4.06 Cornered

Summary and Spoilers

Once again, even before the credits roll, one of Gus’s trucks is ambushed. Last time, the indestructible Mike was on board and managed to fend off the attackers. This time, there are two different guards inside the truck. They are disposed of by a pipe, pumping in the truck’s own exhaust. The hijackers shoot the driver, hook up the pipe, lean back and wait. While they are waiting, they share a cooler full of lunch food that originally belonged to the truck driver and his mates. I guess they won’t be needing it. When all are dead, the hijackers open the back, scan the many tubs of chicken sauce, find the one with the laser-only-readable star, and take it.

Now we have the follow-up to Walt’s drunken blurts at the Hank and Marie dinner. Skyler has been looking up Gale Boetticher on the internet, and has surmised that he and Walt worked together. When he finally wakes up, she asks him about this and also about who killed Gale. Our old Walt denies all and again assures Skyler that no one would want to kill him in the same manner. Despite his normal assurances, Skyler has pieced together Walt’s bone thrown to Hank and Walt’s earlier scared phone message declaration of love, and believes that he is scared and on some level wants to get caught so that this whole thing can end. Walt laughs it off, but Skyler will not be denied so easily. Her confrontation finally breaks through Walt’s façade, and he shows her his ‘Heisenberg’ side, scaring her as he tells her that "…he is the one who knocks," inferring that he killed Gale – or gave the order to do so. Skyler is visibly shaken. Walt showers. When he emerges, Skyler is gone.

Walt checks out the car wash with Bogdon. Bogdon gives some unwanted advice, goading Walt about how bosses have to be tough enough to make cashiers wipe down cars. Bogdon keeps reminding Walt that he is handing over the car wash ‘as is’, so when he spies his first dollar earned in a frame and tries to take it, Walt says no. As soon as Bogdon leaves, Walt breaks the frame and uses to dollar to buy a soft drink from a vending machine.

Mike is hanging out in a restaurant with Jesse. I thought maybe Gus had made Jesse into a hero to mask his plan to kill him, but now it seems that they may be trying to get Jesse to stop using. Mike is just getting Jesse to eat something when the call comes in about the truck hijack. Mike heads off alone, telling Jesse that he doesn’t need any help.

Walt tries to get some logistical information out of Walt Jr. regarding Skyler’s whereabouts. Nothing is forthcoming. Walt plays the political game by suddenly veering from driving Junior to school, and instead buys him a Chevrolet sports car – red, no less.

Well, this episode is just filled with people who have read the scripts! Back at work, Walt tells Jesse that he believes Mike’s robbery was a setup. This of courses angers Jesse, who is just starting to feel a little bit better about himself. Later, after cooking is done, Jesse is called away before he is able to finish cleaning up. Walt reacts by going upstairs to the main factory and enlisting three textile working women to clean. This is a huge and obvious mistake – to allow them to see the inside of the meth lab – that I find it hard to believe he would do it – except that he is doing it to purposely piss off Gus, as he reveals when he toasts the camera with his mug of coffee. Sure enough, when the women finish, Tyrus arrives to take them back to Honduras. When Walt asks Tyrus to blame him, not the women, Tyrus assures him that Gus does blame him.

Skyler has driven to the four states monument – where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado share a corner. There she flips a coin – it lands ‘heads’ – which doesn’t satisfy her, so she flips again. Her question might be whether to leave Walt or to turn him in.

Mike and Jesse are parked a respectable distance from a small house. Mike says that he believes that the guys who hijacked the truck are inside. The plan is to wait until one or more of them emerge, and then confront them and get their product back. Jesse tries to buy some meth, but the guy who answers the door says they don’t sell to strangers. Jesse is not a good waiter; soon after returning to the car, he hatches another plan: he digs a hole, which against all odds lures the first meth-head out, the goes inside and knocks out the other, more violent meth-head, grabbing his semi-automatic rifle too. Mike pops in and is impressed.

Back at the restaurant, Mike and Jesse’s meal is interrupted by Gus. Jesse leaves; Mike tells Gus that the people who stole the meth left a ‘Ready to talk?’ message scrawled on the chicken tub lid. Mike wants to hire 15 guys to hit back, but Gus wants the war to stay ‘cold’ for the moment, and instead asks Mike to set up a meeting. Mike also briefs Gus on Jesse’s performance; although we are not privy to that part of the conversation, Gus praises Jesse on his way out.

Skyler returns home and throws a look of disdain at Junior’s car. Walt tries to apologize for being so ‘forward’. Skyler insists that the car must go back – that it puts the family in jeopardy. Their reaction over this is controlled but laced with deep anger and distrust.

Comments

We’ve seen Jesse go from lows to highs. It’s pleasant to see him in a better space at the moment. And on that subject, I would watch Aaron Paul cleaning his toenails for 40 minutes. This guy is a great actor.

Breaking Bad Quotes

"Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I make a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going into work? A business big enough that it could be listed on the NASDEC goes belly up. Disappear! It ceases to exist without me – no - you clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in: I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger! A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No! I am the one who knocks!"
- Walt

Gus: I hear you can handle yourself.
Jesse: I guess.
Gus: Good night.
Jesse: Eh, excuse me. Why me?
Gus: I like to think I can see things in people.

Walt: Everything that I do – everything – I do it to protect this family.
Skyler: So buy that car: that was protecting your family?

"Someone has to protect this family from the man who protects this family."
- Skyler