My wife is in the bedroom on the phone. \u00a0She thinks I\u2019m balancing the checkbook.<\/p>\n
Here it is, my review of the penultimate 75-minute episode of AMC\u2019s\u00a0Breaking Bad<\/em>. \u00a0I have mixed emotions because I was drawn to Bryan Cranston\u2019s character, and he\u2019s always been the centerpiece. \u00a0But last week\u2019s episode thrust me into the realm of hating Walter White. \u00a0I despise him. \u00a0I want to see him go down, and I want it to be as painful as possible. \u00a0So, strap in for my patent-pending, blow-by-blow, commentative review of the next-to-last episode of\u00a0Breaking Bad<\/em>, \u201cGranite State\u201d.<\/p>\n #SpoilerAlert.<\/p>\n ===============================<\/p>\n 0:01:11 \u2013 Recap. \u00a0Let\u2019s take another look at why Walter White sucks so hard.<\/p>\n 0:01:50 \u2013 Walt, in the minivan, is driven into the parking lot of a vacuum store. \u00a0True to his word, Saul\u2019s guy comes through. \u00a0And surprise of all surprises, it\u2019s Robert Forster! \u00a0Awesome! \u00a0This show didn\u2019t need another spectacular character actor, but here he is! \u00a0He brings the minivan into the building (through a door, not a wall, just in case you were wondering) and tells Walt he can get out.<\/p>\n 0:02:18 \u2013 Oh, it\u2019s not Walt, it\u2019s Saul. \u00a0What\u2019s happening here? \u00a0Robert Forster has Saul stand in front of a blue screen for a new ID picture. \u00a0Saul fixes his hair. \u00a0Keep up appearances, Saul. \u00a0Turns out he\u2019s headed to Nebraska, at least he will be once the fixer makes the proper arrangements. \u00a0In the meantime, he\u2019s staying in a room downstairs.<\/p>\n 0:03:54 \u2013 \u201cYou\u2019ll have a bunkmate.\u201d \u00a0Walt is still hanging out, it seems. \u00a0And the quarters are being monitored on closed circuit television. \u00a0Walt is seen pacing in the room, looking like he\u2019s violently talking to himself, having the conversation I assume he wishes he was having with someone else. \u00a0He hits the light hanging from the ceiling. \u00a0Pace and suffer, you son of a\u2013<\/p>\n 0:04:20 \u2013 Title card.<\/p>\n 0:06:57 \u2013 Marie is being driven by one of Hank\u2019s colleagues. \u00a0In a bit of good writing and costuming, she\u2019s wearing black instead of her signature purple. \u00a0The agent reassures her that they\u2019ll find Hank and Gomez, when they pull up in front of ShraderHaus. \u00a0There appear to be papers strewn all over the place, and the front door looks like it\u2019s open. \u00a0Two agents jump out, weapons drawn, and tell the third agent to get Marie out of there.<\/p>\n 0:07:42 \u2013 We hear Jesse\u2019s voiceover coming from the confessional tape he recorded with Hank. \u00a0The scene switches to Uncle Jack\u2019s hideout, all eating, drinking beers, and smokin\u2019 cigs. \u00a0They\u2019re watching the tape they stole from ShraderHaus. \u00a0They fast forward to a part where it appears Jesse\u00a0isn\u2019t<\/em> crying, and it lands on a section where he begins to describe Todd shooting Drew Sharp after the train heist. \u00a0When Jesse says it, the look on Todd\u2019s face changes into a quietly proud moment. \u00a0This dude is something else.<\/p>\n 0:09:09 \u2013 Uncle Jack looks none too pleased that Todd\u2019s been fingered in the video. \u00a0He leaves the\u00a0\u00a0house quickly, gun in hand, headed towards the cage where Jesse\u2019s still being held. \u00a0Todd tries to stop him, saying they still need another cook or two out of him. \u00a0Jack\u2019s ready to flush the meth manufacturing because they took off with most of Walt\u2019s money, but Todd\u2019s point of view is \u201cno matter how much you got, how do you turn your back on more?\u201d<\/p>\n 0:10:36 \u2013 Nothing happens. \u00a0They all walk back inside while in his prison, Jesse sits on the floor, holding the picture of Andrea and Brock. \u00a0He takes the paper clip that was on the pic and begins to unfold it, attempting to pick the lock in his handcuffs.