WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.960 All right, so grab a seat, get comfortable, and 00:00:03.960 --> 00:00:06.379 maybe check your rear view mirror. Because today 00:00:06.379 --> 00:00:09.339 we are cracking open a file that on the surface, 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:11.300 you know, it looks like just another hour of 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:14.060 television. Right. But if you actually stop and 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:16.000 scratch that surface, if you really peel back 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.739 the layers, you find the absolute pivot point 00:00:18.739 --> 00:00:22.559 of an entire season. So today we are doing a 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:25.920 deep dive into Breaking Bad, specifically season 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:30.859 four, episode five. The title is Shotgun. Shotgun. 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:34.859 Yeah, it is a title that feels deceptively simple, 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:37.240 doesn't it? Oh, completely. Just one word. But 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:39.759 in the universe of Vince Gilligan and his writing 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:42.560 room, nothing is ever just one thing. That single 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:44.679 word is doing a tremendous amount of heavy lifting 00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:46.560 right out of the gate. It really is. Because 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:48.420 when you hear that word, especially in a high 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:50.820 stakes crime drama like this one, your brain 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:53.420 immediately goes to two very specific, very different 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:55.439 places. Exactly. First, obviously, you think 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:57.840 of the weapon, the pump action. The violence 00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:59.659 of it all. This is a show about the drug trade, 00:00:59.740 --> 00:01:01.979 after all. You expect barrels and buckshot. Right. 00:01:01.979 --> 00:01:04.000 It implies a very specific kind of threat. It 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.420 implies kinetic energy. But the second meaning, 00:01:06.459 --> 00:01:08.079 and I would argue the more important meaning 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:12.239 for this specific hour of television, it frames 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:14.400 the entire narrative structure. The passenger 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.099 seat. Yes. Writing shotguns. Sitting in the passenger 00:01:17.099 --> 00:01:20.359 seat. Being the one who, importantly, isn't driving. 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:23.409 That duality. the weapon versus the passenger 00:01:23.409 --> 00:01:26.109 seat, the violence versus the passivity, is essentially 00:01:26.109 --> 00:01:29.030 the roadmap for this entire deep dive today. 00:01:29.129 --> 00:01:31.390 We've got a massive stack of notes here based 00:01:31.390 --> 00:01:34.170 on a really detailed Wikipedia entry. That's 00:01:34.170 --> 00:01:36.609 a ground to cover. Yeah, covering the plot, the 00:01:36.609 --> 00:01:38.870 production details, the behind -the -scenes context, 00:01:39.150 --> 00:01:41.510 and the critical reception. Let me tell you, 00:01:41.590 --> 00:01:44.750 that reception part, it is way more controversial 00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:47.670 than I remembered. It is a surprisingly divisive 00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:50.810 episode in the canon. But before we get to the 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:52.969 critics and the controversy, and before we analyze 00:01:52.969 --> 00:01:54.670 why some people loved it and some people were 00:01:54.670 --> 00:01:56.689 just kind of lukewarm on it, we need to set the 00:01:56.689 --> 00:01:59.109 stage properly. Let's do it. So this episode 00:01:59.109 --> 00:02:02.590 aired on August 14th, 2011. It was written by 00:02:02.590 --> 00:02:05.390 Thomas Schnauz, who is, you know, a key architect 00:02:05.390 --> 00:02:08.069 of this whole universe. And it was directed by 00:02:08.069 --> 00:02:10.710 Michelle McLaren. Oh, and we have to pause on 00:02:10.710 --> 00:02:12.430 Michelle McLaren for a second. I have to. If 00:02:12.430 --> 00:02:14.710 you follow Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, 00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:17.330 or frankly just great television in general, 00:02:17.469 --> 00:02:21.110 you know that name. She is a Titan. Absolutely 00:02:21.110 --> 00:02:23.710 legendary. She's known for this incredible visual 00:02:23.710 --> 00:02:26.430 flair. She doesn't just film two people talking 00:02:26.430 --> 00:02:29.009 in a room. She films landscapes. She films the 00:02:29.009 --> 00:02:31.590 silence. She films the tension hanging in the 00:02:31.590 --> 00:02:34.870 air. She brings a very cinematic, almost Western 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:37.909 sensibility to the show. And we should also mention 00:02:37.909 --> 00:02:41.090 the cinematography by Nelson Craig. Yes, Nelson 00:02:41.090 --> 00:02:43.150 Craig. He really captured that Western feel the 00:02:43.150 --> 00:02:45.449 way he and McLaren used the camera here. Man, 00:02:45.569 --> 00:02:47.759 does it show in this one. Because this isn't 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:49.879 some bottle episode stuck inside the fluorescent 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:53.280 lit super lab not at all. This is wide open spaces 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:56.460 It's basically a road movie compressed into 47 00:02:56.460 --> 00:02:59.139 minutes. It's dusty. It's bright and it just 00:02:59.139 --> 00:03:02.990 feels big It does. It's the 38th overall episode 00:03:02.990 --> 00:03:05.789 of the series. And our mission today is to explore 00:03:05.789 --> 00:03:09.430 how this specific block of television fundamentally 00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:12.430 shifts the power dynamics for our two main characters. 00:03:12.590 --> 00:03:14.949 Jesse Pinkman and Walter White. Right. It's really 00:03:14.949 --> 00:03:18.409 a tale of two egos, isn't it? Or maybe one ego 00:03:18.409 --> 00:03:21.009 inflating dangerously and another ego that just, 00:03:21.009 --> 00:03:23.550 you know, snaps. That is a perfect way to put 00:03:23.550 --> 00:03:26.039 it. We are looking at a manufactured hero moment 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:29.240 for one character and a catastrophic, completely 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:31.939 self -inflicted wound for the other. A self -inflicted 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:34.219 wound that changes everything. Exactly. It's 00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:36.879 about the rise of the student and the fall, or 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:39.400 rather, the massive stumble of the master. So 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:41.759 let's not waste any time. Let's jump right into 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:45.460 the first major thread of this episode, the ride 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:47.699 along. The ride along. This is the storyline 00:03:47.699 --> 00:03:49.860 that really drives the action, and it starts 00:03:49.860 --> 00:03:53.080 with panic. pure, unadulterated, heart -pounding 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:55.800 panic from Walter White. Right. The episode opens 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:59.159 and Walt is in his car, that iconic Pontiac Aztec, 00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:01.520 and he is just tearing down the road. Weaving 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:05.280 through traffic. Ignoring lanes. Completely reckless. 