WRITTEN BY YOH FROM THETAPEDECK.NET.
It wasn’t until the ending of this past week’s Breaking Bad did I discover my hidden desire for a Disney-esque happy ending. Walt’s odd defying survival, Jesse’s inner-redemption, completed with Hank and Marie’s ricin induced suicide pact. The reality unfolding in Vince Gilligan’s universe is a nightmare. As a viewer , I feel a sense of torment watching Walt vs. Jesse. The Sensei and the Grasshopper have become adversaries with no possibility of reconciliation. Their paranoia becomes three-dimensional, touching our very souls to the core. Was I the only one sitting on the edge of my seat as Walt walked through his gas coated home with his gun drawn? How about when Jesse was walking through the plaza with a head congested with fear? At 22, I almost experienced my first heart attack awaiting Jesse’s cranium to be blown off his shoulders. The thrilling suspense that is in the shadow of each scene has made Breaking Bad’s atmosphere a dark, grotesque shade of gray.
The biggest surprise would be the unexpected union of Hank and Jesse, a collaboration that has the most potential to achieve the dethroning of Walt. The enemy of your enemy is an ally they say, and sadly Jesse being blinded by rage has entered another manipulative relationship that has no recourse for his livelihood. Jesse won’t survive, but the video confession of his sins will play the scythe in Heisenberg’s public execution. Just when you believe Walt is a move away from checkmate, Hank stopping Jesse from burning down the White’s house was the moment that sealed his fate.
There’s a scene where Jesse refers to Walt as the devil;given that he has been instrumental in constructing the hell they’re living in. But in hindsight and despite pressure from outside influence, Walt is most compassionate about Jesse’s survival. Saul is first to suggest that Jesse has become Old Yeller and we all know how that tale ends. Skyler is second, who’s colder about insisting that threats must be eliminated. She says, “We’ve come this far for us, what’s one more?” belittlingWalt’s relationship with Jesse, masking him as an obstacle whereas Walt sees him as a son. . The episode ends with Walt calling Todd after a failed attempt at meeting Jesse, and admits he’ll need his Uncles for another “job”. Go ahead and let the imagination run amuck as we await another week.