(SPOILERS AHEAD, so “tread lightly,” ye Breaking Bad fanatics!)
Season Five, Episode 10, “Buried”
Written by: Thomas Schnauz, Directed by: Michelle MacLaren
When it’s all said and done, Breaking Bad may very well be remembered as the single greatest scripted drama in the history of television. And one of many reasons behind that acclaim is the show’s mastery of the “Show, Don’t Tell” principle: One worried wrinkle of Bryan Cranston’s brow, one dejected Aaron Paul glare — they’re equivalent to minutes of scripted dialogue.
Vince Gilligan and his stable of writers pride themselves on this achievement. Take the cold open from last night’s episode, “Buried” (penned by BB vet Thomas Schnauz): An old man gets in his truck; his headlights shed light on the fat stacks Jesse threw out of his car window in the previous episode; he stumbles around and notices a bizarre trail of cash, and ultimately walks down a hill to a playground, where Jesse is obliviously whirling around on a ride. Not a single word of dialogue is spoken, yet the scene is both hilarious and dread-inducing.
And the rest of “Buried” was so perfectly executed, so precise and knowing and dazzlingly crafted, it made last week’s premiere episode, the all-around excellent “Blood Money,” feel slight by comparison. A whole lot went down this week, but not a single scene felt crammed with information. Not a single line felt rushed, not a single plot point forced.
Quick Breakdown
Hank and Walt end their stare-off showdown, and Walt flees to his car, where he attempts to call Skyler, who’s already been hounded by Hank. This leads to a wonderfully acted game of cat-and-mouse between Skyler and Hank, who rendezvous at a diner and talk business. Hank wants Skyler to give a recorded statement about Walt’s meth empire, but she doesn’t bite, saying she needs a lawyer present. Hank clearly isn’t concerned about protecting his family anymore. He senses Skyler’s retisence and even calls her out, saying that her immediate cooperation could save her some suspicion from the authorities. It’s a delicate situation, and Skyler — once again — uses her street smarts to her advantage, screaming “Am I under arrest?” and storming out, leaving Hank with egg on his face.
Later, Hank uses Marie as a pawn to gain Skyler’s trust, and Skyler does break down, telling Marie she’s sorry and receiving one helluva bitch-slap for her troubles. Marie tries to steal the baby (So THAT’s the pay-off for the Marie-as-klepto subplot!), but when Skyler freaks out, Hank comes through the door and tells her to back off. It’s not worth getting the cops involved for an abduction at this point — his career could be at stake, given his previous track-record with the Heisenberg case. When Jesse is brought in front of local detectives and grilled about the millions he threw out his car window, Hank (finally back to work) seizes an opportunity to ask a few questions.
Meanwhile, Walt contacts Saul, who send his goons to collect the massive amount of laundered money. (This leads to one of the funniest scenes in the show’s history, with Huell and Kuby falling ass-backwards into a bed of cash.) There’s another excellent scene or two with Saul, who suggests, via code word, that perhaps Walt should “send (Hank) to Belize” (where Mike is currently, um, “vacationing.) Walt takes the cash out to the desert, charts his coordinates, and buries the dough. When he gets home, Skyler is waiting. Walt, exhausted, strips to his tighty-whities and passes out on the bathroom floor. When he wakes up, the two have one of their most intimate moments ever (“It’s true; the cancer’s back.” “Does that make you happy?” “I can’t remember the last time I was happy.”). Perfectly written and perfectly acted.
The episode’s most intense scene involves Lydia, who shows up in the desert and demands to know why Declan’s new meth cook is screwing the pooch with such impure quality of the blue stuff. Then the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Todd shows up, armed with his Aryan brotherhood of cronies, who gun down the guys and lead Lydia to safety. (Are we to assume Lydia was in on this operation? She does mention to Declan that she wishes Todd had been given another chance…)
Rating: A
Flawlessly executed in every way. This could have been a “moving plot points and characters around like chess pieces” episode, but instead, it advanced the plot in ways that were both logical and surprising. Everything from the score to the visuals (that amazing barrel-strapped camera shot in the desert) to the jokes (everything Saul said) to the acting (some of finest work yet from Betsy Brandt and Anna Gunn) was of the highest order.
Now for some random thoughts and my favorite moments of the night…
“The monkey is in the banana patch, capeesh?” – Saul
A gorgeous wide shot of the desert (coupled with a vaguely Middle Eastern electronic score) during Walt’s cash burial sequence
“I’ll give myself up if you promise me one thing: You keep the money; you never speak of it. You never give it up. Give it to our children.” – Walt
“So maybe our best move here…is to stay quiet” — Skyler echoing shades of Walt’s climactic soliloquy in the premiere episode…
So Todd started a fire during his first solo meth cook? Was it intentional? He’s such a freak…
Heisenberg may be headed for a grisly demise, but his tightie-whities are clearly immortal…
