“Granite State”

How low can you go? This is the first episode where we really see all of the characters hit rock bottom, sinking even lower than anyone thought they could go. Walt is now Mr.Lambert living in complete isolation cut off from the world and everything he once loved. Skyler is struggling mentally and financially under the weight of an investigation into Heisenberg, having nothing of value to give to the feds puts her in a precarious situation. Marie’s life has crumbled with the loss of Hank, as has Junior’s he lost his Uncle and his father in one fell swoop. Then there’s Jesse, he’s hit an all time low. After being abused and tortured his captor’s hit him where it hurts the most and kill an innocent woman leaving Brock motherless. Despite what you may think after last week’s review I do feel sorry for Jesse. Last week I was trying to illustrate that Walt isn’t the devil so many have painted him to be and I think that comes across clearly in “Granite.”

Everything Walt has done has been for the good of his family or at least that’s how he’s justified his actions to himself, but look where it got him. Maybe he’s tried too hard to straddle the line of family man and meth king. It was impossible to do both and being alone (i.e. wasting away) in a New Hampshire cabin might be the quiet place he needs to think about who he really is these days. I personally feel like Walt needed a dog, it would have made his isolation more agreeable, maybe even steer him away from his Heisenberg alter ego. If anyone’s in need of a service animal it’s him.

Speaking of animals, Jesse’s one trapped critter. He’s fallen down the rabbit hole of bad decisions, and no he doesn’t deserve to be punished this tediously. I was cheering for his escape, while simultaneously understanding that  Jesse Pinkman will never be released from the chains that bind him. Death seems a kinder act than the hell he’s subjected to currently. So twisted. Pinkman is essentially becoming a slave to save the life of a little boy. I dearly hope that Heisenberg comes to rescue him somehow.

Uncle Jack clearly has issues and yet Todd is ten times worse. He’s a cold blooded killer. I cannot see Todd and Lydia together, she’s in a class above him and yet with her inferences about Skyler, it seemed like she wanted Todd to kill her too. For a woman who has a kid of her own, Lydia has very little heart. She and Todd have ice running through their veins, there’s nothing to like about either character. Heisenberg has done a lot of wrong, but he has a warmth to him, he loves in way these cold blooded killers cannot.

Even though Walt is safe and could waste away in his cabin, he’s still focused on his family. After his son’s complete rejection of him, he’s still trying to figure out how to help Skyler from afar. He doesn’t have much time, but he has enough time to take the heat off of his family if he so chooses. Seeing his old business partners on TV barely credit him with the name of the company and little else was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  It was the edge Walt needed to push his security blanket away and charge home to Albuquerque where he can make one last difference in this world, as Heisenberg.

He already has a cancerous death sentence he may as well make his last breath of life count. Heisenberg is the cancer that has slowly deprived Walt of his life, so it’s only fitting that the cancer make one final debut before the lights go out.

He can avenge Hank’s death, rescue Pinkman (who he’ll be surprised to find alive), and turn himself in to absolve his family of his crime. But perhaps that is what Walter White would have done, I suppose the real question now is: what will Heisenberg do?

Breaking Bad is anything but predictable, this is a carefully crafted show that has tied up its loose ends brilliantly. Where next week’s finale will lead, is anyone’s guess. We’re at a point in this show where anything goes and no character is safe.

Aurora Snow Says:

Episode Rating:

[Rating:4.5/5]

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