WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 Welcome back to The Deep Dives. Today we are, 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:04.780 we're doing a deep dive into the source material 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:07.559 for something really special. Yeah. We are staring 00:00:07.559 --> 00:00:10.779 directly into the abyss of a major pivot point. 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:13.900 Yeah, absolutely. It's a singular hour of media 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:16.440 that just quite literally explodes the status 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:19.339 quo of the story it inhabits. Yeah. We're talking 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:23.600 about Breaking Bad 3 Episode 7, titled One Minute. 00:00:23.899 --> 00:00:27.100 It is a heavy hitter, and frankly... Even if 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:29.280 you know the series back to front, even if you've 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:31.879 rewatched it a dozen times, this is one of those 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.399 pieces of television that demands a really forensic 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:36.740 examination. Right. because it's intense, it's 00:00:36.740 --> 00:00:39.380 incredibly violent, but underneath all that gunfire 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:41.740 and the shattering glass, it is deeply, deeply 00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.359 psychological. It's arguably the moment the show 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:46.619 stops being a crime drama and just completely 00:00:46.619 --> 00:00:49.240 becomes a tragedy. Exactly. I mean, the vibe 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:51.780 of this entire section of the story, it's pure 00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:54.060 unadulterated tension. It's like a rubber band 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:56.219 being pulled for 40 minutes until it finally 00:00:56.219 --> 00:00:58.920 snaps the last five. Yeah, the pacing is incredible. 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:03.600 And our mission today is to unpack exactly how 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:07.049 this specific chapter manages to balance that 00:01:07.049 --> 00:01:09.609 extreme action movie tension with some of the 00:01:09.609 --> 00:01:11.489 most heartbreaking character deconstruction we 00:01:11.489 --> 00:01:13.510 see in the entire series. We're going to look 00:01:13.510 --> 00:01:15.969 at how the writers dismantle a hero and build 00:01:15.969 --> 00:01:18.370 a monster in the exact same breath. And we've 00:01:18.370 --> 00:01:20.650 got a great stack of sources to help us do that 00:01:20.650 --> 00:01:22.430 today. We're looking at the factual records of 00:01:22.430 --> 00:01:24.909 the plot, deeply detailed production notes regarding 00:01:24.909 --> 00:01:27.890 the writer Thomas Schnaus, and some really interesting 00:01:27.890 --> 00:01:30.569 critical reception from outlets like the AV Club 00:01:30.569 --> 00:01:33.609 and IGN who, spoiler alert, really didn't hold 00:01:33.609 --> 00:01:35.549 back in their praise. No, they really didn't. 00:01:35.670 --> 00:01:37.370 And for you listening, if you remember this part 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:39.469 of the story, you probably remember the ending. 00:01:39.890 --> 00:01:43.950 The parking lot. The voice. Yes, that terrifying, 00:01:44.329 --> 00:01:46.129 electronically disguised voice giving one minute 00:01:46.129 --> 00:01:48.969 warning. But before we get to the bullets flying, 00:01:49.329 --> 00:01:51.170 we have to look at the slow burn that leads us 00:01:51.170 --> 00:01:53.709 there. Because one minute isn't just about the 00:01:53.709 --> 00:01:56.049 time left on the clock. It's about how a life 00:01:56.049 --> 00:01:59.590 can completely unravel in 60 seconds. Well said. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:01.939 And to understand that unraveling, we actually 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.159 have to go back in time. The opening gives us 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.900 a cold open set in Mexico. And it gives us the 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:09.680 origin story essentially of the cousins. Leonel 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:12.139 and Marco Salamaca. Exactly. Right. So these 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:15.659 are the two silent robotic assassins in the shiny 00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:18.000 suits who have been stalking Walter White all 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.360 season. Up until now, they've just been these 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:22.680 terrifying mute terminators. We don't really 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:24.539 know much about them other than they kill people 00:02:24.539 --> 00:02:26.139 and they worship, send them right there. They're 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:28.530 just forces of nature. But here we see them as 00:02:28.530 --> 00:02:30.710 kids. And let's unpack this scene because it 00:02:30.710 --> 00:02:33.750 is disturbing on a level that this series rarely 00:02:33.750 --> 00:02:36.330 goes to when it comes to involving children. 00:02:36.590 --> 00:02:38.810 It is really visceral. We're in a flashback. 