<\/p>\n 0:11:46 \u2013 Robert Forster is on the phone doing business. \u00a0The camera pans down in to the bunker where Walt and Saul are biding their time. \u00a0Walt is making a list, possibly checking it twice, asking Saul to come up with names of mercenaries and hitmen (naughty, not nice). \u00a0He\u2019s looking for five, and Saul asks who the target is. \u00a0Walt wants to get Jack and his men for murdering Hank and stealing Walt\u2019s money. \u00a0Really, Walt? \u00a0Are we really going to split hairs at this point? \u00a0Does your pride have a limit?<\/p>\n 0:13:00 \u2013 Saul talks about Walt\u2019s family, and how Walt\u2019s departure makes it look like he\u2019s leaving them out in the wind. \u00a0And while the phone call was a smart move, Saul is convinced that the police will go after Skyler if they can\u2019t find Walt. \u00a0There\u2019s a whole host of problems surrounding Skyler that Walt probably hasn\u2019t figured out, not the least of which is getting money to her without the feds being all over her accounts and other assets.<\/p>\n 0:14:33 \u2013 Saul suggests that Walt stays since his cancer is back and he might not have much time left, anyway. \u00a0He goes inside, becomes big man on Cell Block D, and has the money to be influential. \u00a0Walt\u2019s having none of it, still deluded. \u00a0\u201cWhat I do, I do for my family. \u00a0My money goes to my children. \u00a0Not just this barrel. \u00a0All of it!\u201d \u00a0I\u2019m not sure you get how the law enforcement crews work, there, Walt. \u00a0Still, he is determined to stop at nothing until he gets all the money back and makes sure that it\u2019s there for his kids.<\/p>\n 0:15:28 \u2013 Robert Forster opens the door. \u00a0\u201cEverything good?\u201d 0:15:56 \u2013 Saul\u2019s done, he says. \u00a0Walt is done with him, but Walt insists he\u2019s still in. \u00a0Walt approaches him, reprising his previous blanketing threat. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not over unt\u2013 *hackcoughhackhackcough*\u201d \u00a0He can\u2019t finish, so Saul does for him. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s over,\u201d he says, almost apologetically, then grabs his bags and leaves Walt on his own.<\/p>\n 0:21:30 \u2013 Skyler is in a business suit, apparently in a deposition of some kind, zoning out. \u00a0She\u2019s brought back to reality opposing counsel asking if she understands what\u2019s happening. \u00a0\u201cYes, I understand. \u00a0I understand I\u2019m in terrible trouble. I understand that you will use everything in your power against me and my children unless\u2026 \u2026unless I give you Walt. \u00a0But the truth is, I can\u2019t give you what you want. \u00a0I don\u2019t know where he is.\u201d 0:23:01 \u2013 The White House is being surveilled. \u00a0No activity to report by the men in the car. \u00a0Skyler, on the couch, smoking a cigarette, looks out and sees the car across the street. \u00a0She slowly walks down the hallway into Holly\u2019s room, where she comes upon two men in black with ski masks on. \u00a0A third grabs her from behind and covers her mouth. \u00a0Todd, one of the men in black, walks towards her. \u00a0\u201cMa\u2019am, is there anybody else in the house?\u201d \u00a0He\u2019s a well-mannered young man, to be sure, sociopath or not.<\/p>\n 0:24:38 \u2013 Todd says they have a lot of respect for Walt, but they have to get something straight. \u00a0He says they know Skyler\u2019s been talking to the police, which is understandable. \u00a0But they\u2019re wondering if she said anything about Lydia, given that she kicked her out of Car Wash World recently. \u00a0She shakes her head, but Todd insists she actually says the words. \u00a0\u201cI\u2026 will\u2026 not\u2026 say anything about her\u2026 ever. \u00a0I swear.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s convincing. \u00a0And afraid for her daughter. \u00a0I would be, too.<\/p>\n 0:26:02 \u2013 Convinced that Skyler won\u2019t talk to the cops staking her house out, Todd wants to make sure Skyler knows that they don\u2019t want to come back. \u00a0He places his hand on Skyler\u2019s shoulder \u2014 not in a threatening way, but just with enough contact to communicate how serious he is. \u00a0They leave as silently as they came in, and Skyler grabs Holly, relieved.