It took me a while to consider whether this should count as the sixth season of the show, or the second half of the fifth.
It doesn’t matter, although the long hiatus did help me get over my overreaction to the end of the last episode, when Hank realizes Walt’s real identity after finding a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, inscribed by the now-dead meth cook Gale (who worked with Walt). Â What bothered me then, and still now, is that the discovery felt like a contrivance. Â It felt too careless even for Walt’s hubris, and deprived me of the opportunity of Hank actually figuring the mystery out for himself.
But time, and the first episode the show’s conclusion, has given me a different perspective. Â Aside from the kick of the last episode’s conclusion (and its clever use of a flashback), it also perfectly set up this one – from the beginning, which picks up where the last one left off, to the ending, which makes it clear that Hank hasn’t necessarily stumbled onto anything that will do him any good.
The show does what it often does best, which is to throw in a string of surprises, both in what happens and when it happens. Â I wasn’t expecting the cards-on-the-table confrontation between Hank and Walt to occur in this episode, but there it was – with Walt, unexpectedly, seeming to emerge with the upper hand along with a bloody face courtesy of Hank’s fist. Â It was obvious that Hank would be faced with a nasty dilemma when he discovered Walt’s identity, as Heisenberg turned out to be his brother-in-law. Â But it’s worse than that, for him. Â Hank, either because he can’t take it any more or because he recognizes the trap he’s in, reveals what he knows – or thinks he knows.
And then Walt lays it out. Â He can’t prove it, and in any event, Walt’s cancer is back – so Hank would only be damaging his extended family – to try to prosecute a dying man who would never face prison. Â And there’s more that Walt doesn’t mention. Â Who paid for Hank’s medical treatment? Â What about Skyler and her culpability? Â Now maybe Walt is lying, but only we know he isn’t. Â Further, Walt ends with one of his now-typical threats after Hank insists that Skyler and the kids come to live with him, and then they will talk. Walt dismisses that idea. Hank comments that he feels like he doesn’t know him. “If that’s true, if you don’t know who I am, then maybe your best course would be to tread lightly,” Walt says.
But this quiet, carefully-worded threat is different than the ones that grew a bit tiresome last year. Â This one is directed at Hank, a DEA agent who always regarded Walt as something less than a man, a nerdy science teacher. Â Walt is talking to the law, and basically saying Hank needs to be very careful about how he proceeds next. Â The writing and acting are marvelous, made even better by the histories we have with these richly-drawn characters. Â Dean Norris, as Hank, is particularly excellent from beginning to end.
And the flash-forward in the cold opening adds another hint, although only a hint (and possibly a misleading one). Â Eight months or so after the main events, Walt has returned to New Mexico for an undetermined but deadly purpose, having already bought a bunch of machine guns he doesn’t know how to use. Â He goes to his old house, which has been boarded up and trashed, with skateboard kids using his backyard pool. Â While the scene feels a bit overdone, it conveys the important information that the world knows Walt was Heisenberg and lived there. Â (It’s even spelled correctly.) Â The cops didn’t do that, although it may – or may not – mean that Hank had a hand in Walt’s flight. Â Walt retrieves the ricin, hidden away in the house, and then is spotted by his freaked-out neighbor outside.
A few other thoughts…
– It will probably lead somewhere promising, but Jesse’s emotional collapse as he realizes that Mike is dead – even as he pretends to believe Walt’s denials – has been seen before. Â And somebody has to find that money he’s tossing around.
– Lydia is a wild card, and desperate people and their allies are always a problem.
– Skyler seems to have, very cautiously, bought into the idea of Walt getting out. Â She pounces when Lydia appears, even dressed – as Walt was – in neutral tones more appropriate for the rich folks’ party from seasons ago. It’s refreshing to see her take action, as opposed to basically standing there frozen and frightened – as she did during most of last year’s episodes. Â It seems like the right course of action, keeping Walt’s past from creeping back, but it remains to be seen if it will cause Skyler trouble.
Skyler is perhaps the least predictable of the major characters left. Walt and Hank are operating by their own internal logic which is pretty well established, and Jesse is following a moral imperative which has also been pretty consistent (in retrospect) for at least a couple seasons. But Skyler has changed over time, and not predictably. I agree that her assertiveness was refreshing, and perhaps indicative of what we might see in the last seven episodes. As Walt’s attempt to get out (real or fake, doesn’t matter) comes to its inevitable failure, which actions Skyler chooses to take could set the stage for what everyone else does.
It’s hard to remember why I was so down on the first half. This episode was simply fantastic.
Can’t wait to see what happens. I suspect Lydia does something to Walt’s family and the ricin is for her, but that’s just my WAG
Ok, my guess is that Walt accidentally kills his whole family trying to off Hank, and the ricin is for himself.
I’m glad you’re doing these, bear.
Never seen it. Is it a good show?
too late to grab an alibi. we know it was you.
I think I won’t steal bear88’s recap thunder, nor spoil anything for those who haven’t yet seen it, by saying that the camera shot last night of Jesse on the playground merry go round was incredibly beautiful. I haven’t found a gif online yet that does it justice.
The only way for Jesse to beat Walt is to become him, and he knows that.
Might be too late, at this point
oh shit. watching highlights while reading recaps, i just realized this one has a song by my old roommate. i wuz home when he was getting it down! (i think i’ve even used the term in FK recently.)