Breaking Bad 5.13
Sep. 9th, 2013 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which the adrenaline gets pumping ever faster and your faithful reviewer kept asking herself "zomg did that just happen?".
Minor things first before we build up to the grand climax: Todd seems to have a crush on Lydia. Given he's a well-mannered sociopath and she's a high strung sociopath, I cannot see a future for this union. Also: as this show enjoys its colour symbolism, the fact that Todd is unable to reproduce meth in the Walt-and-Jesse-originated blue colour fits. (BTW: I heard Laura Fraser's voice with her own Glasgow accent on one of the 5.01 audio commentaries, and it's so amazingly different not just from her voice as Lydia but her voice in pretty much anything I've seen her in, starting with Henriette in Casanova.)
Skyler not letting Junior out of her sight under the flimsy pretext of teaching him how to use the cash register at the car wash: so much for people claiming she wants Jesse dead because she's evil (tm) or for profit (?), rather than because she seriously thinks he's a danger to the kids and herself. (Again, I say: yes, this is one more step downwards on the road of being morally compromised. But based on what Skyler actually knows about Jesse, which is that he's been producing meth with her husband grand scale, it's a reasonable thing for her to believe. Walt saying that Jesse isn't dangerous certainly isn't reassuring, given that Walt keeps lying.)
Here I was going "poor duped Huell" before catching myself: he's a professional thug used to working with and for drug dealers. This is what this show does to you.
On to the big stuff: Go Team Purple! Jesse does indeed know where Walt lives, and so does Hank. It's fitting that Walt in this episode gets outsmarted by two people he's been chronically denigrating and underestimating, respectively. Jesse figuring that the money would be the one bit of evidence to Walt's king pin career he'd never destroy or get rid of while Hank figures out how to trick Walt into leading them to the money was beautifully done. Of course, this being Breaking Bad, I knew Hank's triumph of being able to put handcuffs on Walt would not last (and not just because Walt's at large in the flashforwards), and then the evil, evil show made me seriously afraid for Hank. I mean, I figured that Todd's uncle and his mini army of killers wouldn't stay away after Walt's phone call despite Walt in the end telling the to (I'll get to that in a second), and then there was the phone call to Marie which looked like classic tv preparation for character demise to me. They always get to tell their loved ones that they managed to succeed and how they love them before cruelly dying. So there I sat, whimpering "Hank! Steve Gomez! Hank!" as the cars drew closer and circled, because I couldn't see how Hank would be able to survive. Yes, he survived two drug cartel super killers, but he had a few seconds of warning and a car park to dive for cover in. Here he was, out in the open, circled by dozens of pros and there was no way I could see this ending in anything but Hank and Steve being shot to kingdom come...
...and then they shot at the car with Walt inside instead. Well played, show, well played. Not that the danger is over, but Walt's still alive in the flash forwards, and Hank and Steve Gomez did have the chance to dive for cover now. (Hopefully also for calling back up.) And I can see Uncle Aryan Nation Killer deciding to get rid of Walt instead because he hadn't counted on the cops being there (as opposed to Jesse with unnamed allies), and just arrested Walt is the one whose testimony can tie him to the prison murders. So, by the same logic that got the prison inmates killed, this means Walt has to die first, then the cops and Jesse.
Speaking of Jesse, who has now nearly completed acquiring a Walt-like full beard: in olden times, the realisation that Walt buried the money at their old cooking spot might have made him sentimental, but no more. Jesse was fully into payback mode through the episode. Meanwhile, Walt at the start of the episode does finally order Jesse's death (and tries to use Jesse's attachment to Brock again, but unfortunately for him Andrea's message is heard by Hank, who recognises a set up when he listens to one), but keeps feeling horrible about it and experiences his very own "Et tu, Jesse?" moment when he realises he's just been conned by Jesse and Hank both. Note: I'm not saying either of them owed Walt anything, not after Walt did. But Byran Cranston and the show are great in that without downplaying Walt's monstrosity one bit, they still make this particular viewer feel somewhat sorry for Walt at that moment of realisation. Complete with single flawless tear. Bryan Cranston, you are a god of acting. More to the point, though: Walt actually calling his lethal back up off (he thinks) when he realises he's dealing not just with Jesse and unnamed associates but Jesse and Hank, instead of going for petty vengeance and ordering them to take down Jesse and Hank (and Steve Gomez, but I don't think Walt cares one way or the other about Gomie) , shows that there is still a streak of not selfish emotion in our broken bad main character. Complexity to the end.