<\/p>\n 0:26:31 \u2013 Todd, dressed in regular clothing, is sitting in a cafe. \u00a0He takes a sip of tea from a colored ceramic mug with the tea bag still in it, tag hanging out the side. \u00a0I can only assume he\u2019s waiting to meet Lydia. \u00a0Oh, here she is, espionage sunglasses and all. \u00a0She walks in and does what she did the first time she was supposed to meet Mike \u2014 walks past his table and sits at the table behind Todd. \u00a0You\u2019d think this woman would know how weird that looks to other people. \u00a0Actually, I think it\u2019s weirder that Todd\u2019s drinking tea, but hey.<\/p>\n 0:27:08 \u2013 Todd communicates that he made sure Skyler understands them. \u00a0They\u2019re interrupted by a server taking Lydia\u2019s order \u2014 chamomile tea, and more stevia. \u00a0After the server leaves, Lydia wants to make sure there\u2019s no misunderstanding about the fact that Skyler saw Lydia\u2019s face. \u00a0Todd insists that Skyler\u2019s scared, but Lydia still sees it as a risk, so she decides they should take a break. \u00a0That\u2019s when Todd reveals he\u2019s gotten the cook up to 92% purity, and the blue color is back.<\/p>\n 0:29:21 \u2013 Todd pours on the charm. \u00a0\u201cI just think we work together\u2026 good.\u201d \u00a0Grammatically incorrect, Todd, not to mention a touch creepy. \u00a0Seriously, he says the word \u201cgood\u201d three times in 15 seconds. \u00a0As Lydia ponders this new information and what the rise in quality could mean, we cut to a wide shot, where we see Todd picking something off of Lydia\u2019s back. \u00a0The mutual grooming stage doesn\u2019t come for a while, Todd.<\/p>\n 0:29:47 \u2013 A metal hatch is opened, spilling light into a cylindrical container. \u00a0Walt crawls out of the opening into a snow-covered forest land. \u00a0Robert Forster helps him out of what we now see is an empty shell of \u00a0a propane gas truck. \u00a0\u201cMr. Lambert, welcome to New Hampshire.\u201d \u00a0Congratulations, Walt. \u00a0You\u2019re nowhere (which, incidentally, used to be the state\u2019s nickname before someone decided \u201cThe Granite State\u201d would be more appealing).<\/p>\n 0:35:22 \u2013 Walt is moving in his most important items, which means his barrel of money. \u00a0Robert Forster\u2019s giving him the layout, filling him in on his supply status, the amenities, and that he\u2019ll make another supply run in a month. \u00a0Then, through the magic of expository dialogue, we find out the \u201csupply run\u201d is a trip to Costco, which will cost Walt $50,000. \u00a0Hey, man, you wanted to disappear.<\/p>\n 0:36:53 \u2013 \u201cMr. Lambert, my clients and I don\u2019t usually have an ongoing relationship. \u00a0Normally, you and I would have already gone our separate ways, but\u2026 you\u2019re you.\u201d \u00a0How is it that Walter gets himself into so many situations that he has to control, that he just can\u2019t leave well enough alone? \u00a0Anyway, it turns out that by this time, Walt has become nationally known to police agencies. \u00a0Phone, internet, and anything else that could give him away is highly discouraged.<\/p>\n Honestly, it sounds like a great way to hide out while you wait for your appearance to change. \u00a0As long as you didn\u2019t have to watch\u00a0Mr. Magorium\u2019s Wonder Emporium<\/em> over and over again. \u00a0Or at all. \u00a0Even once.<\/p>\n 0:39:28 \u2013 Walt is pulling stacks of cash out of his barrel and putting them in his jacket pocket. \u00a0You have to wonder why, really, especially if he\u2019s not going anywhere, and if he\u2019s in such a remote area that no one can really get to him unless they\u2019re trying. \u00a0He pauses, then walks over to an open bag, reaches in, and pulls out Heisenberg\u2019s porkpie hat, a little worse for the wear, having been beat around a little bit in transport. \u00a0He bangs out the indentations and places it on his head. \u00a0Then he leaves the cottage, walking all the way to the gate at the foot of the driveway. \u00a0He opens the gate and looks down the road, then coughs. \u00a0Thinking better of it, he closes the gate and decides, \u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n 0:41:06 \u2013 Walt\u2019s got a fire going in the wood burning stove. \u00a0The porkpie hat is hanging on the antler of a buck head mounted on the wall.