How We'll Do and Why - K-State Football Preseason Picks 2012

  

Last year this picture was tragic.  Can we reverse it in 2012?

 It's that time of year where time has stopped completely.  4 days to kick-off and I can't sleep, I can't focus, I can't even put this post together in a timely fashion.  We're dangerously close to selling out all of our home games and everyone seems particularly primed for a record setting season.  Collin Klein, the most perfect QB Coach could ever dream of, is healthy and ready for his senior season.  Arthur Brown, the most perfect linebacker Coach could ever dream of, is back and ready to fight, unimpeded by his brother's controversies.  The Lockett legacy is alive and well, healthy and ready to break and set all the records.  There are questions on the Offensive and Defensive line, changes in the kicking game that negate some of our deadliest weapons and infinite questions about talent vs. luck.  Did I mention I can't sleep?  I'm so excited about all the potential for this team, a chance for the perfect Snyder team to pull off a perfect Snyder season.  But with those expectations come huge waves of fear and anxiety about all the potential heartbreak.  A&M is gone now, but Iowa State has proven to be the bigger threat. Will this be the year?  I'm almost afraid to look.

OFFENSE

 

Andre McDonald is my #1 pick for offensive breakout star.  Unfortunately, he has to sit out the first game due to pet problems, so it could be a rough year for my predictions.

#18 Andre McDonald 

I love tight end plays. They seem so sneaky and efficient. Look at all that blocking he's done all game, oh wait, he's a receiver too! It just makes sense, and after Stanford got so much use out of their tight ends during the Andrew Luck era, I want to do that too. So Andre is my guy. I realize that he's the opposite of Coach's guy and he gets into weird trouble and he's probably not the best "family mentality" player on the team. So it must drive Coach crazy that he keeps saving our skins time and time and time again.  I'm cheering for him, and hoping that he can grow up both on and off the field. We need him.

#33 John Hubert 

Robert Rose is still my favorite running back, but you've got to admire Hubert's skills as a human pinball. He always keeps his legs churning and can slip through holes and while he may not have the speed or the elusiveness of some of the greats, he bounces off players better than any running back I've ever seen. He was seriously overshadowed last season by the Bryce Brown drama and Klein's running game, but he saved us in tight games. When the offense stalled the most (Missouri, Texas, Iowa State, Arkansas) Hubert was there, quietly moving the chains. If we can get the Klein/Hubert backfield to look a little bit more like the Bishop/Hickson backfield - wowza.

Perfect example.  Collin is the one who scored, and he's looking to the ref for confirmation.  Puetz has his back turned on the play and is already signalling.  And he was RIGHT.

 #50 Nick Puetz 

Nick is young, and is our most frequent false starter currently on the team (bye bye Hanson) but Nick does one thing that I absolutely love. He always - ALWAYS - calls the outcome before the refs. If we got a touchdown and the refs haven't signaled yet, look at #50. If he signals, it's a touchdown. Same with fumbles, first downs and receptions. Nick knows, and he gets SO excited about it. Keep rocking that signal, Nick. We see you and we love it.

#86 Tramaine Thompson

Tramaine is my favorite kind of wide receiver because he has to use his entire body to catch a ball. Have you ever seen him catch a ball flat footed? He's not great for yards after catch, because he's typically extended as high and as far back as he can go, usually resulting in some sort of spectacular back flip. It's amazing to watch and exhibits that tremendous toughness and effort that Coach is always talking about. This kid will not be limited by his size.  PS - Check out the link to see a picture of him.  Is that what you pictured?  That mustache is amazing.

I bet BJ was a good roomie too.  Shalin has some big shoes to fill.

#66 BJ Finney

Finney is a classic Big 8 kind of football player. A team captain as a sophomore, already a Rimington trophy candidate, running the very young offensive line and besties with Collin. That's quite a bit of success for a former walk-on from Andale, KS.  Some people think our O-Line was pretty great last year. I disagree. I'll be paying close attention to them this year, and I expect Finney to lead his band of unselfish brothers into battle for Collin and John and Braden. 

DEFENSE

 

It's always a good sign when the top 5 image searches for your cornerback feature him with the ball in his hands.

#24 Nigel Malone 

I feel bad about completely missing Nigel in last year's preseason predictions. He came out of nowhere, and was one of the only highlights in that dreadful Eastern Kentucky opener last year. Interceptions, especially the way Nigel does them, were such an exciting part of the defense last year. That, and the famous Frank Alexander step, were the only reasons I rewatched the OU game from last year. Don't do it. It's not worth it. There's nothing to be learned from it except how to experience deep emotional pain and suffering. As a K-State fan, that's not exactly something we need to practice. Simply put: you can't do it any better than Malone.

#23 Jarard Milo 

Currently Thomas Ferguson is beating him, but come on. The dude is Goolsby's brother. Gooooooooooooolsby.  We gotta get that chant back.

 Of course the Preacher's kid is the pump it up captain of this team.

#50 Tre Walker 

Better known as "the deacon" Tre is one of the most exciting and excited kids on the defense. He made the goal line tackle at Miami, he's frustrated by the nickel package that doesn't allow him to play every down and he's as outspoken as Arthur is reserved. He's the yin to our extraordinary Arthur Brown yang and is the bright shining star of the rejuvenated Lynch Mob. This year, he takes over for Emmanuel "Too Tall" Lamur in the 4-2-5, which means that Walker will get far fewer plays off.  It's your time, Tre.  Preach.

#42 Meshak Williams

Meshak is our sack machine. He and Adam Davis were monsters on the defensive line last year, and with Coach Hayes running the defense this year, I'm hoping they get even more chances to blitz and stomp and sack and rage. Meshak sacked poor Jordan Webb twice in the first 5 minutes of the KU game last year. If our linebackers are as good as advertised, expect to hear much more about the Meshak sack package.

SECRET WEAPONS

#44 Ryan Mueller

Did you know that Ryan Mueller played a key role in securing our victories over Eastern Kentucky, Iowa State and Texas A&M? Do you know which side of the ball Ryan plays for? Did you even know he was on the team? Ryan was a member of our super studly 3rd down pass rush package and is our most unsung secret weapon on defense. Remember that all important fumble in the Cotton Bowl that got us our first touchdown of the game? Ryan recovered it. Mark my words - he could be the next Jordan Voelker.

#21 Jonathan Truman and #47 Jared Loomis

Typically, when you talk special teams, you think of the punter, the kicker and the return guy. While all those guys do a great job, it's not exactly a secret. Our top two secret special teams weapons are Jared Loomis and Jonathan Truman. Truman had the memorable goal line punt catch in the OU game, as well as a momentum shifting fumble recovery against Baylor. In a season that was won on inches and magic, those plays cannot be overestimated. Jared Loomis is the special teams player that created that Baylor fumble and has been named the Special Teams captain this year. His best game of the year came against Texas, proving that walk-ons at K-State always give it their all when we need them the most.  We win by eliminating mistakes, and that's what makes our Special Teams so deadly.

He's the one lurking right over Coach's shoulder... constant vigilance.

Bonus pick: Guy who holds the headset cords for Coach

I have no idea who this kid is, but I have huge respect for him. Can you imagine how stressful it would be to hold coach's headset cords and follow him around the whole game? What if you got distracted and watched the game and he started moving without you? What if you tripped or had to sneeze or needed to go to the bathroom? This guy gets no downs off. Though, can you imagine the inside information he has, by virtue of always being within earshot of Coach? I'm so jealous. He came by the library's info table on the second day of classes and I wanted to ask him so many questions, but didn't, because that would be creepy. So instead, I just smiled a huge cartoonish smile (also creepy) and gave him directions to Seaton Court. Luckily Seaton Court is super hard to find, so I don't think he noticed. Good on you, headset cords guy. You manage your responsibility in the most consistent way you can.

