Mad Women

Well, Holly it is good to hear from you. I am shaking the cobwebs out of my blogger brain and getting back on track.

Like you, I have been watching the Men of Madison with shall we say, remote interest. Things did kick up a notch this past Sunday when Don got his little Drapers out of storage and acted like he had a pair again. Moping does not become him.

I concur that we did not need to see anymore Dick in California since that is exactly what he acted like with his friend’s niece. I know he is a cad, but that was too much for me. She was young enough to be Sally’s older sister. Giving his secretary some after-hours dictation was pretty low, too. Especially since he would not even acknowledge it once sober. On the other hand, seeing him set up his rival that he had “never heard of” was a classic.

Speaking of growing a pair, when is Roger going to give Lee Garner, Jr. the Jap treatment. If anyone deserves being ripped a new one, it is he. I can’t stand seeing our King of Quip reduced to playing a cut-rate Santa for that sadistic bastard. I can hardly wait until Roger finds out his little secret and gives him a time-period appropriate, politically incorrect public humiliation in return.

Hells Bells, Holly. I have said it before and I will say it again. I went from wanting Don to throw Pete out of a window to rooting for the little weasel. If demonstrating testicular fortitude was the theme of this episode, he certainly rose to the occasion with his father-in-law.

But enough about the guys. I will take your invite to look closer at the dolls.

Joan

First of all, it is nice to see “Red’ back where she belongs: running the office and keeping the girls in line. Her greatest move so far this season…giving Don a secretary he will not be tempted to drunkenly bang on his sofa. There is not enough alcohol in the office for that one. Joan seems to have an even greater sense of authority than before. That is, until she goes home to Dr. Dipshit. I still cannot wrap my head around what she sees in that little goober, no less why she puts up with his crap.

Peggy

I have to admit, Peggy annoys me on most occasions. I know she represents the “women’s movement” as she advances into uncharted territory in the workplace, but she still has an inherent blandness that is bothersome. Yet, she has been cracking me up this season. Seeing her head rise up in the little window to spy on Don was one of the greatest site gags I have seen for a while.

Betty

In the past, I have felt somewhat sympathetic to the former Mrs. Draper. Her unfaithful, secretive husband was enough to send any woman to a fainting couch. I will always love her for her shotgun wielding vindication of her children. But she has been reduced to a “silly” woman as Henry’s mother so aptly described her. Slapping Sally’s face for cutting her hair seemed downright cruel. Perhaps if she played with herself a little more she would not be so uptight. That is, if she could pry Henry away long enough to do anything.

Sally

And last but not least, I have to include young Sally. What a complicated and troubled young lady. She is going to make one gloriously messed up teenaged hippie. She is screaming for attention from her parents, but one day she will be chanting “Hell No, We Won’t Go” down at the NYU protest of the Vietnam War. The only question remains…will she hookup with the neighbor boy before he becomes a serial killer?

The Boys Are Back In Town!

Chip,

Finally!  A Mad Men worth talking about!  I’ll be honest, the first four episodes have felt, at times, like one big hangover.  Count me as one of the viewers who was hoping the party wasn’t over yet.  Boo!  Hiss!

Despite its slow pace this season, one thing I’ve enjoyed is seeing the characters turn out to be something other than the people we thought we knew so well.  Okay, maybe I could have done without more Dick Whitman in California.  But other than that, well done, Matt Weiner, et al.  In that vein, let’s made a quick run through the SCDP partners:

Roger Sterling

Roger was in Pearl Harbor?  Who knew?  And Roger is more loyal than forgiving? Has anyone told Mona? I was blindsided by Roger’s loyalty to his dead GI friends, given that only four episodes ago he was denigrading the Ad Age reporter who lost his leg in Korea and accusing the magazine of being so cheap “they can’t afford a whole reporter.”  You know I’m a huge John Slattery fan, Chip, and I was blown away by his cringe-inducing appearance in the SCDP conference room just after the Japanese visitors accepted their gifts of Johnnie Walker and cantaloupe.  Cantaloupe?  Perhaps to remind them of Joan’s gravity defying feats later?  

Bertram Cooper

Are we seeing more of but hearing less from Bert?  I can’t tell if he’s more involved in the new firm than he was at Sterling Cooper or if he’s just more visible these days because there’s no second floor at SCDP, reducing him to hanging out in the lobby and reading magazines.  Overall though, Bert seems to be the SCDP partner who has surprised me the least so far.  I like Bert, and I wish we’d have a moment this season to rival his all-time classic, “Don, would you say I know something about you?” moment.

Don Draper

So glad he’s back!  I was getting worried after all that moping around the bachelor pad, or should I say cave, and hanging out with Anna Draper in California.  But this week, and even last, he showed it to us in spades.  Well, maybe not when he took Bethany to Benihana, but other than that, pure testosterone…..I was dying when he told the Times reporter, “Never heard of him,” when asked about Ted Chaough at the rival agency.  This is the Don we know and love, and sometimes love to hate, the one who will tell Roger Sterling he’s out of line and for whom Peggy will ride a motorcycle in circles.  And B-T dubs, what about that prank?  The architect of that nefarious plot to put Ted in his place was none other than Don, the same Don who gave Peggy a healthy dressing-down for staging the Ham Brawl of ’64.  And that is different because?  Oh yeah, it's not. 

Lane Price

Oh my.  So Don isn’t the only miserable bachelor around the office…..that New Year’s Eve had to be a low point for both of them.  I loved the flower mixup that led to Lane’s lonely holiday exile in New York. Lane obviously relies on and respects Joan’s authority as office manager, but he can’t quite treat her as a colleague, can he?  Denying her request for vacation time then sending her flowers to apologize.  What confusing times these people live in! I do like Lane’s role at SCDP as a decisionmaker, though.  When he came over to run Sterling Cooper, he was just St. John’s lackey.  We’re seeing something of the man he really is this season.  I just hope he doesn’t shove any more steaks in his crotch.  Ugh.  Which brings up another point…Chip, who do you think got the top bunk in the kids’ room when Don and Lane had their sleepover with the girls who “didn’t go to Barnard”?

Pete Campbell

The kid in the perpetual blue suit is a big boy now!  I think Vincent Kartheiser is a brilliant actor.  I’m impressed every time he makes us want to swat Pete away like a mosquito flying about, yet 30 minutes later we’re cheering the guy on when he shows some moxie.  His handling of the Clearasil matter was nothing short of ruthless.  How’d you like that guy for a son-in-law, Chip?  I was even a little impressed that he kept the petulance to a minimum (on the Pete scale anyway) during that lunch with Ken Cosgrove.  I mean, it’s not every day you get accused of having spread the rumor that Ken was the one who made the John Deere go rogue on Guy’s foot. And quite a bold accusation from young Petey when he called Roger out for objecting to taking Honda as a client, claiming Roger was merely wrapping himself in the flag to disguise Roger’s real beef that if Pete landed a big account, the firm would be less beholden to Roger’s (and the firm’s) cash cow, Lucky Strike.  I thought it was so interesting that this week Pete was the young upstart who didn’t understand Roger’s loyalty to his dead war buddies and was actually eager to do business with Roger’s enemy.  At the end of last week’s show, we had a very different Pete gathering with the other Establishment types, while locking eyes with Peggy through a window, she off for lunch with her new Bohemian and Sapphic friend.  Who is Pete?  He’s the character who has the most complex path ahead of him, I think.  He’s been groomed his whole life to be the next generation East Coast Elite.  Yet, he’s looking at Peggy (wistfully?), the clear implication being that the two of them are contemplating the path not taken.  Is Pete going to hold on to the past, or will he really embrace the counterculture, and not just because it sells product?

