WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.100 Welcome back to the deep dive. We are really 00:00:02.100 --> 00:00:05.459 glad you're here with us because today we are 00:00:05.459 --> 00:00:07.940 heading straight into the desert heat. Oh, yeah. 00:00:08.089 --> 00:00:10.589 We're going back to Albuquerque. Exactly. Albuquerque, 00:00:10.630 --> 00:00:14.189 New Mexico. We are we're stripping down the engine 00:00:14.189 --> 00:00:17.449 of what is arguably one of the most intense claustrophobic 00:00:17.449 --> 00:00:21.190 and just psychologically complex dramas in the 00:00:21.190 --> 00:00:24.170 history of television. We are talking about Breaking 00:00:24.170 --> 00:00:27.190 Bad. It is. It's always a good day when we get 00:00:27.190 --> 00:00:29.510 to analyze the downfall of Walter White. Always. 00:00:29.730 --> 00:00:32.130 And specifically today, we are cracking open 00:00:32.130 --> 00:00:34.609 the 12th episode of the fifth and final season. 00:00:34.869 --> 00:00:39.079 The episode is titled Rabbit Dog. I mean, it's 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:40.920 a title that just sits there and growls at you, 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:44.659 doesn't it? It immediately evokes this this visceral 00:00:44.659 --> 00:00:46.700 sense of danger. You hear that title and you 00:00:46.700 --> 00:00:49.039 think of something unpredictable, you know, something 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:51.640 sick, something that was maybe once a loyal companion, 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:55.039 but has just completely turned violent. Precisely. 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:58.079 And frankly, it is the perfect metaphor for where 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:00.759 we find ourselves in this specific narrative 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:03.780 arc. We are in the end game now. The final eight 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:06.560 episodes. Right. And Rabid Dog is really where 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:08.780 the psychological warfare just completely takes 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:11.620 over the narrative. So for you, the learner listening 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:13.620 today, if you think you remember this episode, 00:01:13.739 --> 00:01:16.140 you might remember the big visual moments. The 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:18.680 gasoline can. Yeah, the gasoline can. The plaza 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:21.280 scene. But we are going to do what we do best 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:24.359 here. We are going to unpack the machinery underneath 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:27.459 all of that. We're looking at the lies, the shifting 00:01:27.459 --> 00:01:30.280 alliances, and frankly, the moment where characters 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:33.140 we thought we knew pushed past their moral points 00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:35.659 of no return. It is a pivotal bridge episode. 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:38.159 If we look at the source material we have today. 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:40.359 Which is pretty extensive. Very extensive. It 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:42.700 includes a detailed plot breakdown, production 00:01:42.700 --> 00:01:45.560 notes, reception data, and looking at all that. 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:48.519 This episode is really the setup for the final 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:51.459 catastrophe. It is where the chess pieces are 00:01:51.459 --> 00:01:54.060 moved into their final, fatal positions. Right. 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.019 And our mission today is to figure out exactly 00:01:56.019 --> 00:01:58.239 how that happens. We want to understand the transformation 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:01.420 of the alliances. Who is loyal to whom? And more 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:03.560 importantly, who is willing to kill whom? Because 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.780 the answers to those questions in Rabbit Dog 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:07.739 are actually quite surprising compared to where 00:02:07.739 --> 00:02:10.139 we started the series. Absolutely. It is an episode 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:13.310 defined by paranoia. Everyone is looking over 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:16.169 their shoulder. The walls are closing in on Walter 00:02:16.169 --> 00:02:18.129 White, but they are also closing in on everyone 00:02:18.129 --> 00:02:21.289 else. Nobody is safe. So let's not waste any 00:02:21.289 --> 00:02:24.229 time. Let's jump right into the deep end. We 00:02:24.229 --> 00:02:27.370 need to talk about the smell of gasoline. This 00:02:27.370 --> 00:02:30.550 is segment one, the aftermath of the gasoline. 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:33.169 Let's set the scene. We really have to recall 00:02:33.169 --> 00:02:35.270 the cliffhanger from the previous episode, which 00:02:35.270 --> 00:02:39.250 was confessions. Jesse Pinkman has finally put 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:42.629 the pieces together. He realizes that Walt poisoned 00:02:42.629 --> 00:02:45.509 Brock. Yes. He is completely unraveled. I mean, 00:02:45.689 --> 00:02:47.710 he breaks into Walter White's house, kicks the 00:02:47.710 --> 00:02:51.349 door in, and he is just furious. He douses the 00:02:51.349 --> 00:02:53.330 entire living room in gasoline, and the source 00:02:53.330 --> 00:02:56.050 material really emphasizes just how soaked the 00:02:56.050 --> 00:02:58.509 place is. It's a visceral image. Think about 00:02:58.509 --> 00:03:01.349 what that house represents. Right. For five seasons, 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:04.310 that house with the pool and the beige carpet 00:03:04.310 --> 00:03:07.639 has been Walt's sanctuary. His anchor. Exactly. 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:09.860 It was the one place he tried to keep entirely 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:13.580 separate from his life is Heisenberg. So, Jesse 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:16.560 pouring gasoline all over it represents the total 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.780 destruction of that barrier between Walt's criminal 00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:22.180 life and his domestic life. It is the invasion 00:03:22.180 --> 00:03:25.000 of the chaos into the mundane. Perfectly said. 