WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.279 Welcome back to the deep dive. Today we are cracking 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:07.360 open a file that honestly I've been both dreading 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:09.679 and well dying to talk about. Oh, absolutely. 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:12.279 It's a heavy one. It really is. For those of 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:14.859 you listening, we are putting a very specific 00:00:14.859 --> 00:00:17.339 47 minutes of television under the microscope 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:19.339 today. We're talking about high tension. We're 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:22.300 talking about the collision of two completely 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:24.760 different worlds and a literal sunset that just, 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:27.239 you know, changes the entire trajectory of the 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:29.920 series. Yeah. So we're looking at Breaking Bad, 00:00:30.339 --> 00:00:32.840 specifically season three, episode six, the episode 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:35.859 titled Sunset. Right, and if you think about 00:00:35.859 --> 00:00:39.619 that title, Sunset, it sounds so peaceful, doesn't 00:00:39.619 --> 00:00:41.820 it? Like a nature documentary or something. Exactly, 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:44.619 like a romantic drama. But if you know anything 00:00:44.619 --> 00:00:47.399 about this show, or if you just glanced at the 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:49.579 outline we're working from today, you know it 00:00:49.579 --> 00:00:52.719 is, it's anything but peaceful. Not at all. I 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:54.640 mean, this is the exact moment where the walls 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:57.060 really start closing in on Walter White. It's 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:59.420 the definition of the anxiety attack genre of 00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:01.500 television. Yes. Perfect way to describe it. 00:01:01.609 --> 00:01:03.990 And, you know, for this deep dive, we're pulling 00:01:03.990 --> 00:01:06.250 from a really massive stack of sources. We've 00:01:06.250 --> 00:01:08.950 got production notes, plot summaries, casting 00:01:08.950 --> 00:01:12.109 details, and critical reception records. Right, 00:01:12.109 --> 00:01:15.109 because we want to unpack how this specific episode 00:01:15.109 --> 00:01:17.150 serves as a hinge for the rest of the series. 00:01:17.950 --> 00:01:20.129 The mission today isn't just to recap. We want 00:01:20.129 --> 00:01:22.849 to figure out why Sunset works the way it does. 00:01:23.189 --> 00:01:24.890 We're talking about the introduction of major 00:01:24.890 --> 00:01:27.950 new players here. Specifically, Gale Bowediture. 00:01:28.170 --> 00:01:30.849 Oh, Gale. And of course, the massive escalation 00:01:30.849 --> 00:01:33.269 in that cat and mouse game between Walt and Hank 00:01:33.269 --> 00:01:34.750 Schrader. And we definitely have to talk about 00:01:34.750 --> 00:01:37.430 the tone, because this episode was written and 00:01:37.430 --> 00:01:40.370 directed by John Chibon, and he somehow manages 00:01:40.370 --> 00:01:44.650 to blend this high stakes thriller energy with 00:01:44.650 --> 00:01:47.390 legal loopholes and some really profound character 00:01:47.390 --> 00:01:49.950 studies. It's a balancing act that... quite frankly, 00:01:50.129 --> 00:01:52.230 shouldn't work as well as it does. It really 00:01:52.230 --> 00:01:54.629 shouldn't. So let's set the stage for everyone. 00:01:54.790 --> 00:01:56.969 Where do we find Walter White at the very beginning 00:01:56.969 --> 00:02:00.150 of this episode? Because visually and auditorily, 00:02:00.450 --> 00:02:03.010 we are just in a completely new universe. We 00:02:03.010 --> 00:02:05.590 really are. He's settling into his new surroundings. 00:02:06.150 --> 00:02:08.370 And the production notes actually highlight a 00:02:08.370 --> 00:02:10.629 really specific piece of music used here to set 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:14.189 the mood. It's a track called Ginza Samba by 00:02:14.189 --> 00:02:17.150 Vince Guaraldi and Bola Said. It begins a samba. 00:02:17.509 --> 00:02:19.469 Just saying it makes you feel like you should 00:02:19.469 --> 00:02:21.830 be holding a martini or something. Yeah. It's 00:02:21.830 --> 00:02:24.189 breezy. It's almost, I don't know, pleasant. 00:02:24.330 --> 00:02:26.389 Well, that's the point. It's professional. It's 00:02:26.389 --> 00:02:29.490 clean. This is the new Superlab. Right. And it 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:32.569 stands in such stark contrast to the dirty, sweaty, 00:02:32.789 --> 00:02:36.009 frantic energy of those early RV days. Walt is 00:02:36.009 --> 00:02:38.650 entering a world of corporate meth manufacturing, 00:02:38.710 --> 00:02:40.969 if you will. The stainless steel is gleaming. 00:02:41.330 --> 00:02:43.389 The equipment is state of the art. It's basically 00:02:43.389 --> 00:02:45.469 the difference between cooking in a dirty kitchen 00:02:45.469 --> 00:02:48.069 and a Michelin star restaurant. And with a new 00:02:48.069 --> 00:02:51.710 lab comes a new partner. Enter Gale Bouetticher. 00:02:51.949 --> 00:02:54.569 Played brilliantly by David Costabile. This is 00:02:54.569 --> 00:02:56.469 such a crucial introduction. Walt takes a liking 00:02:56.469 --> 00:02:58.789 to him almost immediately. Which is incredibly 00:02:58.789 --> 00:03:01.229 rare for Walt. Usually he's judging absolutely 00:03:01.229 --> 00:03:03.590 everyone. He looks at people and just sees obstacles 00:03:03.590 --> 00:03:06.110 or idiots. But think about what Gale represents. 