Text And Subtext

A fine episode of Breaking Bad last night, "Bullet Points." So many scenes and lines were fulled with subtext that I don't think I have the time to do the close reading of the episode that I sometimes do.

The pre-credits scene starts with smoke in the air.  What is it?  Jesse doing crack?  Nope, it's Mike (looks like him, though it's hard to tell in his hat with flaps) breathing out in a freezing room.  No, it's a Los Hermanos truck.  Outside, the truck is stopped and some guys who speak Spanish kill the driver.  Mike takes cover by getting as low as he can, while the two men outside shoot up the truck with machine gun fire.  They then come in, figuring they're safe, but are soon enough dead.  Mike himself got the tip of his ear shot. I suppose he's had worse.

I liked the scene, though I'm not entirely clear what was going in.  What was in the truck?  Where was the truck?  Why was Mike inside? I suppose it was some sort of delivery and the cartel is making its displeasure known, but it left open questions.

Next, it's 3:01 am.  Skyler wakes up and makes some notes.  Something to do with gambling.  This whole money laundering project has got her imagination fired up.  After that we see her force Walt to attend a meeting to work on his blackjack problem.  Then at home she has him practice card counting.  (As a counter, it was correct, not that it's hard to to that.)  Finally, they go over her notes (or "novella," as Walt has it--her text helps give the episode its title) about the cover story they're going to tell to explain purchasing the car wash.  This is one of the best scenes the two have ever shared.  They move the plot forward, get as many laughs as the better scenes in the first season when the show wasn't in too deep, and with each line show something about the characters and their relationship.  Walt's greatest problem has always been his pride, and here he is not only knuckling under to Skyler, but having to tell a story where he's the chump (he thinks).  Walt is being dragged along--the same Walt who didn't accept charity and wanted people to recognize he was helping his family.  He also needed recognnition for and control over his cooking--but when it, comes to lying, he's always liked to do it on the fly, not be part of a play.  Skyler herself needs to have a sense of control.  She's doing a great job at covering their money laundering while at the same time being a pollyanna about what they're getting themselves into. And as they talk about the fantasy Walt and Skyler, with a story that explains everything--not just to the IRS, but to Hank and the DEA--their anger at each other for various things comes out.  But at least they're doing something together.

They go to Hank's, who may be getting better (though he always puts on a front for others).  It's show time!  But even before that, Hank puts his rocks--excuse me, minerals--on display.  Of course, even after intense study, he's still a piker regarding chemicals compared to genius Walt.  Then he pulls out his file on Gale and two million BB fans perk up.  Holy shit!

He puts in a DVD they recovered from Gale.  This drug mastermind has a video of himself performing this song:



I saw David Costabile's credit at the beginnning (I'd rather not know) and wondered how they'd fit him in.  Hank and Walt Jr have a good laugh while Walt, of course, is secretly horrified.  Hank figures this is the guy behind it all, while Walt not only knows he isn't, but knows he ordered the hit on him.

Next scene, we're at the dinner table, in the middle of the story.  Hank is shocked.  Is he suspicious.  Walt Jr. thinks he's cool (see, he's not a chump, he's a master).  Walt, meanwhile has other things on his mind.  He wants to see the case file and excuses himself from the table.

He goes to Hank's bedroom and rifles through the file.  There are the Lab Notes.  He's called and runs out to meet wheeling Hank in the hallway.  Hank is in his favorite mode--being in charge, telling someone else he can help.  Walt says he'd be glad to talk about stuff Hank is worried about, like, say, chemistry.

Next scene, they're going over the Lab Notes.  Quite a text.  Nice illustrations, perfect handwriting.  Gale is a nerd through and through, turns out, and in addition to Vegas S'mores, he's got quite a bit on the meth operation.  Hank explains this is Heisenberg, while Walt looks to see if his name is anywhere in there.  Hank helps out by noting the whole thing is dedicated to W.W.  How sweet?  And who is W.W.--Woodrow Wilson, Willy Wonka, Walter White?  Before that can linger in the air too long, Walt notes the poem that nerdy Gale quoted to him back in the day--"When I heard the learn'd astronomer"--by Walt Whitman!  Mystery solved, suspicious allayed.

