Support NeoGAF

[Zombie James]

What the hell is Skylar's problem? The kids get sent away so when Walt Jr. gets all pissed about it she tells Walt, "congratulation, you got what you wanted"? It's what she wanted, It was her idea! What, did she expect her son to be happy about getting kicked out?

And here I was thinking Todd would fall off the train as it was leaving and lose an arm on the tracks.

God damn Todd.

I thought he was going to just flat-out die and Walt would have a helpful, friendly dead kid weighing on his conscience. Well, I guess he technically still does...

 

[Slaker117]

Hmm, I guess I'm in the minority here.

I liked the technical direction and pacing of this episode, and overall think it was tense fun to watch (and the ending effectively resonates), but the amount of logistics to pull of their heist and to do it as well as they did seems like quite the leap. The amount of equipment needed in the seemingly short amount of time they had, knowing what types of lugnuts, locks, and connections on the tanker all seem like good luck. Plus all the broad-daylight shit they were doing seemed risky and haphazard. Just dragging a backhoe out to the middle of nowhere and digging some ditches by the train tracks... yeah....

Also, where'd Walt/Mike/Jesse get that ethernet bug tracker thing for Hank's computer? Still tapping that SkyMall catalog I suppose?

Finally, I personally feel like two crime caper episodes in one season is unnecessary, although I'm happy to tuck that opinion away until all the episodes are completed and we can reflect on the series as a whole.

This specifically stood out to me as well. Still an effective episode though, fun watch.

Also, hindsight and all that, but not having a perimeter set up seems like a really amateurish mistake. Sure, the chances that someone would just wander up were slim, but they should have had a plan for it anyway. Unless that was their plan, just shoot anyone who might see. That strikes me as a poor plan.

 

[smokeymicpot]

What the hell is Skylar's problem? The kids get sent away so when Walt Jr. gets all pissed about it she tells Walt, "congratulation, you got what you wanted"? It's what she wanted, It was her idea! What, did she expect her son to be happy about getting kicked out?



I thought he was going to just flat-out die and Walt would have a helpful, friendly dead kid weighing on his conscience. Well, I guess he technically still does...

Walt is the good guy in the whole thing. Hank is even on Walts side for no reason. Even Jr is on his fathers side. Skyler can't go to him saying well your father cooks meth.

 

[GRIP]

The lack of emotion means he's seriously fucked up, obedient or not.

I think trying to get into that level of criminal behavior means that you're not exactly right in the head. I looked at it as something that he felt he had to do (given the conversation he had with Walt and Jesse). It's not like his first reaction was the kill the kid, he had to process the situation first and then acted.

 

[jred2k]

I love how Todd says "Wow, you guys thought of everything." and in the end it's him with the gun.

 

[squidyj]

The only downside of this episode is that it's going to lead to Jesse being an emotional wreck for probably the remainder of this half of the season.

Which sucks, because Jesse's never fun to watch when he's an emotional wreck.

I think he's interesting to watch but I feel like we were JUST there. I hope they go somewhere different.

 

[smokeymicpot]

The only downside of this episode is that it's going to lead to Jesse being an emotional wreck for probably the remainder of this half of the season.

Which sucks, because Jesse's never fun to watch when he's an emotional wreck.

He won't be a wreck this time. This is the last season so it's end game time. Jesse will want out and be pissed not a wreck.

 

[metalslimer]

I agree that the whole crime thing didn't need to be done two times in season. It's funny because this was pulled off much more believably than the evidence room destruction from the first episode despite this being a much more complicated task. I'm extremely impressed this episode was done by a first time director.

Could really see that happening sooner than later. Dirt bike kid's death seems like a great way for Walt to bring up to Jesse how they have to do anything to succeed, even if it means murdering children.

Eh.. I doubt Brock will come out until either the season finale or next season.

 

[white dynamite]

I really don't think so. This is the time Walt will bring up Brock. I can see it happening Walt's ego coming out and saying something about giving Brock the plant. Once that happens Jesse will want out and Mr.White gone.

Could really see that happening sooner than later. Dirt bike kid's death seems like a great way for Walt to bring up to Jesse how they have to do anything to succeed, even if it means murdering children.

