Monday, July 5, 2010

Breaking Bad 3x01

The opening scene of the third season of Breaking Bad is saturated in oily yellow. People are crawling on a dust-covered desert road like alligators toward the shrine of Santa Muerte (the Mexican saint of Death). Without a word, two dudes in matching suits make offerings and pin a pencil sketch of “Heisenberg” on the wall behind the altar. Then we return to the news coverage of the mid-air collision of two planes that ended the last season. Walt decides to burn all his ill-gained cash on the bbq, then changes his mind as it catches fire and throws the grill in the pool. Meanwhile, Skyler is expecting he is moving out of the house, even if she is understanding that the overhead plane crash delayed things for a while. Her attorney advises to maintain residency to strengthen her custody case. So Walt moves into an apartment, while their son (still preferring to be called “Flynn”) is resentful that no one tells him what the hell is going on. Then Skyler comes over to Walt’s apartment to discuss their divorce. She basically guesses he’s a drug dealer. He denies. She cannot imagine how else he would have made enough money to pay for all his medical bills. Then he finally admits he manufactured meth. She promises not to tell anyone on the condition that he grants her a divorce.

Jesse, of course, is still in the fancy new age rehab facility, listening to self-help psycho-babble about self-acceptance and self-transformation. The highly secretive and professional distributor, Gus, offers Walt $3 million for three months of work, but Walt rejects on account of his family. There was a great moment when Hank helps Walt move out: he lifts a bag we know if full of cash; he asks what’s inside, “cinder blocks?” “Half a million in cash,” Walt replies. Hank just laughs! We’ve also established that the Mexican dudes in the matching suits, who are after “Heisenberg,” are resourceful and ruthless. They change into regular clothes from a local farmer and leave their Mercedes with him. They travel across the border to Texas on a truck with immigrants. They kill all inside and blow up the truck. I’ll go with a wild hunch and guess they’re Tuco’s cousins and they’re hell-bent on revenge. No doubt the Cousins are here to provide a dash of excitement. It’s just that their scenes are like a Sergio Leone spaghetti western that fits awkwardly within the dramatic format of the show. Apart from the Cousins, this was a rather subdued season premiere, with little indication what may happen next. For that, we’ll have to wait until the next episode.

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