WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.879 Hello and welcome back to the deep dive. Hey 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:06.719 glad to be here. I'm your host and As always 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:10.060 I'm here to take that just massive stack of articles 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:12.919 and research papers and you know those deep web 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:14.740 form threads You've been meaning to read ones 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:17.059 piling up in the bookmarks. Yeah, exactly I take 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:19.480 all that and distill it into something you can 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:22.059 actually use what we are your shortcut to being 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:24.100 the most well -informed person in the room And 00:00:24.100 --> 00:00:26.420 I'm here to help connect those dots because, 00:00:26.420 --> 00:00:29.140 I mean, information is great, but context is 00:00:29.140 --> 00:00:31.539 everything. Right. My job is to find the patterns, 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:35.840 ask the hard questions, and hopefully figure 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:38.100 out why any of this actually matters to your 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:41.340 life. And today we're doing something just a 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:43.140 little different. Usually we're tackling these 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:45.859 broad concepts, right, like tech trends or geopolitical 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:47.880 shifts, that sort of thing. Big picture stuff. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:51.060 Right. But today we are zooming in with a microscope. 00:00:51.289 --> 00:00:54.530 We're doing a deep dive into a single, very pivotal, 00:00:54.729 --> 00:00:57.369 47 -minute block of television history. We are 00:00:57.369 --> 00:00:59.630 talking about Breaking Bad. Oh, yeah. Specifically, 00:00:59.770 --> 00:01:02.130 season five, episode 11. The episode is titled 00:01:02.130 --> 00:01:05.150 Confessions. And if you are a fan of the show, 00:01:05.290 --> 00:01:08.069 just hearing that title probably sends a little 00:01:08.069 --> 00:01:09.689 shiver down your spine. I mean, it does for me. 00:01:09.790 --> 00:01:11.969 Oh, absolutely. It's iconic. Now, our mission 00:01:11.969 --> 00:01:15.109 today isn't just to recap the plot for you. Anyone 00:01:15.109 --> 00:01:18.000 can read a Wikipedia summary. Yay. We want to 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:24.370 dig deeper. as a master class in manipulation. 00:01:25.090 --> 00:01:27.709 It was widely considered the major turning point 00:01:27.709 --> 00:01:30.390 for this series endgame. It really is the fulcrum. 00:01:30.609 --> 00:01:32.629 Because before Confessions, there was this kind 00:01:32.629 --> 00:01:35.069 of lingering possibility that Walter White could 00:01:35.069 --> 00:01:37.750 maybe, you know, negotiate his way out of trouble. 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:40.049 Just talk his way out like he always does. Exactly. 00:01:40.409 --> 00:01:42.829 But after this episode, the bridge isn't just 00:01:42.829 --> 00:01:45.890 burned, it's nuked. It's completely gone. So 00:01:45.890 --> 00:01:47.790 we're gonna look at the plot mechanics, the character 00:01:47.790 --> 00:01:50.689 psychology, and we'll even get into the critical 00:01:50.689 --> 00:01:53.359 reception and some v - Very surprising behind 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:56.219 -the -scenes facts. Oh yeah, involving a retail 00:01:56.219 --> 00:01:59.400 CEO of all people. Which is just a wild story. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.019 It is. Now just to be transparent about where 00:02:02.019 --> 00:02:04.659 we're getting our intel for you, our primary 00:02:04.659 --> 00:02:07.459 source today is the comprehensive data available 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:10.750 on the episode. So that includes detailed plot 00:02:10.750 --> 00:02:13.310 breakdowns, production notes, and the awards 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:15.789 history associated with the script and the performances. 00:02:16.210 --> 00:02:18.530 Which is a complete goldmine if you dig deep 00:02:18.530 --> 00:02:20.490 enough. And I think the best place to start is 00:02:20.490 --> 00:02:23.289 with that title, Confessions. Right, because 00:02:23.289 --> 00:02:25.090 when you hear the word confession in a crime 00:02:25.090 --> 00:02:27.370 drama, you usually think of a very specific image. 00:02:27.509 --> 00:02:29.770 An interrogation room, a tape recorder. Right, 00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:32.009 someone finally admitting guilt. You think of 00:02:32.009 --> 00:02:34.379 redemption. But that's the trap. That is the 00:02:34.379 --> 00:02:36.599 exact trap the writers set for us. Because in 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:38.740 this episode, confession doesn't mean truth. 00:02:39.099 --> 00:02:41.879 No, not at all. It means weapon. Yeah, that's 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:44.159 a great way to put it. We actually see two distinct 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:47.479 types of confessions here. We have the lies we 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:49.439 tell to protect ourselves, which is obviously 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:51.460 Walter White's specialty. Is bread and butter. 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:54.460 And then we have the truths that absolutely destroy 00:02:54.460 --> 00:02:57.280 us, which is the path Jesse Pinkman is walking. 00:02:57.580 --> 00:02:59.819 It's the difference between using a confession 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:03.789 as a shield. and a confession as a grenade. Precisely. 00:03:03.949 --> 00:03:06.629 It's a defensive versus offensive maneuver. So 00:03:06.629 --> 00:03:08.750 let's unpack this, because we have a lot of ground 00:03:08.750 --> 00:03:12.330 to cover. We've got a video confession that is 00:03:12.330 --> 00:03:16.229 essentially a logic puzzle designed to completely 00:03:16.229 --> 00:03:19.969 destroy the DEA agent. We've got the exact moment 00:03:19.969 --> 00:03:22.389 Jesse Pinkton's psyche shatters. And we have 00:03:22.389 --> 00:03:25.669 the acting performance that likely won Aaron 00:03:25.669 --> 00:03:28.189 Paul his Emmy. So let's just jump right into 00:03:28.189 --> 00:03:31.789 the titular confession. The master stroke. Okay, 00:03:31.969 --> 00:03:34.849 to understand the brilliance of Walt's move here, 00:03:35.189 --> 00:03:37.169 we really have to look at the setting. The restaurant. 