WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.540 OK, so let's unpack this. Welcome back to the 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:06.900 deep dive. Glad to be here. Today, we are not 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:09.199 just watching a TV show. We're kind of attending 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.599 a master class in corporate restructuring. Yeah, 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.939 corporate restructuring and asset management. 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:16.800 And just the absolute nightmare of logistics. 00:00:16.980 --> 00:00:19.260 That is a very sanitized way of saying we're 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:21.940 looking at how to rebuild a violent drug empire 00:00:21.940 --> 00:00:24.370 from the ground up. Right. Without getting caught 00:00:24.370 --> 00:00:27.850 exactly fair point so we are cracking open the 00:00:27.850 --> 00:00:30.469 dossier on Breaking Bad today specifically we're 00:00:30.469 --> 00:00:33.590 looking at season 5 episode 3 episode 3 hazard 00:00:33.590 --> 00:00:37.750 pay and I have to say just rewatching this it 00:00:37.750 --> 00:00:40.289 really struck me how so well for a show that 00:00:40.289 --> 00:00:43.890 is so famous for explosions and you know Fulminated 00:00:43.890 --> 00:00:47.189 mercury right this hour is just terrifyingly 00:00:47.189 --> 00:00:49.659 quiet It really is. It's about the silence of 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:52.460 a house being fumigated. The silence of a woman 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:54.359 smoking a cigarette. And the silence of money 00:00:54.359 --> 00:00:57.299 leaving your pocket. Yes. That's exactly it. 00:00:57.340 --> 00:01:00.079 So just to give you all a quick overview of our 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:01.920 sources and our mission today. We are looking 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:05.060 at the 49th episode of the series overall. Written 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:07.579 by Peter Gould. And directed by Adam Bernstein. 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:10.359 And setting the scene for you here. This is the 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:13.319 era of Kingpin Walt. Or at least the era where 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:16.040 Walt thinks he's the Kingpin. Right. He thinks 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:19.959 he is. But the reality is much messier. Gus Fring 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:22.280 is gone. The chicken man is checked out. The 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:25.260 power vacuum is wide open and being filled. So 00:01:25.260 --> 00:01:27.560 the core mission of this deep dive today isn't 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:29.620 to just recount the plot. You guys know the plot. 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:33.599 We want to analyze how a meth empire is rebuilt 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:36.480 literally from scratch. And the hidden costs 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:39.219 of doing business. Petitular hazard pay. Right. 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:41.340 And we also want to look at the psychological 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:43.530 unraveling of everyone involved. Because the 00:01:43.530 --> 00:01:45.849 honeymoon phase is definitely over. It's totally 00:01:45.849 --> 00:01:47.709 over. At first, it kind of feels like a heist 00:01:47.709 --> 00:01:49.890 movie setup, doesn't it? It really does. You've 00:01:49.890 --> 00:01:51.810 got the team getting back together. Looking for 00:01:51.810 --> 00:01:54.390 a new location. But instead of the Bellagio vault, 00:01:54.849 --> 00:01:57.689 they are looking at termite tents. Pest control 00:01:57.689 --> 00:02:01.180 tents and pianos. It's wild. But the significance 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:04.019 of this episode is all about logistics and economics. 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:06.560 Yeah. It transitions the characters from being 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.259 employees to being owners. And it immediately 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:12.000 shows them the heavy burden of overhead. So here 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:14.199 is the roadmap for what we're going to cover. 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:16.840 First, we'll explore the whole Vimano's pest 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:19.560 scheme. Then we're going to look at a very surprising 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:22.400 musical interlude from Skinny Pete. Which is 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:24.919 just an amazing scene. After that, we'll break 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:27.479 down Skyler's mental state in that famous shut 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:29.960 up scene. And we'll analyze the climactic financial 00:02:29.960 --> 00:02:32.819 breakdown where reality hits Walt really hard. 