00:03:06.949 --> 00:03:09.150 In the source material, it literally notes that 00:03:09.150 --> 00:03:11.849 Walt takes a liking to his new assistant. Because 00:03:11.849 --> 00:03:15.750 Gale is educated. He's polite. He's precise He 00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:18.610 makes that perfect cup of coffee using that insane 00:03:18.610 --> 00:03:22.689 vacuum brewing method Exactly. He is in so many 00:03:22.689 --> 00:03:25.610 ways the partner Walt has always actually wanted 00:03:25.610 --> 00:03:28.710 He's the anti Jesse precisely and that contrast 00:03:28.710 --> 00:03:31.530 is completely intentional. You have Jesse Pinkman 00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:36.280 who is chaotic emotional, often messy, and constantly 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:38.340 questioning Walt's authority. Right, constantly 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:40.460 pushing back. And then you have Gail, who is 00:03:40.460 --> 00:03:43.539 essentially just a mirror for Walt's own intellectual 00:03:43.539 --> 00:03:46.719 vanity. He validates Walt's genius rather than 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:48.780 challenging it. He looks at Walt with genuine 00:03:48.780 --> 00:03:51.560 reverence. It's a narcissist's absolute dream, 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:53.620 isn't it? Like, finally, someone who actually 00:03:53.620 --> 00:03:56.699 understands my genius. Exactly. And it seduces 00:03:56.699 --> 00:03:58.719 Walt into thinking this is sustainable, that 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:00.520 he can be a criminal professional without any 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:03.189 of the mess. But while Walt is enjoying this 00:04:03.189 --> 00:04:05.389 Ginza Samba lifestyle with his new lab buddy, 00:04:06.090 --> 00:04:08.150 Jesse is, well, he's sliding right back into 00:04:08.150 --> 00:04:11.250 old habits, isn't he? He is regression personified 00:04:11.250 --> 00:04:13.870 in this segment. The outline literally calls 00:04:13.870 --> 00:04:16.769 it Jesse's regression, and that feels so apt. 00:04:17.430 --> 00:04:20.329 He is back with his old crew, Badger and Skinny 00:04:20.329 --> 00:04:23.569 Pete. The dynamic trio. Yeah, but the vibe is 00:04:23.569 --> 00:04:26.009 completely different this time around. In previous 00:04:26.009 --> 00:04:27.649 seasons, them hanging out was kind of goofy, 00:04:27.769 --> 00:04:30.620 almost like a stoner comedy. But here there is 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:33.160 a real darkness underneath it. It definitely 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:35.680 feels heavier. Jesse is enlisting them to get 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:38.480 back into the drug trade, to sell the meth. But 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.319 there is a massive caveat attached to this new 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:44.480 business plan. He explicitly promises them that 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:46.519 they will not make the same mistakes that got 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:49.939 Combo killed. Oof. Combo. That name carries so 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:51.980 much weight. It does. It's the ghost haunting 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:54.620 this entire subplot. You see, the Friends Badger 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:57.129 and Skinny Pete, they reluctantly agree. And 00:04:57.129 --> 00:04:59.670 that reluctance is key. It shows that the consequences 00:04:59.670 --> 00:05:01.670 of season two are still very fresh for them. 00:05:01.810 --> 00:05:04.029 They know people actually die in this game. They 00:05:04.029 --> 00:05:06.930 aren't naive anymore. Exactly. And look at Jesse's 00:05:06.930 --> 00:05:09.449 headspace here. Why is he even doing this? That 00:05:09.449 --> 00:05:12.629 is the big question. It's complex. He's trying 00:05:12.629 --> 00:05:15.990 to be the bad guy. He's trying to wear the armor 00:05:15.990 --> 00:05:18.089 of a hardened drug lord. He's telling himself, 00:05:18.410 --> 00:05:20.699 I can do this. I can be the boss. Right. but 00:05:20.699 --> 00:05:24.339 he's doing it while explicitly referencing the 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:27.160 trauma of losing his friend. He's trying to control 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:30.300 the chaos by saying no mistakes, but he's dragging 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:33.439 his friends back into the exact same fire that 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:35.579 burned them before. It feels like he's trying 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:37.639 to rewrite history. It's like if he can just 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:40.399 run this operation perfectly with Badger and 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:43.240 Skinny Pete, maybe it somehow makes up for what 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:45.319 happened to Combo. That's a great point. It's 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:47.720 a redemption attempt through repetition, which, 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:50.339 psychologically speaking, is a disaster waiting 00:05:50.339 --> 00:05:53.399 to happen. You don't heal trauma by reenacting 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:55.639 the traumatizing event. No, you definitely do 00:05:55.639 --> 00:05:57.879 not. And speaking of disasters waiting to happen, 00:05:57.980 --> 00:06:00.420 let's pivot to the other side of the law. Let's 00:06:00.420 --> 00:06:02.920 talk about Hank Schrader. Oh, Hank is on a complete 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:05.439 warpath here. The outline mentions that the investigation 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:07.279 is tightening. And Hank isn't just stumbling 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:08.860 around in the dark. He's actually connecting 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:11.759 dots. Honestly, this is where we see just how 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:15.160 good of a cop Hank really is. It is. A lot of 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:18.160 times, especially early on, viewers might mistake 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:20.560 Hank for just the Loudmouth brother -in -law 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:23.920 or the comic release. But here, he is a genuine 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:26.420 existential threat to Walt's entire enterprise. 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:29.060 He's conducting active surveillance on Jesse. 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:31.300 Walk us through the detective work here. Why 00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:33.699 Jesse specifically? Because of the connection 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:36.699 to Combo. Hank has traced the logic perfectly. 