Lily of the Valley: This Week on Breaking Bad (Episode 12 / September 1, 2013)

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

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EPISODE 12: Rabid Dog

THE HOOK:

The beginning of the end. Walt leaves his empire behind to live life, while Jesse’s alive, but dying on the inside. And then there’s Hank, whose gunning for the King. One wrong move could mean life or death, and at this point, it’s still anyone’s game.

THE LOWDOWN:

(The following column contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode). The ending/opening scene with the gas and the house was handled brilliantly. Walt’s flash forward with the ricin was proof that Jesse wasn’t going to burn down the house, but having Walt believe it’s because Jesse simply had a change of heart is interesting. I didn’t see the Hank end of things coming, but I should have, it makes sense that Hank was tailing him (why the hell wouldn’t he be?). I knew from the look in Jesse’s eyes that he meant to burn the house though, so I was very curious to see what stopped him. I don’t like the idea of him turning, but I’ll come back to that.

The explanation Walt gives Skyler and Jr. about the gas is cringe worthy. I knew Skyler wasn’t buying that shit for a second, but poor Jr., the kid’s heartbroken at the idea of losing his dad. Skyler surprised the hell out of me tonight when she fully made her way over to the dark side. I mean, damn, who’s the real face of evil here? “What’s one more?” “You need to deal with this.” I never thought I’d see her send Walt off to the slaughter house like that, but then again, woe to the creature who comes between a mother and her family. Skyler’s made her choice, for better or worse, and is fully invested in getting out of this unscathed. Yes, it’s what most fans wanted to see, but damn if it’s not a little scary to watch.

Saul’s obviously of a similar mind as he attempts to persuade Walt into putting Jesse down Old Yeller style. Walt’s not having it, and although he didn’t spell it out with Skyler like he did with Saul, it goes back to what I said before (and wholeheartedly believe), Walt loves Jesse like a son and will do whatever he can to save him…unless he’s threatened. Jesse’s paranoid, and I don’t blame him. Walt wasn’t going to hurt him. But at this point, I think Jesse’s lost it. He knew when he picked up that Santa Clause picture that he’d passed the point of no return, but to all out threaten Walt on the phone was pretty much suicide (not to mention how pissed Walt will be to find out he dimed on their entire operation from day one). Sadly, Jesse Pinkman has made his move (still not sure about his endgame plan though), and it’s to go against Walt.

BREAKING BAD SEASON 5’s twelfth episode is all about setting the chess pieces in place for the final battle. Skyler wants Walt to do whatever it takes to protect his family. Hank doesn’t care who or what he has to sacrifice to take Walt down, as long he does (way to drop Gomez in there all of a sudden, what happened to being deathly afraid of getting implicated?). Marie is…whining to her shrink? Sigh. Jesse’s beyond repair and is hell bent on revenge. And then there’s the call to Todd, which could mean anything at this point, as like Jesse said, Walt’s smart and just when you think things are going to go one way, they go the complete opposite way instead. One thing’s for sure, bringing Todd and his uncle in the mix isn’t going to bode well for anyone.

DRUG RELATED PROTIP:

Don’t forget what always happens to bait.

BEST LINE:

Tonight was overflowing with awesome lines. The devil speech was cool, Skyler’s “What’s one more” was pretty nuts, but I’m more of a comedic best line guy, so I’m going with Saul’s Old Yeller line where he implies Jesse is a rabid dog who needs to be put down, to which Walt replies, “You’re full of colorful metaphors aren’t you, Saul.”

BITCH-O-METER:

Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. You should’ve just taken the money and went to Florida.

COOLEST SCENE:

Again, there were more than a couple cool/tense moments tonight, but the scene that steals it for me is when Skyler calls Walt out in the hotel and tells him to do what needs to be done.

FINAL VERDICT:

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