AMCs Breaking Bad wrapped up the first half of season five with stellar ratings and plenty of revelations.
THRs Chief TV Critic Tim Goodman will host a live chat to discuss all of the twists and turns at 7:45 p.m. PT. In the meantime, below is a sampling of what other critics had to say about the episode, Gliding Over All.
[Warning: spoilers ahead for those not caught up with Breaking Bad]
The episodes revelationslike the bills in Walts (Bryan Cranston) giant pile of moneyare nearly too numerous too count. Walter orchestrates the ambitious murders of 10 prisoners, expands his meth trade internationally, manages to make (as Skyler puts it) more money than his family could spend in 10 lifetimes, and ultimately claims to be quitting the business.
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But the final scene, in which Hank (Dean Norris) apparently discovers that the W.W. the late meth cook Gale (David Costabile)worked with was actually Walter White, is what generated the most buzz.
Writing for Vulture, Matt Zoller Seitz praised the episode, but admitted to being disappointed by the way Hank came to his revelation.
I really, really wanted this episode to end (if indeed ithadto end in a revelation for Hank) with the DEA agent putting things together on his own, Seitz wrote. Instead, series creator Vince Gilligan and screenwriterMoira Walley-Beckett ended withHank sitting on the can at the White house.
Seitz noted that this is Hanks show now. While the up until now Breaking Bad has been about crime, the final eight episodes will surely be about punishment, as the DEA closes in on Walters operation. Seitz speculated Walters punishment may include seeing those he loves harmed or killed. Or perhaps worst of all, end with the recognition-craving Walter dying without anyone knowing he was Heisenberg.
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Forbes Erik Kain picked up that thread, speculating that Walters keeping the copy of Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass Gale gave him, was not a slip of the mind, even though it could connect him to the meth business.
Thats the pride part. Walt knew Hank had found his initials previously in Gales diary. As careful as hes been over so many other tiny details, I doubt he simply forgot about the book or ignored the risk, Kain wrote. Was there still some small part of him that wantedto be caught? Is hissubconsciousstill, in some twisted fashion, searching for the recognition he believes he deserves?
Concerning Walters perfectly-orchestrated murder of Mikes guys in prison, as well as his decision to leave the meth business, The Huffington Post critic Maureen Ryan wrote: Walt no doubt does, we could regard those deaths, those tasks, those sacks of money as mere transactions, items on a ledger sheet or a to-do list. There's the banality of evil, and then there's the boredom of actually executing certain kinds of evil. It's hard work and it's repetitive, if nothing else. I think Walt White wanted out of the biz for the latter reason, more than anything else.
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She also praised the irony that Gales book may ultimately lead to Walts downfall. That Gale's gift implicates Walt seems appropriate and morally satisfying somehow, she wrote.
Salons Willa Paskin noted Walts transformation into full-blown monster mode is so complete, that his murder of 10 men took just five minutes of screen time. She took issue with what she considered the rushed nature of this seasons eight episodes. However, she predicts the final eight episodes series should be enough for a satisfying ending.
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There is now nothing ahead of us but the long-awaited Walt and Hank showdown, and nothing not even Walts day-to-day meth-making to get in its way. Eight episodes should be enough to finish up Walts story. When its all done, tonights episode will be, hopefully, the closest he ever came to a happy ending.
To share your thoughts on the episode, join THRs live chat at 7:45 p.m. PT.
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