Breaking Bad

[LQ]

Speechless. I'm essentially a husk of a person right now.

[Andre Jurieu]

Absolutely loved those final scenes. Just about the most fitting way to

Spoiler

send off a major character.

As for the events themselves, didn't we kind of expect things to be headed in that direction? I've been waiting for this confrontation for a while now. The most unexpected aspect of these events is how rapidly they have occurred.

On the other hand, the one aspect of the show that's beginning to irritate me a little is how conveniently Walter is able to obtain relevant information about Hank's activities. It made sense when

Spoiler

they had the bug and the laptop, but just happening to time the meeting with Hank (or his excuse to get back into the office and grab the bug) with the reveal that Gomey got the lawyer to roll-over on Mike,

just seems way too easy.

[Markson]

Anyone else suspect that tonight's finale will end with:

Spoiler

Hank's discovery that Walt is "Heisenberg," making Hank––or, depending on how you view it, Walt––the principal "villain" of the final run?

[tarpilot]

Random prediction:

Spoiler

Gomey isn't gonna live to see the final 8

[flyonthewall2983]

Accurate prediction: I'm going to be sad there won't be any more EP's this year, and that next up is the final 8.

[flyonthewall2983]

Leave it to the A.V. Club commenters to get it right

Spoiler

"Hank just shit himself. Good thing he was on the toilet."

[The Narrator Returns]

I'll restate what I said on the AV Club: the tension during the family pool scene was unreal. I thought for sure Walt Jr. and Holly were going for a swim, and they weren't coming back up.

[flyonthewall2983]

I felt that a little bit. It was palpable. That close to the end, everything looking perfect. And it was...

[Professor Wagstaff]

I was hugging myself over the unease during that poolside scene, convinced by the framing of everyone that something would surely happen. The staging of that scene was a great example of misdirection. Michelle MacLaren deserves nothing but kudos for her superb direction (I remember having a similar reaction to the "Thirty-eight Snub" episode she did last season). Here's hoping she helms a few more episodes next season.

[tarpilot]

Anyone else think there was gonna be a time machine under that blanket?

[Murdoch]

Spoiler

I can't imagine next episode when the series returns not starting off right where this season ended, with Hank walking out and looking at Walt with disbelief.

Also, there's got to be more with Lydia then Walt just saying "I'm out" and that's that, especially since she set up the whole Czech connection.

As for the pool scene, I was close to covering my eyes when Walt Jr. and Holly were away from the table, ready for shots to ring out or something.

[flyonthewall2983]

Spoiler

I'm gonna call it right now. This episode is the calm before the storm that will be the final season, with Hank's realization and expression being the first dark cloud approaching. Nothing will ever be the same, and this is regardless if Hank comes out of that bathroom guns figuratively ablaze set on Walt.

I'm thinking back to the scene where Hank's predecessor is sitting with him and Gomez sharing a drink before he leaves the building after stepping down, talking about how Fring taught him to cook fish, bringing him into his home and all that. I just remember Hank having this look on his face, the possibility in his mind suddenly opening up that this monster he is chasing could be a friendly face. That's how I interpreted it, anyway. Not as close as Walt per se, but someone he was friendly or even casual with.

Even as jaded to the world as a lot of us are, we still want to believe that the enemies wear black and we're the good guys in white. If this show has taught us nothing else, it's that both good and evil is colorblind. We're all susceptible to it under the right set of circumstances. The real drama of this coming conflict is knowing that Hank has put too much time and energy, to just give up because the guy he's been chasing might very well be one of the few people he's confided so much in. Not to mention the fact he would have to take down his own sister as well. And this is just one strand of the dense thread this show has been weaving for 5 glorious seasons. I'm pumped for next year, for sure.

[Andre Jurieu]

Spoiler

I'm thinking back to the scene where Hank's predecessor is sitting with him and Gomez sharing a drink before he leaves the building after stepping down, talking about how Fring taught him to cook fish, bringing him into his home and all that. I just remember Hank having this look on his face, the possibility in his mind suddenly opening up that this monster he is chasing could be a friendly face. That's how I interpreted it, anyway.

I remember thinking that scene was one of the few missteps the show has taken, because Hank's reaction was anything but subtle. In fact, it almost felt like Hank had pieced the entire puzzle together right at that moment, which was just a crazy leap forward. Luckily they backed-off that particular story thread for awhile.

Spoiler

The real drama of this coming conflict is knowing that Hank has put too much time and energy, to just give up because the guy he's been chasing might very well be one of the few people he's confided so much in. Not to mention the fact he would have to take down his own sister as well.

Well, not to mention that in Hank's mind, I'm sure he believes

Spoiler

Heisenberg's activities directly resulted in him getting shot and losing the ability to walk for months. That's probably pretty good motivation to find this guy. At the very least, I'm sure he knows the rise of the blue-meth market, which is attributable to Heisenberg, nearly cost him his life.

Also, I think Skyler is actually Hank's sister-in-law, with Skyler and Marie being the sisters.

[mfunk9786]

Spoiler

Also, there's got to be more with Lydia then Walt just saying "I'm out" and that's that, especially since she set up the whole Czech connection.

This is what fascinates me the most. The idea that you can just walk away... Gilligan is too sharply focused on detail to leave out more explanation of what led to Walt getting out - or if he even did.

