Season 5, Episodes 2-4
“We’re just getting started. Nothing stops
this train. Nothing.”
“All Hail the King” goes the ad campaign for this
season of Breaking Bad (or at least
this first half of this season), and indeed there has existed an obsession in
these first few episodes with power, who wields it, who wants to wield it, and
how that effects those who don’t. Over the past three episodes, the show has
taken a very character-based approach to the idea, roughly devoting one hour
each to Mike, Walt, and Skyler, and how they are navigating their lives through
the new power-vacuum that exists within the meth trade world.
This doesn’t sit well with Mike, who’s still
pissed at Walt for killing Gus, and (rightly) doesn’t trust him to be in charge
of the drug trade. Besides, Mike has his own things to worry about, as he
attempts to hold on to his own power reigns, intent that they don’t also
disappear along with Pollos Hermanos. He still has his network of “guys” to
worry about, and the way he sees it, it’s his job to take care of them no
matter what. It’s that boundless loyalty of his that ends him up right back
with Walt, despite his own wishes. After facing down Lydia’s botched attempt to
take out his remaining power structure, he’s been made aware of just how
vulnerable he actually is, and realizes that he might not be as untouchable as
he wants to believe. He can trust his guys not to rat him out, but that doesn’t
necessarily give himself protection from the cops or other criminals. Only a
crime boss, however inept and delusional of one, can give him all the support
that he actually needs.
Of course Walt rankled at Mike’s initial rebuff of
his power, and spends every time since attempting to prove to everyone, even
himself, who is actually in charge. Take the search for a new cooking lab,
which even though it falls under Walt’s purview, per Mike’s breakdown of the
business, Walt still feels the need to control, to say no to every objection
that someone else raises – especially if that person is Mike. Walt has been
cooking long enough with Jesse to trust his insight, and can count on Saul’s
sense of self-preservation, but he and Mike are still butting heads, still
trying to prove who’s really in control. Walt may delude himself into thing he
controls Mike, but it’s Mike who seems to have the defining say in where the
majority of the money goes.
Walt is put off by this, but he seems to console
himself with reminders of the power he holds over on others. When he tells
Jesse that he’s allowed to tell Andrea whatever he wants about their business,
it seems like a gesture of trust from one (slightly unequal) partner to
another, and Walt tries to frame it as such. But much like hiding the tube of
ricin in Jesse’s Roomba, it’s really just another of Walt’s psychological ploys
against Jesse. He would never risk the business in such an overt manner, and he
only really does it because he doesn’t believe that Jesse actually will. So
even when Jesse breaks up with Andrea – which probably wasn’t part of Walt’s
plan – he still feel indebted to Walt for giving him the option in the first
place.
That’s far subtler than Walt is able to be at home
with Skyler, who he runs with a combination of fear and force. While he’s able
to ply Walter Jr. with gifts to make-up for his absentee parenting, and keep
Hank and Marie distracted with a intricate and ever-growing web of lies, Skyler
knows who he really is and is the only person who holds the capability of cutting
him off from the last vestiges of his humanity. So Walt forces on her all of
those things that used to be part of his normal life, from birthday rituals to
time with the kids to parties to even sex. It’s the last that’s most
disturbing, as Walt approaches it the same way he approaches moving back into
the house: by barging in and refusing to ask permission.
Skyler, for her part, subsumes to Walt’s will, admitting
that she’s a “coward”, and doesn’t know what else to do other than to wait for
Walt’s cancer to come back. Yet that admission is something that strikes Walt
to his core, as does Skyler’s blatant smoking in front of him and her attempt to
drown herself in front of Hank and Marie. She may be truly scared of Walt, and he
may have robbed her of most of her power, but she’s still trying to find ways
to fight back, and it’s come down to psychological warfare. And given that that’s
something Walt has been doing to other, including her, it’s about time he gets
some payback for all the awful things he’s done. These might just be the
opening shots of a siege that Walt won’t be able to survive, especially if
others besides Skyler get in on the action.
Quotes and
Other Thoughts:
It’s interesting how relegated Jesse has been
throughout these episodes, and I wonder if we’re not due for a Jesse-centric
episode before this batch of episodes is done. So far the only real power Jesse
seems to exert is over Badger and Skinny Pete, who can get to run the simplest
of errands and then turn away coldly from any other work.
Anna Gunn’s acting in “Fifty-One” was simply phenomenal,
and though I had finally warmed to the character last season, I think this was
the show’s best use of her as way to contrast the terribleness of Walt’s
action. That argument between them was fraught with implied violence and maybe
the tensest thing the show has ever done.
“He threatened to break my legs. And don’t tell me
he didn’t mean it – he had the dead mackerel eyes.”
“Okay, I believe you, just don’t…kill us.”
“I had a chance to fix this before, and I gave her
a pass. This is what I get for being sexist.”
No comments:
Post a Comment