Simmering

A rather self-conscious Breaking Bad this week, dealing directly with questions fans had last week. "Cornered" also shows Walt remains the jerk he's been proving himself to be all season.

We start with a puff of smoke against a black background, just like we did a couple weeks ago--and a million fans wonder if they're watching a repeat.  Nope, it's two guy--neither Mike--protected a refrigerated Los Hermanos Pollos truck.  (Do all these trucks have guys.  Even if it's just the meth delivery trucks, it must mean a lot of people.)  Like last time, the truck is stopped, but the Cartel has learned.  They kill the driver and send exhaust into the back.  No one's going to survive this time.  Then they enter the truck and take out just one cannister. Just one? (Are they going to destroy the truck?  Leaving it around, mightn't that cause suspicious with the cops about everything?) By the way, does no one ever drive by these roads where they stop the truck and offer a hand?

Back at the White residence, it's the day after last week's dinner party, and Walt is sleeping it off.  Skyler is checking on the Gale person.  As I noted last week, that blows her image of Walt being in a safe profession.  (I read a lot of websites and didn't see anyone else nothing this.) She's also now suspicious, as I thought she might be last week, about that phone call he made.

Skyler wakes up Walt and we have another great confrontation scene between the two.  They both give away their characters with each line.  Walt, if he weren't such a jerk, could reassure his wife--saying he loves her and reassuring her how safe the family is--but instead he's prickly and not helpful.  If you're gonna lie, why not make things better?  Skyler wasn't kidding--if there's danger, let's go to the cops. It's still better than the other choice. (She doesn't know about Saul's choice of a relocation expert).  Then she brings up the point many wondered about last week--was Walt telling Hank he wants to be caught.  Walt treats this like pop psychology and I agree--I think it's his pride.  But once again, he acts like a jerk.

She says he's in over his head.  Admit you're in danger and lets proceed from there.  Now Walt must know he's in danger--Gus tried to kill him and still wants to--but he can't admit to himself, much less Skyler, that he's not the powerful badass he imagines himself to be.  If he wants Hank to know who Heisenberg is, he's not gonna be easier on his wife.  He's the Man.  The organization that would fall apart without him makes more money than most major corporations!  He's not in danger, he's the guy who puts other people in danger (which is actually true).  It's a great speech, and one sure to tell the audience that Walt has gone too far.  Telling Gretchen off is one thing, but believing you're the guy everyone is afraid of is quite another.

He takes a shower and even he thinks better of what he said.  He wants to talk to Skyler but she's taken off.  He's got to go to the car wash to pick up the keys from Bogdan. Bogdan talks about being the boss, and even baits Walt a little, but he doesn't really rise to the bait.  He probably sees himself as so far above Bogdan that he can't be bothered. But to show himself how cool he is, he won't let Bogdan take away the framed first dollar, and after the former owner leaves, he break it open and buys a Coke with it.  Walt the badass, showing how tough he is, or delusional.

At a dark diner, Mike is still babysitting Jesse.  He seems to be warming to his young charge, and Jesse is finding a new father figure.  (Walt cared about Jesse, but even in the best of times he spent a lot of time insulting the former student's intellect.) Mike is also overseeing Jesse's withdrawal.  He's probably done that before. (The first time out, Walt did it, but no longer.)

Back at the White's, Walt and Jr. eat breakfast.  Mom is still gone.  Before, Walt was the guy who took off, but it's her turn.  Junior thinks it's about the gambling, but Walt doesn't like it--he bristles at anything that makes him look weak, even from his son.  He's proud of what he did, even if he can't tell Junior what it is.

He drives him to work, and it's clear he's not moving in, like mom said he would.  Last season Walt wanted so much to go home, but now he can but can't stand the idea of Skyler (or anyone) being in charge of him.  Walt detours to a used car lot, but his son says if you want to buy me off, it better be a sleek new car.  Walt obliges.  This is insane. It'll raise comment and draw the IRS. Skyler won't like it either, but he wants to help his son and show what a great provider he is.

Jesse and Walt meet outside work.  They have a talk about Jesse's missions with Mike.  Walt is suspicious.  Jesse explains Gus figured he needed a babysitter but then he proved his worth by saving Mike's skin.  Rather self-consciously, Walt (who admittedly can be pretty smart when looking at a situation) doesn't believe the deal was real.  Gus set it up.  Gus hates how he needs Walt and is driving a wedge between them.  Walt concludes it's all about him.  He's right, but being incredibly obnoxious and furthering Gus's goals.