Fearless prediction: We win 11 games this year.  If we beat OU, then we lose to Iowa State and drop the bowl game.  If we lose to OU, then we drop the Texas game and win the bowl.  Or we win them all.  It's 11-2 or 13-0.  Nothing in between.  That seems general enough to be accurate, right?  Since I was the only person in the world to be right last year, I figure it's time to get a little foolish.  

Breaking Bad 5.6 - Buyout

This is what happens when you make your meth boss your father figure.

We're building to something.  It's a very slow build, but there are only two episodes left this year, so it's bound to be something.  This week, on a very special episode of Breaking Bad, the barrel claimed another victim and its first dirt bike, Mike and Jesse tried to quit but were thwarted by the unlucky 666, Gray Matter reappeared in an attempt at relevancy, Jesse met Skylar for the second time in the show's history and Mike inexplicably didn't shoot Walt.  Again. 

1. What is Walt's plan?

Steven: To sell Declan the methylamine, then to orchestrate an elaborate heist involving a sick elephant, road barriers, flares, and fake police officers, then siphon the methylamine out of Declan's truck and back into a pre-prepared hole in the ground. Then they'll replace the stolen chemical with kid's mouthwash, which Walt has rigged to explode upon the first cook.

Or, you know, they start selling Heisenberg blue to Declan and his guys. Distribution problem: solved! But I hope it's the first one.

Susan: You know what would make this plot more interesting?  If Declan were Declan from Revenge, in the craziest crossover event ever.  Honestly, I think (hope) his plan has something to do with fake meth.   We have all those weird asides in the episode about fake food.  Hank rants about miracle whip vs. mayo on the bug, Jesse and Walt watch that bizarro commercial about the kelp caviar and then Jesse laments the absence of truth in advertising, yo, about his poor scabby lasagna.  I'm hoping this was all pointing at some super secret fake/diet meth that Walt will sell to Declan... or sell him the methylamine and then make his own fake/diet meth?  Then again, there's always the Mentos plan.  Still seems like a pretty stupid idea to let Declan and his gang find out that he's Heisenberg.  Surely the DEA has a mole somewhere in this operation.

2. Is Landry/Todd the new Walt?

Steven: I can see an argument for this one, however, I don't think he has a big enough chip on his shoulder. (Oh, I just got it, the transformation of Mr. Chip-on-his-shoulder to Scarface!) While Landry/Todd may be causing problems for Mike and Walt and Jesse just like Walt caused problems for Gus, I don't think the algebra works out perfectly. More likely, I think that Landry/Todd is the newest incarnation of "the cost of business." Remember in the first two seasons when Walt and Jesse kept making heaps of money and then losing it immediately? Or for that matter, remember every season? Well, this strikes me as the most recent iteration of "there is no money in this business." I assume the dead kid will eventually come with a hefty price tag, if not a prison sentence.

Susan: This is my question, so obviously the answer is yes.  Landry/Todd uses a lot of the same language in his speech to Walt and Mike that Walt used to beg for his life in Box Cutter.  I think he is way too ambitious for this group, and it makes me super nervous that they're keeping the meth in the safe, in the bug office.  Haven't we already established that the bug people are skilled burglars?  Wouldn't they just take it for themselves and sell it?  Also, I worry about the dirt bike kid causing more trouble.  I don't know why we get that news scene where we learn the kid's name.  It seems like a lot of new information to get about an old problem.  Landry/Todd, Walt, Lydia, Mike and Skylar are all nearing the same height of threat level liabilities.  Which one will boom first?  Or will they all boom at the same time?  Ooh, ultra boom.  I like the idea of that.

3. Will we see the tarantula again?

Steven: Ah Chekhov, how you've ruined me. I must now ask this question with every loaded gun and vial of ricin. Landry/Todd isn't the kind of guy to do something as subtle as murder by poisonous spider, but then again I don't really know him that well, do I? In the cold open of "Dead Freight," the tarantula represented danger, namely the danger of that kid getting killed, which is eventually what happened. The last person who examined the tarantula died. Therefore, bearing that foreshadowing in mind, I'm going to make a bold prediction that Todd is not long for this world.

Susan: I think yes.  It kind of reminds me of the turtle roaming around the Mexican desert with that guy's head on it.  It has the same sense of slow, quiet, forboding.  Again, it seems like there are lots of little bombs laying around, waiting for the perfect moment to go boom.  The ricin in the wall, the spider in the jar, the bug in Hank's office, Walt's fancy new watch, Alvin B. Gutierrez' roofing hammer... I really freakin' need that roofing hammer to come back into play.  I like the idea that all of these things have a part to play in this slow moving season.  I hope I'm paying attention for a reason.  Why did Walt take the time to take off his watch before he scienced his way out of the bug office?  Why do we see Landry/Todd's car?  Why does Mike take the time to warn Walt not to park so close to the bug headquarters?  Why did Walt hide the ricin in his bedroom?  WHY????? (Shakes fists at the sky, Revenge style.)

4. Is Skylar still putting her family first?

Steven:  I think the cul-de-sac crew answers this best.    Let's look at the evidence: Skylar has cooked books, put a man in the hospital, laundered money, kept her murderous, drug cooking and dealing husband as the head of the house, and she hasn't tried to resolve the situation. If you're worried for your kids' safety because there's a bear in the house, you get rid of the bear. You don't threaten the razor-toothed, furry thing. You don't try to figure out a way to minimize its bear-ness. You GET RID of the bear. Her argument that she won't be able to see her kids if she's in prison or that they'll think poorly of their father is self-centered in nature. It's what Skylar wants, not what the kids need. Namely what the kids need is to not get mauled by a freakin' bear.

Susan: Hmm, is the answer no?  It seems to be a very hesitant no.  Is that what you meant, Steven?  I'm not quite sure...

All bears aside, I think she's trying to.  In her own selfish way.  Skylar is such a flawed character, that I truly believe she thinks she's putting her family first.  What she's really doing is putting herself first and trying to have and eat all the cake, plus the cookies and brownies and car washes.  There is absolutely zero reason for her not to go to Hank, come clean and get herself and the kids to safety.  But she's scared of letting them down and doing time for her own infractions and looking bad and having the kids know the truth and letting Jr. and Holly live with Hank and Marie and shutting down the cushy "green beans from Albertson's" lifestyle she's been living.  Seriously?  Deli vegetables?  That's flashier than Walt's Rolex.  Also, can we just mention the most amazing dinner table scene of all time?  We watched the second half of this episode 3 times and Steven practically laughed himself off the couch every time. 

(Second crossover idea - Breaking Bad + Cougar Town = Laurie's talking threat meth cakes.  Move over Mike, the pastry muscle has arrived.)

5. Is the DEA finally going to run across Jesse or Walt in their tails?

Steven: Shouldn't they? Having just come off watching The Wire, I'm again and again left suspicious as to how good these DEA agents actually are. Not only do they not have any bugs out on Mike or even know his connections, but Walt has a bug on them. I know that this is important to plot, because if Hank knows about Walt then we won't get the family drama side, as Walt will be on the run ("Live Free or Die"?), but this is bordering on audience-cruelty. Just give us a clue, a shadow of a clue, that Hank and his department know what they're doing with this case, and I'll feel the stakes raise again. I used to be so worried that Walt was going to get caught, and now I feel like he's a ghost working outside of the laws of physics, visible only when he makes it so. I need stakes, yo!

