Breaking Bad Episode 15: Granite State

P.Walnuts

I'm not really buying the Grey Matter interview was just to let Walter know the blue meth was back....that could have easily been included in one of the hundred papers he was reading in the cabin.

His former partners surely will have some part to play in the finale. I believe, as I said earlier, Heisenberg was born out of years of frustration/resentment/bitterness at Grey Matter's success

briany

What I want to know is how does Walt get in touch with the man who sells him the M-60. Wasn't he a contact of Saul's? Maybe Walt saved his details from dealing with him before.

threein99

I don't think he is going after Gretchen and Eric, nothing to be gained by doing that I think he has already seen the credit for his work go to others once, (Grey Matter) he is not about to let it happen again, he is going for the Nazi's and I think the Ricin will be for himself

Rubber_Soul

P.Walnuts wrote: »

I'm not really buying the Grey Matter interview was just to let Walter know the blue meth was back....that could have easily been included in one of the hundred papers he was reading in the cabin.

His former partners surely will have some part to play in the finale. I believe, as I said earlier, Heisenberg was born out of years of frustration/resentment/bitterness at Grey Matter's success

I'd be very surprised if we see anything more about Grey Matter in the finale. His phone call with Junior and that scene was just a catalyst for him realising there is no going back. I think the important dialogue in that scene was when Gretchen said "Whatever he became, that sweet, kind, innocent man that we once knew. He's long gone". His family is gone, his legacy as Walter White is gone and it can never come back. All that is left is his legacy as Heisenberg and him turning himself in and allowing the Nazi's to continue selling his trademark product means that legacy is gone too.

I loved that episode through and through, just what I was looking for after Ozymandias. It had that perfect 'reap what you sow' and 'calm after/before the storm' feeling while still delivering some tense moments.

Robert Forster!! Absolutely adored every minute he and Cranston shared onscreen, perfect casting choice for the part of the vacuum guy. The scene where Walt had to plead with him for some company from his sick-chair, even after offering him $10k, brought it all home for me and I saw Walter White at his lowest point to date right there. Or so I thought...

The end scene in the bar, which seemed to go over one or two heads, was a stark moment of realisation for the character of Walter White. As they showed us all episode, he had no intention of staying in the woods and his ultimate plan was to get the money, all of it, to his family somehow so that "this wouldn't be for nothing". In biding his time in the cabin and letting some months pass he put all his eggs in the basket of time/money healing all wounds. I really did feel bad for him when he had to take the inevitable 'f**k you' from Walt Jr on the phone, the fact that he got to say so much to his son in the hope of rationalising his actions but was still told to go away and die was a far worse knife than the one he took last week. That lowest point just got a little lower right there, and the fight went out of Walt and with it his end-game, which was to avenge Hank and reclaim the money for his family.

In this moment he chose to see out his numbered days in a real prison cell rather than the self-imposed one in the wilderness/dark ages. But then another chance moment in the life of Walter White occurs that changes his intentions once more. With the Grey Matter stuff I basically took it as the trigger that makes Walt see that at this moment if he dies it really will be all for nothing. He was pivotal in the inception of Grey Matter but no one will ever be able to admit it. Everyone he has ever known and loved wants nothing to do with him and to get as far away from him as possible, even fúcking Saul! I feel that Grey Matter inclusion only served to put Walt back on track as regards his original plan, as well as a tipping of the hat to the characters of Elliot and Gretchen and that part of Walt's life. I have never been that guy to outright say something won't happen when it comes to Breaking Bad, but Walt killing Gretchen and Elliot will not happen for a multitude of reasons, least of all because he is a sick and wanted man who will be lucky as it stands to make it 2200 miles back to New Mexico to carry out Nazi-genocide and reclaim his money, something that I don't think Walt envisions himself surviving.

Already have gone way into TLDR territory here and haven't even mentioned the moment of the episode that ripped me apart the most...the cold-blooded murder of Andrea and especially it being used as the ultimate means to torture Jesse with. I really was expecting Todd to walk over the cage just as Jesse was reaching for the lock, but next thing Jesse is running! At the time I thought he better run quick and will have to storm Andrea's house and take her and Brock away like Walt tried with Skyler and family last week, but it wasn't to be. Once I saw Andrea answer the door I knew she was fúcked. That still didn't make watching it any easier. Aaron Paul deserves praise for that scene alone, I completely bought the horror Jesse was experiencing and my blood was rushing, just like with Walt's reaction to Hank's death last week. Todd on the other-hand, is a complete psychopath and nothing he does in the final episode will surprise or shock me.

So...Jesse, he really did get Andrea got there. He knew it was her and Brock being used as collateral by the Nazi's from the moment Todd put him in the cook-house. Since a lot of Jesse's screentime this week was devoted to him trying to escape his cage, I predict for next week there will be no fight or will left in him to live, let alone escape via one-armed pull-up. This will lead to one more scene with Walt and Jesse, and I have no idea how that will go.