00:03:37.469 --> 00:03:40.530 Right. The episode opens with a meeting. Walt 00:03:40.530 --> 00:03:43.069 and Skylar White are meeting Hank and Marie Schrader 00:03:43.069 --> 00:03:45.189 for dinner. And they choose a Mexican restaurant. 00:03:46.550 --> 00:03:48.469 Gardunos. Which is a real place in Albuquerque, 00:03:48.689 --> 00:03:50.270 by the way. Oh, really? I didn't know that. Yeah, 00:03:50.430 --> 00:03:53.009 but the choice of venue is incredibly strategic 00:03:53.009 --> 00:03:55.009 on Walt's part. It's a public place. Right, you 00:03:55.009 --> 00:03:57.330 can't just lose it in public. Walt is banking 00:03:57.330 --> 00:04:00.189 entirely on the social contract. You don't scream 00:04:00.189 --> 00:04:02.389 at your family or arrest your brother -in -law 00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:04.330 while the waiter is standing there offering you 00:04:04.330 --> 00:04:06.389 table -side guacamole. Which is exactly what 00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:07.949 happens. The waiter keeps interrupting them. 00:04:08.110 --> 00:04:11.310 It's darkly hilarious, but the tension at that 00:04:11.310 --> 00:04:13.650 table is just suffocating. It really is. You 00:04:13.650 --> 00:04:16.189 have Hank, who we know has finally figured out 00:04:16.189 --> 00:04:18.589 that Walt is Heisenberg. Yeah. He's furious. 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:22.069 He is boiling over. And then you have Walt trying 00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:25.050 to play this weird calm negotiator role. Like 00:04:25.050 --> 00:04:28.790 a CEO handling a PR crisis. Exactly. Walt is 00:04:28.790 --> 00:04:30.850 trying to manage the situation. He's treating 00:04:30.850 --> 00:04:33.470 it like a business merger gone wrong. But Hank 00:04:33.470 --> 00:04:35.810 isn't having it. Not for a second. The meeting 00:04:35.810 --> 00:04:38.649 is a complete disaster. It goes absolutely nowhere. 00:04:39.149 --> 00:04:41.949 Hank isn't interested in a deal. He wants justice. 00:04:41.970 --> 00:04:43.569 He'll have to slap the cuffs on him right there. 00:04:43.750 --> 00:04:46.769 So as they leave, Walt plays his card. He slides 00:04:46.769 --> 00:04:49.389 a DVD across the table. Just a simple, blank, 00:04:49.430 --> 00:04:53.129 writable DVD. Now, if you're Hank, what are you 00:04:53.129 --> 00:04:54.930 thinking in that moment? I mean, you're probably 00:04:54.930 --> 00:04:56.769 thinking, OK, this is it. He's turning himself 00:04:56.769 --> 00:04:59.569 in. Or maybe it's a suicide note. That would 00:04:59.569 --> 00:05:01.269 be the logical assumption. You expect him to 00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:03.430 fall on his sword. Right. But when Hank and Marie 00:05:03.430 --> 00:05:06.769 get home and pop that disc into the player, they 00:05:06.769 --> 00:05:08.990 don't get an apology. They get a narrative flip 00:05:08.990 --> 00:05:11.509 that is so audacious you almost have to respect 00:05:11.509 --> 00:05:14.829 the raw strategy of it. It is evil genius. Let's 00:05:14.829 --> 00:05:17.129 break down the twist here. Walt looks into the 00:05:17.129 --> 00:05:19.550 camera and he starts with that classic line. 00:05:20.230 --> 00:05:23.290 My name is Walter Hartwell White. I live at 308 00:05:23.290 --> 00:05:25.990 Negra Arroyo Lane. It echoes the pilot episode 00:05:25.990 --> 00:05:28.290 perfectly, the framing, the delivery. And he 00:05:28.290 --> 00:05:31.009 admits to cooking meth. He admits to being the 00:05:31.009 --> 00:05:33.490 chemist. So technically you could argue he is 00:05:33.490 --> 00:05:35.889 confessing to the crime. He confesses to the 00:05:35.889 --> 00:05:38.629 act, but he completely changes the agency. He 00:05:38.629 --> 00:05:40.670 claims he was forced to cook. Forced to cook 00:05:40.670 --> 00:05:43.569 by Hank. By Hank Schrader, the assistant special 00:05:43.569 --> 00:05:46.490 agent in charge of the DEA. It's insane. Walt 00:05:46.490 --> 00:05:49.189 spins this incredible, intricate story where 00:05:49.189 --> 00:05:51.589 Hank is actually the mastermind. He's the real 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:53.629 Heisenberg. He says Hank has been building a 00:05:53.629 --> 00:05:57.029 meth empire for years. And used Walt, a mild 00:05:57.029 --> 00:05:59.829 mannered, dying chemistry teacher, as is essentially 00:05:59.829 --> 00:06:02.310 his slave. He says Hank threatened his family, 00:06:02.670 --> 00:06:04.689 threatened to kill him, and forced him to brew 00:06:04.689 --> 00:06:07.470 the product to fuel Hank's distribution network. 00:06:07.610 --> 00:06:09.990 It's the evil twin defense on steroids. It's 00:06:09.990 --> 00:06:12.250 so brazen. But here's the thing that always gets 00:06:12.250 --> 00:06:15.089 me about this scene. On the surface, it sounds 00:06:15.089 --> 00:06:18.129 ridiculous, right? Why would anyone believe a 00:06:18.129 --> 00:06:21.230 drug dealer claiming the DEA agent made him do 00:06:21.230 --> 00:06:23.829 it? It sounds like a desperate lie from a cornered 00:06:23.829 --> 00:06:26.649 criminal. Exactly. And if that were all, it wouldn't 00:06:26.649 --> 00:06:28.790 work at all. The DEA would laugh it out of the 00:06:28.790 --> 00:06:31.870 room. Right. But this is where we see the terrifying 00:06:31.870 --> 00:06:35.810 genius of Walter White. He knows that a good 00:06:35.810 --> 00:06:38.800 lie... A really good lie needs to be anchored 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:41.839 in verifiable facts. We have to sprinkle in the 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:45.319 truth. He takes indisputable truths and completely 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:48.800 recontextualizes them to frame his accuser. And 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.079 then he drops the checkmate detail. The money. 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:53.800 The physical therapy bills. This is the linchpin. 