Speculation:
- Hank might still die at the opening of the next episode, but I really hope not, are you listening, show?
- considering the way the shootout is going, he'll probably have to temporarily team up with Walt, though, which is the kind of family-turned-enemies-having-to-ally-against-common-foe thing I'd love to see
- also, even if Hank doesn't die I still bet it'll be significant that he told Marie about having just nailed Walt. I'm maintaining my "Marie is going to kill someone before this show ends" theory. If Hank dies or she thinks he died, or even if he's severely wounded again, she'll blame Walt and we might see her poison theory in action, though it won't be necessarily Walt who dies of it (because, again, this show screws its characters over)
- alternate possible significance of phone call scene if Hank neither dies nor gets severely wounded and Marie has no reason to believe otherwise: Marie, having just heard Walt's arrested, after all, goes to Skyler because while the sisters may have broken up due to Skyler siding with Walt, Marie will want the news of his father's disgrace be broken to Junior gently. And this will be how Junior finally finds out the truth.
- good to know Andrea and Brock are doing fine, show, before you end
- I do hope Hank taped that entire rant of Walt's on the phone with Jesse somehow, wherein Walt incriminates himself for several murders and murder attempts, because otherwise that shootout is going to make the Hank-as-supervillain frame job even easier if Walt, once they're all out of the firing line, wants to go through with it
Minor things first before we build up to the grand climax: Todd seems to have a crush on Lydia. Given he's a well-mannered sociopath and she's a high strung sociopath, I cannot see a future for this union. Also: as this show enjoys its colour symbolism, the fact that Todd is unable to reproduce meth in the Walt-and-Jesse-originated blue colour fits. (BTW: I heard Laura Fraser's voice with her own Glasgow accent on one of the 5.01 audio commentaries, and it's so amazingly different not just from her voice as Lydia but her voice in pretty much anything I've seen her in, starting with Henriette in Casanova.)
Skyler not letting Junior out of her sight under the flimsy pretext of teaching him how to use the cash register at the car wash: so much for people claiming she wants Jesse dead because she's evil (tm) or for profit (?), rather than because she seriously thinks he's a danger to the kids and herself. (Again, I say: yes, this is one more step downwards on the road of being morally compromised. But based on what Skyler actually knows about Jesse, which is that he's been producing meth with her husband grand scale, it's a reasonable thing for her to believe. Walt saying that Jesse isn't dangerous certainly isn't reassuring, given that Walt keeps lying.)
Here I was going "poor duped Huell" before catching myself: he's a professional thug used to working with and for drug dealers. This is what this show does to you.
On to the big stuff: Go Team Purple! Jesse does indeed know where Walt lives, and so does Hank. It's fitting that Walt in this episode gets outsmarted by two people he's been chronically denigrating and underestimating, respectively. Jesse figuring that the money would be the one bit of evidence to Walt's king pin career he'd never destroy or get rid of while Hank figures out how to trick Walt into leading them to the money was beautifully done. Of course, this being Breaking Bad, I knew Hank's triumph of being able to put handcuffs on Walt would not last (and not just because Walt's at large in the flashforwards), and then the evil, evil show made me seriously afraid for Hank. I mean, I figured that Todd's uncle and his mini army of killers wouldn't stay away after Walt's phone call despite Walt in the end telling the to (I'll get to that in a second), and then there was the phone call to Marie which looked like classic tv preparation for character demise to me. They always get to tell their loved ones that they managed to succeed and how they love them before cruelly dying. So there I sat, whimpering "Hank! Steve Gomez! Hank!" as the cars drew closer and circled, because I couldn't see how Hank would be able to survive. Yes, he survived two drug cartel super killers, but he had a few seconds of warning and a car park to dive for cover in. Here he was, out in the open, circled by dozens of pros and there was no way I could see this ending in anything but Hank and Steve being shot to kingdom come...