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:08.000 He's got that revolver that's snub -nosed 38 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.639 sitting right there on the passenger seat. He 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:14.319 is racing to Los Palos Hermanos, and he is terrified. 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:16.939 And why is he terrified? Yeah. Because Jesse 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:19.819 is missing. Context is key here for anyone jumping 00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:22.579 back in. You have to remember exactly where we 00:04:22.579 --> 00:04:25.220 are in the season. We are in the heat of the 00:04:25.220 --> 00:04:28.060 Cold War between Walt and Gus Fring. Right. Victor 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:31.079 has been killed. The box cutter incident is still 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:33.500 incredibly fresh in everyone's mind. Tensions 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:36.180 are at an all -time high. So Walt thinks the 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:39.139 absolute worst. In his mind, Jesse has been to 00:04:39.139 --> 00:04:41.579 use the mob euphemism taken care of. By Gus. 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:44.660 Correct. Walt is convinced that Gus has finally 00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:47.399 had enough of Jesse's instability. Because remember, 00:04:47.540 --> 00:04:49.839 Jesse has been spiraling. Oh, totally. Throwing 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:51.500 money at those endless parties looking like a 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:54.089 massive liability. Exactly. So Walt thinks Gus 00:04:54.089 --> 00:04:56.769 has removed him from the equation entirely. So 00:04:56.769 --> 00:04:58.610 Walt is storming into the chicken restaurant 00:04:58.610 --> 00:05:00.550 and demanding to see the boss, thinking he's 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:02.829 walking into a hostage negotiation or maybe even 00:05:02.829 --> 00:05:05.170 a murder investigation. He thinks he's walking 00:05:05.170 --> 00:05:07.990 into a war zone. Like, he thinks this is the 00:05:07.990 --> 00:05:10.410 Alamo. But the reality is completely different. 00:05:10.829 --> 00:05:13.209 Completely. And this is where the show just loves 00:05:13.209 --> 00:05:16.269 to subvert our expectations. Walt bursts in, 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:19.149 but he gets a phone call. It's Mike Ermentrout. 00:05:19.529 --> 00:05:22.649 The contrast here is just beautiful. It's amazing. 00:05:22.670 --> 00:05:25.629 Walt is hyperventilating. He's sweating, ready 00:05:25.629 --> 00:05:28.029 to shoot someone in a family restaurant. And 00:05:28.029 --> 00:05:29.850 Mike, Mike sounds like he's bored. He sounds 00:05:29.850 --> 00:05:32.029 like he's doing his taxes. Mike is essentially 00:05:32.029 --> 00:05:35.209 the anti -Walt in this situation. He is the temperature 00:05:35.209 --> 00:05:37.329 regulator of the show. He really is. He tells 00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:40.089 Walt, effectively, you know, calm down. Jesse 00:05:40.089 --> 00:05:42.689 is with me. He's fine. Go back to work. Go back 00:05:42.689 --> 00:05:44.889 to work. He treats Walt's life or death panic 00:05:44.889 --> 00:05:47.189 like it's a minor scheduling annoyance. Which 00:05:47.189 --> 00:05:49.029 has to be the most confusing thing, Walt. could 00:05:49.029 --> 00:05:51.709 possibly hear in that exact moment. Yeah. I mean, 00:05:51.730 --> 00:05:54.009 he's geared up for a shootout. Adrenaline is 00:05:54.009 --> 00:05:56.850 spiking. Fight or flight is fully engaged. And 00:05:56.850 --> 00:05:59.290 he's told it's just a Tuesday. Yeah. Go back 00:05:59.290 --> 00:06:02.790 to work. And that kicks off our A plot. Mike 00:06:02.790 --> 00:06:06.230 and Jesse out on the road. The odd couple to 00:06:06.230 --> 00:06:09.790 end all odd couples. I mean, you have Mike, the 00:06:09.790 --> 00:06:14.060 stoic, silent. The guy who values silence above 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:16.939 almost everything else. And you have Jesse, who 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:19.600 is, well, he's Jesse. He's noise. He's fidgeting. 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:22.920 He's chaos. Truly. Mike is driving. Jesse is 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:24.899 in the passenger seat riding shotgun, so there's 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:27.420 the title again. And they are driving all over 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:30.819 the desolate highways of New Mexico. The Wikipedia 00:06:30.819 --> 00:06:33.779 source mentions they hit seven isolated dead 00:06:33.779 --> 00:06:37.240 drops. Seven. That is a really long day in a 00:06:37.240 --> 00:06:39.199 car with someone who hates you. Or at least someone 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:41.420 who looks like they hate you. It's an eternity. 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:43.920 And Michelle McLaren, she films it exactly that 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:46.040 way. We get these wide shots from Nelson Craig 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:49.279 of the desert. The car is just a tiny speck on 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:51.759 the road. It heavily emphasizes the isolation. 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:54.060 Let's unpack the mechanics of this for a second, 00:06:54.060 --> 00:06:56.079 because it's really fascinating world building. 00:06:56.500 --> 00:06:58.180 They aren't selling drugs. They aren't cooking. 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:00.560 What are they actually doing at these dead drops? 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:02.959 They are collecting money. See, in an operation 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:05.269 the size of Gus Fring's empire, you don't have 00:07:05.269 --> 00:07:08.069 dealers bringing cash directly to the boss. That's 00:07:08.069 --> 00:07:10.269 way too risky. Yeah, too many points of contact, 00:07:10.589 --> 00:07:14.910 yeah. Too many chances for the DEA or local cops 00:07:14.910 --> 00:07:18.269 to be doing surveillance. Instead, the lower 00:07:18.269 --> 00:07:20.910 level guys leave the cash in hidden spots. Like 00:07:20.910 --> 00:07:24.459 under a rock. Right. Under a specific rock, inside 00:07:24.459 --> 00:07:26.819 a rusted pipe, maybe buried in the sand near 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:29.680 a certain mile marker, these are the pickup spots. 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:32.040 It's the completely unglamorous side of the drug 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:34.860 empire. It's just logistics. It's essentially 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:38.319 a grim cartel version of a scavenger hunt. Exactly. 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:40.259 It's just driving out to the middle of nowhere, 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:42.399 picking up a duffel bag, throwing it in the trunk 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:44.680 and driving to the next spot. It's tedious. It's 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:48.879 repetitive. It's boring. And that boredom is 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:51.160 a really crucial part of the storytelling here. 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:53.620 Right, because the dynamic inside that car is 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:56.459 just painful to watch. Jesse is completely confused. 