00:02:38.969 --> 00:02:41.550 It's dusty. It's hot, likely the 1980s somewhere 00:02:41.550 --> 00:02:45.849 in Mexico. And we see a really typical sibling 00:02:45.849 --> 00:02:49.099 conflict. young Leonel and young Marco are playing 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:51.680 in the dirt. Just normal kid stuff. Yeah, Leonel 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.099 has this toy, a little action figure, and Marco 00:02:54.099 --> 00:02:57.400 breaks it. It's a classic childhood moment. Leonel 00:02:57.400 --> 00:02:59.960 is furious, of course. He screams that he wishes 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:02.659 his brother was dead. A tantalizingly common 00:03:02.659 --> 00:03:05.240 thing for a kid to say in the heat of the moment. 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:07.419 You know, I wish you were dead. We've all been 00:03:07.419 --> 00:03:09.819 there or heard a kid say it. Sure. But usually 00:03:09.819 --> 00:03:11.860 you get a timeout. You get sent to your room. 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:14.280 You don't get what happens next. No, you really 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.599 don't. Their uncle... Hector Salamanca, who fans 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:20.439 know as the bell -ringing invalid in the wheelchair 00:03:20.439 --> 00:03:23.900 in the present timeline, is a vibrant, terrifying 00:03:23.900 --> 00:03:27.139 man here. He's sitting nearby on a lawn chair 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:30.699 just drinking a beer. He hears this, and he doesn't 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:33.300 give them a lecture on sharing. No. This is where 00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:36.099 we see the absolute roots of the Salamanca violence. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:39.340 Hector calls Marco over, he grabs him, and he 00:03:39.340 --> 00:03:42.379 shoves the child's head into a tub of icy water. 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:44.680 It's awful. It's the beer coolers, essentially. 00:03:44.990 --> 00:03:47.090 And he holds him there. He is actively drowning 00:03:47.090 --> 00:03:49.330 his nephew. It's horrifying to even describe. 00:03:50.090 --> 00:03:51.430 And Lionel, the one who just said, I wish he 00:03:51.430 --> 00:03:53.629 was dead, is watching this happen. And you can 00:03:53.629 --> 00:03:55.870 see the panic set in on his little face. He didn't 00:03:55.870 --> 00:03:57.830 mean this. Right. He just wanted his toy back. 00:03:58.030 --> 00:03:59.870 He starts hitting Hector, trying to get him to 00:03:59.870 --> 00:04:03.090 stop. Eventually, he punches Hector in the leg 00:04:03.090 --> 00:04:05.750 or the arm, just totally desperate to save his 00:04:05.750 --> 00:04:08.889 brother. And that is the trigger. Hector lets 00:04:08.889 --> 00:04:11.969 Marco up. Marco is gasping for air. He's terrified, 00:04:12.110 --> 00:04:14.930 wet, crying. And Hector looks at them, and he 00:04:14.930 --> 00:04:17.769 delivers a line that basically defines the entire 00:04:17.769 --> 00:04:23.470 cartel ethos of the show. It creates such a twisted 00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:26.389 psychological baseline. He uses near -death trauma 00:04:26.389 --> 00:04:29.089 to teach loyalty. It explains so much about who 00:04:29.089 --> 00:04:31.709 these guys are in the present day. It's conditioning. 00:04:31.930 --> 00:04:34.889 It's literally Pavlovian. It really is. If you 00:04:34.889 --> 00:04:36.850 connect this to the bigger picture, it explains 00:04:36.850 --> 00:04:39.689 why they are silent, why they move in perfect 00:04:39.689 --> 00:04:41.970 sync. They were forged in this exact same fire 00:04:41.970 --> 00:04:44.129 of trauma. They learned that the world outside 00:04:44.129 --> 00:04:46.110 is dangerous, that words don't matter, and the 00:04:46.110 --> 00:04:47.730 only thing that keeps you breathing is the person 00:04:47.730 --> 00:04:50.350 standing next to you, your blood. They're basically 00:04:50.350 --> 00:04:53.329 two halves of the same traumatized whole. So 00:04:53.329 --> 00:04:55.730 we have this flashback establishing absolute 00:04:55.730 --> 00:04:58.410 loyalty in the Salamanca family. And then the 00:04:58.410 --> 00:05:01.399 story. brilliantly transitions us to the present 00:05:01.399 --> 00:05:04.040 day to Hank Schrader. And the contrast could 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.579 be starker. Salamakas are a tight unit. Hank 00:05:06.579 --> 00:05:09.240 is falling apart at the seams. Completely crumbling. 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:11.740 If you look at the source material from the previous 00:05:11.740 --> 00:05:14.220 segment, Hank was lured away from the RV yard 00:05:14.220 --> 00:05:16.959 by a fake phone call telling him his wife Marie 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:19.139 was in the hospital. Which was a devastating 00:05:19.139 --> 00:05:22.000 thing to hear. He rushes there, panicked, crying, 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:24.180 thinking she's in a critical condition only to 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:26.360 find out she's totally fine. It was a trick. 