Thirty-Eight Snub ← FREE KRAUT!

Thirty-Eight Snub 30

“This is The West. If a man steps to you intent to do bodily harm, you have every right to plant your feet and shoot to kill.”

I LOVED the opening of this episode. It did not hurt at all that it was Ellsworth from Deadwood who was back n forth with Walt.  I loved Ellsworth and he does just about as much as a person can with a three minute scene.  He felt real and alive and vibrant.  I dunno. I don’t politically or morally align myself with people who believe like that, but damn if he don’t make a lot of sense when he’s saying it.  The guy who’s selling guns with the serial numbers filed off. Him.

Next we got a lot of Mike in this episode.  Mike. Mike. Mike. Is it fear or worry or the fact that he just saw another person die in front of him in a particularly brutal way? He’s also so well-developed with so few actions.  The little touches, the broad strokes painted.  He’s drinking coffee in a bar at a table in the morning. I recognize it as an archetype. I’ve worked in bars in the morning. There’s a certain type of person who does this, who doesn’t go to the Denny’s or the Rudy’s Can’tFail or Starbucks. Imagine Mike at the Starbucks. It doesn’t fucking work! He’s the guy who goes to the bar (and knows the bartender/waitress’s name) at 10 in the morning to drink coffee and read the paper. He’s worried or tired or both, maybe.  Weary or worried.

Nice scene again where he notices blood on his cuff. After viewing it again, I’m going world-weary–the whole I’ve so many things that I don’t want to remember, use the flashy thing on me speech.

“Maybe just a little bump.”

Wrt Jesse’s new stereo, what’s up with the lights on it? I think it’s supposed to recall police lights, and give us an undercurrent of danger to the whole never-ending party scenes, but I’m not sure. I can’t think of any good reason why they would include the lights. That’s not really a feature of high-powered stereo systems these days, is it? Does anyone even buy high-powered stereo systems any more? iPod docking stations… Skinny Pete on the lights: “Kinda just wanna….stare at ’em…”

“I’ve played the game, bro–they ain’t exactly fleet of foot! I’m saying where’s the challenge? At least the zombies in Left 4 Dead clock a respectable 40. You gotta lead ’em and shit!”

One point of contention: we’re busting out lines on a CD case instead of the HUGE ASS GLASS COFFEE TABLE RIGHT BELOW THE CD CASE?! Really? No. I have NEVER snorted anything off the CD case if you got a huge ass glass coffee table right there.

And the Roomba.

Poor little Roomba, ultimately sacrificed to the crank addict.

I lovelovelove the way they pass time in Breaking Bad. Love it. Normally, it’s the outside view, the sped-up version of day to night with traffic. Here, we go from it being “way too quiet,” according to Jesse, to a full fucking living room (with a very bizarre, I’m guessing current Flavor Flav song–close…Unga Bunga Bunga off Flav’s solo album put out in 2006), with time passing with a party going on.  A never-ending party. In Jesse’s empty house. Trying to forget all he’s saw.

Compare the trying-to-forget Jesse with the trying-to-forget Mike. Worlds of difference. Do we suspect that Mike was ever like Jesse? If someone is making it out alive or not in prison, it’s Jesse. I know he dances close to the edge, and he always gets his ass kicked all over the screen and he’s the sacrificial lamb tied to the rock, but he’s walking if anyone is.

The Hank and Marie story is…not where I wanna spend my time. It’s too bad, because I tangentially know the actor who plays Hank, but, really, who gives a fuck about Hank? We got Gus Fring and Mike the Cleaner to play with now. How you gonna keep ’em down on the farm once they’ve seen Karl Hungus? Nice rocks. Nice walking. Quit crying. Get back to the good parts.  It’s like when The Sopranos worked away from Tony and/or any of the gangsters. This is the problem with longevity of television shows: too many people get developed. I apologize to any of you that are into this side story.