Susan: To be fair, The Wire is an impossible standard.  If we wanted perfect television, we'd just watch The Wire again.  And when we did, we'd realize than even the natural po-lice never got up on the roof to do the actual surveillance.  No, the people on the roof were Herc and Carver and that old dude and the cute guy that never got a storyline and occasionally Kima.  Never Bunk, never Daniels, never McNulty.  We know by now that Gomez is not a very good cop, and we're reminded of that fact when he's fooled instantly by Mike.  No, I think that Hank was promoted solely to get him off surveillance, which gives the show the tiny little loophole of incompetent police work to extend the secret another couple of episodes.  But it's thin, and it ruins the stakes.  Remember when every episode was nailbitingly tense?  When Jesse and Walt were stuck in the RV?  When Walt had to run into that car to prevent Hank from getting to the laundry?  When there was an open house going on while they were cooking in the basement?  This business with the shoddy DEA and Skylar staying mute is so aggravating to watch, and it belongs on a lesser show.  At least do something like The Wire, where miscommunication + incompetency = Herc ruining a child's life and raining devastation upon the masses.  Oooh, crossover #3!  (Walt and Jesse hide their death barrels in the abandoned row houses in Baltimore and run into Chris and Snoop.  They all talk technique, and show them how they evolved from Alvin B. Gutierrez' roofing hammer to their heavy duty nail gun.  Boom - it's all connected.)

6. Is Gray Matter going to make a return?

Steven: Sadly, I don't think so. What this conversation does for me is show Walt's true aim: to catch up with his college friends. Walt, I now realize, will not be happy until his meth (carpet) empire is listed on the NYSE. That is how large his ego is, which is why the sky's the limit, and when the sky's the limit, everything is expendable.

Susan: I referred to Gray Matter a couple of weeks ago as a mistake the show made in the beginning when it was trying to find its feet.  The fact that it's brought up now illustrates to me that they're still not quite sure what to do with this end game.  Sure, it's a little bit illuminating and it provides us a reason for Walt to decline the buyout.  But Walt doesn't need a reason.  We already know and accept Walt as a megalomaniac.  Hopefully Gray Matter stays dead and we can move on to more intriguing aspects of the show.  Like why Mike didn't just shoot Walt.  Or why he left his keys in the same room with him.  Or why we have so many scenes with Skylar doing nothing.  Or why no one is looking into Fring anymore and wondering where Tio got the freakin' bomb.  Or that godforsaken roofing hammer.

Best line: The whole dinner table scene was golden, from facial expressions to blocking to dialogue to Jesse slurping water, but my favorite line, and the part that kept getting Steven, was the long awkward silence after the scabby lasagna speech and then Jesse saying, "Yeah... it's bad."  

Random fact of the week: in the scene where Walt whistles while he works, he is whistling Queen's "Lily of the Valley."  Ominous. 



As the show gets darker and more popular, the internet is exploding with memes and mentos commercials and carpet empires and all sorts of shenanigans.  My favorite one from today?  Breaking Bad the movie!

 

Aaron Paul keeps tweeting that the bottom is going to fall out in the next episode.  Does that mean someone will learn something they don't already know?  I sure hope so.  I'm a little tired of knowing everything all the time.  That's why I watch Dexter.  (Final crossover - Dexter finds out about dirt bike kid, hunts down Walt and gets him on his table.  Then, just as he raises his knife, he falls over dead.  Cut to earlier in the day and we see Jesse in Dexter's kitchen, slipping ricin into his credit sequence eggs. He appears on the scene, yells out "ricin, bitch!" and Deb overhears him and falls in love.  Walt, fresh from his victory, comes home to find Skylar in a bloody bathtub, Holly crying on the floor.  Hank arrives on the scene and is disgusted by Walt's lack of tears.  He finally puts all the pieces together and takes his watch and car before sending him to jail.  Saul, Badger and Masuka buy the Lazer Base.  Hilarity ensues.  Boom: Rebooted.)  

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Breaking Bad 5.5 - Dead Freight

Say hello to my little friend?

All aboard, you junkies!  This week Vince and company treated themselves to a good old fashioned train robbery, abandoning plot, character, and plausibility in the process.  But they seemed to understand every single rule they were breaking because they ended the episode with a wallop of a sucker punch that left me sleepless for most of Sunday night.  There's not much to the first 58 minutes of the episode, but the last minute has (hopefully) set the stage for the final 11 episodes in this maddening series. 

1. Did you see it coming?

Susan: I didn't and I feel bad about it.  There were so many clues!  The train whistle at the end of the cold open.  The talk between Lydia and Walt about swearing on their children's lives.  Mike's ominous warning about witnesses.  The instructions to Landry/Todd about the necessity of keeping this between them.  Jesse's insistence on stopping the killing.  Skylar's insistence that the children weren't safe around Walt.  She's right of course.  Walt has no idea when and where the collateral damage will happen.  But we should know by now that there will always be some.  No plan has been without it, and yet I still didn't connect the dots until the kid had a bullet in him.  This is what I truly love about the show.  I spend so much time speculating and predicting and then, when something really is about to happen, I'm too busy looking the other way.  It's not like Vince tries to hide it - he puts it in the first minute of the episode - but by that point my mind is already racing in the wrong direction.  It makes me feel like Walt.  So anxious for the adventure, the big boom and trouble and collapse that I miss all the signs pointing to the immediate danger.  Vince!  You got me again.

Steven: Now I do!  Re-watching this episode is like re-watching Fight Club;  I keep smacking my head and muttering, "Oh!"  First we have the cold open with the boy too young to drive riding his dirt bike around the desert and collecting tarantulas (i.e. inviting danger).  Then we have Mike almost kill Lydia and hatch a plan to go grab the rest of the methylamine, thinking he knows exactly what the DEA will do next and therefore what they should do next.  Next Lydia wants Walt to swear on the lives of his children.  Also, Lydia calls the area where they'll pull off the heist a "dead zone."  Mike tells Walt: "You want to do this heist even if it means killing a couple of innocent men."  They stress to Todd the importance of nobody else finding out about the heist.  "Nobody.  Got it?"  The final clue comes when Skylar asks Walt, "Out burying bodies?" because of the dirt on his hands.  With that, all of the pieces were set into place.  Now, the question is. Did I see it coming?

I did have a thought at the back of my head that this kid represented a variable they hadn't figured in.  As far as I got, however, was to feel very nervous about the heist, knowing that they hadn't considered everything yet.  When it happens I was shocked but not surprised.  That is, I was upset emotionally but it all made perfect sense logically.

The one and only time I watched The House of Sand and Fog, I never made it past a certain scene.  I watched the tension grow and grow, everybody making the worst decisions possible, until this one scene, at which point I couldn't handle what was about to happen.  I could see other audience members stopping in the same way here.  I, however, will push through.

2. Did the train robbery break the barrier of suspension of disbelief?

Steven: Honestly?  A little bit.  The complexity of the heist and the blind courageousness of the characters feels author, not character, driven.  That being said, I love all three of the Oceans movies.

Susan: It does seem highly convenient that Walt and Jesse are able to pull off this train robbery so quickly.  In Skylar's one scene this week, she mentions that it's only been 2 days since Walt's birthday.  The timeline on this show can be maddening.  Not only that, but the train stops exactly where they want it to stop.  They have exactly enough time to finish.  They all get out safely.  The engineers are none the wiser.  And then - boom - the kid with the worst luck in the world meets the man with the most luck in the world - and the balance of power is shifted forever.  Kids are a frequent bargaining chip on this show, from Andrea's brother Tomas to Andrea's son Brock, to Lydia's daughter to Mike's grand daughter to Walt Jr. and Holly and on and on and on.  The killing of this kid, this innocent blood shed because of terrible bad luck is sure to tip the karmic Gods against the Heisenberg empire once and for all.  We saw the cracks last week.  This is the watershed moment, the point of no return, the moment when nothing goes right ever again.

