What I’m Watching: Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad: Season 3, Episode 7 “One Minute” (B+)

In that first scene, I knew immediately that those were Tuco’s cousins, and it’s crazy to think that the uncle is even more terrifying, stressing the importance of family to the extent that he’ll nearly drown a kid just to prove a point. Though it’s hard to top those two brothers, Hank scared the hell out of me when he came at Jesse and started being him senseless. The subsequent conversation between Walt and Jesse was one of their most profound yet, and the most impressive work from actor Aaron Paul since last year, and more than likely to earn him another Emmy nomination. Walt saying “this should not have happened” followed up by Jesse’s stern “but it did” was very powerful, and Saul definitely wasn’t comprehending the gravity of the situation and the rivalry between these two men, declaring that Jesse trying to ruin Hank’s life probably wasn’t a good strategy. Jesse also pulled out a pretty lofty get-out-of-jail-free card: giving Walt up if he gets caught. It’s sad to see Walt get rid of Gale so soon just to have Jesse back in the operation and on his good side, because Gale was really a lot of fun and Jesse definitely doesn’t have the same charm. Walt’s serious dissertation of “I don’t want a monkey, I want you” was well-delivered, but not nearly as excellently as Jesse’s tragic “ever since I met you, everything I have ever cared about is gone.” I enjoyed a much-needed moment of levity when Skyler stopped by and Walt greeted her with “I don’t suppose you just came by to insult me.” It’s a surprise to see the brothers finally leave one guy alive, though they did still shoot him a few times. I was feeling very bad for Hank, doing the right thing and hearing the good news about Jesse and then being nearly assassinated in the parking lot. I was very tense during the last few minutes, and I really thought that Hank was expendable about to be offed. But fortunately Hank came through big time and shot him in the head right as he was about to lose his own. And he really killed two birds with one stone, but things are definitely going to continue to be deathly serious for a while.