[bump…bump…bump…bump]

The auditory in this one is…odd. The partier who is playing with the tennis ball during the Roomba-view scene completely matches the sound of Jesse slamming the plastic cartons of 201.6 lbs. of blue methamphetamine for delivery. It also matches Hank’s steps. And the bass of Jesse’s constantly-playing stereo.  The sound is abrasive and is meant to be, I think. It’s the constant, the annoyance, the thing that Jesse’s trying to avoid, trying to not hear.  It’s the thing that Mike always hears–it’s like the ghosts following Paulie Walnuts.

“Go home, Walter”

In continuing on the theme from last week, Walter is not a very good gangster.  Yet. He’s only 62-63% of the way there.  When your phone rings and the name comes up, “GUS,” when you’re in the middle of doing what you’re doing…well, it kinda makes your little hat look a little…trite? I dunno what I mean there, but Walt is not the bad ass he envisions himself to be, even if he does put on his Heisenberg outfit.  You gotta still be willing to drop the ATM on the dude’s head, not just convince others that you will.

Upon reviewing, I’m not entirely certain it is Gus that says that.  I think it might be Mike. I have been operating under the assumption it was Gus calling. But the croaking voice and the fact that Walt looks around for someone while he’s heading into Gus’s house suggests my second guess here is right.  Thoughts or what did y’all think? The way it was stated sounds more like Mike…(NOTE: Apparently, I’m not alone in my confusion–just finished reading Spoiled Bastard and there are comments to this effect in the comments section…)

“He quit without giving me notice, he broke my air fresheners, he cursed at me  and grabbed himself.”

Other than showing just how bright Skyler is (again), I’m not sure of the significance of the car wash scene. Fuck his eyebrows.

“You won, Walter. You got the job. Do yourself a favor and learn to take “Yes” for an answer.”

I think Mike kicks his ass simply because he’s offended that Walt thinks he could be manipulated that easily.  I’m not positive.  The whole scene Mike seems simultaneously disgusted and amused.  I really do love Mike.  He pulled his punches, too.  He’s a real bad ass, and he knows Walt’s just playing, or only 62% downloaded.

Jesse needs someone to clean his house.  I’ll take that job.  Yesterday, both Staples and Metro PCS sent me rejection letters. Apparently, I’m not qualified to sell either staplers or crappy cell phones.

Now, the title.  Gus is snubbing Walter.  Mike has now snubbed Walter. Jesse is feeling snubbed by life and Skinny Pete and Badger, who crapped out on the never-ending party.

Spoiled Bastard’s take.

I would like you to know I write mine before I read his or anyone else’s. Not that I consider this any big whoop, but I also like to get my thoughts down before being influenced by others…

30 thoughts on “Thirty-Eight Snub

  1. monkeyball Jul 27,2011 7:09 am

    Finally watched s4e1, halfway through this one.

    I’m not ready to pull out my Wire comparison yet, but … a bit snoozy for me so far. The funny stuff isn’t very funny, the dark/shocking stuff isn’t very dark/shocking, the boring stuff (with you 100% on Hank/Marie) is too boring without being telling/clever enough.

    I know Goodman loves the visuals and the sound design, but to me it’s looking/sounding more and more like empty formalism (again, without being especially interesting).

    you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • nevermoor Jul 27,2011 10:15 am || Up

      I’m feeling tense calm-before-the-storm vibes. These have been story episodes, not dark/shocking episodes, but if you don’t like the silent murder scene I simply can’t understand your TV tastes.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • monkeyball Jul 27,2011 10:59 am || Up

        You know who else liked The Shield?

        you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
        • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 1:27 pm || Up

          you know, I’ve NEVER watched The Shield. I need to, huh?

          • monkeyball Jul 27,2011 2:00 pm || Up

            “Need”? No. But it is great. You will LOVE Dutch.

            you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
      • the dogfather Jul 27,2011 11:16 am || Up

        Downright truculent, it is.

        Baffling, too.

