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9.0
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Skyler gets involved with Walt's business while Hank struggles with recovery. Jesse has a startling discovery after meeting a girl at group therapy.
  • perfect

    10
    "Perfect"
    Jesse meets a new girl named Andrea, who has a son. He tries bonding with the kid, and all is good, until he mentions someone by the name of Tomas, who is Andrea's younger brother. Near the end of the episode, Jesse meets Tomas, and figures out that it was Tomas, a little 11 year old kid, who killed his friend Combo in a previous episode.

    Good episode. The ending really sets the stage well for the next two episodes. The main plot with Walt and Skyler was kind of boring in some parts but I was really interested in Jesse's plot and think that is why my grade is going to be an A+.moreless
  • 311

    7.0
    "Good"
    Ah, I hate Memorial Day weekend because there is rarely any television on, and even most cable shows take a break on this day. Breaking Bad was the only show to put on an original offering tonight, and they gave us essentially a filler episode. Nothing really new happened here, but they did fill us in on a past shooting and at least hint at what the future entails. While this was far from great, BB still has that magnetic appeal that keeps you glued to the TV screen for the entire presentation.

    What probably sticks out the most about this show is that it does not insult your intelligence. They reference past episodes and they build off of them.

    I don't like Skylar being involved in Walter's drug dealings, but I don't really like her period, so that's probably not that shocking.moreless
  • The filler before two of the most incredible episodes of the show and of the last few years.

    8.5
    "Great"
    There's nothing incredible or game-changing about the episode, but instead, the writers seem to be fleshing out the plots that were introduced in the last few episodes. For instance, the plot of Jesse meeting a woman who he likes in the N.A meetings takes a plot that seemed really sleazy (selling meth to recovering addicts who are vulnerable) and turns it into a really sentimental and growing moment for Jesse. Jesse learns from the woman he meets that his good friend from Season 2 was murdered by her son as part of a gang initiation. Suddenly, we're brought back a season and something that happened quite a few episodes ago is coming back to affect Jesse's current outlook.

    We also find Skyler getting more involved in Walt's business, something that has made me hesitant since it was introduced. I never really liked Anna Gunn's character, even though it's necessary for the show to work.. however, having them combine forces feels a little lame. She clearly has ideas that could work well, especially the possible purchasing of Walt's old laundromat, but it just feels lackluster now.. there was tension because she didn't know what he did and now she does. There's no tension between them now.

    However, this cast continues to amaze me. Two characters that have been around since Season 2, Gus and Saul, continue to prove wildly different yet equally entertaining scenes to the show. Saul is hilarious in a serious way while Gus is the kind of guy who makes you feel comfortable and nervous at the same time. That end scene where they have dinner was great and showed two great minds clashing with each other.

    This was sort of a filler episode, but boy.. having already seen the season, at least the show had something to build up to.moreless
  • 311

    7.0
    "Good"
    An episode that had to do with drug laundering. Something not done yet on Breaking Bad, better late than never considering this is what a drug dealer needs to consider. Where does the money come from? So Skylar & Walt team up to find a way to launder the money to make the payments for Hank's treatment.

    I don't know how I feel about Skyler teaming up with Walt yet, his interactions are always the best when he's with Jesse, you can tell those are the "better" scenes of the episode such as when Walt was keeping an eye on Jesse in the beginning. The thing that I'm not liking so much is Jesse dating Andrea, a girl from his group. All of their scenes didn't interest me much, and it just reminded me of the end of last season with Jane. Lets just hope they don't go down that exact same path. We learn that Andrea has some connection to Combo's death. And we also learn that Skylar & Walt are not divorced. I thing those two things were the only eventful things about this episode.

    Other than that, we didn't get suspenseful scenes, cringe-worthy scenes, nothing. This episode was good buildup though. I did enjoy the cold opening with Jane. Don't think I'll be warming up to Andrea anytime soon though. Good episode overall.moreless
  • Black doors and that ever-present ominous hum just below the range of our senses warns us of the end.

    8.5
    "Great"
    This episode was a flashing "buckle your seatbelts" sign with the season's tension building and connections between people being made to lead us into the finale.

    Jesse meeting the sister of the boy who shot his friend Combo in cold blood was reminiscent of Walt bumping into Jane's father in season 2. The deus ex machina is working overtime, especially after the magic bullet that found its way into Hank's hands at the time he needed it most a few episodes back.

    Skyler's change of heart has taken a leap forward with her now offering to help Walt which, while I don't like it, was inevitable. Either that or they kill the character off. It was interesting "meeting" Saul again from Skylar's point of view as I find I'm liking his character more each time I see him. He's like a Gregory House of shonky lawyering (we specialize in money laundering).

    Gus's home-cooked dinner invitation to Walt led to one of the most tense scenes of the episode, mostly due to the fear in Walt's face. However, we see that Gus is a reasonable man (in the world of Breaking Bad) and values Walt's work enough to again warn him quite obtusely about keeping his house (lab) in order. I enjoy the scenes with Gus as he is such a two-sided character, the calm business man and the no-holds-barred drug lord.

    The opening scene with Jesse and Jane discussing paintings of black doors in length was echoed when Walt arrived at Gus's (black) front door. Not sure what that's all about but I'll be keeping my eye out for more black doors next week.

    Not a big explosive episode but one we needed to have to bring us the calm before the storm.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (4)

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    • Andrea's mother is obviously disgusted finding Jesse and Andrea together. She walks out muttering in spanish "shameless S.O.B.s. I'm tired of it, sick and tired of it all...".

    • When Walter enters Gus' residence, Gus leads him to the kitchen. They pass by a tastefully decorated dining area. This is the first clue that children are present in the Frings household as there is a small children's table against the wall. More prevalent is the small red toy car on the floor highlighted by the lamp. Look closely, it is just like Jesse's car, the Toyota 4WD.

    • Skyler incorrectly states that married couples can't be forced to testify against each other. This is a common misconception about the spousal privilege. It doesn't extent to testimony about ongoing fraud/criminal activity.

    • Episode Title: Abiquiu is a very small town in the Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. One of the only points of interest is the adobe-built St. Thomas Church (made from sand, clay, manure and water). The famous artist Georgia O'Keefe lived there for almost 40 years. In addition, it mimics the way "ABQ" sounds, the short form for Albuquerque.

  • QUOTES (1)

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    • Jesse: You can't get your nut up to sell? What's the point of even coming? Skinny Pete: Homey, I'm on like step five. Badger: Deuce, yo. I'm catching up. Jesse: Whatever. Later. Skinny Pete: Dude needs to come into the fold.

  • NOTES (1)

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    • Featured Music:
      "Shake A Bone" by Son of Dave
      "America The Beautiful" by The American Military Band
      "Sabado En El Parque" by Grupo Fantasmo
      "Lee" by Stan Getz
      "Tus Ojos" by Zoraida Beato

  • ALLUSIONS (1)

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    • Ice Station Zebra: Saul has set up an account for Walt under the name of a 1968 film. Ice Station Zebra was centered on the Cold War, mainly between Russia and the U.S. and their arctic connections. The film starred Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoodhan, and Jim Brown.

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