What are your thoughts about the SCDP partners, Chip?  And care to get into the women of Mad Men?  Now THAT’S a conversation worth having.

Looking forward to hearing from you.  Till then, I’ll just be applying Pond’s Cold Cream, brushing my hair 100 times, and thinking of new ways to use jewelry as a stop sign.

Peace, Holly

Everyone Knows It's Wendy!

HOLLY SAID:
Chip, we haven't talked about the comedic horror of the Wendy sequence at the beginning of "Half Measures." They're really showing us the evils of meth, no? I love how Breaking Bad alternately glamorizes and demonizes the drug world. Tell me what Wendy was dislodging from the remnants of her teeth wasn't an, ahem, oh just never mind....

So here's a thought about our gal-about-town Wendy. As Jesse pointed out, she's spent some time being worked over in an interrogation room by Hank, but she didn't break. There was an earlier scene back in Season One when Hank took Walt Jr. to the seedy side of town to warn him about drugs. Hank's interaction/harassment of Wendy indicated they knew each other then. So what if Wendy decided to go to Hank to tell what she knows, maybe because Tomas' death hit too close to home? She told Jesse she had a son of her own for whom she would, and does, do anything. She was obviously troubled and affected by Jesse's "do it for the kids" speech. And although she ultimately went along with Jesse's homicide by hamburger plot, she had a problem with killing someone. Any chance she was out on the street, possibly looking for the gangbangers to score some meth, when the carnage went down? And would she put herself in harm's way by talking to Hank in order to make the streets safe for little Anthony to ride his bike as a kid, not a criminal in training? Ultimately, would she sell Jesse out? They have an interesting relationship, somewhat mother/son, don't you think?

And even if Wendy's conscience wouldn't bring her in to tell what she's seen on her own, if Hank was bored and decided to spend his downtime investigating the death of Tomas, he might go to Wendy and recruit her as an informant, which might push her over the edge this time. Hank's got a lot of time on his, er, hands. And Hank truly loves being a cop. I can see him deciding to work the case on his own, just to have something to do. It would certainly be an interesting development for Hank to learn outside any official law enforcement duties that Walt was dirty. What would happen then?

I think we'll be seeing Wendy of the Evening again soon.

CHIP SAID:
Indeed, Wendy deserves some discussion of her own. In just a few minutes montage, Breaking Bad has given us a searing image of the true life of a prostitute. The monotony of the ups and downs, ins and outs if you will. I believe most real life hookers do not look like Julia Roberts or Rebecca DeMornay. (I just dated myself, didn't I?)

Wendy simultaneously seems like a woman in charge of her own destiny and yet also desperately out of control. She seems to be a creature of habit and not having her regular street corner supply will definitely disrupt her routine. How will she respond to that? I do believe there is a better than average chance she witnessed what "went down" that night. Who knows how she will respond. She may not have the classic heart of gold, but she does have a heart. You are right, Holly. She does have a soft spot for children. How will she construe what happened to Tomas, though? Who will she blame. Is Jesse the hero or the heel in her eyes? That will determine what she does.


HOLLY SAID:
Excellent points, my friend, excellent points. You're right on the money about how she perceives Jesse's motive as the determinative factor. And I think based on their past conversation about the gangbangers having to go because they recruited and used kids, as well as Jesse's willingness to face them down in a two against one showdown, she'll see Jesse as the hero. So....why not just leave him out of it? Some bald guy driving a van/SUV with an identity crisis came out of nowhere and plowed them over, then shot one of them with his own gun for good measure. Who cares why the dealers were out of the car or that they were armed? They're drug dealers. It's what they do. And she has no incentive to keep quiet for fear of losing her supply, it's already gone.

But Can He Sing?

Chip, you and I have discussed offline our recent literary find, “Sh*t My Dad Says” by Justin Halpern.  I think we should bring this to our readers’ attention, assuming we have one or two. 

Due to unfortunate circumstances involving a woman, Justin has to move back in with his parents. His dad is a modern-day Archie Bunker, only with a medical degree.  You can imagine the things that come out of his mouth.  They’re profane, blunt, intelligent, and hilarious! 

For example:

“Oh please, you practically invented lazy.  People should have to call you and ask for the rights to lazy before they use it.”

“A parent’s only as good as his dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed.”

Justin started tweeting his dad’s one-liners, developed a 1M+ following, and wrote this book.  The book made the NYT Bestsellers List, and now Justin’s concept has been developed into a sitcom and picked up by CBS.  And what great American comedic genius with a commanding voice do you suppose has been chosen to play Justin’s dad?  Well, William Shatner, natch. 

Read the book, catch the show when it premieres, and watch in horror as CBS ruins yet another great idea.   I just hope Capt. Kirk will sing before it gets cancelled.

Warp speed ahead!

Peace.

Holly

Murder Isn't Part of Your Twelve-Step Program

This week’s Breaking Bad, “Half Measures,” separated the men from the boys.  Roll call!

Jesse Pinkman – MAN
Jesse showed all the o.g. gangsters how it’s done!  He stood up for himself at every turn.  It began fairly benignly with Walt, when he didn’t let Walt get out of going for a beer after work.  Pretty soon he was staring Gus down, when Jesse had everything to lose and nothing to gain, by refusing to make nice with the drug dealers who ordered the hit on Combo because they use children as pawns in their grown-up drugs-and-gangs enterprise.  For the first time, Gus seemed to recognize Jesse as a man with some cahones, rather than a hopeless meth-head boy. However, when Jesse realizes he’s been played, whether by Gus or the guys who killed Combo, he goes all in and heads off to a death that is all but certain to come his way, but for the surprise intervention of Walt. And now? He’s still facing down a death that’s all but certain to come his way.  Jesse will not let it be written on his tombstone, “Here Lies A Man Who Believed in Half Measures.”

Gus Fring – MAN*
*I think.
All along, we’ve been programmed to believe Gus was ruthless, but in a different and far more chilling way than the loose cannons that were Crazy 8 and Tuco. But then, as it begins to crystallize (Get it? Crystallize!) that his warning to Walt last week about making the same mistake twice was probably about Jesse, we see him take a half measure when he orders Jesse to make nice with Combo’s killers.  Then, even more inexplicably, when Jesse gets in Gus’s face about Combo’s killers using children in their street activity, Gus orders them to keep the kids out of it and then orders Jesse to keep the peace. This looks like a couple of half measures not adding up to a whole.  So what about what happens next?  Andrea’s 11-year-old brother Tomas, the gunman and pawn in the Combo assassination, is killed while riding his bike.  Is this Gus’s doing?  Are we seeing a full measure being played out here?  Perhaps Gus is pulling Jesse’s strings to see what he’s really made of?  Or maybe this a Gus headgame to force Walt to prove his loyalty? Or did the two gangbangers who are on Gus’s payroll go full measure and pull this one off themselves? For now, I’m going to go with Gus showing us a full measure, and for that, I list him a man.  I think.

Walter White – BOY, Heisenberg - MAN
From the beginning of this series, Walt has shown us a new kind of passive aggressive. He has no problem cooking meth, lying to his family, or killing his rivals, so long as he’s forced into the situation.  Even if his own actions put him in that situation in the first place.  Walt’s life has been built on half measures.  Even his ostensibly ballsy appearance at Jesse’s showdown at the OK Corral, while appearing at first blush a full measure, was really just another half measure where Walt was reacting to a situation he’d gotten himself (and this time, Jesse) into by taking the earlier half measure of narcing Jesse out to Gus.  Chip, did you notice that Walt looked a bit green behind the gills at the end of the handshake scene? And I must disagree with you that Walt’s intervention in the massacre was a full measure.  In support of my position, I give you Walt’s apples-and-oranges speech. It reveals that Walt’s running in to save Jesse was just a half measure.  As he said in the apples and oranges speech, Walter White can’t justify killing anyone over a turf war, but he can justify murder when the victim was threatening his (or Jesse’s) life. Walt has never been able to take ownership of his bad-guy status, even going so far as to create his other persona, Heisenberg.  One thing I’ll say for Heisenberg -- that dude is no stranger to full measures.  Interestingly, though, we haven’t seen Heisenberg all season, corresponding with the time that Walt’s been “working for the man” aka Gus.  Heisenberg’s re-emergence in the previews of next week’s season finale signaled that those days are over.