<\/p>\n 0:41:22 \u2013 Jesse\u2019s out of his cuffs, standing on a stack of items, trying to reach the top of the cage he\u2019s in. \u00a0He hears voices coming and gets back down. \u00a0Todd removes the cover from the cage and lowers a bucket with a bowl of Ben & Jerry\u2019s ice cream. \u00a0I half expect him to say, \u201cIt washes all the ice cream down, else it gets the hose again.\u201d \u00a0But he says it\u2019s a treat since the last batch Jesse cooked was 96% pure. \u00a0Oddly, Jesse thanks him for the ice cream.<\/p>\n 0:43:01 \u2013 Todd closes the hatch, and Jesse asks him to leave the tarp off because he wants to see the stars. \u00a0Todd agrees, and Jesse thanks him. (???) \u00a0Todd wishes Jesse a good night, to which Jesse reciprocates. \u00a0Cut to a shot of Jesse using the paper clip to free himself from his wrist and ankle cuffs. \u00a0He folds over the mattress pad he\u2019s been using to sleep on, piles the blanket and a bucket on it, the stands on the bucket. \u00a0In a brilliant acrobatic move, Jesse leaps and grabs one of the bars at the top of the cage, then gets a grip with the other hand. \u00a0He finds the latch, and through some grunting, opens it.<\/p>\n 0:45:12 \u2013 Jesse runs through the lot, trying to keep from being seen. \u00a0He sees nothing but fence with barbed wire on the top all around him, then decides to run right past a camera towards a fence. \u00a0He\u2019s soon surrounded by men with flashlights. \u00a0He falls to the ground and basically tells the men to go ahead and kill him, as he refuses to cook for them anymore.<\/p>\n 0:46:25 \u2013 Todd is walking towards a house that we probably should recognize, but don\u2019t. \u00a0Not until the doorbell rings and a young woman answers the door with the safety chain still attached. \u00a0\u201cHi, ma\u2019am, how you doing tonight? \u00a0You\u2019re Andrea, right?\u201d<\/p>\n 0:47:05 \u2013 Todd tells Andrea he\u2019s a friend of Jesse\u2019s, to which Andrea unlocks the safety chain and opens the door. \u00a0Todd says that Jesse is actually in the truck parked across the street. \u00a0Like a stupid swan, Andrea walks out the front door towards the front of the porch while Todd looks into the open living room. \u00a0Jesse\u2019s tied up and gagged in the back seat, trying to communicate with Andrea. \u00a0Andrea asks Todd where he is, to which he replies, \u201cJust so you know, this isn\u2019t personal,\u201d and he shoots Andrea in the back of the head.<\/p>\n Jesse freaks. \u00a0How much has Jesse lost in the course of this series? \u00a0His former partner, Emilio, dead. \u00a0Jane, the first girl he really fell for, dead. \u00a0His parents, estranged. \u00a0His former partner, betrayed. \u00a0And now, Andrea\u2019s been shot. \u00a0How much more can one man lose? \u00a0As Jesse screams, Jack reminds him to calm down, because there\u2019s still Brock to consider.<\/p>\n Who needs a drink?<\/p>\n 0:52:15 \u2013 Walt is walking towards the gate at the foot of his driveway, and he gazes at the end of the road, where he sees a Jeep pull up. \u00a0Robert Forster is back with supplies. \u00a0The first thing he pulls out is a pile of newspapers from Albuquerque. \u00a0Walt has grown hair back on his head, and he has a full beard now. \u00a0He mentions that he can hardly read the print, and Robert Forster hands him a case full of eyeglasses of varying prescriptions.<\/p>\n 0:53:42 \u2013 Robert Forster (really, there\u2019s no better name for the guy \u2014 it could be The Fixer, but that\u2019s too ambiguous, and besides, it really encompasses the character arc) reports that Skyler is living somewhere else, and Walter Jr. and Holly are still with her. \u00a0No court date has been set, but a grand jury might convene. \u00a0Skyler\u2019s been part-timing as a taxi dispatcher, and she\u2019s gone to using her maiden name.