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.500 a dirty trick by Jesse Pinkman and Walt, though 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:32.040 Hank only knows about Jesse. So this section 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:34.800 of the deep dive picks up right there. The red 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:38.319 mist has descended. Hank is not a DEA agent in 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.199 this moment. He is a husband who was made to 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:43.759 feel the absolute worst fear of his life. The 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:46.399 ultimate vulnerability. He drives to Jesse Pinkman's 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:48.259 house. And this isn't a step out of the car, 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:50.220 put your hands up situation. He doesn't call 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:52.519 back up. He doesn't even park correctly. No. 00:05:52.699 --> 00:05:55.459 It's an assault. Pure and simple. Hank arrives 00:05:55.459 --> 00:05:57.600 at Jesse's house, and the moment Jesse opens 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:00.259 the door, Hank unleashes. He just unloads on 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:03.019 him. He beats Jesse unconscious. It is brutal 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:05.360 to read about and watch. It's not stylized TV 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:07.259 violence where the hero throws a cool punch. 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:10.199 It's messy, it's angry, and it goes on way too 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:12.879 long. He keeps hitting him until Jesse is out 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:15.439 cold on the floor. And then comes the realization. 00:06:15.819 --> 00:06:18.079 That moment where the adrenaline dumps, and you 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:19.680 look at your hands and go, what have I done? 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:22.519 The hangover from the rave. Exactly. The paramedics 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:25.839 arrive. They wheel Jesse away on a gurney. His 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:28.199 face is a pulp, and Hank is just standing there. 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:31.279 He realizes he has crossed a line he can't uncross. 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:34.579 He's destroyed his career in about 30 seconds 00:06:34.579 --> 00:06:37.399 of pure rage. And the consequences are immediate. 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:40.060 We see Hank back at the DEA office, and this 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:42.500 is really interesting. Hank is usually the loud 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.279 brash guy, the office clown. The guy making the 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:48.339 inappropriate jokes. Right. But here, he's quiet. 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:50.660 He gives a statement about the junkyard incident, 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:53.000 which is truthful, but when it comes to what 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:55.240 happened at Jesse's house. He pleads the fifth. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:58.019 Exactly. He pleads the fifth, which for a law 00:06:58.019 --> 00:07:00.759 enforcement officer is a massive admission of 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.939 guilt in the eyes of his peers, even if it's 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:05.120 a legal protection. You can see the disappointment 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.759 in his boss, Merkert's eyes. Merkert has to take 00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:10.100 his badge. He has to take his gun. That image 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:12.970 of Hank handing over his gun. That's his entire 00:07:12.970 --> 00:07:15.569 identity. Without the badge, without the glock, 00:07:15.649 --> 00:07:18.089 who is Hank Schrader, he's just a guy who beat 00:07:18.089 --> 00:07:20.930 up a kid. Yeah, he's nobody. It's a stripping 00:07:20.930 --> 00:07:24.149 away of the character's armor. He is physically 00:07:24.149 --> 00:07:26.889 and metaphorically naked at this point. It is, 00:07:27.069 --> 00:07:28.889 and it sets up the stakes for the rest of the 00:07:28.889 --> 00:07:31.930 story. Hank is vulnerable, and as we know, the 00:07:31.930 --> 00:07:34.310 sharks are circling, but... Before we get to 00:07:34.310 --> 00:07:36.129 the Sharks, we have to deal with the fallout 00:07:36.129 --> 00:07:39.449 in the hospital because Jesse Pinkman is not 00:07:39.449 --> 00:07:43.810 dead. No, he is very, very awake. And he is very, 00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:48.670 very angry. Oh man, this scene. It creates such 00:07:48.670 --> 00:07:52.149 a complicated web. Walt and Saul Goodman go to 00:07:52.149 --> 00:07:54.819 visit Jesse in the hospital. And Jesse looks 00:07:54.819 --> 00:07:57.079 like he went 10 rounds with a truck. His face 00:07:57.079 --> 00:07:58.920 is swollen, shut purple stitches everywhere. 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.160 He's a mess. And Walt has the audacity to stand 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:03.800 there and try to smooth it over. He goes, well, 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:05.759 if we hadn't trick tanked, we'd be in jail. He's 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:08.259 trying to rationalize it using logic to a guy 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:10.279 who just got beaten to a pulp. Typical Walter 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:12.720 White, always rationalizing, always thinking 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:14.819 he can think his way out of an emotional problem. 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:17.620 But Jesse isn't having it. This is one of the 00:08:17.620 --> 00:08:20.199 most powerful character moments for him. He unleashes 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:23.139 this monologue of pure rage. He tells them exactly 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:25.220 what he's going to do. He's going to press charges. 