I could say much more but leave it there for now, Breaking Bad is taking up far too much time in my life...and that couldn't be further from a complaint! Because I will wait up to watch the finale late next Sunday night, next Monday is going to be the worst in a very long time:(

tommy2bad

Andrea didn't deserve that!
This is the grimmest show ever. No redemption, no cathartic violence, no hope of anything to stop the inevitable conclusion to the start. It's all about chemistry, a reaction that cant be stopped and a solution that cant be changed back.
Oddly satisfying though, in a way that other shows that hold back on the doom are not.

Quixoticelixer

I really hope and am pretty much certain that two pretty insignificant characters such as Elliott and Gretchen will not be of any prominence in the finale. They're not worthy of more than a minute of screen time in the finale, and I'd wager that we won't see them at all.

Why on earth would Walt kill them anyway? I don't think he's ever killed anyone for ****s and giggles, or he's never killed anyone just because they disrespected him. Walt has pretty much only ever killed to protect himself, or to protect those he cares about. He only kills in scenarios he views as "kill or be killed". He may be pissed with Gretchen and Elliott but he has no reason to kill them, he has bigger fish to fry anyway...

Penn

tommy2bad wrote: »

This is the grimmest show ever.

I think The Wire still holds that accolade tbh.

ballsymchugh

who else could he get? where's bogdan these days?

cloudatlas

P.Walnuts wrote: »

I'm not really buying the Grey Matter interview was just to let Walter know the blue meth was back....that could have easily been included in one of the hundred papers he was reading in the cabin.

His former partners surely will have some part to play in the finale. I believe, as I said earlier, Heisenberg was born out of years of frustration/resentment/bitterness at Grey Matter's success

We don't know about the time frames. Time could have elapsed before Jesse's batch of blue meth was ready and distributed in Europe. The non blue meth wouldn't have been associated with Heisenberg. So I think it's credible that Charlie Rose's announcement could have been a new development that was missing from the papers Walt received. I'd like to find out what happened with Grey matter but I don't think we will, I think this back story is just a plot device to show that Walt could have been rich, successful and good, it removes the motivation for money as a viable excuse for Walt's turn to the dark side.

banquo

I'm so fickle. Last week: Walt is unforgivable.

This week, after paying the guy just for his company for an hour: I'LL BE YOUR FRIEND WALT DON'T BE SAD.

Neil McCauleys Cooler Brother

Walt doesn't know Jesse is still alive.

chops018

P.Walnuts wrote: »

I'm not really buying the Grey Matter interview was just to let Walter know the blue meth was back....that could have easily been included in one of the hundred papers he was reading in the cabin.

His former partners surely will have some part to play in the finale. I believe, as I said earlier, Heisenberg was born out of years of frustration/resentment/bitterness at Grey Matter's success

I have to disagree, I think this was the scene that saw Walt find out that Jesse is still alive and making Meth for the Nazi's, he was going to go after them for the money they stole for his family but his family don't want him anymore so he called the cops to turn himself in, but now that they didn't follow through on Jesse who he blames for Hanks death and the situation he finds himself in, he changed his mind, he still has things left to do. He knows what they are doing and he knows Jesse is the only other person who can make it that pure. He doesn't want yet another one of his successes (if you will) being exploited either. So it is Jesse and the Nazi's on the hit list.

If you look at the scene again you will see that he is watching the TV with disdain and resentment for Grey Matter but it is when they mention that 'his' blue Meth is still doing the rounds and making it to Europe you see his mouth go slightly ajar. This is when the realisation came. Not only did the Nazi's take his money and kill Hank, which was originally enough for him to go after them, but he realised they didn't even kill Jessie and they have him cooking Meth for them in turn stealing his empire.

threein99

Neil McCauleys Cooler Brother wrote: »

Walt doesn't know Jesse is still alive.

He knows the blue meth is still on the market, there is only 2 people able to cook it, Jesse and Walt

SweepTheLeg

This was such a cool moment in the episode



Also at the end in the bar, The extended intro playing over gave me goosebumps. I've never been so much #TeamWalt in the series.

ooter

yeah i thought the extended music at the end was class,it was like saying he has finally broken bad and the sh1t is just about to hit the fan..

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

April O Neill

Andrea.

And Brock, who is now Mama-less.

Andrea's death didn't surprise me, I felt this unshakeable sense of foreboding when Walt paid her a visit.

April O Neill

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Yeah, she is hot.

irishfeen

Was anyone else expecting Walt to read of Andrea's death on the newspapers or for him to see it on the TV in the bar? ... Great great episode, the only problem is the end is nigh

FloatingVoter

"Mr Chips becomes Scarface" - at the end of Scarface nobody central is left alive. Scarface spoiler ahead...Pacino(Walt is dead) having attempted to mass murder a Colombian hit squad (Nazis). His henchman is dead by Al / Walt's hand in an unpremeditated reflex shooting (Jesse). The love of his life is dead (Colombians / Nazis in the last shootout).
The ancillary lawyers, henchmen and bankers get to live another day.