00:07:56.459 --> 00:07:58.480 He's sitting there, probably vibrating with anxiety, 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:00.199 trying to figure out what his role is. He wants 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:02.819 to know why she's there. He assumes, naturally, 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:04.720 that he's there as muscle. He thinks this is 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:07.339 a promotion, or at least a very specific, dangerous 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:10.199 mission. Right. He thinks he's the bodyguard. 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:13.920 He desperately wants to define his utility. He 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:16.920 asks Mike, I'm here to watch your back, right? 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:19.480 He's trying to find some shred of dignity in 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:22.189 the situation. He wants to be the guy who is 00:08:22.189 --> 00:08:25.089 needed. And Mike. Mike is having absolutely none 00:08:25.089 --> 00:08:28.509 of it. He destroys that idea immediately. He's 00:08:28.509 --> 00:08:31.269 frustrated. He's annoyed. He repeatedly denies 00:08:31.269 --> 00:08:33.429 that Jesse is there for protection. He shuts 00:08:33.429 --> 00:08:36.370 him down. Hard. In fact, Mike seems genuinely 00:08:36.370 --> 00:08:39.799 angry that he has to babysit him at all. He explicitly 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:42.100 tells Jesse he doesn't even know why he was asked 00:08:42.100 --> 00:08:44.299 to bring him along. Which is super interesting, 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:46.919 right? Because Mike is usually the guy who knows 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:49.000 everything. He's the guy with the plan. If Mike 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:50.659 doesn't know the plan, that means the orders 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:54.240 came from the very top. From Gus. Exactly. And 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:57.580 Mike hates flying blind. So you have this incredibly... 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:01.600 Tense silence. Mike driving, staring at the road, 00:09:01.700 --> 00:09:03.720 probably wishing he was anywhere else on earth. 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.080 And Jesse just trying to be useful. Yeah. Trying 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:08.820 to read the map or look out the window for tails 00:09:08.820 --> 00:09:11.440 and getting shut down every single time. It's 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:15.559 a long, boring day of pickups. The silence is 00:09:15.559 --> 00:09:18.299 weaponized against Jesse. It makes him feel incredibly 00:09:18.299 --> 00:09:21.039 small. Until they get to the final drop, the 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:23.600 boredom finally breaks. The climax of the road 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.679 trip. The incident. So they pull up to this industrial 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:29.159 area. Very secluded. It looks like an abandoned 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:31.679 warehouse district. Mike gets out of the car 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.919 to grab the cash or check the spot. Now pay attention 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:37.820 to the details here. He leaves the keys in the 00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:40.600 ignition, and he leaves Jesse alone in the vehicle. 00:09:40.779 --> 00:09:43.179 And this is where the tension just snaps. Jesse's 00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:45.500 waiting. He's bored. He's looking around. And 00:09:45.500 --> 00:09:47.820 then he spots something in the side mirror. Another 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:50.980 car pulls up behind them. Two men get out. And 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:53.539 this isn't a friendly... Excuse me, do you have 00:09:53.539 --> 00:09:56.320 the time? kind of approach. These guys look like 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:57.919 serious trouble. No, they don't look friendly 00:09:57.919 --> 00:09:59.679 at all. One of them is armed with a shotgun. 00:10:00.059 --> 00:10:02.259 There it is again. The title. It's literal now. 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:06.159 Yes. The threat is immediate and it looks lethal. 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:10.519 Jesse is boxed in. He's alone. Mike is nowhere 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:12.980 to be seen. Now, think about Jesse Pinkman for 00:10:12.980 --> 00:10:14.960 a second. Think about where his head has been 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:17.779 at lately. It's been Dark Place. He's been traumatized. 00:10:17.779 --> 00:10:19.659 He's been beaten. He murdered Gail. He's been 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:21.779 living in a house full of junkies just to avoid 00:10:21.779 --> 00:10:25.059 the silence. Most people in this situation, they 00:10:25.059 --> 00:10:27.779 freeze. They panic. Or they put their hands up 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:30.320 and beg for mercy. But not Jesse Pinkman. Not 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:34.039 today. Not today. Jesse reacts on pure, unfiltered 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:36.679 instinct. It's fight or flight. And he chooses 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:39.159 a third option. He sees the guy approaching with 00:10:39.159 --> 00:10:41.350 the shotgun. He doesn't go for a weapon. He doesn't 00:10:41.350 --> 00:10:44.350 even have one. He uses the only tool available 00:10:44.350 --> 00:10:47.210 to him. The car. He uses the car. He slams it 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:48.929 into reverse. And he doesn't just back up to 00:10:48.929 --> 00:10:52.629 run away. He turns the car into a literal battering 00:10:52.629 --> 00:10:55.549 ram. He rams the attacker's vehicle. He smashes 00:10:55.549 --> 00:10:57.549 into them hard. It knocks the attackers completely 00:10:57.549 --> 00:11:00.889 off balance. It creates chaos, metal crunching, 00:11:01.070 --> 00:11:04.570 glass breaking. And in that split second of confusion, 00:11:04.789 --> 00:11:08.149 while the gunman is stumbling, Jesse floors it. 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:10.100 He drifts around the wreck, which is a great 00:11:10.100 --> 00:11:12.419 piece of stunt driving, by the way, and he escapes. 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:14.940 He leaves the attackers in the dust. It's a pure 00:11:14.940 --> 00:11:16.860 adrenaline moment. It's straight out of an action 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:20.159 movie. Jesse, the guy who has been feeling so 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:22.759 useless, the guy who has been sidelined and treated 00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:25.899 like this junkie liability all season, suddenly 00:11:25.899 --> 00:11:28.460 takes control of the situation and saves the 00:11:28.460 --> 00:11:31.200 day. or at least saves the money. And this is 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:33.519 such a crucial character beat. He loops back 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:36.360 around. He goes back for Mike. Right. He could 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:38.100 have just kept driving. He could have stolen 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:40.019 the money in the trunk and run away to Mexico. 00:11:40.580 --> 00:11:43.480 But he returns. And this interaction when he 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:46.480 gets back is so important. Mike sees what happened. 