<\/p>\n 0:54:22 \u2013 Walt finds a pair of dark-rimmed glasses that do the trick. \u00a0Robert Forster also reports that the old house had become popular with locals who were breaking in, so a fence had been put up. \u00a0Finally, he holds up a case and asks Walt if he\u2019s ready.<\/p>\n 0:55:06 \u2013 An I.V. bag hangs from the buck\u2019s head on the wall. \u00a0Walt finds his vein and goes to put the I.V. in, but he can\u2019t. \u00a0Robert Forster does it instead, and Walt starts the drip on his chemo. \u00a0He asks if Robert Forster will stay a little longer, to which he declines. \u00a0Walt offers him an additional $10,000 if he\u2019ll stay for 2 more hours. \u00a0Robert Forster negotiates to one hour, grabs some cards, and calls seven card poker.<\/p>\n 0:57:30 \u2013 Walt says that eventually, he\u2019ll be dead one of the next times Robert Forster comes to visit. \u00a0He wants his money to be given to his family and asks Robert Forster if he would do it. \u00a0His response: \u201cIf I said yes, would you believe me?\u201d \u00a0Guess we have our answer, then.<\/p>\n 0:58:26 \u2013 Newspaper clippings have been tacked to the wall over Walt\u2019s bed, all about the case. \u00a0Walt shifts in bed, coughing, and his wedding ring falls off his finger. \u00a0He\u2019s losing enough weight that his fingers are becoming gaunt. \u00a0Walt grabs a string and hangs the ring around his neck.<\/p>\n 0:59:49 \u2013 Looking across the room, Walt sees the boxes of Ensure the Robert Forster brought. \u00a0Walt gets up and begins to stack bills into an empty Ensure box. \u00a0Cut to Walt carrying a wrapped box down to the gate, opening it, and making his way down the mountain.<\/p>\n 1:05:29 \u2013 Walt\u2019s old high school. \u00a0Walt Jr. is being called over the intercom to the office, but they\u2019re still calling him Flynn. \u00a0The principal tells him his Aunt Marie is calling, so he takes the phone. \u00a0\u201cHey, Aunt Marie, what\u2019s going on?\u201d 1:06:49 \u2013 Walt tries to explain himself, but he\u2019s doing a horrible job. \u00a0Instead, he confirms Walt Jr.\u2019s friend Louis\u2019 home address, and says he\u2019s sending a package there for him, his mom, and his sister, with money inside. \u00a0Walt cries into the phone, \u201cI wanted to give you so much more, but this is all I could do.\u201d \u00a0Hate him or not, I have to hand it to Walt \u2014 when he finds something that he feels he has to do, he does it.<\/p>\n 1:08:31 \u2013 Walt Jr. is taking all this in. \u00a0\u201cYou want to send money?\u201d he asks. \u00a0Then he lets Walt have it. \u00a0He\u2019s been holding on to whatever rage has been building up since the day Walt disappeared, how he killed Hank, how he treated Skyler. \u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t want anything from you. \u00a0I don\u2019t give a s***.\u201d \u00a0Walt tries to appeal to his son, but Walt Jr. is relentless, and finally ends the conversation with something I think any kid in his position would say: \u201cWhy are you still alive? \u00a0 Why don\u2019t you just die already? \u00a0Just die!\u201d<\/p>\n 1:09:36 \u2013 Walt hangs up, completely broken. \u00a0Then he drops more coins in the payphone and places another call to the DEA office in Albuquerque. \u00a0He asks for the agent heading up the Water White investigation, identifies himself as Walter White, then drops the receiver and lets it hang with the line still open. \u00a0He slowly shuffles to the bar, package of money still in hand, takes a seat, and orders a dimple pinch, neat.<\/p>\n 1:11:10 \u2013 Walt takes a small sip of his drink and relaxes a little while the barkeep changes channels on the television behind the bar. \u00a0Something catches Walt\u2019s ear, and he asks the bartender to backtrack. \u00a0The bartender goes back to a channel where Elliot and Gretchen Schwartz are being interviewed by Charlie Rose about a multi-million dollar grant that their charity had donated to drug abuse treatment centers throughout the southwestern United States. \u00a0Charlie Rose says that a\u00a0New York Times<\/em> reporter suggested the grant was a publicity stunt to disassociate themselves of any associations with Walter. \u00a0Through the interview, Elliot says that Walter\u2019s contribution to Gray Matter Technologies was helping to come up with the name, and nothing more.