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.000 So, Rabbit Dog opens and Walt... arrives. He 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:30.939 pulls up to the house and you can see the tension 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:33.300 in his body language. He knows something is wrong. 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:36.400 He is cautious. He enters with his gun drawn. 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:39.280 He is clearing corners like he is in a tactical 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:41.599 shooter or something. He is searching for Jesse. 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:44.439 But here's the thing. Jesse is gone. Jesse is 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:46.680 gone. The house is empty, but the evidence of 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:50.599 the rage is everywhere. The fumes must be overpowering. 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.219 But Walt notices something specific outside before 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:55.520 he even goes in. He finds Saul Goodman's car 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:57.990 crashed in the driveway. And inside the car, 00:03:58.229 --> 00:04:00.530 he finds a CD case with white powder on it. And 00:04:00.530 --> 00:04:03.210 this leads Walt to a very specific and, I think, 00:04:03.590 --> 00:04:05.430 fascinating conclusion. He sees the powder, he 00:04:05.430 --> 00:04:08.370 sees the crash, and he assumes Jesse is high 00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:10.969 on meth. It is a logical leap for Walt, but it 00:04:10.969 --> 00:04:13.430 is also a massive psychological defense mechanism. 00:04:13.889 --> 00:04:16.790 How so? Well, think about it. If Jesse is just 00:04:16.790 --> 00:04:20.829 high, if he is just relapsing, then this is a 00:04:20.829 --> 00:04:23.470 problem Walt can solve. Oh, I see. I mean, Jesse's 00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:26.300 just being a junkie. It allows Walt to frame 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.459 Jesse's behavior as a drug -induced psychosis 00:04:29.459 --> 00:04:32.839 rather than a righteous reaction to Walt's own 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:35.220 horrible actions. He doesn't want to admit it's 00:04:35.220 --> 00:04:38.000 about Brock. That is such a great point. It is 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.060 Walt compartmentalizing again. always. He absolutely 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:43.439 refuses to believe that he has been outsmarted 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:45.600 or that his secrets are out. He would rather 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:48.339 believe Jesse is an addict on a bender than believe 00:04:48.339 --> 00:04:50.680 Jesse is an enemy who actually knows the truth. 00:04:50.819 --> 00:04:53.439 Exactly. It minimizes Jesse's agency completely. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.439 So the house is a total disaster. It reeks of 00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:58.980 gasoline. What does Walter White, the master 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:01.819 problem solver, do? He tries to fix it. He tries 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:04.000 to fix it. He calls a cleaning crew. This is 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:05.879 such a classic Walter White move. He genuinely 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:08.120 believes everything is a technical problem with 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.180 a technical solution. Right, like chemistry. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.279 Exactly like chemistry. If there's a mess, you 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:16.079 clean it. If there is a body, you dissolve it 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:19.199 in acid. If there is gasoline all over your carpet, 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:21.920 you scrub it. He literally sits by the pool, 00:05:22.259 --> 00:05:23.980 watching them work, thinking he could just erase 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:26.519 this event. But this time, the science fails 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:29.189 him. It does. The cleaning crew comes out and 00:05:29.189 --> 00:05:30.629 tells them they can't get the smell out. They 00:05:30.629 --> 00:05:32.750 say the gasoline is soaked into the subflooring. 00:05:32.990 --> 00:05:35.750 It is in the fibers. It is in the wood. And I 00:05:35.750 --> 00:05:38.490 think there is a heavy symbolic weight to this 00:05:38.490 --> 00:05:40.839 moment that you just can't overlook. Walk us 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:43.120 through that. Is it about the permanence of his 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.240 actions? Precisely. You can't just scrub away 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:49.240 the sins of the past anymore. The stench of what 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:51.899 Walt has done is now permanent. It has permeated 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:53.920 the very foundation of his home. It's deep in 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:56.180 the floorboards. Right. No amount of scrubbing, 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:57.740 no amount of chemicals is going to make the White 00:05:57.740 --> 00:06:00.839 residence a normal suburban home again. The damage 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:03.839 is done. The rod is in the foundation. That is 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:05.560 a really chilling thought when you put it like 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:08.540 that. The foundation is ruined. So the cleaning 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:12.259 fails. Walt has a smelly house and a family Schuyler 00:06:12.259 --> 00:06:14.160 and junior who are coming home soon. He needs 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:17.759 a story. He needs a story. He needs a lie. And 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:19.540 this is where it gets really interesting for 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:23.240 me. The fabrication of this lie. Walt's commitment 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:25.699 to the lie here is truly something to behold. