Ah, Gale Boetticher. David Costabile’s weirdly sweet meth cook only appears in a handful of episodes, and yet I’m still scratching my head about him.
For one, he seems way too nice to be in this business. The drug trade has a way of corrupting decent people, as Walt (Bryan Cranston) makes very obvious. Even people who are good deep down, like Jesse (Aaron Paul), lose some of their humanity. But Gale is like a gentle kitten in a world filled with vicious predators. Moreover, his relationship with Walt is strictly a working one, one which Walt resorts to drastic measures to cut short. And yet, Gale’s near love letters to one “W.W.” unearthed next season go beyond mere professional respect to almost a tween girl-like infatuation.
Makes you wonder exactly what’s up with Gale. It’s kind of a moot point, though, because it’s clear later that Gale’s less of a full character than one who’s job is to serve the main character arcs, a personified plot device if you will.
He’ll lead to some crucial plot turns later, but in this episode, Gale is merely introduced as Walt’s assistant in Gus’ (Giancarlo Esposito) new superlab, bringing an end to Walt’s days of cooking in the RV out in the boondocks. The title “Sunset” may refer to the end of this portion of his criminal career, as after an amusing near-confrontation with Hank (Dean Norris), the vehicle is destroyed in a scene set to a vaguely nostalgic piece of music. Almost bittersweet, but not really because it makes way for the most compelling storyline of the series: the battle of wills between Walt and Gus.
“Sunset” also applies to Hank, as the events leading up to his shooting next episode are set in motion. It works doubly here, not only because Hank will rise anew afterward, but also because Gus arranges the shooting with the Cousins (Luis and Daniel Moncada) at that time of day.
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