Monsters of Television

“We’re both dead men anyway.”

Marie and Walt Jr. are like the Rose and Bernard of this show. Hear me out.

I don’t mean that they are romantically or cosmically tied to each other (although that would be far more interesting than Junior’s banal teenage angst or Marie’s off-again/on-again kleptomania). I mean that this is a show of cliques within cliques, inner circles overlapping together like an Olympic-level Venn diagram and there are only two people on this show that aren’t included in any of it. Well, the baby, too, but even she’s been accessory to some of Skyler’s research and criminal missions.

No, Marie and Junior are left out of everything, to the demise of any hope that their characters might get interesting in the near future. And, sadly, it seems like the only way to jump-start either of them is to (a) put them on a path that eventually collides with the secret-secrets of the other characters or (b) outright let them in on the secret-secrets so that they can become pawns/hostages/threats to the secret-secrecy. Either way, you’re running into a Chuck/White Collar situation where every loved one in the general vicinity of the main characters is pulled into the capers and, therefore, the danger.

Interestingly, that would make more sense in the world of Breaking Bad than it would be for those other shows since Walter doesn’t have a double-life (anyone dangerous in his life knows all of his business — he hides nothing) and family target practice seems likely if not inevitable sometimes.

All I’m saying is that, if we see that Marie and Junior end up selling Navajo fry bread at Four Corners, telling us they want to stay and live out their remaining years in peace, don’t be horribly surprised.

Now, let’s get to the fight.

Jesse got off easy on his seasonal pummeling. Usually he looks like the illegitimate child of the Elephant Man and Sloth from The Goonies but Walter is neither Tuco nor Hank. And the fight isn’t so much about killing the other person or even, really, about each other (okay, it’s a little bit about Jesse’s hang-ups with Walt). It’s mostly about the crappy end of the stick both of them have right now. Walt’s goal for security and prominence has led to neither, in fact, both being jeopardized by who he considers to be his protege. Jesse has been wrestling with loyalty issues all season as he realizes that Walt isn’t always looking out for Jesse’s best interest, at the very least is willing to sacrifice the boy for himself. The frustrated sniping and bruised egos finally come to a head.

I say “finally” even though I didn’t think a fight was coming but, now that it’s here, it was portent all along. These two have been reduced to incivility toward each other by their mutual lack of security even to their lives. Walt’s mangled pride is the only thing that makes him stupid and Jesse is tired of being loyal to someone that can’t even demonstrate some common courtesy. The fact is that Walt is abusive and holds himself higher than Jesse despite the fact that Gus won’t even grant him an audience but will sit down to dinner with this boy.

I hate it when these boys fight with each other. I like it much better when they’re buddies, helping each other against the odds. But this fist fight had to happen. It had to end with Jesse throwing Walt out. It had to divisive. Their relationship, even if temporarily so, has become untenable.

Speaking of untenable, that’s the word of the day when we talk about Gus’s relationship with the Cartel. A lot of this episode is dedicated to cleaning up messes, from Gus trying to appease the crime syndicate after a disastrous alliance to Jesse and Mike scrubbing evidence in the event Hank comes for a visit to Skyler putting the girls on display in aid of Ted’s accounting and business impotence. No one wants to get caught and have their cliques and their doings broken open for the world (and, most importantly, any faceless organizations, government or otherwise) to see.

The seething volatility of every big arc on this show has become untenable, or is nearing explosion, and every act in this episode is a (futile?) measure to stay the inevitable. Hank will eventually find a way to get at Gus because he’s too determined not to. Skyler’s coquettish play to keep the IRS away from Ted and, by virtue, her will only keep the government at bay for a little while (something she is mindful to reiterate). And caving to the Cartel may buy some time for Gus’s operation but, if you give a mouse a cookie, eventually it’s going to want your evolved Southwestern US meth distribution network. I think that’s how that book ends, right?

Some other things:

• Skyler mentions “exit strategy” to Walt, the second time this has been brought up so heavy-handedly in the season. Saul introduced us where we’re probably headed earlier when he mentions “disappearing.” Granted, Skyler means to leave the illegal business to live a more honest kind of life but we all know that’s just not possible.
• I like that, when Walt’s fate hangs in the balance, Jesse reacts to it the same way Walt does for Jesse. Some rationale for Mike (talking about how Walt is necessary to the operation) and some threats to Gus (“you’re going to have to kill me, too”).
• I hope Quicken didn’t pay for that plug.
• Skyler is really funny for the whole IRS scene. “It’s like having a calculator on your computer. Amazing.” It almost made me like her. Almost.
• With the subterfuge Skyler’s been able to portray lately, I would almost assume that, eventually, Skyler and Walt would become the rivals if I didn’t already know Hank was destined for that role.
• Gus walking out into the sniper fire, eyes wide open as if he’s saying “What?” Yeah, that’s pretty much awesome. Why Gus is Gus and why Walt is not Gus? Confidence. And a more well-rounded understanding of everything going on (as opposed to the Walt-centric universe).