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“Problem Dog” marks the halfway point of season 4 of Breaking Bad and the pace really seems to be picking up steam. Very little time is wasted in this episode with the exception of Walt whose only mission in life now seems to be to have a blast before he’s taken out by the man who is always one step ahead of him.
Walt
Oh, Walt. What are you doing to us? You’ve lost all grasp of the details at this point. You don’t want to deal with the carwash, your money, your arch nemesis… you’re not even interested in the details of a crime that could send you to jail. Just push your responsibilities off onto other people.
Like I said, Walt doesn’t seem to care about anything anymore. This is unfortunate for Walt since he’s most certainly the smartest person in most rooms and could probably handle these responsibilities better in most cases (aside from money laundering which I believe Skyler is perfectly capable of handling herself). However, it’s great for me since it seems like the path he’s going to take to becoming a full-blown drug lord which is what I really want to see.
Jesse
Aaron Paul lights up the screen in this episode. What an incredible performance at the rehab center! And what a depressing one at the same time. Jesse seems to want there to be consequences for his actions. It’s like he doesn’t even feel worthy of life at this point. I’m not sure how Jesse is going to get the fresh start that he so obviously wants in the opening scene when he’s thinking like this though. If he can’t accept what he’s done and move on with his life, what else is there? Perhaps it’s to learn from your mistakes in order to not repeat them? If that’s the takeaway, I’d say he’s headed down the wrong path.
Hank
Obviously, Hank has been doing a lot of “leg work” lately. Not only is he absolutely crushing it in PT but he’s managed to point a pretty meaty finger at Gus. I can’t help but wonder where Hank’s been keeping the reserves of intelligence and follow-through that he displays in this episode. He certainly hasn’t been applying them to his suspicions about Walter. Most likely, the difference is that Hank knows Walt extremely well but knows next to nothing about Gustavo.
Mike
I’m really not sure why Mike is so fiercely loyal to Gus anymore. He does still remember what Gus did to Victor, right? Surely he has to know that he’s only safe from Gus’ wrath until he slips up? And he’s loyal to the point of even calling Jesse out when he has Gus’ death on his mind. Mike is really an enigma to me. I’m sure that’s a big reason why he’s so good at his job.
Coffee
The coffee officially gets its own section in the review this week. I’m now 100% convinced that my theory on the coffee is correct. There is no doubt that they’re using it as a metaphor or timer of some sort. It’s no coincidence that Gus was nearly killed by it in this episode. Had Jesse been a little faster on the draw, the Ricin would have been in the coffee that we see Gus sipping while alone at a table waiting for the Cartel to show. What was the point of that shot if not to signify his impending death? I’m telling you, this season is all about the coffee!
Let me know what you thought of the episode on Twitter, Facebook or via email. We’re recording the podcast tomorrow and we’ll be sure to get as much of your feedback on the show as time permits!