“Being the boss can be kind of a grind, you know?”
"Dead Freight" isn't my favourite episode this season, and despite some lovely visuals it is far from being the best, yet it was an important episode, moving the plot forward and putting the characters in a place from where lots of things may happen.
It kept me on the edge of my seat, gave me thrills the way it used to do...until delivering the final gut punch that was meant to sober us up, all of us, viewers and characters.
The thing that strikes me the most is that it's an episode that have us resonate with the main characters, especially Jesse - but also Walt to a a certain extent - ; the audience shared the characters' emotions, felt the same adrenaline during the train heist (don(t tell me you didn't want them to succeed!), and eventually the viewers had their heart sink along with Jesse's.
I'm of two minds about the episode's writing because there are certain things that annoyed me, and others that delighted me.
Let's start with the stuff I didn't like:
1) The conversation between Walter and Skyler was mostly a let down compared to their previous showdown. The dialogue wasn't great. It sounded redundant and forced on us.
2) Breaking Bad indulged in two formulaic things:
- the good Samaritain of course, showing up to maybe ruin our gang's plan, but I'm willing to let that one pass because it was a cliché that everybody was expecting and a good way to divert the audience from the real and final twist.
- Hank's double-checking that saved Lydia's ass at the last minute. On the one hand, I totally buy that Hank is smart intuitive enough to suspect that another department might have put it on the barrel, but his phone call to the Houston office was still too convenient especially given that nothing could be heard until the moment he made it. I rolled my eyes, honest!
Things I liked:
The Hank/Walter scene was great...before the bug business. I love that Hank always notices details, like Lydia's mistmatched shoes last week, and Walt's expensive watch. He doesn't clue him in about Walter's criminal activities because
Walt's drama-queen performance and tears...except that I totally believe he was playing the part to push Hank out of the room and really feeling what he was saying at the same time. Like a method actor he was using something true, some genuine feelings to build a lie for an audience he wanted to manipulate (the arm grabbing was such a nice touch, Walt just knew Hank would run away after that one!). By the way he needed a few seconds to compose himself before going on about the bug business. Walter White is just fascinating. I said it before, he is ready to use anything at hand and anyone to get what he wants, whether it is people he cares about, or his own emotions and pain.
Also, I loved the irony and comedy elements that ran throughout the episode, either echoing or foreshadowing things, or simply poking fun at the characters.
For instance, Walt, Jesse and Mike gathering to discuss the Lydia problem at a certain distance while she could hear everything! They do suck at the conciliabule thing!
I liked that Mike was wrong about Lydia being the one who put the tracker! But I also liekd his line: “Everyone sounds like Meryl Streep with a gun to their head.” Will it ring a bell in Jesse's mind? As I said above, Walter has become a hell of an actor, totally inMeryl Streep's league!
Lydia not flinching at the idea of killing innocent people, being surprised that they are reluctant to do so and saying "I thought you were professionals!". I also liked her “I expect to be paid.” before she backed down: “We can talk percentages later.” because Mike stared at her in disbelief.
Mike tends to take things personaly which indeed isn't very professional from him: “The woman put a hit on me!”
That reveal, of course, wasn't lost on Walt. And suddenly Lydia grew on him! I loved their face-to-face. Of course Walter sounded and looked much more self-confident than she was, pointing out that she had no leverage, but the way Lydia thought for her survival and talked her way out of death warrant was totally Walter White-like. There have been a lot of play on mirrors, with Walt gazing at his reflection, since the beginning of the season, and
Jesse coming up with the idea from which Walt could think a plan through was neat. The scene was similar to the one in the first episode, when Jesse suggested magnets, except that we saw the process of Jesse's eureka moment (he once said he watched House M.D, and it's paying off!), and that Walt and Mike paid attention immediately this time. Between the good ideas and the lab designing, Jesse has been an asset this year...which makes the ending even more devastating of course. Jesse's responsability, and therefore guilt, is bigger than ever now.