00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:56.319 This is what makes the whole thing work. We have 00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:58.100 to rewind a bit for you if you don't recall the 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:00.439 details of season 3 perfectly. Because it's a 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:03.139 deep cut. Remember when Hank was shot by the 00:07:03.139 --> 00:07:05.680 cartel cousins? The hitmen, right. Hank was nearly 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:09.079 paralyzed. He needed extensive top -tier physical 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:11.839 therapy just to be able to walk again. His insurance 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:14.579 wouldn't cover the specialists. Marie was desperate. 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:16.639 She just wanted her husband to walk. She was 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:19.620 vulnerable. And Walt and Skyler stepped in. They 00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:21.399 offered to pay the bills. And crucially, they 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:23.819 told Marie the money came from Walt's gambling 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:26.360 winnings. That was the whole cover story Skyler 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:28.019 came up with. Which was actually meth money. 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:31.120 Correct. So Marie took the money. Hank didn't 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.100 know. Hank thought it was his insurance covering 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:35.339 it. But the reality, the paper trail reality, 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:39.050 is that Hank Schrader's recovery was funded by 00:07:39.050 --> 00:07:43.529 roughly $177 ,000 of drug money. That is the 00:07:43.529 --> 00:07:46.069 smoking gun. It is. Because when Walt brings 00:07:46.069 --> 00:07:49.149 this up in the confession video, it changes the 00:07:49.149 --> 00:07:51.589 entire landscape. Because think about it from 00:07:51.589 --> 00:07:55.050 an outsider's perspective. If Hank tries to prosecute 00:07:55.050 --> 00:07:58.269 Walt now, Walt releases this tape. An internal 00:07:58.269 --> 00:08:00.569 affairs investigator looks at the financials 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:02.920 and what do they see? They see a direct line 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.000 of cash. A direct line from the Heisenberg operation 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:09.100 to Hank Schrader's medical bills. It effectively 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:11.980 destroys Hank's credibility instantly. It looks 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:13.740 like a payoff. It looks like Hank was taking 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:15.420 his cut of the profits. It makes him look like 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:18.759 a cartel boff. It makes prosecuting Walt impossible 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:21.920 without Hank incriminating himself as a participant 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.860 in this scheme. It is mutually assured destruction. 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:27.800 Classic Cold War tactics. It's scary how good 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:30.829 Walt is at this. He took the one act of kindness 00:08:30.829 --> 00:08:33.289 he did helping a family member with medical bills, 00:08:33.350 --> 00:08:36.590 and he weaponized it into a legal shield. It 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:38.830 shows the absolute moral decay of the character 00:08:38.830 --> 00:08:41.950 at this point. He is willing to destroy Hank's 00:08:41.950 --> 00:08:45.509 career, destroy his reputation using Hank's own 00:08:45.509 --> 00:08:47.929 physical trauma against him just to stay out 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:50.370 of jail. And at least Hank paralyzed all over 00:08:50.370 --> 00:08:52.309 again. Not physically this time, but legally. 00:08:52.870 --> 00:08:55.669 He's frozen. He's totally trapped, which buys 00:08:55.669 --> 00:08:58.580 Walt the time he needs. But Walt isn't just manipulating 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:00.860 Hank here. As we move into this next section, 00:09:01.059 --> 00:09:03.220 we see that Walt is fighting a war on all sides. 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:05.700 He really is spinning plates. And the most heartbreaking 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:08.679 plate he's spinning is his own son, Walter Jr. 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:11.299 This scene is so difficult to watch because it 00:09:11.299 --> 00:09:13.840 involves exploiting a child's love. Yeah, in 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:15.620 the episode, Walter Jr. is just trying to go 00:09:15.620 --> 00:09:17.759 to his Aunt Marie's house. He says she asked 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:19.840 him to come over to help fix a computer and stay 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:22.409 for dinner. Which is innocent enough. Junior 00:09:22.409 --> 00:09:24.309 doesn't know about the criminal warfare happening 00:09:24.309 --> 00:09:27.009 behind the scenes. But Walt knows. Walt knows 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:29.490 exactly what Marie is trying to do. He knows 00:09:29.490 --> 00:09:32.490 that if Junior goes to that house, Marie might 00:09:32.490 --> 00:09:35.330 tell him the truth about his dad. Or Hank might 00:09:35.330 --> 00:09:38.269 interrogate him. Walt needs to keep his son in 00:09:38.269 --> 00:09:40.809 the dark. He has to isolate him. So what does 00:09:40.809 --> 00:09:44.289 he do? He confesses again. But just like the 00:09:44.289 --> 00:09:47.509 DVD, it's a manipulated truth. He sits his son 00:09:47.509 --> 00:09:50.139 down, looking all sad. and tells him that his 00:09:50.139 --> 00:09:52.379 cancer has returned. Yeah, this is technically 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:55.200 true. We know from the flash forwards and the 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:57.600 chemotherapy scenes that the cancer is back. 00:09:57.860 --> 00:10:00.080 Right, he isn't lying about the disease. But 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:02.259 look at why he shares this information right 00:10:02.259 --> 00:10:05.100 at this exact moment. He isn't seeking support. 