Breaking Bad - Season 5 (AMC) (2 Viewers)

[TravisR]

I did not understand why Mike changed his mind with that episode.

The DEA has seized Mike's money (or rather the money that he was most likely planning on leaving to his granddaughter as an inheritence) so the easiest and quickest way he can earn that amount of money again is by getting back into business with Walt. It's against his better judgment but the only thing he really needs to do is get Lydia to provide the methylamine and he becomes a partner in Walt and Jesse's business and pretty quickly, he'll be making way more money than he was with Gus. Of course, things won't be that simple but I can see why he goes for it.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Also, Mike is going soft and was moved by what would happen to the lady's daughter. Half-measures.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I think the Zoom in at the end of that scene and the sense of an Idea Dawning means Hank just got a revelation about Walt. I love how the show can have scenese like this without spelling it all out.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Do you think somehow his newborn will get to that vile and ingest it, Karma for what he did?

 

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa /t/319056/breaking-bad-season-5-amc/60#post_3953602
I think the Zoom in at the end of that scene and the sense of an Idea Dawning means Hank just got a revelation about Walt. I love how the show can have scenese like this without spelling it all out.

I think that may have been foreshadowing, but Hank still doesn't have a clue about Walt.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Some great lines in this episode....





You can call them Yes Sir and No Sir



Just because you shot Jesse James doesn't make you Jesse James



Loved this version of "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"
that I downloaded it to my iPod. Oh...it's by a group called The
Peddlers.

 

[TravisR]

Skinny Pete's surprising musical talent made me laugh.

 

[Joe_H]

Skinny Pete's surprising musical talent made me laugh.

Same here. Also, I thought for sure that something was going to happen when Brock came in and Walt was there, like Brock would recognize him or something.

 

[joshEH]

Where to begin on this one?

• I fully expect to see kitschy "VAMANOS PEST" T-shirts on sale at the AMC store by the end of the week.
• "No... how do you feel about the money?" (Oh, Walt...)
• I loved the "Cosby Show"-moment, with Mike taking the money away from the table, explaining all the expenses.
• Walt staring at Skyler's closed door was genuinely chilling.
• After the "Jesse James" line, I have to assume Walt might be referring to Mike there at the end. Which is the last goddamn place he should want to go.
• And Walt managed to break up Jesse's relationship, and turn Marie against Skyler in the space of about two conversations. Awesome.
• I would bet plenty of money that wasn't the first time someone told Marie to shut up 14 times in about 20 seconds. Holy shit, she can talk the paint off of walls.

Great episode, and I could tell after Skyler's meltdown that Walter was going to lie to Marie by telling her the truth. Well, at least the part about the affair. Skyler did that to piss Walter off, and it just ended up helping him. Oh, Breaking Bad, you're so awesome.
I'm just waiting to see how a brilliant setup like the fumigated houses/rolling meth-lab is going to get screwed up. It's like they're raping someone's house with every meth-batch. Sick shit...but mwahahahaha-brilliant.
I don't think Walt was directly threatening Mike at the end. The possibility is there, and God fucking help us all if that's really where Walt wants to go with this, but right now EVERYBODY relies on him, whether Paranoid Lady™ from Madrigal thinks so or not.
That little rumination at the end was less about the money, more about the control. In Walt's mind, Gus killing Victor was an act of reducing risk, that Victor might walk away from making his own meth with ideas that would threaten his business. That's power and intelligence Walt doesn't have with this new setup, and that's what Mike was getting at with that "Jesse James" line.
And he's going to be looking for ways to cut down on overhead, so to speak, by any means necessary. Mike is currently too useful to kill. But that doesn't mean that train's left the station yet.
LOVED seeing Badger and Skinny Pete return, even if it was just for a brief cameo (along with Pete's awesome ivory-ticklin' skills). Hope that look Mike gave them doesn't mean they're in any immediate danger.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

I loved the "Cosby Show"-moment, with Mike taking the money away from the table, explaining all the expenses.

Haha...amazing reference! I have not seen the Cosby Show in, what...about 20 years and yet I know EXACTLY what episode you are talking about.
Like others have said, this was such an excellent episode. The writing is SO tight. Nothing is wasted. From Walt satisfyingly crunching on that apple to the dynamics of the scenes with Saul, to Jessie stealing the hot tortilla, I loved every minute.

 

[Greg_S_H]

No talk of the hilarious, meta shoot down of the Lazer Tag place?
Man, Walt is such an evil dick. He manipulates Jesse into the breakup and then doesn't even pretend to care. I guess that's not the shoulder to cry on you should be looking for. They need to seriously do something with Skylar, though, because her constant "horror at Walt, will barely speak" thing is getting old.