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:29.420 It is borderline psychotic. It really is. He 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:31.980 decides to cover his tracks by dousing his own 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:34.579 clothing in his car seats with gasoline. He takes 00:06:34.579 --> 00:06:38.339 a gas can and literally soaks his pants, his 00:06:38.339 --> 00:06:41.519 shirt. the upholstery of his car. I mean, think 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:43.600 about the desperation required to do that. If 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:45.439 you've ever gotten gasoline on your hands, you 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:48.100 know it burns the skin. The fumes make you dizzy. 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:51.620 It's toxic. Highly toxic. To voluntarily cover 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:54.759 yourself in a flammable, toxic substance just 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.740 to sell a narrative, it shows exactly how cornered 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:00.100 he is. He has to physically become the toxicity 00:07:00.100 --> 00:07:02.259 to explain the toxicity. And the narrative he 00:07:02.259 --> 00:07:05.000 comes up with is... Well, it's questionable at 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:07.699 best. Yeah, he concocts this story about a pump 00:07:07.699 --> 00:07:10.399 malfunction at a gas station. He tells them he 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.139 was pumping gas and the nozzle failed and it 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:15.720 sprayed gasoline all over him and then he accidentally 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:17.459 tracked it onto the floor when he walked in. 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:20.699 The infamous pump malfunction lie. It's detailed, 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:23.569 it's physical, but it's also frantic. It feels 00:07:23.569 --> 00:07:25.930 like the lie of a man who is running out of good 00:07:25.930 --> 00:07:29.110 lies. Exactly. So he is soaking wet with gasoline, 00:07:29.350 --> 00:07:31.709 the house smells like an oil refinery, and the 00:07:31.709 --> 00:07:34.310 family pulls into the driveway. Let's move to 00:07:34.310 --> 00:07:36.730 segment two, which covers the family dynamics 00:07:36.730 --> 00:07:39.069 and the suspicion, because he has to sell this 00:07:39.069 --> 00:07:43.170 insane story to Skyler and Walter Jr. And the 00:07:43.170 --> 00:07:45.209 reaction is split between the two of them, which 00:07:45.209 --> 00:07:47.529 is fascinating because it really highlights the 00:07:47.529 --> 00:07:49.850 tragedy of Walter Junior. Walter Junior buys 00:07:49.850 --> 00:07:52.529 it immediately. He does. But he doesn't just 00:07:52.529 --> 00:07:54.949 buy the pump malfunction story. He adds his own 00:07:54.949 --> 00:07:57.449 interpretation to it. Right. He looks at his 00:07:57.449 --> 00:07:59.769 dad who is soaked in gas, sort of stumbling around, 00:07:59.769 --> 00:08:02.250 and he thinks, Walt fainted again. He attributes 00:08:02.250 --> 00:08:05.269 the clumsiness or the accident to his father's 00:08:05.269 --> 00:08:07.129 cancer attorney. It breaks your heart, doesn't 00:08:07.129 --> 00:08:09.569 it? It really does. Junior is still operating 00:08:09.569 --> 00:08:12.779 in a world where his father is a victim. He sees 00:08:12.779 --> 00:08:15.339 a sick man who had an unfortunate accident. He 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:17.620 protects his father with his own concern. Exactly. 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:20.860 He is perhaps the only person left in the entire 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:23.759 show who still sees Walter White as a good man. 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:26.939 But Skyler. Skyler is not having it. Not for 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:29.980 a single second. Skyler White has lived through 00:08:29.980 --> 00:08:32.799 way too many of Walt's fugue states and elaborate 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:36.960 excuses. She smells the gasoline. But she senses 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:39.879 the real danger underneath it. She suspects something 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:42.940 more sinister is at play almost immediately The 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:46.100 source material notes that she is visibly doubtful 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:49.700 She knows this wasn't a pump malfunction. She 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:52.480 knows this is related to the business And because 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:55.200 of the smell in Walt's lie, the family is displaced. 00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:57.559 They have to move into a hotel while the flooring 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:00.580 and carpet are replaced. Again, we see this physical 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:03.820 displacement mirroring the psychological instability 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:05.740 of the character. Yeah, refugees from their own 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:08.120 home. Right, because of Walt's actions. They're 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:10.720 sleeping in a beige hotel room living out of 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:12.679 suitcases because Walt's world has literally 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:15.600 poisoned their living space. The kingpin is essentially 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.460 homeless. So while they're at the hotel, Walt 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:20.620 sneaks away. He goes down to the parking lot 00:09:20.620 --> 00:09:23.139 to meet with Saul Goodman and Patrick Kubi. This 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:25.200 is basically the war room. This parking lot meeting 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:28.059 is crucial for the strategic element of the episode. 00:09:28.419 --> 00:09:30.820 They are trying to find Jesse, but Jesse is in 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:33.740 the wind. No one knows where he is. And Saul 00:09:33.740 --> 00:09:36.120 Goodman, well, Saul is a pragmatist. He looks 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:38.220 at the board. He sees the pieces and he makes 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:40.740 a suggestion. He does. Saul looks at the situation. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:44.500 Jesse is acting erratic. He knows way too much. 