Monday, September 5, 2011

Breaking Bad: Hermanos

Walt gets a check up
Hank presses on with his case
Flashback in Spanish!


The episode begins with a brief recap of what happened with the cousins and Hank last season. We get to see what Gus told Hector [lies], the bell ringing uncle, about the events that led to his nephews's deaths. In what I suspect is Gus's way of confessing, he tells Hector: "This is what comes from blood for blood, Hector; sangre por sangre." Cut to blood in a swimming pool. This can't be good.

In charge.
After the title shot, we find out Walt is in for check up. I think this season has had the most Walter White skin and I ain't complaining. He's in to get a Pet-CT scan and he explains to a new, nervous, patient all the nerdy things that make the machine work and how it's not a noisy machine. While the poor new guy is expressing his feelings, Walt answers his phone (rude!) and returns to tell the sad sack that he needs to live life on his own terms. He says it's been nearly a year since he was diagnosed [I'm glad they threw that in because I was wondering what the time frame had been] and that every life comes with a death sentence - he doesn't know what will happen, but like Charles, he's in charge.

Walt's back in the lab and we see that it IS Gus keeping tabs on Walt and Jesse's work. He leaves to give direction to some of his other employees at the chicken place, and he gets a phone call to get to the DEA. Hank, Steve, APD and DEA agents are there to interview Gus. He is notified that his fingerprints were found at Gale's place. He knows. He tells a tale about a chemistry scholarship he created years ago- one which Gale won. Gale showed up at Los Pollos Hermanos (I wouldn't think a vegan would step inside a fried chicken joint), invited him to dinner, and basically asked him for money (ah, that's why). He had no idea that he was involved in drugs or that his death was drug related. It's all very shocking. Everyone seems to be ok with this explination, except Hank.

Shady.
"Is Gustovo Fring your real name?" he asks. Gus gives a WHAT THE FUCK face as Steve seems to get a little hot around the collar. He gives another acceptable answer about paperwork and shoddy record keeping. He's dismissed but he is pissssssed.

The DEA/APD crew discusses if they believe his story. They all says it's a good story (so was The Wizard of Oz but that doesn't make it true!) - but why are they hearing it now, Hank asks. Why didn't it come up earlier? Why didn't he ask questions when he read Gale was murdered, since he is such a good friend of the DEA?

Saul is off visiting Jesse's girlfriend. She moved into a new house and Saul hands her an envelope of cash. He makes creepy small talk with her son. She asks how Jesse's doing, "he's good - he's busy" when really he's out in the car. Turns out Jesse's been sending her cash every week and Saul's been dropping it off.  When did he decide to care about this chick so much?

Skylar is on a frenzy trying to hide the cash Walt is bring in by using those cool storage saver bags that really do save space. It's hard. If only there was an infomercial like that: "Don't have anywhere to hide all that illegal cash? Use our storage savers!" Marie and Hank come over for dinner. Junior asks how Walt's scans came back: he's still in remissions. High five! Too bad I don't believe him for some reason. He turns the tables and asks Hank how he's doing. Marie spills that he had a pow-wow with the DEA. He then asks Walt to take him to a mineral show (the minerals are back!) which is just a cover so that he can go spy on Gus at Los Pollos Hermanos.

Hello.
In the parking lot, Walt internally freaks out as Hank explains that he thinks Gus is a meth dealer. Hank says he brought Gus in to be interviewed. Walt freaks out more. Hank says the DEA and the APD say he's innocent - however, he isn't so sure. He asks Walt to put a GPS tracking device on Gus's car. As Hank is explaining how to put the device on his car Mike drives up. Pure comedy gold! Poor Walt is forced to do it and walks in and is greeted by a pleasant Gus. "I didn't do it," Walt says and shows Gus the tracking device. "Do it," Gus says. At this point I think Gus might be nominated for a supporting Emmy too. Talk about service with a smile. You just have to shake your head and think: fucking Gus.

Find out what Walt does next and who Jesse will be for Halloween, after the JUMP!

Walt runs to the lab once he's free of his BIL and pleads his case to the security camera. They have a mutual interest in ending this without violence. Walt will make sure that Hank gets no where. Sadly - there is no sound on the security camera [at least that's how I took it].

Walt next runs to Jesse's where Jesse got puked on by Ed Hardy after he ate one too many bedazzler crystals.

Working on his Halloween costume

Walt wants the cigarette. This "meeting" HAS to happen this week. Hank's on to Gus. Jesse does some math for Walt:

No Douchbags left!

Walt counters with his own equation: Hank catching Gus = Hank catching us. And that won't be good.