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:35.939 And finally, we'll look at the polarized critical 00:02:35.939 --> 00:02:38.500 reception. Why some critics loved it and why 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:41.300 one outlet actually ranked it dead last. Dead 00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:43.719 last. We will definitely get into that. But first, 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:45.960 let's solve the biggest problem on the board. 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:50.120 Right. Segment one, the new lab. The Valmonos 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:52.419 Pest Solution. So let's look at the constraints 00:02:52.419 --> 00:02:55.490 they're facing. Walt, Jesse, and Mike need a 00:02:55.490 --> 00:02:59.030 place to cook. And they need volume. Walt is 00:02:59.030 --> 00:03:01.210 not doing small batches anymore. But the super 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:04.610 lab is gone. It's a crater. And that whole hide 00:03:04.610 --> 00:03:07.310 underground model is just dead. It requires too 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:10.110 much construction. Too much capital. And way 00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:12.490 too much time. They don't have months to dig 00:03:12.490 --> 00:03:15.629 a hole. They need cash flow right now. And they 00:03:15.629 --> 00:03:17.789 obviously can't go back to the RV. No, the RV 00:03:17.789 --> 00:03:20.430 was amateur hour. Long gone. Crushed into a cube. 00:03:20.750 --> 00:03:23.099 Right. And it was unsafe anyway. The product 00:03:23.099 --> 00:03:26.699 quality varied, plus a giant bullet riddled vehicle 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:29.159 out in the desert draws way too much attention. 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:31.400 They need an industrial grade environment. But 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:33.939 they need secrecy without the infrastructure 00:03:33.939 --> 00:03:37.319 of Gus Fring. And Walt's solution here is frankly 00:03:37.319 --> 00:03:40.340 brilliant. You really is lateral thinking at 00:03:40.340 --> 00:03:43.099 its finest. He proposes using houses that are 00:03:43.099 --> 00:03:45.819 being tended for fumigation. A mobile meth lab 00:03:45.819 --> 00:03:48.719 hidden inside termite tents. Which brings us 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:52.409 to Vimono's pest. A local pest removal company. 00:03:52.789 --> 00:03:54.430 Let's dig into the mechanics of this because 00:03:54.430 --> 00:03:57.389 it's just genius. A house gets tented for termites. 00:03:57.569 --> 00:03:59.949 It's wrapped in that heavy canvas. That green 00:03:59.949 --> 00:04:02.210 and yellow striped canvas. Right. And what does 00:04:02.210 --> 00:04:04.909 that signal to the neighborhood? It signals danger. 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:08.250 It signals poison. It triggers a primal instinct 00:04:08.250 --> 00:04:10.969 in the neighbors to just stay away. It's the 00:04:10.969 --> 00:04:13.590 perfect urban camouflage. If you see a tented 00:04:13.590 --> 00:04:16.370 house, you don't go look closer. You hold your 00:04:16.370 --> 00:04:18.910 breath and you walk faster. It creates a zone 00:04:18.910 --> 00:04:22.029 of absolute privacy right in the middle of a 00:04:22.029 --> 00:04:24.810 crowded suburb. Hiding in plain sight. One of 00:04:24.810 --> 00:04:26.790 the reviews we look at from Collider called this 00:04:26.790 --> 00:04:29.389 a stroke of genius and ripped from the headlines. 00:04:29.910 --> 00:04:31.889 It really feels like something that could actually 00:04:31.889 --> 00:04:34.329 happen. But the complexity here is the human 00:04:34.329 --> 00:04:37.269 element. You need a pest control company willing 00:04:37.269 --> 00:04:39.490 to play ball. And that's where the vetting comes 00:04:39.490 --> 00:04:42.550 in. Saul Goodman finds Vimano's pest for them. 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:45.120 And the key detail here is that the owner and 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:48.079 the employees are already criminals. Right. They 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:50.339 run a burglary ring on the side. They use the 00:04:50.339 --> 00:04:53.060 tents to case the homes and steal jewelry while 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:55.779 the owners are out. This is such a crucial detail. 00:04:56.040 --> 00:04:59.300 Walt isn't out there corrupting innocent exterminators. 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:02.000 No, he's just upgrading existing criminals. They 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:04.759 are the perfect accomplices. They agree to facilitate 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:07.500 Walt and Jesse cooking while the houses are tented. 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:10.160 But think about the risk, though. You're inviting 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:13.980 burglars. into a multi -million dollar meth operation. 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:16.939 People who are professionally dishonest. Right. 