00:08:25.779 --> 00:08:28.040 He's going to sue Hank for everything he's worth. 00:08:28.259 --> 00:08:30.500 He says he's going to turn Hank's name into a 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:33.559 synonym for police brutality. He wants to destroy 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:36.080 Hank. He wants to burn his life to the ground. 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:40.120 But he goes further. He threatens Walt directly. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:42.980 He pulls out what he calls his get out of jail 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:46.080 free card. This is the scariest part for Walt. 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:48.100 He says, I'm going to start cooking again. I'm 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:51.279 a cell meth. And if I get caught, I'm going to 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:53.419 flip on you immediately. I will hand you over. 00:08:53.460 --> 00:08:56.000 That is the nuclear option. And Walt knows it. 00:08:56.259 --> 00:08:58.980 And this puts Walt in a terrible dilemma. If 00:08:58.980 --> 00:09:01.440 Hank goes down for this assault, the investigation 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:04.059 into the blue meth might intensify because Hank 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.960 will be scrutinized. Or Hank might become unpredictable 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:09.240 and desperate and start digging deeper on his 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:11.980 own. Exactly. And if Jesse talks, it's game over 00:09:11.980 --> 00:09:14.600 instantly. Walt is cornered on all sides. And 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:17.279 then from a completely unexpected direction, 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:19.940 the pressure mounts even more. Skyler shows up. 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:23.059 Right. Skyler visits Walt's condo. Now remember, 00:09:23.259 --> 00:09:24.980 at this point in the timeline, they are separated, 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:27.320 things are icy, she knows he's a criminal, but 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:30.700 she comes to him and pleads with him. She actually 00:09:30.700 --> 00:09:33.600 asks for his help. She says, you have to pacify 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:35.320 Jesse. She doesn't know about the meth business 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:38.039 details, but she knows Walt has a connection 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.659 to Jesse. She's echoing Hector Salamanca's lesson 00:09:41.659 --> 00:09:45.159 in a really weird, twisted way. She's saying 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:47.539 Hank is family. You have to protect the family, 00:09:48.019 --> 00:09:51.120 even if it means doing something illegal or manipulative. 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:53.879 That's a fascinating parallel. La familia es 00:09:53.879 --> 00:09:57.019 todo. Skyler is essentially telling Walt that 00:09:57.019 --> 00:09:59.139 he needs to fix this to save Hank, regardless 00:09:59.139 --> 00:10:01.659 of the morality. Walt initially refuses, right? 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:04.139 He does. He thinks she's mocking him, or he just 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:06.019 doesn't want to be told what to do by his estranged 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:09.340 wife. But the seed is planted. He realizes he 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:11.220 has to bring Jesse back into the fold, not just 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:13.700 to save himself, but to save Hank. Which leads 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:15.799 us to what we can call the meth lab shuffle. 00:10:16.090 --> 00:10:19.210 Because Walt already has a partner. He has Gail 00:10:19.210 --> 00:10:22.210 Boweiticher. And honestly, Gail is the dream 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:25.210 employee. Poor Gail. He really is. He's intelligent. 00:10:25.289 --> 00:10:27.570 He's respectful. He genuinely loves the science. 00:10:27.690 --> 00:10:30.230 He worships Walt. He makes great coffee. He makes 00:10:30.230 --> 00:10:33.450 incredible coffee. The specialized brewing setup. 00:10:33.889 --> 00:10:36.250 But Walt has to get rid of him to make room for 00:10:36.250 --> 00:10:39.649 Jesse. And the way he does it really shows Walt's 00:10:39.649 --> 00:10:42.169 cruelty. It's so uncomfortable to analyze. He 00:10:42.169 --> 00:10:45.169 treats Gail with this utter coldness. Gale is 00:10:45.169 --> 00:10:47.110 trying to be friendly, talking about coffee and 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:49.549 science, recapping the lyrics to Tom Lehrer songs. 00:10:49.610 --> 00:10:51.909 The Olloman song, yeah. And Walt just freezes 00:10:51.909 --> 00:10:55.309 him out. Then Walt manufactures a fake disagreement. 00:10:56.049 --> 00:10:58.789 He blames Gale for some temperature error that 00:10:58.789 --> 00:11:00.590 didn't even happen just to have an excuse to 00:11:00.590 --> 00:11:03.169 fire him. It's manipulative and mean. It's straight 00:11:03.169 --> 00:11:06.450 up gaslighting. Yes. But it works. He convinces 00:11:06.450 --> 00:11:08.710 Gus Fring, which is not an easy thing to do, 00:11:08.750 --> 00:11:10.409 by the way, to let him bring Jesse back. Right. 