3. Does Todd/Landry make it through the next episode?

Susan: I'm so bummed.  Maybe that's why it was so heartbreaking for me to see Todd/Landry shoot the dirtbike spider kid.  I just got him back and now - poof! - he's gone again?  After 5 lines and a bullet?  I don't know how they'll keep him around, but then again, I don't know how they've kept Jesse around for this long.  The last time I felt like this about a character was Damian Lewis on Homeland and I really didn't like what they decided to do with him.  I'm sure it's time to cut ties, and if they don't, it will probably harm the overall story.  If we get any sort of backstory on Todd/Landry in the cold open or in the beginning of the next episode, he's a goner.  I'll be sad either way.  I wish Mike would have shot him.  Or Walt.  Sigh.

Steven: I have no earthly idea.  I feel like he should in order to increase the tension, which this show is all about.  They didn't resolve the Gus Fring problem until there was no other way to write an episode with him still alive, so I think that Todd is safe for now.  Very possibly, he'll just be another name on Lydia's list of whom to keep quiet.  Incidentally, I'm starting to think I know why Walt will need that machine gun.  Actually, I have a pretty good idea of a LIST full of reasons. 

4. Will Jesse finally get out now?  Will Walt let him?

Steven: I hope so!  Jesse is an interesting character to me in that he's been involved in cooking meth for the entire show and long before -- unlike Walt.  Yet he keeps finding out new things about the trade he's in.  These kids who are harmed, the families that are destroyed, the overdoses -- they all smack him across the face as if completely new knowledge.  Whereas Walt knew exactly the kind of world he was getting into.  This, though, doesn't strike me as unbelievable.  Talk to an active addict about the damage he's causing by using and you'll get a sarcastic laugh.  He might say, "I'm just having fun" or "winding down" or what have you.  Never mind the innocent people harmed down in Colombia or Mexico, the laws broken and mules whose lives were endangered or lost bringing it across the border, the physical, emotional and mental damage he's causing himself, or the amount he's harming his family and close friends who have to watch him sink into addiction and quite possibly die prematurely from it.  No, the average addict is full of denial, dishonesty and selfishness about his own condition.  Like the addict who just wants to use, Jesse just wants to cook.  He doesn't want to see kids get killed, his girlfriend asphyxiate on her own vomit, and he certainly doesn't want to have to kill Gale or anybody else.  I want this episode to be Jesse's bottom just like I wanted Bubble's trip to the mental ward to be his, but what I want for the characters and what the show gives me have not always lined up.  Have they ever lined up?  Not really.  Also, I don't see Walt letting him out.  They are all too enmeshed at this point. 

Susan: When I think of Breaking Bad, the first image that comes to mind is Jesse.  It's not Walt.  It's not guns or meth or filtered horizons or Azteks or axes or Hank or Gus or Badger or Gale or solo eyeballs or Saul or the Rumba or Jane or any of the other amazing things I love about this show.  It's Jesse.  Plain and simple.  I don't think Jesse can get out, and I think that's supposed to be the worst collateral damage of the show.  Sure this innocent kid got shot, point blank, without hesitation.  Sure, a whole plane of people went down and Walt has completely corroded his soul and rained down unhappiness on everyone and thing he touches.  But it's Jesse's soul that is the major tragedy of Breaking Bad.  This train robbery was his plan, and he soaked up the attention from Walt and Landry/Todd.  He was even the one to reiterate to him the importance of keeping it between them.  So no.  I don't think Walt will let him out.  I think Jesse will continue to accept himself as the bad guy and slowly but surely let his life and soul and spirit be crushed because he picked the worst possible father figure in the universe.  Isn't is strange how much better Mike seems than Walt?  Mike kills people for a living. Quickly, efficiently.  And yet we root for Jesse to turn to Mike instead of Walt.  Heartbreaking.

5. Is Flinn (Junior) finally going to start doing some investigating of his own?

Steven: He does finally seem angry enough to try a little detective work on his own.  Plus Skylar and Walt are refusing to tell him what the problem is.  If he is anything like a real person at this point, he'll be full of anger and curiosity, the combination of the two can lead to great obsessive investigations.  I do wonder how he'll go about it, though.  Will he start tailing, plant a bug, sneak into the house and hide somewhere?  It would be interesting to see him playing a bumbling detective.  Although I do feel a bit like he'll come across the vital information by mistake.  And then there's the sneak peek from next week where Skylar seems to be on the verge of spilling everything to Marie.  So maybe Flinn won't need to discover anything.

Susan: I sure hope so.  Isn't the kid at all curious?  After all this time and all the crazy behavior he's witnessed, you would think he would start taking a little bit of action by now.  If not that, at least talk to Hank about what's been going on so they can investigate it together.  He's already helped with the Fring investigation last season and started this one idolizing Hank for his amazing police work.  Put it together already!

6. What happens when Mike can't pay his guys off?

Steven: Here is yet another loose end that could get them all put in prison.  YET-ANOTHER...  But really: Walt is going to kill everybody.

Susan: Oh geez.  I have no idea.  They keep teasing this and I don't really get why.  So one of them tells Hank.  That's how he's going to find out?  How anti-climactic.  You know what loose end really bothers me?  Andrea.  Jesse and Andrea break up off screen, then he talks about it for half a second, and then we never see her or Brock again.  Seriously?  They had kind of a big role to play in getting us to the current situation.  You would think they'd give her more of a goodbye than that.   

Best line: "Give me a break.  You guys were going to murder me.  I thought you were professionals." - Lydia Rodart-Quail
Runner-up: "Everyone sounds like Meryl Streep with a gun to their head." - Mike

Next week - Mike says goodbye.  Again.  And Jesse gets mad about using kids.  Again.  And Skylar cries and looks like she's about to confess.  Again.  So maybe something totally different will happen!  We'll be here regardless, waiting for Gus/Gale/Badger/Jane/Saul to return.  I miss Saul.

Breaking Bad 5.4 - Fifty-One

Walt Jr. had to sacrifice his bacon for this tradition.  It's the tipping point we've all been waiting for...

Well folks, we're halfway through the 8 episodes of Breaking Bad we get this year.  Are you happy?  Sad?  Nervous?  Frustrated?  Exhausted?  I'm a little bit of all of these after an episode that turned out to be strangely quiet.  Walt celebrated 51 by replacing the Aztek with two very attractive lease deals, Lydia forgot to check the mirror before she left for work and screamed into a pillow, Skylar went for an inappropriate swim, Hank got promoted and Mike decided to stop being sexist and start getting real.  Why did any of this happen?  I don't think we'll understand that until the dust clears in September.  We'll speculate anyway.

1. What exactly was that episode all about?

Susan: I was really upset when I watched this episode the first time.  On first viewing, it seemed like such a step back for the show.  In feeling and scope, it felt like one of those weird diversions for character development like "Peekaboo" or "Fly" or any of the times they gave Marie that weird go-nowhere klepto storyline.  After watching it a second time, I feel a lot better about it.  I think Breaking Bad might be one of those shows that is telling a story that the majority of the audience really doesn't care about.  We all love the science tricks and the surprises and the dark humor and the noose tightening around Walt and Jesse.  But those are just the tricks.  This show is really about families, about brotherhood, about a marriage and children and what you do and how you do it and how that affects the people closest to you.  It's starting to feel a little bit like Lost to me in that sense.  Sure, faith and forgiveness and all that, but what about the ANSWERS?  The scenes between Walt and Skylar are really strong, but honestly, I want to get back to the cooking.

