Lydia sits in a bunker in the middle of a nearby desert,
covering her ears from an outburst of artillery on ground level. She has just
orchestrated the assassination of an entire crew of business partners, who have
recently been producing a less-than-average meth product. Led by Todd, she retreats
from the crime scene. She covers her eyes from the devastation yet daintily foots around the bloody bodies that litter the floor. To avoid emotional scarring?
Perhaps. Although a safer bet would be to keep her nice patent, black heels clean. It’s a poignant image and one that sufficiently summarises
this week’s episode of Breaking Bad – chaos. Some
handle it better than others... and in more glamorous attire.
Buried starts in the wake of the Hank-Walt showdown, the
intensity of which no doubt remains. As
soon as the garage door re-opens, both dive full throttle into a race of outing
one another. Naturally the first step is to contact Skyler, in which Hank
reigns supreme. Evidently, he reveals everything and arranges to meet her at a local diner. He lovingly greets Skyler and effectively believes her to be a victim within the whole situation, forced
into silence through a threat of domestic abuse. It hasn't entered Hank’s head that
Skyler may also be implicitly involved in this colossal meth business her husband has created. Her
silence speaks volumes, she neither refutes or agrees to such claims, but the
proverbial cogs are visibly turning. What should she and Walt do next? The
immediate answer is to evidently buy time, as she causes a scene, escaping Hank and the diner.
A similar situation presents itself again however, when
Skyler is later confronted by Marie. In a fantastic sequence, Marie questions
how long Skyler has known about Walt. Again, the silence is significant, as
Skyler realises there is no justification for the horror she has put her sister
through. It is not long until Marie reaches the same conclusion and upon
working out the damage caused toward herself and her husband, slaps Skyler with
some hefty force. Possessing as much pack as Hank’s punch last week, the
Schrader’s are turning out to be quite the masters of hand-to-hand combat. The sequence ends on an incredibly emotive finale when Marie attempts (but fails) to leave the White
residence with Holly in tow – a devastatingly close wake-up call for Skyler.
When she and Walt finally meet, they discuss the next plan
of action – which is essentially to wait
until this all blows over. As annoying as Skyler may be, it’s a pragmatic
decision. Yes, prospects are not particularly positive for the White family,
but she is fully aware that it’s not a win-win situation for Hank either. As
much as Marie wants both Skyler and Walt to suffer that which they
deserve, Hank knows it’s not all that easy. Catching Heisenberg poses
a problem in itself yes, but it seems there is a greater concern. Positing to
the DEA that Heisenberg, the man Hank has been after for the past five or so
years, is in fact his own brother-in-law is a damning revelation and therefore
an outlandish theory. It garners the possibility to ruin Hank’s reputation and
possibly cost him his job. So, given the return of Walt’s cancer also, does he
turn a blind eye and forget this happened? Or should he concentrate on
collecting some hard, comprehensive evidence to fully divulge the truth. What
should the next step be? Where should Hank go from here?
As if by magic, a dazed Jesse Pinkman resides in a DEA
interrogation room. He has been brought in for questioning, following his
philanthropic adventures of tossing wads of cash to the less-fortunate
residents of Albuquerque. It is without doubt that mentally, he is in a totally
different place – a broken soul with nothing to lose, plagued with guilt over
what he has done and the lives he has taken. A perfect opportunity for Hank,
no? Much like Hank is the perfect opportunity for Jesse. It’s an “I’ll scratch
your back if you scratch mine” situation – help Hank bring down Heisenberg and
Jesse has a chance to cleanse his soul, an attempt to rid himself of some guilt.
In typical Breaking Bad fashion, the episode ends before we
see the two interact, granting this Sunday’s instalment high levels of
anticipation. Yet what we have presented is an interesting dynamic. Amidst the
revelatory chaos tearing families apart, two trajectories have presented
themselves. For Walt and Skyler, is it a case of slow and steady wins the race?
Or has Hank just capitalised on his path toward justice by embracing an all too
convenient opportunity...? Only time will tell.
What were your thoughts on this episode of Breaking Bad? Post a comment!
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