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:13.590 Gus hates Jesse, remember? He thinks he's a junkie, 00:11:13.669 --> 00:11:16.470 a liability. But Walt sells it as absolutely 00:11:16.470 --> 00:11:18.649 necessary for his own stability. Then he has 00:11:18.649 --> 00:11:20.590 to go sell it to Jesse. And the sales pitch in 00:11:20.590 --> 00:11:22.929 the hospital is a master class in manipulation, 00:11:23.029 --> 00:11:26.429 but also strangely truth. Walt offers Jesse the 00:11:26.429 --> 00:11:29.029 job. A million and a half dollars. A life changing 00:11:29.029 --> 00:11:31.210 amount of money. But Jesse sees right through 00:11:31.210 --> 00:11:33.730 it. He says this is just a ploy to save your 00:11:33.730 --> 00:11:36.529 brother -in -law, which it is. Jesse refuses 00:11:36.529 --> 00:11:39.470 it first. He lists all the terrible things Walt 00:11:39.470 --> 00:11:41.419 has done to him. He says, you said my cooking 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:43.519 was garbage. He's referring to earlier in the 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:46.200 series when Walt completely insulted his skills. 00:11:47.059 --> 00:11:49.700 And this is the turning point. It's a huge moment 00:11:49.700 --> 00:11:51.899 for their dynamic. Walt looks at him and says, 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:55.340 your meth is good. As good as mine. That validation. 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:58.620 That is all Jesse's ever wanted from Walt. Not 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:00.899 the money, really. He wants the father figure 00:12:00.899 --> 00:12:03.200 to say, you did good. He wants to be seen as 00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:05.720 an equal. It's kind of tragic. It really is. 00:12:05.980 --> 00:12:08.340 And the moment Walt says that you can see the 00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:10.820 wall come down, Jesse calls him later and accepts. 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:13.440 The partnership is back on. So Walt thinks he 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:18.159 has solved the problem. Jesse is quiet. Hank 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.240 is protected from the lawsuit because Jesse drops 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.519 the charges as part of the deal. Everything seems 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:24.320 contained, but Walt doesn't know what is happening 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:26.460 in the background. The cousins are making moves. 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:28.840 Right. We get a scene in the desert that is pure 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:31.940 vintage Breaking Bad. The cousins meet a trucker 00:12:31.940 --> 00:12:34.000 who is dealing arms out of the back of his rig. 00:12:34.169 --> 00:12:37.789 This scene is so tense, but also darkly funny 00:12:37.789 --> 00:12:40.970 in that grim way the show masters. The dealer 00:12:40.970 --> 00:12:43.409 is chatting away, showing off his wares, acting 00:12:43.409 --> 00:12:46.210 like he's selling used cars. He's a total salesman. 00:12:46.330 --> 00:12:48.950 He offers them a free hollow point bullet as 00:12:48.950 --> 00:12:51.370 a bonus. He calls it a black talent or something 00:12:51.370 --> 00:12:53.690 similar, a very specific detail that becomes 00:12:53.690 --> 00:12:56.250 huge later. Chekhov's hollow point, if you will. 00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:58.659 The writer is planting the seed right there in 00:12:58.659 --> 00:13:01.100 the dirt. Exactly. And then the dealer brags 00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:03.620 about this bulletproof vest he's selling. He 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:05.840 says it can stop anything. The cousins, being 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:08.600 who they are, decide to test that claim immediately. 00:13:08.779 --> 00:13:11.100 While he is wearing it. While he is wearing it. 00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:13.139 They just shoot him point blank. He survives. 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:16.019 I mean, he's on the ground, winded, probably 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:18.840 has broken ribs, wheezing in absolute agony. 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:21.740 But the vest worked. The cousins are satisfied. 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:24.019 They buy two vests and they just leave him there 00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:26.230 in the dirt. It establishes their ruthlessness. 00:13:26.429 --> 00:13:28.169 They don't care at all if they hurt him, but 00:13:28.169 --> 00:13:30.370 also their preparedness. They are gearing up 00:13:30.370 --> 00:13:32.649 for a war. They have the vests. They have the 00:13:32.649 --> 00:13:35.289 hollow point bullet. They are ready to kill Hank 00:13:35.289 --> 00:13:38.889 Schrader. And this brings us to the climax. Everything 00:13:38.889 --> 00:13:41.539 converges in a parking lot. And can we just talk 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:44.139 about the pacing here? Please, it's masterful. 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:46.519 The pacing slows down before it speeds up. Pink 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:48.960 is at the DEA office. He's just handed in his 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.500 gun. He's officially suspended. He's walking 00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:53.799 out to his car, carrying a box of his personal 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:56.360 effects. It's the classic fired guy walk. He 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:58.840 feels totally defeated. He gets into his SUV. 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:02.240 He's just sitting there, taking a moment to breathe. 