The heist itself was a little bit contrived, or rather demanded some suspension of disbelief, but they sold it well, and I laughed at “At which point they will blame China for sending a marginally weaker batch.”. They thought of everything indeed...well, almost.
I also liked that the train heist was an ironic answer to Walter's line from "Fifty-One" : Nothing will stop this train!
Oh and Skyler noticing the dirt on Walt's trousers and asking "out to bury bodies?" and Walt's answer about robbing a train was great! As much as I wasn't too fond of their conversation, that last exchange was perfect. It showed that Walter had given up all pretence and was even cocky there, and it foreshadowed the end of the episode, because indeed, it would end up with a body to bury.
Whatever Walt thinks and says, things have a way to contradict him!!!! It says a lot about how power-drunk and high on his own ego he is, how delusional about his control over things and people. Yes Junior obeyed him, but there are many unexpected things that may pop up and screw his plans. He is neither omniscient nor omnipotent.
I like that Walter White, that control freak, has quite forgotten the principle of uncertainty while he's named himself Heisenberg. Elements of chaos may pop up on the road, and Skyler is right to tell him that he can't promise things, be certain of things.
Walt himself used to bring chaos in the crime world, but now that he's king he has to deal with all the proverbial grains of sand that may jam things, and the unexpected consequences that follow. As Hank said “Being the boss can be kind of a grind, you know?”.
The episode also pointed out two times how much Walter is ready to push the limits, he is bold, reckless even: he was still concealing the bug in the frame when Hank entered the room, and during the heist he waited until the last moment because he didn't intend to stop before the meter hits 1,000 gallons, endangering his crew in the process. The wheels had begun to move again, when Walt told Jesse and Todd to quit, which left Jesse on his back between the rails, under the moving train and Todd jumping from it.
Walter White is a true desperado! Methinks he made Jesse and Todd experience something cancer man was familiar with, feeling his blood pump as he was cheating death, and living an adventure.
I loved the Western feel of the episode, with the train heist and the beautiful desert shots. And the soundtrack matching the train's noise was absolutlety perfect! It was indeed thrilling, and I caught myself rooting for walt-Team to succeed, like in the old days. And I love Kuby (it's the name of Saul's guy, the one who talked Bogdan into selling the carwash, isn't it?). I want more Kuby.
Now the last minute. With all the excitation of the train heist those tricky writers had us forget about Tarantula boy. And we are so used of cold-opens that are either flash-forwards or flashbacks, that we don't expect them to be relevant before so soon! At first I thought that Tarantula boy was a character's younger self. I had my money on Mr Eager-To-Please-The-Boss because I had seen on twitter that Jesse Plemon's character (aka Meth Damon as some fans have nicknamed him!) would be "important".So I thought that Tarantula boy was a young Todd, already playing with danger; I didn't expect him to be his victim!
The ending of course is what makes the episode special. It was a good reminder for everyone, that criminal badassery is not fun, that there are consequences, no matter how exciting it feels during action-packed moments. I read it at both a signal to the audience (especially the viewers who support Heisenberg and hate Skyler's righteousness...) and a turning point in Jesse's storyline, but it is also an allegory of meth itself. We were all high on the heist, but it ended up being a very bad trip. In other words, this was a cautionary tale.
Todd waving and then shooting the kid, it was the planes collision from "A.B.Q" all over again, with innocent bystanders paying the bill. I expect Water to rely on his usual rationalizing bullshit the same way he did with his speech at the highschool - I believe that he is shocked and doesn't condone the cold-blooded execution of an innocent kid, but Todd's move is a bit like the mistake made by Jane's father, as in both cases Walt knows his own choices to be the source of those chain reactions-, but this time Jesse is faced with the direct consequences of their own actions, of the criminal lifestyle they picked. Todd is a team member, they called him there and Jesse told him that nobody should know, even stressing the point.