Walt tells Jesse that he needs to tell Mike that he's worried about Hank's investigation. This will lead to an interview with Gus. At that point, he needs to use the poison. Walter= freaked the f out. Jesse= still a honeybadger.

When Jesse goes to take a leak his phone beeps. Walt of course checks the message (seriously, he's like a crazy girlfriend): Meeting is off. Something came up. Boss is busy. When Jesse returns Walt asks about the call, "anything important?" Jesse shakes his head no. Walt knows he's being lied to. Where's the bed pan now?

Hank's inspiration.
Mike calls Gus to tell him that neither the DEA or the APD thing Gus is still a suspect, but Hank's gone maverick and is working alone - and without a warrant. Mike says he'd be more worried about the cartel than Hank. If everything comes together at once, it could be the perfect storm.

Gus goes to see Hector to inform him that the cartel has given him an ultimatum. Hank is also looking into his past. This is not good. "Is today the day, Hector?"

FLASHBACK! (this is totally like LOST): Young Gus,Young Hector, and a man we've never seen before have a meeting by a pool where Hector pisses in the pool. He makes a kissy face at Gus and says he isn't worried about HIS boss finding out. Hector asks Gus and the stranger - who ends up being Max, the chef (and the second Hermano) - about Los Pollos Hermanos. Bossman shows up and they discuss the differences betweens Chilean fried chicken (???) recipe and Mexican fried chicken (Mexicans like more of a kick - duh). Mexican fried chicken sounds delicious.

Bossman, Don Eladio, inquires more about the menu. What else you got? Cause when he sends his men to the restaurant, they come back high - they are being sold narcotics - meth to be exact. No, Gus corrects him, they aren't being sold anything, they get samples - but they are meant to give to you. They wanted his attention so they can work with him. Meth is the poor man (biker's and hillbilly's) cocaine. Max is like nope - our shit is good. Gus points out that meth is the drug of the future. He's like the Walt Disney of Drugs. Gus makes a case against Eladio sticking to cocaine: you are the middle man for the Colombians - you just get a percentage of the profit, but take all the risk. Max says meth is more addictive than coke, it will sell faster and in higher numbers but you don't have to worry about a plant - it is all chemical and you'll get all the profits.

Eladio asks who makes it, who is the chemist. Max (the OG Gale/Walt) is - Gus paid for him to earn degrees in both biochemistry and chemical engineering. So, Eladio inquires, if Max is the cook, then who needs Gus? Max pleads for Gus's safety and then Hector runs over and shoots Max in the head. "You did this to him," Hector tells Gus as he forces him to look into Max's dead eyes. Eladio explains that the only reason Gus is alive and Max is not is because he knows who he is but that they are not in Chile anymore.


Also, urine and blood in the pool - Eladio will need to get one of him minions to drain that ASAP.

Back to the island real time, Gus is with Hector. Payback's a bitch, Hector, and Gus is gonna drag it out as long as possible.

Ohhh, I liked finding out more about Gustavo Fring. To me, the thing about this show is almost everyone is unlikeable, but you still want to root for them. Skylar - I want to end up happy even though she's terrible. Walt, is horrible, but you want him to survive. Gus is a drug dealer, but I'd be happy if he came out on top. I think Hank and Jesse are the last two sympathetic characters - even though Hank is a giant jerk and Jesse is a murderer. Any ideas who Gus really is? Possibly tied to the cocaine cartels? Have you ever had or tried Chilean fried chicken? Is that a thing? Did you get the vibe that Max and Gus were more than "like brothers"?

My other thought about this episode is that Walt is lying about being ok. This show could end with him finding out he's drying and going rogue then either 1) being ok with getting caught because he's about to die or 2) taking that poison that gives him 36 hours to take care of all his loose ends.

4 comments:

  1. I totally got the vibe that Max and Gus were friends of Dorothy. Tony Montana's bff, Manolo (all grown up), even noticed one of them's white meat, the other dark. Brothers? I think not.

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  2. I only said brothers cause Max said that when he thought they were gonna shoot gus.

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  3. Once again one of the best episodes contains little to no Skyler.

    We should have all realized the "friends of Dorothy" thing when he kept bringing vegetable trays to cartel meetings.

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  4. This freaking show does it again, I didn't see that flashback in the cards as to Gus' past. I think no one can guess what will happen at season's end. And yes, Skyler not in the episode always made a difference in how good an episode BB had. Gus maybe be coming apart...I though for a second. But after he had his chat with Hector(who was in Scarface as well, the hitman who got his brains blown out)at the end, I think Gus will come out on top. Great episode, best of the season, and great recap Renee!

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