 

[killertofu]

Where's Saul?

 

[maharg]

What the hell is Skylar's problem? The kids get sent away so when Walt Jr. gets all pissed about it she tells Walt, "congratulation, you got what you wanted"? It's what she wanted, It was her idea! What, did she expect her son to be happy about getting kicked out?

...

She was referring to the fact that Junior came back when she said that.

 

[Jimothy]

The Heat reference totally makes sense now:

Leave no witnesses. Todd is Waingro, etc.

 

[Alex]

Hmm, I guess I'm in the minority here.

I liked the technical direction and pacing of this episode, and overall think it was tense fun to watch (and the ending effectively resonates), but the amount of logistics to pull of their heist and to do it as well as they did seems like quite the leap. The amount of equipment needed in the seemingly short amount of time they had, knowing what types of lugnuts, locks, and connections on the tanker all seem like good luck. Plus all the broad-daylight shit they were doing seemed risky and haphazard. Just dragging a backhoe out to the middle of nowhere and digging some ditches by the train tracks... yeah....

Also, where'd Walt/Mike/Jesse get that ethernet bug tracker thing for Hank's computer? Still tapping that SkyMall catalog I suppose? And where are they interrogating Lydia? That location was out of nowhere!

Finally, I personally feel like two crime caper episodes in one season is unnecessary, although I'm happy to tuck that opinion away until all the episodes are completed and we can reflect on the series as a whole.

Didnt come as much of a leap to me, especially considering its madrigals tagged cargo and they have the connections, also considering they lost the effective reason for why they did the heist how they did it in the end, because mike and jesse didnt want any innocent deaths, i dont think the luck was all that good.

 

[TrumanBurbank]

I totally thought the kid at the beginning was a Jesse flashblack. Forgot about him in the excitement of the train heist.
When they showed him again I exclaimed, "Oh Fuck."
Vince Gilligan has said Episode 7 is a huge one as well. Maybe Hank find out about Walt in that one.

 

[rekameohs]

Vince Gilligan has said Episode 7 is a huge one as well. Maybe Hank find out about Walt in that one.

I can't get behind Hank finding out in the first half of the season. I just don't see them making 8 episodes where Walt is on the run from Hank. I'm guessing he'll find out somewhere in the last 3 episodes.

My guess is that the big ending of the first half will be the death of a major character, like Skyler or Jr.

 

[Alex]

The zillion times truck driver looked back at the train drove me nuts :lol

 

[TrumanBurbank]

I can't get behind Hank finding out in the first half of the season. I just don't see them making 8 episodes where Walt is on the run from Hank. I'm guessing he'll find out somewhere in the last 3 episodes.

My guess is that the big ending of the first half will be the death of a major character, like Skyler or Jr.

But Walt won't be on the run when Hank finds out immediately.
I think Hank will have suspicions which will lead him to investigating Walt more and more and then having to deal with what he finds out.
Who knows...maybe he'll break bad to protect Skyler, Holly and Breakfast boy.

 

[RaidenZR]

Didnt come as much of a leap to me, especially considering its madrigals tagged cargo and they have the connections, also considering they lost the effective reason for why they did the heist how they did it in the end, because mike and jesse didnt want any innocent deaths, i dont think the luck was all that good.

I don't know man. I can buy Lydia had access to some information, especially concerning schedules, routes, personnel and cargo, but as for being intimate with specifics of the individual tankers? That's the leap I'm referring to. There's a lot of shit you'd need to know, like what locking and sealing safeguards it had, what diameter the hoses need to be to connect to the tanker, which tanker was specifically the one holding the juice and if it stopped in the right spot, etc. Too many variables, in my opinion.

 

[master15]

Great episode, plenty of tension and I have to admit I didn't quite piece together that explosive ending. Few observations;

-Hank certainly didn't buy Walt's 'leasing' of his new car story and being the sharp cookie he is, didn't take long to notice his new watch. The evidence is quickly mounting for Walt.