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:47.580 He literally just tried to burn down Walt's house 00:09:47.580 --> 00:09:51.440 and Saul drops a hint. He suggests an Old Yeller 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:54.200 situation. Now for you listening, if you don't 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:57.200 know the reference, Old Yeller is a classic story 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:00.120 about a loyal dog that gets rabies and ultimately 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:02.159 has to be put down by its owner for the safety 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:05.299 of the family. Saul is directly implying that 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:08.159 Jesse is a rabid dog. Exactly. He is suggesting 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:11.240 a permanent solution, killing Jesse. Saul is 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:12.940 basically saying, look, I like the kid too, but 00:10:12.940 --> 00:10:15.139 he's a massive liability. He's sick. Put him 00:10:15.139 --> 00:10:17.299 out of his misery. But you have to note Walt's 00:10:17.299 --> 00:10:19.450 reaction here. This is incredibly important for 00:10:19.450 --> 00:10:22.529 his character. Walt refuses. He explicitly rejects 00:10:22.529 --> 00:10:25.830 the idea. He shuts Saul down aggressively. He 00:10:25.830 --> 00:10:27.909 says something to the effect of, do not float 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:30.830 that idea again. This is so significant to me. 00:10:31.090 --> 00:10:33.669 Despite everything, despite the massive threat 00:10:33.669 --> 00:10:36.190 Jesse poses, despite the gasoline in his house, 00:10:36.809 --> 00:10:38.950 despite the fact that Jesse knows enough to send 00:10:38.950 --> 00:10:40.990 Walt to a federal prison for the rest of his 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:44.389 life. Walt still holds onto this paternal affection 00:10:44.389 --> 00:10:47.210 for Jesse. He refuses to cross that specific 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:49.509 line. He still thinks he can handle Jesse, that 00:10:49.509 --> 00:10:51.169 he can just talk him down like he always does. 00:10:51.269 --> 00:10:54.750 It's pure hubris, but it's also love. It's a 00:10:54.750 --> 00:10:58.450 twisted, deeply toxic love, but it is love nonetheless. 00:10:59.190 --> 00:11:01.409 He still fundamentally thinks he is the teacher 00:11:01.409 --> 00:11:04.070 and Jesse is the student. Which brings us directly 00:11:04.070 --> 00:11:06.899 to segment three, The Hotel Confrontation. Because 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:09.379 while Walt is down there defending Jesse to Saul, 00:11:09.940 --> 00:11:11.899 Skyler is watching from the window upstairs. 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:14.259 She sees Walt with Saul in the parking lot. She 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:16.600 sees the intensity of the conversation. She knows 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:18.679 the pump malfunction was a complete lie. And 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:20.559 when Walt comes back up to the room, she confronts 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:23.240 him. She backs him into a corner. She demands 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.679 the truth. And Walt, surprisingly, confesses. 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:28.279 Well, a version of the truth. Right, a version 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:31.149 of it. He admits Jesse is upset. He admits Jesse 00:11:31.149 --> 00:11:32.909 was the one who tried to burn the house down. 00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:35.669 But watch how he frames it. He tries to downplay 00:11:35.669 --> 00:11:38.009 it entirely. He says, you know, it's fine. He 00:11:38.009 --> 00:11:39.929 ultimately decided against lighting the match. 00:11:40.049 --> 00:11:42.769 Like that makes it OK. Exactly. He changed his 00:11:42.769 --> 00:11:45.450 mind. It was just a moment. Walt is desperately 00:11:45.450 --> 00:11:48.490 trying to minimize the threat to keep Skyler 00:11:48.490 --> 00:11:51.570 calm. But it backfires completely. It backfires 00:11:51.570 --> 00:11:55.000 spectacularly. Skyler doesn't hear. he changed 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:58.259 his mind. What she hears is someone poured gasoline 00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:00.120 in our living room and almost burned our house 00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:01.679 down while our children could have been there. 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:04.100 And this is the moment, this is the shift that 00:12:04.100 --> 00:12:07.039 truly defines the episode for me. Skylar White, 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:10.179 the woman who spent seasons trying to get Walt 00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:12.480 out of the business, trying to protect her family 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:15.500 from the violence of this world, she looks at 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:19.120 Walt and demands he kill Jesse. It is a shocking 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:21.299 demand and it marks a complete role reversal 00:12:21.299 --> 00:12:23.340 for these two. Let's really unpack that, because 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:25.740 usually Walt is the one justifying the means, 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:28.639 right? And Skyler is the moral anchor. Exactly. 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:32.200 For seasons upon seasons, Walt has been the one 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:34.840 justifying violence as somehow necessary for 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:37.139 business or for their survival, while Skyler 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:39.700 was the one horrified by it all. Now, we have 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:42.840 Walt hesitating. He is refusing to kill Jessie 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:44.940 because of their emotional bond. And we have 00:12:44.940 --> 00:12:48.080 Skyler acting as the absolute pragmatist, looking 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:51.259 at the situation completely coldly. She views 00:12:51.259 --> 00:12:54.039 Jesse as a direct physical threat to her children 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:56.820 and her safety. She basically asks him, we've 00:12:56.820 --> 00:12:59.059 come this far, we've done all this, what's one 00:12:59.059 --> 00:13:01.570 more? It's chilling. What's one more? She has 00:13:01.570 --> 00:13:04.070 become exactly what Walt made her. She sees a 00:13:04.070 --> 00:13:06.590 threat, and she wants it neutralized. No half 00:13:06.590 --> 00:13:09.230 -measures. She is arguing from a place of pure, 00:13:09.610 --> 00:13:12.370 primal survival instinct. If this person tried 00:13:12.370 --> 00:13:15.029 to burn our house down, why is he still breathing? 