...and then they shot at the car with Walt inside instead. Well played, show, well played. Not that the danger is over, but Walt's still alive in the flash forwards, and Hank and Steve Gomez did have the chance to dive for cover now. (Hopefully also for calling back up.) And I can see Uncle Aryan Nation Killer deciding to get rid of Walt instead because he hadn't counted on the cops being there (as opposed to Jesse with unnamed allies), and just arrested Walt is the one whose testimony can tie him to the prison murders. So, by the same logic that got the prison inmates killed, this means Walt has to die first, then the cops and Jesse.
Speaking of Jesse, who has now nearly completed acquiring a Walt-like full beard: in olden times, the realisation that Walt buried the money at their old cooking spot might have made him sentimental, but no more. Jesse was fully into payback mode through the episode. Meanwhile, Walt at the start of the episode does finally order Jesse's death (and tries to use Jesse's attachment to Brock again, but unfortunately for him Andrea's message is heard by Hank, who recognises a set up when he listens to one), but keeps feeling horrible about it and experiences his very own "Et tu, Jesse?" moment when he realises he's just been conned by Jesse and Hank both. Note: I'm not saying either of them owed Walt anything, not after Walt did. But Byran Cranston and the show are great in that without downplaying Walt's monstrosity one bit, they still make this particular viewer feel somewhat sorry for Walt at that moment of realisation. Complete with single flawless tear. Bryan Cranston, you are a god of acting. More to the point, though: Walt actually calling his lethal back up off (he thinks) when he realises he's dealing not just with Jesse and unnamed associates but Jesse and Hank, instead of going for petty vengeance and ordering them to take down Jesse and Hank (and Steve Gomez, but I don't think Walt cares one way or the other about Gomie) , shows that there is still a streak of not selfish emotion in our broken bad main character. Complexity to the end.
Speculation:
- Hank might still die at the opening of the next episode, but I really hope not, are you listening, show?
- considering the way the shootout is going, he'll probably have to temporarily team up with Walt, though, which is the kind of family-turned-enemies-having-to-ally-against-common-foe thing I'd love to see
- also, even if Hank doesn't die I still bet it'll be significant that he told Marie about having just nailed Walt. I'm maintaining my "Marie is going to kill someone before this show ends" theory. If Hank dies or she thinks he died, or even if he's severely wounded again, she'll blame Walt and we might see her poison theory in action, though it won't be necessarily Walt who dies of it (because, again, this show screws its characters over)
- alternate possible significance of phone call scene if Hank neither dies nor gets severely wounded and Marie has no reason to believe otherwise: Marie, having just heard Walt's arrested, after all, goes to Skyler because while the sisters may have broken up due to Skyler siding with Walt, Marie will want the news of his father's disgrace be broken to Junior gently. And this will be how Junior finally finds out the truth.
- good to know Andrea and Brock are doing fine, show, before you end
- I do hope Hank taped that entire rant of Walt's on the phone with Jesse somehow, wherein Walt incriminates himself for several murders and murder attempts, because otherwise that shootout is going to make the Hank-as-supervillain frame job even easier if Walt, once they're all out of the firing line, wants to go through with it
no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 12:05 pm (UTC)Yeah, I imagine it'd take Hank, Gomez, Walt, and Jesse working together to get out of this one, and wouldn't that hurt all around. Unless backup rides in over the hill like cavalry to save that day -- but that is WAY too easy. I have no fucking clue what will happen, and I love it.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-15 06:20 am (UTC)