Lily of the Valley: This Week on Breaking Bad (Episode 8 / September 2, 2012)

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

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EPISODE 8: Gliding Over All

THE HOOK:

There’s a gaping hole in the Meth distribution market. Walter White has crowned himself king, but this kingdom comes with a cost and those close to Walt are starting to realize a dark change is coming.

THE LOWDOWN:

The first half of the final season is over and man oh man were there some fireworks. I’ll admit to being angry at Walter for taking Mike out, but then again, Mike knew the score better than anyone and what surprised me the most is that he continuously underestimated Walt, despite knowing how swollen his ego was getting and how desperate he was to get ahead. Getting the list from Lydia wasn’t nearly as difficult as Walt surmised and I loved the idea she pitched about an oversees operation (whether or not Gus was truly on board remains to be seen), but the ricin was an especially nice touch. She sure is good at keeping herself above ground, I’ll give her that.

The train heist upped the bar for this show, but nothing and I mean nothing can top tonight’s prison executions. Are you f*cking kidding me? That was on par with any movie I’ve ever watched and I’ve seen them all folks. What an electrifying series of deaths (that fire scene was nuts) and a capsizing blow to Hank’s investigation (I guess you should’ve taken that deal instead of playing hard ball Hank). The prison segment was definitely one for the books. And even though nothing really happens at this point, I loved scene when Hank comes home, pours himself and Walt a drink and then sits there in silence for a couple minutes brooding. The sheer irony of it all hits home with a vengeance (especially in light of tonight’s ending).

Speaking of hitting with a vengeance, that knock on the door was the last thing Jesse expected or wanted to see. The tension in the air was so thick for both us and Jesse as none of us knew what Walt was going to do. I swear I held my breath for at least a minute. Walt leaving Jesse the money speaks miles for his character and leads me to believe he’s trying to take hold of himself and remember why he got into this in the first place. This isn’t redemption as Jesse more than earned that money, but it’s a nice nod in that direction. The pile of money Skyler shows Walt is beyond impressive and like she said, “how big does it have to be?” I especially loved the pop deliveries with all that cash hidden in the middle. I’d switch from Pepsi to Coke for one of those pallets.

BREAKING BAD SEASON 5’s eighth episode gives us the impression that Walt knows he’s gone too far and (maybe) even feels remorse combined with a longing to have his family back. And how can you not root for the guy when these things finally start to align after all he’s done. Sure, his hands are covered in the kind of dirt that all the bleach in the world couldn’t get white again, but all this brings back the underdog we’ve been cheering for all along. Of course, it never ends well with these types of things which leads to the dump heard round the world. I’m disappointed in Walt for leaving something like that lying around, but we all knew it was going to happen. The look on Hank’s face almost brought tears to my eyes, not for Walt, but because it’s going to be a long as hell wait for the next episode.

DRUG RELATED PROTIP:

Never rat. You won’t be safe anywhere, especially if the people you’re ratting out have oober amounts of cash. Silly henchmen.

BEST LINE:

The best surprise line was hearing Walt say to Skyler, “I’m out”, but the best egotistical line was from Walt dealing with the prison situation, when Todd’s uncle says it can’t be done the way he wants. Walt responds, “It can be done exactly the way I want it. The question is, are you the man to do it?”

BITCH-O-METER:

Hey Jesse, YOU’RE RICH BITCH!

COOLEST SCENE:

The coolest scene was the prison executions, and not just for tonight, but for the entire season. I loved when Jesse throws away the gun he was concealing for protection from Walt (which was cool as hell in its own right), but getting rid of the nine names on the list was insane.

FINAL VERDICT:

TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS EPISODE BELOW!