Three Bald Men (Breaking Bad 5x01 Live Free of Die Episode Review)

The Breaking Bad season five premiere proved why it's still THE BEST TV SERIES right now (and of the decade). 

Walter White - our antagonist slash protagonist - is now egotistical and as evil as ever. He gets everything he needs and will do anything to have it... now that he's the new King of the meth "underworld".

The pemiere started with a huge flash forward to the future. We saw Walt, with some hair and a bushy beard, celebrating his 52nd birthday alone in a diner. Then, we found out that he already changed his identity. - he  became Mr. Lambert from New Hampshire. He took a key from the man who sells guns (Jim Beaver from Supernatural!) for a car which contains a large automatic gun and ammo. Where was he heading? Why did he have to change his name? Did he lose? Well, we won't know the answer to that now. 

And then..... back to the present.


The episode basically ran where last season finale ended. The characters are picking up the pieces from what left behind of what happened before... trying to delete the evidences of the past. But not so much. Walt realized that he and his pal Jesse did not burn everything in the meth lab because they forgot to delete the video files from the CCTV camera in Gus' laptop. So, with the help of Mike who's still not in commando with Walt, they devised a plan to destroy those files which may put them in danger. Unfortunately, the laptop was already taken by the DEA for the investigation of Gus' meth business. 

Jesse thought of a smart plan. With the use of a industrial-strength magnet (a very huuuuge magnet for cars), they parked beside the Evidence Room of the Police Department , and "sucked" the laptop (and all metals in the room) and therefore make it smash on the wall. On the way home, Mike argued that they may have not succeeded, but Walt believes they did. Why? "Because I said so."  When the cops were checking the evidences which hit the wall, the laptop was found broken. But, when things are going well, the cops found another clue from another evidence - Gus' photo frame. They found some scribblings behind the photo. 

Skyler found out about Ted. She went to the hospital and visited her injured-metal-spined friend The guy said he won't say a thing about what he knows. But would Ted really not say a thing? Thereafter, Saul finally told Walt what happened to his money - Skyler gave it to Ted for the latter to save himself from debt. On the final scene of the episode, Walt "forgave" Skyler for what she did.

Now for the review part:

IT.WAS.FREAKIN'.AMAZING. The entire episode went like a breeze and it blew me away. I never realized how much I missed Breaking Bad until I watched the episode.

Anyway, as mentioned above, Walt seriously and literally became worse. From being a sensitive family-oriented Chemistry teacher from season 1, to a killing and scheming evil mastermind this season. Bryan Cranston showed his Emmy winning powers throughout the episode. Although we didn't see much of Jesse in the premiere, Walt's undeniable fierceness compromised it. 

What's great about Breaking Bad is the excellent plot development and the jaw clenching writing. It always asks the audience (and the characters) this question: You think you're great or successful in your plan? Think again. This is definitely television at its finest. They keep on exceeding my expectations on what is going to happen next and always proves that there is no such thing as a perfect plan. 

The true genius in this show lies in how every action can be traced back to a prior action, how every season and storyline feels perfectly paced and planned ahead of time. It's television writing at its absolute zenith (TVFanatic, 2012).

The whole suck-the-laptop plan was unbelievably exhilarating, and with some added cinematography and direction during that scene (the lights and the pin? WOW). 

In some way, Mike became the "angel" and Jesse is the "devil" for Walt. Right? Mike keeps saying 'no' and always mentioning the probable consequences of their actions, but Jesse is always on the go and ready to fight. Nevertheless, Walt is the king of the pin. 

Lastly, the confrontation between Walt and Saul was PERFECT. The "We're done when I say we're done" part was..... *words can't describe how Walt scared me*. It made me cringe and realize how much Walt has changed. 

Walt has the power. How is he going to use it? Will he win in this never ending battle of life and death? Knock knock, cancer's back? Can he survive the consequences of his actions? 

 In the final season of Breaking Bad, the best things that television can offer us... is yet to come.

All Hail The King.

PS. Walt Jr. five minutes monologue about how Uncle Hank proved DEA wrong about Gus was very annoying.Very painful to watch and hear.