(Season Three, Episode 6) – Remote extraction of Walt and Jesse
In what is one of the best examples of a building of tension within a great episode, the net begins to swiftly close in on Walter White. With his brother-in-law, Hank (Dean Norris) being a DEA agent, Walt is essentially committing vast crimes right under the nose of the authorities and yet, it is the trail of Jesse Pinkman that Hank picks up on. He finds out about the RV that is used a mobile meth lab, and traces it to Pinkman. Unable to find him, he calls Walt to ask if he – Pinkman’s former Chemistry teacher – might know where he, or the RV, is.
The RV is at a mechanics yard, and Jesse and Walt are at odds on how to deal with the vehicle. With Hank literally on Jesse’s tail, and Walt trying to arrange for the RV to be destroyed, the two begin a race against time. As Jesse arrives at the yard and confronts Walt inside the RV, Hank’s SUV rolls silently inside the perimeter. The two are trapped inside.
With his gun drawn, Hank tries to gain access to the locked RV, while calling out to Jesse, telling him to give himself up. Between the proprietor of the lot outside, and Walt whispering lines to him inside, Jesse manages to turn the situation into a stand-off, where Hank is sitting outside, obtaining a search warrant by phone. Desperate, Walt quietly places a call from inside the RV.
Within moments, Hank’s cell phone rings, and a woman’s voice informs that his wife has been involved in an automobile accident, and is being airlifted to hospital. Hank’s face fills with fear, and his eyes well up with tears. Without hesitation, he climbs in his car and takes off out of the lot.
The scene cuts to Saul Goodman’s secretary as she hangs up the phone.
“You need to pay me more,” she says with a heavy sigh.
Saul – visibly anxious – says nothing. He takes the cell phone she used, snaps it in half, and throws it away.