It's a rude awakening for Jesse. It couldn't have been happier. He had avoided the death of the train staff, he had experienced the rush of action, his idea had turned into a successful plan, and Mr White was proud of him - Bryan and Aaron played it brillantly after Mr Sycophant told them “Damn, you guys thought of everything!”, Walter couldn't help smiling and looking at his pet student and Jesse just beamed, enjoying his surrogate father's approval- and they were all chest-bumping (and in Jesse's case yeah-bitching !) in triumph...and suddenly there was the cold shower bike's noise, and the kid straing at them, and then Jesse's worst nightmare come true.
One way to look at it is to say that Hell is paved with good intentions, but it's time for Jesse to question his involvement in the meth business and see that criminal activities do harm and kill...even children who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
So I don't think that we'll see a new Pinkman breakdown. I think this is the beginning of a new journey for Jesse in which he will take action instead of feeling sorry for himself, going the self-destructing road and taking refuge in drugs - that said I'd love to see Jere Burns again! - or just pretending to be "the bad man" while guilt eats him up from the inside.
From there I see only two paths: Jesse will walk in Walt's foot prints, embracing the life of crimes, or he will betray Heisenberg and help Hank's crusade.
At last, the tarantula metaphor. It carries on the leitmotiv of the poison of course. As for the fact it is trapped in the jar, it could represent two things (looks like I'm in binary mode in this review!):
- I don't know if a tarantula is a "she" in English, but in French we say "une" . Spiders like Black Widows or Tarantulas are in the feminine, so I think that our trapped spider is the metaphor of a trapped and yet dangerous female : either Skyler who called herself Walt's "hostage" or Lydia who is working for Heisenberg under the threat of possibly being killed if not useful. BTW Lydia is in the same position as Water was at the end of season3 and the beginning of season 4. Tarantula attack when threatened, don't they?
- the tarantula could be Walter White himself, though. A predator who feels all-powerful among insects and pests, catching them in his web of lies and speeches, and yet he can find himself trapped in a jar by a kid who passed by...In the end, the kid was killed but the tarantula could not escape the jar. It could foreshadow Walter's future in a cell. Of course, the cold open is also an allegory of the show, that like an entomologist (what is the word for scientists who study arachnids?) study a certain creature, dangerous in nature, poisonous, even though it first seemed that you could play with him. We haven't gotten bottle-episodes anymore but now Walter White is trapped in the jar-show the writers have created. There is no escape.
It kept me on the edge of my seat, gave me thrills the way it used to do...until delivering the final gut punch that was meant to sober us up, all of us, viewers and characters.
The thing that strikes me the most is that it's an episode that have us resonate with the main characters, especially Jesse - but also Walt to a a certain extent - ; the audience shared the characters' emotions, felt the same adrenaline during the train heist (don(t tell me you didn't want them to succeed!), and eventually the viewers had their heart sink along with Jesse's.
I'm of two minds about the episode's writing because there are certain things that annoyed me, and others that delighted me.
Let's start with the stuff I didn't like:
1) The conversation between Walter and Skyler was mostly a let down compared to their previous showdown. The dialogue wasn't great. It sounded redundant and forced on us.
2) Breaking Bad indulged in two formulaic things:
- the good Samaritain of course, showing up to maybe ruin our gang's plan, but I'm willing to let that one pass because it was a cliché that everybody was expecting and a good way to divert the audience from the real and final twist.
- Hank's double-checking that saved Lydia's ass at the last minute. On the one hand, I totally buy that Hank is smart intuitive enough to suspect that another department might have put it on the barrel, but his phone call to the Houston office was still too convenient especially given that nothing could be heard until the moment he made it. I rolled my eyes, honest!
Things I liked:
The Hank/Walter scene was great...before the bug business. I love that Hank always notices details, like Lydia's mistmatched shoes last week, and Walt's expensive watch. He doesn't clue him in about Walter's criminal activities because
Walt's drama-queen performance and tears...except that I totally believe he was playing the part to push Hank out of the room and really feeling what he was saying at the same time. Like a method actor he was using something true, some genuine feelings to build a lie for an audience he wanted to manipulate (the arm grabbing was such a nice touch, Walt just knew Hank would run away after that one!). By the way he needed a few seconds to compose himself before going on about the bug business. Walter White is just fascinating. I said it before, he is ready to use anything at hand and anyone to get what he wants, whether it is people he cares about, or his own emotions and pain.
