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EPISODE 5: Dead Freight
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:
There have been many a red herring and character side story introduced this season, but I’ve been waiting for the one catalyst to really heat things up. Tonight I got it. This series gets you with the episode intros which as I’ve said before, are quite frankly all over the place, but end up making sense and packing some serious punch. A kid on a dirt bike combing the desert. There are a million things you’d think he would uncover, but a tarantula isn’t one of them. Suffice to say, the beginning is intricately tied to the ending of the episode and things don’t end well.
The Hank and Walt situation is also bubbling with tension. If you’re like me, you’re waiting for that one moment when Hank puts it together and then looks over and sees that Walt just realized he put it together (I picture the opening of RED DRAGON with Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins). This doesn’t take place tonight, but Walt sure is laying it on thick by planting a bug and wire in his office. Hank will find those two bits of evidence and there’s no one else to connect them to other than Walt. It’s a dangerous game, but when the stakes are this high you have to take risks…like robbing a train.
I’ve got to hand it to Jesse, he’s sharper than a Hattori Hanzo sword this season. Gone is the moping side kick along for the ride, gone is junkie expendable loser whose nothing but dead weight (truth be told this transformation started last season, but now it’s truly blossomed) and now Jesse (James) is the man with the plan. I’ll be the first to admit that the boys made jacking a train looks much easier than it is, but they did the math and the bullshit meter on my suspension of disbelief didn’t hit the red, not even close. I dug the heist, it was smart and clean in theory. They made a good point about 9/11 though when it comes to security, crime is nowhere near as easy as it used to be.
BREAKING BAD SEASON 5’s fifth episode had a gangster/heist movie vibe going on and I dug every second of it (the fact that Hank says he bought HEAT on Blu-ray was enough to set the mood). Does that Lydia have nine damn lives or what? I swear she’s gliding by the skin of her teeth. I’ll also give Skyler her due tonight, she’s regained focus and presents an argument with Walt that made even me nod my head in agreement. That’s all we asked for Skyler, knock off the crazy and get in the game, which she accomplished beautifully. All that said, the ramifications of tonight’s episode may very well mark the beginning of the end for our merry band of thieves.
DRUG RELATED PROTIP:
Trains can still be robbed (yes, companies still use trains to transport merchandise) and apparently the people driving them are easily fooled. And when in doubt, just add water.
BEST LINE:
Walt and Skyler win again as Skyler takes a condescending shot at Walt when she sees dirt on his hands. Skyler, “Out burying bodes?” Walt, “Robbing a train.” Priceless.
BITCH-O-METER:
Finally he says it…once. Yeah bitch!
COOLEST SCENE:
I’ll give credit where it’s due when it comes to the train robbery. It was presented intelligently and executed with the perfect amount of tension build up. It’s not HEAT, but I dug the effort.
FINAL VERDICT:
TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS EPISODE BELOW!