00:13:15.309 --> 00:13:17.629 It forces you to realize just how far Skyler 00:13:17.629 --> 00:13:20.110 has fallen. Or perhaps how much she has adapted 00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:22.490 to the cold logic of the drug trade. In this 00:13:22.490 --> 00:13:24.429 specific moment, she is more Heisenberg than 00:13:24.429 --> 00:13:26.799 Walt is. That is a brilliant way to put it. So 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:29.320 we have Walt trying to find Jesse just to talk, 00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:32.139 and we have Saul and Skyler wanting Jesse dead. 00:13:32.440 --> 00:13:34.840 But where is Jesse? That takes us to segment 00:13:34.840 --> 00:13:37.700 four, The Flashback. The episode uses a really 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:40.159 effective structural break right here. We stop 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:42.500 the forward momentum of the hotel and we rewind 00:13:42.500 --> 00:13:44.379 the timeline to show us what actually happened 00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:46.720 back at the house. Yeah. We finally get to see 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:49.909 the missing piece. We see Jesse, lighter in his 00:13:49.909 --> 00:13:53.289 hand, gasoline everywhere. He is screaming. He 00:13:53.289 --> 00:13:55.830 is right on the edge, about to torch the place. 00:13:56.669 --> 00:13:59.110 The second traitor walks out. Hank had been trailing 00:13:59.110 --> 00:14:01.389 Jesse. Remember, Jesse had just physically assaulted 00:14:01.389 --> 00:14:03.309 Saul at his office, so Hank followed him from 00:14:03.309 --> 00:14:06.529 there. Hank enters the house. He smells the gasoline. 00:14:06.730 --> 00:14:09.330 He sees the lighter. It's an incredibly tense 00:14:09.330 --> 00:14:11.750 intervention. You have a federal agent and a 00:14:11.750 --> 00:14:13.929 guy holding a lighter in a gas -soaked room. 00:14:14.570 --> 00:14:19.139 One tiny spark, and they both die. And Hank de 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:22.039 -escalates it masterfully. But he doesn't just 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:24.620 arrest Jesse. He doesn't tackle him to the ground. 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:27.259 He talks him down. Right. He connects with him 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:30.039 on a human level. He essentially says, you want 00:14:30.039 --> 00:14:32.200 to burn him down? Let's do it together. Let's 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:35.480 do it properly. And they form this new, highly 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:38.919 unlikely alliance. Hank convinces Jesse that 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:42.240 burning the house down is small potatoes. It's 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:45.080 just arson. It doesn't hurt Walt where it counts. 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:48.120 He offers Jesse a way to really destroy Heisenberg. 00:14:48.279 --> 00:14:50.879 And the timing of this entire sequence is incredible. 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:53.559 They leave mere moments before Walt pulls up 00:14:53.559 --> 00:14:55.580 to the house. That explains why the house was 00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:57.679 empty when Walt arrived in that opening scene. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:14:59.840 They missed each other by seconds. Creates this 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:02.179 great sliding doors moment. If Walt had arrived 00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:04.740 just 30 seconds earlier, the whole show ends 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:06.779 differently. There's a shootout or an arrest 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:09.080 right there in the living room. Exactly. So Hank 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:12.139 takes Jesse, but where does he take him? To the 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:15.690 DEA station. To a holding cell. No. And this 00:15:15.690 --> 00:15:18.070 is another major sign of Hank breaking protocol. 00:15:18.509 --> 00:15:21.809 He takes Jessie to his own home. To Marie. Now, 00:15:21.809 --> 00:15:23.950 Marie is already on edge. The source material 00:15:23.950 --> 00:15:25.830 points out that we see her in a therapy session. 00:15:26.210 --> 00:15:28.529 Yes. There's a critical scene where Marie is 00:15:28.529 --> 00:15:31.250 in therapy. She is venting about her issues with 00:15:31.250 --> 00:15:34.690 Walt, but she's... totally trapped. She refuses 00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:37.509 to disclose the full criminality to the therapist 00:15:37.509 --> 00:15:39.850 because she's still protecting Hank's career 00:15:39.850 --> 00:15:42.929 and the broader family secret. She is just seething 00:15:42.929 --> 00:15:45.610 with this unexpressed rage. She's actually fantasizing 00:15:45.610 --> 00:15:48.809 about poisoning Walt. So when Hank brings Jessie, 00:15:49.830 --> 00:15:52.669 the junkie partner of the man she violently hates, 00:15:52.929 --> 00:15:55.669 into her clean safe home, you'd expect her to 00:15:55.669 --> 00:15:57.669 absolutely flip out. You'd expect her to say, 00:15:57.830 --> 00:15:59.909 get him out of here immediately. Initially she's 00:15:59.909 --> 00:16:03.710 hesitant. But Hank frames it brilliantly. He 00:16:03.710 --> 00:16:05.990 tells her that keeping Jessie there is bad for 00:16:05.990 --> 00:16:08.049 Walt. And that's all she needs to hear. That 00:16:08.049 --> 00:16:10.929 is the magic password. As soon as she knows that 00:16:10.929 --> 00:16:13.230 harboring Jessie will actively hurt Walter White, 00:16:13.590 --> 00:16:15.750 she is completely on board. She agrees to let 00:16:15.750 --> 00:16:17.629 him stay. She even brings him coffee. It shows 00:16:17.629 --> 00:16:20.190 that Marie, much like Skyler, is now motivated 00:16:20.190 --> 00:16:22.830 primarily by animosity toward Walt. The hatred 00:16:22.830 --> 00:16:24.830 for Walt is the glue holding everyone together 00:16:24.830 --> 00:16:26.750 right now. It really is. So Jessie wakes up at 00:16:26.750 --> 00:16:30.129 the Schrader house and they get to work. The 00:16:30.129 --> 00:16:32.649 confession. Hank and his partner Steve Gomez 00:16:32.649 --> 00:16:34.750 set up a video camera right there in the living 00:16:34.750 --> 00:16:37.970 room. They taped Jesse as he recounts his entire 00:16:37.970 --> 00:16:39.929 history with Walt. I mean, this must have been 00:16:39.929 --> 00:16:42.289 a massively long tape. It covers everything. 