Breaking Bad: For Whom the Bell Tolls

  "Everyone's on your side," Walter White's son tells him midway through the most recent episode of Breaking Bad.

 Of course, that's not really true. Walter Jr. might be in his dad's corner (he's even dropped the "Flynn" nickname, either as a show of support for Walter, Sr., or as a way to needle his mom), but he's just a kid going through a divorce, and one who's not getting any real answers from his parents.

Hank sort of sympathizes with him -- at the very least, he thinks Skyler not letting Walt see the kids is going too far -- while Marie is still suspicious. (If Walt was just having an affair, she reasons, Skyler would have told her.)

 He and Skyler's split grows more acrimonious with each passing day. He wants his family back, but she feels nothing but loathing. He shows up with a pizza -- noting, in a moment that's both pathetic and hilarious, that he also brought "dipping sticks" -- but she shuts the door in his face. (Walt responds by tossing the pizza onto the roof of the garage, a shot that had to be seen to be believed.)

 And Saul, his PI, and Gus may be watching out for him, but only because -- as Saul puts it -- there's a "problem with White" and they need to protect their investment.

 No wonder Walt's a just a ball of barely -- or should that be "rarely"?-- suppressed rage. As the episode opens, he's cruising along the highway, listening and singing along to "Horse With No Name." By the end of the episode, he'll be pepper sprayed, jailed, humiliated, and will have -- unwittingly -- avoided a narrow brush with a grisly death.

 As we saw last week, Walt's still in denial about everything that's happened since the end of last season. He tries to give his son a "look-on-the-bright-side" pep talk about the divorce, and acts indignant when he gets pulled over, as if the plane crash was only something that happened to him, rather than something that he -- indirectly -- caused.

 "I can't be the bad guy," he tells Saul, who advises his client to start cooking again. Actually, he tells him to "get back on the horse." Appropriate, given the song Walt sings throughout the episode, a tale of a guy wandering the desert.

 (Saul also tells him not to worry about Skyler telling the police anything, since she has almost as much to lose. And as we saw tonight, Skyler's not above a little bad breaking -- is that the right term? -- herself, telling Ted how to cook his books. Of course, Ted comes clean with her about what he's doing, something Walt never did until he was confronted.)

 Walt may be done with drugs, but drugs aren't done with him. The Cousins from the premiere return this week, and in a scary/funny scene, they visit Tuco's uncle, and get him to tell them Walt's name by using a Ouija board, Tio hitting his little bell every time they slide the pointer over the correct letter.

 When the cousins appear again, it's during one of the best, most tense sequences Breaking Bad has ever given us.

 It's the day after the pizza incident, and no one is home at the White house. Walt sneaks back in, gets a shower. Sings "Horse With No Name" again. It's a mostly silent sequence: Walt singing, the shower, a buzzing cell phone, maybe two lines of dialogue.

 As Walt showers, the Cousins arrive, enter the house with an ax as shiny as the suits they wear. Outside, Mike -- Saul's investigator -- has been watching the house. He makes a call. We see one of Gus' henchman on the other end; he hands the phone to Gus.

 The killers wander the house. Then they wait. And wait. Walt keeps singing, and they sit on the bed. The one holding the ax taps a gloved finger against the blade.

 Outside, Mike -- Saul's investigator -- has been watching the house. He makes a call. We see one of Gus' henchman on the other end; he hands the phone to Gus.

 Back at the house, Walt's almost done his shower. The Cousins wait. One of them gets a text message. It just says "Pollos." They leave. Walt steps out of the bathroom, finds the stuffed animal eye which he'd brought with him. Only now, it's been moved, but it's still watching. 

 Other thoughts:

•  The way Jesse and Saul played Jesse's parents was pretty harsh, but I found the Pinkmans' reaction to their son post-rehab to be pretty cold as well.
• If I was that state trooper, Walt would've gotten a punitive fine just for his choice of music. "Horse With No Name" (the title of the episode, "Caballo Sin Nombre," is the song title in Spanish) may be one of the worst crimes ever perpetuated on classic rock.
• Something we learn this week: Gus is apparently powerful enough to call off the Cousins. 
• Saul's license plate: LWYER UP.
• Anyone else think Mike was going to get killed by the Cousins when he was placing the bug at Walt's house? He's the right age and description.
• Again: that pizza on the roof thing was really impressive.

 Tom Coombe

Comments

[Peter_the_Gr8]

Tom,

I love the fact that this very overt show is not afraid of being uber subtle. Did you catch Ted taking a glance at Skyler's cleavage as she pointed out the undocumented revenue? She has been wearing plunging necklines to the office all along, even when she was pregnant. But Ted took a little notice here.

It was the kind of scene I'd expect to see in a show like The Wire. Just a little nod to the fact that there is sexual heat here even while they are discussing Ted's financial indiscretions. It is probably a little early to compare Breaking Bad with The Wire but it is certainly in the same league so far in the series (as is Mad Men.)

The scene with the cop is a good reminder to just be compliant no matter what you think your rights are. Just shut up and call your lawyer. Better Call Saul!
Speaking of which, my favorite line was Saul's to the parents lawyer when he threatened to call the cops, "What do you think, counselor? Do you concur?"
Bob Odenkirk is playing the heck out of that role.

[Tom Coombe]

Peter,

I hadn't noticed that look between Ted and Skyler. But you're right to compare Breaking Bad to those other shows.

The opening scene was a good indication of how close to cracking Walt is. The Walt of last season, even if he did think he was within his rights to get out of his car and complain, wouldn't have done so.

And yeah, Odenkirk is great. I've seen two interviews with him recently where he's said how intimidated he was doing show with a cast of experienced dramatic actors, but he fits right in.