Lily of the Valley: This Week on Breaking Bad (Episode 11 / August 25, 2013)

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

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EPISODE 11: Confessions

THE HOOK:

The beginning of the end. Walt leaves his empire behind to live life, while Jesse’s alive, but dying on the inside. And then there’s Hank, whose gunning for the King. One wrong move could mean life or death, and at this point, it’s still anyone’s game.

THE LOWDOWN:

(The following column contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode). I loved everything about the Todd opening at the diner, mostly because it had such a Tarantino vibe to it, a cross between the diner scene in RESEVOIR DOGS and the opening of PULP FICTION. At first I thought maybe these guys posed a threat to Walt (beyond knowing he’s Heisenberg), but Todd’s genuinely in awe of Walt and seems to want his blessing every step of the way, so if anything, they’d be seen as a loose end from Walt’s perspective rather than vice versa. These guys might be the only ones who make out of this unscathed, I mean after all, someone’s got to keep the meth flowing once all this blows over.

The first thing Hank did when he walked into that room was turn off the camera (called it), and I knew Jesse wouldn’t dime, but that said, the look on his face when Hank dropped the Heisenberg bomb was priceless. And regardless of what did or didn’t happen, having Saul swoop in was no doubt a good thing for Jesse. The meet in the desert was heartfelt. It became obvious Jesse thinks Walt could be coming out there to kill him. Personally, I can’t see Walt ever killing Jesse outright unless he absolutely had to. It will no doubt be a highly debatable topic, but I think Walt loves the kid. That hug brought tears to my eyes. I felt it, and I believed it. I knew Jesse wasn’t shipping off to Alaska though, he’s in this to the end.

And then there’s the confession. Hank and Marie are just as wound up as anyone else at this point, maybe more so. Hank’s going to snap, the poor bastard, and if Marie’s not careful with all the pushing, he might just snap her damn neck while he’s at it. The restaurant sit down went about how I expected, but you couldn’t ask for a more captivating scene than that of Hank and Marie watching Walt’s confession. Talk about an elaborate, cunning, balls of galvanized steel move on Walt’s part. And just like that, Heisenberg snatches your nuts from their sack. My other heartfelt moment was seeing Walt Jr.’s reaction to Walt’s cancer news. If something happens to that poor kid I’ll probably ball my eyes out. He’s the essence of purity and innocence in this show, and may even be the deciding factor in Walt’s fate. I wouldn’t be surprised.

BREAKING BAD SEASON 5’s eleventh episode proves that good writing and dedicated actors trump everything else. Ending any show is rough, look at LOST (my balls still ache over that wrap up). Movies, books, TV shows, you name it, the ending is hard to master, but these guys are giving it their all and are set to go out in a blaze of glory. On that note, Jesse’s moment of clarity in regards to the ricin was a gunshot heard round the world. What a game changer. Everyone’s on edge now, and they should be. Of course, driving to Walt’s house, kicking in the door, and burning the mother down isn’t exactly the way I would’ve played the hand, but hey, Jesse’s a spontaneous guy. All I can say about that is, I hope to Christ the kids aren’t home. Sunday can’t come fast enough.

DRUG RELATED PROTIP:

Pop machines make a great spot for stashing your piece.

BEST LINE:

Though I did enjoy Marie telling Walt to kill himself (bitch, please), Saul wins again. The Rocky quip was funny, but his reaction to Jesse telling him to ‘chill out’ was even better. Saul: “I don’t chill out right now, because things have gone nuclear. I imagine Schrader shared with you his recent discovery? Then you get my complete lack of chill.”

BITCH-O-METER:

So Jesse almost went to Belize…I mean, Alaska. Right…Alaska.

COOLEST SCENE:

Tough call. Loved the confession, sure, and Jesse’s meltdown at the end, but I have to go with the hug in the desert. Like I said, I really felt it.

FINAL VERDICT:

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