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:20.060 Walt is trading the high -tech security of Gus's 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:23.079 cameras for the honor among thieves of a guy 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:25.139 like Todd Alquist. Which is our introduction 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:27.560 to Todd. Played by Jesse Plemons. In this episode, 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:30.660 he's just an employee of Vimano's pest. A worker 00:05:30.660 --> 00:05:32.779 bee. He's just the guy lifting the tent flap. 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:34.740 Yeah. But the way the camera lingers on him. 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:37.649 He's too obedient. Yeah. He represents a completely 00:05:37.649 --> 00:05:40.750 blank slate. Almost eager to please. Unlike Mike's 00:05:40.750 --> 00:05:42.970 guys, who are professionals with a code. The 00:05:42.970 --> 00:05:46.389 Vamanos crew are just opportunists. So anyway, 00:05:46.529 --> 00:05:49.310 the first cook is a success. The mechanics of 00:05:49.310 --> 00:05:51.949 the cook montage are so precise, the homeowners 00:05:51.949 --> 00:05:55.439 leave. The Valmanos crew rolls in, they tent 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:57.800 the house. Then a massive road case rolls in, 00:05:57.839 --> 00:05:59.819 like for a touring rock band. And inside the 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:02.680 case is the lab. A modular breakdown lab. This 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:05.379 marks a massive shift in scale. They aren't hidden 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:07.600 underground anymore, they are roving through 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:09.740 the community. They set up in a living room or 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:12.660 a kitchen, tap into the house's power and water. 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.600 Essentially stealing utilities to cook meth. 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:17.699 And when they're done, they mist the air with 00:06:17.699 --> 00:06:20.540 a scent that mimics the termite poison. Pack 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:23.120 up the lab and leave. It is the ghost kitchen 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:25.860 concept applied to the drug trade. But consider 00:06:25.860 --> 00:06:29.100 the thematic implications here. It visually represents 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:31.720 the cancer of the drug trade literally entering 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.160 family homes. That's a great point. In previous 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:37.120 seasons, the meth was made in isolation in the 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:39.680 RV out in the desert. Or hidden deep underground 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.560 in the industrial laundry. Exactly. Now it's 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:45.480 a parasite. It's invading the American home. 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:47.579 The meth is being cooked where families eat. 00:06:47.819 --> 00:06:50.899 where kids watch TV. It's the drug trade infecting 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:53.860 the suburbs, hidden under a tent of pest control. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.480 The irony is so thick they are the actual pests. 00:06:56.759 --> 00:06:59.639 That lack of a buffer zone extends to the team's 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:02.019 psychology too. Which perfectly transitions us 00:07:02.019 --> 00:07:04.860 to segment two. Because right amidst all this 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:08.899 grime and toxic fumes, we a moment of absolute 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:12.250 beauty. A moment of beauty. Skinny Pete on the 00:07:12.250 --> 00:07:14.769 keys. I love this scene. It's jarring, isn't 00:07:14.769 --> 00:07:16.610 it? It's one of those wait -what moments that 00:07:16.610 --> 00:07:19.470 makes the show so incredibly rich. Skinny Pete 00:07:19.470 --> 00:07:22.170 and Badger are in a music store buying road cases 00:07:22.170 --> 00:07:24.410 to hide the lab equipment. And Skinny Pete sits 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:27.110 down at a keyboard. And you kind of expect him 00:07:27.110 --> 00:07:29.629 to play chopsticks. Or just smash the keys. Or 00:07:29.629 --> 00:07:32.009 maybe a hip -hop beat. Right. But instead he 00:07:32.009 --> 00:07:35.029 rips into this complex classical piece. Sylphic 00:07:35.029 --> 00:07:39.740 Ghetto in C minor by CPE Back. composed in 1766. 00:07:39.899 --> 00:07:42.100 And the production fact here is mind -blowing. 