Breaking Bad ‘Madrigal’: Right In Front Of You

There’s one thing we know about the first half of season 5: Walter White isn’t going to succeed in his plan to be drug kingpin. Which makes watching him fail that much more enthralling, especially when watching him influence the decisions of people around him, pulling them closer and closer into his downward spiral into what is bound to end one of two ways: Walt killing himself or someone killing him.  Either way, it’s probably going to be alone.

The opening scene of ‘Madrigal’ suggests a way out for Walt, one the German executive took no time to consider. When the walls are closing in the way they were on him, what’s the only way for him to save everyone else? It’s to give himself up, a thought Walt’s briefly entertained in the past. But his egotism is the difference between himself and the German, who kills himself in completely unbelievable – but endlessly pulpy – fashion. Then the automatic flusher on the red (always an important color) toilet goes off, triggering the amusing sound effect of rushing water. But it’s more than that: Gilligan is proposing the best way to flush all these problems awaiting Walt later this season would be to kill himself.

That sequence kicks off a terrific episode, albeit one with some strained bits of plot, and the introduction of another groveling, powerful-but-not confident female character. More on that later – the star of ‘Madrigal’ is Mike, who walks himself in a circle through the episode on his feelings about Walt, culminating in the final scene where two dead bodies and a motherless child somehow convince Mike that Lydia (the new face  in the episode) is ready to take over chemical distribution of Walt’s new meth network.

If anything, ‘Madrigal’ is a showcase episode for Mike, a triumphant return after missing the last few episodes of season 4 with a bullet in his gut. We get to see him think on his feet, spar verbally with a lively Hank and Gomez (“Can I call you Mike?”), and ultimately, sign his own death warrant when he jumps back into the game to try and recoup the $2 million he lost for his granddaughter, thanks to Walt’s magnet plan.

The rest of last night’s episode is all about Walt’s ignorance, be it with his attitude towards the meth market, the aftereffects of taking out Gus, or even realizing the emotional effects he’s having on people like Jesse and Skylar. He’s still on that power trip of his (“There’s gold on the streets,” he tells Saul), and he’s so busy ignoring what’s going on around him, the biggest problems he has are nowhere in his mind.

Walt honestly thinks he can run a meth lab right in Albuquerque, too kingpin-y too drive 50 miles to cook in the desert where someone probably isn’t going to be watching him. This really only gives him three options: the car wash, under Saul’s office area, or in some other location they purchase. Thing is, Walt’s forty grand in debt, so once he has the space, he doesn’t even have the upfront to get things started. Once again, Walt is needy – and we’ve seen how reckless he can be when anxious and broke, and now he’s broke and egregiously overconfident.

By keeping most of the other characters out of the way, ‘Madrigal’ became more about setting the groundwork for Walt’s next move, and arranging the pieces properly so Mike would begrudgingly join the new three-man conglomerate (notice the drawing over Mike’s shoulder from his granddaughter, which read ‘Blue is good’). Things moved quickly this week, but it was definitely an entertaining episode laden with clues and nuggets to where the show is heading, and how it ends up with Walt driving a BFG-packed car.

Grade: B+

Other thoughts/observations:

– the closing scene felt little more than a re-hash of last week’s closing scene, with Skylar having nothing to say in either one. Great work by Gunn in those scenes, but let’s advance her a little past lying in bed all day.

– Walt Jr. at the breakfast table with cereal… drink, bitches!

– loved the scene with Walt literally massaging the idea of Roomba picking up the fake ricin cigarette into Jesse’s mind and shoulders.

– why does Jesse have nothing to say when Mike questions his following of Walt? That moment felt a little underdeveloped, like Jesse might actually have something to say they’re holding back for a later episode.

– Obviously Mike should’ve killed Lydia, and it’s probably the first step of his own downfall. Nothing good happens to the people around Walt, plus there’s not supposed to be anything about ‘half measures.’

– so if Hank figures out that Walt is Heisenberg, does that mean he gets the boot from his job, too? Interesting little scene there with his (now former) boss.

What did you think of ‘Madrigal’? Feel free to leave your thoughts/comments below!