Breaking Bad: Rabid Dog (5×12)
Synopsis: Jesse’s realization begins to have consequences for Walt, while an unlikely partnership is formed.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Nothing raises my stress levels quite like Breaking Bad. Walt walking around his gas-soaked house and finding nothing didn’t make me feel relieved – it made me feel like FUCKING SHIT OMG OMG OMG WHERE’S JESSE??? After Walt clears his home, we see Huell pick up Saul’s abandoned car. Walt leaves Jesse a message on his Hello Kitty phone and the opening credits roll.
Walt makes up some long, convoluted story about a malfunctioning gas station pump that resulted in gas on his clothes, the entire house, and inside of his car. In reality, he just dumped extra gas on his clothes and in his car and lied a lot. Walt Jr. mirrored Jesse’s request from the last episode – that he stop lying to them all. He’s convinced that Walt had another black out and when he suggests they go to Hank and Marie’s to let the house air out, he’s completely ignored. Walt opted for a hotel instead.
In the parking lot, he meets with Saul and they discuss the situation with Jesse. We learn that Skinny Pete and Badger also wave the Babylon 5 nerd flag, as they’d been bugged to see if they knew where Jesse ended up. Saul suggests an “Old Yeller” situation for Jesse, but apparently Walt is the only one who can order hits because he gets extremely offended. He tells Saul that he is full of colorful metaphors, but not to float that idea again… and then he leaves to go back to the hotel and fill the ice bucket.
Back in the hotel room, Skyler is drinking the mini alcohol bottles and asks how Saul is doing when Walt returns. He seems surprised that she knew where he was and tries to deny it before she demands to know what is going on. Pressing the issue, Walt eventually tells her that Jesse got upset over something he thinks Walt did – that Walt actually did do, but for “good” reasons. He defends Jesse, saying he obviously changed his mind about burning down their house. He claims Jesse is more a danger to himself than anyone else and has never hurt anyone. Walt continues to say he will talk to Jesse and make him see reason.
Skyler listens to his explanation before clarifying that Walt is just using euphemisms – which he’s not. This upsets her and she asks Walt what happens if he changes his mind back? She basically orders a hit on Jesse by saying that Walt needs to deal with this and he claims that she is overreacting. He questions her drinking and tries to tell her that Jesse isn’t just some rabid dog, but that he’s a person. Skyler sees him as a threat and they’ve come this far, what’s one more person? She also mentions the tape they made for Hank, which is clearly weighing on her conscience.
We cut back to where the last episode left off, Jesse driving to Walt’s and dumping gasoline all over the house. It’s revealed that Hank stops him at gunpoint and coaxes Jesse to leave with him by offering to help him take down Walt. There’s a moment where we see just how broken Jesse is, as Hank leans over and buckles his seatbelt for him before they take off. Hank tells him they’re going to the DEA and Jesse sarcastically replies that it’ll go great for him there, considering the last people that were going to turn on Walt were killed in custody.
At the shrink’s office, Marie is recounting her feelings about the Hank and Walt situation as vaguely as she can. She mentions that she’s been looking up poisons that don’t leave a trace and mentions Saxitoxin specifically. Her shrink tells her that there is no problem that violence won’t make worse and she counters, saying that she wouldn’t hurt anybody; it just feels good to think about it. Coming home from the doctor, Hank tries to hurry her out before revealing that they have a guest – Jesse is passed out thanks to some sleeping pills Hank gave him. As long as him being there is going to be bad for Walt, Marie is more than happy to let him stay there.
Walt leaves Jesse another message before Walt Jr. finds him sitting by the pool. They talk about getting a new car wash, the lung cancer, and suits. It’s a nice father and son moment. The hug is so painful because poor Walt Jr. has no idea what’s coming. Elsewhere, Gomez and Hank are setting up a camera for Jesse to tell his story. He’s not really convinced, but he does it anyway. In discussing all that Jesse admitted afterwards, Gomez believes him, but says there’s no concrete evidence.
The plan becomes meeting Walt, like he’s been asking Jesse to do for a while, because Hank is convinced that Walt cares for Jesse. This leads to the Oscar-worthy line for the season, “Mr. White’s gay for me – everyone knows that!” While Jesse mulls over this plan, Hank and Gomez discuss the dangers it could put him in. Hank brushes off Jesse’s potential death, saying at least it’ll be on tape. He sets up Jesse with a wire and a pep talk, opening the van door for him and sending him to the meeting. Before getting to Walt, Jesse sees a suspicious man hanging around and instead calls Walt on a payphone. He tells Walt that next time, he’s going to get him where he really lives before getting back in the van with Hank.
Upset, he calms Hank by telling him that there’s a better way. It turns out that the suspicious man Jesse thought was there to kill him had nothing to do with Walt at all, but the encounter leaves Walt no choice. He calls Todd and informs him that he might have another job for his uncle. And this is how the speeding train goes flying off the rails, folks. With so few episodes left, every episode from here on out is going to be bananas. How worried about Jesse are you? Still rooting for Heisenberg? What are your hopes for Mrs. Heisenberg?
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