Let’s talk a bit about expectations, shall we? If you follow our Breaking Bad News, you know that last week we dished up some mega-spoilers for the rest of the season. So, I knew, roughly speaking, what was going to happen. I knew Don Eladio was going to be poisoned. I knew Skyler was going to give Ted the money. But knowing is one thing, experiencing it quite another.
Let’s talk Skyler first. Skyler is Walt come again. Just like in season one, where one of Walt’s clever solutions to a problem spawned three more serious problems, Skyler’s tidy scheme to give Ted the money he needed to keep them both out of jail has bit her in the ass. First, Ted isn’t going to pay off the IRS. In fact, Ted’s going to treat himself to a car that costs $1800/month just to lease. And he’s going to spin his business back up. You know, the one that just completely flopped and got him involved in massive fraud and tax evasion charges? Hey stupid, here’s a hint, if you don’t pay nearly a million dollars in taxes AND you still go belly up? Maybe something is wrong with the core business model or the way you run it?
So, pissing away almost two thirds of a million dollars, that’s bad enough. But we don’t stop there. No, Skyler tells Ted she gave him the money. Now, how do you think that is going to work out? Ted has got to figure out this money is ill gotten somehow. Do you think this is the last time he’ll come at Skyler with his hand out? Oh, and to say nothing about how Walt is going to react when he finds out about this.
Now let’s talk about Gus and the Don. Holy shit. Jim said it best when we got done watching; the Villigan pulled off a successful triple red herring. Oh, the bottle’s poisoned. But Gus is drinking it, so I guess not. But wait! Everyone is dying! But Gus is throwing up, so he’s fine. But wait, he’s not! For some reason, I thought the poisoning was happening next week, and between that and thinking that Jesse was going to do the deed with the ricin, I was more or less taken by surprise at the outcome.
With Don Eladio heaping the bullshit on thick, yet another episode had me really rooting for Gus, and boy did it feel good to hear him roar out his challenge to the Don’s household staff and guards. And I don’t think I’ve ever taken so much pleasure in a good garroting as I did when Mike strangled out Mr. Cocky Cartel Super Agent.
And that’s saying nothing about Walt’s powerful scene with Jr., or Jesse’s cooking triumph, or what Tuvok is up to, which looks to be no good from his smirk on the “next time on” preview. But that’s what the podcast is for, no?
Now for my random observations.
- Has anyone, in the history of man, ever been excited to be given a Dodge? I mean, even if you’re rich enough to be given a Viper, wouldn’t you secretly be bummed out that it wasn’t a Ferrari or something?
- Ted’s an idiot, right? I can’t remember exactly why I think he’s no businessman… wasn’t there a scene in season three where Skyler says since he took over the business from his old man that he’s basically run it into the ground? And now he is given this gift from a slimeball lawyer and accepts no questions asked. And immediately, literally, goes and buys an expensive car with it? Who still buys the fallacy that a sales guy needs an expensive car to show off his success? A used BMW, fine, but a new $100k+ car? What an asshole.
- Speaking of assholes, Jesse really plays a badass nicely, doesn’t he? He used to come off silly and childish when he’d try to intimidate, but I guess killing a few people adds some gravitas to your threats.
- And just how pleased did Gus and Mike look with their protege? Again, can’t wait to see where this goes. What if Mike and Gus both die?
- Remember how I said a podcast ago that Walt Jr. was the last relationship that Walt hadn’t exploited? Oh..
- The scene between Walt and Jr. hit especially powerfully for me, because he was basically describing my experience with my grandfather who suffered the ravages of Alzheimers. It was painful for me to watch, and it really made me hate Walt that he was exploiting the memory to convincingly sell yet another self-serving lie.
- “Last night, you were real.” Ouch. But you deserve it, Walt.
- Every insult that Don Eladio heaped upon Gus made his death that much sweeter. And that he died in the very pool that Hector pissed in and Max poured his life blood into, wow.
- I guess all that Rage practice paid off for Jesse. He didn’t BSOD on Mike this time when it counted most. Where is this relationship going now?
- I think I’m now to the point where I’m rooting against Walt. Or if not rooting against him, at least no longer rooting for him. I’m now rooting for Jesse, Hank, Mike, Walt’s family, and Saul, in pretty much that order. The Villigan needs to throw me a bone if he wants me to stay in Walt’s corner, and pretty quickly, too.
- Dammit, Mike can’t die. I know he’s had The Incurable Cough of Death this season, but still. Too soon, Villigan. Too soon, damn you! Strangely, the ICOD is one of the main reasons I think he’ll pull through. He hasn’t even coughed up blood conspicuously yet, he has time! Although talk about a meme inversion! Give a character The Cough and then off him with a bullet? No. No! Damn you, Villigan!!