Hank Schrader – MAN
Aside from the obvious, I don’t really know what to say about Hank.  On the obvious I’ll defer to you, Chip. Okay, maybe one thing.  Anyone else remember the episode in Season One, perhaps even the premiere, when Skyler gave Walt a handjob?  Remember how shocking that was?  How did they manage to shock us just as much a second time?  I think I need to listen to Gus.  Okay, back to Hank.  His pity party over, and Hank's man enough to live up to his end of the bargain when Marie won their bet.  We’re about to see the old badass Hank rise from the ashes.  As you’ve pointed out in the past, Chip, Hank’s got more of what it takes to be a man than Walt, any day of the week.

Okay, so enough of separating the men from the boys.  Let’s talk about some other interesting points:

To answer your question, Chip, the true difference between letting someone die vs. running them over with your compact SUV and then blowing their brains out with their own gun is less in the facts and more in the lawyer you hire.  Better call Saul!

As an aside, I truly love the cars in this show.  I’d give my eye teeth for that vintage Wagoneer of Skyler’s.  And I love how all our “hiding in plain sight” crew drives cars that are each more hideous than the last – Gus’s station wagon, Walt’s personality disordered Aztec that can’t decide if it’s an SUV or a minivan, and whatever that pathetic thing is Jesse’s got in his post Cap’n days.  And we haven't even had a proper mourning for our beloved RV meth-lab-to-go.  I miss it.

And yes, Chip, it was not lost on me that this was the second crushing by vehicle this season.  However, I do give AMC style points for coming up with a mashup (or should I say "combo") of crushing by vehicle and the Mad Men lawnmower scene.  Oops, they got us again.  What would Gus say?

Is Walt the new Hank?  Last season, Hank finished the job of killing Tuco that Walt started.  This week Walt finished the job of avenging Combo’s death that Jesse started.  When the next round of would-be ax murdering cousins show up, whose blood will they want to spill first, Jesse’s or Walt’s?

I’ve learned that there’s much imagery in the costuming on AMC.  I repeatedly rewound and freeze-framed the back of Jesse’s shoes in his walk to the OK Corral, but I couldn’t make out the word before “paid” on the back of them.  “Get paid,” perhaps?  These shoes are the Jesse Pinkman version of the silver skull boots that opened the season.  Nice touch, wardrobe department.

Chip, were you ROFL when Saul was playing games on his computer while Walt balanced paper clips on Saul’s scales of justice?  Did you find it as funny as I did that Saul's scales don’t balance?  And what else besides selling your co-conspirator up the river is included in Saul’s “premium service package”?  Dare we ask?

Great, great performance by Aaron Paul this week!  When Jesse looked out the window of Hank’s car after the handshake scene, it was obvious he was about to fall off the wagon.  Aaron Paul’s Jesse conveys so much silent emotion.  This was just the latest example from a talented young actor.

Here’s Holly’s conspiracy theory of the week.....  Do you think Mike the Cleaner will end up joining forces with Heisenberg?  He seems to like and respect Walt.  It’s a little hard to believe after that wrenching story about Mike the Cop’s half measure that Mike the Cleaner is really thriving as Gus’s lackey.  I see more man than boy in Mike.  And while it seems that Gus is clearly and unequivocally at the top of the food chain in which Walt is no more than a mid-level player, that’s probably what we would have said about Crazy 8 and Tuco, had we been blogging back then.

Looking forward to Sunday’s “Full Measure.”

Peace, Holly

FROM BAD TO WORSE

Holly

I may never have had a moment of television shock me quite as much as the final minutes of Breaking Bad this week. With a single gunshot, a whole new line has been drawn. Despite his objections that they are “not murderers” Walt does in fact kill two people. He had flirted with this line on a couple of occasions. We are reminded he suggested poisoning Tuco before he could kill them. He also passively let Jane die in front of him when he could have saved her.

This is different. You have a lawyer friend, don’t you Holly? What is the difference between letting someone die and running them over with a compact SUV and then blowing their brains out with their own gun? I would think intent would have something to do with it. BTW…this is the second time this season a drug dealer has met his maker via an automobile/own gun combination. Interesting.

What was Walt’s intention? To save Jesse’s life? To prevent Jesse from making this mistake himself? Was he shamed into recalibrating where he draws the line in the drug trade when it comes to children? To steal Mike’s terminology, this was certainly no half-measure.

This entire episode is a prime example of building dramatic tension. The opening montage of the prostitute’s life was intriguing. Then Jesse and Walt whispering plans on how to deal with the street corner thugs. Mike pulling Jesse away from his plan and into the trailer of doom was also excellent. You could see Jesse’s mind racing when he saw that table full of characters. It was kind of nice to see Gus get a little miffed and ruffled. Then I was impressed with Jesse standing up to Gus when no one else would. That seemed to give him a measure of respect he certainly did not have before.

Then just when I think the most interesting thing in this episode is going to be Marie giving Hank an unexpected handjob, little Tomas turns up murdered. My first thought is that someone is going to try to pin this on Jesse. The episode could have ended right there, but Jesse heads out for a good old fashioned street shootout with the (bad?) guys ala' OK Corral. All Jesse needed was a good duster, hat and boots. He was definitely their huckleberry.

Is Jesse blaming himself for getting Tomas killed? Is he just out for blood for what he deems is a violation of the peace? Either way, I was truly surprised at how the climatic gunfight played out. With guns drawn, I expected everyone to get hit. I absolutely did not see Walt coming with his car. I guess Walt, Jr. will have to find another vehicle to get his provisional license on Saturday.

That was shocking enough and justifiable in protecting Jesse, but I was slapping the couch when he picked up the dealer’s own gun and shot him in the head. When Walt tells Jesse to “RUN” it gave me goose bumps. The biggest question I have now is…How in the world will they top this for next week’s season finale? I can’t wait to find out.

WORKIN' AT THE CAR WASH, GIRL

Holly,
You asked me after this most recent episode if I thought Skyler was a narc setting Walt up with her new involvement.

I think she is getting drawn into the same moral trap as Walt. She can justify going over to the dark side in order to help someone she loves (Sis and Bro-in-Law) when she would not have done it for herself. She is breaking bad, too.

In my "benefit of the doubt" heart, I think she is starting to see thing's Walt's way and this also gets her away from Ted. Oh...and what a FANTASTIC idea for a place to launder money...a car wash. Ha!

I thought it was pretty funny when Saul tried to shut her down. Nobody puts Skyler in a corner, though. I just knew she was going to volunteer to be the manager. Saw that one coming for once.

The more burning question I am left with following this episode is what mistake does Gus think Walt is about to make again? Trusting Jesse? Having Jesse around with a girl? Messing with his "corner?"

What about Jesse? He is just determined to get himself killed one way or another, isn't he?

Calling All Angels

Holly,
That is a very good point about disguising the voice. I am going to stick with the Sheriff, still. I really don't think it is Walt because he said something to Gus about the warning. He seemed pretty sure Gus was the one who had done it. Remember me saying it seemed almost anti-climatic.