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:07.580 He isn't sharing a burden with his family. No, 00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:09.799 he's using the news as a leash. He knows that 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:12.159 if he tells his son I'm dying, Junior will be 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:14.259 too emotionally devastated to leave the house. 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:16.759 He'll want to stay and comfort his dad. It's 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:20.159 pure emotional blackmail. He effectively cripples 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:22.840 his son with grief to prevent him from speaking 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:25.960 to the Schraders. It's so dark. It reinforces 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:28.440 the idea that Walt views everyone, even his own 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:31.960 flesh and blood, as pawns on a chessboard. It's 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:35.259 one thing to outsmart a DEA agent, right? It's 00:10:35.259 --> 00:10:37.419 another thing to emotionally cannibalize your 00:10:37.419 --> 00:10:40.580 own kid just to maintain your cover story. And 00:10:40.580 --> 00:10:43.539 it works. Junior stays home. Now, speaking of 00:10:43.539 --> 00:10:46.940 people who view others as pawns... We really 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:48.960 have to talk about the other confession happening 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:51.820 in this episode the one involving Todd Alquist 00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:54.879 Todd the character who perfectly represents the 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:57.840 banality of evil We have a scene at a diner Todd 00:10:57.840 --> 00:10:59.759 is sitting there with his uncle Jack and Kenny 00:11:00.299 --> 00:11:03.000 And these guys are neo -Nazis. They are hardened, 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:05.600 violent criminals. And Todd is recounting the 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:07.799 famous train heist from earlier in the season. 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:09.860 Right, from the dead freight episode. One of 00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:12.059 the most high -octane, intense moments of the 00:11:12.059 --> 00:11:14.399 entire series. Todd is telling the story to his 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:16.159 uncle like he's talking about a fishing trip. 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:18.259 He's bragging about the mechanics, the timing, 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:20.460 how much methylamine they managed to siphon out. 00:11:20.539 --> 00:11:23.299 He's so proud of himself. Yeah. But there is 00:11:23.299 --> 00:11:25.720 a glaring omission in his confession to his uncle. 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:28.279 He completely leaves out the murder. He doesn't 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:30.299 mention the young boy on the dirt bike that he 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:32.960 shot, Drew Sharp. Right. In the actual heist, 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:35.840 a young boy stumbled onto the scene and Todd 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:39.259 instinctively, without hesitating, shot him dead 00:11:39.259 --> 00:11:41.879 just to leave no witnesses. But in retelling 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:45.120 the story to Jack and Kenny over burgers, that 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:48.039 detail is completely gone. Why do you think that 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.419 is? I mean, these guys are murderers. Uncle Jack 00:11:50.419 --> 00:11:52.759 has swasta tattoos. Would they really care about 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:55.480 a dead kid? That is the fascinating question 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:57.740 here. I don't think Todd leaves it out because 00:11:57.740 --> 00:12:00.200 he feels guilty. No, definitely not. I think 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:02.360 he leaves it out because he views it as a professional 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:05.620 error. A mistake. Exactly. If he admits I had 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:08.620 to shoot a civilian kid, it makes the operation 00:12:08.620 --> 00:12:11.019 sound messy. It sounds hot. It brings heat from 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:13.299 the cops. Right. By leaving it out, he presents 00:12:13.299 --> 00:12:15.779 himself as clean, efficient, and highly professional. 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:19.980 We got the goods nobody saw us. That is chilling. 00:12:20.350 --> 00:12:22.909 To him, the murder isn't a moral feeling. It's 00:12:22.909 --> 00:12:25.429 just a glitch in the workflow that he edited 00:12:25.429 --> 00:12:27.450 out of his status report. And it works perfectly. 00:12:27.990 --> 00:12:30.009 The outcome of this conversation is that Jack 00:12:30.009 --> 00:12:32.769 and Kenny are deeply impressed. They agree to 00:12:32.769 --> 00:12:35.309 let Todd cook meth on his own. Which sets up 00:12:35.309 --> 00:12:37.190 the new world order for the rest of the show. 00:12:37.330 --> 00:12:41.129 Yes. This scene firmly establishes the new management. 00:12:41.889 --> 00:12:44.830 We've gone from the cold corporate evil of Gus 00:12:44.830 --> 00:12:48.629 Fring to the ego driven chaos of Walt. And now 00:12:48.629 --> 00:12:51.409 we are entering the era of Todd and Uncle Jack. 00:12:51.629 --> 00:12:54.230 Ruthless but casual. Ruthless but casual is a 00:12:54.230 --> 00:12:56.370 terrifying description. It really is. They're 00:12:56.370 --> 00:12:58.789 literally eating diner food, wiping ketchup off 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:00.990 their mouths, and planning a multi -million dollar 00:13:00.990 --> 00:13:03.370 meth empire. So we've got Walt lying to Hank, 00:13:03.850 --> 00:13:06.950 Walt lying to Junior, and Todd lying by omission 00:13:06.950 --> 00:13:09.659 to Jack. But now we have to shift gears and talk 00:13:09.659 --> 00:13:12.320 about the person who is absolutely sick of the 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:14.740 lies. Yes, I think then. This brings us to the 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:17.460 unraveling of Jesse. Poor Jesse. He really is 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:19.659 the moral punching bag of the series. He takes 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:22.279 so much abuse. In this episode, things start 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:24.620 badly for him right from the jump. Hank actually 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.379 gets to him. Hank gets him alone in an interrogation 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:30.159 room and tells him point blank, I know Walt is 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:32.519 Heisenberg. This is a huge moment. Hank lays 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:35.080 his cards on the table. He tries to flip Jesse. 