        The meaning of life is not so much found, as it is Made. -- Opus
  2. monkeyball Jul 27,2011 7:10 am

    So: how many calls would that pizza place get with jokers asking for a 12″ uncut?

    you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
  3. monkeyball Jul 27,2011 7:18 am

    OK, so here’s the vilk I want to do: BEAKING BAD.

    Jesse:

    Walt (AKA Dr Bunsen Honeyberg):

    Gus Froggs, owner of Las Ranas Hermanos (motto: “Los gustos tienen gusto del pollo!”):

    (I guess you could make Bunsen either Gale or Gus, and have Kermit be Walter [w/Piggy as Skyler], but I think Kermit makes a better Gus.)

    you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • monkeyball Jul 27,2011 7:19 am || Up

      (Imagine Bunsen with the goatee and porkpie. Paging JL …)

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
  4. FreeSeatUpgrade Jul 27,2011 9:05 am

    Cleaning Jesse’s house: both the mess from the party and the acid-dissolving of Victor’s corpse made me flash back to the bathtub collapse scene from Season 1. There’s some kind of extended cleaning metaphor Gilligan’s playing with here.

    I thought Mike kicked 63% of Walt’s ass (enough to hurt, not enough to main) as a favor to Walt, cementing the lesson that Walt ain’t that badass and that the more he tries to act as though he is, the more pain he’ll be in store for. I’d expect threats towards Skylar and Junior to be the next such lesson.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • nevermoor Jul 27,2011 10:16 am || Up

      Definitely tying back to the tub scene was cool (though I wish it had stayed implicit).

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 1:48 pm || Up

      The reaction of both Walt and Jesse when they dissolve the first guys, to the dissolving of Victor is telling. They just do it in 4.1. It ain’t exactly apathy, but it’s closer to it than in the first season (what, like, 1.5, maybe? They wait til ep5? ep4, maybe).

      Mike and Gus are kind of in a weird position wrt to Walt. They need him. Mike’s frustration and amusement at Walter playing gangster is secondary to the fact that they got beat by Walt, an amateur.

  5. andeux Jul 27,2011 9:27 am

    The ball has to be a nod to The Great Escape, passing time while waiting for something to happen.

    I also thought the phone call was Gus himself, but you and Goodman are probably right.

    who gives a fuck about Hank?

    Well, Walt does for one. For the 3/8 of him that has not gone over to the dark side, Hank is still family, and he is still haunted by the responsibility of getting him almost killed. And for the bad 5/8 of him, Hank is a serious threat, the guy who was maybe starting to figure out what was going on.

    As for us viewers, I take kind of the opposite view than you. Sure, in and of themselves the rehab scenes have been kind of boring. But bringing Hank back in is the only way to prevent the show from getting stale very quickly. The Gus/Walt dynamic is great, but at this point it basically boils down to one thing: Walt is a liability (or even an active threat) to Gus so Gus wants to kill him; but Gus needs Walt so he can’t kill him. We’ve already gone through two or three iterations of that. In the last one, after seemingly painting Walt into a corner, the writers did a masterful job of rescuing him again (Victor having been seen). But at this point that dynamic by itself is pretty much played out. There needs to be a third party involved, and as this episode made clear that third party sure as hell isn’t Mike, whose loyalties lie 100% with Gus.
    Bringing law enforcement (specifically Hank) back into the picture makes things interesting again. Gus, as far as we know, has been the criminal mastermind for years without attracting any attention at all from the authorities. Now there are at least two possible trails back to him: “Heisenberg,” and Gale’s folder. That puts Walt-as-liability in a different light. For now, Gus needs to protect him and keep the DEA off their scent. At the same time, we’ve already seen with Victor what Gus will do to his associates once they’ve been exposed (“Did anyone see him? Did anyone see you?”).

    TINSTAAFK
    • monkeyball Jul 27,2011 9:42 am || Up

      I’m waiting for Mr Grabby Hands to show up again. I’m certain that Beneke Fabricators built Gus’s underground lab.

