Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 11 "Confessions"

Aaron Paul fans rejoice, Jesse Pinkman is back in the thick of things on Breaking Bad.  Of course, even in limited screen time thus far in the second leg of season five, Paul has been fantastic.  But the show had become much more of a story about Hank and Walt over the last few episodes.  Against all odds, though, the constant machinations of Walt have managed to actually put him in a position of power over Hank, and so Dean Norris has to take a bit of a backseat in "Confessions".

Luckily, Paul is there to pick up the slack.  His scene in the desert is as great as any Pinkman moment we've had in this series, and a testament to what a strong, nuanced character that Jesse has evolved into over the years.  In that scene, everything is laid bare between Walt and Jesse.  The latter knows that the former not only killed Mike (the man who had become his true father figure, rather than the false one that Walter represents), but has also been manipulating him from the start, yet still can't seem to break his bizarre dependence on the man.

Luckily, just as Jesse is about to literally give up his life for Walt, he has the second most awaited realization remaining in the series (after the true circumstances surrounding the death Jane, of course, which may never come out unless Walt reveals it himself at some point): that Walt poisoned Brock.  Breaking Bad has a history of well-timed realizations, but this is a TV show, and this particular realization led to a ridiculously climactic ending to "Confessions", so it's hard to complain too much.  We've been dealing with passive Jesse for a long time (and Paul has been great in portraying that aspect of the character), so it was doubly shocking to see him beating up Saul and kicking in the door of the White household (thank God Junior wasn't home!).

We've been assuming all season that Hank would be the one to bring down Heisenberg, but it would be ironic if Jesse was the one who ultimately did the deed (via legal or illegal means).  On the other, from the perspective of Walter, there is no going back now in his relationship with Jesse.  Walt has shown an unwavering ability to eliminate everyone in his way, but will he actually be able to kill Jesse should the need arise?  The evidence in this episode certainly seems to point to 'yes'.  Mr. White is at his evil, manipulative best (worst?) in "Confessions".  Whenever Walt is in danger of becoming too sympathetic a character, Breaking Bad has a way of making us hate him again and that is accomplished spectacularly in this episode when Walt records his despicable "confession" video for Hank and Marie.

Meanwhile, with all of this going on, the adventures of Todd and his desert meth gang continue to pop up.  I can't help but wonder when that storyline will convene with the main one, and just what it will mean for our main characters.  As it winds to a close, Breaking Bad still very much has its hooks in me, and I can't wait for more.

Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 10 "Buried"

"Buried" is a bit of a transitional episode, largely dealing with the substantial fallout from the events of "Blood Money".  The episode is also significantly Skyler-centric, which has not been cause for great enthusiasm in past seasons of Breaking Bad.  Skyler has never been my favorite character, and while my opinion on that matter is unlikely to change this late in the run of the show, "Buried" doesn't suffer much for having her at the core of events this week.  

The scenes with Skyler are compelling mostly for their ambiguity.  At the start of the episode we, like Walt, don't know if Skyler has betrayed him.  Later, when she meets with Hank at the diner, Anna Gunn does a fine job of masking her character's true intentions.  I found myself wondering to what degree her reactions were a "performance", or legitimate, and whether she would remain loyal to Walt, or was on the verge of giving him up.  That sense of uncertainty lent a real sense of tension to the scenes involving Hank and Skyler that was textbook Breaking Bad.

The exchange between Skyler and Marie at the White household was arguably even better.  Whereas Hank (who obviously sees the value of Skyler to his case and doesn't want to risk offending her) was restrained in his exchange with Skyler, Marie is fiery and emotional.  The scene between the two sisters is the equivalent of the charged confrontation between Hank and Walt in "Blood Money", and Betsy Brandt simply does a fantastic job of letting Skyler have it.

Other than those two scenes, there is a lot of material here setting things into place for the final act of the series.  Todd, a character who has always intrigued me (I'm curious what his final role will be in the endgame of the show), reemerges.  Lydia pulls off a Walter-esque plot to improve her situation. Jesse is largely absent (but still looking not OK) outside of a glorious cliffhanger, and there is a sweet scene between Walter and Skyler at the end that serves to strengthen their relationship.

"Buried" finds Breaking Bad ease off the gas a bit, and perhaps hit cruise control.  Luckily, the show is well-scripted and acted enough to pull off the occasional episode in that vein. This breather may also serve us well in preparation for the surely climactic events soon to come.

Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 9 "Blood Money"

The hype surrounding Breaking Bad has reached a fever pitch that would be insufferable if this were any other show, but watching "Blood Money", it didn't take very long for me to be reminded of how justified the hype is in this particular case.  Breaking Bad may be ending, but it is still very much at the peak of its powers.  Personally, Game of Thrones has become my current favorite hour-long drama, but GoT remains somewhat of a guilty pleasure.  I love it in spite of how silly it is.  Breaking Bad by comparison is Shakespeare.  The themes, the cinematography, the performances.  This show really represents the best of television drama, and I will be sad to see it go.  That said,  if "Blood Money" is any indication of the quality of this second leg of season five, it will be a fitting end.

Several long-awaited moments finally come to fruition in this episode.  We learn that Walt's cancer has returned.  Jesse reveals that he has surmised the ultimate fate of Mike.  Walt realizes that Hank has uncovered his identity as Heisenberg.  And Walt and Hank have their showdown. That is a lot to take in, but luckily, each of these vital moments is afforded the gravity they deserve, thanks in no small part to the always stellar cast of Breaking Bad. Every actor on this show is so good that picking an MVP each week starts to feel pointlesss (not to mention that Bryan Cranston is on screen so much, and so consistently amazing every second he is on the screen, that he should be probably de facto MVP every week).  

But nonetheless, these fine actors deserve credit for their standout work, and this week Aaron Paul and Dean Norris earn special recognition.  They are both simply phenomenal in this episode.  The haunted look on his Jesse's during his conversation with Walt is unforgettable.  And after Walt lies to his face ("I need you to believe me") about not having killed Mike, Paul doesn't need to say a word for his face to communicate his distrust of Walter, as well as the sorrow he feels for Mike, his family, and all the other lives Walt (and by extension, Jesse himself) has ruined.  Norris is similarly effective in the scenes near the beginning of the episode when he learns the truth about Walt, and in their final encounter in the garage, when he gives Walt the sort of verbal dressing down everyone in the audience has sought to deliver themselves for five seasons.  

"Blood Money" could not have offered much more for Breaking Bad fans after a long layoff.  It feels like a season premiere, but is actually the conclusion of a mid-season cliffhanger, which meant the pacing was at a fever pitch from the beginning,  We got lots of callbacks to previous, memorable events in the series and lots of Walt/Jesse and Walt/Hank.  When a show with a massive pop culture footprint like Breaking Bad comes to an end, the results tend to be disappointing (see Lost, The Sopranos).  But the high quality of season five (continuing with this episode) gives high hopes that Breaking Bad will be one of the few shows of this caliber that manages to defy the odds and deliver a satisfying ending.  I certainly hope that proves to be the case.  I'm not quite ready to say goodbye Walter and co., but I certainly do hope they get the sendoff they deserve.