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:39.339 He knows the blue meth is out there. He traces 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:41.660 it to the street dealers. One of those dealers 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:44.560 was Combo, and Combo is dead. Right. So he pulls 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:47.480 on that thread. Exactly. Hank digs into Combo's 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:50.079 life. He finds out Combo's mother owned an RV, 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.680 an RV that is now conveniently missing. And who 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:56.129 was Combo best friends with? Jesse Pinkman. That 00:06:56.129 --> 00:06:59.250 is just solid police work. It's a straight, undeniable 00:06:59.250 --> 00:07:01.329 line from the product to the dealer to the vehicle 00:07:01.329 --> 00:07:03.509 to the suspect. He isn't guessing at all. He 00:07:03.509 --> 00:07:05.889 has followed the breadcrumbs from the dead dealer 00:07:05.889 --> 00:07:09.129 to the mother to the vehicle. And now he firmly 00:07:09.129 --> 00:07:11.550 believes that the RV, the mobile meth lab he's 00:07:11.550 --> 00:07:14.410 been hunting for basically two seasons, is in 00:07:14.410 --> 00:07:17.310 Jesse's possession. And he's so close. He's literally 00:07:17.310 --> 00:07:20.230 sitting in his car outside Jesse's house. But 00:07:20.230 --> 00:07:24.620 then we get this moment of. What do we call it? 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:26.980 Accidental betrayal. That's a fantastic way to 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:29.660 put it. And it involves Marie Schrader. Right. 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:31.699 She calls Hank while he's sitting on the stakeout. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:34.459 She does. And it's just a normal everyday domestic 00:07:34.459 --> 00:07:37.629 call, just checking in. But Hank is frustrated. 00:07:37.709 --> 00:07:40.149 He's hitting a brick wall. He can't get probable 00:07:40.149 --> 00:07:43.189 cause to go into the house. And Marie, just trying 00:07:43.189 --> 00:07:45.589 to be a supportive wife, gives him a piece of 00:07:45.589 --> 00:07:47.889 advice. She suggests that Hank just ask Walt 00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:50.529 about Jesse. Yes. Yeah. She brings up Walt's 00:07:50.529 --> 00:07:52.470 previous association with him. You know, you 00:07:52.470 --> 00:07:54.209 have to remember the pot connection from way 00:07:54.209 --> 00:07:57.069 back in season one. Walt told Skyler and Marie 00:07:57.069 --> 00:07:59.769 that Jesse was his pot dealer to cover up his 00:07:59.769 --> 00:08:02.310 weird disappearances. It was such a small lie 00:08:02.310 --> 00:08:04.810 at the time, a complete throwaway excuse. And 00:08:04.810 --> 00:08:07.209 now it comes... roaring back to bite him. To 00:08:07.209 --> 00:08:09.569 Marie, it's just an innocent thought. Hey, Walt 00:08:09.569 --> 00:08:11.490 bought pot from this kid once. Maybe he knows 00:08:11.490 --> 00:08:13.089 something about his habits or where he hangs 00:08:13.089 --> 00:08:16.350 out. To Hank, it's a complete light bulb moment. 00:08:16.470 --> 00:08:19.410 Right. Walt knows this kid. So he takes the advice. 00:08:19.769 --> 00:08:23.170 He picks up his phone and he calls Walt. He does. 00:08:23.610 --> 00:08:25.629 Man, can you imagine being on the other end of 00:08:25.629 --> 00:08:28.589 that phone? You're Walter White. You're in your 00:08:28.589 --> 00:08:31.250 gleaming high tech lab listening to bossa nova. 00:08:31.350 --> 00:08:34.070 You think you're completely safe and your phone 00:08:34.070 --> 00:08:37.539 rings. And it's your DEA brother -in -law. It's 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:40.600 the ultimate nightmare scenario. Hank asks Walt, 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:43.500 quite casually too, if he recalls Jesse owning 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:48.080 an RV. And Walt's reaction? Instant alarm. The 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:50.779 source material specifically notes his instant 00:08:50.779 --> 00:08:54.220 realization. He knows. He knows the net is closing 00:08:54.220 --> 00:08:56.539 right then and there. It's not just some vague 00:08:56.539 --> 00:08:59.480 suspicion anymore. Hank is asking about the exact 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:01.730 vehicle that serves as their mobile lab. The 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:03.529 vehicle that still has bullet holes in the door. 00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:06.009 The vehicle that reeks of meth. And this realization 00:09:06.009 --> 00:09:08.610 kicks off the central crisis of the entire episode. 00:09:08.850 --> 00:09:10.389 Walton knows he has to destroy that evidence 00:09:10.389 --> 00:09:12.809 immediately. The Ginza Samba is officially over. 00:09:12.950 --> 00:09:15.029 It's pure panic time. It is full panic mode. 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:17.129 But before we get to the scramble, we actually 00:09:17.129 --> 00:09:18.730 have to talk about the other threat looming in 00:09:18.730 --> 00:09:20.809 the background. The threat that doesn't care 00:09:20.809 --> 00:09:23.169 about the law or evidence or search warrants. 00:09:23.269 --> 00:09:26.379 The cousins. Marco and Lionel Salamanca. Just 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:28.299 saying their names makes me shudder. These guys 00:09:28.299 --> 00:09:30.600 are terrifying. They don't even speak. They just 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:32.840 move together like sharks. And we find them at 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:34.740 Les Paulas Hermanos, right? That's right. They're 00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:37.419 sitting in a booth. Wow. And the atmosphere described 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:39.679 in the notes is that they are growing increasingly 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:43.200 impatient and angry. Imagine walking into a bright, 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:46.259 cheerful, yellow and red fast food chicken restaurant, 00:09:46.700 --> 00:09:48.659 seeing families eating lunch, and then seeing 00:09:48.659 --> 00:09:51.299 these two guys in shiny suits just staring daggers 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:54.259 at the counter. It's a visual clash. that Breaking 00:09:54.259 --> 00:09:57.799 Bad does so incredibly well. The utterly mundane 00:09:57.799 --> 00:10:00.779 versus the intensely lethal, they want Walt. 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:02.980 They want blood. They're there to kill Walter 00:10:02.980 --> 00:10:05.000 White. They firmly believe he betrayed Tuco. 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:07.639 And the only thing standing between Walt and 00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:10.440 a really gruesome death likely, an axe to the 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:12.679 head right there in the booth, is the man serving 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:15.580 the chicken. Gus Fring. Gus intervenes. He confronts 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:17.039 them right there in the middle of the restaurant. 