I think the Sheriff is an old school law man who has worked his ass off for years with little to show for it. He is a dirty cop, but not "corrupt" per se. He is in Gus' pocket, but he also respects Hank and his efforts. His attempt to send Hank to El Paso had several implications. It would get him out of Gus' hair (or scalp as this show goes). Perhaps Hank's tenacity would work on some of Gus' enemies down there.It remains to be seen that either place would be safer than the other.

To give Hank a one minute warning was a crapshoot that he could not lose. If Hank is killed, he is out of Gus' way and his conscience is alleviated by the fact he gave him a warning. If things went as in fact they did, his respected colleague lives and his "employer's" competition is dealt a blow.
Whaddya think?
Chip

I Should've Had a V-8!

Chip, I’ve had a V-8 moment! I was just contemplating whether Glee’s upcoming season finale, which will give us the glee club geeks performing Journey’s "Faithfully," could ever best the Sopranos’ final fade-to-black to “Don’t Stop Believin’.”  Could "Faithfully" out of the mouth of babes even surpass Glee’s own series premiere version of “Don’t Stop Believin’”?  The thought of all those voices trying to improve on the perfection that was Steve Perry back in the 80s, well, it boggles the mind. This different voices thing led me, natch, to that mysterious “one minute” phone call in Breaking Bad, and thereby my V-8 moment. (Don’t question how my mind works, just go with it.) We’ve previously speculated wildly on the identity of Hank’s guardian angel. I’ve decided this person must be someone Hank knows.  Otherwise, why would he disguise his voice? This rules out several likely suspects -- Gus, Mike, and probably Saul.  Thus, we are left with the likely suspects being Gomez, the sheriff, or some other law enforcement insider.  Am I missing anyone?  Who other than Mike, Saul, or Walt could be taking Pollo’s pesos and/or have an eye out for Hank’s back?  And is Walt a definite no? What did he know and when did he know it?  Time to cue up "On Demand" and do some research in the archives.....

Forever yours, peacefully......
Holly

With Friends Like These.....

Chip, I just finished watching the latest installment of Breaking Bad, titled "Abiquiu." I love this title.  Not only is it the name of Georgia O'Keefe's town, it's a nice play on the title of the episode of a few weeks ago, "I See You."

But, I think the title of this episode could easily have been "Second Chances." We begin the hour with a flashback of Jesse and Jane at the Georgia O'Keefe museum, a visit for which Jesse had at least a chance or two before actually making it.  (In Season 2, Jesse's methlord life kept interrupting his opportunity to go to Abiquiu to see O'Keefe's work with Jane.)  Jane patiently (somewhat) explains O'Keefe's paintings to Jesse, who doesn't understand why O'Keefe kept painting the same thing over and over.  We then progress through Walt's second chance as a family man when Skyler allows him to come over for dinner, Jesse's second chance at love with Andrea, Badger and Skinny Pete's second chance by attending AA to sell Blue Sky to the addicts but ending up buying into the twelve-step routine, Hank's aspiration to the normal life he once knew after having cheated death, and Walt and Skyler's second chance at marriage after Skyler reveals she "never got around to" filing the divorce papers.  Oh yeah, and there's that cryptic admonition from Gus that Walt shouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Okay, so let's round up the usual suspects, starting with that little strumpet Skyler.  She's turned into quite an operator, hasn't she?  After channelling Robin Hood by harnessing Walt's ill-gotten gains for good vis-a-vis paying for Hank's medical treatment, she had a celebrity death match with Saul over who knows best about money laundering.  Remember how we used to feel bad for poor, pregnant, clueless Skyler?  Now, not so much.  Chip, do you think there's any chance Skyler isn't really showing us her dark side and is in cahoots with Hank to expose Walt's illicit activity and vindicate Hank's reputation with the DEA?  Or is this the real Skyler we're just now meeting?  Or, perhaps now that she's bitten the apple that is the good life via Walt's initial earnings and that heated floor over at Chez Beneke, she's not willing to play meek and mousy any more?  I can't help but recall how badly she wanted to fit in at Elliott's party and how heartbreakingly aware she was that she didn't. But Sky, honey, is buying a carwash really the ticket to the good life?

Back to Saul for a moment.  I was cheering for the slimy ambulance chaser in his "$300 suit" when he turned into a hardass with Skyler.  Who knew?  And despite his smarminess, I was actually impressed with Saul when he revealed the flaw in the carwash plan -- there wasn't a Danny.  An a-ha moment for his previous advice to Jesse to buy the nail salon.

Okay, so Jesse's new situation with Andrea is a hot mess.  Does he want her, or does he want her to smoke blue sky?  What's his thing with kids?  One look at Brock and he turns into prospective stepfather of the year.  I remember him going soft on that poor kid whose parents were the meth heads in the ATM episode last season.  Interestingly, however, he seemed to despise Andrea's little brother Tomas, the underage bike-riding gangbanger.  I guess that whole shooting Jesse's friend Combo for selling on the wrong corner thing clouded Jesse's judgment about Tomas.  And on that subject, what, oh what, is Jesse going to do now?  Kill the rival drug dealers and/or Tomas?  Get Andrea hooked on their product? Or his?

And what about Hank? Could there be a more fragile male ego more achingly emasculated?  Stripped of his gun, his badge, and his physical well-being, he has his underachiever brother-in-law paying his medical bills now.  Mere weeks ago Hank was busting heads, just for the fun of it, in honky tonks. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Enough of that, though, let's talk about Walt and Gus. Los Hermanos -- the new brothers of the drug world?  That gourmet dinner a deux was beyond bizarre.  Gus mentioned his children, but where were they?  Gus talks about the life they (he and Walt) have chosen.  Has Walt truly chosen this life, or has he ended up where he is through a series of unfortunate circumstances and bad decisions?  Was Gus's path similar to Walt's, or did he choose and calculate his ascent to the top of the southwest drug food chain?  Recall that Gus knows, thanks to Mike's snooping in Walt's medical records, that even with his unexpected medical improvement, Walt only has a few more years to live.  What's he up to here?  More specifically, where's he trying to lure Walt into going now?  If I've learned one thing about Gus, it's that he always has a plan.  As an aside, I thought it was interesting that we saw yet another shiny instrument of death when Walt stared into the shiny blade of a kitchen knife as Gus stood with his back turned.

Chip, I was expecting more from this episode, although from the looks of the previews, we have that coming in spades next week.  And, unlike like last week's installment, at least this one didn't require a Kardashians marathon to salvage my evening.

Peace, Holly

COFFEE TALK

Chip, you and I may be the worst bloggers ever.  We need to stop talking amongst ourselves and actually post some of our discussions, don’t you think?  I’ve gone back through some of our emails discussing recent developments on Breaking Bad and posted a few here.  We really need to get out of this slump, though.


AFTER “KAFKAESQUE” (S3, Ep 9)
Holly said:
Have we ever discussed that hermanos means brothers?

Do you think Walt would kill Jesse? Or try to? He's a real cold blooded bastard anymore.

That major puss Ted Beneke is back. But still a bridesmaid, not a bride. Bless his embezzling little heart.

The nail salon.....that was hilarious!

So I guess the war's on like Donkey Kong. About damn time. Walt definitely proved himself a worthy adversary in figuring all that out.

Your thoughts and observations?

Chip said:
I think Walt would entertain thoughts of killing Jesse, but I don't know if he could go through with it. Despite everything, they have a bond. I liked Jesse's development early in the season, but now he seems to be headed back to dipshitdom.

Yes, I was thinking about the puss Ted today. I think I am just jealous. I would not mind warm bathroom floors and spending time with Skyler.

