363 replies to this topic

[TWoP Pembleton]

Walt celebrates a birthday; Skyler contemplates her options; Walt and Jesse's plan is complicated by an associate.

[over30patheticgroupie]

When your wife tells you she is waiting for your cancer to come back, that's a good sign the marriage is over Walt.

Aw, Jessie made me like him giving Walt a birthday gift.

[Xbones]

More "ticking references" with the watch.

[iggypop123]

Why did the watch sound like a gun cocking? Or am i nuts?

[Nightmare Logic]

When your wife tells you she is waiting for your cancer to come back, that's a good sign the marriage is over Walt.

I am loving Skyler more and more every episode. That whole scene was amazing to watch and the awkward birthday party and breakfast was great as well.

[Blue32]

Watching Walt go Heisenberg on Skyler--complete with scathing dismissals of her threats and plans--was scary.

Why didn't Skyler just tell Walt that she'd go to Hank and tell him everything? I suppose in her mind that would give him no choice but to kill her, so she stuck to "small fry" plans like framing him as an abuser.

I definitely had a Dune "The spice must flow" moment during Walt's comments about how meth production needed to continue.

Of course Jesse was the only one who wished Walt a happy birthday and who gave him a gift. It's sad that in Walt's mind, he "changed Jesse's mind" about him, when in fact Jesse's rage at Walt was based on reality (Walt did poison Brock) and Jesse came around when Walt sold him on a lie.

Even absent the context, the wifely drudgery of the breakfast bacon scene was really depressing. The husband cajoling the wife to perform tasks. The child blithely demanding the wife's obedience. The wife's grudging compliance with their demands. That's some Feminine Mystique shit right there.

Edited by Blue32, Aug 5, 2012 @ 10:13 PM.

[Fisher King]

Lydia may have planted the GPS on the barrel but that fly on gives me the impression that it's still bugged somehow.

[JOnanGoopta]

They're really not leaving us any reason to like Walt at all. When your lead character's wife wishes his cancer was back and 90% of the audience agrees (according to the Story Sync poll), you have succeeded in making him hatable.

I also think we saw Anna Gunn's Emmy performance this episode.

That scene. Just. . .wow. Excruciating to watch.

Jesse continues to remain a decent human being in this horrible environment. And I think Walt now realizes Jesse is his only real family at this point, the only person who knows who he is who doesn't think he's, as he himself described Tuco Salamanca, "an insane, degenerate piece of filth" who deserves to die.

Edited by JOnanGoopta, Aug 5, 2012 @ 10:11 PM.

[over30patheticgroupie]

Who would want to spend their birthday with Marie anyway?

[McCafe]

I repeat Walt is an asshole more and more as he takes on his Heisenberg role.

Jesse has been suckered, Walt. He didn't change his mind about you. He's been duped by you. You piece of shit you.

I don't like wishing anyone dead, but Mike's half-measure with Lydia is proving his own lesson. She didn't learn a thing from his warning if she really planted that tracker.

Skyler's ace play would be to tell her fantastic brother-in-law the truth. I think she's ready to face whatever comes down the pike for herself as she realized her role in allowing this to play out, but if Walt needs to be put down - only Hank can do it.

The confrontation between Skyler and Walt was amazing.

"I can't even get you out of my BED!" Ouch.

Edited by McCafe, Aug 5, 2012 @ 10:14 PM.

[backhometome]

Not enough Jesse and too much Skyler. :(

I dont hate Skyler or anything (Im indifferent to her) but im a little tired of her dramatics. I get her husband is a psycho but she should have left him in S3 and not become a criminal herself in S4. I sympathize for her but at the same time Im like you could have left a while ago.


Jesse and the gift ugh, baby if ony you knew what Walt has done to you. I feel like they are building something up between Walt and Jesse.

[peeayebee]

I'm still intrigued by Lydia. I suppose she really did plant the GPS on the barrel, just like Mike said. I'm very interested to see what she does.

Skyler trying to be tough with Walt, and being backed into a corner on every argument, was painful to watch. I wonder how she's going to blow.

I was a little surprised that Hank accepted the promotion. I wonder if he really wants that right now or if he did it mainly for Marie. I know he wanted to be promoted before, but he's so into figuring out the Fring case that I would imagine it'll be hard for him to let it go to someone else. I imagine him micromanaging, but we'll see. He's a smart cookie.

[SDcat2009]

HOLY SHIT!! Walter is just cold fucking bastard. I have never liked Skyler but man I felt sorry for her. She's a trapped animal. And my god, wishing cancer on him is the worst thing anyone could ever wish on another person. But yeah, he deserves it.

[Penman61]

Anyone catch the fly taxonomy poster behind Walt during "The spice must flow" speech? :)

[Peace_47]

Almost every minute of this show is thoroughly unpleasant for me to watch, but it is also completely brilliant. How do they do that?