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:44.379 This wasn't a double. No, it was actually the 00:07:44.379 --> 00:07:46.860 actor Charles Baker playing the piece. The writers 00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:50.300 noticed his real -life musical ability and just 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:52.579 wrote it into the show. But looking at the critical 00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:55.920 reaction, Alison Keene from Collider described 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:00.339 this moment as funny, but also deeply sad. Why 00:08:00.339 --> 00:08:02.720 is it sad though? Because it highlights the wasted 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:04.800 potential of these characters. Exactly. It hints 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:07.579 at a lost timeline. A sliding doors moment for 00:08:07.579 --> 00:08:10.060 Skinny Pete. To play a piece that complex, you 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:12.699 have to have discipline. You learn it in a conservatory 00:08:12.699 --> 00:08:15.139 or with a strict teacher over years of practice. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:17.360 He had potential. He had a brain that understood 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:19.819 structure and beauty. But Skinny Pete is more 00:08:19.819 --> 00:08:22.040 than just a street level dealer or an addict. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:24.959 He has depth and talent that is being completely 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:27.939 squandered. And look where he is now. Buying 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:30.790 cases to smuggle meth equipment. For a guy who 00:08:30.790 --> 00:08:32.830 ultimately doesn't care if he lives or dies. 00:08:33.429 --> 00:08:36.190 It destroys the stereotype of the junkie as a 00:08:36.190 --> 00:08:38.649 mindless zombie. It forces you to look at Pete 00:08:38.649 --> 00:08:41.350 and see the person inside. A person who maybe 00:08:41.350 --> 00:08:43.929 could have been a concert pianist. It's a massive 00:08:43.929 --> 00:08:46.990 break from the darkness to show humanity. And 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:51.149 when he finishes the song, Badger compliments 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:54.549 him. But Pete just shrugs it off. He dismisses 00:08:54.549 --> 00:08:57.309 his own talent. He doesn't value the best part 00:08:57.309 --> 00:08:59.539 of himself anymore. That's the real tragedy. 00:08:59.779 --> 00:09:02.580 It's a beautiful, melancholy beat. But if Skinny 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:05.360 Pete is suppressing his talent, let's pivot to 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:08.539 segment three. Yes. Because Skyler White is suppressing 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:11.879 something much more volatile. Terror. The domestic 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:14.139 collapse of the White Household. The famous shut 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:16.600 up scene. The White Household has become a prison. 00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:19.740 It really has. The lighting is darker. The conversations 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:21.740 are shorter. Which leads us to the car wash. 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:24.429 Let's set the scene. Marie and Skylar are at 00:09:24.429 --> 00:09:26.429 the car wash. Which, remember, was Skylar's idea. 00:09:26.529 --> 00:09:28.210 It was supposed to be the safe, clean front. 00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:31.009 But now it's just another trap. And they're discussing 00:09:31.009 --> 00:09:34.470 Walt's upcoming 51st birthday. And Skylar is 00:09:34.470 --> 00:09:36.929 just vibrating with stress. You can see it in 00:09:36.929 --> 00:09:39.850 her face. So then we get the trigger. Skylar 00:09:39.850 --> 00:09:41.870 starts to light a cigarette. Now, smoking has 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:45.450 been Skylar's coping mechanism. Her little rebellion. 00:09:45.629 --> 00:09:47.769 But doing it in front of Marie inside the business? 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:51.059 That is a cry for help. And Marie confronts her 00:09:51.059 --> 00:09:53.700 about it. She goes into full, nagging sister 00:09:53.700 --> 00:09:55.740 mode. You can't smoke in here. Think of your 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:58.559 health. And then she says, does Walt know? That's 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:00.899 the trigger, that name. The realization that 00:10:00.899 --> 00:10:04.360 every aspect of her life is controlled or contaminated 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:06.659 by him. And Skyler just suffers a complete nervous 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:09.059 breakdown. She starts screaming, shut up, at 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:12.139 Marie, repeatedly. But as the expert analysis 00:10:12.139 --> 00:10:14.519 points out, this isn't about the cigarette at 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:17.379 all. It is the accumulation of terror. Skyler 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:21.019 is trapped. And Marie's trivial nagging is just 00:10:21.019 --> 00:10:23.259 what breaks the dam. She doesn't scream in rage. 