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:20.120 And talk about tension. It's this incredible 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:23.049 stalemate. You have this silent. chaotic violence 00:10:23.049 --> 00:10:26.049 of the Cousins up against the incredibly controlled 00:10:26.049 --> 00:10:29.029 corporate authority of Gus Fring. And Gus manages 00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:31.830 to hold them off. How does he actually manage 00:10:31.830 --> 00:10:34.789 that? He exerts his territory rights. He reminds 00:10:34.789 --> 00:10:36.870 them that north of the border he is the one who 00:10:36.870 --> 00:10:39.789 calls the shots. But he also knows he can't hold 00:10:39.789 --> 00:10:42.960 back the cartel forever. So he makes them a promise. 00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:45.879 He tells them they will meet at sunset. Ah, there's 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:48.240 the title of the episode Exactly. This meeting 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.899 at sunset is the promise that buys Walt another 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:53.019 few hours of life, though Walt has absolutely 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:55.539 no idea this is even happening That's the grand 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:58.100 irony of the episode. Walt thinks his biggest 00:10:58.100 --> 00:11:01.279 problem is a broken down RV. He has no idea the 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:03.379 Grim Reapers are eating curly fries just a few 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:05.820 miles away. It really highlights Gus's immense 00:11:05.820 --> 00:11:07.740 power, doesn't it? That he can look these two 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:09.539 ruthless assassins dead in the eye and simply 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:12.259 tell them to wait. He is managing these incredibly 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:14.700 chaotic elements completely behind the scenes. 00:11:14.940 --> 00:11:17.220 Absolutely. He is the ultimate middleman manager 00:11:17.220 --> 00:11:20.000 of the criminal underworld. But while Gus is 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:22.659 handling the cartel, Walt is frantically trying 00:11:22.659 --> 00:11:25.320 to handle the RV. And this leads us to what the 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:28.220 outline calls the Junkyard Dash. This segment 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:31.259 feels like where the dark comedy meets the anxiety. 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:34.899 It's frantic. It's almost a farce in the classical 00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:37.259 sense. It starts with a desperate scramble to 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:39.600 Clovis. Clovis is the repair guy, right? We've 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:41.299 definitely seen him before. It's played by Tom 00:11:41.299 --> 00:11:45.929 Quiche. Walt drives the RV to Clovis' lot. He's 00:11:45.929 --> 00:11:48.149 completely desperate. He basically says take 00:11:48.149 --> 00:11:50.529 this thing hide it burn it. I don't care. Just 00:11:50.529 --> 00:11:53.700 take it But there's a massive problem. The DEA 00:11:53.700 --> 00:11:56.519 is looking for it right now. Exactly. And Clovis 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:58.860 isn't stupid. He knows heat when he sees it. 00:11:59.220 --> 00:12:02.120 He tells Walt that the RV absolutely cannot stay 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:05.019 at his repair lot. It's a sitting duck. If the 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:06.860 cops come knocking, Clovis goes down with it. 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:09.259 So Clovis points them in a new direction. He 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:11.639 tells him about a guy named Old Joe. Old Joe. 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:13.779 Truly one of the great side characters of the 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:16.080 entire series. Played by the legendary Larry 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:18.909 Hankin. Clovis describes him as a junkyard owner 00:12:18.909 --> 00:12:22.269 who asks no questions. He has a massive vehicle 00:12:22.269 --> 00:12:24.929 crusher on site. He is ready to scrap the vehicle 00:12:24.929 --> 00:12:27.250 for straight cash. Perfect. Problem solved, right? 00:12:27.289 --> 00:12:29.350 You just drive it to the junkyard, crush it into 00:12:29.350 --> 00:12:31.370 a little metal cube, walk away. The evidence 00:12:31.370 --> 00:12:33.950 is literally gone. If only it were that simple. 00:12:34.450 --> 00:12:36.990 This is Breaking Bad, after all. We have to have 00:12:36.990 --> 00:12:39.169 the big communication breakdown. It's always 00:12:39.169 --> 00:12:40.870 the communicat - I swear, if these people just 00:12:40.870 --> 00:12:42.690 texted each other clearly, half the tension in 00:12:42.690 --> 00:12:47.059 this show wouldn't even exist. True. But Badger 00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:49.720 is there at the repair lot chatting with Clovis. 00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:52.379 And Badger, just trying to be helpful, trying 00:12:52.379 --> 00:12:55.019 to be a loyal lieutenant to Jesse, makes a phone 00:12:55.019 --> 00:12:57.659 call. He calls Jesse. He warns Jesse that Walt 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:00.220 is taking the RV to get it crushed into scrap. 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:03.879 Now, let's pause here. Jesse does not know that 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:06.940 Hank called Walt. He doesn't know the DEA is 00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:09.340 closing in on them. No, not at all. All Jesse 00:13:09.340 --> 00:13:11.519 knows is that Walt has been distant. Walt has 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:14.460 a fancy new lab partner, and now Walt is destroying 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:17.139 the RV, which, let's remember, is half Jesse's 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:19.639 property. So Jesse logically thinks... Jesse 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:22.440 thinks Walt is actively betraying him. He thinks 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:24.519 Walt is trying to completely erase him from the 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:27.000 business. So Jesse rushes to the junkyard. He 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:30.419 rushes there to stop Walt. He is totally enraged. 