Also, I loved the irony and comedy elements that ran throughout the episode, either echoing or foreshadowing things, or simply poking fun at the characters.
For instance, Walt, Jesse and Mike gathering to discuss the Lydia problem at a certain distance while she could hear everything! They do suck at the conciliabule thing!
I liked that Mike was wrong about Lydia being the one who put the tracker! But I also liekd his line: “Everyone sounds like Meryl Streep with a gun to their head.” Will it ring a bell in Jesse's mind? As I said above, Walter has become a hell of an actor, totally inMeryl Streep's league!
Lydia not flinching at the idea of killing innocent people, being surprised that they are reluctant to do so and saying "I thought you were professionals!". I also liked her “I expect to be paid.” before she backed down: “We can talk percentages later.” because Mike stared at her in disbelief.
Mike tends to take things personaly which indeed isn't very professional from him: “The woman put a hit on me!”
That reveal, of course, wasn't lost on Walt. And suddenly Lydia grew on him! I loved their face-to-face. Of course Walter sounded and looked much more self-confident than she was, pointing out that she had no leverage, but the way Lydia thought for her survival and talked her way out of death warrant was totally Walter White-like. There have been a lot of play on mirrors, with Walt gazing at his reflection, since the beginning of the season, and
Jesse coming up with the idea from which Walt could think a plan through was neat. The scene was similar to the one in the first episode, when Jesse suggested magnets, except that we saw the process of Jesse's eureka moment (he once said he watched House M.D, and it's paying off!), and that Walt and Mike paid attention immediately this time. Between the good ideas and the lab designing, Jesse has been an asset this year...which makes the ending even more devastating of course. Jesse's responsability, and therefore guilt, is bigger than ever now.
The heist itself was a little bit contrived, or rather demanded some suspension of disbelief, but they sold it well, and I laughed at “At which point they will blame China for sending a marginally weaker batch.”. They thought of everything indeed...well, almost.
I also liked that the train heist was an ironic answer to Walter's line from "Fifty-One" : Nothing will stop this train!
Oh and Skyler noticing the dirt on Walt's trousers and asking "out to bury bodies?" and Walt's answer about robbing a train was great! As much as I wasn't too fond of their conversation, that last exchange was perfect. It showed that Walter had given up all pretence and was even cocky there, and it foreshadowed the end of the episode, because indeed, it would end up with a body to bury.
Whatever Walt thinks and says, things have a way to contradict him!!!! It says a lot about how power-drunk and high on his own ego he is, how delusional about his control over things and people. Yes Junior obeyed him, but there are many unexpected things that may pop up and screw his plans. He is neither omniscient nor omnipotent.
I like that Walter White, that control freak, has quite forgotten the principle of uncertainty while he's named himself Heisenberg. Elements of chaos may pop up on the road, and Skyler is right to tell him that he can't promise things, be certain of things.
Walt himself used to bring chaos in the crime world, but now that he's king he has to deal with all the proverbial grains of sand that may jam things, and the unexpected consequences that follow. As Hank said “Being the boss can be kind of a grind, you know?”.
The episode also pointed out two times how much Walter is ready to push the limits, he is bold, reckless even: he was still concealing the bug in the frame when Hank entered the room, and during the heist he waited until the last moment because he didn't intend to stop before the meter hits 1,000 gallons, endangering his crew in the process. The wheels had begun to move again, when Walt told Jesse and Todd to quit, which left Jesse on his back between the rails, under the moving train and Todd jumping from it.
Walter White is a true desperado! Methinks he made Jesse and Todd experience something cancer man was familiar with, feeling his blood pump as he was cheating death, and living an adventure.
I loved the Western feel of the episode, with the train heist and the beautiful desert shots. And the soundtrack matching the train's noise was absolutlety perfect! It was indeed thrilling, and I caught myself rooting for walt-Team to succeed, like in the old days. And I love Kuby (it's the name of Saul's guy, the one who talked Bogdan into selling the carwash, isn't it?). I want more Kuby.