00:13:35.289 --> 00:13:37.350 He wants Jesse to corroborate the whole story 00:13:37.350 --> 00:13:40.309 and bring Walt down. But Jesse refuses. Even 00:13:40.309 --> 00:13:43.450 after everything Walt has done to him, the poisonings, 00:13:43.529 --> 00:13:46.250 the manipulation, he refuses to cooperate with 00:13:46.250 --> 00:13:49.029 the cops. It's the street code. You don't talk 00:13:49.029 --> 00:13:53.429 to the DEA. And frankly, Jesse is terrified of 00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:55.129 Walt. He knows what happens to people who cross 00:13:55.129 --> 00:13:57.889 Heisenberg. He's seen it firsthand. So Saul Goodman 00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:00.350 swoops into the precinct and gets him released. 00:14:00.629 --> 00:14:03.970 And that leads us to the desert meeting. Visually, 00:14:04.250 --> 00:14:07.149 this show always uses the desert as a stage for 00:14:07.149 --> 00:14:10.169 the naked truth. It's where civilization is completely 00:14:10.169 --> 00:14:11.929 stripped away. That's where the masks come off. 00:14:12.389 --> 00:14:14.909 So Walt meets Jesse out in the middle of nowhere, 00:14:15.649 --> 00:14:18.169 and Walt has a proposal. He tells Jesse that 00:14:18.169 --> 00:14:21.049 Saul can contact the man who specializes in creating 00:14:21.049 --> 00:14:23.750 new identities. The source identifies this guy 00:14:23.750 --> 00:14:27.070 as Ed Galbraith, the vacuum cleaner repairman, 00:14:27.409 --> 00:14:29.879 also known as the Disappearer. Walt frames this 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:31.679 whole thing as a huge favor, and he says, go 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:33.600 start a better life. Live the life you want. 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:35.539 You're young. He's playing the benevolent father 00:14:35.539 --> 00:14:37.720 figure again. But Jesse isn't buying it anymore. 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:41.120 The fog has finally lifted for him. He confronts 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:43.419 Walt directly. He calls out the manipulation 00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:46.139 right to his face. It's such a powerful scene. 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:49.559 He screams at him to stop working him. Jesse 00:14:49.559 --> 00:14:52.409 knows. Walt killed Mike Armentrout. He knows 00:14:52.409 --> 00:14:54.669 this isn't about Jesse's happiness. It's about 00:14:54.669 --> 00:14:57.750 Walt tying up a loose end. He is basically begging 00:14:57.750 --> 00:15:00.450 for the truth. Yeah. He effectively says, just 00:15:00.450 --> 00:15:03.009 tell me you need me to leave, because if I stay, 00:15:03.190 --> 00:15:06.149 I'm a liability to you. Just be honest for once 00:15:06.149 --> 00:15:08.529 in your life. Don't frame it as a favor. And 00:15:08.529 --> 00:15:11.509 what does Walt do in response to this raw honesty? 00:15:11.649 --> 00:15:14.659 He hugs him. He hugs him, a long, tight embrace. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.480 And Jesse just crumbles. He completely breaks 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:20.360 down and cries in Walt's arms. It's agonizing 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:22.960 to watch. What is that hug? Is that a genuine 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:26.460 fatherly moment? Or is it just the ultimate manipulation? 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:28.539 That is the eternal question of their entire 00:15:28.539 --> 00:15:30.539 relationship. I think it's both, which makes 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:33.139 it even more toxic. Right. Walt does have this 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:35.620 pristed affection for Jesse, but he also knows 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:37.620 that this display of love is the only button 00:15:37.620 --> 00:15:40.470 he has left to push. Is his last resort. By hugging 00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:43.350 him, he silences Jesse's protest. He doesn't 00:15:43.350 --> 00:15:45.590 admit to killing Mike. He doesn't admit to the 00:15:45.590 --> 00:15:48.070 danger. He just suffocates all the questions 00:15:48.070 --> 00:15:51.210 with this embrace. It feels exactly like an abusive 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:53.409 relationship cycle playing out in real time. 00:15:54.110 --> 00:15:56.590 The abuser senses the victim pulling away, so 00:15:56.590 --> 00:15:58.509 they love bomb them to bring them back under 00:15:58.509 --> 00:16:01.210 control. It absolutely is. And tragically, it 00:16:01.210 --> 00:16:04.529 works momentarily. Jesse agrees to go. He agrees 00:16:04.529 --> 00:16:06.990 to leave town. He goes to Saul's office to pack 00:16:06.990 --> 00:16:08.899 up and prepare for the disappear. Which brings 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:11.820 us to the epiphany. This is the moment the entire 00:16:11.820 --> 00:16:14.200 House of Cards falls down. We really need to 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:16.460 take our time here because the logic chain the 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:18.980 writers built is complex and the show doesn't 00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:22.059 hold your hand. It fully expects you to remember 00:16:22.059 --> 00:16:24.879 details from season four. Right. So Jesse is 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:26.740 at Saul's office. He's ready to go to Alaska 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:29.440 to start over. He's got his duffel bags, but 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:31.419 he has a joint on him. He's smoking weed in the 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:34.980 office. And Saul is nervous. The disappear guy 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:37.620 is a strict professional. He will not take you 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:40.019 if you're high or if you're carrying drugs. It's 00:16:40.019 --> 00:16:42.740 too much of a risk for his operation. So Saul 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:45.100 scolds Jesse and tells him to dump the weed. 