The nail salon was kind of funny. I thought the scene setting up the recovering addicts to want Blue Sky was even funnier.

Overall, I have to say I just did not get into this episode very much. They cannot all have the dramatic audacity of "IFT" or the violent intensity of "One Minute" but this was a particularly slow episode. I can see they are setting some things up, but in the meantime...yawn. It was very Kafkaesque. By that I mean I was as bored watching this as I was learning about Kafka. Literary references alone cannot carry a show. Even Mad Men would get tedious without an occasional office lawn mower incident.

Still, just like a bad day of golf is better than a good day at work, a bad "Bad" is better than just about anything else on TV at the moment.

What was up with Walt's "suicide" attempt in the car? That did not ring true to me.

Did you find Walt's elementary deduction that Brother Chicken was the anonymous caller unsatisfying? Is it even true? He did not exactly confess...just not object.


THEN, AFTER “FLY” (S3, Ep. 10)
Holly said:
Hello McFly!!!!

Chip, will you ever look at a housefly the same way again? Last Sunday's Breaking Bad creeped (crept?) me out. Jesse and Walt locked in that tense menage-a-fly for the better part of an hour was excruciating. I was so worn out about half-way through that I started cheering for the fly. By the time it was over, I had to indulge myself in a Keeping Up with the Kardashians marathon just so I wouldn't feel like I wasted my evening watching TV.

So what was going on here, anyway? Walt was so fanatical about ridding the mega-lab of the "contaminant" that I almost believed his speech to Jesse about the two of them ending up pushing daisies over the fly in the ointment, er, lab. Somehow though, Jesse nailed it (again) with his statement that they cook poison for people who willingly ingest it. Gus seems like a reasonable sort of sociopath - I can't help but think he'd agree with Jesse on this one. So has Walt really lost it? I'm gonna go with the obvious answer - yes.  What say you? Has our beloved Breaking Bad actually fallen so far as to be predictable?

Okay, there were a few things I liked about the episode. The first was Walt's shoe dangling from the ceiling. The second was the lightbulb shower falling from aforementioned ceiling on Mr. Lost-His-Marbles. Then there was Walt locking Jesse out of the lab, leading to the scene where Jesse finds the biggest, baddest hammer on the tool shelf (who does THAT remind you of?) and using it to shut down power to the lab. Priceless. But my favorite had to be the scene where Walt was starting to go under from the roofie-laced coffee and almost confessed to killing Jane, Jesse all the while teetering on the world's most precariously placed ladder to kill a damn fly. Okay, so maybe I did like this episode a little.

What have we learned this week? Hmmm.....(1) Walt's scared shitless of Gus, his recent tough-guy act at the meeting with Gus notwithstanding. (2) Jesse is not going to be Walt's bitch, yo. (3) Walt knows Jesse is skimming. Yikes, this isn't going to end well. (4) We haven't seen the last of Jane's dad, otherwise why do mentions of him keep popping up along the way? Or did he die?  I can't remember now....

And speaking of characters who aren't getting face time on camera, who besides me thinks we haven't seen the last of Gale the eager beaver lab assistant? He's a loose cannon and a lab tech scorned. I can't wait to see where he turns up next.

And speaking of peeps on the wrong side of the law who know their chemistry....Chip, to you have any current theories on who the "outside help" was who helped Gus set up the Taj Ma-lab? I was intrigued a few weeks ago by a friend's suggestion that it might have been Elliott, but now I'm wondering about your favorite alleged dirty lawman the sheriff. Is he capable of understanding how to set up a state-of-the-art meth lab so impressive that even Walt acknowledged its superiority? My brain says no, but my gut says.....maybe. I want to believe this show is still unpredictable.

So Chip, you have any predictions or observations for me to poke holes in? You know I'm here for you.

Peace, Holly

Chip said:
Dearest Holly,
My experience kind of echoes yours. What I thought was going to be a momentary diversion turned into an episode long quest. I used the word "quest" on purpose because for some reason I had Don Quixote come to mind. I think it may have been the sight of Walt and his homemade swatter/lance. It was not as engaging as many episodes have been, but then I did find many indelible images stuck in my head. Walt clearly has some OCD tendencies as evidenced by his meticulous shearing off the bread crust of his peanut butter sandwiches. This seems to take things to a whole new level. Jesse is justifiably concerned that Walt has lost his marbles.

I find it touching that while Jesse thinks the quest is pointless or mad, he still humors Walt. Before it is over, he seems all in for the journey. You asked me once if I thought Walt could hurt Jesse. I still do not know because their is a bond there in spite of themselves. However, I found myself clearly thinking that Jesse would lose his mind on Walt if he found out his complicity in  Jane's death.

To directly answer some of your questions...

I think you want me to say the hammer scene reminded me of the ax wielding cousins, but it honestly reminded me of Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction when he makes a weapon selection.

I think Gale will make his stormy return by being the one who drops the dime on Jesse's skimming. You are right, this will not end well.

I am not sure Gus needs any help. He has got the cash, so he would just have to pay Gale to set it up.
That's all I got for you now.

Chip

AND AFTER SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME READING STORIES ABOUT STUPID CRIMINALS
Chip said:
There was a story on the news this morning about a couple of idjits trying to steal an ATM machine from a convenience store. Survellience cameras recorded how as they were wheeling it out, one tripped and the machine landed on him! Isn't that a hoot?

Holly said:
They must not have cable.

Yada, Yada, Yada

Holly here.  Chip and I have been having some interesting sidebars that haven’t made the blog.  I thought I’d collect some of them here so we can check our accuracy at the end of the season.

ON THE MYSTERIOUS GUARDIAN ANGEL
HOLLY:
It occurred to me as I was reading your last post - what about Gomez? Are we overlooking one of the usual suspects -- any chance Gomey's playing both sides? It might be worthwhile to go back and watch the pre-El Paso action at the DEA and some of those phone calls that Hank ridiculed Gomez for making to his wife. Wonder Gomez' "wife" is named Gus? Or Mike?

CHIP:
It’s the sheriff, Holly.

HOLLY:
The sheriff and/or Gomez are appealing guardian angels because even if one of or both of them are dirty, it might make sense that they would save Hank when he's no longer a threat to the bad guys after being stripped of his badge. They seem to like him well enough to have his back, and he's a civilian now so he can’t do anything to Heisenberg anymore.

I really wonder if Gus served up Hank thinking the DEA would take care of the cousins while they were taking care of Hank and the cousins' blood wouldn't be on his hands so Tio wouldn't avenge their deaths on him. And of course that solves the Walt problem - he's free to cook in peace.

ON THE “ONE MINUTE” PHONE CALL
CHIP:
How did anyone know he had exactly one minute? I guess Mike could have been tailing them at the behest of Gus. He has served as Walt's guardian angel, so why not Hank?

HOLLY:
GP, Chip, GP.

ON THE UNEASY ALLIANCE OF TIO AND GUS
HOLLY:
You know another thing that has always bothered me is when the cousins were sitting on Walt's bed waiting to ax murder him and one of them got a call and the phone said "Pollo." Why would Gus be calling his enemy's henchmen? And how would he happen to have their number? Is there a directory for that? Or was it a text, not a call, warning them that Pollo aka Gus knew they were inside because Mike was outside after his aborted bug planting effort.

CHIP:
Back to that scene when Mike manages to get the cousins called off with the text message "Pollo." I think that even though Tio and others do not care for Gus, he is important to them. Important enough to get a stand down call with the word they know him by..."Chicken."

I definitely think Gus is capable of a chess move such as giving them Hank, hoping he would give them the same treatment as their cousin. Hank was much more likely to pull that off than Walt.