Hank still regrets he didn't get to slap the cuffs on Heisenberg.  Patience, Hank, it's not over.  Walt asks about leads for the murder.  Fingerprints, a person of interest seen.  Walt rushes to Jesse's lair of anomie.  Jesse is busy shaving heads.  His own is shaved. (I noticed the actor has very short hair, and wondered if it was for a role.  Now I know.  Just how many bald heads can this show take?)  He wants Jesse to recount what happened at Gale's, the one thing Jesse is trying to not think about.  He has some crackheads toss Walt out.  (Actually, the fingerprints can't be Jesse's, he didn't stick around.  Could be friends, could be Gus.  The person of interest was Victor.  Probably a good thing Gus killed him.)

We're back at Saul's.  Always good to see Saul, and good to see he seems to have his business going on again.  And at his office.  He's meeting with Walt, who seems to want a psychologist or confessor more than a lawyer right now. (Skyler had the same problem.) He complains and complains (because there's no one else to complain to) that Jesse's living in skid row and it's only a matter of time before they take him out.  And horrible Mike with his sucker punch and Gus's box cutter.  "When did this stop being a business.  Why am I the only person capable of behaving in a professional manner?" There's Walt's other great problem, denial.  It was never a business Walt, it was crime.  And you're not a professional, you're a crook who kills people, just like everyone else.

Walt even complains about the car wash, while Skyler doesn't even know what's going on.  Walt realizes everything could disappear, and no one is safe.  "How did everything get so screwed up?" Because you decided to cook meth.

Saul offers him a strange way out.  For a substantial fee, there's a guy (Saul always knows a guy) who'll make you disappear from the grid.  Is this a serious possibility for the plot?  Don't know if I like it.  (The guy has a card.  Really?  What's on it.)

Speaking of Jesse, he leaves for work and gives on of the addicts money for pizza.  Another guy on the couch is watching too closely.  Those tens of thousands in his dresser won't be around long.  Surprise it's made it this long, though I guess everyone else is too zonked out.  (Or too nice.  Scratch an addict, find a decent guy.  Just ask Spooge.)

At work, Walt watches the camera.  It's following Jesse, not him.  Is Gus closing in?  Jesse comes hom and discovers his money gone.  He's found stuff gone before, but he's so dead inside he doesn't really care this time.  He just plays with his Xbox.  Plenty more where that came from, and besides, he'll probably be dead soon.  he already wishes he were.

Later, Jesse is awoken by Mike.  It's old home week--the first time we saw Mike was when he visited Jesse's home to deal with something.  Mike has tossed everyone out and, along with new Victor, tied and blindfolded the guy who stole the money.  (I assume new Victor, who's been surveilling the place, caught this.)  They return the $78,000, but Jesse is unmoved.  He even knows they're not gonna kill the guy because they went to the hassle of blindfolding him.  When you're dead inside, you're suprisingly calm out the outside.  Mike isn't happy but what can he do? No doubt we'll soon see. And we do right away.

In Gus's office, Mike tells once-more-suave-businessman Gus that Jesse is getting incautious.  Something must be done.  (Good to see Gus.  Every since he became a regular we've been seeing less of him.)

At work, Walt is angry that Jesse hasn't shown up.  Party on your own time.  He drives over to Jesse's place and breaks in (another thing we've seen before) and we've got a sick feeling--would they really kill the heart of the show?  He's not there, but his phone has been left behind.  Walt goes back to the lab and asks the camera where is he.

We get to see.  Mike is taking him for a ride.  Jesse still doesn't seem to care.  And that's the cliffhanger we leave on.  At the very least, Mike is going to teach him a lesson. (Show how hard conditions are in most meth labs?)  It's still hard to believe Jesse may die, but on this show you never know.