That was an amazing scene on the patio where Walt was (insincerely) trying to invoke Skylar's sympathy with the reference to the chemo. I knew she was going to end up wading into the water, but yeah, not a good long-term plan there. Her standing with her back to the camera and the pool lit in front of her was beautifully shot.

I chuckled when Lydia asked who Jesse was, and he said, "I'm the guy" in such a "duh" tone of voice.

[JOnanGoopta]

I'm sure Mike is right about Lydia planting the GPS. I'm also sure he is right that they should get rid of her and that they're going to regret not doing it.

[pomme de divan]

Who would want to spend their birthday with Marie anyway?

Exactly.

Am I the only one who thought the watch was going to explode?
That maybe Jesse knowingly or unknowingly set Walt up?

The scene with Walt & Sky? Just give Anna Gunn the Emmy.

This episode was a rare piece of television drama at its best.
Like y'know, Bigfoot, Unicorn rare. Yo.

[Penman61]

I was hoping they'd give Lydia a bit more to do than be worried/frantic/paranoid. NotMadeleineStowe is doing the best she can with what's written, I suppose, but Lydia's paranoia--especially in continual extreme close-up--is a little much.

Edited by Penman61, Aug 5, 2012 @ 10:25 PM.

[FaithW]

It's so very hard to sympathize with a character who never helps herself. "Waiting for your cancer to come back"???? Really Skylar? You ARE a coward. It's painful. I understand her fear, and Skylar doesn't even know all that's Walt's done. She has every right to be scared. But to be terrified... and do nothing? That's beyond cowardly. And who wants to watch that? She's not a worthy opponent at all. I want her to get stronger. I guess I'll keep waiting.

ETA

Am I the only one who thought the watch was going to explode?

You're definitely not the only one.

Who would want to spend their birthday with Marie anyway?

I'd spend time with Marie! I also love purple. So I'm sure we'd get along great!

Edited by FaithW, Aug 5, 2012 @ 10:28 PM.

[pomme de divan]

People need to Just Listen To Mike.
Sheesh.

[daddio42]

Did anyone notice Lydia's full name and location on the award. Lydia Rodarte-Quayle Houston Texas. It looks like Jesse flew to Houston and drove back.

[MightyMac63]

Why did the watch sound like a gun cocking? Or am i nuts?

I was feeling the same way iggypop. I am thinking that Lydia is next to get whacked (now since Mike mentioned killing
Lydia).

Seeing Skyler walk into the pool? At some point she is going to blow. But how? And she has the audacity to rip into Walt, when she took the 600 plus grand of his money to take care of Ted's IRS screw up and sleep with Ted?

Every time Walt puts on the Heisenberg hat, he really does become a cold and cruel bastard (from a previous poster).

[shockey80te]

When your wife tells you she is waiting for your cancer to come back, that's a good sign the marriage is over Walt.

And she tries to precipitate it by smoking a whole pack of cigarettes in the house.

The Walt-Skylar scene was truly one of the best scenes ever on this show. "I can't even get you out of my bed!" I still have a lot of difficulty understanding how she went along with everything, but the Gus Fring death was suddenly too much for her. I guess a part of it is her own guilt, but it doesn't make much sense to me.

I loved the camera work of Skylar peacefully walking into and sitting in the water and how that was broken up by a dark image (Walt) quickly grabbing her.

I'm not sure if Walt has just completely "Broken Bad" to the point he doesn't care what Skylar thinks anymore or is he just oblivious to her pain? I guess the answer is what he mentioned at the end of the ep... he just expects her "to come around" like Jesse did. Granted, Jesse only came around because he's still in the dark about all the ways Walt has harmed him.

I know a lot of people are disappointed that they've made Walt impossble to like, but I think it's really amazing what they've done with the character. Walt's still the same quiet, nerdy looking guy we've always seen, but now his very presence is frightening. I knew he wasn't going to hurt Brock last week, but I was still apprehensive. Walt has never shown that he would physically hurt Skylar, but I was apprehensive.

Edited by shockey80te, Aug 5, 2012 @ 10:36 PM.

[marioninnyc]

And I think Walt now realizes Jesse is his only real family at this point, the only person who knows who he is who doesn't think he's, as he himself described Tuco Salamanca, "an insane, degenerate piece of filth" who deserves to die.

But Jesse doesn't "know" who he is. If Jesse knew about Jane and Brock, he'd have killed him.

[Breaker]

Walt is dead. Only Heisenberg remains. He's mostly just pretending to be Walt. Heisenberg has a very dark, raspy voice, not unlike the new Batman, and is completely lacking in human empathy. He bubbled up in the bedroom and during the vote.

That's my take, anyway. Haven't been reading the threads this season so hopefully I'm not repeating what's already been said.