00:16:42.730 --> 00:16:46.190 The cooking in the RV, Tuco Salamanca, Gus Fring, 00:16:46.710 --> 00:16:49.210 the train heist, the tragic death of the boy 00:16:49.210 --> 00:16:51.830 on the dirt bike. It is the comprehensive history 00:16:51.830 --> 00:16:54.769 of Heisenberg. It is the truth, finally out in 00:16:54.769 --> 00:16:57.529 the open. But there is a huge problem. Hank watches 00:16:57.529 --> 00:17:00.190 the tape. And he isn't celebrating. Because it's 00:17:00.190 --> 00:17:03.370 all he said she said. Exactly. There is zero 00:17:03.370 --> 00:17:05.910 physical evidence. Walt has officially retired. 00:17:06.289 --> 00:17:08.549 He has left the business. The money is buried 00:17:08.549 --> 00:17:10.930 in the desert. Hank listens to this incredible 00:17:10.930 --> 00:17:13.609 confession and realizes it's just not enough. 00:17:14.069 --> 00:17:16.750 A jury might look at Jesse and see just a junkie 00:17:16.750 --> 00:17:19.819 making up wild stories to get a plea deal. Hank 00:17:19.819 --> 00:17:21.819 knows he needs something concrete. He needs something 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:24.299 that sticks in court. He needs Walt to incriminate 00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:26.940 himself on the record. He needs a trap. Which 00:17:26.940 --> 00:17:29.740 leads us to segment five, The Sting Operation. 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:32.319 The opportunity presents itself through a voicemail. 00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:34.960 Walt leaves a message for Jesse on his burner 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.789 phone. And he sounds just like a concerned father 00:17:37.789 --> 00:17:40.789 figure. He asks to meet Jesse in a public plaza. 00:17:41.069 --> 00:17:44.190 He says he wants to reconcile. And he specifically 00:17:44.190 --> 00:17:46.710 mentions he wants to explain the poisoning of 00:17:46.710 --> 00:17:48.930 Brock Cantillo. Which is the very thing that 00:17:48.930 --> 00:17:51.869 set Jesse off in the first place. Walt is trying 00:17:51.869 --> 00:17:54.589 to manipulate Jesse back into the fold by offering 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:57.200 him the one answer he is desperate for. It is 00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:00.099 a classic manipulation tactic. Textbook. So Hank 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:02.480 hears this and comes up with a plan. He wants 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.140 Jesse to accept the meeting. He wants Jesse wired 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:07.779 for sound. He wants to record the conversation 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:10.720 live. If he can get Walt to admit to the poisoning 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.039 or the meth cooking, or even just obstructing 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:15.200 justice, he has him dead to rights. But Jesse 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:18.339 is terrified. He is literally shaping. And rightfully 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:21.019 so. Jesse knows Walt better than anyone else 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:24.000 alive. He tells Hank, Mr. White is the devil. 00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:26.519 He's smarter than you. He's luckier than you. 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:29.799 That line, he is luckier than you, is so incredibly 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:32.680 powerful. Jesse knows that Walt somehow always 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:35.359 wiggles out of the trap. Jesse is totally convinced 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:37.180 that if he goes to that meeting, Walt will have 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:41.140 him killed. And Hank, how does he reassure him? 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:44.400 He uses logic. He reminds Jesse of all the times 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:46.759 Walt stuck his neck out for him at his own expense. 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.779 He argues that a public place, a busy plaza, 00:18:49.859 --> 00:18:52.720 and broad daylight is safe. He won't try anything 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:54.799 with witnesses around. But then we get to the 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:57.329 moment that gives the episode its title. The 00:18:57.329 --> 00:19:00.869 rabid dog metaphor from Hank's perspective. This 00:19:00.869 --> 00:19:03.269 is the scene that really changes how I look at 00:19:03.269 --> 00:19:05.769 Hank Schrader. It is the darkest moment for Hank's 00:19:05.769 --> 00:19:07.630 character in the whole series, I think. He steps 00:19:07.630 --> 00:19:09.710 aside to have a private conversation with Gomez. 00:19:10.789 --> 00:19:13.190 Gomez is genuinely worried about Jesse's safety. 00:19:13.789 --> 00:19:16.829 He asks Hank, what if Walt actually kills him? 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:19.940 And Hank says? Hank reveals that he is completely 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:22.059 indifferent to whether Jesse lives or dies. He 00:19:22.059 --> 00:19:24.420 essentially says that if Walt kills Jesse on 00:19:24.420 --> 00:19:26.359 camera, well, that's still valid evidence on 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:28.359 tape. It solves their problem. He says something 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:31.819 like, we get it all on film. Wow. That is just 00:19:31.819 --> 00:19:35.799 so cold. To Hank, Jesse is just a tool. He is 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:39.579 a rabid dog. If the dog gets put down, it's sad. 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:41.640 But it serves the greater good of catching the 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:44.420 monster. Hank has lost his moral compass here. 00:19:44.539 --> 00:19:47.599 He is willing to sacrifice a human life and inform 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:49.940 it, working directly for him, just to win the 00:19:49.940 --> 00:19:52.680 game. It really blurs the lines. We usually think 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:55.440 of Hank as the white hat, the good guy. But here, 00:19:55.619 --> 00:19:58.339 he is calculating and cold. He is acting a lot 00:19:58.339 --> 00:20:01.119 like Walt. It shows that Walt's corruption spreads 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:03.839 to everyone who touches him. In his obsessive 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:06.119 pursuit of Walt, Hank has had to shed his own 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:08.579 humanity. He has become completely ruthless. 