WARNING: This review contains spoilers
"Granite State" is the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad, and it is appropriately named. Because of the flashforward that kicked off the first episode of Season 5, we know that Walt is going to buy a M-60 machine gun on his 52nd birthday. He'll be going by the name of Lambert and driving a Volvo with New Hampshire tags. Until this latest episode, we could only speculate how he arrived in the Granite State.
The title also describes Walt's predicament in his New England hideout, a one room shack in the woods of New Hampshire. The vacuum cleaner repairman (we finally get to see him after speculating who he is, and he's veteran character actor Robert Forster), Ed, has to make Saul and Walt simultaneously disappear. Ed tells Saul that his new life will be in Nebraska. He later tells Walt that he's never had a client as "hot" as Walt before; we don't get to see much of it, but apparently Walt's downfall and subsequent run is a national story.
Skylar is in hot water with the Feds, as they are watching her around the clock because the cops suspect Skylar knows Walt's whereabouts. Ed, Walt's only contact to the outside world, tells him that Skylar is being charged and her case is proceeding through the court system while she works as a taxi dispatcher.
A great scene from our favorite sleazy lawyer when Saul tells Walt to not run, but instead stay in town and face what's coming, because by "hitting the ejector seat", Walt is leaving Skylar and his family "high and dry." As we saw last week, Walt/Heisenberg doesn't have the courage or moral compass necessary to make a stand in a difficult situation, so our anti-hero hightails it to the snow-covered hills of New England.
Walt arrives at his hideaway in a propane tanker (genius right there!) and Ed tells him that he cannot have any contact with the outside world or he will get caught. Walt defiantly decides to walk the 8 miles to town as soon as Ed leaves, but in his weakened state, he decides to make the trek "tomorrow." We don't know how long tomorrow is, as Walt appears to stay in the cabin for months, with Ed visiting every few weeks or so. Walt even sadly pays Ed $10,000 to stay an extra hour and play cards with him, just for the human contact. Also, Walt's cancer is back in full force and Ed is bringing him chemo. Walt is in a granite state.
Walt finally gets the energy and courage to walk into town and he stops at a bar. He calls Walter Jr. and tells him he's sending some money via Lewis for the family. Walter Jr. wants nothing to do with his father or the money. So Walt is devastated and decides to turn himself in by calling the DEA and leaving the phone off the hook so they can trace him. But while he's waiting, he sees the Gray Matter couple on TV, and they are doing everything they can to distance themselves from Walt, even suggesting that Walt's only contribution to their successful company was helping them come up with a a name for their enterprise. We see Walt bristle when he hears that, and when the cops show up, nothing but a glass is sitting at the bar. I'm guessing we'll resolve this snub in the final episode. How? I haven't a clue.
Let's get to Todd, played by Jesse Plemmons. Todd's story is the only cylinder that's not firing in this shortened last season. I don't care about the Todd/Lydia relationship, because I'm not invested in it. I don't think the writers had enough time to develop his character fully. He is easily the most intriguing character in this last season, and that's saying something considering we have Uncle Jack. But Uncle Jack's psychopathy at least has some redeeming qualities; he can be talked out of extracting payback against his enemies. Todd, other than his mancrush on Walter White, cannot. Unless he sees some gain from it, because empathy is a tool to Todd. The scene where he's wearing the ski mask and threatening Skylar if she mentions Lydia to the Feds was incredible. The tension in that scene, plus his subdued delivery of the threat, was one of the highlights of these past few episodes. And his nonchalant execution of Andrea, just to send a message to his cook/slave Jesse Pinkman, really stands out as horrific in a show that is known for darkness. I don't know who the M-60 is reserved for, but I have to hope its for that "Opie dead-eyed piece of shit." Jesse Plemmons has brought his acting 'A' game this season.
Walt's hubris has been the crux of the show throughout his run, and I can't wait to see what happens in our last 75 minutes of this great show. Let's hope all the characters that deserve it get some comeuppance. And that some of our favorite more morally centered characters don't. But I don't see how anyone comes out of this mess in good shape.
Random Thoughts:
- Todd picking lint off of Lydia?
- I love good TV, but I'm not buying that Jesse can pull himself up out of that cage once it gets it unlocked, considering the average male can only do one pullup.
- How long has Walt been in New Hampshire?
What did you think?
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