This week’s episode of Breaking Bad will in all likelihood go down as one of the most epic episodes of television in the history of the medium. We start off with a cold open of Walt’s first cook with Jesse, and also Walt’s first lie to Skyler. Walt calls Skylar and see her she pick up the phone which is lying right next to a block of knives (see: foreshadowing)
The scene after the cold open begins where we left off last week. The Aryans have overtaken Hank and Gomez and we see that Gomez has already succumb to gunshot wounds. Hank has survived the altercation and Walt pleads with the Aryans to spare his brother-in-law’s life, saying he’ll surrender his entire meth bounty; $80 million. As Walt continues to plead with the Aryans, Hank cuts him off saying, “You’re the smartest guy I know, but you’re too stupid to see he made up his mind ten minutes ago.”
A single gunshot shot rings out. Hanks is dead. Walt finally realizes the jig is up; his family has finally been irrevocably intertwined with his seedy second life.
If only Jesse hadn’t brought his brother-in-law to this location; in Walt’s mind this whole situation could have been avoided entirely if not for Jesse.
As the Aryans graciously unload a barrel of his own money into the trunk of his Chrysler, Walt spitefully spits to an imprisoned Jesse Pinkman his deepest secret; he callously utters to Jesse, “I watched Jane die…I could have saved her, but I didn’t.”
Walt realizes after attempting to drive away from the scene that his gas tank was yet another casualty of the gravely shootout. He’s forced to roll his lone barrel of cash to the residence of a local Amercian Indian whom he presents a stack of cash in exchange for his old, broken down pick up truck.
In the next scene Marie, unaware of Hank’s demise, informs Skyler that it’s all over; Walt has been arrested “dead to rights.” She convinces her to hand over their felonious confession tapes and apprise Walt Jr. of his father’s alter ego–Heisenberg. An incredulous Walt Jr. questions his mother’s confession, unable to fathom his father as multimillion dollar meth cook kingpin.
In the meantime we discover Jesse is being held captive by Todd and the Aryans in order to pass down the patented Walter White meth recipe. Todd unfetters Jesse from his barren cell and in the most emotionless voice, as if unaware of all the strife around him, invites Jesse to teach him the trade.
As Skyler and Jr. approach the White house, they encounter a strange old, broken down pick up truck. Walt races out of 308 and is confronted by a befuddled Walt Jr.. Skyler inquires as to Hank’s whereabouts as Walt attempts to brush off their questions, desperately imploring them to pack up their things so they can “have a fresh start, whole new lives.”
Skyler, having a somewhat warped revelation Walt’s wrongdoing, exclaims, “You killed him! You killed Hank.” As Walt and Jr. quarrel over this new revelation, Skyler finds herself in the same position as in the beginning of the episode; the knife or the phone? This time she reaches for the knife.
A struggle ensues wherein Walt’s hand is slashed and and he’s tackled by his own son. Walt Jr. proceeds to call the police and panic overtakes Walt’s entire face, however seconds later you see the cogs turning; a light bulb goes off. He grabs his daughter and absconds from the scene as Skyler chases after him screaming, pleading to bring back her daughter.
In perhaps his most redeeming act since his full-fledged Heisenberg transformation, Walt finally falls on his sword and makes a phone call to Skyler that simultaneously exonerates her and implicates himself to the umpteenth degree. Beyond implicating himself, he eviscerates whatever image was left of his former self in the eyes of both his son and Marie. He pins Hank’s death on himself.
In the second act of Walt’s redemption, he anonymously turns Holly in to the local fire department and the episode concludes with Walt disappearing into the same van Jesse was set to occupy in “Rabid Dog.”
My heart cannot handle these next two episodes.