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:47.700 But Jesse being Jesse, he refuses to toss it. 00:16:47.860 --> 00:16:49.820 He's stubborn. So Saul gives a little signal 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:54.059 to his bodyguard. He will babono. He will. The 00:16:54.059 --> 00:16:56.509 large man with the very, very quick hands. As 00:16:56.509 --> 00:16:58.929 Jesse walks out the door, Huell bumps into him. 00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:01.129 It looked like a clumsy accident, just a little 00:17:01.129 --> 00:17:03.610 stumble in the narrow doorway. But it's a pickpocket 00:17:03.610 --> 00:17:06.150 move. Yeah. Huell lifts the bag of weed right 00:17:06.150 --> 00:17:08.450 out of Jesse's pocket. Jesse doesn't notice at 00:17:08.450 --> 00:17:10.789 first. He goes outside. He's standing on the 00:17:10.789 --> 00:17:12.970 curb waiting for the relocation van to arrive. 00:17:13.470 --> 00:17:16.329 He reaches into his pocket for his weed, and 00:17:16.329 --> 00:17:18.410 it's gone. Now, for most people in that situation, 00:17:18.450 --> 00:17:20.910 you just think, oh, man, the bodyguard took my 00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:23.069 weed. What a jerk. You'd be annoyed, but you'd 00:17:23.069 --> 00:17:26.240 get in the van anyway. But for Jesse, this specific 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:28.880 physical action, reaching into his pocket and 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:31.519 finding it empty, triggers a cascade of memories. 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:34.279 It completely connects the dots to the Raisin 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:36.660 cigarette incident from season four. We need 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:38.420 to break this down simply for the listeners, 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:41.460 because it is the aha moment of the entire season. 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:44.539 Let's map it out step by step. Step one, go back 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:47.380 to season four. Jesse had a cigarette with poison 00:17:47.380 --> 00:17:50.220 with Raisin hidden inside it. It was intended 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:54.140 for Gus Fring. Right. Step two. That specific 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:56.779 cigarette went missing from Jesse's pocket. And 00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:59.519 at the exact same time, Brock, the young son 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.839 of Jesse's girlfriend, was poisoned and ended 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:06.660 up in the ICU. Step three. Jesse panicked. He 00:18:06.660 --> 00:18:09.079 logically thought Brock somehow found the cigarette 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:11.920 and smoked it. But Walt convinced him otherwise. 00:18:12.599 --> 00:18:15.000 Walt sat him down and said, Gus Fring must have 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:17.279 had his men pickpocket that cigarette off you. 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.660 Gus poisoned Brock to frame me and turn you against 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:23.890 me. Exactly. Walt sold this elaborate story that 00:18:23.890 --> 00:18:26.410 Gus used to pickpocket, and Jesse believed him. 00:18:26.829 --> 00:18:29.369 That lie is the only reason Jesse agreed to help 00:18:29.369 --> 00:18:31.869 Walt kill Gus Fring. Now flash forward to the 00:18:31.869 --> 00:18:34.450 present moment. Jesse is standing on the curb. 00:18:35.089 --> 00:18:37.869 He realizes Huell just pickpocketed his weed 00:18:37.869 --> 00:18:40.029 without him feeling a thing. The realization 00:18:40.029 --> 00:18:41.869 hits him like a lightning bolt. You can literally 00:18:41.869 --> 00:18:44.519 see it. If Huell is a skilled pickpocket who 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:46.700 can lift a bag of weed without Jesse noticing, 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:48.799 then Huell was the one who lifted the rice and 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:51.019 cigarette back in season four. And if Huell stole 00:18:51.019 --> 00:18:53.160 the cigarette, he did it on Saul's orders. And 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:55.380 Saul works for Walt. Therefore, Walt had the 00:18:55.380 --> 00:18:57.680 cigarette stolen. Walt orchestrated the whole 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:00.460 panic. Walt was the one who poisoned Brock, not 00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:03.599 Gus. It's the moment the blinders fall off completely. 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.319 The father figure isn't just a manipulator. He 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:09.039 is a child poisoner. He almost killed a little 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:11.579 boy just to win a chess match against Gus Fring. 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.779 That realization, as you can see it on Aaron 00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:16.019 Paul's face, it just transforms him. He doesn't 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:18.079 get in the van. The red van pulls up. The driver 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:19.859 is sitting right there waiting, but Jesse turns 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:23.180 around. He storms back into Saul's office. And 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:26.299 this time, he is not crying in the desert. He 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:29.019 is completely enraged. He physically attacks 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:31.579 Saul. He beats him down. He pulls a gun on him. 00:19:31.619 --> 00:19:35.720 He screams at him to admit it. And Saul, terrified 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.579 for his life, he confesses. He admits that Huell 00:19:38.579 --> 00:19:41.190 took the cigarette. on waltz orders the truth 