00:11:46.539 --> 00:11:49.179 He sees the damage to the other car. He sees 00:11:49.179 --> 00:11:52.159 Jesse adrenaline pumping, shaking, eyes wide, 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:54.320 explaining how he fought them off. I got him, 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:57.200 Mike. I got him. And Mike's reaction. Because 00:11:57.200 --> 00:11:59.830 Mike Ehrmantraut He doesn't do high fives. He 00:11:59.830 --> 00:12:02.370 doesn't do, hey, good job, buddy. No, he really 00:12:02.370 --> 00:12:05.029 doesn't. It's incredibly subtle. But there's 00:12:05.029 --> 00:12:07.850 a hint, just a tiny hint of him being impressed. 00:12:08.210 --> 00:12:11.169 He nods. He acknowledges that Jesse handled himself. 00:12:11.309 --> 00:12:13.690 He says something along the lines of, you did 00:12:13.690 --> 00:12:16.450 good, kid. Or at least the subtext of that is 00:12:16.450 --> 00:12:19.870 definitely there. For Jesse, that nod is everything. 00:12:20.309 --> 00:12:24.009 It's oxygen. He went from being the useless junkie 00:12:24.009 --> 00:12:27.169 to the guy who saved the operation. He feels 00:12:27.169 --> 00:12:30.090 like a hero. He feels competent. He feels like 00:12:30.090 --> 00:12:32.549 he actually matters. And that is exactly the 00:12:32.549 --> 00:12:34.799 point. because here is where we have to drop 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:37.179 the hammer. Here is the twist from the source 00:12:37.179 --> 00:12:40.320 that redefines the entire episode and really 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:43.000 Jesse's entire arc for this season. Let's hit 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:46.019 it. It was all a lie. Every single bit of it. 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:48.700 The Wikipedia entry clarifies this later in the 00:12:48.700 --> 00:12:51.539 episode analysis. It is revealed that Gus Fring 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:53.879 staged the entire robbery. So the guys with the 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:55.879 shotgun, they weren't cartel hitmen. They weren't 00:12:55.879 --> 00:12:58.000 rival dealers trying to steal the cash. Actors. 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:00.360 or at least trusted employees who are already 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:03.120 on Gus's payroll. The threat. Completely nonexistent. 00:13:03.179 --> 00:13:04.840 They were never going to shoot him. The gun was 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:06.860 probably loaded with blanks, if it was even loaded 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:10.179 at all. And Mike leaving Jesse alone at that 00:13:10.179 --> 00:13:12.320 exact moment, leaving the keys and the ignition. 00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:15.539 That wasn't a mistake. Mike Erman chart does 00:13:15.539 --> 00:13:17.460 not make mistakes like that. Highly calculated. 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:20.960 It was a setup, a test, but not just a test. 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:24.480 It was a nudge. That is, I mean, it's diabolical. 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:28.850 But it's masterful. It is a psychological operation, 00:13:29.230 --> 00:13:32.230 a psy -op. Gus Fring looked at Jesse Pinkman 00:13:32.230 --> 00:13:35.250 and saw a liability. Jesse was spiraling. He 00:13:35.250 --> 00:13:37.210 was partying. He was reckless. He was deeply 00:13:37.210 --> 00:13:40.049 depressed. Most drug lords, the Tuco Salamanca's 00:13:40.049 --> 00:13:41.889 of the world... They would just kill a guy like 00:13:41.889 --> 00:13:43.870 that. Remove the problem. Right. He's a junkie. 00:13:43.970 --> 00:13:45.509 Put a bullet in him and find a new assistant. 00:13:45.730 --> 00:13:48.509 But Gus. Gus is different. Gus sees an asset 00:13:48.509 --> 00:13:51.529 that is simply malfunctioning. He realizes Jesse's 00:13:51.529 --> 00:13:53.090 problem isn't that he's a bad criminal. It's 00:13:53.090 --> 00:13:55.110 that he has absolutely no self -worth. He has 00:13:55.110 --> 00:13:57.230 no purpose. He's acting out because he hates 00:13:57.230 --> 00:14:00.110 himself for what he did to Gale. The source notes 00:14:00.110 --> 00:14:02.649 the motivation here was specifically to increase 00:14:02.649 --> 00:14:05.190 Jesse's low self -esteem. That's the key right 00:14:05.190 --> 00:14:08.919 there. A confident Jesse is a useful Jesse. A 00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:11.659 Jesse who feels like he's part of the team, who 00:14:11.659 --> 00:14:14.539 feels like he has real value, is a Jesse who 00:14:14.539 --> 00:14:17.179 won't flip to the cops and won't overdose. It 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:19.960 wasn't a security threat at all. It was a loyalty 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:23.659 play. It's brilliant management in a very twisted 00:14:23.659 --> 00:14:25.980 criminal sort of way. It's almost corporate. 00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:28.860 It's an employee retention strategy. Yes. Gus 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:31.919 identified that Jesse's biggest weakness was 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:34.500 his lack of purpose. So he gave him a purpose. 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:36.340 He gave him a win. And it worked beautifully. 00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:38.899 Jesse buys it hook, line, and sinker. He walks 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:41.340 away from that car feeling 10 feet tall. He isn't 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:43.440 the victim anymore. He's the protector. And even 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:45.779 Mike, who claimed he didn't know the plan earlier, 00:14:46.419 --> 00:14:48.899 he starts to see the logic. He realizes that 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:51.379 Gus is playing 4D chess while everyone else is 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:53.659 playing checkers. Mike respects the strategy. 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:56.539 He might not like babysitting, but he respects 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:58.600 the play. And it creates a wedge, doesn't it? 00:14:58.700 --> 00:15:01.200 It pulls Jesse closer to Gus and to Mike, and 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:03.240 inevitably it pulls him further away from Walt. 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:06.000 Jesse now has a secret success that Walt has 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:08.320 absolutely nothing to do with. Speaking of Walt, 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:12.000 so... Jesse ends the day feeling like Superman. 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:16.259 Meanwhile, let's check in on Clark Kent. Or, 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:18.820 I guess, maybe Lex Luthor is more accurate. Let's 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:21.700 talk about Walt's day. Yes. While Jesse is having 00:15:21.700 --> 00:15:24.419 this manufactured hero's journey out on the highway, 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:26.820 Walt is having a very different kind of day on 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:28.879 the domestic front. And we have to go back to 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:31.679 that opening panic to understand it. Right. When 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:34.320 Walt thought Jesse was dead, and he thought Gus 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:38.000 was coming for him next. He did something incredibly 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.639 drastic before he went storming into Los Bullos 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:43.120 Hermanos. He left a voicemail. A voicemail for 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.100 Skyler. And this wasn't a, hey honey, can you 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:47.539 pick up some milk? Kind of voicemail. This was 00:15:47.539 --> 00:15:50.529 an I might not be coming home ever again. Yeah, 00:15:50.629 --> 00:15:52.870 it was dark. He says he loves her. He says he 00:15:52.870 --> 00:15:56.370 loves the kids. It has the distinct tone of a 00:15:56.370 --> 00:15:58.509 deathbed confession. It's a man facing a firing 00:15:58.509 --> 00:16:00.590 squad. Because he genuinely thought he was about 00:16:00.590 --> 00:16:02.289 to walk into a buzzsaw. He thought it was all 00:16:02.289 --> 00:16:06.149 over. Exactly. But as we know, he didn't die. 