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:26.360 She screams in absolute desperation. Let's talk 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.000 about the framing here. The camera is super tight 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.360 on her face. It feels claustrophobic. And the 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:34.539 repetition of shut up loses its meaning as a 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.019 command. It becomes a chant. She's trying to 00:10:37.019 --> 00:10:39.779 drown out the noise of her own life. She is trying 00:10:39.779 --> 00:10:42.860 to silence the horrifying reality of her situation. 00:10:42.990 --> 00:10:45.450 Marie is just the nearest source of noise. But 00:10:45.450 --> 00:10:47.610 then we have to look at Walt's spin on this event. 00:10:47.809 --> 00:10:50.490 Because the aftermath is where the true darkness 00:10:50.490 --> 00:10:53.710 of Walter White really shines. Marie goes to 00:10:53.710 --> 00:10:56.830 the house. She confronts Walt about Skyler's 00:10:56.830 --> 00:10:59.070 state. She's terrified. She thinks Skyler's having 00:10:59.070 --> 00:11:01.909 a mental break. Which she is. And Walt doesn't 00:11:01.909 --> 00:11:04.269 panic. He just improvises. He tells Marie that 00:11:04.269 --> 00:11:07.809 the breakdown is due to stress over Ted Benicki's 00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:10.269 accident. He reveals Skyler's affair with Ted. 00:11:10.450 --> 00:11:13.539 This is a key takeaway. Walt weaponizes the truth. 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:16.399 He tells her the truth to tell a massive lie. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:19.120 Right. He uses the humiliating reality of the 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:21.740 affair to cover up the much darker reality of 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:24.460 his criminal life. He paints himself as the saintly, 00:11:24.620 --> 00:11:27.059 forgiving husband. Supporting his unstable wife. 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:30.320 He plays the victim to explain away Skyler's 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:32.899 trauma. It effectively neutralizes Marie. She 00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:34.720 was a threat because she was asking questions. 00:11:34.820 --> 00:11:37.679 Now she pities Walt and judges Skyler. It isolates 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:40.240 Skyler completely. She can't tell Marie the real 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:42.740 reason she's screaming. Because that means admitting 00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:44.759 to money laundering and meth manufacturing. So 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:47.159 she has to eat the lie. It's gaslighting on an 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:49.820 Olympic level. He secures the home front by destroying 00:11:49.820 --> 00:11:52.240 his wife's reputation with her only remaining 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:54.600 family. And speaking of isolation, let's move 00:11:54.600 --> 00:11:58.379 to segment four. Emotional manipulation. Walt, 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:01.509 Jesse and Andrea. Walt is running the exact same 00:12:01.509 --> 00:12:04.049 isolation play on Jessie. The setup here happens 00:12:04.049 --> 00:12:06.509 following the successful first cook in the pest 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:08.529 case. Walt and Jessie are sitting on the couch 00:12:08.529 --> 00:12:12.009 having a beer, bonding. It feels almost like 00:12:12.009 --> 00:12:16.490 the old days, season two vibes. And Walt feigns 00:12:16.490 --> 00:12:19.389 this deep enthusiasm for Jessie's relationship 00:12:19.389 --> 00:12:21.970 with Andrea Cantillo. He asks how Andrea and 00:12:21.970 --> 00:12:25.149 Brock are doing with a smile. Which should make 00:12:25.149 --> 00:12:27.779 your skin crawl. As Claire McNeer from The Ringer 00:12:27.779 --> 00:12:29.960 points out, the monstrosity of this is off the 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:33.000 charts. Walt is advising Jesse on Andrea, while 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.500 we the audience know that Walt recently poisoned 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:38.460 her son, Brock. He poisoned a child to manipulate 00:12:38.460 --> 00:12:40.639 Jesse. And now he's acting like a supportive 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.279 mentor. It's truly sociopathic. But he has an 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:46.059 agenda. He delivers this subtle poison pill. 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:48.860 He subtly hints that Jesse should break up with 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:51.120 her. He doesn't demand it. He just plants the 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:54.080 seed. He argues that secrets will ruin the relationship. 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:57.940 He tells Jessie that for her safety and the operation's 00:12:57.940 --> 00:13:00.440 security, she can't know the truth. It's a logical 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:03.019 trap. If you tell her you endanger her. If you 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:05.460 don't tell her you're living a lie, is that fair 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:08.980 to her? He frames breaking up as an act of love. 