Breaking Bad S06E04 Review: "Rabid Dog"
"He was my teacher." --Jesse Pinkman
This week, Breaking Bad's momentum finally slows down a bit, letting us all catch our breaths before the final sprint to the finish. This episode's slightly slower pacing and singular focus on table-setting instead of payoff is unusual for this season, which up until this point has been all about the payoff.
However, that doesn't mean long-time fans of the show will be disappointed. The standard arc structure for the first four seasons goes something like: four or five set-up episodes for every explosive, climactic payoff episode. So we're used to patiently watching the pieces of the story slowly come together in a way that not only builds anticipation for their resolution, but has its own intrinsic satisfaction. The plot of this show has always unfolded slowly and methodically, with an assured sense of confidence and purpose. So even when we get table-setting episodes like "Rabid Dog," we can't help but get caught up in the excitement of seeing the pressure build to an almost unbearable level.
And honestly, this is likely the last episode of the series that doesn't have some major plot resolution in it. And if the cliffhanger ending is any indication, this might be the last episode to not feature any deaths. Breaking Bad has finally pushed its two lead characters to a point I really never thought I'd see: Walter and Jesse want to kill each other.
There was a point near the end of season four when Jesse legitimately wanted to kill Walt. Naturally, this was a result of his (correctly) assuming Walt had poisoned a child, and that's why Jesse went into Arson Rampage mode last week after he learned that he was right. Walter, for his part, has constantly kept Jesse on his Do Not Kill list, whose only other names are those of his actual family. I think Walt would even send Saul to Belize if he had a half-decent reason. But Walt's consistently gone out of his way to protect his former student and business partner.
But ever since Hank learned Heisenberg's identity, things have begun to fall apart. Walt's world has now become fluid; everything has been destabilized and nothing is certain anymore. So even though the Walt-Jesse relationship has always been the center of the series--the anchor that you could always rely on to stay constant--the old rules no longer apply. The center cannot hold.
Want further proof that the whole world of Breaking Bad has seemingly flipped upside-down? How about Hank and Jesse teaming up? Marie making Jesse a morning cup of coffee? Skyler suggesting that Walt simply kill Jesse? Walter Jr. coming up with better lies than Walt himself? Speaking of Junior, I'm kinda upset that my prediction last week--that he would finally find out what kind of man his father really is--failed to come true. RJ Mitte did get some great scenes to work with this week, though. It's funny that he's the only one who actually cares that Walt's cancer is back. Walt and Skyler have bigger problems on the brain, and Hank and Marie are just hoping to take him down before the cancer does.
I know I always take some time to point out the callbacks that have been evident in every episode of the season so far, but I didn't notice very many in "Rabid Dog." I'm sure a few have slipped by me in the past, and I may have missed more this week as well. I did pick up on the shot of Walt sitting in a chair by the hotel's waterfall-decked pool, recalling all the times he did the same at his house. There was also a purple vase at the Schrader house that looks almost like Walt's prized 5000ml boiling flask from the first season: check it out.
There's not much else to say here. There were some nice smaller moments: we finally meet Marie's shrink Dave, Gomez finally gets up to speed on Hank's investigation. And the scene between Walter and Walt Jr. at the hotel pool was excellent, and of course immediately after spending a nice moment with his real son, Walt pulls out his phone to set up a meet with his surrogate son. Mostly, though, this episode is all about setting the stage for the ultimate Walt vs. Jesse and Hank throwdown. Will all of them make it to the end? Words of wisdom from Jesse Pinkman: "Whatever you think's supposed to happen, I'm telling you: the exact reverse opposite of that is going to happen."
Written by Modern Sin