[Murdoch]

Spoiler

I don't know if Walt saying he was out was just for Skyler's benefit or he actually meant it. It seems weird that he would be so obsessed with building this empire then he sees a pile of money and his cancer comes back (which I assume was what was implied by the battered paper towel dispenser in the bathroom) and he drops the idea. If anything, I would think Walt would be more driven by his cancer returning to further build this empire.

It may be that he's in such a comfortable position with his foreign distribution and lack of competitors/threats that he feels like he can say he's out to Skyler while staying in the business.

[LQ]

Spoiler

I don't know if Walt saying he was out was just for Skyler's benefit or he actually meant it. It seems weird that he would be so obsessed with building this empire then he sees a pile of money and his cancer comes back (which I assume was what was implied by the battered paper towel dispenser in the bathroom) and he drops the idea. If anything, I would think Walt would be more driven by his cancer returning to further build this empire

Spoiler

I think the key word there is building. Walt thrived on the thrill of building this empire, but maintaining it becomes just another grind. There are no threats to quell, no problems to solve, just cooking, shipping, collecting. Rinse, repeat. I think the excellent montage showed us that Walt was almost....bored. Tired. And with the cancer coming back, I can see him softening, wanting to actually spend time with his kids, and taking leave of the business. How he did that, or even if he did it fully, remains to be seen, and I trust that Gilligan won't leave that plot thread hanging

[Murdoch]

That's true. I guess with the past two seasons, with Walt becoming more power-hungry with each successive episode, I came to believe his family occupied such a different world in his mind from what he had become that he would end up choosing the business over them. Either way it's all speculation till next summer

[mfunk9786]

Spoiler

I don't know if Walt saying he was out was just for Skyler's benefit or he actually meant it. It seems weird that he would be so obsessed with building this empire then he sees a pile of money and his cancer comes back (which I assume was what was implied by the battered paper towel dispenser in the bathroom) and he drops the idea. If anything, I would think Walt would be more driven by his cancer returning to further build this empire.

Spoiler

Didn't he beat up a bathroom once before when he found out that his cancer hadn't returned? Was that the same bathroom fixture?

[Murdoch]

I just re-watched the scene and that seems more likely since Walt's hands weren't bloodied and the way he suddenly notices the dents. I completely forgot about that.

[Andre Jurieu]

I just re-watched the scene and that seems more likely since Walt's hands weren't bloodied and the way he suddenly notices the dents. I completely forgot about that.

So does that mean that the question remains as to what the pills were for in the season's opening scene.

[flyonthewall2983]

This made me genuinely LOL

Spoiler

[Roger Ryan]

I just re-watched the scene and that seems more likely since Walt's hands weren't bloodied and the way he suddenly notices the dents. I completely forgot about that.

So does that mean that the question remains as to what the pills were for in the season's opening scene.

Spoiler

I thought the cough in the season's opening scene was a pretty explicit indication that his cancer had returned. Walt noticing the dented paper towel dispenser is more of a comment on how Walt's actions have left permanent "scars" on those around him (plus it provides a bit of humor with the suggestion that the hospital couldn't be bothered with replacing the dispenser).

[Andre Jurieu]

I just re-watched the scene and that seems more likely since Walt's hands weren't bloodied and the way he suddenly notices the dents. I completely forgot about that.

So does that mean that the question remains as to what the pills were for in the season's opening scene.

Spoiler

I thought the cough in the season's opening scene was a pretty explicit indication that his cancer had returned. Walt noticing the dented paper towel dispenser is more of a comment on how Walt's actions have left permanent "scars" on those around him (plus it provides a bit of humor with the suggestion that the hospital couldn't be bothered with replacing the dispenser).

Spoiler

Well, it was kind of hinted at based on his cough and the pills he was taking during the cold-open to start the season, but then the final few scenes of this season at the cancer clinic are kind of ambiguous and hint that the cancer may not have returned. As well, there are a few scenes during the montage that runs towards the end of the season finale, where Walt looks particularly exhausted. The obvious reason is the daily "Coke Classic Meth" grind, but coupled with the scenes at the cancer clinic and Skyler's ominous wishes, it begins to seem that his health is slowly deteriorating. Meanwhile, Walt's in decent shape during his 52nd birthday - he has hair and isn't completely withered - but then he does have the cough and looks like he is required to take prescribed medicine. So, if he hasn't received a diagnosis that his cancer has returned in the season finale, what's the cause for his slightly poor health when he's celebrating the big 5-2? Anyway, my point is it doesn't appear anything is particularly clear regarding Walt's health, at least based on the few scenes we've been privy to so far.

[Roger Ryan]

Spoiler

I took the fact that Walt having a full head of hair on his 52nd birthday to mean that he decided against chemo therapy to treat the cancer (chemo being the thing that results in hair loss, not the cancer itself). Of course, it's all speculative. The only thing we know for sure is that Walt survives another year.

[mfunk9786]

Spoiler

I took the fact that Walt having a full head of hair on his 52nd birthday to mean that he decided against chemo therapy to treat the cancer (chemo being the thing that results in hair loss, not the cancer itself). Of course, it's all speculative. The only thing we know for sure is that Walt survives another year.

Spoiler

Then why would he be taking an Rx for it?