Continuing with the rare guest post series in this blog, you are all in for yet another huge treat this week. With the success of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” (Sundays at 10PM EST), every major–and minor–media outlet seems to be running a recap of each episode. Well, 12631 member @a_bh_a (“Arctic Gambino”) has generously offered his thorough and highly entertaining thoughts on last evening’s seventh episode of season five. There will be just one more episode left in 2012, before the second half of the final season of the entire series airs next summer.
Enjoy the top shelf recap and analysis, and be sure to follow @a_bh_a on Twitter.
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Jesse Pinkman: How many people are going to die because of us?
Walter White: No one else is going to die!
Today is a sad day for Mr. Gambino. By the end of the recap you’ll know why.
The opening is pretty spectacular as you see Walt at his peak confronting the other cartel on one of the biggest ego trips known to man. We’re back in the Desert with the same individuals as last week, only this time Walt is the one calling out the terms. I have to say, I’m impressed with just how far Walt has come from Season 1.
Declan is confused as to where the methylamine is, but Walt has a new deal. Give up their cook and become Walt’s partner supplying his blue product to the rest of the Southwest. Walt is in full Heisenberg (Boss) mode and is running his mouth without a fear in the World. Walt surmises that his 99.1% pure product yields greater margin than the inferior product they are distributing. “It’s grade-school t-ball versus the New York Yankees… their meth is off-brand cola and what I’m making is classic Coke”.
Walt boldly shuts up Declan by saying he’s the guy that killed Gus Fring and that they “know exactly who he is”. “You all know exactly who I am. Say my name,” he orders. When Declan whimpers “Heisenberg” he responds in a snarl “You’re goddamned right!” – BADASS!
Mike has his $5M and he agrees to cover for his guys out of his cut, but Jesse wants out too which troubles Walt quite a bit. We find out Walt stashed the methylamine at the car wash and he’s gone to retrieve it. Skyler and Jesse have another funny one word exchange but I hate Skyler so I won’t discuss it.
Walt tries to entice Jesse into staying by offering him his own lab and yields greater than 100lbs a cook. But Jesse has made up his mind, so Walt gets straight to the point and tells Jesse he is worthless, has nothing going on in his life and that it’s a matter of when and not if that Jesse turns to drugs again. Jesse smartly walks away so Walt has no choice but to bring in Todd the child killer to be his assistant. While he does an okay job, it’s clear he’s no Jesse.
The other big reveal is that Mike has been paying his guys through a lawyer who was introduced earlier in the season. We find out his name is Dan Wachsberger and that he stashes money in safe deposit boxes and the crews’ families later come and retrieve it, a little at a time. Pretty smart, except for the fact, that Hank and Gomie hone in on the lawyer pretty fast given that he represents all 9 guys (dumbass mistake by Mike & Fring).
By pure luck, Walt is able to retrieve the bugs he placed in Hanks office and overhears Gomie updating his boss on the lawyer who has agreed to turn on Mike. Walt is able to warn Mike and he is able to get away from the cops in time but is in great need of an escape bag he planted at the airport. This all takes place in Saul’s office and it’s funny to see Saul hating on the other lawyer and also having 3 dozen cell phones in his desk. Saul’s the best!
Walt drives to a secluded wooded area and you just know Mike is not getting out of there alive. Mike & Walt have a heated exchange about the names of the 9 guys on Mike’s crew but nothing is accomplished. So while Mike is looking through his bag, he gets shot in the stomach, drives a 100m away and crashes his car, but not before escaping to a riverbed, where he sits and takes in the scenic view. Walt finds him, strips him of his gun and thinks out loud again, realizing he didn’t even need Mike and could have got the names from Lydia. “I just realized I can get those 9 names from Lydia” Mike tells him to STFU and let him die in peace and Walt tries to grant him that as we fade out.
**RIP Mike Ehrmantraut. You will be missed.
Only one episode till Season 5A finishes. Expect next week to be wild and leave us with a cliffhanger…
—@a_bh_a
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CLICK HERE FOR PREVIEW OF 2012 FINALE NEXT WEEK
Great episode. I still don’t hate Walt though.
give it time
is there a season 5b?
yes, next summer
ugg, can’t wait, this season is way too short
Interesting how when Mike was first introduced, he was likely hated by the average viewer, whereas Walt was being rooted for…in this season I think those roles were reversed for most people. The writers are going too far with Walt’s character though. You can tell they are trying to get the viewer to question whether sociopathic behavior can be developed, that it may be there in all of us waiting for the right trigger. But they don’t need to have Walt become this cartoon character that kills someone everyday to accomplish that.
Also notice how they all address Walt. Jesse looking up to him calls him Mr. White. Skylar considers him her equal so she calls him Walt, and Mike looks down on him and called him Walter like a parent speaking to a child.
Got a table of contents for these recaps? Would be nice to start out at season 5 epsode one and go from there.
I will try and do that soon. thanks