<\/p>\n 1:12:56 \u2013 The napkin in Walt\u2019s hand becomes trapped in a tighter grip as the interview continues. \u00a0\u201cIs Walter White still out there?\u201d \u00a0Gretchen says he\u2019s not. \u00a0\u201cWhatever he became, the sweet, kind, brilliant man that we once knew, he\u2019s gone.\u201d \u00a0Walter sets his jaw and straightens his gaze, and I wouldn\u2019t have been surprised if he turned into The Hulk just then. \u00a0At this precise moment, we hear the music of the show\u2019s opening theme as the rage boils in the face of Water White.<\/p>\n 1:13:50 \u2013 Two sheriff\u2019s cars pull up outside the bar, and armed men in uniform walk towards the bar entrance. \u00a0They enter, asking to see people\u2019s hands in the air. \u00a0The camera pans over to Walt\u2019s unfinished drink and a crumpled-up napkin on the bar next to it.<\/p>\n 1:14:27 \u2013 Executive Producer Vince Gilligan.<\/p>\n ===============================<\/p>\n I\u2019m afraid of what will happen next week. \u00a0At the same time, I don\u2019t really know how everything will be resolved in one 75-minute episode. \u00a0As much as I want to feel for Walter White, I can\u2019t. \u00a0The next time I begin watching this series from the beginning, I will forever have a new perspective of the show\u2019s central character. \u00a0Although Walter White was a man who wore pretty much everything on his sleeve, there was so much depth, so many layers to a man who desperately wanted to matter to someone, to have some kind of significance in his life. \u00a0He has a draw to himself that is undeniable, and no matter how much I hate him, Walter White will always be one of those indelible characters in the annals of television. \u00a0His mark will not go away. \u00a0Ever.<\/p>\n Next week, we\u2019ll have the final episode. \u00a0There will be mourning, there will be vengeance, there will be blood, and it will be grand. \u00a0Prepare yourselves.<\/p>\n Zach W. Lorton is a media producer and professional DJ\/MC by trade, and a comedian, actor, and musician by default. \u00a0His debut music project is set to begin recording in 2014, and will likely take the world by storm, possibly in the form of a Sharknado.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/326\/2013\/09\/BreakingBad_GraniteState1.png\" "\\"BreakingBad_GraniteState1\\"")
<\/a>0:09:56 \u2013 Jack\u2019s face settles into a knowing look. \u00a0He thinks Todd is sweet on Lydia, and he\u2019s pretty tickled at the idea. \u00a0Of course, Jack and the guys throw some jabs because Lydia\u2019s so uptight. \u00a0Jack walks over by the other guys, who are all standing in a formation-type group opposite Todd. \u00a0Makes me wonder what\u2019s about to happen. \u00a0Because the look on Todd\u2019s face isn\u2019t happy that Jack\u2019s going off on Lydia the way he is.<\/p>\n
\nSaul\u2019s response is stellar. \u00a0\u201cDefine \u2018good.'\u201d
\nSaul\u2019s relocation is set to go, but Walt decides that things should change, and that Saul will go with him. \u00a0Robert Forster sees this is a fairly new development, not fully thought through, so he nods. \u201cI\u2019ll give you two a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nOpposing counsel is not happy. \u00a0He suggests she comes up with something they can use. \u00a0Doesn\u2019t sound like she\u2019s going to have many outs.<\/p>\n
\nOn the other line, at a dark bar, a woman who is definitely NOT Marie says, \u201cHold on a sec, honey.\u201d \u00a0She takes money from Walt, who gets on the phone. \u00a0He tells Junior not to say anything or let anyone know that he\u2019s on the other line. \u00a0Junior agrees. \u00a0I guess that deep down, he always wanted to believe the best in his father. \u00a0I mean, what kid doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n