Steven: The shifting of control. In this episode Walter does what he wants (moves back in and buys the two cars, which is the ultimate stand, replete with manly engine revving and justifying without really wanting approval), Hank is promoted to ASAC, Lydia fakes police tracking out of desperation, and Skylar walks into the pool, also out of desperation.

To me, this shows what has to happen when the normal order is disrupted: people adjust. All around people are losing their control, and they aren't liking it.

2. Have we reached the peak of Walt's success?

Steven: I think so. What took Gustavo Fring years to develop -- a chicken delivery system capable of moving the product all over the American southwest -- a thriving business capable of laundering his enormous profits, and innumerable supply contacts, Walt has tried to replicate over the course of one year. ONE YEAR! If I were Walt, I would've already had 27 nervous breakdowns just trying to manage the logistics of the business side, let alone killing, what, three different drug runners? Walt's limiting factor is, as it always has been, his own mortality. The ticking time-bomb of a watch that Jesse gives Walt for his birthday, reminds us of what we saw in the opening of episode one: that Walt is not in the clear from cancer. Now he's cooking in random people's houses, hoping all of the nanny-cams are disabled, and hoping that nobody forgets their diabetes medicine and is willing to risk coming back inside. We now know that Walt is willing to do anything to keep the meth running, but does he have the intelligence, the strength, or the time to actually execute any of it?

Susan: If this episode does anything in terms of plot, I think it does show us Walt at the pinnacle of his success.  And it's pretty damn depressing.  In the first half of the episode, we see Walt ditch the reliable Aztek for a mid-life crisis car and then buy Walt Jr. the famous Challenger from last season.  The scene where he decides to get rid of the Aztek is telling, I think.  Walt seems most annoyed by the fact that the Aztek could go for another 200,000 miles.  He doesn't want anything that reliable.  He wants change, excitement, risk, forward progress.  Gus was always characterized as being overly cautious, only working with stable, reliable people.  And he drove a Volvo station wagon.  Walt has no desire for caution, as evidenced in nearly every decision he's made this season.  But by the end of the episode, the cracks are starting to appear. The Heisenberg hat has a thread loose.  He cuts his head shaving.  His wife is chain smoking in the living room, willing his lung cancer to come back and get him out of her house forever.  And then the episode closes on that watch, tick, tick, ticking to the inevitable boom.  There's a lot of talk about Walt's "magic" in this episode.  My guess is that he's run out, just in time for the great methylamine heist next week.

3. How mad are you about Hank's promotion?

Susan: So ticked!  I hope something better comes from this.  Otherwise it feels too contrived to move Hank just because he's too close to figuring out Walt's secret.  The man noticed that Lydia was wearing two different shoes.  The suspension of disbelief about his Walt blindness is getting a little hard to handle.  There have always been murmurs about Gus or Mike having a mole in the DEA.  If that's the case, and this is a way of keeping Hank away from the operation, then I'm okay with it. Another thought from that scene is that Hank mentioned that they were assembling a surveillance team for Mike.  Finally!  I hope that will play in to the "Walt gets a new car" storyline, because otherwise I don't really know why that's needed.   

Steven: Eh. I don't believe for a second that he's actually going to give up his "day-to-days, including Fring." It feels a bit to me like the turn in the romantic comedy when the ex-girlfriend shows up, or the boy has to move across the country; it's a temporary obstacle to the inevitability of Hank discovering the truth -- "White is Heisenberg. Heisenberg is White!" -- and then goes running off to spit copiously and shower... Too obscure? Okay, I'll get back to Breaking Bad.

4. Will Skylar kill Walt?

Steven: I believe it's a definite possibility. The bedroom scene is terrifying. It's actually more aggressive, I think, than the scene at Jesse's house where Walt and Jesse beat the crap out of each other. Walt keeps asking Skylar what her plan is and then proceeds to poke holes through each plan. The reason they won't work is because she hasn't arrived to the ultimate solution, which is to take Walt out of the picture entirely. Skylar has already cast her lot with Walt, and claims that she only cares for her children's safety. So, either she's going to turn her and Walt in, throwing herself at the mercy of the courts, or she's going to kill Walt and make it look like an accident so that she can stay with her children. She admits that she's waiting for Walt to die, so the next logical leap is an active role rather than a passive one.

Another prediction: maybe it will be Jesse who does Walt in. Supporting points: during the Lydia conversation, Jesse votes to not have her killed. The reason? He doesn't want any more blood on his hands. In the same conversation, Walt says he is willing to do anything to keep the business going. Again, if Jesse really wants to achieve his goal, he can't just keep voting against Walt and hoping nobody dies; he'll have to act.

This all, of course, contradicts my previous prediction that Walt will defeat all of his enemies but cancer will get him in the end, like the real Heisenberg.

Susan: I don't think she has it in her.  She'll just keep smoking and hoping.  I'm actually wondering if Walt Jr. might play a bigger role in all this.  He has a really strong relationship with Hank, and now that he's staying with Hank and Marie, that will reinforce it.  I don't think Walt Jr. will kill Walt, but I think he might be the one to blow the case open for Hank. 

5. Is somebody going to flip and tell Hank?

Steven: They have to, right? From a plot-perspective, the only reason to keep Hank in the dark this long and to have Hank be this close to the family, is for someone to clue him in. He's missed all of the obvious moment-of-realization on-ramps, so I feel like they're just waiting for the vehicle of that realization to be one of the other characters. But who? Skylar has her motivations. As do Jesse and Lydia. A real twist, though I'm not holding my breath, would be for Mike to turn Walter in. I guess this episode just makes me ask more questions. Looking back at this one year (four seasons), an impossible amount has happened. And looking ahead at next week's methylamine heist, it seems like an impossible amount can still happen. I'm kind of exhausted at the prospect of one more year passing over the course of a paltry twelve episodes...

Susan: Again, I think this is Walt Jr.'s reason for existing (other than eating breakfast).  I kind of wonder about Skylar too, after we saw how good Marie held up under Hank's questioning.  Poor Marie.  She gets played by everyone.

6. Did Skylar walk into the pool on purpose/ as part of a plan?

Steven: Just like with Walt, I'm not sure when she's thinking and when she's just shooting from the hip. She freely admits to Walt that she hasn't figured out a plan yet. Why so lazy, Skylar? Have you cooked the books for an ongoing business, coerced someone into selling their car wash, struggled to launder millions of dollars in drug money, had a baby, confronted your sister about her shoplifting, seen your brother-in-law lose the ability to walk, your husband develop and beat cancer, had an affair, and inadvertently caused your male-mistress to fall into a coma THIS YEAR? No, that would be an insane amount to happen to a person in ONE YEAR! Okay, okay, I guess I can give her another episode or two to figure out how to deal with Walt. But no more than that!

Susan: I can't decide if the random weird shot of their bedroom door by the pool was heavy handed foreshadowing, or a sign that Skylar had a plan all along.  From the way she plays that scene, it seems like she's just reacting.  Walt is giving that nauseating speech about surviving cancer and how everyone helped him time and time again. He could just as easily be talking about his meth business, and Skylar is the only one who knows it.  When he directs his thanks to her, it's too much for her to take.  She has to shut him up, and she tried yelling last week.  Her plan works, but she knows it's a thin one.  The only thing she can do now is wait.  Slightly off-topic - Anna Gunn is so much better at being an angry wife than a scared one.  Let's see more of that.