In the lab, during clean up, Jesse is called away again.  Walt is pissed.  He goes upstairs and asks some of the Latinas to help with the cleaning.  Is he insane?  This is a secret meth lab.  The cleaners upstairs know to keep their mouth shut and not asking any questions, but you don't tempt fate.  How much does Walt have to do before Gus gets tired and takes him out?  He gives them money and brings them down in the lab. Then toasts the camera, smiling.  And, just as with the jerky Walt drinking his Coke, we go to commercial.

Sklyer is driving across the desert.  She's got Holly.  She stops at (the deserted) Four Corners, where you an stand on Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico at once.  I think here is where we get the episode's title (she's cornered in general, of course). She throws up a coin.  Apparently not for head or tails, but to see what state it lands in.  Colorado.  She flips it again.  Colorado again. (Not adjusting for wind?)  She pulls the coin back to New Mexico.  Guess she's not leaving.  It does raise a question, though.  Walts in the lab, she's out on a joy ride--who's running the car wash?

Mike and Jesse stake out a cheap house with meth heads who have a bunch of the blue stuff.  Enough they're selling it, and they shouldn't have it at all.  How?  Mike, the old PI, is willing to wait as long as it takes for them to peak out, but Jesse wants a full frontal assasult.  He refuses to sit back, and Mike (somewhat oddly) doesn't stop him.  First he goes to buy, and is sent away. Then he gets the shovel out of the trunk and starts digging in the yard.  (We see something I've never seen before--a shovel's POV shot.) This intrigues one of the meth heads, who starts digging himself.  Jesse enters and tries to talk to the other meth head who happend to have a shotgun.  Seems like a stupid plan that could easily end in his death--Mike was right.  But it's still a meth head, no smarter than Spooge, and Jesse knocks him out before too long.  Mike enters, having seen yard boy, and they find (as they were meant to) the cannister with the blue meth and a message in Spanish--"ready to talk?"   (As I've noted earlier, when we first met Mike, he seemed to be a guy Saul regularly used.  As for Gus, Saul knew a guy (presumably Mike) who knew a guy who knew a guy (presumably Gus).  Later, when Mike talked to Gus, he might mention "the lawyer." Now Mike's main job is simply doing Gus's bidding, and it seems to be full-time.)  (By the way, this episode--Saul-less. No Hank and Marie either, but we've had plenty of them lately.)

Walt leads out the three Latinas.  Tyrus intercepts them and puts them on a bus back to Honduras.  Well, he says it's the bus to Honduras.  Who knows what it means.  All we know is Gus isn't happy with Walt's latest antics, but also can't kill him.  Yet.

Back at the dark diner, Jesse and Mike enjoy a repast.  Gus enters.  (Guess that's why they picked this dark place.)  Jesse leaves so the other two can have a pow-wow. They discuss the Cartel's hit, and how they handed off the cannister.  Mike wants to hit them back hard, but Gus isn't ready yet.  He wants the war to stay cold.  Cold?  Maybe inside the cab, but people are dying.  Gus will parley with them, though.

Outside, Gus passes through and passes on Mike's compliments.  Jesse wants to know why him, and Gus (lying?) says he thinks he can spot talent.  Gotta make Jesse feel good.  This is the guy which Gus suggested Walt drop not so long ago.

Walt and Junior are having dinner when Skyler returns.  She sees the car in the driveway. Junior promises he'll be safe with it.  He leaves to drive it around the block, and Skyler makes it clear they'll have to give the car back.  This is just the sort of stuff that'll blow up their plans.  Walt says he's trying to protect the family, and she says she's trying to protect the family from him.  And we're done.

This season is defintely slower than any other so far.  I know we had the Gus/Victor scene, but even that isn't quite the same as what we've had earlier.  The first season started with a bunch of high tension scenes where Walt and Jesse had to deal with Emilio and Krazy 8.  Season two early on had the the boys kidnapped by Tuco.  Season three arguably started a little slower, but by episode six ened with the amazing showdown where you had Jesse and Walt in the van and Hank trying to get in. (The next episode ended with Hank and the Mexican brothers.) "Cornered" is episode six of season four.  While the show is never less than entertaining, it makes you wonder when things are going to heat up.