BREAKING BAD TV Talk: Mr. White Is The Devil

Saul's right: what we have here is an Old Yeller situation. Jesse was a loyal dog. He loved his master. And then he became rabid. He turned on his master, and now his master has to put him down.

Of course, what Saul neglected to mention is that, in this scenario, Walt is the rabies. He's no innocent Little Timmy who must stand by and watch his beloved pet transform into an unrecognizable monster. He poisoned Jesse. He's chipped away at his spirit until nothing is left but rage. 

Is it any wonder Jesse thinks Mr. White is the devil? He has no faith in Hank and Gomez's ability to bring down this mythical villain who looms colossal in his mind. Whatever they think will happen, the exact opposite will happen. They think they have control of the situation? Jesse knows no one but Mr. White can control this situation. "He's smarter than you. He's luckier than you."

I'll give it to you, Jesse: Walt's smart. But I think you're hitting it closer on the back half of that statement - mostly, he's been incredibly lucky. And at some point, that luck has to run out. "He can't keep getting away with this!" Jesse cries to Hank, a gasoline can shaking in his hands. And you know, I think he might be right. 

But what do I know? Walt seems to have the coolest head of anyone these days. Is it because his cancer came back? Is he still reeling from having ten men killed simultaneously? Something has changed since Walt was the hothead who killed Mike just because the man hurt his feelings. Walt's thinking clearly and keeping his calm, while Hank and Jesse - hell, even Marie - are consumed with their hatred for him. Everyone's edging over to the dark side lately: Skyler wants Walt to kill Jesse ("We've come this far for us. What's one more?"), Marie's daydreaming of poison, Hank doesn't care if Jesse gets killed on his errand. And all the while, Walt seems sweeter than ever. 

So I guess it's possible Walt could come out on top. He's finally willing to do what needs to be done, finally willing to put down Old Yeller after everything. But when Jesse tells him, "I'm coming for you. Next time I'm gonna get you where you really live," well, I can't help but believe him. Whatever Jesse's plan is, and I'm dying to know, I have faith in the kid. He learned from the best, after all. 

A couple of notes: 

I don't think we talk enough about the sound mix on this show. It's really, really good. 

The white briefs always show up when Walt's losing control. This week, it's when he's trying - and unsuccessfully, at that - to hide Jesse's gasoline party from Skyler. 

And speaking of which, Walt's skill at lying fluctuates pretty wildly. Sometimes he's showing sociopath-levels of deception, and other times he's so painfully bad at it. I realized this week that he's just never good at lying to Skyler. Every time he tries to deceive her, he stammers and babbles and remains remarkably unconvincing. The ice cold kingpin is nowhere to be found around Skyler anymore.