ON THE COUSINS CHANELLING “JURASSIC PARK”
CHIP:
Something I meant to point out was how the cousins looked like velociraptors in Jurassic Park as they fanned out to come at their prey from different angles.

HOLLY:
There were dinosaurs in that film?  I must have been distracted by Jeff Goldblum.

HANK ON TOP

I will start by saying “Amen” to your points on both the acting and the action in “One Minute.” The tone is set right off the bat when Hank charges Jesse like a bull. Hank has been “acting” like a tough guy in several previous episodes, but he proves to us (and himself) he actually is kind of badass. I rewound the initial punch in Jesse’s face several times just to watch him fly off his feet again and again. I called my family in to the TV to show them a real smackdown. Poor Jesse. This should have been Walt’s comeuppance since it was his fault. Still, it was a hoot to watch middle-aged Hank strike a blow against young punkdom. I think anyone who refers to a male as “Bitch” deserves a good pop in the schnoz.

I had alluded in a previous post for Hank’s need to lean on his wife even though he was a tough guy. Despite that fact he had been shutting her out, his frightening trip to the ER reminded him of how important she is to him. I like to think his elevator breakdown gave him the strength to pull off what he did at the end of the episode.

Before we get to that, however, I want to point out his greatest feat of strength...coming clean. Despite suggestions on how to “cover” his actions, he boldly states the truth in black and white, damn the consequences. That is why I wanted him to get that hollow point bullet in that gun in time instead of the cousin giving him the doll treatment. We knew from the previous episode that Hank’s life was on the line. He had become so close to a cartoonish buffoon I actually half wanted him to go down. He is back on top of my list now. Did I mention I loved the face-crunching blow he landing on Jesse?
Now I wonder if the writers will take Hank down a path of renewed confidence or even greater anxiety after this traumatic event.

My first thought on the guardian angel is Gus as well. He clearly does not want anything messing with his golden goose. I think that flashback phone call does indicate a long-running mutual animosity and disrespect. However, like you said Holly... that makes it too obvious. Breaking Bad does nothing if not confound expectations. After all, they went to the trouble of masking the voice on the phone. There is no way it is Saul. He is kept out of the loop intentionally on many issues. You are probably right about Mike the Cleaner, but I am going to be contrary and go with another possibility just for the hell of it. Sheriff Merkert is connected in ways we cannot quite see. I mentioned this suspicion before. I cannot outline the motivations or who is pulling strings, but that still water runs deep.

Chip

P.S.
While we both enjoyed the previous episode “Sunset” we did not have much to inspire us to blog. I will point out the sequence where Walt and his new lab assistant get to know one another like a scene out of the latest romantic comedy was a blast.

Oh No They Didn't!

I don’t EVEN know where to begin.  Breaking Bad is more addictive than, well, meth.

That opening sequence with the cousins and Tio had so much going on – the decapitated doll (niiiiiiice given what happened to Tortuga and  what Hank’s about to do to Cousin #2 in the last scene of this episode), the backstory of the cousins’ loyalty to each other in the wake of the harrowing (and icy) near-death experience Tio inflicts on one of them, and perhaps even more chillingly, Tio’s statement that family is all (made all the more ominous by the eventual deaths of both cousins while taking care of “family business”).

Did I hear Tio’s phone conversation in the flashback correctly – he was discussing whether Gus could join up with the bad guy cartel?

Dean Norris (Hank) turned in an amazing performance, on par with Anna Gunn’s in “I.F.T.”  I’ve never liked Hank much, but it took some top-shelf acting (as well as writing and directing) to give the audience warm fuzzies about him this week.  The portrayal of Hank’s brutal assault of Jesse, followed by the cracking of his tough-guy exterior, his final willingness in the wake of professional humiliation to at long last to seek support from Marie although only behind closed elevator doors, and his profound anxiety when he received the “one minute” phone call and realized he was vulnerable and unarmed out in the open were astounding.  And just when we think he’s down, BAM!, there’s the tough guy again.  W-o-w.

That brings us to the cousins’ death sequence.  Once again, AMC has served up some of the most creative gore around.  I loved the serial shock value – oh no they didn’t just have Hank smash Cousin #1 to death, and oh no they didn’t just have Cousin #2 shoot Hank and leave him marinating in his own juices while going to fetch that shiny ax, and OH NO THEY DIDN’T just show us Cousin #2’s brains splatting on the camera lens!  Last season’s death by ATM suddenly doesn’t seem so outrageous any more, does it, kids?

But enough about the morgue, let’s talk about the living for a minute.  Hank’s boss remarks that Hank must have a guardian angel.  So Chip, who do you think was the guardian angel on the other end of that “one minute” call Hank receives later?  Gus?  Saul?  Hank’s boss?  Even though Gus is the obvious choice because he’s the only one (so far as the audience knows) who knows the cousins are on Hank's trail, I'm putting my chips on Mike the Cleaner.  He knows the cousins are a threat and a nuisance, and by tipping off Hank he saves Walt the distraction of a dead brother-in-law as well as has Hank do the dirty work of killing them without incurring the wrath of Tio’s organization in Gus’s (or whomever’s?) territory.  I’m more intrigued every week to find out who Mike answers to and why.  Again, Gus seems too obvious.

So let’s talk about vengeance, drug wars, et al.  Who does Tio have left to settle the score with Hank for killing the cousins?  He’s a little, er, incapacitated himself these days.  Which brings up another point – do we know how Tio ended up in a wheelchair?  He wasn’t paralyzed (or speaking only through bells and Ouija boards) in the flashback.  I had a vague notion he might have had a stroke -- was there discussion in Season 2 that gave me this idea? If not, what could it be?  Surely not something so pedestrian as being shot by the DEA.  No, there must be a story in this.

Before I wrap up, let’s call on Saul for a minute – was he really suggesting to Walt that Jesse had to go? As in permanently?  I can’t help but laugh at the prospect of Saul doing any dirty work himself and ruining one of those “$300 suits.”

And on that fashion note, I'm wondering who is going to fill those boots with the cousins gone?  You know which boots I mean.....

Peace, Holly

Man, Interrupted

Hold on a minute here, Chip.  I can’t believe you’ve put me in the position of defending the manhood of, as you called him recently, a “major puss” like Ted Beneke. And I find it even more unbelievable that I’m about to do it.  I’ll get to Ted, but first I want to talk about your boy Walt.

As you pointed out, Walt was at first a mild-mannered family man who ended up cooking meth to take care of the family he loved.  Stricken with what he, and we, thought was a death sentence, he gave up precious hours and days with his wife and son to make money to keep them afloat after he was gone.  He initially planned to forego cancer treatment because he didn’t want to deplete the few assets the family had.  However, as his mode of looking after his family switched from being a dutiful and present husband and father to a moneymaker with a secret life, Walt began losing his capacity to connect with the family whose welfare he was ostensibly protecting by going into the drug business.  Now that Walt’s death isn’t imminent, thanks to the cancer treatment he paid for with his ill-gotten gains, he’s realized just how much this money-making venture has cost him and longs to be part of the family that Skyler’s doing her best to keep him out of.

What does this have to do with a major puss like Ted Beneke?  Ted and Walt have more in common than both being notches in Skyler’s bedpost.  Ted is Walt’s end.  Ted has everything, even a heated floor, yet he has nothing because he’s a loser in love.  Divorced Ted has twins, although we never see him with them, just pictures of them in his office and home.  When Skyler asked him what he would say if his children found out he was a white collar criminal, he said something along the lines of he was just trying to stay afloat.  (There’s that damn eyeball again.)  Ted seems to want more than a regular booty call from Skyler, yet at the same time he seems emotionally vapid.  He seems to want the connection, but is he still capable of making it?  Like Ted, how will Walt love when he's no longer capable of feeling?