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:33.480 He is driving recklessly across town. But he 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:36.860 is completely unaware of one critical, tiny detail. 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:39.950 Hank. Hank is still sitting right outside Jesse's 00:13:39.950 --> 00:13:42.470 house. He sees Jesse run out in a blind panic 00:13:42.470 --> 00:13:46.389 He sees Jesse speed off and Hank thinks bingo 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:49.100 He's going straight to the RV. So by rushing 00:13:49.100 --> 00:13:52.580 out to save the RV, Jesse is literally leading 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:55.779 the lead DEA investigator directly to the smoking 00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:58.399 gun. It creates this agonizing sequence where 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:01.620 you, the viewer, know exactly what is happening, 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.879 but the characters are all operating on partial 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:06.460 information. It's a comedy of errors, but with 00:14:06.460 --> 00:14:08.779 completely lethal stakes. It really is. And it 00:14:08.779 --> 00:14:11.600 all converges at Old Joe's junkyard. Which brings 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:14.779 us to segment five. The climax. The RV standoff. 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:16.759 This scene, I mean, my heart rate goes up just 00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:18.639 thinking about it. This is the exact moment the 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.740 entire episode has been building toward. Walt 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:22.679 arrives in the yard, he's paying old Joe to scrap 00:14:22.679 --> 00:14:24.539 it, he's frantic, do it now, do it right now. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:28.539 Then Jesse arrives, screaming, furious. He starts 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:30.559 yelling at Walt. And Walt is just trying to shut 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:32.919 him up. Shut up, listen to me. And then, through 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:34.860 the dusty, dirty window of the RV, they see it. 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:38.240 Can you see? Hank's SUV pulls right up. And Walt 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.830 realizes the sheer horror of the situation. He 00:14:41.830 --> 00:14:44.549 grabs Jesse, throws him into the RV, and they 00:14:44.549 --> 00:14:47.169 slam and lock the door. Talk about claustrophobic. 00:14:47.769 --> 00:14:49.929 They are trapped in this metal box that smells 00:14:49.929 --> 00:14:52.309 like harsh chemicals, with bullet holes in the 00:14:52.309 --> 00:14:54.769 door covered by pieces of duct tape, and outside, 00:14:55.370 --> 00:14:58.309 Hank Schrader. He knows they are in there. He 00:14:58.309 --> 00:15:00.210 definitely does. He gets out, he starts banging 00:15:00.210 --> 00:15:04.379 on the metal door. Open up, DEA. Imagine the 00:15:04.379 --> 00:15:06.820 terror for Walt in that moment. This isn't just 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:08.899 some faceless cop trying to bust a dealer. This 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:10.700 is his brother -in -law. This is the guy he has 00:15:10.700 --> 00:15:13.320 backyard barbecues with. If that door opens, 00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:16.659 the show is effectively over. Walt is caught 00:15:16.659 --> 00:15:19.580 red -handed. Skyler finds out. Junior finds out. 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:22.360 His entire life as a free man ends right there 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:24.600 in that dirt lot. And Hank is trying to source 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:26.440 the door open with a crowbar or something, right? 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:28.700 He's actively ripping off the duct tape over 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:30.779 the bullet holes. He sees the bullet holes. That 00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:33.399 just confirms it entirely for him. He knows, 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:35.360 without a doubt, this is the right vehicle. He 00:15:35.360 --> 00:15:37.200 is mere inches away from the truth. But then 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:40.220 we get the twist. The legal loophole. This is 00:15:40.220 --> 00:15:41.940 where old Joe steps in. And honestly, this is 00:15:41.940 --> 00:15:45.080 why this episode is so brilliant. It shifts abruptly 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:47.340 from an action scene to a constitutional law 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:50.379 debate. Old Joe, the grimy, overall -wearing 00:15:50.379 --> 00:15:53.480 junkyard owner, starts quoting the law. He does. 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:56.879 He interrupts Hank mid -breach. He demands to 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:59.080 see a warrant. And Hank tries to big -league 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:01.620 him. I don't need a warrant. This is a vehicle. 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:04.500 I have probable cause. Which is usually true 00:16:04.500 --> 00:16:08.000 for cars. But Old Joe argues that the RV is actually 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:11.720 a domicile. A private home. Exactly. He argues 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:14.240 that because it has living quarters, a bed, a 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:16.879 kitchenette, it is legally a private residence. 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:19.580 And under the Fourth Amendment, you cannot search 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:21.600 a private domicile without a warrant signed by 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.639 a judge. That's incredibly specific knowledge 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:26.779 for a junkyard owner to just have in his back 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:29.490 pocket. It is. But it makes perfect sense in 00:16:29.490 --> 00:16:32.070 context, right? He probably deals with cops trying 00:16:32.070 --> 00:16:34.669 to search for stolen cars or parts all the time. 00:16:34.889 --> 00:16:37.129 He knows his rights inside and out. He essentially 00:16:37.129 --> 00:16:39.529 creates an invisible legal force field right 00:16:39.529 --> 00:16:42.029 around the RV. And Hank knows he's right. That's 00:16:42.029 --> 00:16:44.929 the crucial thing. Hank is a good experienced 00:16:44.929 --> 00:16:48.470 cop. He knows the law. He knows that if he breaks 00:16:48.470 --> 00:16:50.970 that door down without a warrant, any lawyer, 00:16:51.389 --> 00:16:53.570 even a terrible one, will get all the evidence 00:16:53.570 --> 00:16:56.590 thrown out as fruit of the poisonous tree. He 00:16:56.590 --> 00:16:58.970 can't risk blowing the biggest case of his entire 00:16:58.970 --> 00:17:01.470 career on a procedural technicality. So Hick 00:17:01.470 --> 00:17:03.990 has to stop. He relents. He backs away from the 00:17:03.990 --> 00:17:06.289 door. But he doesn't leave the junkyard. He calls 00:17:06.289 --> 00:17:08.930 the DEA office to get a warrant expedited. He 00:17:08.930 --> 00:17:10.589 says, give me a judge. I'm sitting on it. He 00:17:10.589 --> 00:17:13.430 goes back to his SUV, sits on the hood, and waits. 