The thing about Walt is he can always get worse, and last night he was pretty awful. He was at the top of his manipulative faux-paternal game last night with Walt Jr. and Jesse -- playing Walt Jr. with his returning cancer to keep Jr. away from Marie, then twisting Jesse into leaving town so Walt, apparently, won't have to kill him. And of course, there was the jaw-dropping scene when Walt reveals what his "confession" really is -- a story that fits the evidence remarkably well and pins the lion's share of the blame for Walt's crimes on Hank himself.
Obviously, after an hour or so of Walt behaving badly I was ready for someone to give Walt his due, and it looks like Jesse is more than up for the task. Armed with a gun, a gallon of gasoline, and the truth about what Walt did to Brock, he set off to go set Walt's house on fire (where is Holly while her parents are at work, guys?) and lay down some sweet Jesse-style revenge.
After two episodes where Jesse was nearly catatonic with guilt and misery, it's great to see this sucker punch of a character springing back into action. More than anyone else in this episode, Jesse was ready to call Walt out for his crimes. He sees Walt's proposal of a fresh start for Jesse for what it really is (namely, Walt's first choice before plan B, shooting Jesse in the head). Furthermore, while Hank is apparently neutered by the discovery that he took nearly two-hundred thousand in drug money, Jesse takes Walt head-on and bringing the fight to Walt's house.
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| Jesse is not the one who knocks. He is the one who kicks down doors. |
By the way -- I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Hank but I was pretty disappointed by his lukewarm reaction to the tape. Hank has not come this close to bringing down Heisenberg himself to be foiled by this little trick. Maybe he needs another week to get his nerve up, but the Hank I know would be willing to sacrifice even his reputation at the D.E.A. to bring Walt to justice. I think this video complicates things (he will need some hard evidence against Walt), but Walt hasn't stopped his brother-in-law as much as he's slowed him down.
Great cinematography in this episode -- I particularly liked the shot of Jesse on the side of the road with what looked like gravestones behind him when he learned the truth about Brock. Also, I'm throwing this questions to the readers: do you think Walt cares about Jesse? I'll be the first to say that Walt cares about Walt more (he's headed for Jesse with a gun in hand, after all) but I was actually touched by that awkward hug in the desert. Does Walt feel a bit of fatherly affection for his troubled partner, or was that all part of the act? Tell me what you think.
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