-Haven't seen season's end game I thought it was a pretty dramatic move of Walt to bug Hanks computer all on a suspicion Lydia wasn't lying. Although I can appreciate the counter argument is without methlamine there is no operation.

-One thing that did bother me is, wouldn't the DEA have Mike under surveillance. I think one of the previous episodes Hank pretty much alludes to the fact Mike has got to be further involved. Him out in broad day light with Walt and Jessie would set off alarm bells if anyone was bothering to keep an eye out on him.

 

[Danielsan]

Holy fucking shit at this episode. This just completely made season 5 for me.

 

[Persona7]

Mike is going to flip out, I bet.

 

[Sean]

Have an idea what is going to happen. Skyler is going to assume Walt killed the kid. New reports are going to come out saying this is where he always rides his bike by the train tracks. Will be on the news saying he is missing Walt said he was robbing a train. Skyler will off herself or killed by ricin after saying she will tell Hank. Jesse and Mike bounce from this mess some how.

I can totally see this happening, especially since Skyler has been trying to protect her own children from Walt. He's so far gone at this point that if Skyler questions him about it, he'll probably admit they killed an innocent child and casually shrug it off as no big deal. And I think that'll be the breaking point for Skyler where she'll either turn him in or at least threaten to.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Man, have you even been watching this show at all?

Yes, and with the developments so far, it's apparent to everyone that there are cruel measures that need to be taken to ensure their safety. Jesse is being naive, plain and simple. I understand his character doesn't like killing kids, but given his own recognition of the gravity of the task they were undertaking, at some point, he's gotta start accepting the dirt that comes with the job. His continued naivety is becoming a bit unrealistic. In the real world, people who get in over their head either accept the consequences or gtfo of dodge. PEACE.

 

[Mister0079]

Incredible episode. Season 5 was going a bit slow but holy shit this episode.

 

[maharg]

Yes, and with the developments so far, it's apparent to everyone that there are cruel measures that need to be taken to ensure their safety. Jesse is being naive, plain and simple. I understand his character doesn't like killing kids, but given his own recognition of the gravity of the task they were undertaking, at some point, he's gotta start accepting the dirt that comes with the job. His continued naivety is becoming a bit unrealistic. In the real world, people who get in over their head either accept the consequences or gtfo of dodge. PEACE.

For someone who ends every post with PEACE you sure do have a violent attitude towards life.

 

[RaidenZR]

-Hank certainly didn't buy Walt's 'leasing' of his new car story and being the sharp cookie he is, didn't take long to notice his new watch. The evidence is quickly mounting for Walt.

Unless something out of the blue happens (which it probably will) one feasible way the dominoes could start toppling over for Hank is if Marie slips and accidentally reveals that Walt & Skyler paid for the rehab. Based on Hank's recent trend of admiring Walt's new trinkets, I don't think he'd buy the gambling winnings could have paid for the rehab, car wash, and all this new stuff.

Or maybe it could.

 

[Persona7]

man I thought jessie was going to tell the kid that they were secret agents trying to stop bad guys or some shit like that

 

[Pimpwerx]

The way I see it, there was no hesitation by Todd because there wasn't a moment to hesitate. He who hesitates masturbates...or in this case, goes to jail. The kid was on a dirtbike. He could be out of decision-making range within seconds. The order was that no one could know about the heist. Waiting to let Jesse make a decision means that kid is on his way to tell his parents not just about the heist, but about the guys trying to kill him, even if Todd doesn't pull the gun out. It's fight or flight, and he clearly went into the heist prepared for the worst, which is why he was armed in the first place.

He probably doesn't feel bad about it, but in a him or me situation, I don't know if there's any room for regret anyway. It was the kid or them. He chose them. He did it without hesitating. I don't see it as cold-blooded. I see it as someone who understands what's necessary and taking no half-measures.

It would have been interesting to see how Mike would handle that kind of situation, but I'm assuming he might have gone about it a different way. They didn't have a bag of money on them to buy the kid off, and there's no guarantee he would have stuck around to let them approach him to talk it out. Shooting him was the most-efficient method of dealing with the problem, and Todd took it. I'm interested to see how he explains it to Mike and what Mike says he should have done.

