Breaking Bad Season 5 Episode 13 Recap: To’hajiilee

Last episode a lot of people were unhappy about the lack of action, but fear not, this episode ends in fireworks. Rabid Dog was a bit of a filler to build up to this point in the Breaking Bad story. This is a point where the two original partners have taken opposing sides and Walt’s dark double life is finally coming into the light. So when Jesse threatened Walt in the last episode he said he would get him where he really lives… hit the jump to find out if that threat was empty or if Jesse is the man with a plan.

The episode opens with a quick look at the meth kitchen. Todd is testing a fresh baked batch of meth and their clarity is up to 76%, but the signature blue color is missing. Lydia and the neo-nazis argue about the hue of the batch, but it is clear to the viewers that there is no blue at all. Lydia and Todd have a sit down and Todd apologizes for the mess up. He admits that he basically burnt the blue out of the batch and offers his uncle’s special skills to help deal with the Czech connection, but surprisingly, Lydia is not feeling too blood thirsty this time. She asks him to be more careful next time and leaves him with her lipstick smudged coffee mug.  I mention this because once she leaves he stares at the stain and strokes it lovingly… creeper much?  Then he gets a phone call that we have been waiting a week to hear the other end of. Walt confirms that the mark is Jesse Pinkman. I am so disappointed with Walt, but i think we all knew that something like this would have to happen at some point.  (Fun Fact: Todd’s ringtone for Walt is She Blinded me with Science by Thomas Dolby)

At that moment Hank and Jesse meet up with Agent Gomez ( Hank’s DEA buddy) and it is revealed that Jesse in fact has a plan. Jesse wants to find Walt’s money and use it as physical evidence that Walt is the head of the blue meth empire. Hank convinces Gomez to go along with the plan because this is their only shot of getting Walt. The problem is, they do not know where Walt kept his money. Hank calls in some DEA favors and has Huell ( Saul’s body guard) taken to a safe house and lies through his teeth by telling Huell that Walt put out a hit on him. Huell did not believe him at first, but earlier at Hank’s home he bought a brain and posed Pinkman among the brain bits. At the sight of the gory image Huell freaked out and sang like a canary. He spilled about how many barrels it took to pack up Walt’s money and the fact that they needed to wash the desert dust from the rental van after Walt’s return. Unfortunately the trail stopped there because the rental car company took the GPS off of the vehicles 6 months before.

Later that night, Walt meets with the white supremacists to discuss the hit on Jesse. Todd’s Uncle… um, lets just call him Uncle… begins asking some questions to better understand the target. Walt makes it clear that he wants this to be done quick and painless. He doesn’t want Jesse to know it is coming and wants it made clear that Jesse is not a rat, he is just angry and uncontrollable any longer. Walt asks about money and Uncle refuses money. He wants Walt to cook for them. He wants to increase the clarity and get the blue color back for the brand. Walt refuses, but when faced with an ultimatum he negotiates for one cook after Jesse has been killed. They shake on it and you can feel the weight of the deal. Uncle has no idea where Jesse is , but Walt knows how to flush him out.

Walt pays Andrea (Jesse’s ex) a visit and it is unsure if Brock (poisoned child) remembers him. Walt plays a concerned friend to get Andrea to call Jesse. He confides in her that Jesse is using again. He tells her that he and Jesse are not speaking, but he fears that Jesse is in a bad place maybe even dead. She leaves a message, and Walt leaves without any hint of threat. He stations two neo-nazis outside to intercept Jesse when he gets the message. He is thoughtful enough to tell them to take Jesse away from the house so Andrea and Brock don’t see or even know what’s up. Unfortunately, for Walt, Hank still has Jesse’s cell and the message is never delivered.

Let’s take a moment and check in with Walt’s family. Last episode Walt and Jr. had a good father son moment at the hotel and now we see Jr and Skylar bonding while she trains him on the car wash registers. He asks to go home, but Skylar tlls him he needs to stay and learn to promote their brand (A1 carwash). Their next customer is none other than Saul Goodman and Skylar tries to get him rung up as soon as possible. As she taps quickly on the cash register keys Jr is star struck and gushing about how much he loves Saul’s commercials and bill boards. Saul is eventually ready to leave and he leaves Jr with some amazing advice, “Don’t drink and drive, but if you do, call me.”  Saul supervises to ensure all of the nose candy is cleaned out of his car and he has time to tell Walt that he thinks Jesse is behind Huell’s disappearance. He has even resorted to wearing a bulletproof vest until his body guard is found.

Back to the main characters…

Walt gets a text with a photo of the top of a barrell filled with money. Immediately after he views the text his phone rings, “Got my photo, bitch? Cuz i found 6 more barrels just like it.” Finally! I have figured out what was missing from the last couple episodes… BITCH! Jesse demands that Walt stay on the phone until he arrives at the barrels and Walt races under the notion that Jesse is burning $10k every minute. During this car ride Walt screams through different emotions including compassion and anger. He tries to explain that all the bad things that he did was to solidify their partnership and for Jesse’s well being. During this conversation he confesses to many of his greatest hits including murder.

Walt finally arrives and finds his hiding spot empty. He puts two and two together and realizes that Jesse got the best of him. He quickly takes the battery of his cell out and hides behind a boulder. Thoughts are racing all over his face and he sees a car coming up the road behind him. He thinks it is Jesse and a few others coming to kill him and he dashes to get his phone to make one last call. He calls Uncle and tells him that if they want him to cook for them they will come and kill Jesse right now and he gives them the coordinates. Before they get off the phone Jesse arrives and Walt sees that he is with Hank and Agent Gomez. There is genuine hurt on Walt’s face and you almost feel bad for him, but then you remember that he is a calculating murderer and some of the sympathy subsides. Walt tells Uncle, never mind, do not come. He knows if uncle and his boys come then Hank is dead and no matter what their relationship is now, Hank is family.

Walt surrenders and lets Hank disarm him and cuff him. Jesse is standing behind Hank and he looks conflicted when finally confronted by Walt and the truth of how Walt was caught. Hank mirandized Walt and after he asks do you understand, but Walt is fixated on Jesse. With a single word their tension is broken, “Coward.” Jesse spits at Walt and the two go after each other. Hank and Gomez break it up and place them in separate cars. Hank calls Marie and tells her that he caught Walt dead to right and that he will be home late tonight. Marie is so relieved and her concerns about brain bits in the trash are forgotten.

Remember how i promised you fireworks? Well, after that touching phone call the neo-nazis show up and pulls weapons on Hank and Gomez. There is some tough guy banter, but the two DEA agents are in the open while Jesse and Walt are trapped in cars. The lack of badges and the situation finally break the tension and the Nazi’s open fire. Here is a Gif so you can enjoy! See you next week.