Best line:
This was a great episode for Marie, so I'm giving her the best line of the week.
Walt: Did you know that a year ago tomorrow was the day I got my diagnosis?
Marie:  Really?  It seems longer.

Next week - a heist!  And Landry/Todd is involved!  And Lydia meets Walt!  And... it looks like the show is completely different yet again.  Sheesh, Vince.  This reboot is taking forever.  

Breaking Bad 5.3 - Hazard Pay

Welcome fellow (blue) meth addicts!  Episode 3 was chock full of psychological warfare, artsy cook shots and the triumphant return of Badger and Skinny Pete.  We also met the boys at Vamonos Pest, learned about Mike's day job as a paralegal and very briefly visited the infamous Lazer Base.  Let's get to it.

1. What will bring down the new cooking operation?

Susan: First, let me say that I was SO excited to find out that it wasn't at the car wash.  Sweet, sweet Vince.  I should never have doubted you.  That being said, this new cooking operation has a million problems.  You have four new unreliable characters, who specialize in burglary, and stealing information from people.  Great.  You have Walt running the show, which always leads to short-sighted errors and general pride trap situations.  For example, won't the owners notice the ginormous spike in their electricity bill that month?  Or how about the fact that set up and tear down of the lab and the super fancy equipment is left to 4 bug men who know nothing about the business?  Then you have that scene with Ira where he outlines all of the potential reasons that the homeowners might need to re-enter their fumigated home before Walt and Jesse are done cooking.  Not to mention the nanny cams/home security issues.  It's a terrible, terrible, terrible idea that is way too clever to work.  My crazy prediction?  Jesse's work around with the agitator motor doesn't work and we have our first meth lab explosion on the show.  It's honestly amazing that it hasn't happened already.

Steven: They seem to be pointing towards a nanny cam scenario.  However, I think it will be simpler than that.  We were just introduced to four brand spanking new characters, all con men, who Walt and Jesse's cooking operation depends upon.  And one of those characters, Todd, we all know well from the fantastic Friday Night Lights.  They're not going to waste him.

My prediction:  Landry, I mean Todd, will bust the whole operation by putting on a Crucifictorious house-show across the street.  Then he'll roll on Mike after the police discover the body of the would-be rapist Todd murdered at the beginning of season two...  Wait, I think I'm confused again.  (What ended up happening with that anyway?  I just remember his dad setting the family car on fire and Tyra being conflicted for a thousand seasons.)

But really, I have no idea at this point what will bring the cooking down.  I thought they'd be working out of the car wash by this point, and now that's just a back drop for Skylar and Marie to eat their enormous salads against.

2. What role will Todd/Landry play?

Susan: Thank you, Vince Gilligan, for bringing Jesse Plemons back to my television.  He was so good on Friday Night Lights and I think he has the perfect blend of dark and light to fit in perfectly in the wacky world of Breaking Bad.  He's obviously too big a star to be in one episode, and he broke Mike's rule on the very first day, so I think it's safe to assume that he'll play a bigger role as this terrible plan progresses.  I think Walt will win him over and try to get him to help take down Mike.  Or maybe he has higher aspirations too and wants to edge out Jesse?  Perhaps he'll propose running extra security during the cooks?  He's trouble for someone, but a welcome complication for me.

Steven: Refer to question #1.  Also, I think that in the end Todd will realize how extermination brought him closer to the other guys --different races be damned!

3. Who is Walt comparing Victor to when he says that he flew too close to the sun?

Susan: Jesse.  A case could be made for Mike, but I think Walt really felt that he had the upper hand in the negotiation before Jesse selflessly offered up his share to end the argument.  Jesse has way more money than he needs and absolutely nothing to spend it on.  I think he's starting to realize in this episode that he's trading the people he actually likes for a job and money that he really hates.  He can't include Badger and Skinny Pete in the operation and he had to give up Andrea and Brock because of his sordid history with Walt.  By the end, when he sees that Walt has absolutely zero perspective and refuses to be happy, I think Jesse really starts to realize that maybe it's time for him to pick up and leave town, like Mike begged him to earlier in the season.  Unfortunately, it looks like he meets Lydia next episode, which will just suck him down even deeper.  There's no escape, and there's no way to win.  

Steven: I think this is directed at Jesse.  Translation: "Don't offer to pay out of your own share again.  Don't offer to do anything independently ever again, or else I'll convince you to leave behind more than just your girlfriend."

What bothers me most is that he's so pissed off about the money that Walt doesn't even feign interest in Jesse's life.  Walt has gotten what he wants, one less liability, and he just moves on.  Re-watching that beer drinking scene was excruciating.  I kept wondering what Jesse's NA sponsor guy would've said instead.  Maybe, "Carry your cross but keep the people who make you happy."  I feel so terrible for Jesse that I forget he's a grown man capable of determining his own lot in life.  Andrea and Brock brought out such a wholesome, promising side in Jesse.  And (going back to an earlier prediction) I really want Jesse to be the one blowing town at the end, but I want him to be headed to Andrea.  I guess I just still haven't gotten over Jane...  (Although I'm glad she's found a new home in Apartment 23.)

4. Where was Hank this episode?

Susan: Working.  I think Vince wanted to set up the new cook site, and the new characters and establish the amount of work Mike is having to do in his off time to keep his guys quiet.  By showing us Mike's work, he doesn't have to show us Hank, because they're basically going to the same places, talking to the same people, about the same things.  Mike just has to get there first.  If he didn't, we'd see Hank.  However, after watching The Wire, it does seem odd that Hank doesn't have people trailing Mike.

Steven: Building a case.

Last time we see him, he's discussing Gustavo with his commanding officer, Merkert, and running into brick walls in his case with Mike.  The next logical step, in my mind, is for Hank to put the last piece in the puzzle and act.  The fact that we get so much Marie, and have Marie alone waiting on a sofa in one scene, raises flags in my head.  She tells Skylar that Hank is back at work and staying busy, but no details on what he's doing.  This makes me think he's purposefully not telling her the details because he's pulling a Gustavo-hunt style operation on Walt.  They put Hank's realization up in the air last episode and then purposefully ignore him for an episode, because what else is there for him to do or think before starting the Walt-hunt?  Or, before clueing in Walt.  (Still not sure which direction he'll go myself, but I'm leaning towards a confrontation.)

5. Is Walt thinking at all at this point?

Susan: He's certainly not thinking about exit strategies or potential problems.  He's thinking about how wonderful he is and how much money he should have and how much people should fear and respect him.  He's thinking about that all the time.  But he's certainly not feeling guilty or worrying about anyone's feelings.  He's come a long long way since that scene in episode 1 where he had to make a pro/con list about killing the guy in the basement.  No need for that now.  Walt is fully convinced that everything he does is brilliant and right and true.  It's amazing how smoothly he talks to Brock, manipulates Jesse into breaking up with Andrea and outs Skylar's affair to Marie. He's completely reprehensible, in a way that Gus never was. 

Steven: No.  He can figure out the percentages and knows exactly how much Mike is shorting him.  But, he somehow doesn't understand that 50lbs of meth is worth far less than 200lbs?  Walt is manipulating people but not following through (Skylar, Jesse).  He's willfully ignorant of the big picture.  Who's supplying the methylamine?  Who cares!  What happens if we don't pay these guys off and they flip on the whole operation?  That's not my problem!  That's your share!!  This is my apple, I'm going to bite it!!!  

I love that Vince Gilligan finally brought in a clip from Scarface.  The juxtaposition of Al Pacino racing around frantically with no plan whatsoever and Walt offering Skylar cold pizza "if she's up to it" is perfect.  Walt isn't snorting from massive piles of cocaine but he is high on something, and like any good addiction, it's making him miss EVERYTHING. 