00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:16.170 Which buys them time. But they're still trapped. 00:17:16.410 --> 00:17:18.750 They're just sitting ducks inside a tin can in 00:17:18.750 --> 00:17:21.569 the blazing desert heat. They are. And this leads 00:17:21.569 --> 00:17:24.190 to a really fascinating production insight from 00:17:24.190 --> 00:17:25.990 the sources. Oh, definitely tell me about that. 00:17:26.329 --> 00:17:28.029 According to the production notes, the writing 00:17:28.029 --> 00:17:30.509 team, led by John Sheeban and Vince Gilligan, 00:17:30.869 --> 00:17:33.630 hit a massive wall right here. It took them almost 00:17:33.630 --> 00:17:35.849 two full weeks to figure out how to get Walt 00:17:35.849 --> 00:17:39.230 out of this RV situation. Two weeks just staring 00:17:39.230 --> 00:17:42.420 at a whiteboard for this one scene. Yes. They 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:44.579 had completely written themselves into a corner. 00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:47.779 Walt is trapped. Hank is outside watching the 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:50.460 only door. There is no back hatch. There is no 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:52.640 escape tunnel. How do you get him out of there 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:55.380 without Hank seeing him? That's an absolute nightmare 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:57.980 for a writer. Vince Gilligan even revealed that 00:17:57.980 --> 00:18:01.319 they briefly considered a much darker path. They 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:03.859 were so incredibly desperate for a solution. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:06.380 What was it? They legitimately considered having 00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:08.880 Walt kill Hank right there. Whoa. Just imagine 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:12.549 that. Season three. Walt opens the RV door and 00:18:12.549 --> 00:18:14.289 just shoots his brother -in -law. Oh, that would 00:18:14.289 --> 00:18:16.150 have been... I mean, there's no coming back from 00:18:16.150 --> 00:18:20.210 that at all. No. It changes the show from a complex 00:18:20.210 --> 00:18:23.130 tragedy to just a straight horror story immediately. 00:18:23.450 --> 00:18:25.990 Walt becomes totally irredeemable instantly. 00:18:26.230 --> 00:18:28.130 And I think it speaks to the immense integrity 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:30.170 of the writers that they didn't just go for the 00:18:30.170 --> 00:18:32.690 easy shock value to solve a plot hole, they waited. 00:18:33.150 --> 00:18:35.269 They sweated it out for two weeks until they 00:18:35.269 --> 00:18:38.430 found the smarter, better solution. The unthinkable 00:18:38.430 --> 00:18:41.410 solution. Exactly. So back inside the RV, Walt 00:18:41.410 --> 00:18:44.029 is desperate. He realizes there is no physical 00:18:44.029 --> 00:18:46.490 escape possible, so he has to go psychological. 00:18:46.769 --> 00:18:48.829 He makes a phone call. He calls Saul Goodman. 00:18:49.230 --> 00:18:52.180 Saul is the ultimate fixer. Walt explains the 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:55.599 dire situation, and Saul, incredibly quick on 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:57.839 his feet, instructs his secretary, Francesca. 00:18:57.980 --> 00:19:00.640 Played by Tina Parker. Right. And this is where 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.960 the moral line is truly permanently crossed. 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:06.839 Francesco calls Hank on his personal cell phone. 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:08.980 She pretends to be a hospital administrator. 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:12.079 She acts frantic out of breath. Yeah. She tells 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:14.180 him that his wife Marie has been in a critical 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:16.539 car accident and she is being airlifted to the 00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:19.319 hospital right now. It's so unbelievably cruel. 00:19:19.420 --> 00:19:21.460 It's devastatingly effective. Think about Hank 00:19:21.460 --> 00:19:23.740 for a second. He's a tough guy. He's a hardened 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:27.460 cop. But his soft spot, his only real vulnerable 00:19:27.460 --> 00:19:30.720 soft spot, is Marie. He loves her. The sheer 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:33.200 panic overrides his police instincts immediately. 00:19:33.369 --> 00:19:35.190 He doesn't verify the source. He doesn't call 00:19:35.190 --> 00:19:37.549 dispatch to confirm. He forgets the RV. He forgets 00:19:37.549 --> 00:19:39.650 Jesse. He forgets the impending warrant. He jumps 00:19:39.650 --> 00:19:41.430 in his car and drives recklessly to the hospital. 00:19:41.609 --> 00:19:44.809 Because he's a human being. And Walt coldly uses 00:19:44.809 --> 00:19:47.549 that humanity against him. That's the real tragedy 00:19:47.549 --> 00:19:50.869 of the scene. Walt knows Hank deeply loves Marie. 00:19:51.589 --> 00:19:55.349 And he uses that pure love as a lever to facilitate 00:19:55.349 --> 00:19:58.549 his own escape. So Hank leaves. He speeds away. 00:19:58.730 --> 00:20:02.150 Sirens blaring. And the coast is finally clear. 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:04.680 But we have to follow Hank's perspective here. 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:07.799 He rushes to the hospital. He runs into the ER, 00:20:08.259 --> 00:20:10.480 breathless, absolutely terrified. And what happens 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:13.259 when he gets there? It's completely calm. There's 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:15.819 no emergency happening. He calls Marie's phone. 