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:11.299 So the trap is set. Let's look at segment six, 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:14.039 the plaza and the payphone. Jesse is wired up. 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:17.039 He walks toward the plaza. Hank and Gomez are 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:18.880 watching from a surveillance van parked nearby. 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:21.539 The tension is just incredibly high. The source 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:23.859 material notes the cinematography here is bright, 00:20:24.119 --> 00:20:26.400 washed out, making the shadows feel even deeper. 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:29.819 Yes. Jesse scans the area. He is incredibly paranoid. 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:32.140 And he sees something. He spots a pedestrian 00:20:32.140 --> 00:20:34.799 standing near a bench. Just a guy. A regular 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:37.240 guy waiting for someone. Yep. But in Jesse's 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:39.779 heightened state of fear, he mistakes this random 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:42.710 person for a hitman. He thinks Walt has hired 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:45.349 a pro to take him out right there in the plaza. 00:20:45.789 --> 00:20:47.930 It's a tragic misunderstanding. The source material 00:20:47.930 --> 00:20:50.289 implies this was just a mistake on Jessie's part, 00:20:50.329 --> 00:20:52.730 right? Yeah, absolutely. There is no indication 00:20:52.730 --> 00:20:55.569 in the text that Walt actually had a hitman there. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:58.400 Walt truly wanted to talk. He was sitting on 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:02.019 that bench alone. But Jesse's trust is so broken, 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:05.380 he cannot believe that. He sees a deadly threat 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:07.880 where there is absolutely none. So Jesse panics. 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:10.640 He backs down. He refuses to go through at the 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:12.819 meeting. He turns around and just walks away. 00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:14.980 And then he goes to a payphone. He calls Walt 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:17.220 directly. Walt is still sitting on the bench 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:20.279 in the plaza, waiting, looking confused. And 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:22.779 he answers the phone. And Jesse delivers a threat. 00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:26.420 He tells Walt. Nice try and then he says I'm 00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:29.000 coming for you, but he clarifies it He says he's 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:31.039 gonna get him where he really lives where he 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:33.720 really lives. That is such an ominous phrase 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:36.200 What does that mean to you looking at the analysis? 00:21:36.420 --> 00:21:38.380 It implies he isn't gonna attack him physically 00:21:38.380 --> 00:21:40.779 in a plaza. He isn't gonna just burn his house 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:43.039 down He is going to attack what truly matters 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:47.900 to him his money his family His legacy it strikes 00:21:47.900 --> 00:21:51.059 total fear into Walt because it is so vague and 00:21:51.059 --> 00:21:53.609 it targets his ultimate vulnerabilities Walt 00:21:53.609 --> 00:21:55.970 is just left holding the phone. The reconciliation 00:21:55.970 --> 00:21:58.990 completely failed. The bridge is burned. Meanwhile, 00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:02.329 back in the surveillance van, Hank is furious. 00:22:02.849 --> 00:22:04.890 He picks Jesse up and berates him for blowing 00:22:04.890 --> 00:22:08.309 the plan. We had him. Why did you walk away? 00:22:08.609 --> 00:22:11.789 Jesse is calm now. That is the major shift. Jesse 00:22:11.789 --> 00:22:14.369 isn't panicking anymore. He looks at Hank and 00:22:14.369 --> 00:22:17.069 says he has a better strategy in mind. The text 00:22:17.069 --> 00:22:19.380 doesn't reveal what it is yet. But the confidence 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:21.920 is back. Jesse has stopped reacting to Walt and 00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:24.220 has finally started planning against him. He 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:26.359 has taken back his agency. And while Jesse is 00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:29.039 planning, Walt is reacting. Which brings us to 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:31.680 Segment 7, The Final Move. This is the end of 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:34.339 the episode. Walt is sitting in his car. He realizes 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:36.700 he can no longer talk Jesse down. The threat 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:39.039 on the phone was the final straw. Skyler was 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:42.640 right. Saul was right. The dog is rabid. So what 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:45.380 does he do? He makes a call. He calls Todd Alquist. 