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:06.700 And then his phone rings. A no number. He answers. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:09.740 And he hears an electronically disguised voice. 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:12.559 And the voice says, two sentences that change 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:15.500 everything. Two men are coming to kill you. You 00:14:15.500 --> 00:14:17.919 have one minute. The suspense in this sequence 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:20.679 is agonizing. Hank doesn't know if it's a prank. 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:23.419 He looks around. The parking lot is bright, sunny, 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:25.840 mundane. People are walking by with groceries. 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:28.340 Just a normal Tuesday afternoon. It seems so 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:30.899 normal, but the clock is ticking. He looks at 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:33.320 the digital clock in his car. It says 3 0 7. 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:35.919 He's watching the rear view mirror. He's sweating. 00:14:36.179 --> 00:14:38.720 The tension is just ratcheting up. The numbers 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:43.059 flip to 308. That one minute has passed. And 00:14:43.059 --> 00:14:46.600 then he sees them. The cousins walking through 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:49.379 the parking lot. And Hank has no gun. That's 00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:51.879 the key terror here. We spent the first half 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:53.940 of the narrative establishing that he gave up 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:57.580 his weapon. He is a cop without a weapon. He 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:00.320 is a sitting duck. So the minute is up. The action 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:04.320 starts. And it's chaotic. Hank puts the car in 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:07.240 reverse. He slams into Lienel, pinning him against 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:09.740 another car. It's a gruesome moment. He literally 00:15:09.740 --> 00:15:12.159 crushes Leonel's legs. You hear the crunch. That's 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:14.980 one threat neutralized physically, but Leonel's 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:16.980 still armed and Marco is approaching from the 00:15:16.980 --> 00:15:19.759 other side firing. Hank manages to grab Leonel's 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:22.690 gun. He scampers away. Marco opens fire. And 00:15:22.690 --> 00:15:24.210 this is where the collateral damage happens. 00:15:24.649 --> 00:15:26.590 Marco is just shooting wild. He hits a passerby. 00:15:26.750 --> 00:15:28.909 It's pure chaos. The silence of the parking lot 00:15:28.909 --> 00:15:31.490 is completely shattered. Marco reloads. And as 00:15:31.490 --> 00:15:34.309 he reloads, he drops something. That single free 00:15:34.309 --> 00:15:36.350 hollow point bullet the arms dealer gave them. 00:15:36.490 --> 00:15:38.549 It falls out of his pocket or his hand and rolls 00:15:38.549 --> 00:15:40.570 onto the pavement. The framing lingers on it 00:15:40.570 --> 00:15:42.490 for just a second. You have to keep your eye 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:46.870 on the bullet. Meanwhile, Marco flanks Hank. 00:15:47.169 --> 00:15:50.500 He shoots him. twice. Hank is hit. He's down 00:15:50.500 --> 00:15:52.720 on the ground bleeding out. Marco walks up to 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:54.539 him. He has the clear shot. He can end it right 00:15:54.539 --> 00:15:57.299 there. Hank is totally helpless. But he doesn't. 00:15:57.399 --> 00:15:59.799 And this goes back to the character setup. Marco 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:02.159 wants it to be personal. He looks at Hank and 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:05.200 says, too easy. Too easy. He decides the gun 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:07.700 is too quick. He goes back to his car and gets 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:11.500 an axe, a shiny, terrifying axe. It's pure hubris. 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:14.259 If he had just pulled the trigger, Hank is dead. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:17.720 But he wants the execution. He wants the brutality. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:20.360 He wants to send a message exactly like his uncle 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:22.720 Hector taught him in that flashback. While Marco 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:25.899 is getting the axe, Hank is fading. But he sees 00:16:25.899 --> 00:16:28.080 that hollow point bullet on the ground, the one 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:30.220 Marco dropped. He's lying next to Leonel's gun, 00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:32.480 which is empty. He grabs the bullet. He tries 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:34.220 to load it. His hands are bloody. They're shaking. 