This is different from what Walt did to Brock and Gus killing that kid who was dealing. This was just erasing a problem that could have jeopardized the entire operation and implicated everyone, including Todd. No matter how the guys feel about it, their problem is solved. So it'll be fun to see how they deal with the internal fallout going forward. PEACE.

 

[Jimothy]

Incredible episode. Season 5 was going a bit slow but holy shit this episode.

What? This is the most fast paced season yet.

 

[alba]

I am flabbergasted by this episode. I thought the lead up to the end and the tension of the train scene was amazing, yeah sure the few little details about knowing the exact lungs and stuff is a bit far fetched but I absolutely loved the directing of the ending. I also loved the intro and how it all came to be.

This show...!

 

[Pimpwerx]

For someone who ends every post with PEACE you sure do have a violent attitude towards life.

Pfft. What makes you even think that?

It's discussing a show about selling hard drugs. People get decapitates and dismembered all over the world in the hard drug game. I've said repeatedly that it was naive for Walt to get into the meth game without understanding what it entailed. You don't get into hard drugs and not expect to encounter violence. It's just not the reality of that kind of business.

It's not like I sit around sharpening knives and licking my chops at the thought of taking a life. I don't sell drugs and don't involve myself in dangerous situations for the very reason that I don't want to have to engage in any kind of dirty business. However, if you're selling anything harder than weed, you're gonna run into the kind of ruthless, cold-blooded people who will kill for nothing. Look at Gus. Straight-laced, but ready to cut throats at the drop of a dime. I'm not sure what people in this thread expect, but the show has tried to demonstrate the dark side of the business from day 1. From their very first cook, they've had to kill. How has that reality not dawned on Jesse yet? It's unrealistic. PEACE.

 

[Cuban Legend]

Mike is going to flip out, I bet.

Mike probably ordered the Todd (or whatever his name is) in private to shoot any witnesses regardless of what Walt or Jesse say to stop him.

Todd would probably get killed off in retaliation by Jesse/Walt or used as a scapegoat by Mike, as no one would believe him if he told them that Mike told him to do it.

 

[Sotha Sil]

The way I see it, there was no hesitation by Todd because there wasn't a moment to hesitate. He who hesitates masturbates...or in this case, goes to jail. The kid was on a dirtbike. He could be out of decision-making range within seconds. The order was that no one could know about the heist. Waiting to let Jesse make a decision means that kid is on his way to tell his parents not just about the heist, but about the guys trying to kill him, even if Todd doesn't pull the gun out. It's fight or flight, and he clearly went into the heist prepared for the worst, which is why he was armed in the first place.

He probably doesn't feel bad about it, but in a him or me situation, I don't know if there's any room for regret anyway. It was the kid or them. He chose them. He did it without hesitating. I don't see it as cold-blooded. I see it as someone who understands what's necessary and taking no half-measures.

...This is the very definition of cold-blooded

 

[Cuban Legend]

Pfft. What makes you even think that?

It's discussing a show about selling hard drugs. People get decapitates and dismembered all over the world in the hard drug game. I've said repeatedly that it was naive for Walt to get into the meth game without understanding what it entailed. You don't get into hard drugs and not expect to encounter violence. It's just not the reality of that kind of business.

It's not like I sit around sharpening knives and licking my chops at the thought of taking a life. I don't sell drugs and don't involve myself in dangerous situations for the very reason that I don't want to have to engage in any kind of dirty business. However, if you're selling anything harder than weed, you're gonna run into the kind of ruthless, cold-blooded people who will kill for nothing. Look at Gus. Straight-laced, but ready to cut throats at the drop of a dime. I'm not sure what people in this thread expect, but the show has tried to demonstrate the dark side of the business from day 1. From their very first cook, they've had to kill. How has that reality not dawned on Jesse yet? It's unrealistic. PEACE.

Somehow Vince Gilligan has failed you. You're supposed to hate Heisenberg not want to be him or even sympathize with him, lol.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Somehow Vince Gilligan has failed you. You're supposed to hate Heisenberg not want to be him or even sympathize with him, lol.