00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:49.410 Todd! the scary, unfailingly polite sociopath 00:22:49.410 --> 00:22:51.869 who works for his uncle's gang. Walt requests 00:22:51.869 --> 00:22:54.849 another job from Todd's uncle, Jack. Jack leads 00:22:54.849 --> 00:22:56.789 the white supremacist gang we've seen operate 00:22:56.789 --> 00:22:59.710 before. And the target of this job. The implication 00:22:59.710 --> 00:23:02.490 is perfectly clear. The hit is on Jesse. He actually 00:23:02.490 --> 00:23:05.509 crossed the line. He did. Think about the massive 00:23:05.509 --> 00:23:08.789 arc of this episode. It started with Walt soaking 00:23:08.789 --> 00:23:12.450 himself in gasoline just to hide a lie. desperately 00:23:12.450 --> 00:23:14.869 protecting Jesse from Saul's suggestion of murder, 00:23:15.309 --> 00:23:17.789 literally fighting with Skyler to keep Jesse 00:23:17.789 --> 00:23:21.170 alive. Right. And it ends with Walt authorizing 00:23:21.170 --> 00:23:24.089 that very murder. He has finally accepted that 00:23:24.089 --> 00:23:27.609 the rabid Dodd must be put down. That is a profoundly 00:23:27.609 --> 00:23:30.289 tragic arc for a single hour of television. It 00:23:30.289 --> 00:23:32.609 is the absolute death of the father -son dynamic 00:23:32.609 --> 00:23:35.289 that drove so much of the whole show. Walt has 00:23:35.289 --> 00:23:37.390 finally chosen his own self -preservation over 00:23:37.390 --> 00:23:39.829 Jesse. And in doing so, he has sealed his own 00:23:39.829 --> 00:23:42.160 fate. Before we wrap up this deep dive, let's 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:44.019 look at the reception and production notes, Segment 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:47.039 8. Right. Rabbit Dog was written and directed 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:50.099 by Sam Catlin, the cinematography was by Michael 00:23:50.099 --> 00:23:52.960 Slovis, and editing by Skip McDonald. These are 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:55.079 the heavy hitters, the veterans of the show. 00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:57.140 They know these characters inside and out. And 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:59.359 what about the numbers? How did the viewing world 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:02.839 react? Viewership was at 4 .41 million viewers. 00:24:03.700 --> 00:24:05.799 Interestingly, that was actually a decrease from 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:08.200 the previous episode, Confessions, which had 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:11.990 pulled in 4 .85 million. A little dip? I wonder 00:24:11.990 --> 00:24:13.849 if maybe people were just catching their breath 00:24:13.849 --> 00:24:15.789 after the sheer intensity of the confession tape 00:24:15.789 --> 00:24:18.069 in the last episode. Or it could just be the 00:24:18.069 --> 00:24:20.430 natural fluctuation of live TV ratings back in 00:24:20.430 --> 00:24:23.890 2013. But critically, it holds a really interesting 00:24:23.890 --> 00:24:27.990 spot. The Ringer ranked Rabbit Dog 38th out of 00:24:27.990 --> 00:24:31.609 all 62 Breaking Bad episodes in their big 2019 00:24:31.609 --> 00:24:34.059 ranking. 38th, so that's firmly in the middle 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:36.079 of the pack. Which makes perfect sense when you 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:38.160 think about it. It isn't a flashy episode. Right. 00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:40.259 It doesn't have a massive train heist. It doesn't 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:42.940 have a giant explosion. It's a bridge episode. 00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:45.900 It's the setup. It does all the necessary heavy 00:24:45.900 --> 00:24:48.059 lifting to get the characters exactly where they 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:50.920 need to be for the finale. It moves the pieces 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:53.730 on the board. Exactly. Without Rabbit Dog, the 00:24:53.730 --> 00:24:56.670 finale simply doesn't happen. You need this profound 00:24:56.670 --> 00:24:59.869 psychological shift. Skyler breaking bad, Hank 00:24:59.869 --> 00:25:02.990 losing his morals, Walt finally giving up on 00:25:02.990 --> 00:25:05.730 Jesse to set up the end. So let's head to our 00:25:05.730 --> 00:25:08.250 outro. What does this all really mean for you, 00:25:08.390 --> 00:25:10.950 the learner? We've seen the total collapse of 00:25:10.950 --> 00:25:13.730 loyalty here. We have seen that fear makes monsters 00:25:13.730 --> 00:25:17.700 of absolutely everyone. Skyler broke bad by demanding 00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:20.559 a hit. Hank lost his moral high ground by treating 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:23.900 Jesse as disposable bait. And Walt finally gave 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:26.180 up on the one person he truly tried to save from 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:27.940 the very beginning. It brings us back to that 00:25:27.940 --> 00:25:30.599 provocative thought about the title itself. Who 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:33.380 is the rabbit dog? That is the question we really 00:25:33.380 --> 00:25:36.460 want you to sit with today. Is it Jesse? I mean, 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:38.619 he is the one running around pouring gasoline, 00:25:38.940 --> 00:25:40.740 acting erratically, threatening people. That 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:42.859 certainly fits the literal definition. But look 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:45.940 at Walt. He is cornered, lashing out, fuming 00:25:45.940 --> 00:25:48.559 at the mouth with desperate lies, literally soaking 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:52.339 himself in gas. Or look at Hank. He is obsessively 00:25:52.339 --> 00:25:54.920 chasing a car, completely regardless of the collateral 00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:57.400 damage. He doesn't care who gets bit as long 00:25:57.400 --> 00:25:59.460 as he catches his prey. Maybe they have all gone 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:01.559 rabid. Maybe the infection has just spread to 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:04.740 everyone. That is a very distinct and terrifying 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:07.160 possibility. In the world of Breaking Bad, eventually, 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:09.819 everyone gets bit. And once you are bit, there 00:26:09.819 --> 00:26:12.519 is no cure. A cheerful thought to end on. But 00:26:12.519 --> 00:26:15.460 a necessary one. Thank you for joining us on 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:18.259 this deep dive into Rabid Dog. It's a heavy, 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.259 heavy episode. But man, is it incredibly well 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:24.000 -crafted. Absolutely. It is a total masterclass 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.839 in tension and character evolution. We will see 00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:29.119 you next time for more analysis. Until then, 00:26:29.339 --> 00:26:31.359 stay safe and maybe double -check your subflooring 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:33.259 for gasoline. Goodbye, everyone. Take care.