00:19:41.190 --> 00:19:44.769 is finally out and unlike waltz dvd lie earlier 00:19:44.769 --> 00:19:47.170 in the episode which was calculated in cold and 00:19:47.170 --> 00:19:50.829 sterile this truth is hot it's chaotic and it's 00:19:50.829 --> 00:19:53.890 is incredibly destructive jesse grabs saul's 00:19:53.890 --> 00:19:55.670 car keys he drives straight to the white residence 00:19:55.670 --> 00:19:57.710 he kicks in the front door and this leads us 00:19:57.710 --> 00:19:59.890 right into the climax he starts pouring gasoline 00:19:59.890 --> 00:20:02.170 everywhere all over the living room the rugs 00:20:02.170 --> 00:20:04.730 the furniture he is going to burn the heisenberg 00:20:04.730 --> 00:20:07.710 empire to the ground literally meanwhile saul 00:20:07.789 --> 00:20:10.809 is frantically calling Walt to warn him. He's 00:20:10.809 --> 00:20:13.369 saying he knows. He knows about Barack. And what's 00:20:13.369 --> 00:20:15.569 Walt's reaction? He rushes over to the car wash, 00:20:16.089 --> 00:20:19.190 his perfectly legitimate front business, and 00:20:19.190 --> 00:20:21.990 he retrieves a hidden snub -nosed revolver from 00:20:21.990 --> 00:20:25.349 the soda machine area. He freezes. The gun is 00:20:25.349 --> 00:20:27.910 in his hand. And then the screen just cuts to 00:20:27.910 --> 00:20:30.650 black. Talk about narrative tension. The pacing 00:20:30.650 --> 00:20:33.809 is absolutely masterful. The episode moves from 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:36.289 a stalemate, that intellectual chess match with 00:20:36.289 --> 00:20:39.309 the DVD at the dinner table, to a potential explosive 00:20:39.309 --> 00:20:41.710 ending. It completely shifts from psychological 00:20:41.710 --> 00:20:44.410 warfare to physical destruction. And that is 00:20:44.410 --> 00:20:46.410 exactly where the episode leaves us hanging. 00:20:46.890 --> 00:20:49.170 With the gasoline pouring and the gun being loaded. 00:20:49.329 --> 00:20:51.430 You start with a quiet conversation over chips 00:20:51.430 --> 00:20:54.230 and salsa, and you end with arson. It's brilliant. 00:20:54.349 --> 00:20:56.789 It really is. Now I want to pivot a bit. We've 00:20:56.789 --> 00:20:58.650 covered the story and the narrative structure, 00:20:58.650 --> 00:21:01.230 but let's talk about how this episode was made 00:21:01.230 --> 00:21:03.829 and how it was received by the world. There are 00:21:03.829 --> 00:21:05.809 some fascinating tidbits here in the production 00:21:05.809 --> 00:21:08.150 notes. First off, the critical reception was 00:21:08.150 --> 00:21:10.410 stellar, as you'd probably expect. The numbers 00:21:10.410 --> 00:21:14.109 definitely back it up. 4 .85 million viewers 00:21:14.109 --> 00:21:17.329 watched this episode live. Which was a noticeable 00:21:17.329 --> 00:21:20.150 increase from the previous episode. The momentum 00:21:20.150 --> 00:21:22.410 was really building. The audience knew the end 00:21:22.410 --> 00:21:25.279 was near. And... Retrospectively, The Ringer 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:28.700 ranked this episode the 24th best out of all 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:31.920 62 episodes of the series. Which is highly respectable 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.700 given how many flawless episodes this show actually 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:37.279 has. Oh, for sure. And the acting was recognized 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:41.099 immediately by critics. TV line named Aaron Paul, 00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:43.119 their performer of the week. And frankly, he 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:45.119 deserved it for that desert scene alone, let 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:47.160 alone the realization scene. Well, the industry 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:50.319 clearly agreed with them because in 2014, Aaron 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:53.250 Paul won the primetime Emmy. for outstanding 00:21:53.250 --> 00:21:55.529 supporting actor in a drama series. And this 00:21:55.529 --> 00:21:58.029 specific episode, Confessions, was his official 00:21:58.029 --> 00:22:00.650 submission tape for the voters. So when he stood 00:22:00.650 --> 00:22:03.750 on that stage and held that trophy, it was largely 00:22:03.750 --> 00:22:05.930 because of the work he did in this 47 -minute 00:22:05.930 --> 00:22:08.349 window. The total emotional breakdown in the 00:22:08.349 --> 00:22:10.910 desert followed by the murderous rage in Saul's 00:22:10.910 --> 00:22:13.490 office. That is textbook Emmy -winning material. 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:16.630 The range required to go from vulnerable sobbing 00:22:16.630 --> 00:22:20.349 to just violent rage in one single hour of television 00:22:20.349 --> 00:22:23.009 is incredible. And we can't forget the writing 00:22:23.009 --> 00:22:25.769 either. Jennifer Hetchison won the Writers Guild 00:22:25.769 --> 00:22:28.549 of America Award for episodic drama for this 00:22:28.549 --> 00:22:31.769 specific script. Which is a huge honor. It shows 00:22:31.769 --> 00:22:34.690 that her peers, her fellow professional screenwriters, 00:22:34.950 --> 00:22:37.769 saw the intricate complexity of that DVD confession 00:22:37.769 --> 00:22:40.650 and the perfect pacing of the ricin reveal. And 00:22:40.650 --> 00:22:43.089 they recognized it as top tier storytelling. 00:22:43.369 --> 00:22:45.769 Now, here is where the research gets weirdly 00:22:45.769 --> 00:22:49.569 fun. We promised a retail CEO cameo earlier. 00:22:49.930 --> 00:22:52.900 Yes. This is such a great piece of trivia. Did 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:54.579 you happen to notice the customer at the car 00:22:54.579 --> 00:22:57.160 wash early in the episode? The guy Skylar waits 00:22:57.160 --> 00:22:59.099 on? The guy she gives the wrong change to because 00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:01.079 she's so distracted by the Hank situation. Yeah, 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:03.460 that guy. That is Miller Drexler. And who is 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:05.559 Miller Drexler exactly? At the time, he was the 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:07.980 chairman and CEO of J. Crew Group. The clothing 00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:11.079 store? Yes. What is the CEO of J. Crew doing 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:14.619 in an Albuquerque car wash on Breaking Bad? Apparently 00:23:14.619 --> 00:23:17.019 he was just a massive, massive fan of the show. 