Geekman's World

Well, my last two Breaking Bad reviews garnered 10s. The latter part of season 5 has been nothing short of spectacular. What a great series.

Last week we saw quite a bit. Mainly, Jesse had finally gave in and began to cooperate with Hank, which is exactly what Hank needed. Spilling all the beans on camera, Hank convinces Jesse that he needs to wear a wire to gain some physical evidence against Walt. Completely spooked by the situation, Jesse levels threats against Walt over the phone that ultimately convinces Walt to get Todd’s uncle involved. And we all know what that means; Walt is ready to off his spiritual son, Jesse.

Enter To’hajiilee. Starting off with Lydia and Todd trying to figure out how to replicate the magical blue crystal, it is clear that the drug cartel is still very much in play. All the while, Todd’s uncle remains as cold a killer as ever.

Meanwhile, Hank is beginning to push the line with trying to gain evidence towards convicting Walt. Using Jesse to mock a fake killing, Hank uses a photo of a “dead Jesse” to convince Saul’s bodyguard to give up key information. Coercion is abound and at this point, I am unsure if what Hank is doing will ultimately lead to Walt getting away scott free on technicalities.

We continue to see Walt plot on how to put down Jesse via Todd’s uncle. Todd’s uncle proceeds to get his way with Walt, convincing Walt to participate in one more cook as payment for Jesse’s death. Walt seems to get squeezed harder than what we have come to expect given his menacing demeanor as of late.Why Walt is bending so much is anyone’s guess. Maybe the thought of putting his pseudo-son, Jesse, down is too much for him to stomach.

Jesse levels a false threat to burn Walt’s secret stash of money in the desert. Little does Walt know, this is just a ruse to lead Walt to the money that will ultimately implicate him. How does Walt not see through this ruse, I don’t know. What we see here is pretty cheap if you ask me. The phone conversation that takes place between Jesse and Walt that leads Hank to Walt’s money stash is as fake as can be. Sure, it had to happen this way, but still, I expected the execution to be so much better. But then again, the story is about how people will react to any given circumstance, extreme or not. Walt succumbed to a shallow lie. Walt has lied to so many people to get his way and it has worked. Why not have these lies work against him?  Who is to say that this couldn’t happen to anybody?

At the desert Walt actually thinks that Jesse is out for blood. Walt calls on Todd to save him only to finally figure out that Jesse has been in cahoots with his brother-in-law, Hank. Uh oh.Walt finally knows what Jesse is up to. Walt knows that Jesse is working with Hank to turn him in. In a moment of glee, we finally see Jesse with a happy face. At least for a moment.

In a false sense of victory, Hank arrests Walt at the scene of the buried money only to find Todd’s uncle and crew arrive. Shots are fired and that is where we end this episode.

Gunfire is where we are left off. One is best left to assume that this is where we will begin next week. Will Hank live? Personally, I doubt it. The odds are completely stacked against him and his partner at this point in time. Additionally, Jesse is still here, out in the open. What is to come of him next episode?

What everything boils down to is how does this episode rank? While not an episode that gives us answers to all the questions in the back of our minds, it serves as a wonderful bridge of things to come. With this week’s offering, we continue to witness AMC exhibit a master class of TV and storytelling in general. If this isn’t TV at its finest, I don’t know what is.

Score: 9.2