Last week, I complained about a lack of Jesse Pinkman. This week was the reason why. You already knew Aaron Paul was going to have a standout episode during that shattering scene in the desert when Jesse — tired of the lies, tired of being played, tired of seeing no possible redemption — collapses into Walt's warms. But then Saul orders Huell to do his little pick-pocket trick one time too many, and Jesse susses out that it was Huell who swiped the ricin cigarette from inside his jacket and thus that it was Walt who poisoned little Brock. Watching the range of emotions play across Jesse's face on the side of that highway must stand as one of the most powerful moments in Breaking Bad's entire run. A sickening realization quickly morphs into rage as Jesse, now with renewed purpose, gives up his ticket for a do-over life to set a collision course for the man who ruined his current one.
It was such a strong scene, with amazing Emmy-caliber work from Paul, that at first I thought it was the end of the episode. But, oh, no. We still got Jesse going back to Saul's office, beating him into a confession (one of several made reference to in the episode's title) and then storming the White house, gasoline in hand, ready to burn it and this whole chapter of his life to the ground. This is why Paul is so important to the series and why I get sad when he's marginalized for episodes at at time. This is why Breaking Bad is the best show on TV. This is why it's so heartbreaking that there are only five episodes left. It's been a while since I've seen a more thrilling and energized 15 minutes of television, which is incredible when you consider that so much of it is dependent on a puzzle Jesse is assembling inside his own head. Just brilliant, brilliant work from Paul and the show's writers.
Meanwhile, the biggest of the episode's confessions is the one Walt gives to a video camera, during which he admits to cooking the blue meth but names Hank Schrader as the mastermind behind the Heisenberg drug empire. It's a disgusting move … and also kind of genius. Even though it's blatant fiction, it's peppered with truths, which would make it tricky for Hank to easily refute. Among those truths is the fact that $177,000 worth of Hank's medical bills, following his shootout with the Cousins, was paid for by Walt. Marie had never told Hank the truth about where that money came from, and Hank knows it might as well be the noose around his neck. And while the recorded confession — which is given to Hank and Marie over an uncomfortable family dinner — is the biggest douche move Walt makes in the episode, it's not the only one. There's the aforementioned scene in the desert, where he tries to manipulate Jesse one last time. And, early on in the hour, he shamelessly offers up a bunch of half-truths to Junior, including the fact that his cancer had returned, in a deplorable effort to stop Junior from going to Hank and Marie's house by toying with his emotions. It seems like in every episode now showrunner Vince Gilligan and his writers are seeking out potential reserves of goodness still residing in Walt and then torching them into oblivion. The lies are really piling up, and Walt grows more despicable with each one.
Speaking of Marie, I can't say enough about how great Betsy Brandt has been in these final run of episodes. Whether it's Marie seething at the family dinner, where she matter-of-factly asks Walt why he just doesn't kill himself, or when she horrifically realizes that taking Walt's money is going to give him a permanent upper-hand over Hank, Brandt is being given the best material she ever has on Breaking Bad and making the absolute most of it. We're a long way from Marie's shoplifting days, and it's a joy to see a character who so often felt on the outside of things thrive now that she's on the inside.
Some other thoughts on "Confessions" …
– Kind of a weird cold open this week with Todd telling his uncle and a neo-Nazi buddy the story of the train heist from the first half of the season. That can only mean trouble for Walt down the line.
– Jesse to Hank: "Why don't you try and beat it out of me? That's your thing, right?" Excellent call back to season three's "One Minute." Also, in the interrogation scene, did you notice that when Hank tries to get Jesse to talk, Jesse responds with, "Not to you." He was already considering flipping on Walt BEFORE he discovered the truth about the ricin.
– Saul to Jesse: "Oh, Jesus, it's always the desert." With this show, yes it is.
– It didn't sit right with me that Skyler would be okay with Walt "confession" scheme, so I was happy to see her having second thoughts about it later in the episode.
