Wow. Like I mentioned over on Facebook, this season hasn’t turned out anything like I expected. When we saw the season 4 promos, with it’s growling announcer guy stating “Walter White has always been the one in danger. Now he IS the danger,” I had visions of badass Heisenburg running around, killing cartel members, outwitting Gus, bedding women, smoking fine cigars and dressing like an extremely upscale pimp.
Instead, Gilligan (no Villigan just for tonight. Respect) offers us up a deconstruction, or perhaps de-evolution of Heisenburg back to Mr. White. And as for Jesse, yes, the student has become the master, but the master has also become the student.
What do I mean by de-evolution? Walter as of last season was a man of order, who neatly folded his lunch sack, and ruled his lab like a tyrant king, even shutting it down for an entire day to chase a goddamn house fly without interference. Now, he lives in chaos, wallowing in dirt and filth, his every move watched, is disrespected by everyone, and is being squeezed out by his partner. He dressed in fine clothes, rich reds and purples. Now the reds and purples are in his face, and he dresses in drab khaki Mr. White clothes. Last season he was a man that had to be reckoned with, planned for, negotiated with, and feared. This season, he is a man that is ignored, condescended to, and belittled. Last season, his partner’s sobriety and being in general a total fuck up was always the thing putting them at risk, this season, almost all of the “oh shit” moments have been because of Walt’s lack of sobriety and in general being a fuck up.
He has sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind. No, this season hasn’t been anything like I thought it would be, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So many people cited last episode as Cranston’s Emmy nomination sealer. Please. Any dude can cry ugly. THIS episode was his Emmy nomination winner. And there is still two episodes left for him to raise the bar.
Other miscellaneous thoughts…
- Why didn’t the scales balance for Walt? I have some stuff to say about the symbolism of it, but what’s the real world explanation?
- Holly sighting! Whew, we were getting worried there for a minute.
- Tio’s scene, ye gods. First of all, something I suspected but couldn’t make out (damn you local telco, for not broadcasting AMC in HD!!) was that Don Eladio’s necklace had an eye charm on it. Gus dangling that in Hector’s face, and laying out that his whole empire is broken, and the man responsible for killing his last kin on Earth was Jesse? My question… what is next in store for Tio? Why didn’t Gus just kill him? I think a man of his means could do so easily at this point. Will this come back and bite him?
- By the way, did you notice the movie that Tio was watching? The Bridge on the River Kwai. I think it’s interesting, and I don’t have time to unpack all the symbolism there, but I think there are great parallels between Col. Nicholson and Walt, involving unintended consequences and sacrifices. Last episode was his “What have I done?” moment, and now we have “Madness! Madness!” to look forward to from here on out. I also liked how the used the triumphant music from the ending for Gus to parade out of the nursing home to.
- Walt wrecking the car really… stretched my suspension of disbelief. What the hell was Walt thinking? Hank wasn’t going to bust in with badge and gun and search the place. He could have cased the joint, seen nothing, Walt could have warned Gus later, and things move on. Although I’m really wondering why Gus hasn’t already taken action to move the operation, as painful as that obviously would be, once Hank made the connection to the chicken plant.
- Hank mentioned Three Days of the Condor in that scene. I’ve never seen it. Listeners out there; any deeper significance?
- “We’ll mark it down as a brain fart.” Like hell. Who else thinks that NOW Hank suspects Walt? It was funny when Walt Jr. volunteered to do recon work and was shot down by everyone.
- The return of Meat Eating Man in an epic scene. Ted’s dead, right? I was on the fence about this immediately after the episode aired, but having thought about it for 45 minutes or so, he broke his damn neck or something. Chekhov’s carpet, indeed.
- Jesse’s scene with Walt at his house (and whoever said that Jesse got out to talk to Andrea a few episodes ago when Saul stopped to make the payments was spot on obviously) was very powerful, all the more so from seeing Jesse’s stubborn refusal to betray Walt. The emotional punch line, as Walt begged Jesse for help: “The last time I asked you for help you told me you hoped I was buried in a barrel in Mexico!” Indeed, Walt’s surmising of this on his knees in the desert was all the more powerful, as he finally realized how stupid he was to turn on Jesse.
- That being said, Jesse sure looked happy before Walt showed up. Everyone looked so happy. It’s too bad that things are about to go seriously pear shaped for all involved.
- Only Gus can make stepping out of a Volvo station wagon look badass.
- I loved, loved, loved the light and shadow cast upon the desert by the clouds. Real or film trickery?
- The final scene felt like something straight out of Goodfellas. Walt comes across much more Joker and less Scarface here. Just, totally unhinged. But what else can you do when life hands you such a flaming sack of shit and expects you to stamp it out?