For a program that has been criticized for its lack of real and rounded female characters, in Breaking Bad
episode 10, Skyler and Maria clearly took center stage. In episode 9, we saw
Hank confront Walt about his lies and this episode clearly made Skyler confront
her complicity with regard to Walt crimes and this episode confronted Skyler
with a clear choice between right (Hank and Maria) and wrong (Walt) and made a
solid choice in favor of the latter.
The nature of morality, human
choice and its consequences has been at the heart of this show and was for all
to see this episode both Skyler and Hank were faced with choices which ended
the former siding with the devil and the latter choosing one last shot at
redemption risking his career and even his freedom in the process. The
motivations for Skyler’s choice are less than clear as she meets up with Hank
in a coffee shop after Hank and Walt battle to see whose speed dial is quicker
but, just like Walt in his epic confrontation with Hank, doesn’t really say
anything that would incriminate her in a court of law despite Hank’s less than
subtle prodding.
She could have easily given
Hank the opportunity to hang Walt out to dry and still maintain an undeserved
veil of innocence but twice she sided with Walt even when Walt, drained by the
exhaustion of shifting then burying his meth cash, offered to turn his self in
and in that exchange she informed Walt of his ‘best course’ as Walt did so
chillingly in episode 9 to Hank which reveals why Skyler and Walt are such a
perfect match, they both like control and can’t stand being out of it.
One of the highlights of the
episode was the confrontation between Maria and Skyler where Skyler is forced
to face her complicity in Walt’s numerous crimes with Maria asking if Hank’s
suspicions about Walt are true and Skyler, though showing guilt through her
emotion, said little to nothing accept offering a very guilty apology which
Maria reacted with a right hand slap across her face as her tears were a
by-product of her shame and the consequences of the truth getting out rather
than heartfelt guilt or contrition.
We see the extent to how much
the White-Schrader clan has split into two camps as Maria, in a full blown
state of rage, attempts to take Holly and Skyler demanding that her sister
handed over her daughter with both at the top of their lungs until Hank
intervenes and encourages Maria to stand down leaving only a look of disdain
for Skyler as she clutches her baby tight on his way out.
In-between the White-Schrader
family turmoil, Lydia sought to ’deal’ with the purity problem that was only
getting worse with a meeting in desert land Albuquerque, New Mexico with the
meth cookers who replaced Walt and telling from their boss combative attitude
towards Lydia and the state of the underground lab, the drop in quality was no
shock given to the conditions we got used to in seasons 3 and 4.
What was to happen next was
quite predictable as very few problems within drug operations are rarely solved
by rational debate but the scene was still excellent as while we didn’t bear
witness to the massacre the meth cookers, the soundscape was enough to tell the
story as we stayed with Lydia in the underground meth lab, sending the signal
for the hit, crouching with her hands over her ears.
In this episode we also had the
reintroduction of Todd, the calm, pleasant yet clearly sociopathic young man is
everything Jesse is not and what Walt quietly wishes he was. Last season we saw
how cold he could be with his split second decision to murder Drew Sharp in
cold blood and in this episode we are reminded that cold blooded murder is the family
business.
Episode 10 is another episode
we find Jesse still ridden with guilt as he is tracked by one of his random recipients
of his unwanted meth cash after literally following the money to Jesse on a
merry go round swinging himself and staring into space. Jesse doesn’t really
figure much in this episode as most of the episode was lent on the dramatic
dissolution of the White-Schrader family.
However at the end of the hour,
we find that Jesse may just be given a golden opportunity to redeem himself as
well as Hank as he ends up being picked up by the cops and questioned by
detectives with Hank talking his way into the interview room.
In sum, Episode was just as drama
filled as the first installment of the second half of the final season of
Breaking Bad. While tension were high we were treated by a small but telling scene
where Saul’s Henchmen Huell and Kuby pick up Walt’s meth cash as both take a
load off on the bed of cash with Huell pondering running away with Walt’s money
and Kuby reminding his partner of Walt’s hit on mike’s guys in the can, arguably
his most villainous and unforgivable act yet. Finally, episode 11 looks to be a barn-burner with scenes between Jesse and Hank set to impress. Till next Week!!!
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