      With the rebuffing (SWIDT) by the car wash guy, maybe Sky tries to buy/use BF finances to launder cash.

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
      • nevermoor Jul 27,2011 10:21 am || Up

        I think Sky is too stubborn to just give up on her plan like that. She’s got a potential for effective badassery that might just have been brought out.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • nevermoor Jul 27,2011 10:20 am || Up

      Couple things:

      It would be pretty strong writing-fu to have Walt cut Hank’s money off as a “total conversion to scarface” signpost.

      I disagree that we know where Mike is 100%. No matter what he’s thinking he has to do what he did in public.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 1:38 pm || Up

        You think people are watching Mike? I’m uncertain. I think it’s clear where Mike’s loyalties lie, though…upon reflection…he was clearly troubled with the ease that Gus killed Victor. Now whether that was because Victor was a loyal employee (just like Mike)…I’m uncertain. There’s obviously something heavy (still waters run deep) going on with Mike, or else the actor is giving way too much legs to the character. So…maybe you’re right. Maybe his loyalties don’t lie with Gus. But…he did kill a bunch of people to get at the key maker or whatever in the mylar balloon scene last season…

        I dunno. But this is why I LOVE talking about it. My opinions on things can change when I get y’all’s perspective. I love that. This is why I love studying literature, too, btw…

        • nevermoor Jul 27,2011 1:51 pm || Up

          I think that bar’s the kind of place where if he went along with Walt Gus would find out one way or another. There’s watching, then there’s people knowing you’d pay for info.

          I’m certainly not sure either, but I find his character particularly interesting right now. He has all the skills that Walt lacks, but in the context of criminal enforcer, he’s definitely not evil.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 1:32 pm || Up

      I’m STILL not convinced the phone call wasn’t Gus. I’ve played it back a few times and the only thing that really makes me think it was Mike is that he looks around, away from the house. And presumably Gus is in the house. While the phrase, “Go home, Walter” sounds like typical Mike, it also sounds like typical Gus. I’m still unconvinced. And I think Gilligan intentionally made the voice vague and unrecognizable. Those with access please listen again and tell me, does he use BOTH their voices there?

      • nevermoor Jul 27,2011 1:52 pm || Up

        I couldn’t tell either. My first instinct was Gus, but you’re right that it is not clear.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • monkeyball Jul 27,2011 2:01 pm || Up

        It sounded more like Gus to me.

        you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
        • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 2:12 pm || Up

          that’s who I thought it was til I watched it a second time.

    • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 1:52 pm || Up

      Walt-as-liability from a police perspective has been ignored largely up until now since Hank was shot. Before then, it was a weekly occurrence. Given how careful Gus has been in the twenty years leading up to this point, it seems somewhat silly/unbelievable that he would allow anything contained in a folder by Gale to trace back to him.

      Maybe just the purity of the meth involved?

    • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 1:53 pm || Up

      And good call on The Great Escape!

  6. nevermoor Jul 27,2011 10:14 am

    I think the Hank/Marie stuff has to be personal (i.e. he has a friend that has had to do rehab or something). Baring some amazing writing-fu it feels self-indulgent.

    I actually like the car wash scene because it reinforces how poorly Walt is suited to this stuff. He routinely pisses off people he doesn’t think matter, but he thinks too many people don’t matter. The way he did it to that guy is pure amateur-hour, totally in character, and harmful to his interests because (as Skyler has said) it’s the perfect laundering front for him. And yes, the Skyler-is-a-better-criminal part of the story seems important too.

    I agree with your take on the bar fight. 1) Just a dumb move. Mike only exists because he can be trusted. 2) If you’re going to go after the king you don’t start your planning in a dive bar. Even if Mike did end up siding with him he needs to do something like that in public.

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • Leopold Bloom Jul 27,2011 1:39 pm || Up

      To be fair, his eyebrows are really quite silly and deserving of mocking, cursing and crotch-grabbing.

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