Breaking Bad 5.8 "Gliding Over All" Recap

W.W.

Woodrow Wilson...Willy Wonka....Walter White?

Back when Hank jokingly proposed the idea that W.W. was indeed his brother-in-law, Walter was able to reach into his quick wit toolbox and find a Walt Whitman quote on a previous page in Gael's "Lab Notes."  Of course, Walt was able to do this because he's incredibly f---ing smart!! And yet, smart people tend to make the stupidest and laziest of mistakes.  How else can anyone explain Walt leaving Gael's note of appreciation in the copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass that Gael gave to him.  The only answer I can come up with is that Walt never actually opened the book.  To be honest, I've recently done a rewatch of Breaking Bad.  Seasons one to four.  But I really can't recall when Gael gave Walt the book.  Does anyone else know the history of this particular copy of Leaves of Grass?


So that is the negative part of this episode.  If it's a negative at all.  Other viewers out there maybe able to convince me that Hank discovering the truth of Walt and Heisenberg this way is entirely reasonable.  After all, this episode was all about tying up loose ends.  But when you have so many loose ends to tie up, your bound to leave one or two left untied.  Unfortunately for Walt, Hank Schroeder likes to have reading material while he's using the restroom.

There was way too much happening is the episode to cover in just one post.  So we're going to go with a bullet point list for the time being.

• The flashforward of Walt's 52nd B-Day really made viewers try to guess as to whom or what Walt was running from in the season premiere.  DEA, Todd's people, the drug guys from Arizona.  Others?

• Lydia and Walt working as business partners.  There's no way in hell I thought that was a good idea.  In fact, I thought this finale's climax was going to involve Walter and Lydia's partnership going sour.  

• At the time being, it appears that Todd and his gang of neo-Nazi criminals are no longer in play either.   Was Todd cool with Walt abruptly ending the cooks.  The process of shutting down the meth operation wasn't show to the viewers.  But it appeared that the closing of shop went pretty smoothly. 

• How about that "tying up loose ends" montage?  Breaking Bad somehow made the offing of nine prisoners seem so joyful.  Did we see what happened to the lawyer? 

• Walt had a little smirk on his face when he saw Jesse taking the bong out of sight.  When he was asking for his five million dollars in last week's episode, Walt predicted that Jesse would spend his days getting high and playing video games. Jesse ended up doing that without the five million.  Was Walt doing Jesse a favor by giving him the cash? Or was he providing Jesse with the means to waste away his life?

• I wonder how much money Walt actually made.  Skylar made the point last season that he was making way more money that she could realistically launder through a single car wash operation.  This dilemma entered my mind several times this year.  What's the point of making tens of million of dollars if you don't have the means to launder it?  Seeing that big pile of cash may have finally done the trick in making Walt realize this. 

• There were a couple reminders of Walt's cancer.  The busted up paper towel dispenser.  The staring down of a fly (callback to the season three episode "Fly").

• Walt and Jesse reminiscing about the RV days.  Jesse asking why they didn't just buy a new RV with all the money they had.  Have to admit, I never asked that question.  I guess I'm satisfied with Walt's inertia answer.

• I kept on waiting for something awful to happen in that scene when the whole family was sitting by the pool.  I was really nervous to see Walter Jr. and baby Holly at the opposite end of the pool.  I don't know.  I just expected something to fall from the sky.  I know that doesn't make any sense (well, except for the fact that it's happened before).  Still, critics and viewers alike have wondered if Walt's children were destined to pay the price for his sins.  Furthermore, the season was nearing its final moments.  So something big was going to happen any minute. Thankfully, that "something big" was Hank finding Leaves of Grass.

• Speaking of Hank knowing the truth.  How is Walt going to escape?  We have nearly a year to speculate on that one.

That's all I got for tonight.  Damn.  The last eight weeks went by fast.  I haven't been pleased with everything that's transpired this summer.  Walt going way over the the dark side.  I was pleased to see that EW's Ken Tucker has similar feelings. about this development. Still, can't believe the final eight episodes don't begin until next summer.  Damn you AMC!!!