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:09.190 He's fine. He's back at the lab. But the voicemail 00:16:09.190 --> 00:16:11.009 is still out there. It's digitally preserved 00:16:11.009 --> 00:16:13.759 on her phone. And Skyler hears it. She does. 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:16.440 And this triggers a really fascinating shift 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:19.240 in their relationship dynamic. Skylar listens 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:21.399 to this message, and she doesn't hear a monster. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.000 She hears the fear. She hears the vulnerability 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.200 in his voice. You'd think hearing that your drug 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:29.820 -dealing husband is in mortal danger would make 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:31.899 you run for the hills. You'd think she'd pack 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:34.340 the bags, grab the kids, and go straight to the 00:16:34.340 --> 00:16:36.500 police. You really would think that. But oddly 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:39.299 enough... It seems to soften her toward him. 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:42.500 It humanizes him. It reminds her of the stakes, 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:45.059 and perhaps reminds her that he is doing this 00:16:45.059 --> 00:16:47.740 in his own twisted way for them. It's also a 00:16:47.740 --> 00:16:50.200 big day for them financially, right? We can't 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:52.179 overlook the business side of this episode. This 00:16:52.179 --> 00:16:54.460 is a landmark moment for the Waite family enterprise. 00:16:54.700 --> 00:16:57.220 Huge. This is the episode where they officially 00:16:57.220 --> 00:17:00.139 purchased the car wash. The A1A car wash. The 00:17:00.139 --> 00:17:02.480 exact same one Walt used to work at back in the 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.250 pilot episode. The place where he was humiliated. 00:17:05.390 --> 00:17:07.069 The place where he had to wipe down the tires 00:17:07.069 --> 00:17:09.329 of his own high school student's cars while they 00:17:09.329 --> 00:17:11.849 laughed at him. It's the ultimate symbol of his 00:17:11.849 --> 00:17:14.849 previous life of mediocrity and submission. And 00:17:14.849 --> 00:17:16.410 now they own it. They bought it from Bogdan. 00:17:16.529 --> 00:17:18.829 They took the keys. It's officially the front 00:17:18.829 --> 00:17:22.289 for their massive money laundering scheme. So 00:17:22.289 --> 00:17:25.470 they have the business. They are partners in 00:17:25.470 --> 00:17:28.569 crime now, literally on paper. Schuyler hears 00:17:28.569 --> 00:17:31.690 the emotional voicemail and things get, well, 00:17:31.690 --> 00:17:34.279 they get intimate. They do. The source notes 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:37.380 that the two have sex. It signals a potential 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:40.160 reconciliation for the couple. For a moment, 00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:41.980 it looks like the white family might actually 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:44.059 be coming back together. It's the first time 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:45.960 in a very long time we've seen them connect on 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:48.900 that level. Skylar even makes the offer. The 00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:51.779 big one. She suggests Walter move back into the 00:17:51.779 --> 00:17:53.859 house. Think about that for a second. This is 00:17:53.859 --> 00:17:56.059 what Walt has ostensibly wanted for seasons, 00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:58.019 right? That's all he's talked about. He's been 00:17:58.019 --> 00:18:00.579 sleeping in his own depressing condo. He's been 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:02.480 fighting tooth and nail to get back under that 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.019 roof. He broke into his own house at one point 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:07.259 just to prove a point to her. He pizza tossed 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:09.299 his way onto the roof out of sheer frustration. 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:12.960 And now, Skyler opens the door wide. She says 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.619 essentially, come home. And this is where the 00:18:15.619 --> 00:18:17.900 character work from the writers is just sublime. 00:18:18.009 --> 00:18:21.109 because Walt, he doesn't say yes. He doesn't 00:18:21.109 --> 00:18:24.049 say anything. He is totally distracted. He is 00:18:24.049 --> 00:18:27.130 non -committal. He leaves for the lab without 00:18:27.130 --> 00:18:30.569 even giving her an answer. Why? This is his victory. 00:18:30.809 --> 00:18:32.470 This is what he's been fighting for. Because 00:18:32.470 --> 00:18:35.410 he's consumed. He's completely consumed by the 00:18:35.410 --> 00:18:37.950 danger at work. He's consumed by the fact that 00:18:37.950 --> 00:18:40.630 he doesn't know where Jesse is. He's consumed 00:18:40.630 --> 00:18:44.170 by Gus Fring. He realizes that just as he gets 00:18:44.170 --> 00:18:47.930 his family back, The danger to his own life is 00:18:47.930 --> 00:18:51.029 at its absolute peak. It's classic tragedy. He 00:18:51.029 --> 00:18:53.390 can't enjoy the victory because the war's still 00:18:53.390 --> 00:18:56.069 raging. He realizes that moving back in right 00:18:56.069 --> 00:18:58.650 now puts them directly in the crosshairs. And 00:18:58.650 --> 00:19:00.730 it gets worse for him. Later in the episode, 00:19:00.890 --> 00:19:03.269 Walt Junior comes to him. And Junior's super 00:19:03.269 --> 00:19:05.660 excited. He tells Walt that Skyler has already 00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:07.779 set a move -in date. Mom says you're coming home 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:09.920 Tuesday. So the decision has essentially been 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.019 made for him. And the source notes that this 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:14.079 unnerves Walt. He doesn't look happy. He looks 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:16.440 trapped. He's realized that bringing his danger 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:18.660 back into that house might be a terrible, terrible 00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:21.160 mistake. But he's too far down the road to stop 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:23.960 it now. He's boxed in by his own success. It's 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:26.700 a pressure cooker. You have Jesse rising up, 00:19:26.980 --> 00:19:29.880 fueled by a total lie. You have Walt sinking 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.460 down, crushed by the truth of his situation. 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:34.400 And all of that pressure has to go somewhere 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:37.279 eventually. Walt is a boiler about to burst. 