The ricin cigarette was brought back into play in this last episode of 2012 (the final episodes will air in July 2013) with Walt meeting Lydia. The poison was not needed though as Lydia brought a new deal to the table which would take the blue meth to the Czech Republic where the purity of meth is low and the demand is high. Cue the meth empire expanding to a level which was nicely shown by a scrolling camera showing bug extermination tents springing up all over town.
Walt White has now left the building as Heisenberg arranged bloody simultaneous murders in prisons housing Mike and Gus’s men. It was interesting to see that almost every scene involving Walter in this episode featured extremely dim lighting. The darkness has enveloped him completely, he doesn’t even flinch when Hank says to him ‘I am tired of chasing monsters’. Being called a monster is usually worth a reaction, but to Heisenberg its just a clarification of his brilliance at not getting caught, as he looks on Hank as a broken and defeated man.
If all the brutal killings at Heisenberg’s command were not enough, even Jesse is in fear of his life from his one time cooking partner. Jesse opens the bag that Walt left for him as if he is defusing a bomb. Only when he sees the bag is full of money does he put away the gun. One noteworthy fact that may prove a foretelling of things to come is that every single person who has held a gun to Walt’s head has been murdered by Walt later. All except Jesse that is, I would invest in a bullet proof vest if I were Jesse.
Skyler takes Walt to a warehouse where each lock-up holds a pile of money which reaches their waists. Skyler explains that she has no idea how much cash is in the building, and asks the very sensible question ‘how much is enough?’ Everything in this scene is a bright husk of blue, both Skyler and Walt are wearing matching colours. They are together in sync once again, and in a later scene Walt approaches Skyler and he gives her his answer ‘I’m out’.
The last scene features Walt and family once again re-united, on talking terms with their family and Hank and Marie. It could easily be a scene from season 1, all is well with the world, as they sit around the pool drinking, chatting and being a close family. It could well be the end of the show. That is of course if this was an ordinary television show. But no, this is Breaking Bad, which means its merely the start of the ending and who would have predicted that the beginning of the end would begin with Walt letting Hank use his bathroom?
Hank searches for reading material as he sits on the toilet, the first magazine that he picks up does not pique his interest for long. His curiosity brings him to reach for a book titled ‘Leaves Of Grass’ by Walt Whitman, featuring a lovely personal handwritten note on the first page which reads “To my other favorite W.W., It’s an honour working with you. Fondly, G.B.”
Heisenberg’s ego has grown to the extent that he would leave this book in his bathroom for anyone to peruse at their leisure, and so the downward spiral begins as Hank flashes back to his conversation with Walt about Gale Boetticher.
An earlier scene featuring a loud ticking of a clock as Heisenberg watches the second hand of his watch tick down each second foreshadows the storm approaching, the last remaining episodes in 2013 should be explosive.