Heisenberg is an interesting character. Do you hate Al Pacino in Scarface too? They're interesting characters. Good or evil mean nothing to me in works of fiction. It's perfectly fine to find a bad guy more appealing than a good guy. T-Bag in Prison Break was a positively evil man, but one of the most-interesting characters in the series. Goggins' character in Justified was also a bad meth dealer, yet was a favorite character for many viewers.

Vince is doing a great job with his ambiguous characters. Everyone has a mix of good and bad in this series. I'm fascinated by Walt's continued transformation, and yes, I actively root for him to succeed. If a character is likeable...well...like him. PEACE.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Awesome episode. The heist sequence was incredibly tense. And the ending, I saw the kid witnessing it coming after the opening but definitely didn't expect what happened with Todd. Really can't wait to see everyones reactions in full next episode.

And like others have said, could have done without the pre episode hype. Was expecting something "Holy shit" to happen at some point so the shock was lessened a bit.

 

[Soyongdori]

I really doubt Mike would give a shit about that kid.

His response would most likely be "shit happened".

 

[BocoDragon]

Wow.. Breaking Bad discussions really turn out the same way every time, don't they?

It's black-and-white moralists versus shades-of-grey sympathizers, again and again and again.

Brilliant show for bringing up these hidden, unspoken boundaries between our view of morality, entertainment, etc.

 

[Persona7]

Wow.. Breaking Bad discussions really turn out the same way every time, don't they?

It's black-and-white moralists versus shades-of-grey sympathizers, again and again and again.

Brilliant show for bringing up these hidden, unspoken boundaries between our view of morality, entertainment, etc.

don't forget the large slather of Misogyny.

 

[BocoDragon]

don't forget the large slather of Misogyny.

I personally didn't think gender issues were even remotely to the core of this show... but if those are the issues you think have been brought up, then all the more praise to this show for bringing up these issues of the human condition.

 

[maharg]

Wow.. Breaking Bad discussions really turn out the same way every time, don't they?

It's black-and-white moralists versus shades-of-grey moralists, again and again and again.

Brilliant show for bringing up these hidden, unspoken boundaries between our view of morality, entertainment, etc.

You know, I'm a bit tired of it being painted this way. I'm sure I'm lumped into the black-and-white category in this evaluation, but nothing could be further from the truth. Morality in the real world is full of complexity and shades to me.

But no matter how many shades of grey you work with, there are still terrible people in the world.

 

[Souless_PJ]

don't forget the large slather of Misogyny.

Speaking of which - this episode proves that less than 5 mins of Skyler per episode = best amount of Skyler per episode.

 

[Zen]

Holy hell. Really though, they better take the body and the bike and dispose of them. Having a dead body with a ToD right around the time of that train being stopped and what only looks like a reasonable amount of methlomean coming in under quality? A bit too coincidental.

 

[Robot Pants]

Walt's watch will be his downfall.

 

[Mister Negative]

don't forget the large slather of Misogyny.

No no you don't understand, Skyler is literally the worst person on the show!

 

[BocoDragon]

You know, I'm a bit tired of it being painted this way. I'm sure I'm lumped into the black-and-white category in this evaluation, but nothing could be further from the truth. Morality in the real world is full of complexity and shades to me.

But no matter how many shades of grey you work with, there are still terrible people in the world.

Respect to your view... but people clearly don't see it all the same way as they watch this show, and it happens over and over again, these disagreements.

People have different values... that much is obvious from this thread.

 

[TrumanBurbank]

Watching the episode back again, the little wave the kid does is so sad...jesus.

 

[BocoDragon]

Watching the episode back again, the little wave the kid does is so sad...jesus.

I got the impression from it that he was 99% sure to "be cool" and not tell anyone.

It suggested that 1. he knew and 2. was trying to be friendly with them.

But who knows.

 

[Soyongdori]

I have to say, this is all Jesse's fault. He shouldn't have said that to Todd in the beginning.

 

[Puddles]

don't forget the large slather of Misogyny.

There is not, nor has there ever been, misogyny in our Breaking Bad discussion, at least not to my knowledge. I assume that if any misogynistic posts have been made, said posters were quickly banned.