Breaking Vans

One of the things Breaking Bad did great from the start is put Walt and Jesse in tight spots and seeing how they get out. "Sunset" did it old school.

Just in case we forgot about the mute Mexicans, we start showing them murdering someone and then the cop who investigates. Not that we'd forgotten about them. But back to the regular story.

We see Walt in his new digs, with his new attitude. For most of this year he's been trying to get back in Skyler's good graces, but now that Gus has got him manned up, he can take her or leave her. Now she has doubts about the divorce, but it doesn't matter--he's cooking again and that's that. Just in case she forgot, he reminds her he's been paying their bills on meth money for quite a while now. And that's all for Skyler this week. She can go back to Ted for all he cares.

We see a long distance establishing shot of the Gus's fried chicken restaurant. I'd always imagined it was in a mall parking lot, or part of urban sprawl. Surprised to see it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that's how Gus likes it. But the Mexians come in. They're not happy--they want to kill Walt, what's the hold up? (They communicate this without talking, of course.)

Meanwhile, Jesse is cooking, and his old compatriots (minus poor Combo) check it out and it's good. It wasn't clear just how good a cook Jesse was without Walt, but apparently he's learned a lot from the master. Looks like they'll be back in business soon. One little problem--Jesse's under Hank's surveillance. In the pilot, Jesse jumped out the window when Hank came in the back door, but this time he knows where he lives.

Walt tries to explain to Jr. about the upcoming divorce, but it's not easy for him to understand. But now that Walt's made a decision, he can see clearly (or at least, he can move forward). He drops off Jr. at school--that's it for little Walt this week--and then goes to his new job as a meth master.

The whole laundry set-up is a bit silly. No matter how well-paid and faithful, would no one there ever whisper about the special set-up in the back.

Anyway, Walt goes to his lab, and it's a funhouse mirror of what he always wanted his life to be. He runs a big lab making a product worth millions. Best of all, he's got an employee with an impressive resume. Finally, after years of students bored with chemistry, and a partner who didn't even know about copper, he's found someone who gets it. Someone who cares. Of course, Walt is training the guy who'll replace him after he's murdered, but that's how it goes in the trade, can't take it personally.

We see some cooking, and unlike all the misadventures with Jesse, it all goes smoothly. Here are two guys who love their job and do it right. His assistant, in fact, is also a libertarian who believes they'll buy it anyway, might as well make it quality stuff. Hooray. We're seeing a bit of the older, calmer Walt--though he's also taken on more of the drug boss attitude elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Hank is getting nowhere. He's linked Jesse to the meth, but Jesse won't cooperate by breaking the law. He won't even lead Hank to the RV. So he takes a shortcut (and it's a callback to season one). For a long time, BB viewers figured Hank would get to Walt through Jesse, but it's the other way around. Following Marie's suggesting, Hank calls Walt to tell him he thinks this Pinkman character has a meth lab in his RV, and since Walt used to buy his pot from the guy, maybe he could help out. Looks like Hank's underststandable blind spot is gonna cost him, but how will Jesse slip out of the noose?

It'd be easy if Walt knew he wasn't bugged, but he's not sure. So he won't talk to Jesse over the phone, and Saul can't help. (Really?) So he goes to the lot where the RV's stashed, and where they're fixing it up to bring back to Jesse. He takes charge, barking orders, like the drug boss he's become. But he's still got his soft side. He looks over the old girl, and has fond memories and the wild times he and Jesse had together. Still, she's got to be destroyed (which is the equivalent of Star Trek taking out The Enterprise--Saul saw the connection earlier).

Jesse gets wind of Walt's plans and figures Walt wants to screw him over. Alas (or happily, depending which side you're on), Jesse racing to the lot leads Hank there. So we end up in the tightest spot yet--Walt and Jesse stuck in the van, with Hank outside trying to get in. (As always, it's Jesse's actions that have got them into this mess.)

Back at the chicken ranch, the Mexicans still glower, and take up a whole booth. They must be angry, because one of them actually says something. Gus agrees to meet with them at sunset.

The lot owner (veteran character actor Larry Hankin), who knows his Fourth Amendment, tells Hank he can't break into the van without a warrant. Probable cause or not, it's not a vehicle, it could be a domicile, so the law is strict. Jesse, with Walt's urging, also pipes up from inside. Hank figures fine, I'll get a warrant, if you insist. (I might add that the anti-drug laws have given such an advantage to cops I'm almost surprised Hank bothers with this nicety, but he's come so far, why not wait--the RV ain't going nowhere.)

Not unlike when they were stuck in the middle of nowhere with no water, Jesse begs Walt to come up with something. He does have a solution, but it's pretty ugly. He calls someone for help. Next thing you know, Hank gets a call that his wife is hurt and in the hospital. Could it be Gus, and he actually hurt her? No, it's Saul's secretary making up a story (and then Saul destroys the phone). It's not pleasant, but Hank drives away.

By the time he discovers he's been had, the RV is a shell of its former self. No more meth lab, no more evidence. Still, Hank now knows for sure Jesse is up to no good, and he's mad. The only question is what's his next move.

Or will he have a next move? Gus meets the Mexicans at sunset (if it were LA, he'd meet them at Sunset) and tells them Walt is still off limits. They can't wait. To slake their bloodlust, he offers up the man who actually killed Tuco--Hank. They've been told you don't touch the DEA, but Gus says he's in charge up north and he gives them special dispensation. That's what Hank gets for becoming a nuisance to the chicken magnate.

So for now it looks like Walt it safe, but Hank may not even make it another episode. Would have been safer to go to El Paso.