Quick Take: Breaking Bad, "Sunset"
The cousins are on Walt's doorstep, and only Gustavo stands in the way of those ax-wielding cartel assassins from raining maniacal hell down upon him.
Review: Breaking Bad, "Sunset"
(S0306) Like many Breaking Bad episodes this season, we don't find out exactly what the significance of the title is until at or near the end of the hour. It was hard to imagine that anything could have the emotional wallop of "I.F.T.," but "Sunset" goes even further, in a good way drama-wise.
While Breaking Bad has been tense – nearly unbearably so at times – this season, "Sunset" intentionally throttled the tension back down to a simmer for most of the episode. It was a relief, it was welcome, it provided some great moments of dark comedy that Breaking Bad delivers so well, and it all allowed the frantic final moments to have a wonderful and devastating impact.
One of things that I kept thinking about during the episode was that we see Walt White's (Bryan Cranston – is it a cliché to shout about how great he is at this point on this show?) powerful ability to compartmentalize on full display. Now that Walt has found a new rationale for his meth cooking and criminal moving-and-shaking ways – namely, to take care of Skyler (Anna Gunn) and Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte) whether they like it or not – he can settle into the life of the quiet chemist… even if one who works for an as yet mysterious but definitely meticulous drug kingpin in Gustavo Frings (Giancarlo Esposito). What Walt doesn't realize, his compartmentalization closing off multiple and increasing horrific consequences to his actions far beyond anything we've yet seen (and isn't the magnificence of this season really built on the potential for magnificently terrible repercussions that may or may not come to pass, but look increasingly likely?), is that Tuco's (Raymond Cruz) death is still breaking bad. The cousins are on his doorstep, and only Gustavo stands in the way of those ax-wielding cartel assassins from raining maniacal hell down on Walt.
Or Walt's family? Oh. Yes. Or Walt's family.
Before we get there, though, let's also revisit Walt's blissful time in his brand new and state-of-the-art lab. He's clearly in his element(s), in his home, with the pure equations and "magic" of chemistry. It's a showcase of the bittersweet tragedy of our hero – and this is one "hero" with many a tragic flaw, yes? – that he's a bright and energetic and hardworking man who simply wants to work his science and his craft. Walt is joined in the lab by an assistant, played by great character actor David Costabile (Damages, The Wire, Flight of the Conchords, amongst other things), and a likeminded spirit. Gale befriends Walt quickly and is in so many ways the hard working and clean cut science enthusiast that he always wished he had in slacker / immature / drug addict Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).
But why is Gale getting so friendly with Walt? Everyone's wondering that, of course. We know that boss man Gus is a) paying Walt $3 million for a short contract period for his services and expertise b) that Juan, the cousins, and the Mexican cartel all want Walt very dead very quickly and c) that Gus is holding off the cartel at risk to himself and his own operation in order to keep Walt alive and busy at his dark trade. We also know that old compadre Jesse d) learned enough from Walt to make his own passable blue crystal meth. That would tell us that e) it won't take long for Gale to know enough that no one in the Gustavo / Pollos empire would mind losing a gringo named Heisenberg to the drug wars.
And that's all if the feds and Hank (Dean Norris) don't get to him first. The tease of normalcy in this episode eroded the instant that Hank called up Walt to ask him about a certain old acquaintance's RV. Walt's actions then directly lead to Jesse leading Hank to the RV. How's that for good times in breaking bad land? We then get an astonishing standoff between Hank and the RV itself, with a panicked Jesse and Walt inside. Again, what's so totally captivating about this show is that the viewer has no idea how this will play out. Breaking Bad breaks against typical convention so often and so well that for all we know Hank could have finally connected Walt to Heisenberg right then and there.
Hank doesn't though, getting outwitted by a surprisingly knowledgeable junk man (played by the wonderful Larry Hankin) and Jesse, coached by a whispering Hank. There's an amazing moment when the four indirectly discuss the legalities of "discovering" the longstanding bullet holes in the RV's door, and whether ripping tape off to assess the bullet holes precludes the rights of a DEA agent from having the probable cause to break into a "mobile domicile" located on private property.
Both Hank and Walt also have no way of knowing what went down at the meeting at sunset. Gustavo relieves some pressure from the Mexican cartel by green lighting a hit on Hank by the cousins. Hank's the man who actually pulled the trigger on Tuco. Of course, he would never have been there had it not been for Walt's actions.
The real world isn't chemistry. There's too many variables and Walt can have no way of knowing where this will play out. In fact, he's choosing not to think about it.
But we can, and that's all part of the deliciously terrible fun of Breaking Bad.
Video: Breaking Bad, "Sunset"
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Recap: Breaking Bad, "Sunset"
A tribal police officer is dispatched to investigate the possible disappearance of an elderly woman that resides on a reservation outside of Albuquerque. At her house he finds a body, and evidence that someone else has taken up residence. "Whoever's in there, show yourself!" the officer shouts. One Cousin steps out of the house, distracting the cop while the other sneaks up behind the officer and attacks him with an axe. More at AMC.
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