And a totally unrelated thought I must toss out to see if you’ll bite......  A couple of weeks ago an astute observer of the show mentioned to me his theory that Elliott might be the puppet master who’s pulling Gus’s strings.  That one hadn’t occurred to me before his suggestion.  This theory might be gaining some traction after last Sunday's episode when Walt asked Gus how he knew how to pimp the meth superlab – Gus said he had some outside help.  Interesting.

Peace, Holly

WHAT DO MEN DO?

Since the season premiere, Walt has suffered one emasculating humiliation after another. He was pepper-sprayed by a highway patrolman, kicked out of his house by his wife and suspended from his job. His awkward romantic advances to his supervisor were rejected. That little whipper-snapper Jesse whipped up a mess of meth using his chemical recipe. The icing on the cake was learning Skyler was now bumping uglies with Ted.

Up to this point, Walt’s response to most of this has been further humiliation. A mousy apology to the policeman. Sneaking back into the house. Quietly eating supper prepared by a wife fresh off her latest afternoon delight.

Thanks to Gus, Walt now officially has his mojo back. Despite trying to lure Walt in with cash and a flashy new lab, it was a simple statement that finally hooked him again. What does a man do? According to Gus, a man provides for his family. He does it when he is not appreciated, respected or even loved. With a few simple words, Gus has taken Walt back to the reason he broke bad in the first place. While I like Jesse, it was a hoot watching Walt dress him down with manly authority in Saul’s office. Jesse calling Walt “bitch” seemed downright effete in comparison. Perhaps he should blow some more of that cash at the titty bar to feel better.

Then we have the seething pot of rage and testosterone known as Hank. He has not been the same since El Paso. He is too much of a man to seek help for his panic attacks or even share with his wife. Like a petulant grade school bully, he tries to make himself feel better by attacking others physically (bar room brawl) or verbally (commenting that his partner’s balls are in his wife’s purse).

What Walt recognizes and Hank does not, is that the strength of a man is sometimes measured by his ability to be gentle. Hank could have some of the pressure removed from his shoulders if he simply told Marie what he was going through. Walt on the other hand is on the verge of cracking Skyler’s armor by virtue of his genuine love for his family. His anguished longing to pick up his baby as she cried slowly transformed into a moment of paternal joy as Skyler let him do just that. That is what men do.

Holly, I have a question though. Do real men have heated bathroom floors?

P.S. On the flip side of the gender coin, I am ecstatic to report that Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks has officially dislodged Megan Fox as the Sexiest Woman Alive according to Esquire Magazine. Amen and Hallelujah. A real woman with curves.

NOTHING BUT BLUE SKY

I agree Holly that this episode seemed to be a bridge to further developments. You cannot have an IFT moment every week. Jesse continued to embrace his “bad guy” role and take it even further. I felt sorry for the poor gas station attendant while simultaneously pulling for Jesse to get away with his bold play. He is showing some cahones that he has not before. He may not be the brightest beaker in the lab, but he has the makings of a real player when he grows up.

I also think it is very fishy that Hank is being called back to El Paso now. It smells like a one-way ticket to Tuna Town. For one thing, his last trip there was a disaster on every level. His co-workers did not embrace him. In fact, he was mocked for not even knowing Spanish. Then there was the turtle incident. I would think any surviving DEA agents from that event might even associate Hank with the tragedy. I think there is more than a mole in the office. I will come right out and say I suspect the sheriff is at least complicit in something going on there. As for your theory about the cousins luring Walt to their territory, I don’t think they give a turtle’s shell about where anything happens.

Yes, it is a given that Walt will go back to cooking. Gus has played him well, but it is also Walt’s pride that is going to suck him back in. He is not going to let that little whipper-snapper Jesse soil the reputation of Heisenberg. He was clearly unsettled that Jesse was able to do as well as he did without his leadership.

Fear is not going to be a motivator for Walt now anyway. He sees himself as a man with nothing left to lose. At this rate, he may continue to unravel to the point that Walt will cease to exist and all that is left is Heisenberg. The scene where he tries to “talk” to Ted is a hoot on one level and uncomfortably real on another. His ill-advised attempt at revenge sex is also squirm-worthy.

Skyler may have been outed as the office slut, but that does not appear to faze her. She has always been the accountant non grata around there anyway. She still got her cowgirl on even after Walt’s scene at the office. It would be interesting to see her breaking bad to the point of being on level moral ground with Walt. Ted is definitely enough of a weasel to leave Skyler twisting in the wind if someone audits the books. Anyone that would let a man come into his business and make him look like such a major puss like that must be a major puss. If she does get caught, she might want to call Saul.

Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean They Aren't Out to Get You

Last Sunday's Breaking Bad lacked the tension of the previous week’s “I.F.T.” and the shock value of the beginning of Season 3. This week's episode, “Green Light,” might have been called "Crystal Ball" for all the (apparent) foreshadowing it set up for the rest of the season.  Chip, you know from our Mad Men discussions that I'm a conspiracy theorist extraordinaire with a recessive Chicken Little trait.  Here are a few of my thoughts on where the Breaking Bad train, er, make that Winnebago, is headed:

Chip, you and I had a brief non-blogosphere discussion about my Conspiracy Theory #1, that someone in the DEA is dirty.  I am suspicious about the reason and/or motivation behind Hank's being recalled to El Paso.  The timing seems fishy.  I see a few possibilities here.  One is that Gus has a mole with Albuquerque law enforcement who knows that Hank's hot on Heisenberg's trail and wants to get Hank out of town before Walt/Heisenberg starts cooking Blue Sky again.  Another possibility is that Tuco's cousins realize they're going to get more than they bargained for if they kill Walt on Gus's turf (and time).  However, all bets are off if they could lure Walt to their territory.  Hank may be a pawn in that game.  A third possibility involves the cousins exacting revenge on Hank (who was the one who actually fired the fatal shot at Tuco) with a turtle, a bomb, and, oh never mind.  I don't see AMC allowing a retread of that old trick.  Let's not forget, AMC brought us not only death by turtle and decapitation by ATM, but also amputation by lawnmower.  They aren't going to rest on their laurels now.....  Chip, you were astute enough to remember that the sheriff was being cagey about Hank not going to El Paso, which you noted was odd given that Hank was the local go-to guy for all things Heisenberg. Good eye, my friend.

The title of this episode, "Green Light," brings me to theory #2.  It's obvious Walt's about to get back in the drug manufacturing biz.  Gus's unsolicited delivery to Walt of half the drug money for Jesse's cook was some serious head-gamesmanship. The traffic light cash toss-in was a nice touch.  The title of this week's episode, coupled with the title of next week's "Mas," and considered with the red light/not cooking meth, green light/cooking metaphor makes Walt's reentry in the game all but a foregone conclusion.

Which brings me to plot musing #3. I thought it was interesting that Gus told Mike he doesn't find fear to be an effective motivator.  That one had me scratching my head a bit, but when it became apparent that Gus was a grand master of mental chess, I had to marvel at the sociopath inside this seemingly mild druglord.  Walt has done pretty well against thugs like Crazy 8 and Tuco.  He's even holding his own against the cousins on a mission, albeit by the intervention of Gus, Saul, and Mike, of which he’s blissfully oblivious.  But how will Walt fare against the worthy mental opponent he's facing in Gus?

Theory #4, a/k/a the out of left field theory with no basis in this week's episode....how long till Walt Jr. decides to smoke his problems away?  The Whites aren't exactly putting the fun in dysfunctional lately.  Poor kid.

