Summary: The hit-the-ground-running method of these final episodes continues to pay off, as revelations we’ve been waiting years for keep coming and just do not stop.
If you have not seen this episode yet and don’t wish to be spoiled, tread lightly.
Review
As Saul said, “Things have gone nuclear.”
It’s easy to forget that the events of this series have only taken place in the span of just over a year. As such, it’s in a unique position for its reveals: we might forget about some secrets as the years pass for us, but they’re still relatively fresh in the minds of the characters. Sure, no one outright forgot about Walt poisoning Brock–easily the most defining moment of the past couple of seasons–but after about two years of not hearing about it, it’d be easy to assume that Jesse might have never found out that secret. Walt had destroyed the evidence, after all, so how could Jesse ever put the pieces together? The secret of Jane’s death has never been revealed, either, but still worked as a defining moment for Walt. Brock’s poisoning might have been to infer Walt’s character rather than spark their final confrontation.
But the show managed to sneak up on us, finally pitting Jesse and Walt against each other, and for real this time. And like Hank’s toilet moment and Marie learning the secrets offscreen, an especially relevatory moment happens in an otherwise mundane (and thus unexpected) way. Granted, the show dwelled much more on Jesse’s connecting the pieces than those other cases; the load roar in the background as the cigarette pack caused his brain to fire off superbly complemented the moment. It was quite cathartic having Jesse finally learn the truth, before reality set in and the danger in that moment was realized. And really, Jesse’s growing awareness and intelligence throughout the last two seasons have conversely eroded his loyalty to Walt (whom he still calls Mr. White, even in the darkest moment, a chilling reminder of the fierce loyalty he’s broken away from.) ”Would you just for once stop working me?” says Jesse, in an “Amen!” moment to rule them all. Jesse, of course, has the potential to be Walt’s absolute worst enemy.
But it’s not just Jesse that Walt has to be worried about. Jesse’s rampage was a wonderful end point for tonight’s cliffhanger, but the first half of the episode also served up its share of attention-grabbing “holy crap” moments. Take, for example, the already exquisitely-handled dinner meeting between Hank, Marie, Skyler and Walt, adequately undercut with the comical waiter (and proof that this show can still do comedy even at its darkest.) It was already surprising to see the two factions come face-to-face so quickly, but Marie’s suggestion to Walt to kill himself was just perfect. Marie has a knack for throwing out the obvious, but forgotten, suggestions at the opportune time; as far back as season 1’s “Cancer Man”, her spontaneously siding with Walt about refusing treatment, citing her medical experience, was a shining moment for her. Dean Norris was also, as always, awesome as Hank, carrying a chilling, steadfastly angry demeanor that simply wouldn’t let up.
We also finally got resolution to season 3’s plot of Skyler and Walt paying for Hank’s medical bills. It’d be easy to forget that Hank never learned of this, but that minor plot point has now become the “nail in the coffin” for Hank’s pursuit. In fact, this entire back half season has done a fantastic job of tying in old plot threads, things that would be perfectly acceptable to ignore but tie in so well now. This is even more noticeable in Walt’s shocking confession video, which plays like a recap of the entire series spun in a much darker direction. What’s even more frustrating (in a good way) is that Hank unintentionally set himself up for this. The seasons of letting Walt on his ride alongs, being so open about his investigations, and trusting him to help out in secret are coming back to haunt him, and Hank’s at fault. He’s certainly not the bad guy in the situation, but his misjudgments and rule-breaking keep him from being innocent, and Walt is pulling out all the stops.
What’s even more frightening about this is that Walt is doing this in his retirement, when he’s supposedly living his life wholesomely again. Mr. White is walking around in shades of white and running a carwarsh, but now he seems even more sinister than when he was running the empire last year. I noted back in the first half that Walt’s ego and thirst for power were blinding him and dumbing him down. Now that he’s pretty much gotten everything he wanted, and is utterly confident in his life and choices, there’s nothing to hold him back. Heisenberg might have some great threats and badass meme-inducing one-liners, but Walt is at his most dangerous when he’s quietly plotting and manipulating without the slightest ounce of remorse. Walt saying “You’re goddamn right” or telling Hank to “Tread lightly” are great moments, but there’s something particularly terrifying about, say, using his cancer against his son to keep him around. RJ Mitte was particularly good in that scene, by the way, and Walter Jr. is turning out to be a real trump card in this destructive tug-of-war.
There’s a level of tension “Confessions” exhibited that hasn’t been present in the show in a while, and these dynamics are part of it. It sounds silly to say that, since tension is a core element of the entire show. But this specific type of tension hasn’t been exhibited since season 4, a tension where all the characters are constantly on the edge–of discovering a secret, of being turned in, of being killed, etc. The first half of season 5 served to settle Walt down and let him be content, the calm before the storm, but now every tiny mistake he made is coming back to haunt him all at once. And they’re haunting everybody else, too.
Odds & Ends
- The cold open with Todd bragging about the events of “Dead Freight” painted very different expectations for what this would turn out to be. What we got was much better, but I’m still yearning to see what the heck is going on with Todd. Considering Jesse Plemons is a series regular this year, there’s no doubt he’ll be involved in something big. Until that happens, the White/Schrader family drama is more than enough.
- I really liked the effect of Jessie’s initial interrogation being sped up.
- Interestingly, Marie still calls Walter Jr. Flynn.
- Marie specifically hones in on Skyler’s affair as a likely lie…one of the singular times the truth did come out.
- One of the absolute best moments in the episode was barely plot-relevant, and harkens back to Bryan Cranston’s Malcolm in the Middle days. Towards the end, Walt speeds to the car wash, sprints to the door, but stops mid-run to calm down (his heavy breath even shows on the glass.) And then his excuses to Skyler are absolutely terrible, so bad that she barely even acknowledges them. The entire scene is hysterical, but in the darkest way possible considering the circumstances.
- Bob Odenkirk continues to get lots more to do both comically and dramatically, and it’s all awesome.
- “When I see a kid with a bicycle helmet on, I wanna smack the s*** out of him. For his own good.”