00:16:34.299 --> 00:16:36.519 He can barely hold the thing. The tension here 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:39.259 is unbearable. You're watching Marco walking 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:41.460 back with the axe. Hank is fumbling with the 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:44.659 bullet. Marco raises the axe. He swings. Hank 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:47.000 gets the bullet in the chamber at the last possible 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:50.639 microsecond. He fires. A clean headshot. Marco 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:53.960 drops dead instantly. The axe falls out of Marco's 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:56.539 hand and lands right next to Hank's head, just 00:16:56.539 --> 00:17:00.500 inches away. And then the silence returns. The 00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:03.899 cousins are down. Hank is unconscious, bleeding 00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:07.210 profusely. and the scene fades to black. Unbelievable. 00:17:07.789 --> 00:17:09.390 Just take a breath. Even talking about breaking 00:17:09.390 --> 00:17:10.930 down the source material, my heart rate is up. 00:17:11.130 --> 00:17:13.410 It is one of the most intense sequences crafted 00:17:13.410 --> 00:17:15.470 for this medium. It really is. And looking at 00:17:15.470 --> 00:17:17.250 the production notes for this, it's interesting 00:17:17.250 --> 00:17:20.470 to see how the writer Thomas Schnauz and the 00:17:20.470 --> 00:17:23.029 director Michelle McLaren really crafted this 00:17:23.029 --> 00:17:26.130 perfectly. The use of silence, the blocking the 00:17:26.130 --> 00:17:28.289 escalation of tension. And here's a really fun 00:17:28.289 --> 00:17:30.470 fact about Thomas Schnauz. According to the production 00:17:30.470 --> 00:17:32.900 notes we reviewed, He got to write this segment 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:35.599 simply based on writing staff seniority. Really? 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:37.880 Yeah, it was just his turn in the rotation. And 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:40.059 he ended up penning an absolute masterpiece. 00:17:40.339 --> 00:17:42.180 Sometimes the star is just a line for a writer. 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:44.500 There's also a big mystery that was debated about 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:47.599 that phone call. The warning. Who called Hank? 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:50.200 Right. Two men are coming to kill you. Why warn 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:53.190 him? If the cartel wants him dead... Why give 00:17:53.190 --> 00:17:55.170 him a heads up? Well, Chanel's actually confirmed 00:17:55.170 --> 00:17:57.230 later on Twitter that the voice was likely Mike 00:17:57.230 --> 00:17:59.950 Ermentrout or one of Gus Fring's other henchmen. 00:18:00.130 --> 00:18:03.470 That makes perfect sense. Gus wants the cousins 00:18:03.470 --> 00:18:06.440 dead. They are erratic. They are threatening 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:08.319 his business and they are threatening Walt, who 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:11.000 he needs. But he can't kill them himself because 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:13.559 of cartel politics. He needs to keep the peace 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:15.900 with the cartel south of the border. Exactly. 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:18.799 So he sets them up. He warns Hank, hoping Hank 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:21.839 can take them out. It's a 4D chess move by Gus. 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:25.039 He uses Hank as the weapon to eliminate the cousins. 00:18:25.180 --> 00:18:28.519 It's brilliant and completely ruthless. And originally 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:30.519 the script had Mike appearing at the end of the 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:32.619 scene. He was supposed to be there to clean up 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:35.980 or observe, but they cut it. They decided they 00:18:35.980 --> 00:18:38.440 wanted the focus to stay purely on Hank and the 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:40.240 aftermath of the violence. Keep it intimate. 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:43.380 Yes. Also, they decided that Leonel, the one 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:46.019 pinned by the car, needed to survive into the 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:47.980 next part of the story for the plot to continue, 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:49.900 so Mike couldn't just finish them off there. 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:52.240 That's a great insight into the writing process. 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:55.619 Keeps the scene grounded entirely in Hank's perspective. 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:59.079 If Mike shows up, it becomes about the overarching 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:03.140 criminal conspiracy. By leaving him out, It stays 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:06.220 about Hank's raw survival. Now let's talk about 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:08.079 how this was received when it came out. Because 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:10.140 the record show, people basically lost their 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:14.259 minds. The numbers were solid. 