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Aurora Snow’s Breaking Bad: Season 5: Episode 513: “To’Hajiilee” Review

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“To’Hajiilee”

The heat index is rapidly rising with the latest installment of Breaking Bad. Just when I think it can’t get any hotter it does! It’s like the slow burn that makes your eyes water after swallowing a cayenne pepper coated jalapeno. “To’hajiilee” is the pinnacle of what Breaking Bad is all about – choices and consequences. Every one of Walt’s choices has led to his eventual erosion, including his soft spot for Jesse Pinkman. Hank’s stubborn pursuit of vengeance tainted justice may be the death of him yet. And lastly Jesse’s scared pit-bull approach with Walt may land him in the hot seat he always suspected he was in.

Could this be it for Walt — a symbolic end in the same deserted area where it first began, where he and Jesse first cooked in the old RV? It’s the battle of the baldies: Hank in one corner, bare-knuckled and hungry vs. Walt in the other corner, watching miserably as the fight unfolds with nothing left up his sleeve. He who holds the trust of Jesse wins, and right now that’s Hank.

Jesse doesn’t have the brains to put together a trap, however he makes for an excellent puppet. He’s a high school dropout, a poster boy for bad decisions. The crazed look on Jesse’s face as he sees Hank cuff Walt is priceless, and yet it’s not the look of relief I expected him to have. For as much as Jesse hates Walt, I believe a part of him wishes it hadn’t come to this.

All of his hard work pays off at long last and Hank becomes the man of the hour, he finally bagged Heisenberg. Poor Walt, he didn’t have a chance. He had no way of knowing who Jesse’s new puppet master was, which is exactly how he fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Have to hand it to Hank, his scheming paid off. The tables have finally turned on Walt, he no longer controls the game – he’s forced to play in it. Hank’s phone call to wife, Marie, is so sentimental and such a teary eyed relief for the two, that it almost feels like the last phone call he’ll ever make to her. And considering the Mexican standoff that occurs five minutes later it just might be.

Moments after requesting Uncle Jack and crew to come save him and kill Jesse, Walt calls them off. It was a generous move on Walt’s part, and one of supreme self-sacrifice. He was willing to trade himself for the life of his brother-in-law. See, he’s not such a bad guy after all. He still puts family first despite some of his unsavory choices because in the end it’s all he has. Unfortunately Uncle Jack wants something from Walt and the only way to get it is to keep the big guy alive, no way will they let him call it off. Walt realizes that a little too late. Oops.

The final ten minutes of this show may have been the best end to an episode yet. It’s Walt’s henchman in a shootout against Hank and fellow DEA agent Gomez while Walt is handcuffed in the back of an SUV. Powerless over a situation he helped to create, all Walt can do now is watch it unfold. To Walt’s credit he did try to warn Hank, shouting from within the confines of his SUV jail. He also tried several times to violently motion “NO!” to Uncle Jack, though it did little good. Uncle Jack was on a mission; his reward at the end would be Walt’s blue meth and all the cash that goes with it. There was nothing Walt could say to derail Uncle Jack. As we know from the series, the blue meth cash machine is a powerful motivator.

Jesse’s fear is palpable. He knows he’s the target. And once that target sign is placed on him there is no going back. There goes Walt’s request that Jesse’s murder be quick and fearless. It all falls apart, like most of his plans these days.

Uncle Jack and crew don’t seem the least bit bothered that they are shooting directly at Walt. Not surprising given their block headed approach to most situations. They should be applying careful precise pressure with a scalpel but instead use a bazooka blast approach – blow everything away and see what’s left later. At this stage in the game I half expect Walt to be the sole survivor, though there’s some wiggle room for Jesse IF he escapes this mess.

This episode just goes to show why Breaking Bad is the crème de la crème of television right now. It’s volcanic. Can’t believe we only have three more episodes to go!

Aurora Snow Says:

Episode Rating:

[Rating:5/5]

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