 

[joshEH]

Nowhere in this episode was it explicit, per se, but Skyler's little breakdown was the first time I got a very, very strong vibe that she's gonna be the one who ultimately takes Walt down in some way or another.
I loved last night's episode. I'm ecstatic to see them cooking again. It's like a warm, comfortable blanket. At this point in the show, after having come so far, it's thrilling to just watch Walt and Jesse do their thing. Loved their badass stroll up the driveway into the prepped house. Rockstars of the drug-trade.
And the interspersed character-chemistry was quite nice to watch. From those scenes, to the setup with the tents and the money scene, I was absolutely riveted. Walt "trusting" Jesse to make the right decision is almost more heart-breaking than Jesse breaking down after finding the cigarette in the Roomba. Especially in that scene where they're all relaxed, cooking again, watching The Three Stooges, and just generally seeming to have eliminated the strife they've been pushing against.
Poor Jesse -- even if he figured out that Walt was manipulating him, if he confronted Walt, his only ammunition would be that Walt said that he "trusted" him.
Also interesting that they give us that little bite of Todd being a little bit more capable. Wouldn't it have been interesting after all this for a nanny-cam to be Walt's undoing? I think Walt might start employing Todd for a little bit of extracurricular activities.
"What's your name?"
"Todd."
"Ah, yes...Todd. You shall make a fine replacement-Jesse!"

 

[Greg_S_H]

I don't know, I was fearing for Landry's life when he immediately broke protocol and spoke to him. And Walt getting his name? Ouch. Box cutter time!
But, maybe Walt will cut out Mike's mules and let the bug guys do that. I know he's not going to let Gus' old crew get whole at his expense for long.

 

[joshEH]

I just pray there's a scene where Walt tells Jesse, "And I'm getting really sick of guys named Todd."
In a way, Jesse breaking it off with Andrea is probably a good thing in the long run. I mean, her kid was poisoned pretty much because Jesse cares about him. Nobody knows that yet, but now they'll be safer. Ditto Badger and Skinny Pete; I read that scene as half, "Mike would never approve of you two schmoes," and half, "Sadly, the days of us chilling together are over, but trust me, you don't want any part of this any more."
(Though I can see Walt bringing them in for cheaper, unskilled labor from time to time.)
And goddamn, regarding the pest-control plan, at first I was like, "That's crazy!", and quickly turned to, "That's just crazy enough to work!" Love this show. My only complaint about this episode...NO HANK.

 

[joshEH]

[Double-Post]

 

[Greg_S_H]

Walt's plans usually work and usually look batshit crazy to everyone else.
Never really drew the parallel until Walt's speech, but Tuco's man was killed while in his mind trying to be helpful, and the same is true of Victor. And it was in both moments that Walt and Jesse knew they were dealing with a crazy person who could kill them at any time. I wonder what moment will make Jesse realize the same about Walt.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I think you saw that dawning on Jesse at the end of the episode when Walt was threatening Mike and making allusions to Victor.

 

[joshEH]

I think Walt's lighthearted, "Everybody dies in this movie, don't they?" while watching Scarface was the funniest part of the episode.
One minor thought: Marie talking about Hank's improved therapy intimated to me that he will survive the first half of the season, and be in 100% fighting-shape for the second half. Just a hunch.
I'd actually call this episode Walt at his most likable so far this season. Until the "Jesse James"-scene. Though, to be fair, Mike didn't handle that too smartly. He should at least respect that Walt is dangerous and unpredictable.
I would love if it came down to him and Hank in the final eight. For me though, personally, the only guy on that show I'd go at with anything belt-fed would be Mike. He's got some evil, dirty bastard in his blood. You can't sneak up on him or play it "smart" -- the guy with Chow was evidence of that. So what's a guy like Walt to do? Guns blazing.
I hope that the ending is satisfying, and if the last few seasons are any evidence, it will be, but I'll be missing this show too much for me to be happy about it.

Walt's plans usually work and usually look batshit crazy to everyone else.
Never really drew the parallel until Walt's speech, but Tuco's man was killed while in his mind trying to be helpful, and the same is true of Victor. And it was in both moments that Walt and Jesse knew they were dealing with a crazy person who could kill them at any time. I wonder what moment will make Jesse realize the same about Walt.

Agreed, and the whole, "flying-too-close-to-the-sun"-thing was definitely about Mike. Gus eliminated Victor because he "took liberties." To Walt, Mike is taking liberties right now with his money. Honestly, it's Mike's fault, too. If he'd gone into that first meeting with Saul/Jesse/Walt and talked about these guys that could bring the whole house of cards down without payment, it probably wouldn't have even been an issue.
Bringing it up at the meeting where you're dividing the money without even an explanation ("legacy costs"?)? Of course that ain't gonna go down too well.
My take on the money-doling scene is that Mike is pissed, he hates Walt's guts, and he did it on purpose, to assert a bit of the alpha-dog supremacy after Walt took charge following the magnetization. So it's definitely about control between Walt and Mike. But beneath that, the season so far has gone to great lengths, in every episode, to show how these guys methods of control differ: Walt, through manipulation and lies, and Mike, through loyalty and trust (and murder-eyes).

 

[SamT]

This episode was the episode I enjoyed the most in this season till now. The cooking scene music was great. Made that cooking scene so special.

 

[joshEH]

According to Vince Gilligan, "Jesse James" is an appropriate reference for the next couple of episodes. Sounds ominous.
Train heist?! I think Gilligan meant Casey Affleck joins the cast as Lydia's half-brother and love interest next week.