Also, Anna Gunn was amazing. And one of the things I want more than anything is for Junior to learn the truth so he can be on her side.

[JOnanGoopta]

But Jesse doesn't "know" who he is. If Jesse knew about Jane and Brock, he'd have killed him.

Good point. I think Walt thinks about it that way, though, and Jesse knows what kinds of things Walt does. He just doesn't know Walt has done it to him, too.

Rather than make a double post, I'll put this response and another point in the same post.

---

About Lydia planting the GPS. In the rebroadcast, Lydia calls Mike right after the DEA leaves. While she told the truth about them arresting that Ron guy, she lied and claimed the DEA agents were yelling and screaming, when they were doing nothing of the sort. Unless they did it in some scene we didn't see, they were polite and professional, and gave no indication they were treating Lydia herself as a suspect. In short, Lydia lied.

That seems to me to indicate she was motivated to exaggerate the level of DEA surveillance, and makes me even more sure Mike is right about her. She can't be trusted. Of course, none of these people can be trusted, but Lydia can't be trusted in an immediate and specific way.

[peeayebee]

I was a bit puzzled by a couple of shots. One was in bed, before his birthday. There's a closeup of his hand on her arm. It was so sudden and quick. I read a review that pointed out Walt grabbed her left arm in the pool, that he's always grabbing her left arm. I'm still not sure why the shot in bed emphasized him touching her arm.

The other shot was after this conversation -- Outside their bedroom window with the water from the pool reflecting upward. I don't know if this was some kind of foreshadowing, but that doesn't quite make sense to me.

BTW, there's a beautiful photo at the AMC site of Skyler floating in the pool as a black-clad Walt dives toward her.

What kind of car did Walt get? Some model of Chrysler?

[shockey80te]

A couple of thoughts about Hank taking over the Albuquerque office... With Hank's attention divided, the chances of Heisenberg being captured drop significantly despite the new surveillance for Mike. If Gomie is in charge of that case, Walt will be cooking blue until he's 91 years-old. It seems as if Gomie's character exists for the sole purpose of making incorrect hunches while Hank is the opposite. Secondly, Hank is now in position to suffer the same fate as his predecessor, whose name escapes me. Only his connection to the perpertrator is exponentially closer and the results for Hank will be exponentially worse.

[Puds38]

More "ticking references" with the watch.

And each episode helps us see more and more what a ticking time bomb Walt is. He is so full of himself. It's as if killing Gus has made him feel like he's untouchable. Hes not even trying to be safe, and then he wants to live in this fairy tale that everything is fine? No wonder Skyler wishes his cancer back. Walt's making that 600K back is just his latest lie to himself as to why he's doing this. The carwash actually makes enough for them to live on and he made enough to pay Jesse back on the first cook. Walt is doing this because it gets him off.

It's so very hard to sympathize with a character who never helps herself. "Waiting for your cancer to come back"???? Really Skylar? You ARE a coward. It's painful. I understand her fear, and Skylar doesn't even know all that's Walt's done. She has every right to be scared. But to be terrified... and do nothing?

What should she do? She's admitted she was a coward and underestimated Walt. other than go to Hank, her hands are tied. If she goes to Hank sh also risks losing her children and probably jail time.Actually I think she is trying to do something. I think she feels guilty for no doing as her divorce lawyer said and is willing to punish herself. However, she wants her kids out of harm's way.

At this rate it won't be long. Unlike Gus, Walt has built his drug empire on a house of cards. Everything is going wrong and it's all going to come crashing down really soon. For what it's worth, I don't think Lydua put that tracker on the barrels. My money is on Hank putting it there or getting it place there. It reminded me of the tracker he put on Gus's car.

Edited by Puds38, Aug 5, 2012 @ 11:20 PM.

[hotpeppers]

Another edge of the seat ep but the scene with Walt and Skylar in the bedroom was down right scary! Skylar is obviously at her wits end and she is worried or terrified about her children. I think this could prove to be Walt's undoing, not yet as there's too many episodes to go but think about her state of mind. Skylar will protect her children even if she has to sacrifice her own life to do it. I think she'll get a pistol and kill Walt, that's how she can stop him. His bullying stance was just screaming this IMO.

Junior and that fast car, watch out. He may be the next to die wrapping it around a telephone pole at 100+, I thought that was how this ep would end when he was leaving the birthday party. That discussion with him and Walt about their new toys at the breakfast table, I see disaster written all over that. Who in their right mind would give a 16 or 17 year old a 500 hp (?) car? The shots of these 2 'kids' in their new toys was funny.

Mike, half measures again? He failed to kill Lydia before and now he's going out to do it but wait, wasn't that her sitting at a table talking about an ocean of methmeline (sp?). So she isn't dead and Mike won't kill her.... again.