We fade to credits and VG gets to say he told you so all along.

extra gravy

ooter wrote: »

yeah i thought the extended music at the end was class,it was like saying he has finally broken bad and the sh1t is just about to hit the fan..

Didn't totally appreciate that the first time but watched it again and the timing of the music in relation to the action is just perfect.

Neil McCauleys Cooler Brother

threein99 wrote: »

He knows the blue meth is still on the market, there is only 2 people able to cook it, Jesse and Walt

But Walt didn't know it wasn't blue...unless Lydia told him. But I didn't think she mentioned that part of the problem when she came to the carwash, and it only came out in the scene of Todd's cook - the whole "farmed salmon" thing. I'm going to revisit that carwash visit to see if she actually talks about the colour; if she doesn't mention it, it means that Walt wouldn't make the connection that Jesse is still alive.

I was waiting for Walt to spot a piece in the paper about Andrea, and then he would make the connection that Jesse was still alive. I also thought, given the scenery and the woodchipper talk, that Todd should end up like Steve Buscemi in Fargo. I would applaud that - only Todd should be alive going down... Is Todd going back to Skyler's house straight after Andrea's?

tommy2bad

irishfeen wrote: »

Was anyone else expecting Walt to read of Andrea's death on the newspapers or for him to see it on the TV in the bar? ... Great great episode, the only problem is the end is nigh

I thought that, and that he would guess that either Jessie was alive and being punished or that it meant that Skylar was now in danger. More appropriate that its about change and the ending being that Walt has changed into Heisenberg irreversibly.

Dman001

I dare anyone question Aaron Paul's acting ability after that episode. As if Jesse wasn't pushed over the edge enough, he gets another kick while he is down. Very satisfying watching him call the Nazis "Psycho F**ks" when he got caught though. I really can't guess how it'll end for Jesse now.

Another great episode though, nice change of pace for the upcoming ultimate finale. I adored the last few minutes, I swore I was watching a film. Unbelievable cinetography, with the theme tune playing out. I'm not sure why people think Walt will be going after Grey Matter, I didn't get that vibe at all. To me, the interview had resparked that ambition in Walt to be remembered for something. The resurrection of Hiesenburg. Swartz had said that Walt had little to no input into Grey Matter, a heavy kick on Walt as he already missed the opportunity to be involved in the Billion Dollar company. But he won't go down quietly with his own "Empire" - he won't be forgotten once again, or be disregarded as he has been with Grey Matter.

My only hope for the finale, as I said last week, is Jesse will escape and find solitude. He has become a greater victim in this than he has deserved to be.

Marcus Halberstram

Kerplunk124

-Still holding out a Luke/Vader like final scene with Jesse and Walt-

tommy2bad

Dman001 wrote: »

I dare anyone question Aaron Paul's acting ability after that episode. As if Jesse wasn't pushed over the edge enough, he gets another kick while he is down. Very satisfying watching him call the Nazis "Psycho F**ks" when he got caught though. I really can't guess how it'll end for Jesse now.

Another great episode though, nice change of pace for the upcoming ultimate finale. I adored the last few minutes, I swore I was watching a film. Unbelievable cinetography, with the theme tune playing out. I'm not sure why people think Walt will be going after Grey Matter, I didn't get that vibe at all. To me, the interview had resparked that ambition in Walt to be remembered for something. The resurrection of Hiesenburg. Swartz had said that Walt had little to no input into Grey Matter, a heavy kick on Walt as he already missed the opportunity to be involved in the Billion Dollar company. But he won't go down quietly with his own "Empire" - he won't be forgotten once again, or be disregarded as he has been with Grey Matter.

My only hope for the finale, as I said last week, is Jesse will escape and find solitude. He has become a greater victim in this than he has deserved to be.

I didn't get that at all, how I saw it was Walt realizing that 'Walter White' was gone and what now took his place was Heisenberg. The theme music reinforcing the breaking bad completed.

Nerdlingr

Does Walt really think he can outgun the Nazis? one man with a machine gun against 5-6 cold blooded killers? Has Walt ever shot a gun in his life? So how is he going to handle an M-60 (or whatever it is!)? I think its got to end with Chemistry... come full circle.

stevenmu

I loved that ending. Got chills when the music played.

I really liked the episode overall and think it was a very important one. We got to see how far Walter White has fallen, and while I wouldn't go so far as to say he got redemption, he did at least become a figure you can feel sympathetic for again.

But now Walt is dead, and now Heisenberg knows it. The finale is all about Heisenberg and what he does with the last of his time.