There is less than a month to go until the final 8 episodes of Breaking Bad and AMC has released another batch of promo photos; first they reminded us that “All Bad Things Must Come to an End” followed by the recent shot of Walt looking menacing with the words “Remember My Name” emblazoned across his figure. The teasers have done a great job of well, teasing by telling us the show is ending, a fact I was trying to ignore and telling us that Walter White means business (or wants to join a Fame revival). It’s time to see the rest of the cast and theorize about what these pairings could mean for the end of this journey.
The partnership that started it all has been through its fair share of triumphs, disasters and deception. The last episode saw a petrified Jesse receiving a bag full of money from Walt and their relationship has been severed in what appears to be an amicable fashion (at least a lot more amicable than it was for Mike). That isn’t to say that Jesse isn’t broken by his experience with his former chemistry teacher or that he won’t get sucked back into the business once again. Jesse is the heart of Breaking Bad and so it has become increasingly difficult watching him get torn apart by the things he has done and if he does manage to break free from Walt he will always be looking over his shoulder as the shot above suggests. Nothing would make me happier if Jesse gets to drive away from all of this.
The episode that ended the first half of this final season had Hank finding out that Walter White is really Heisenberg (his discovery was made in the most innocuous place – the bathroom, thanks to Walt’s toilet reading material) and so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Hank will attempt to team up with Jesse to bring Walt down. There is bad blood between Hank and Jesse as Hank beat the living crap out of Jesse back in season 3. This led to one of the many amazing Aaron Paul moments as he delivered a speech full of hate about Hank from his hospital bed. Will they be able to put this behind them? This photo has them both looking at each other with suspicion, with Jesse looking over his shoulder once again and if they do work together trust will be an issue. I’d really like to see a happy ending for both Jesse and Hank, but knowing this show and how far Walt is willing to go I fear that one of them won’t make it to the end of the show alive.
A note on Jesse’s wardrobe; gone are the hoodies and this look is more adult than we have seen before, the double plaid works together and his appearance is more rugged. This weathered look reflects the toll that his time with Walt has had on him both mentally and physically.
Jesse isn’t the only one who has been broken by his relationship with Walt as Walt’s family has been destroyed by his work in the crystal meth business. While Walt Jr. and Holly have been shielded from this to some extent, Skyler has not been so fortunate. After becoming involved in the money laundering side Skyler has become a shell of her former self and suffered a breakdown. Skyler did manage to convince Walt to end the business after she took him to a storage unit and showed him how much money he has accumulated and asked him how much their family is worth. That’s the reason Walt started all of this, but because his cancer didn’t kill him like he thought it would he went a lot further than he ever intended.
While the family scene at the end of the last episode suggested closure, thanks to the opening scene of season 5 we know that things have escalated and this is probably thanks to Hank’s discovery. What role will Skyler play in all of this? Will she remain the dutiful wife and help Walt bury more secrets as the photo above hints at? Or will she stand tall against the man who is no longer anything like the one she married?
Answers will be forthcoming when Breaking Bad returns Sunday, August 11 on AMC.