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:39.740 And in this episode, the release valve isn't 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:42.640 an explosion or a gunshot. It happens at a dinner 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:46.539 party. Oh, boy. The dinner party. This is segment 00:19:46.539 --> 00:19:49.599 three of our deep dive. And folks, this is the 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:52.680 scene. If you remember one thing from the episode 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:55.190 Shotgun, it's probably this conversation. This 00:19:55.190 --> 00:19:56.930 is the moment where you were just screaming at 00:19:56.930 --> 00:19:59.329 the TV. It's a master class in hubris. It is 00:19:59.329 --> 00:20:02.230 the dictionary definition of ego. It is the exact 00:20:02.230 --> 00:20:04.710 moment Walter White defeats himself. So set the 00:20:04.710 --> 00:20:06.950 scene for us. Hank and Marie Schrader's house. 00:20:07.289 --> 00:20:09.690 Dinner. The wine is flowing. It's supposed to 00:20:09.690 --> 00:20:12.369 be a nice relaxing evening. The families are 00:20:12.369 --> 00:20:14.470 back together celebrating. And Walt is described 00:20:14.470 --> 00:20:16.789 in the outline as brooding. He's pouring heavy 00:20:16.789 --> 00:20:19.490 glasses of wine. He's getting increasingly tipsy. 00:20:19.509 --> 00:20:22.029 Which is never, ever a good combination for Walter 00:20:22.029 --> 00:20:24.740 White. When Walt drinks, the filter drops. off, 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:26.640 Heisenberg starts to peek out from behind the 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:28.819 curtain. Now, we have to look at Hank's state 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:31.180 of mind here. Hank Schroeder has been obsessed 00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:33.359 with the Heisenberg case. It nearly killed him. 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:36.220 It paralyzed him. He's been bedridden, collecting 00:20:36.220 --> 00:20:39.519 minerals, sorry, minerals, not rocks, and driving 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:42.660 Marie completely crazy. But in this episode... 00:20:42.279 --> 00:20:46.180 Hank is finding closure. He's done. He is officially 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:48.599 giving up the pursuit. Why? Because he believes 00:20:48.599 --> 00:20:51.119 the case is solved. He believes Gail Bledesher, 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:52.920 the chemist who was killed at the end of the 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:55.259 previous season, was Heisenberg. In Hank's mind, 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:58.339 the bad guy is dead. The genius behind the blue 00:20:58.339 --> 00:21:00.680 meth is gone. He's ready to move on with his 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:03.380 life. He's even showing Walt the lab notes they 00:21:03.380 --> 00:21:05.740 found at Gail's apartment. And he's praising 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:07.319 Gale. He's sitting there at the dinner table 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:09.980 talking about Gale's lab notes, the poetry, the 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:12.680 intricate drawings. And he calls Gale a genius. 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:15.420 He says, this genius of yours, maybe he's still 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:17.440 out there. Wait, no, sorry. He says, he was a 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:20.299 genius. Plain and simple. Genius, that word. 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:22.839 It lands on Walt like a physical slap to the 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:24.940 face. It burns him. It's the trigger. You have 00:21:24.940 --> 00:21:27.200 to remember, Walt's entire motivation beneath 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.819 the money, beneath the providing for the family 00:21:29.819 --> 00:21:33.730 excuse, is recognition. It's pride. He was cheated 00:21:33.730 --> 00:21:36.309 out of his legacy at Grey Matter. He was reduced 00:21:36.309 --> 00:21:38.809 to a high school teacher. He is the genius. He 00:21:38.809 --> 00:21:41.990 is the artist. And here is his brother -in -law, 00:21:42.190 --> 00:21:45.150 the lead DEA agent on the case, giving the credit 00:21:45.150 --> 00:21:47.410 for Walt's life's work to some copycat who is 00:21:47.410 --> 00:21:50.970 dead. To Gail, who Walt considered to be an inferior 00:21:50.970 --> 00:21:54.130 assistant, a glorified lab tech. It is... The 00:21:54.130 --> 00:21:56.950 ultimate insult to Walt's ego. Even though, and 00:21:56.950 --> 00:21:59.170 this is critical, we cannot stress this enough, 00:21:59.730 --> 00:22:01.829 Hank believing Gayle is Heisenberg is the best 00:22:01.829 --> 00:22:04.329 possible outcome for Walt. Exactly. It's the 00:22:04.329 --> 00:22:07.069 perfect cover. It is the golden ticket. If Hank 00:22:07.069 --> 00:22:09.670 thinks the guy is dead, Walt is perfectly safe. 00:22:10.250 --> 00:22:13.109 The investigation stops. The DEA budget for the 00:22:13.109 --> 00:22:16.079 case goes to zero. He can cook in peace. He can 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:17.839 launder his money at the car wash with Skyler. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:19.799 He wins the game. He gets away with it. All he 00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:21.779 has to do is nod. All he has to do is sip his 00:22:21.779 --> 00:22:23.759 wine, cut his steak, and say, wow, sounds like 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:26.099 a really smart guy. Pass the potatoes. But he 00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:29.579 can't do it. He physically cannot do it. The 00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:33.039 ego snap happens right there. Walt puts down 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:35.579 his wine glass. The sound of the glass hitting 00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:38.180 the table is almost deafening in the silence 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:41.440 of that room. He looks at Hank, and he speaks 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:44.130 up. And what did he say? He insists that Gale 00:22:44.130 --> 00:22:46.430 was not a genius. He looks at the notes Hank 00:22:46.430 --> 00:22:48.769 has, and he totally dismisses them. He says, 00:22:49.109 --> 00:22:51.170 this isn't the work of a genius. This is rote 00:22:51.170 --> 00:22:54.109 copying. He points out the handwriting. He essentially 00:22:54.109 --> 00:22:56.150 tells the DEA agent, you haven't caught the guy 00:22:56.150 --> 00:22:58.150 yet. The real genius is still out there. Maybe 00:22:58.150 --> 00:23:00.349 he's still out there. It is absolute madness. 00:23:00.809 --> 00:23:03.089 It is self -sabotage on a Shakespearean level. 00:23:03.210 --> 00:23:05.670 It's Icarus flying directly into the sun just 00:23:05.670 --> 00:23:06.950 because he wants everyone on the ground to know 00:23:06.950 --> 00:23:09.230 he can fly. It is. And the consequence of that 00:23:09.230 --> 00:23:12.609 statement is immediate. Hank pauses. The whole 00:23:12.609 --> 00:23:16.250 table goes quiet. He listens. And you can visibly 00:23:16.250 --> 00:23:19.309 see the gears turning in Hank's head. Walt's 00:23:19.309 --> 00:23:21.609 comment plants a massive seed of doubt. Because 00:23:21.609 --> 00:23:24.309 Hank respects Walt's intellect. He thinks Walt 00:23:24.309 --> 00:23:26.650 is just a mild -mannered chemistry teacher, sure, 00:23:26.650 --> 00:23:29.410 but a brilliant one. If Walt says this guy was 00:23:29.410 --> 00:23:32.450 a copycat, maybe he missed something. So later 00:23:32.450 --> 00:23:34.190 that night, Hank decides to take another look 00:23:34.190 --> 00:23:36.690 at the files. So he goes back to the evidence 00:23:36.690 --> 00:23:38.970 boxes, he's flipping through photos of Gail's 00:23:38.970 --> 00:23:42.259 apartment, and what does he find? The clue. The 00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:45.579 smoking gun. Or, in this specific case, the smoking 00:23:45.579 --> 00:23:49.279 napkin. A napkin? It seems so incredibly trivial. 