Theory #5 - It was obvious from the chilly breakroom reception Skyler got from one of her Beneke coworkers that the office knows Ted's been cooking more than the books.  And Skyler is clearly an outcast from the cool kids at the watercooler. Wouldn't it be interesting if one of the office mean girls decides to do some whistleblowing? Especially if it led to Skyler being charged criminally for the numbers game Ted is running. She'd hardly be able to claim the moral high ground with Walt (or Marie) if she was just another criminal.

Have any theories of your own, Chip?  Or just want to take shots at mine?

Peace, Holly

Skyler - Beggar or Chooser?

Hmmmm.....Chip, I hadn't thought about Skyler's choice of Ted as being anything more than the best option available to her, without regard to his full head of hair. (Hair is such a rare sight on Breaking Bad that I have a hard time keeping all these shaved heads straight.) I mean, c'mon, who does she know who doesn't make you go "ewwww"?

Now that you mention it, though, isn't it particularly fitting that Skyler got her I.F.T. on with someone who's cooking the books? Walt made such a big deal out of having earned, not stolen, the bag of Benjamins he gave her before she left for work that morning. Skyler promptly left the house and initiated a sexual encounter with a thief (and a cook of a different sort). 


Perhaps only Elliott, who "stole" Walt's chemical brilliance (and its ensuing fortune) and took Gretchen, the real love of Walt's life, would have been a more fitting choice. But hey, the season's still young. It could happen yet. A girl can dream....


I forgot to mention it in my earlier post, but where was Baby Holly during the I.F.T. extravaganza? Doesn't Skyler take the baby to work with her? That little Holly may have been present for her mom's revenge effing is the only thing I find particularly questionable about Skyler's judgment. Okay, that and the bad drive-time music with which she's torturing the poor child.

Peace, Holly

TOO MANY COOKS

Hey Holly, it certainly was a tense episode. Did you notice there were no explosions or gunshots? The only fire I noticed was the lighting of a cigar. Aside from the beheading back-story, there was not any actual “action” to be had in this episode. Well, unless you count Hank smacking a couple of biker-types around. Yet, I found myself once again completely engrossed. Not white-knuckled, edge of my seat engrossed, but I could not fast-forward through the commercials quick enough.

This was Skyler’s episode. First of all, Anna Gunn put on an Emmy-worthy display of subtle acting. The extended scene from finding Walt at her home to her nearly spilling the beans to the cops was superb. Yes Holly, I believe it was her eyes that seemed to carry their own dialogue. Contrary to my comments from last week, the power of this scene is how grounded it is in reality. At times, it was almost too painfully real to life.

As far as Skyler the character goes, I did not blame her for wanting to take some measure of control of her situation while trying to inflict some of her pain back on Walt. I admire her protective instinct of Walt, Jr. as well. I look forward to more intense drama when that young man finds out his hero is a criminal. On the other hand, I have to question Skyler’s choice in men. Following Walt’s honest and heart felt plea for her to take the money he had “earned,” why would she then hook up with a man who is also a criminal? He does not cook Meth, but he cooks the books. He even used an almost verbatim justification for his actions in the previous episode. Is it just because he has more hair?

Speaking of achingly real, Jesse’s repeated dialing of Jane’s voicemail just to hear her voice resonates with anyone who has experienced such a devastating loss of a loved one. Talk about a simmering pot of grief and rage. Can you imagine how this will boil over when Jesse somehow finds out that Walt had a literal hand in Jane’s death? You can almost picture a season finale where Walt is chased down the street by a mob comprised of just about everyone in his life. Bringing up the rear will be the killing cousins brandishing some form of shiny utensils. They are just not like the rest of us. I am also curious to see if Jesse is able to cook as well as Walt after merely being his Igor for so long.

Another member of that mob would certainly be DEA agent/brother-in-law Hank. I have a different take on what he was up to in the seedy bar, Holly. If this were PTSD related, I do not think he would have as much control over his actions. On the contrary, I think he knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish. He is trying to sabotage his own promotion through his questionable actions. He does not want to turn El Paso down or let anyone know how much his last stint there screwed with his head. So here is the macho way to perhaps keep from being sent back to that hellhole. He relishes his role as big fish in little pond too much to go back.

The Chicken King is one cool customer, but his arrogance might just get him an unwanted visit from the cousins if he is not careful. Then his goose is cooked.

Dead Man Walking

Wow, another tense episode of Breaking Bad last night.  The list of people with a stake in Walter’s demise lengthens.  We knew going into this episode that Don Salamanca/Tio and Tuco’s cousins were after Walt.  Now we learn that Skyler is biding time, just waiting for lung cancer to get Walt so Walt Jr. won’t find out his dad was in the drug biz.

But enough about Walt, let’s talk about Skyler.  Unable to get Walt out of the house after his “break-in,” she calls the cops.  They want to work with her, as does her lawyer, and she has the goods on Walt that would seal the deal, but in the end she can’t pull the trigger because of what it would do to Walt Jr.  Not the type, however, to sit around idly with an unwelcome houseguest, she reveals what “I.F.T.” (the episode title) stands for and deals Walt a devastating (fatal?) blow in his bid to be the family man again.  In Skyler’s world, revenge is obviously a dish best served cold.

Chip, did you notice we didn’t see the eyeball this week?  Its absence, and the many real eyeballs in devastating moments, was prominent to me.  I especially loved Walt’s frozen stare when Skyler dropped the bomb, then went to serve salad to Walt Jr. and his friend, as well as Tortuga’s look of sheer terror when he realized he was about to meet his maker.  And Jesse and Hank seemed to have their wide-eyed moments, as well.

Chip, after your notice of the shine on last week's ax intended for Walt, I noticed that the glare off that machete the cousins used on Tortuga was almost as bright.  And the blood spatter on the otherwise impeccable suit of one of the cousins was some great, albeit gruesome imagery.  BTW, have you noticed the cousins are men of few words?

What’s going on with our DEA man Hank?  Was that barroom bust-up a manifestation of PTSD after the recent gory incidents in El Paso and Tio’s lair, or is he about to break bad himself?  Now THAT would be a story arc!

I can barely bring myself to mention Jesse. His house, like the boy himself, is empty inside.  He’s so lost without Jane that he calls her voice mail incessantly just to hear her voice, until her phone is disconnected and she’s really, finally gone.  After being pestered by Saul to get “the maestro” cooking again, and enduring a few of Saul’s barbs nominalizing Jesse’s role in his former partnership with Walt, he takes the RV out to the desert and begins a cook by himself, looking bewildered over the process.  Was that foreshadowing in Walt's wearing rubber gloves to remove the pizza from the roof and apron when whipping up a pot roast?  He looked more like a meth cook than a family man to me.

Mike the Cleaner has an interesting life.  Last week he was visiting a little girl on the playground, then went to plant bugs at Walt’s house and somehow dispatched the badass cousins just in time to save Walt’s neck, literally.  This week we found out that Mr. Clean, who seems to be on the payroll of both Saul and Guy, has a higher loyalty to Guy because he agrees to keep Saul out of the loop on the near-miss goings-down at Chez White.  Is Saul just a dope in this operation?  Or has he somehow stepped out of line, like Walt, and is now unknowingly biding time till his usefulness to Guy is over?

How soon till the drug war starts?  That meeting at the chicken plant was just seething with barely contained hostility between the two cartel factions.  Interesting that the guy who lured Tortuga into the back of the bar (and his demise) was the same person meeting with Guy about the Walt Problem. I don’t believe for a minute this guy can’t control the evil twins. I loved the brief scene of the hundreds of chickens, pecking away till their deaths, all for the benefit of Guy.  You know how they slaughter chickens, don’t you, Chip?

Peace, Holly