(I also love how they literally kill cockroaches after their first house cook.  Was that the whole reason for this elaborate cooking operation, Vince?  Be honest.)

6. Are Badger and Skinny Pete going to muck up this operation as well?

Susan: I don't think so.  I think they're in this episode because they're beloved characters, and they show us how removed Jesse is from his old world.  They also show up when Jesse's about to relapse, so it could indicate that he's about to start using again.  But I don't think Mike or Walt will let them anywhere near the new operation.   

Steven: I feel like they're going to play a bigger role than just buying a few roadie cases.  Is Jesse going to let his guard down after pushing Andrea away and bring these two jokers back into the fold or, like they always manage to do, are Badger and "Skinny" Pete just going to push and push until they're a part of the operation?

Potential.  That's all I'm saying.

Bonus thought: The Scarface scene. 

The Scarface scene gave me a new perspective on the cold open.  When Vince Gilligan first pitched the show to AMC, he said he wanted to tell a story where Mr. Chips turned into Scarface over the course of the series.  I think the cold open did nothing more but to show us that the transformation is complete.  It's his birthday, 2 years after the pilot episode.  He has a new identity.  He's alone.  He's picking up a machine gun aka "say hello to my little friend."  I think that Vince put in the Scarface scene in that episode to remind us of that initial concept for the show.  Rather than showing us where the series is going plot wise, he wanted to show us, at the beginning of the final season, that the transformation is complete.

Best line, courtesy of Badger and Skinny Pete, naturally.  "Hey man, I’m trying to do business over here, bitch! Sorry, he’s like, overly enthusiastic.”

Next week - Walt's birthday, the Heisenberg hat, more Lydia and the one with the bee on it.  Sure to be a quiet hour.  

Breaking Bad 5.2 - Madrigal

Hey there loyal readers.  We made it through 2 episodes!  That's amazing consistency.  In case you missed it, here's what happened on episode 2, Madrigal:

A Madrigal man committed suicide after trying "Franch".  Walt hid Chekhov's ricin in his bedroom and psychologically terrorized Jesse, Skylar and Saul.  Walt's magnet plan from last week created  huge new problems for Mike which led to two people dying and an unfortunate partnership with a snooty tea drinker named Lydia.  Oh, and kids continued to be everyone's Achilles' heel.  Let's discuss. 

1. Where will they cook?

Steven: The car wash.  I feel like they've been setting this up ever since episode one where you see Walt working with various chemicals in his second job.  They really ramped it up when they introduced Gus and his laundromat.  By the time Skylar purchases the car wash to launder money, I was screaming, "They've got their own lab!" in my mind.

Susan: The car wash seems like the most thuddingly obvious place.  So I really really hope it won't be the car wash.  But if it's not the car wash... where would they possibly go?  Back to Jesse's?  Walt's apartment?  Saul's office?  I'm hoping to be surprised and delighted.

2. Will Mike last the season?

Steven: I think Mike or Jesse will be the only character to make it out alive by the end.  I see one of the two of them boarding a bus out of Albuquerque with nothing but a duffel bag full of money and never looking back. 

Susan: I always worry when they have a supporting character carry an episode.  Any time you start to get back story on the supporting cast, you know they're not long for this world.  Plus Mike coughed all through last season, and so far this season we've taken time out to notice that his bullet wound is still bleeding, he's old enough to have a fake hip and he drinks Ensure with his beer.  Mike's not a healthy guy, and now that his financial health is in jeopardy, things are going to get a lot worse for everyone involved.  Fearless prediction - Mike doesn't end up dead at the end of this season.  He ends up in jail.  And it's Lydia's fault.

3. What does Hank know?  

Steven: What doesn't Hank know?  Here you have a gifted detective, able to see through people from afar, able to put connections together that even his department can't.  Enter Walt and Skylar.  Skylar has a ridiculous story to make sense of Walt's new cash flow.  Walt not only never talks about his gambling, hasn't had any warning signs up until now, and he keeps dropping hints for Hank to pick up.  One character has a bad lie, while the other wants to get caught.  If Jesse represents "addiction" and "half-measured recovery," and Skylar represents "the devastation of addiction on the family," then Hank is "denial" all the way.  When ASAC Merkert tells his story about grilling out with Gus, I think we see Hank have a moment of clarity, where his understanding cuts through the cloud he put up around this brother-in-law of his.

What does Walt represent, you ask?  An idiot.

Susan: That scene with his boss is oh-so-tricky.  I think Hank has been on to Walt for quite some time.  Why else would he keep feeding Walt top secret info about his investigation?  I think what we're seeing in that scene is not Hank figuring it out, but Hank wondering if everyone else has figured it out too.  I think Hank is trying to find a way to catch Walt on his own, so that he can either turn him in and act shocked, or convince him to get out and never come back.  Hank knows that he's all tied up in it and his reputation will be ruined and that he'll be an accomplice after the fact since his PT is funded by the drug money.  He sees his boss thrown under the bus because of his friendship with Gus and knows that his career will absolutely be over if Walt ever gets caught.  So what's the best scenario for Hank?  Can anyone escape the Walter White poison? 

4. What other illegal operations is Madrigal Electromotive running?

Steven: For some reason I feel like one of the other restaurants is a money laundering front for the Mob, maybe in Jersey or Miami.  If there were more than 14 episodes left, I'd predict that we'd get to see the affect this Peter Schuler's illegal fast food operations have had on the towns these other chains are in.  Maybe a plane crash situation like in season 2 where we saw the devastating repercussions of Walt's actions...  However, with just this much time left, I think they'll just be side notes, but I think there will still be plenty of other illegal activity.

Susan: It sure seems like a massive front for other drugs, doesn't it?  Why else do we get a look at all the other signs in the building?  Does each business correspond with a different drug market?  Will we ever find out more about it?  What's more interesting to me is how Gus got involved with a German company in the first place.  I don't know if the series really has enough time to go down that road, but it'll be interesting to find out just how big Gus' empire was.  It also makes it impossible to guess at this point which piece will end up bringing them all down. 

5. Who is Lydia exactly?

Steven: Executive in charge of illegal fast food operations.  I feel like she's going to turn out to be Schuler's assistant.  And now that Mike is taking charge of this specific meth-ring, I think she'll become his assistant. As much as the writers may want us to believe that the power play is between Mike and Walt, I think the real money is at Lydia's level, and I think the real struggle will be between her and Mike.

Susan: I feel like she's close to Gus in some way.  We got a good look at Mike and Chao's houses in this episode and Lydia appears to have done much much better for herself than those two.  It's also interesting that her daughter is learning Spanish.  I think she's either related to Gus, or perhaps Gus' bestie who was killed in Mexico by Don Eladio.  It's interesting to me that Gus would choose to do business with her, because she seems very volatile and unprofessional.  She's also not on the secret payroll from the offshore accounts, so she's not one of Mike's people.  Maybe she has cartel connections?  Wouldn't it be great if we get through the whole series without Walt knowing that she exists?  I can't believe how much Walt doesn't know.  He doesn't even know about the great cartel showdown last season!  He just thinks everything is peachy.  He doesn't know that his magnet plan completely backfired.  He doesn't know why Mike reconsidered. He doesn't know that his precious precursor is coming from an extremely dangerous place.  He doesn't even know how many people are going to be on his new payroll!  