00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:52.099 Upon reviewing the case files, Hank spots a detail 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:54.819 he missed before. Among the photos of Gail's 00:23:54.819 --> 00:23:57.000 possessions, there is a shot of a napkin from 00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:59.559 Los Palos Hermanos. And it has a part number 00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:01.640 or some kind of code scribbled on it. Now why 00:24:01.640 --> 00:24:04.200 is this significant? A napkin from a chicken 00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:06.359 place. Who cares, right? People eat chicken. 00:24:06.490 --> 00:24:08.589 Because of the contradiction, Hank knows Gil 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:11.089 was a strict vegan. Right. The Wikipedia source 00:24:11.089 --> 00:24:14.150 makes a real point of this. Gil was very, very 00:24:14.150 --> 00:24:17.130 particular about his diet. No animal products. 00:24:17.609 --> 00:24:20.609 He brewed his own incredibly complex coffee to 00:24:20.609 --> 00:24:22.490 perfection. He certainly wasn't eating fried 00:24:22.490 --> 00:24:25.450 chicken skins. So the question immediately arises 00:24:25.450 --> 00:24:28.950 for Hank. Why would a strict vegan be hanging 00:24:28.950 --> 00:24:31.210 out at a fried chicken restaurant? Why would 00:24:31.210 --> 00:24:33.569 he have a napkin from Los Palos Hermanos sitting 00:24:33.569 --> 00:24:35.869 in his apartment? It doesn't add up. Not unless 00:24:35.869 --> 00:24:38.150 he wasn't there for the food. Unless he was meeting 00:24:38.150 --> 00:24:40.990 someone. And just like that, the arrow points 00:24:40.990 --> 00:24:43.170 away from Gail and directly toward the owner 00:24:43.170 --> 00:24:45.710 of Los Polos Hermanos. Gus Fring. This is the 00:24:45.710 --> 00:24:48.490 moment. This is the turning point of the entire 00:24:48.490 --> 00:24:52.329 war between Hank and Gus. Before this exact moment, 00:24:52.589 --> 00:24:55.349 Gus was just a booster for the DEA Fun Run. He 00:24:55.349 --> 00:24:57.750 was a legitimate businessman. He was the friendly 00:24:57.750 --> 00:24:59.809 guy bringing chicken to the office for the agents. 00:25:00.009 --> 00:25:03.539 And now, he's a suspect. And it is entirely Walt's 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:05.859 fault. We really need to emphasize this expert 00:25:05.859 --> 00:25:08.319 insight from the source. If Walt had just stayed 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.519 quiet at dinner, the investigation would have 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:13.819 ended. Hank was done. He was moving on. Walt's 00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:16.160 ego is the sole reason the heat turns back on. 00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:18.619 It's incredible. He valued the credit for his 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:21.299 art more than his own safety, more than his family's 00:25:21.299 --> 00:25:24.480 safety. He literally chose fame, anonymous fame, 00:25:24.920 --> 00:25:27.670 but fame nonetheless over survival. It connects 00:25:27.670 --> 00:25:29.869 perfectly back to the provocative thought we 00:25:29.869 --> 00:25:32.670 need to explore a bit later. Walt tearing himself 00:25:32.670 --> 00:25:35.930 down by insisting on the truth, while Gus builds 00:25:35.930 --> 00:25:39.190 Jesse up using a lie. It's a perfect thematic 00:25:39.190 --> 00:25:42.309 inversion. Walt destroys his safety with truth. 00:25:42.509 --> 00:25:45.630 Gus builds loyalty with fiction. It's a fantastic 00:25:45.630 --> 00:25:48.269 thematic mirror. So we have the plot mechanics 00:25:48.269 --> 00:25:50.890 laid out. Jesse's a hero, Walt is a liability, 00:25:51.109 --> 00:25:53.559 and Hank is back on the hunt. But now, let's 00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:55.920 shift gears to segment four. Let's talk about 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:58.500 how this episode was actually received by the 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:00.480 world when it aired. This is where things get 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:02.680 surprisingly spicy. You would think an episode 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:04.619 with this much character development, this much 00:26:04.619 --> 00:26:06.740 incredible psychological warfare, would be an 00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:09.200 absolute slam dunk with everyone. But the scorecard 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:11.680 is kind of all over the place. Wildly mixed reviews. 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:14.140 Let's look at the positive side first. Matt Richenthal 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:17.359 from TV Fanatic, he loved it. 4 .5 out of 5 stars. 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:20.160 That's a glowing review by any metric. He clearly 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:22.779 appreciated the psychological depth. trip dynamic, 00:26:22.819 --> 00:26:25.019 the tension. He saw what the writers were doing 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:27.900 with the Jesse and Mike relationship. He understood 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:29.980 that the boring parts of the drive were necessary 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:32.460 to sell the exciting part. Then you have Donna 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:34.819 Bowman from the A .V. club. And for those who 00:26:34.819 --> 00:26:37.059 don't know or don't remember, the A .V. club 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:39.259 reviews for Breaking Bad were legendary at the 00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:41.440 time. They were the absolute gold standard of 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:44.099 recaps. She gave it a B plus better, which is 00:26:44.099 --> 00:26:47.000 solid. Not Ozymandias level praise, not an A, 00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:49.930 but a good sturdy grade. She recognized the quality. 00:26:50.369 --> 00:26:52.950 She likely praised the visuals from McLaren and 00:26:52.950 --> 00:26:55.269 Craig in the acting. Well, then we get to IGN. 00:26:55.589 --> 00:26:58.230 Seth Emmaniton at IGN. This is the outlier. This 00:26:58.230 --> 00:26:59.769 is the one that really makes you scratch your 00:26:59.769 --> 00:27:02.329 head. You give it a 7 .5 out of 10. Now, listen. 00:27:02.849 --> 00:27:05.470 7 .5 doesn't sound terrible on paper. If I got 00:27:05.470 --> 00:27:08.509 a 7 .5 on a math test, I'd be, well, I'd probably 00:27:08.509 --> 00:27:11.410 be grounded. But in video game review terms or 00:27:11.410 --> 00:27:14.609 TV review terms, it's good. but in the specific 00:27:14.609 --> 00:27:16.869 context of Breaking Bad. The source notes this 00:27:16.869 --> 00:27:18.670 is highly significant. It is the lowest score 00:27:18.670 --> 00:27:21.309 for any episode in the entire series from IGN. 00:27:21.410 --> 00:27:24.109 Let that sink in for a minute. The episode Fly 00:27:24.109 --> 00:27:26.250 usually gets all the hate from fans. Fly is the 00:27:26.250 --> 00:27:29.089 famously polarizing bottle episode, but shotgun. 00:27:29.490 --> 00:27:31.369 This episode got the lowest score from this critic. 00:27:31.569 --> 00:27:33.650 It is the only episode to score less than an 00:27:33.650 --> 00:27:37.190 8 on IGN. That is genuinely shocking to me. Why? 00:27:37.690 --> 00:27:39.980 Why the low score? We can speculate based on 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:41.940 the plot points. Maybe it felt too much like 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:44.079 a setup episode, you know, just moving pieces 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:46.039 around the chessboard to get ready for the finale. 00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:49.579 Maybe. The road trip is a bit repetitive by design. 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:52.279 It's supposed to be boring until it suddenly 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:55.359 isn't. Maybe the lack of a massive explosion 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:58.400 or a major character death made it feel slower. 