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:17.880 And she picks up. She picks up. She's totally 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:20.299 fine. She's just at home. She's confused why 00:20:20.299 --> 00:20:22.480 he's sounding so hysterical, asking if she's 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:25.180 OK. And the realization hits him. The source 00:20:25.180 --> 00:20:27.460 material describes his reaction as shifting from 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:30.420 cure panic to immense relief and then rapidly 00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:33.519 to being seething with anger. He knows. He knows. 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:35.920 He knows it was a deliberate hoax. He knows someone 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:38.400 played him. Someone used his deepest, darkest 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.220 fear to get him to drive away from that junkyard. 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:43.720 And he knows he was right about the RV. Exactly. 00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:46.700 The fact that someone went to those extreme illegal 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:48.920 lengths proved that the RV was the real target. 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:51.579 He was literally sitting on the answer and they 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:54.200 tricked him into abandoning it. That anger that's 00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:55.660 going to fuel him for the rest of the season. 00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:57.720 It permanently changes him. He's not just doing 00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:00.940 a police job anymore. Now it's deeply personal. 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:04.079 Meanwhile, back at the junkyard. With Hank gone, 00:21:04.599 --> 00:21:06.960 there is zero time to waste. The destruction. 00:21:07.210 --> 00:21:10.369 Old Joe fires up the massive crusher. The visual 00:21:10.369 --> 00:21:14.869 of this scene is just so powerful. The RV, the 00:21:14.869 --> 00:21:17.690 crystal ship. It's a literal character in itself. 00:21:17.829 --> 00:21:19.869 It's been there since the pilot episode. It's 00:21:19.869 --> 00:21:22.049 where they cooked their very first batch. It's 00:21:22.049 --> 00:21:24.569 where they bonded. It's where they almost died 00:21:24.569 --> 00:21:27.069 a dozen times in the desert. And we just watch 00:21:27.069 --> 00:21:29.569 it get violently flattened into a cube. Walt 00:21:29.569 --> 00:21:32.430 and Jesse watch solemnly. The outline describes 00:21:32.430 --> 00:21:34.789 it almost like a funeral. It really is. It marks 00:21:34.789 --> 00:21:37.150 the definitive end of their amateur phase. The 00:21:37.150 --> 00:21:39.910 indie band phase is over. They're fully corporate 00:21:39.910 --> 00:21:43.009 now. The crystal ship is gone. There is no going 00:21:43.009 --> 00:21:45.069 back to the scrappy days in the desert. That 00:21:45.069 --> 00:21:47.509 feels like such a huge monumental turning point. 00:21:47.690 --> 00:21:50.829 But we still have one major loose thread. The 00:21:50.829 --> 00:21:53.890 cousins. The sunset. Segment seven. The twist. 00:21:54.309 --> 00:21:57.269 The episode isn't over yet. We cut to a remote, 00:21:57.450 --> 00:22:00.069 dusty location. The sun is actually setting. 00:22:00.289 --> 00:22:03.269 The cinematography here is beautiful. That classic, 00:22:03.730 --> 00:22:06.450 deep, orange New Mexico light. Gus meets the 00:22:06.450 --> 00:22:08.730 cousins again, just as promised. And he has to 00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:11.109 give them an answer. They still want Walt. And 00:22:11.109 --> 00:22:15.369 Gus reiterates his stance. No killing Walt. Walt 00:22:15.369 --> 00:22:17.950 is essential for his business. The cousins must 00:22:17.950 --> 00:22:19.809 be furious at this point. They've been waiting 00:22:19.809 --> 00:22:21.450 all day for this. They are. They're ready to 00:22:21.450 --> 00:22:25.230 act right then. But Gus offers a pivot. He gives 00:22:25.230 --> 00:22:27.930 them a new target. He reveals a massive secret. 00:22:28.049 --> 00:22:30.670 He tells them who actually killed Tuco. Up until 00:22:30.670 --> 00:22:33.410 now, the cousins and the whole cartel assumed 00:22:33.410 --> 00:22:35.630 it was Walt, or that Walt was directly responsible 00:22:35.630 --> 00:22:38.349 because of the desert drug deal gone wrong. But 00:22:38.349 --> 00:22:41.130 Gus reveals the truth. It was Hank Schrader, 00:22:41.349 --> 00:22:43.630 who pulled the trigger on Tuco Salamanca in that 00:22:43.630 --> 00:22:46.430 shootout back in season two. Oh, wow. He serves 00:22:46.430 --> 00:22:49.529 up Hank on a silver platter. This is just masterful 00:22:49.529 --> 00:22:52.349 manipulation by Gus. It's brilliant, cold -blooded 00:22:52.349 --> 00:22:54.490 strategy. Let's break it down. What does Gus 00:22:54.490 --> 00:22:56.890 actually achieve with this one move? Well, first, 00:22:56.930 --> 00:23:00.309 he protects his most valuable asset. Right. He 00:23:00.309 --> 00:23:03.289 keeps Walt alive, so the blue meth keeps flowing, 00:23:03.529 --> 00:23:05.930 and he keeps making millions of dollars. Second, 00:23:06.130 --> 00:23:08.769 he satisfies the cousins. He gives them their 00:23:08.769 --> 00:23:11.329 blood for blood. They get to avenge Tuco, so 00:23:11.329 --> 00:23:13.609 they don't turn their cartel's rage onto Gus 00:23:13.609 --> 00:23:16.789 himself. And third... He removes a major threat 00:23:16.789 --> 00:23:20.450 to himself. Who is the biggest threat to Gus's 00:23:20.450 --> 00:23:23.130 pristine operation right now? Hank. Hank Schrader. 00:23:23.230 --> 00:23:25.930 the guy investigating the blue meth, the guy 00:23:25.930 --> 00:23:28.930 who almost busted the mobile app. By setting 00:23:28.930 --> 00:23:31.589 the cousins on Hank, Gus hopes they will effectively 00:23:31.589 --> 00:23:34.470 kill the DEA agent who is sniffing around his 00:23:34.470 --> 00:23:36.670 business. It resolves the blood -for -blood demand 00:23:36.670 --> 00:23:38.950 of the cartel without losing a single dollar 00:23:38.950 --> 00:23:41.170 of profit. And it leaves Gus's hands completely 00:23:41.170 --> 00:23:44.660 clean. If Hank dies, it's a cartel hit. It has 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:46.539 absolutely nothing to do with a respectable fast 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:48.940 food owner like Gus Fring. That is heavy. It's 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:50.640 4D chess while everyone else is still playing 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:53.099 checkers. It really is a master class in villainy. 