Now the last minute. With all the excitation of the train heist those tricky writers had us forget about Tarantula boy. And we are so used of cold-opens that are either flash-forwards or flashbacks, that we don't expect them to be relevant before so soon! At first I thought that Tarantula boy was a character's younger self. I had my money on Mr Eager-To-Please-The-Boss because I had seen on twitter that Jesse Plemon's character (aka Meth Damon as some fans have nicknamed him!) would be "important".So I thought that Tarantula boy was a young Todd, already playing with danger; I didn't expect him to be his victim!
The ending of course is what makes the episode special. It was a good reminder for everyone, that criminal badassery is not fun, that there are consequences, no matter how exciting it feels during action-packed moments. I read it at both a signal to the audience (especially the viewers who support Heisenberg and hate Skyler's righteousness...) and a turning point in Jesse's storyline, but it is also an allegory of meth itself. We were all high on the heist, but it ended up being a very bad trip. In other words, this was a cautionary tale.
Todd waving and then shooting the kid, it was the planes collision from "A.B.Q" all over again, with innocent bystanders paying the bill. I expect Water to rely on his usual rationalizing bullshit the same way he did with his speech at the highschool - I believe that he is shocked and doesn't condone the cold-blooded execution of an innocent kid, but Todd's move is a bit like the mistake made by Jane's father, as in both cases Walt knows his own choices to be the source of those chain reactions-, but this time Jesse is faced with the direct consequences of their own actions, of the criminal lifestyle they picked. Todd is a team member, they called him there and Jesse told him that nobody should know, even stressing the point.
It's a rude awakening for Jesse. It couldn't have been happier. He had avoided the death of the train staff, he had experienced the rush of action, his idea had turned into a successful plan, and Mr White was proud of him - Bryan and Aaron played it brillantly after Mr Sycophant told them “Damn, you guys thought of everything!”, Walter couldn't help smiling and looking at his pet student and Jesse just beamed, enjoying his surrogate father's approval- and they were all chest-bumping (and in Jesse's case yeah-bitching !) in triumph...and suddenly there was the cold shower bike's noise, and the kid straing at them, and then Jesse's worst nightmare come true.
One way to look at it is to say that Hell is paved with good intentions, but it's time for Jesse to question his involvement in the meth business and see that criminal activities do harm and kill...even children who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
So I don't think that we'll see a new Pinkman breakdown. I think this is the beginning of a new journey for Jesse in which he will take action instead of feeling sorry for himself, going the self-destructing road and taking refuge in drugs - that said I'd love to see Jere Burns again! - or just pretending to be "the bad man" while guilt eats him up from the inside.
From there I see only two paths: Jesse will walk in Walt's foot prints, embracing the life of crimes, or he will betray Heisenberg and help Hank's crusade.
At last, the tarantula metaphor. It carries on the leitmotiv of the poison of course. As for the fact it is trapped in the jar, it could represent two things (looks like I'm in binary mode in this review!):
- I don't know if a tarantula is a "she" in English, but in French we say "une" . Spiders like Black Widows or Tarantulas are in the feminine, so I think that our trapped spider is the metaphor of a trapped and yet dangerous female : either Skyler who called herself Walt's "hostage" or Lydia who is working for Heisenberg under the threat of possibly being killed if not useful. BTW Lydia is in the same position as Water was at the end of season3 and the beginning of season 4. Tarantula attack when threatened, don't they?
- the tarantula could be Walter White himself, though. A predator who feels all-powerful among insects and pests, catching them in his web of lies and speeches, and yet he can find himself trapped in a jar by a kid who passed by...In the end, the kid was killed but the tarantula could not escape the jar. It could foreshadow Walter's future in a cell. Of course, the cold open is also an allegory of the show, that like an entomologist (what is the word for scientists who study arachnids?) study a certain creature, dangerous in nature, poisonous, even though it first seemed that you could play with him. We haven't gotten bottle-episodes anymore but now Walter White is trapped in the jar-show the writers have created. There is no escape.