Breaking Bad review: The Meth Crown Affair

Just in case I haven’t been stunned enough by watching this godforsaken show, season 5 episode 5 “Dead Freight” had to go ahead and seriously shock me to my core.

First off, let me begin by saying that I marathoned Breaking Bad for a couple of months before getting to my first live episode, tonight. Which also means that this is my first true review of the series (Keysh was going to review the series, and did one episode, but has bowed out). Although, I did do that post that reviewed the first four seasons. So before I get into the specifics of this episode, let me just give you a few thoughts on season five thus far.

As it turns out, my reactions towards season five thus far are mostly just, “Well this is different.” And it’s true. We’re no longer facing some Big Bad; we’re no longer seeing all these chess pieces in play. Walt and company are still trying to be successful in the demanding business of meth, but their obstacles are mostly business oriented — not so much life-threatening. Season five of Breaking Bad is focusing on the transitions these characters have made over the past four seasons. More so, the show seems to have transitioned into some sort of heist action series. We got magnets, bitch, and now stealing from a train?

Which brings me back to the specific episode.

Since the gang still needs methylamine (that isn’t, you know, being tracked by the DEA or anything), they devise a plan to steal a tankful of this stuff — thanks to Lydia, who for god knows what reason has yet to talk about this opportunity. If we get into the specifics of this heist, we might just find that our heads would explode because of how lucky the gang got. But can I just say that, being a fan of heist situations as I am, the sequence of events leading up to the heist and the events that occurred during were enthralling. I guess if this is the new Breaking Bad, then I’m okay with. That said, it isn’t.

Given the fact that Todd, who works for Vamanos Pest, has just shot and killed a child onscreen, I’d say that the show will never be the same again. Sure, the ending of tonight’s episode was shocking enough, but what’s more important (depending on how you see it) is what will come of this. If you’ve been feeling as though Walt has been having it way too easy during building his empire, think again. One of the best aspects of Breaking Bad is, for the most part, the constant sense of doom and death that is always looming over Walt’s head. There isn’t much of that this season. And with it has gone any sense of morality for his character, to boot. Is there any other reason to root for Walt now other than him being (arguably) a badass? At least in previous seasons, he was doing these deeds for the good of his family and his wellbeing. Now? Not so much. And he thought that all of his problems would go away just by killing Gus, as well. But he may soon find out that being King means dealing with all of the intricacies of an empire. What kind of Meth King will Walt be? And how can he ever think of himself better than Gus if he doesn’t have any consequences for these actions? We know that he poisoned a kid last season, but would he have actually let the boy die?

More so, the relationship between Walt and Jesse may just be ramping up yet again. We’ve seen Jesse’s stance on death this season. We saw his heartbreak when the gun was shot. Where will the two be at the end of these spiraling conditions?

All signs point to Walt continuing to descend into darkness and build his empire, seeing the kid and all others as collateral damage. He was even willing to let Lydia die without so much as thinking about it first. And when that happens, he’ll want men like Todd by his side (who is proving he wants to be the perfect pupil). What that means for Jesse and Walt’s relationship scares me, as it’s one of the most riveting aspects of the series. Unfortunately for Jesse, he just doesn’t see what kind of self-destructive person Walt’s become. And while I’m rooting for Jesse to make it out alive, I sort of don’t want to see Walt end this series by his lonesome with nothing but a target on his back and a black market gun strapped to his hip at some Denny’s.

That said, I’m deluding myself. Walt’s transformed into a narcissistic almost-idiot. And I’d probably be shocked if the final moments of this series aren’t him bleeding to death.

Speaking of people leaving Walt, Skyler is clearly much less nerving in this installment. I mentioned in my previous review about how Skyler is someone who seems to have her feet placed firmly on the ground, but for the most part she hasn’t this season. It’s been amazing to watch. But I’m glad we’re back to a more “there” Skyler, who seems intent on not having her kids around. The dynamic that’s been created for their relationship in this season is almost…icky, for lack of a better term. I’ve actually convulsed at their scenes in disgust. But I don’t know how I feel about their tension just being there (I loved their dialog: “Burying bodies?” “Robbing a train.”) more than I want Skyler to make a move. If she thought a bit ahead, she’d be accepting and then steal a wad of cash and run the first chance she had. (Then again, she’s obviously scared.)

All in all, tonight’s episode was so wonderfully crafted to showcase all of what makes this series great (if, once again, you can get over the unbelievability of the heist) and then hit you in the gut with that ending. But it was more about where those chess pieces are going to be played next. What kind of King will Walt be? And how will his decisions allow his entire empire to eventually crumble?