'Breaking Bad' Recap: 'To hajiiilee'

There was a moment in time during last week’s episode I thought Breaking Bad was going to key down on the intense moments. Then I realized, “Wait, this is Breaking Bad. Keying down on intense moments is not about to happen, not in this point in time.” Last episode was definitely the calm before the storm. As this week’s episode began, and most definitely when it ended, the audience was in for an episode that made our hearts drop.

The beginning of the episode starts a little before where the last episode ended. Walt places a call to Todd, saying he needs his uncle’s services again in order to kill Jesse. Walt is the full-blown anti-hero, the villain of the show that began with noble intentions is now the root of all evil in the show, and his demise is eminent.

Todd is talking to Lydia after a cook, and she wants to know where the blue color of the meth is. In a rare (and a bit strange) of an intimate moment, Todd says he will try to yield a better purity, and knows he can do better. Here is the first time the viewer really gets a sense of Todd’s ahem, sensitive side? He seems to be a bit smitten with Lydia, and as he’s holding her cup of tea, he gets the call from Walt about the hit on Jesse. Walt’s monstrous acts in this episode have only just begun.

In order to lure Jesse, Walt visit’s Andrea and Brock. She leaves Jesse a voicemail, saying that Mr. White is there. She doesn’t seem that alarmed, but Brock can tell when he sees evil. There isn’t much said, but children have a way of seeing things adults usually ignore. Todd’s Uncle Jack is keeping watch, waiting for Jesse. This plan doesn’t work, and Walt is no longer ahead of the game.

At the car wash, Walt finds out from an unexpected visit from Saul that Huell has gone missing. Then, almost immediately, gets a picture of a barrel full of cash. He gets in the car, and what ensues is an angry phone call from Jesse as Walt speeds down the freeway trying to get to his hideout. Jesse says that he’s burning “10 Gs a minute, bitch.” They were able to turn Huell to find the hideout, and he’s officially the weak link. Walt arrives, only to realize he has been set up. He then sees Hank and Gomez walk out, and Walt surrenders from behind a rock. We see Heisenberg at his weakest, and he is no longer a step ahead of the game. In a standoff of epic Western proportions, Hank arrests Walt. He, however, is fixated on Jesse. After hearing his Miranda Rights, he just says one word: “Coward.” Jesse comes up to him, and spits in his face. At this point, we think that the good guys have won. Then, things take a dramatic turn.

Todd and Uncle Jack with their band of men come, regardless of Walt calling off the hit on Jesse. When Walt placed the call, he thought he was meeting Jesse alone. He is in handcuffs in the backseat of the car as there is a standoff between Hank and Gomez versus, well, the bad guys. The hesitation before the shootout was a moment where I could barely breathe. The stand off between Todd and his men versus Hank and Gomez made my heart stop. The ploy of pulling out badges so the men would stand down was terrifying, and for a second I thought Hank was going to take the bait. Whether this was a ploy is unsure, but from watching other episodes these aren’t exactly men who keep their word unless there’s money behind it.

Walt is screaming from the car to Jack, telling him to call off the whole thing. He’s screaming to save Hank, and feels as helpless as he looks in this very moment. Walt has been the villain of the story for a majority of the series now, but he’s still trying to save Hank’s life despite everything that has happened with the family. Does this say anything to his character? Can be he redeemed? The shootout commences, and credits roll. My assumption, at this point, is that the bad guys have won so far. Hank and Gomez are dead. Hank had just called Marie before they arrived, saying that he caught Walt and that it’s all over. The finality of the way he said “I love you” to Marie made it sound that was the last time he was ever going to say I love you to his wife. In addition, two guns versus all the ammunition that Todd and his men had is an unfair fight, and if Hank and Gomez survive it would be almost unbelievable. Now, we have to wait and see until next week to find out what happened to our heroes and to Heisenberg himself.

Please tell me I wasn’t the only person that when the credits came on screen didn’t start screaming, “THAT’S IT? It hasn’t been an hour yet, you filthy liars!” over and over again while trying not to throw Chinese food at my television screen. Thoughts? Any predictions for next week?

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