This week’s installment of Breaking Bad showcases yet another
hour of gripping, intense, near-flawless drama. Aptly titled Confessions, it’s
an episode full of just that, where truths (some more liberal than others) are
finally unearthed.
Following a pre-credit sequence in which Todd recalls the
train cargo heist to some neo-Nazi thugs, we rejoin the interrogation room
where a mentally clouded Jesse resides. Hank enters and so begins his appeal for
a confession. If Vince Gilligan and co. were to abide by the title of this
episode, Jesse would oblige and reveal everything right then and there.
However, we are reminded of the history both share, filled with hatred and
violence, so naturally, their conversation is not smooth-sailing. Nor does it
last very long, as Saul enters hindering any further progress for Hank.
Outside the interrogation room it seems quite the opposite is occurring. Set up in their bedroom, Skyler turns on a camcorder and Walt begins...“I am
Walter Hartwell White, and this is my confession”. But is it? After a dinner meeting between the
White and Schrader couples (passing on the table guacamole but settling for a side order of relentless intensity), the DVD recording is handed over and it is not long before Hank
rushes home to watch the expected confession.
It’s a confession of sorts... but one that places Hank as
Heisenberg and overlord of the Crystal Meth empire, and Walt as his abused
servant. It’s a genius plan and one that royally screws Hank in every which way.
This is of course further emphasised when Marie reveals Hank’s medical bills
were paid for by Walt’s drug money. Oops.
As both are watching the recording, their
reactions of somewhat disbelief and abhorrence are a true testament to the
criminal that Walt has become. Not only does this master plan grant him with a firm lead in the Hank-Walt showdown, but it is a reminder that his presence, as Heisenberg, extends
beyond mere physicality. His smart, manipulative and abusive actions posit him
as an elicitor of sheer torment, which infiltrates the privacy of a family
home, the privacy of an individual’s mind.
No one knows this more, nor has suffocated from this
particular kind of hold, than Jesse. Later in the episode, both he and Walt
meet in the desert. Walt adopts the atypical concerned father-figure approach
that suggests Jesse flee the city and start anew elsewhere, with a new
identity, a new life. Of course, what he’s really saying is leave otherwise if
you stay here, I may have to kill you. Refreshingly, and at last, Jesse totally
calls him on this pleading that for once, would he stop toying with him and
just be honest, treat him like an equal. Regardless, Jesse ultimately breaks
down and falls into his arms. It’s a heart-wrenching moment and one of
enigmatic brilliance – does Walt genuinely care for Jesse? Does Jesse welcome
this fatherly embrace or has his energy to fight back completely dilapidated?
We may never know but either way, it’s a moment emblematic of the inescapable
hold Walt can possess.
Nevertheless Jesse opts for a new identity and makes plans
to move to Alaska. As Saul is making the necessary phone calls, Jesse attempts
to relax a little with his beloved dope, which is ultimately lifted from his
pocket when leaving Saul’s office. Waiting roadside for his ride to Alaska,
Jesse reaches once again for his dope only to realise its missing. Opening his
cigarette packet, he realises something else is missing too – a certain
poisonous cigarette – and just like that it all becomes clear, Walt did poison Broc. Shaking with
uncontrollable rage, Jesse bails on his Alaskan taxi and rushes back to Saul’s
office. Threatening him with a gun and beating him to a pulp, he shouts “you
stole the ricin cigarette... he poisoned Broc – and you helped him” – finally
drawing a confession from Saul. Arguably Jesse’s revelation is a bit of a leap,
but Aaron Paul’s performance is so strong, which, teamed with some aptly
erratic editing, enables the whole process to feel seamless and almost unquestionable.
So with Jesse’s cloud of mental torment replaced with
revenge, he hot foots it to the White residence, armed with gasoline. Is this
the moment the house gets destroyed? Naturally, the episode ends before we
learn the result but one thing is for certain, Jesse’s discovery will
undoubtedly incur some explosive consequences.
What were your thoughts on this week's episode of Breaking Bad? Post a comment!
No comments:
Post a Comment