00:27:58.740 --> 00:28:00.920 Possibly. You have to remember, critics at the 00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:02.720 time were watching week to week. They didn't 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:04.660 have the benefit of knowing what comes next. 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:06.920 They might have felt the Mike and Jesse storyline 00:28:06.920 --> 00:28:09.559 was just dragging. But looking back, I think 00:28:09.559 --> 00:28:12.299 that score has aged pretty poorly. Because when 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:14.640 you look at the retrospective ranking. The Ringer 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:17.400 did a massive ranking in 2019, this is years 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:19.579 later, with a full benefit of hindsight. They 00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:22.359 ranked all 62 episodes. And where did Shotgun 00:28:22.359 --> 00:28:25.740 land? 60th out of 62. That is bottom tier, second 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:28.279 to last. That is wild. Because we just spent, 00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:30.680 what, 40 minutes discussing how pivotal the dinner 00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:33.000 scene is without the episode the show literally 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:36.019 stops exactly I think critics might have found 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:38.680 the ride along a plot a bit thin on a first watch 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:42.640 but structurally this episode does incredibly 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:45.339 heavy lifting it's the engine room of the season 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:48.299 without this episode Hank doesn't find the napkin 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:50.720 if Hank doesn't find the napkin he doesn't find 00:28:50.720 --> 00:28:54.420 Gus if he doesn't find Gus The rest of the series 00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:56.619 just doesn't happen. Walt just keeps cooking 00:28:56.619 --> 00:28:59.140 and gets rich and retires. Precisely. It's a 00:28:59.140 --> 00:29:01.660 foundational episode. It might not be the most 00:29:01.660 --> 00:29:04.099 visually thrilling hour of television compared 00:29:04.099 --> 00:29:06.400 to something like Face Off or Crawl Space, but 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:09.380 it is the fulcrum, a ton which the entire season 00:29:09.380 --> 00:29:12.079 pivots. It's the domino that knocks down all 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:13.819 the other dominoes. And it does it through character 00:29:13.819 --> 00:29:17.359 flows, not just random chance. It's Walt's fatal 00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:19.740 flaw that drives the plot forward. It's not a 00:29:19.740 --> 00:29:22.670 coincidence. It's character. which is the absolute 00:29:22.670 --> 00:29:25.150 hallmark of great writing. It feels inevitable, 00:29:25.509 --> 00:29:28.609 yet surprising. So we've covered the ride, the 00:29:28.609 --> 00:29:30.710 voicemail, the wine, and the reviews. Let's head 00:29:30.710 --> 00:29:32.549 to the outro and try to wrap our heads around 00:29:32.549 --> 00:29:34.910 the big picture here. Let's do it. Let's synthesize 00:29:34.910 --> 00:29:36.730 everything we've talked about. If we look at 00:29:36.730 --> 00:29:39.390 the final scoreboard at the end of Shotgun, it's 00:29:39.390 --> 00:29:42.049 a really strange sight. Jesse Pinkman finds a 00:29:42.049 --> 00:29:44.829 new purpose. He feels valuable. He feels capable. 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:48.839 But it is entirely based on manipulation. It's 00:29:48.839 --> 00:29:52.119 a hologram of success. He's loyal to a man who 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:54.700 is playing him like a fiddle. He's happier, but 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:56.559 he's more controlled than he's ever been. And 00:29:56.559 --> 00:29:59.000 Walter White. Walter jeopardizes everything. 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:01.319 He has the money laundering set up. He has his 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:04.079 wife softening toward him. He has the DEA investigation 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:07.380 closed. And he throws a live grenade into all 00:30:07.380 --> 00:30:10.470 of it just because of pride. He is less happy 00:30:10.470 --> 00:30:13.289 and significantly less safe. And the result of 00:30:13.289 --> 00:30:15.650 that grenade is that the investigation into Gus 00:30:15.650 --> 00:30:19.700 Fring begins in earnest. The sleeping giant of 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:22.420 the DEA has been poked awake. And it raises that 00:30:22.420 --> 00:30:24.359 final provocative thought we promised at the 00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:26.319 beginning. Let's hear it. Consider the parallel 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:28.220 we've been tracking throughout this deep dive. 00:30:28.599 --> 00:30:31.119 Gus Fring is a master manipulator. He builds 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:33.839 Jesse up by staging a lie. He understands that 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:36.140 morale matters, that loyalty matters, even if 00:30:36.140 --> 00:30:39.119 it's based on total fiction. He uses a theatrical 00:30:39.119 --> 00:30:42.619 performance, the fake robbery, to create a real 00:30:42.619 --> 00:30:48.420 asset. Exactly. Gus values obedience and loyalty 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:51.539 over raw competence. He can teach competence. 00:30:51.859 --> 00:30:54.279 He can teach you how to do a dead drop. He can't 00:30:54.279 --> 00:30:57.220 teach loyalty. He needs a soldier. And Walt. 00:30:58.259 --> 00:31:00.720 Walt tears himself down by insisting on the truth. 00:31:01.099 --> 00:31:03.160 He is obsessed with his own competence, his own 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:05.940 genius. He cannot stand a lie, even if that lie 00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:08.480 is the exact thing that saves his life. So the 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:10.640 real question for you, the listener, to mull 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:14.700 over is this. In this criminal underworld, is 00:31:14.700 --> 00:31:18.000 competence actually a liability compared to obedience? 00:31:18.539 --> 00:31:20.839 Is being the genius actually a death sentence? 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:23.839 And does Walt's need for credit outweigh his 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:26.279 instinct for survival? Based on this episode 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:28.759 alone, the answer seems to be a resounding yes. 00:31:29.099 --> 00:31:31.039 He would rather be known as the genius who got 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:33.119 caught than the unknown amateur who got away. 00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:35.619 That is a terrifying thought. Yeah. That his 00:31:35.619 --> 00:31:38.079 ego is actually stronger than his basic self 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:39.829 -preservation instinct. And it's one that will 00:31:39.829 --> 00:31:41.549 haunt him for the rest of the series. Indeed. 00:31:41.730 --> 00:31:44.289 It's the classic tragic flaw. Well, that is all 00:31:44.289 --> 00:31:46.190 the time we have for this deep dive. Thank you 00:31:46.190 --> 00:31:48.009 for riding shotgun with us through this episode. 00:31:48.150 --> 00:31:50.269 We hope you didn't mind the detour. Drive safe. 00:31:51.710 --> 00:31:53.369 And, you know, watch out for anyone approaching 00:31:53.369 --> 00:31:54.690 the car. We'll see you next time.