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:13.059 But the real outcome he wants is isolation. Exactly. 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:15.259 And the outcome is that Jessie goes home and 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:17.879 breaks up with Andrea. He's heartbroken, but 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:20.539 he thinks he's doing the noble thing. And what's 00:13:20.539 --> 00:13:23.620 the critical connection here? Walt is isolating 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:26.450 Jessie. Removing outside connections to make 00:13:26.450 --> 00:13:28.750 him solely dependent on the meth business. And 00:13:28.750 --> 00:13:32.649 dependent on Walt. If Jesse has Andrea, he has 00:13:32.649 --> 00:13:35.070 a tether to the real world. He has a reason to 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:37.250 eventually go straight. Walt needs Jesse to be 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:40.169 an island. So everyone is isolated now. Skyler 00:13:40.169 --> 00:13:42.870 is trapped. Jesse is alone. The lab is running 00:13:42.870 --> 00:13:45.470 smoothly. Which brings us to the climax of the 00:13:45.470 --> 00:13:48.750 episode. Segment five. The economics of crime. 00:13:49.309 --> 00:13:52.320 The hazard pay scene. This is the core conflict 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.159 of the episode and really the season. Mike Walt 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:57.379 and Jesse sit down to divide the spoils from 00:13:57.379 --> 00:14:00.779 the first cook. The visuals are striking. Huge 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:02.860 piles of cash on the table. It's like hundreds 00:14:02.860 --> 00:14:04.740 of thousands of dollars. But then Mike gets out 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:07.899 his notepad and the cuts start coming out. Let's 00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:09.799 break down these expenses because this is where 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.139 the fantasy of being a kingpin dies. First money 00:14:13.139 --> 00:14:16.539 goes to the dealers on the street. You need distribution. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.200 That's a huge cut right off the top. Then the 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:22.350 mules. The transport team takes their cut. Then 00:14:22.350 --> 00:14:25.070 Saul Goodman, the lawyer for legal and laundering 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:28.049 services. Then Momonos Pest, Ira and his guys 00:14:28.049 --> 00:14:30.450 get a cut for the cover. You can literally see 00:14:30.450 --> 00:14:33.190 Walt physically wincing as his millions turn 00:14:33.190 --> 00:14:35.330 into thousands. But the real friction point is 00:14:35.330 --> 00:14:38.490 the hazard pay. Mike insists on paying his former 00:14:38.490 --> 00:14:41.340 subordinates. The legacy employees of Gus who 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:43.279 are currently sitting in jail. Why do they have 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:45.299 to pay guys who are in jail? To keep them from 00:14:45.299 --> 00:14:47.639 talking to the police. They are buying silence. 00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:50.159 The DEA is hammering these guys. If one of them 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:52.440 flips, the whole operation collapses. It's a 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.480 risk premium. Insurance. But Walt's reaction 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:58.379 is just pure fury. He sees this as money being 00:14:58.379 --> 00:15:00.100 taken out of his own pocket for people he doesn't 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:02.679 even care about. He eventually relents and agrees 00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:06.509 to pay it. But he is visibly angry. Ken Tucker 00:15:06.509 --> 00:15:08.830 from Entertainment Weekly called this a beautifully 00:15:08.830 --> 00:15:11.710 simple lesson in economics. Gross versus net 00:15:11.710 --> 00:15:14.470 income. Walt realizes that being the owner means 00:15:14.470 --> 00:15:17.269 absorbing all the overhead. The comparison is 00:15:17.269 --> 00:15:20.570 brutal. Walt deduces he is actually taking home 00:15:20.570 --> 00:15:23.789 less money now than he did as an employee of 00:15:23.789 --> 00:15:26.610 Gus Frank. When he worked for Gus, he had zero 00:15:26.610 --> 00:15:29.690 overhead. Gus paid the mules and the bribes. 00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:32.070 Now Walt has the crown, but the crown comes with 00:15:32.070 --> 00:15:34.080 a mortgage. Jesse tries to offer a different 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.399 perspective, though. Jesse argues they're looking 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:39.000 at it wrong. They are owners now, so they'll 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.480 make it up on volume. The classic startup fallacy. 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:43.759 Volume doesn't help if your margins are terrible. 