Breaking Bad Recap: Fire Fight

By Marshall Weber 

Sometimes Breaking Bad is so good that it makes you lie to yourself. The show has always had a plethora of Western-movie influences and they were no stranger in last night's Doc Holliday-eque shootout.

Who knew Todd/The Neo-Nazis were such big Steve Perry fans? Or maybe they just stole the CD that Jesse wanted to give to Walt. "Oh Jesse. Our Love. Hooolds on. Hooolds on." But despite last night's ending, there may be reason to believe that their love holds on indeed. 

But let's briefly go back to the beginning. So where Walt really lives is his money. Despite the numerous internet theories, this one seemed the most logical. Jesse Pinkman may be some sort of secret genius. First magnets, then baiting Walt into a trap like Chris Hanson does with pedophiles. To Catch a Meth King. Why don't you have a seat, bitch? But not even Jesse, the man who knows 'Walt', better than anyone, would think that Walt would be vain enough to bury his Scrooge McDuck fortune where he and Jesse had their first cook. 

The whole "Still a Better Love Story Than Twilight" thing has long worn out its welcome. But in this case, I'll make an exception. Mr. White may not be "gay for (Jesse)" as Mr. Pinkman so eloquently puts it, but they certainly have something special. They both know each other more than they wish to admit and thus they know where to hurt the other the most. For Walt, it's his money. For Jesse, it's Andrea and Brock. 

Trying to steal Flynn's breakfast thunder, Brock is munching on some Ricen-Free Fruit Loops... a brilliant start to any balanced breakfast. Walt tries to lure Jesse into certain death by calling Jesse from Andrea's phone, assuming that Jesse will think the worst of him and scurry over...only to get shot in the head by Todd's uncle. But this is quickly thwarted as Hank interceptions the message and immediately sees Walt's ruse. Thankfully, Hank doesn't tell Jesse and thus Walt's plan is buried like his money in the desert. 

Once you know the Heisenberg, it doesn't take terribly long to realize that his arrogance is his greatest flaw. After shaking down and tricking Huell into thinking he's Heisenberg's next target after going full Eraser; Jesse, Hank, and Gomez are able to set the ultimate trap for Walt last night. Knowing that Walt's money is stored in a bunch of barrels, but not knowing their location, Hank/Jesse fake a photo and make it seem like they're going to burn Walt's money. Sadly it doesn't come via Snap Chat, but it does send Walt in a rage that leads him to go full Fast Furious and race to get his money. 

There are two very tense moments of silence in this episode. As he wanders all the way out to the desert, Walt soon realizes he's been duped. The Heisenberg's gotten sloppy. But just when Walt thinks he has a breather, there comes Hank in his suburban, like a Sheriff riding gallantly on his horse to finally bring down the West's most notorious outlaw. 

Then it happens. Walt comes back to reality. For the first time in a while, Walt admits his mortality. He calls off the gang of Neo-Nazi reinforcement and gives himself up. It's fitting that the title of next week's episode is entitled "Ozymandias". But more on this to come. 

The most painful thing Gilligan and the collection of other brilliant writers and directors have done is twist our feelings for Walt in countless ways. I hated myself for it, but I actually felt tons of sympathy for Walt last nighht. Whether it's Charles Foster Kane or John Hammond, there's an indescribable sympathy one feels for man who's empire crumbles before their eyes. We may resent ourselves for it, but it's almost universally true. The writers have brought Walt (near) full circle and I once again like him. Or at the very least, feel sorry for him again. As he was handcuffed, my heart sank a bit. O

So now what? From the flash forwards, we know Walt's not in jail. Does Hank let Walt go? Does Walt get off the hook? That arrest wasn't really how should we say "by the books". But after a year of struggling to find Heisenberg, and the hell they've been through as of late, Hank and Marie get a brief moment of solace. For the first time in a long time, Hank is optimistic and reassures Marie that everything's going to work out. Then another uncomfortable silence takes over and we realize that this is likely their last conversation. 

Nice shooting face, Todd. "Bang. Bang. Got You!"

Oh yeah. Duh. The Neo-Nazis don't honor Walt's request. After all, they need a cook. For the brief moment we thought this episode was going to end in Walt's arrest, we quickly realized how stupid we were and that the episode was going to end in a Heat-inspired shootout. Except this one was greatly mismatched. Just like when Hank was gunned down in Season 3, we are once again left to guess his fate. This time however, there isn't much room for optimism.