1 .5, 1, 9 million 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:17.319 viewers for the broadcast. But the critical response 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:20.380 was off the charts. Seth Emitten from IGN gave 00:19:20.380 --> 00:19:22.900 it a perfect 10 out of 10. A 10. He literally 00:19:22.900 --> 00:19:25.000 called it a masterpiece. Which is pretty rare 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.420 for IGN. He said it was the show's finest hour 00:19:27.420 --> 00:19:29.279 and one of the best pieces of television in the 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:32.640 last 20 years. That is massive praise considering 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:34.480 what else was being produced at the time. The 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:37.160 A .V. Club gave it an A. Donna Bowman wrote about 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:39.420 how the suspense didn't need a natural disaster 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:42.880 or some huge external event. It was all generated 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:45.059 internally by the characters. It was organic 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:47.599 to the choices they made. And the legacy absolutely 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:50.119 holds up today. The Ringer ranked it the fourth 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:52.400 best installment of the entire series. Vulture 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:54.819 ranked it fifth. It is consistently in the top 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:56.619 tier of the lore. And we have to mention the 00:19:56.619 --> 00:19:59.539 awards. Michelle McLaren was nominated for an 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:02.740 Emmy. for outstanding directing. And the sound 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:05.339 editing team was nominated too. The sound editing 00:20:05.339 --> 00:20:07.880 is so crucial here. The silence in the parking 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:11.000 lot, the crunch of the car hitting Lionel, the 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:14.440 heavy gunshots. It's an auditory experience as 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:16.460 much as a visual one. The dropping of that bullet. 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:18.759 Yes. The clink on the pavement is a sound effect 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:21.619 that carries the weight of the entire plot. So 00:20:21.619 --> 00:20:23.480 for you listening, what does this all mean when 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:26.359 we look back at the source material for one minute? 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:29.339 What is the big takeaway from all these different 00:20:29.339 --> 00:20:31.650 angles? I think it proves two main things. One, 00:20:31.710 --> 00:20:33.509 it shows that you don't need excessive dialogue 00:20:33.509 --> 00:20:36.430 to create terror. The cousins barely speak, but 00:20:36.430 --> 00:20:38.230 they are absolute nightmares. They're terrifying. 00:20:38.390 --> 00:20:40.990 And two, it deconstructs the idea of the good 00:20:40.990 --> 00:20:43.970 guy. Hank Schrader, the hero cop, is capable 00:20:43.970 --> 00:20:46.430 of brutal, uncontrolled violence just like the 00:20:46.430 --> 00:20:48.829 criminals he hunts. The line between them is 00:20:48.829 --> 00:20:51.789 much thinner than he thinks. This narrative breaks 00:20:51.789 --> 00:20:54.470 Hank down completely so he can be rebuilt later. 00:20:55.029 --> 00:20:57.990 And that parking lot scene, it just changes everything 00:20:57.990 --> 00:21:01.250 moving forward. Hank is never the same physically 00:21:01.250 --> 00:21:04.210 or mentally after this. The cousins are gone, 00:21:04.529 --> 00:21:07.529 which massively shifts the cartel dynamics. Walt 00:21:07.529 --> 00:21:10.250 is safe for the moment, but he is now much deeper 00:21:10.250 --> 00:21:14.150 in debt to Gus Fring. It's the pivot point. Everything 00:21:14.150 --> 00:21:16.549 after this is a reaction to those 60 seconds. 00:21:17.009 --> 00:21:19.269 The rest of the series is just the ripples spreading 00:21:19.269 --> 00:21:21.730 out from this massive splash. I want to leave 00:21:21.730 --> 00:21:25.069 you with one final provocative thought to chew 00:21:25.069 --> 00:21:28.089 on. A what -if scenario to explore on your own. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.200 Think about that hollow point bullet. Oh, yeah, 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:32.920 the one Marco dropped is a tiny mistake a random 00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:35.119 fumble If you hadn't dropped that bullet Hank 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:38.640 dies Hank dies right there and if Hank dies the 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:41.559 DEA investigation likely stalls or completely 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:43.660 changes direction Well, probably gets killed 00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:45.680 by the cartel shortly after because Gus can't 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:47.700 protect them forever against that kind of institutional 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:50.599 rage The whole story ends right there in that 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:52.480 sunny parking lot. It's the ultimate butterfly 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:55.660 effect one bullet One tiny slip of the fingers 00:21:55.660 --> 00:21:58.200 changes the entire universe of the show. It is 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:01.299 incredible to think about. Well, that is all 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:03.680 for our deep dive into the source material for 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:06.859 one minute. Go revisit it, paying attention to 00:22:06.859 --> 00:22:09.220 the silence as much as the noise. Thanks for 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:11.119 listening. Stay curious and we will catch you 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:11.980 on the next deep dive.