6. Why hasn't Skylar left yet?

Steven: It's either greed or cowardice, and I'm leaning towards the prior.  If she loved Walt -- which we know she doesn't -- that might be enough reason to keep her baby girl in such a dangerous situation.  She ran away once, she a moment of rationale thinking, and then she reversed it immediately.  Why?  Does she really think Walt or someone is going to track her and her baby down?  Does she not want to leave Walt Jr.?  She could have always asked Saul to vanish her and the kids.  I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard to leave your life, friends and extended family, but I think there is more to Skylar's motivation than loving her family.  It takes a certain personality to cook someone's books in order to keep a business alive, a certain personality to force someone into selling their car wash in order to keep a meth business running, and I believe Skylar has such a personality.  The kind of woman who loves her family enough to stay, would've never gotten so far in that she'd have to make that decision.  Greed, or at the very least Pride, is running the show here.

Susan: I think she's plotting.  She's like Walt in that respect.  She's not going to run away and let someone win.  She just needs some time to figure out a plan.  Children are constantly used as bargaining chips on this show, so I'm guessing it will come down to that.  She's just coming up with the perfect strategy.  And maybe an overly worked script.

New thought this week: what is Breaking Bad saying about the theme of brotherhood, if anything?  Gus' franchise is Los Pollos Hermanos.  The final battle will be Walt vs. his brother-in-law Hank.  Mike was a cop in the city of brotherly love (Philadelphia) and left on a bad note.  A problem with his brother, perhaps?  Jesse never felt loved by his parents because of his perfect younger brother.  Something there?  Or just Vince exorcising some demons?

Best line: "Ketchup... that one is essentially just ketchup."

Thoughts?  Questions?  Quibbles?

Breaking Bad 5.1 - Live Free or Die

Welcome!  Steven and I are attempting to recap/review/rehash Breaking Bad season 5 episode by episode.  We have crazy schedules and are generally lazy, so don't rely on these for instant morning after analysis.  Our (very ambitious) goal is to post them before the next episode airs.  Can we do it?  Time will tell.  I have my doubts.  But Steven has faith!  We'll see.

Basically we'll do a very, very, very short recap, full of spoilers, and then burning questions, full of spoilers, and then crazy predictions, full of spoilers.  If you don't watch the show, you should.  If you want to read this and follow along without watching the show, check out a fuller recap on Entertainment Weekly, AV Club or Vulture.  All great, all timely, all more impressive.  Then come back and chat with us about our theories.

Okay.  Recap time.  Here it goes.  Walt cleans up the mess after blowing up Gus, talks Mike into helping them, plays with magnets in the junkyard, saves the day with science, and tells everyone that he's the big bad and they better deal with it.  As Mike says, "If Wendell doesn't eat, no one eats."  He was talking about chickens, but it applies.  Oh and the cold open was basically a giant teaser showing us that at some point Walt will have a full head of hair, beard, snazzy glasses, new identity, New Hampshire license plates, 52nd birthday breakfast at Denny's and a shiny new machine gun. All set?  Let's go.

1.  Is Walter White's identity really safe? 

Steven: I'm going to say, Yes.  He's using a fake I.D. probably in order to cover his tracks -- the car he leaves in the parking lot, the clandestine meeting in the bathroom, can all be attributed now to a "Mr. Lambert."  Already we've seen him acting like a professional with the magnetic truck, so I think he's safe.

Susan: Yes?  I think Hank has known, in his gut, about Walt for quite awhile.  He's had too much time to sit around and stew, and then get in that crazy forced accident with Walt last season.  Hank knows, but he doesn't want to see it.  Crazy prediction #1 - the Hank and Walt showdown will happen at the end of these 8 episodes.

2.  Is the machine gun going to be for a specific purpose, or is he just amassing an arsenal?

Steven: Arsenal all the way!  "It's never leaving town," Walt tells the arms dealer.  Leaving town would imply he's on the offensive, so unless he's lying, it seems like he's creating a Scarface-esque fortress of some sort.  And he doesn't seem to have his lie-face on.

Susan: The machine gun kind of bothers me. Walt's plans usually involve some sort of creative science (ricin, magnets, thermite, etc.)  He's certainly used a gun before, but as a supplementary tool.  The fact that the machine gun is the big reveal in the cold open gives me pause.  Maybe it's not a machine gun after all?  Maybe there's some sort of trade involved?  I think it's more deceptive than revealing, like most things in that sneaky teaser.

3.  Is Skylar still on board?

Steven: The way she handles the Ted situation seems to contradict her "I am relieved...and scared."  So far she has shown no hesitation with breaking the law, and though the New Hampshire car might suggest that Walt has taken a Saul vanishing service alone, I don't see Skylar turning back now from anything.

Susan: Poor Skylar.  She just keeps making bad decisions.  As much as I want to root for Skylar and see her as pure and innocent she just keeps falling into the same vices as her husband.  She goes to see Ted to try to fix things, is shocked by his appearance, and then turns again when he pleads with her for his life.  She likes the power, and sure she's scared of Walt, but she's more scared that she might not be in control of her home anymore.  Walt has never been in power in his marriage, and as Skylar starts to see the extent of Walt's transformation, I think she feels her power in the home threatened and that scares her.  Crazy prediction #2: Skylar comes up with a new plan to put Walt back in his place.  And it leads to his escape to New Hampshire.

4. What's in the bag that Walt is carrying in the cold open?

Susan: I hate that I'm obsessed with the cold open, but I am.  I could sort of get past it in season 2 because they made no sense.  But now that we're closer to the end and there's so much at play, I'm hopelessly obsessed.  It also closely mimics the final scene in the Sopranos, another famously overly critiqued television scene.  Hopefully I'll be over it by next week.  But this week, I want to know what's in that damn bag.  Money?  More guns?  The plant?  Bomb equipment?  Does it matter?  Probably not, but we see that bag, and then the first new scene of the current season is Walt stuffing bomb and plant evidence into a bag and putting it in the back of the car.  Coincidence or red herring?  Gah!  I have no idea.

Steven: A sack full of money.  If Walt is really building up a fortress, then perhaps this machine gun is the first purchase of many.

5. Where in the show's timeline is the cold open?

Susan: At first I thought that the cold open was the open from the series finale.  The pilot was set on his 50th birthday, where he had turkey bacon with his family.  Now he's in a Denny's, getting a free meal by himself on his 52nd birthday with real bacon and no wedding ring.  The more I (over)think it though, the more I think it might be the opening of the last season.  Crazy prediction #3: After Hank runs Walt off, he gets in trouble with the cartel and Walt has to come back to save him.  Eh.  I don't like it either.

Steven: This had episode 9 written all over it.  The beginning of the end of the series.  Over the break, I see time passing between the first and second batch of episodes.  I don't think we'll know all of the basic particulars of Walt's situation even when we catch up with this scene.

6. What's with the roofing hammer in evidence?

Susan: More than the open, that hammer has been bugging me.  Why do we get such a close look at it?  Who is Alvin B. Gutierrez?  Will that introduce us to a new character somehow?  I don't remember a roofing hammer being important in any other season.  The only thing I can remember are the axes that the cousins carried around.  Will we meet a crooked cop?  Did Gus/cartel have a mole in the DEA?  Is it just showing us that the evidence was filed alphabetically so that we know all the Fring evidence was destroyed?  Any ideas would be appreciated.  It can't be random.  It's keeping me up at night.

Steven: Alvin B. Gutierrez...  Why is this hammer lumped in with all of Gus's stuff?  There has to be a connection, but I don't have any clue.  My only guess is that it has some of that good Heisenberg Blue on it.  This would give them another direction to start following.  

Best line: "Keys, Scumbag.  It's the universal sign for keys."

Steven's crazy prediction: Walt dies at the end of the series.  But it's cancer that gets him.