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Sunday, August 25, 2013

Breaking Bad “Confessions” Review: Acting in a Crisis



 Hank and Jessie think hard on Breaking Bad
Photo Credit: AMC TV

First off sorry about last week I was on vacation and I tried to get the review up later in the week but it just became too late to be worthwhile in the end. Long review made short “Buried” was fantastic and one of the best episodes the show has ever done. Well that’s over on to this week so…

A Review of “Confessions” coming up as soon as I comb my mustache…
“Would you just, for once, stop working me?”
-Jessie

Wow!

Aaron Paul hadn’t had all that much to do up to this point, in fact in last week’s episode “Buried” he didn’t even speak a word. Boy did he make up for that this week. The final half hour of “Confessions” was an Aaron Paul showcase, one that reminds us how fantastic he is and has been over the course of this series. “Confessions” keeps the serie’s run of fantastic season 5B (or six) episodes with another beautifully explosive episode.

Before we get started with the Jessie bombshell let’s talk about Hank and his ill fated plans to find evidence to trap Walt. The first failed attempt began with Jessie. The final shot of last week say Hank head in to try and pry something out of the very silent Jessie, but by this week we realize that his attempts won’t have an effect. Even when Hank is completely on his game this week with Jessie (unlike how we say him with Skyler last week) and even getting close, the history between the two men just had a way to large of an effect and Hank wasn’t able to get anything before Saul came in to interrupt. It’s a great showdown that is one of this week’s pieces that puts Hank farther and farther down into the hole that continues to be dug for him.

The final nail in the coffin comes from the great acting and lying of Walter White. No not Bryan Cranston, even though he’s amazing and fantastic, but Walter himself. Walt’s fake confession is probably the most brilliant lie he’s ever told. What a truly amazing monologue delivered by Bryan Cranston in that fake confession video (great nod to the pilot in that sequence as it starts the same as that confession of sorts did) as his lie is so great and wonderfully convincing. With the surgery bills alone Walt has put Hank into an inescapable trap that may have taken him potentially out of the game.

But really it isn’t Hank that Walt needs to be worried about, it’s Jessie. Jessie had two spectacular character moments this episode, both involving lash outs towards Walt. The first of these lash outs happened in the familiar setting of the middle of the desert where we find out that Walt wants Jessie to get away and Jessie just wants Walt to stop working him for once and tell the truth. The sequence is fantastic ending in an awkward hug that shows just how far these two characters have come. All Walt really wanted in Jessie was a son figure and all Jessie wants was to get away, they both seem to get their wishes in that hug.

Then right before Jessie goes to meet up with Saul’s get away guy, Saul makes the error of jacking the pot from Jessie’s pocket; not because of the pot specifically but because Jessie begins to put the pieces together about Brock. In a stroke of sheer genius by Vince Gilligan and crew Jessie figures out that Huell jacked the risen from his pocket the same way that he did the pot before he left this time. This leads Jessie on a rampage of anger, first attacking Saul by punching him numerous times before Saul swears that he thought Walt wanted him to do it to protect Jessie. Then the rampage shifts squarely to Mr. White (Jessie refers to him as Mr. White even after finding out what Walt had did which is a testament to just how much Walt had twisted him up) and in a brilliant cliffhanger he goes right to Walt’s home and pours gas all over the floor and the furniture.

The sequence is brilliant for many reasons most notable is that Gilligan doesn’t make the audience out to be stupid. Gilligan relies on the basis that the audience had been paying attention to what had happened and how it had happened and never babysits the audience at all. The other notable reason that the sequence is brilliant is of course because of just how fantastic Aaron Paul is. The sequence where he figures it out is amazing and escalates higher up the ladder of amazing when he completely looses it. It’s horrifying to watch and even more horrifying with the suggested consequences for Walt and his family. Ladies and gentlemen let the chips rain on down.

Only 5 episodes left!

Some other musings:

  • Poor, poor Trent; in a scene worthy of the best comedy accolades poor waiter Trent had to deal with the epic stare down between Hank, Marie, Walt, and Skyler. All he wanted to do was serve them Guacamole dang it!

  • Look it’s Todd! In a very awesome opening scene we get to see Todd tell big stories about the high and mighty Heisenberg and then try to call Walt to get his approval! See Walt one of your son figures wants your approval! Just not the right one…

  • Speaking of Son’s Walt’s cancer returning speech to Walt Jr. (aka Flinn) was perfectly manipulative. Great stuff from R.J. Miller though whose reaction to Walt was utterly perfect.

  • Another great comedy moment: Walt trying to fix himself up before seeing Skyler at the car wash and then their whole awkward conversation after was superb.

  • Frozen bullets!

That’s all for now this was just another amazing episode of a show that looks like it will go out with a massive bang!

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

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