00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:55.000 So looking at the reception of this episode, 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:57.519 people absolutely loved it. Oh, it was universally 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:01.720 acclaimed. This brings us to segment eight, critical 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:04.599 reception. We have some great stats here. Donna 00:24:04.599 --> 00:24:07.480 Bowman gave it an A. And she's a notoriously 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:10.619 tough critic, she writes for the AV Club. And 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:13.700 Seth Amitin from IGN gave it a 9 out of 10. He 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:16.799 specifically called it amazing. He highly praised 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:19.339 the intensity of the climax, and that's a really 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:21.920 key point. He noted that despite no one being 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:24.220 in direct physical danger until the very end, 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:27.369 the tension was just... unbearable. That's so 00:24:27.369 --> 00:24:29.670 true. For most of the RV scene, they are literally 00:24:29.670 --> 00:24:32.670 just sitting in a box. But you as a viewer can't 00:24:32.670 --> 00:24:35.190 even breathe. It's entirely psychological danger. 00:24:35.809 --> 00:24:38.529 Alan Seffenwall, another major TV critic, noted 00:24:38.529 --> 00:24:40.529 that the ending felt like old school Breaking 00:24:40.529 --> 00:24:43.410 Bad. In what way? In the way that Walt and Jesse 00:24:43.410 --> 00:24:46.630 make a bad problem significantly worse by accidentally 00:24:46.630 --> 00:24:49.269 leading Hank right there and then find an ingenious 00:24:49.549 --> 00:24:52.490 albeit deeply morally gray, way out of it. Morally 00:24:52.490 --> 00:24:54.210 gray is putting it very lightly. Very lightly. 00:24:54.430 --> 00:24:57.009 But it fits the DNA of the show perfectly. Intelligence 00:24:57.009 --> 00:24:59.269 plus immorality equals survival. And the rankings 00:24:59.269 --> 00:25:01.450 totally back it up. The Ringer put it at 33rd 00:25:01.450 --> 00:25:04.309 out of all 62 episodes. Vulture ranked it 41st. 00:25:04.549 --> 00:25:07.289 Which, for a show where almost every single episode 00:25:07.289 --> 00:25:10.230 is considered a masterpiece, is a very solid 00:25:10.230 --> 00:25:13.349 mid -tier ranking. It's a pivotal episode that 00:25:13.349 --> 00:25:15.430 perfectly sets up the explosion of the season 00:25:15.430 --> 00:25:19.369 finale. And viewership was up too. 1 .64 million 00:25:19.369 --> 00:25:21.970 viewers, which is a solid increase from the previous 00:25:21.970 --> 00:25:23.970 episode. People were definitely tuning in. The 00:25:23.970 --> 00:25:26.230 word of mouth was really building. This was the 00:25:26.230 --> 00:25:28.849 season where the show genuinely started to cross 00:25:28.849 --> 00:25:32.430 over from a cult hit to a massive cultural phenomenon. 00:25:32.829 --> 00:25:34.569 So let's wrap this up for everyone listening. 00:25:34.829 --> 00:25:36.609 What are the key takeaways you should remember 00:25:36.609 --> 00:25:39.160 from Sunset? I think there are four main pillars 00:25:39.160 --> 00:25:42.400 to remember here. First, the contrast. The introduction 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:45.259 of Gail in the Ginza Samba Superlab versus the 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:47.460 tragic regression of Jesse in the dirty street 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:49.880 dealing. The clean versus the dirty. Second, 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:52.339 the destruction of the RV. The end of an era. 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:55.099 The physical destruction of their criminal roots. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:58.079 They are no longer independent contractors. They 00:25:58.079 --> 00:26:00.819 are now fully owned employees. Third, the moral 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:04.759 line. Using Marie to manipulate Hank. That is 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:07.700 a psychological wound that will never heal. It 00:26:07.700 --> 00:26:10.759 says Walt today, but it destroys the fundamental 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:14.099 trust forever. It's the definitive moment Walt 00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:17.519 chooses his own survival over his family's sanity. 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:20.259 And finally, the target shift. The crosshair 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:22.319 is moving directly from Walter White to Hank 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:24.700 Schrader. The Cousins have a brand new mission. 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:28.240 It really is a pivotal 47 minutes of television. 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:30.599 It changes absolutely everything going forward. 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:32.720 I want to leave you, the listeners, with that 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:35.099 provocative thought we touched on earlier. The 00:26:35.099 --> 00:26:37.299 writers actually considered having Walt kill 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:39.859 Hank in that junkyard. It's a really haunting 00:26:39.859 --> 00:26:42.619 what if. If that had happened, would Walter White 00:26:42.619 --> 00:26:44.799 have fully become Heisenberg right then and there, 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:46.559 or would he have collapsed under the weight of 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:48.720 the guilt immediately? It's the ultimate question 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:50.559 of whether he was already a monster protecting 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:53.140 himself or just a desperate man trying to hide. 00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:56.259 killing family. That's a bell you simply cannot 00:26:56.259 --> 00:26:58.779 unring. A bell you can't unring. Just like that 00:26:58.779 --> 00:27:01.640 RV being crushed into a cube, it's gone and there's 00:27:01.640 --> 00:27:03.539 absolutely no going back. No going back at all. 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:06.619 So think about that sunset. Is it just the end 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:08.799 of the day or is it the end of the light for 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:11.480 these characters? Thanks for diving deep with 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:13.039 us. Until next time. See you then.