Lily of the Valley: This Week on Breaking Bad (Episode 7 / August 26, 2012)

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EPISODE 7: Say My Name

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:

Alright folks, give me a second to catch my breath here because that episode pulled at every emotion I’m capable of feeling. I’ll start by saying that shit hit’s the fan tonight so there’s going to be some spoilers mixed in here (one really), but I’ll keep it to the last paragraph. That said, if you haven’t watched the episode yet, please do so before reading this. You’ve been warned. I loved the opening scene tonight with Walt breezing in to meet Mike’s guys and slowly unveiling his identity until they’re all unmistakably sure of who they’re dealing with. I didn’t care for Walt’s “say my name” bit, aside from how ridiculous it sounds in this situation, you’re not Bane about to break Batman’s back here Walt, you’ve got balls of stainless steel to be sure, but you should’ve stayed ahead of the game with your coke analogy.

I get that Walt’s still in denial about Jesse’s decision to leave, but does he really think he can talk him out of it at this point? Jesse rocking five million on some tropical island sounds like the best plan ever, and then to lowball him and threaten to give him nothing? I have to quote Rick James by saying “that’s cold blooded”. His whole meltdown stunk of desperation which not only sets the stage but also sets the tempo for the rest of this episode. I mean seriously Walt, you get Todd’s dumbass to help you cook? Of course the dude didn’t take chemistry in school, he’d have probably blown off his damn face and you want to give him the opportunity to blow you both to bits? Not to mention the potential for him double crossing you once he’s got the formula and putting two in the back of your skull.

So boys, why in God’s name did you choose to use someone other than Saul for your lawyer needs? The heat’s on, sure, but this guy wasn’t thinking outside the box. Bacon infused cookies and cake pops won’t get you out of the shit storm you now find yourself in my friend so I hope you brought goggles. And is it me, or did lighting strike twice when it comes to Walt sneaking that bug out of Hank’s office? I still can’t believe Hank hasn’t started putting it together yet, but then again, I suppose that’ll probably happen during the next half of the season now that Mike’s off the radar and Walt is clearly looking to take out the names on that list.

BREAKING BAD SEASON 5’s seventh episode still found me rooting for Walt despite all the despicable things he’s done and is willing to do, but at the end of the day I can’t condone his actions as the episode came to a close. I saw it coming too, hoping and praying I was wrong, once he told Saul and Jesse he’d deliver Mike’s bag. Mike’s point about all of this being Walt’s fault for having too big an ego and not just going along with the sure thing they had going with Gus was spot on. Doing things that way wouldn’t have made for killer TV, but it’s the hard truth either way. It pained me to see the raw emotion in Mike’s eyes when the cops came and he had to leave his granddaughter behind. It pains me to know they’ll no doubt confiscate her money, again. But seeing Walt shoot Mike was a game changer for me. I love this show and I still find Walt’s journey interesting, but he really crossed the line and now there’s no chance of coming back. I just hope Jesse doesn’t suffer the same fate.

DRUG RELATED PROTIP:

You really can’t trust lawyers…that aren’t Saul Goodman. And cops are smarter than you think, so when it comes to cash, wire that shit to Cayman Islands.

BEST LINE:

I loved Walt’s coca cola analogy at the beginning where he says to Mike’s guys, “Do you really want to live in a world without coca cola?” And of course when he’s telling them little bits about who he is and finally the guy says, “Heisenberg” and Walt responds, “You’re God damn right.”

BITCH-O-METER:

Even though you’re cock blocking me bigtime here Jesse, I’m still rooting for ya.

COOLEST SCENE:

The coolest scene by far is the opening where Walt lays it all down for Mike’s contacts at the deal. It was ballsy and cool as hell. I also dug the last conversation with Mike where he puts it all on Walt’s head, I just didn’t like the way it ended.

FINAL VERDICT:

TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS EPISODE BELOW!