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:46.200 And Walt knows that. Yeah. Which leads to this 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:48.860 very ominous conclusion. Walt hints that they 00:15:48.860 --> 00:15:50.740 might need to get rid of some team members to 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:52.940 improve their margins. He compares himself to 00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:56.080 Victor, Gus's old henchman who was killed. Implying 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:59.039 he feels undervalued, but critics correctly noted 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:01.379 he's actually comparing himself to Gus or Starface. 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:04.019 He is conflating corporate restructuring with 00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:06.879 actual murder. Looking at human beings as line 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:09.379 items that can be deleted to improve the bottom 00:16:09.379 --> 00:16:12.580 line. It's chilling. Which moves us to Segment 00:16:12.580 --> 00:16:15.399 6, the reception and critical divide of this 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:18.460 episode. Viewership was solid for Cable in 2012, 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.639 watched by 2 .2 million Americans. A slight drop 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.019 from the previous episode, but still very strong. 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:27.639 But the reviews were incredibly polarized. You 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:29.919 have The Lover. Ken Tucker from Entertainment 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:32.059 Weekly called it a marvelous episode. Praising 00:16:32.059 --> 00:16:34.740 the problem -solving and that phenomenal money 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:36.820 division scene. But then you have The Hater. 00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:40.539 In a 2019 ranking by The Ringer, this episode 00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:43.779 was ranked 62nd out of 62 episodes. Dead last. 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:46.860 Which is wild. Why the massive discrepancy? Well, 00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:48.960 it's a set -up episode. It moves pieces around 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:51.539 rather than offering explosive action. We established 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:54.350 the lab location and the money rules... but nothing 00:16:54.350 --> 00:16:56.889 explodes. If you rank based on adrenaline, it 00:16:56.889 --> 00:16:58.870 flatlines, but the character work is top tier. 00:16:59.269 --> 00:17:01.309 Skinny Pete on the piano and Skyler's breakdown 00:17:01.309 --> 00:17:04.039 are essential moments. Alice and Keen from Collider 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:06.299 originally planned to give it a C, but upgraded 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:09.440 it to a B, specifically because of the skinny 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:12.240 Pete scene and the cook montage. You can't have 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:14.380 the chaos of later episodes without the structure 00:17:14.380 --> 00:17:16.880 built right here. Exactly. So let's hit the outro 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:19.039 and summarize what we've learned. Hazard Pay 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:21.839 is the episode where the romance of being the 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:24.819 kingpin dies. Walt realizes the crown is heavy 00:17:24.819 --> 00:17:27.960 and very expensive. It establishes the new status 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:32.579 quo. Fumano's pest. The breakdown of Skyler. 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:34.880 And the financial tension that will drive the 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:37.160 entire rest of the season. And we want to leave 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:39.259 you with a provocative final thought to mull 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:41.980 over. Walt ends the episode hinting at violence 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:44.680 to solve an economic problem. The hazard pay. 00:17:45.019 --> 00:17:46.579 Jesse thinks they're building a business based 00:17:46.579 --> 00:17:49.480 on volume. He thinks he's a partner. But Walt 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:51.759 is already thinking about corporate restructuring 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:54.500 via murder. The tragedy is that while Jesse is 00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:56.799 playing business, Walt is looking at everyone 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.829 else as a line item to be deleted. a terrifying 00:17:59.829 --> 00:18:02.630 realization. It really is. Thanks for diving 00:18:02.630 --> 00:18:04.890 deep into the ledger of Breaking Bad with us 00:18:04.890 --> 00:18:06.670 today. It was a pleasure. See you on the next 00:18:06.670 --> 00:18:07.170 deep dive.