flames and setting himself on fire as well. Just after he finishes cleaning up all the bits of bills, Hank shows up to lend support and to help Walt carry his bags into the car. A particularly heavy bag piques Hank’s curiosity regarding its contents, but he laughs off Walt’s explanation that the bag contains half a million in cash.

Walt Jr. is not happy with his absentee dad, and Skyler hasn’t been giving him enough detail about the reason for their separation. So Walt Jr. picks up the phone when Walt calls and asks for a ride to school. The school is running an assembly where students can unload about the stress caused by the plane crash. The kids are affected, but Walt is not, even though his actions indirectly led to the crash. He is forced to speak and tries to be a beacon of good news amid the tragedy by saying that thank god the planes were not full, that no one on the ground was killed, and that there have been 50 worse disasters that no one even remembers anymore. The mike is taken away before he can do more damage and make more people roll their eyes. Walt Jr. returns home and continues to berate Skyler for not talking to Walt. When he leaves, Marie takes up the cause for more dissemination of information, since she also has not been told the reasons why.

Jesse is gardening and attending group therapy sessions where he is coached on self-acceptance rather than self-improvement. When he is encouraged to speak, he questions why the group leader should be accepted as the expert with the answers. It turns out that the leader is not an outsider in this group. He killed his daughter while rushing to get more vodka before the stores closed.

Skyler shows up unexpectedly at Walt’s hotel room. Her lucky guess that Walt is a drug dealer leads to a confession from Walt. Again, like with the crash, he tries to minimize the damage by saying that he is a meth manufacturer, not a dealer. If he thought being up front would begin the reconciliation process, he was way off. Skyler promises to keep his secret, but only if he agrees to give her a divorce.

Checkout day for Jesse; Walt picks him up and drives him back to his hotel room so they can share. Jesse says he is rehabilitated and is done using. Jesse mentions the plane crash, inferring blame, but Walt tries to blame technology and other factors. Jesse has come to peace with his role in the crash and in Jane’s death, while Walt is still in denial.

Walt lunches at the fast food place so he can tell Gus – in person – that he is not making any more meth and is making a shift in his life. Gus replies by offering Walt one last job – three months for three million dollars. Walk still says no, but will Gus play his trump card (since he knows that Hank the DEA agent is related to Walt)?

The two Mercedes men drive to a farm, trade their city clothes for country clothes, and leave their car, hanging their key ring on the horns of a goat. They board an illegal immigrant truck bound for the USA, and then after it crosses the border, they shoot and kill all the other immigrants – and the driver – and torch the truck. No doubt these very bad boys are headed for a little Heisenberg revenge.

Breaking Bad Quotes

"Well, at any rate, what you’re left with, casualty-wise, is just the 50^th worst air disaster – actually, tied for 50^th."
- Walt, minimizing the pain

Walt: You come in here and you wave these papers in my face, when there’s a whole other entire side to this thing. There’s your side and there’s my side and you haven’t heard my side yet. You haven’t heard any of it at all.
Skyler: You’re a drug dealer.
Walt: No! – What – how – what?
Skyler: Yeah. How else could you possibly make that kind of money? Marijuana. That Pinkman kid…No? Oh, my god, Walt. Cocaine?
Walt: Methamphetamine. But – I’m, I’m a manufacturer, I’m not a dealer. Per se. It doesn’t mean –

Skyler: I’m gonna make you a deal, Walt. I won’t tell Hank, and I won’t tell your children, or anybody else. Nobody will hear it from me. But only if you grant me this divorce and stay out of our lives.
Walt: No, Skyler -
Skyler: I mean it. Now let me the hell out of here before I throw up.

Jesse: You windshield’s broken.
Walt: Yep.