AMC

“Pump malfunction”? 3/10, must do better. After his Emmy bait performance in the fake confession video Walt disappoints with a frankly feeble story to explain why the house stinks of gasoline. It’s got so many holes in it even world’s thickest kid Junior‘s spidey senses tingle (the notion that Ted Beneke is Junior’s real father is one of the more convincing Breaking Bad conspiracy theories. Did criminal genius Heisenberg really conceive this breakfast fixated dummy?) Walt smooths things over by moving the family to a hotel while the carpet gets replaced – just like a family outing, he tells them. That’s awesome (and who doesn’t love hotels?) but as we enter the show’s finishing straight it’s painfully obvious that Jesse knowing about Brock fucks them both and that’s a bell you can’t unring.
Which is pretty much what Saul tells Walt during the debrief. There’s a final solution to the Jesse problem. He’s a rabid dog and everyone knows what happened to, what had to happen to Old Yeller. But Walt won’t hear of it – he’s still loyal. He still thinks he can talk him around.

Just like he thinks he can with Skyler. She didn’t buy his bullshit story for a picosecond and he has to come clean. He tells her about Jesse and the gas can (leaving out the specifics of why) and assures her a negotiated agreement is possible just like Syria. But Skyler is a mother whose cubs have been threatened and with the clarity the prospect of your annihilation brings she tells Walt he needs to take care of Jesse. Has he perhaps seen a film called Old Yeller? If not he probably gets the gist by now.

Skyler is a mother whose cubs have been threatened and with the clarity the prospect of your annihilation brings she tells Walt he needs to take care of Jesse. Has he perhaps seen a film called Old Yeller?

So whither Jesse? It turns out it was Hank who stopped him torching the White joint. He’s ready to flip on Walt but as they both know, Walt whacked Hank’s last 10 witnesses in a 10 second window so this has got to be strictly off the books. Bringing in Agent Gomez  Hank videotapes Jesse’s full and frank confession and when Walt proposes a meeting in Civic Plaza he wires Jesse up and tells him to get Heisenberg talking. The sting is on.

Hank’s not an idiot. He knows America’s most infamous assassination took place in a plaza and if Walt is going to take out Jesse then he wants to be Abraham Zapruder – he’ll be videoing every second. But when the time comes Jesse bails on the approach, opting instead to phone Walt to tell him he’s coming for him. He tells Hank there’s another way to get him – a better way. Oh Jesse – is Ted Beneke your dad as well?

Walt takes Jesse’s threat to heart and phones Todd to tell him he may have some more work for his Nazi uncle. I don’t think he’s talking about carpet replacement.

The verdict: Oswald was the lone gunmen, conspiracy freaks.

Marks out of 10: 9