A few months ago, upon receiving and reading the script for last night’s episode of Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul tweeted the following: “Just read Episode 513 while laying in bed and now I’m scared to walk around my house.” I have a feeling there may be a few people still hiding under the covers after watching last night’s episode.
Personally, the last 15-20 minutes of the show felt like the longest and shortest 15-20 minutes of my television-watching life. I’m not positive but I think I may have set a personal record for the most times saying “HOLY SH*T!” in a 10-15 minute span and I’m not sure I breathed from the moment Walt got the call from Jesse at the carwash until the moment the screen went black at the end. The episode description in my channel guide last night was, “Things heat up for Walt.” Yeah, I’d say. Good lord what an understatement.
So let’s get right to it, shall we? Here are a few notes I made during last night’s Breaking Bad about characters, scenes, etc. I found interesting for one reason or another.
“I gotta go. It may be a while before I get home. I love you.” — RIP Hank.
– Going into this season there were two things I greatly anticipated seeing happen and both involved Hank and Walt. They were: the inevitable Hank and Walt confrontation over Walt being Heisenberg all this time, and the not-so-quite-inevitable-though-probable moment where Hank finally takes Walt into custody. The second moment, which we got last night, couldn’t have been more satisfying and entertaining to me. It was executed perfectly, I thought, and I think the various “Oh f*ck this is really happening” looks on Jesse’s face as it all unfolded perfectly mirrored my own as I watched it play out. What I was most taken by was the look of defeat and relief on Walt’s face throughout. He almost seemed glad that it was all over, right at the spot where it all began, no less. There would be no more secrets. No more lies. No more running. No more hiding. Despite having cuffs put on him (how weird was it to see Hank putting cuffs on Walt, btw?) and his freedom potentially taken away for the rest of his life, there has to be something incredibly liberating about that to him, it seems.
But then, of course, the Nazi calvary showed up, and that changed everything.
– Speaking of the Nazi calvary, I didn’t think they were going to show up until Hank called Marie. The moment he told her that he loved her and that he would be home soon was the moment I knew Uncle Jack and the boys were coming and that Hank was f*cked. At the very least I thought maybe Hank would escape and that Jesse and Gomie would be the ones who’d be left behind and taken out, but the phone call to Marie was the kiss of death. Although we didn’t see him getting hit, I don’t see how Vince Gilligan and crew could possibly write him surviving this. It’d just be too much of a stretch, especially after he’s improbably survived so many other close calls. I mean, Hank and Gomie had a pistol and a shotgun while Uncle Jack had a small army, some of which were equipped with automatic weapons. And Todd, of course, firing a pistol coldly and robotically.
– Speaking of Todd, I found it interesting that he keeps his mask and his suit on the whole time he’s in the lab, just like a good pupil, in the opening scene. He’s also quite polite for a cold-blooded killer, always referring to Walt and Lydia as “Mr. White” and “Mrs. Quayle.” That said, I can’t wait for the inevitable scene between Todd and “Mrs. Quayle” in the next Breaking Bad porn parody. The sexual tension between those two is about as comfortable as Baptist preacher at a gay pride parade.
– Also re: Todd…how awesome is it that his ringtone is Thomas Dolby’s “You Blinded Me With Science?” That said, I’m not sure Todd would be clever enough have this as his ringtone if he were a real-life person.
– I’ve been beating my head against the wall trying to decipher some significance from the fact that “Oh Sherry” by Steve Perry was playing during the opening scene. Anyone have any ideas other than it seems like a song that one might find playing in a meth lab run by Nazis?
– I could watch this GIF of Jesse spitting in Walt’s face all day…
– I have three gripes about last night’s show: First, seeing as how Huell — whose last name we learn is Babineaux — works for arguably the sleaziest lawyer in sleazy lawyer history, I find it kind of shocking that a) he would talk to Hank without lawyering up and b) he would break so easily upon seeing a picture of what he thinks are Jesse’s brains splattered all over the place.
– Another minor gripe I have about last night’s episode would be Uncle Jack’s ability to use GPS coordinates to find a location so quickly. That seemed like a bit of a stretch.
– And the final gripe I have with last night’s episode is Walt confessing to a number of crimes on the call with Jesse. I know he was flustered over Jesse possibly having tracked down his stash and all but it still seemed to me to be a bit out of character.
– I remember a few of the commenters speculating that Jesse’s “hit him where he really lives” threat was intended to mean that he was going to go after Walt’s money. Nailed it, you guys.
– Correct me if I’m wrong, but when Jesse called Walter “Walt” during the phone call was that the first time he broke from calling him “Mr. White” at any point in the show’s history? I can’t recall him ever doing so, that’s for sure.
– The subtle awkward exchange between Brock and Walt was so great. Brock looked at Walt and seemed to be thinking, “I don’t know who poisoned me but this as$hole certainly looks like he could have done it.”
– “I like your commercial. What happened to your face?” — Walter Jr.
– If there’s one thing for all you kids out there can learn from last night’s episode it’s that branding is important.
– The Todd/Lydia fan fiction is already rolling in…
– Someone on Tumblr spotted this possible bit of foreshadowing early in last night’s episode…
– This made me LOL…
– So what Aaron Paul is basically saying about the final three episodes is that we should all stock up now on Xanax, I think…
Your own thoughts are welcome in the comments.
(GIFs via Chet Manley. Memes via Daily Breaking Bad)