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:20.700 He loved it so much that he essentially used 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:24.339 his connections to ask for a cameo. And how did 00:23:24.339 --> 00:23:27.839 he do as an actor? Well, he has maybe eight or 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:30.519 nine words of dialogue total. Just saying hello, 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:32.920 thank you, very basic stuff. Simple enough, right? 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:34.859 But according to the reflection notes, it took 00:23:34.859 --> 00:23:37.859 nine takes to film those eight words. Nine takes? 00:23:38.339 --> 00:23:40.880 I guess being a highly successful CEO doesn't 00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:43.480 automatically make you an actor. It proves that 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:45.799 acting is a lot harder than it looks. You can 00:23:45.799 --> 00:23:48.059 run a billion -dollar retail empire but standing 00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:49.839 naturally in front of a camera and just taking 00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:52.359 change from Skylar White. That takes a completely 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:54.589 different skill set. That is hilarious. I love 00:23:54.589 --> 00:23:56.509 those little behind the scenes details. It grounds 00:23:56.509 --> 00:23:58.650 the show in reality, ironically. It's a great 00:23:58.650 --> 00:24:00.690 fun Easter egg for the business nerds out there. 00:24:01.109 --> 00:24:04.869 So we've unpacked the lies, the truths, the acting, 00:24:05.049 --> 00:24:07.490 the writing and the corporate cameos. What does 00:24:07.490 --> 00:24:09.589 this all mean when we zoom out? If we look at 00:24:09.589 --> 00:24:12.390 the big picture of the final season, this episode 00:24:12.390 --> 00:24:15.329 is the catalyst. Before Confessions, there was 00:24:15.329 --> 00:24:17.549 a sense that maybe just maybe Wall could talk 00:24:17.549 --> 00:24:19.750 his way out of this. Maybe he could negotiate 00:24:19.750 --> 00:24:22.309 an uneasy truce with Hank. Maybe Jesse would 00:24:22.309 --> 00:24:24.309 just fade away into the background. But after 00:24:24.309 --> 00:24:27.470 this? After this negotiation is dead, Walt nuked 00:24:27.470 --> 00:24:30.609 the bridge with Hank using the DVD, and the truth 00:24:30.609 --> 00:24:33.450 about Brock nuked the bridge with Jesse. The 00:24:33.450 --> 00:24:36.630 realization about Huel? and the rice and cigarette 00:24:36.630 --> 00:24:39.769 acts as the match. Literally and metaphorically. 00:24:39.849 --> 00:24:42.730 It perfectly sets up the chaotic, violent finale 00:24:42.730 --> 00:24:45.109 of the series. There is absolutely no going back 00:24:45.109 --> 00:24:46.890 to the status quo for any of these characters. 00:24:47.029 --> 00:24:49.410 No. The lies were what held their world together. 00:24:49.589 --> 00:24:52.130 The truth is what's tearing it apart. That's 00:24:52.130 --> 00:24:54.490 a really powerful takeaway. Think about it. The 00:24:54.490 --> 00:24:58.190 DVD confession, which was a total lie, kept Hank 00:24:58.190 --> 00:25:01.470 frozen and safe in a way. But the realization 00:25:01.470 --> 00:25:03.710 about the cigarette, which was the truth, set 00:25:03.710 --> 00:25:06.160 Jesse on fire. And that actually leads me to 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:08.339 a question I'd like you, our listeners, to think 00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:10.740 about after we wrap up here. Let's hear it. In 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:13.480 an episode defined by confessions and lies, the 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:16.420 most destructive force turned out to be the undeniable 00:25:16.420 --> 00:25:20.460 truth. Jesse realizing who poisoned Brock. Does 00:25:20.460 --> 00:25:22.420 this suggest that in the Breaking Bad universe, 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:25.359 ignorance was actually safety? Expand on that 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:28.220 a bit. Well, think about it. If Jesse had just 00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:30.799 gotten in that red van, if he hadn't checked 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:33.359 his pocket and realized the truth about the cigarette, 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:35.519 he would have been free. He would have had a 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:37.440 brand new life in Alaska. He would have been 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:39.319 saved. He would have escaped the cycle of violence 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:42.579 entirely. Exactly. The truth didn't set him free. 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:45.700 The truth destroyed his chance at freedom and 00:25:45.700 --> 00:25:47.880 sent him right back into the hell of the meth 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:49.539 trade and everything that happens to him in the 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:53.019 final episodes. It's a very dark thought. Wow. 00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:55.839 That really is something to chew on. Is the truth 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:58.339 always worth it? In Breaking Bad, the answer 00:25:58.339 --> 00:26:00.720 seems to be... Maybe not. It's definitely not 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:02.720 a fairy tale where the truth comes out and saves 00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:05.039 the day. No, it isn't. Well, on that cheerful 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:07.240 note, we are going to wrap up this deep dive 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:10.779 into confessions. It's been a real pleasure analyzing 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:12.980 the darkness with you. Thank you all for listening. 00:26:13.299 --> 00:26:15.539 If you enjoyed this breakdown, make sure to subscribe. 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:18.440 We've got plenty more curated downloads of knowledge 00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:21.480 coming your way soon. Until next time. Stay curious, 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:24.440 everyone. And check your pockets.