That being said, I very much like where Jesse’s story leads, with Hank and Gomez convincing (or forcing) him to wear a wire and meet with Walt, and Jesse abruptly changing the plan when he thinks he sees someone standing guard. This is the other major tension dispersal in the episode, as Walt and Jesse do not meet each other here, and while that is, as previously noted, disappointing on the surface, I am hugely intrigued by where Jesse’s actions transition us for the final stretch of episodes. When he goes rogue, moving for the payphone to give Mr. White a call, Jesse is not chickening out or losing his resolve, but instead doubling down, letting Walt believe the alternate version of events – that Jesse chose not to burn the house down in favor of something more nefarious – and in the process making Walt believe that Jesse really is an elusive, vicious mastermind. Whether Jesse is or is not has yet to be seen – he tells Hank he has a plan, and while we have yet to hear it, I suspect that with only four episodes yet, it must be partially successful – but that phone call is a brilliant bit of psychological power play. Most crucially, it gives Jesse back the agency he has long been bereft of, making his role in the story even more unpredictable and compelling as we head into the back half of the season.
And that, in short, is my reaction to “Rabid Dog” in a nutshell. This is not the best Breaking Bad has delivered this year, nor is it designed to be. It is a transitional episode, but I am absolutely on board with where we are headed, and I am mostly quite fond of the dramatic material that gets us there. Pay-off is everything, of course, and the next four episode will have to make good on what “Rabid Dog” lays down to make this deceleration of pacing fully justified, but at this point, I have little to no qualms with where the series is going. Breaking Bad has been spectacular this year. “Rabid Dog” is a different sort of episode than the last three, but is absolutely of a piece with the creative and qualitative aims of these final hours.
Other Thoughts
- This episode was written and directed by longtime Breaking Bad scribe Sam Catlin, who has written or co-written such classic hours as “4 Days Out,” “Fly,” “Half Measures,” “Crawl Space,” and “Fifty-One.” This is his last contribution to the series, and also his first time directing, and whatever minor narrative qualms I have with “Rabid Dog,” I think Catlin’s work in both roles is exquisite. I love the writing throughout – I mentioned the quality of the dialogue in the Saul scene, but really, I found myself copying down quotes more throughout this hour than any of the previous three – and the direction is sharp, taut, and suspenseful even when the storytelling is purposefully diffusing the tension. As with other Breaking Bad writers who have said goodbye over the past few weeks, Catlin has delivered an excellent send-off to his time with the series.
- Walter Jr. finally realizing his father lied about the gasoline is probably more significant than it seems. Keep in mind that before Jesse could go cuckoo bananas about Brock and the poison, he first had to recognize what a Walter White lie looked like. Walter Jr. now has that in the back of his mind as well, and I have the feeling that knowledge will come back into play before the end. He is, after all, the only adult cast member not in the know about his father’s actions.
- Staying with Walter Jr. for a moment, I want to give a big shout out to R.J. Mitte for his truly fantastic work in the scene by the poolside, in which he breaks down and hugs his father while expressing his concern about the cancer. Having been in that exact same situation before (minus the crazy, manipulative meth-dealing father – my Dad was a good and sincere man when he had cancer), I can attest to the sheer emotional honesty of Mitte’s work. That is what that moment is like, and if you have lost a parent to cancer at a young age, you have been in that situation, hopelessly scared for the health of your parent, confused by their seeming lack of concern, and desperate to show how much you care in case things end before you get to say goodbye. Breaking Bad is not a show that typically makes me emotional in a severely sad or introspective way, but when Walt Jr. goes in for a hug, I’ll admit to tearing up a little. Walter White may be a thoroughly despicable human being, but Walter Jr. doesn’t know that yet, and what hurts so much about watching those scenes is how genuine his emotions are, in contrast to how little Walt Sr. seems to care about his son’s emotions. Great, great work by Mitte.
- Marie in counseling is a nice example of how Breaking Bad can meld pathos and laughter – the scene says a lot about what Marie is thinking and feeling, but we are also struck by the sheer absurdity of dancing around the issue with the therapist – and also another reminder of how great Betsy Brandt can be when given real material to work with. It took them five-and-a-half seasons, but I feel they are finally making good use of Marie this year.
- “Yeah. Mr. White’s gay for me.” Oh God, Breaking Bad, do you realize what you have done? If there wasn’t already a mountain of slash-fic on the internet, there will be now, and none of it will be pretty…
- Note just how ruthless Hank is when discussing Jesse with Gomez, essentially welcoming the possibility of Jesse getting killed as a means to catching Walt. I think we all expected Hank to become the hero of Breaking Bad when he learned the truth, but that has not been the case at all, as his investigation has revealed both the best and worst qualities Hank has to offer.
- I’m calling it now – the Ricin in the future is for Jesse. Assuming they don’t kick Aaron Paul off the show before the end (which would be a huge mistake), Jesse survives the looming encounter with Todd’s neo-Nazi Uncle, leaving Walt to clean up this loose end in the future. Which probably leaves the giant machine gun in the back of Walt’s car for the Neo-Nazis themselves, who will probably be mad at Walt when everything inevitably goes to hell over the next four episodes.
Follow author Jonathan Lack on Twitter @JonathanLack.
