Last season ended on a very dark note, between Skyler (Anna Gunn) leaving Walt (Bryan Cranston), and a chain of events he started leading to a midair collision between two planes. Things don’t get much brighter in this episode, with the community reeling from this tragedy and Skyler looking for a divorce.
And yet, I find myself laughing. For all the decidedly not funny stuff, this episode weaves some very humorous moments into the plotline.
Like the school assembly scene, where Walt has to listen to students vent their feelings at the tragedy he inadvertently played a part in, then crassly downplays the death toll when he has the mic. His lack of tact is very funny, but also telling: When he tells the students to move on, he’s really talking to himself. This indicates that Walt’s going to rationalize any consequences of his actions that don’t affect him directly and not let them bother him.
Or the early scene where he attempts to burn his dirty money, but almost immediately changes his mind and clumsily tries to put out the blaze. Not as much of telling moment, maybe, but still funny (I’m not sure if this was the writers’ intent, but I laughed).
Mostly, though, this episode is just a setup for the season, laying down plotlines like the aforementioned one with Skyler, Jesse (Aaaron Paul) finishing rehab (and hinting that he’ll use his therapy sessions to rationalize his criminal exploits), and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) seeking to work with Walt again. The best of these are the scenes with Tuco’s silent cousins (Luis and Daniel Moncada) as they cross the border from Mexico to Texas to find Walt. The episode doesn’t reveal their identity yet, but even when you don’t know the first time you watch it (and can’t guess who they might be), they let you know Walt’s in for a lot of trouble this season. I already know what’s in store, and these scenes still have me pumped to experience this season again.
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