Breaking Bad: ...And the Bag's in the River

 "I've got lung cancer. I'll go make you another sandwich."

Yes, well I suspect I'll have to find endless ways of praising an episode as superlative if this third exercise in sublimity is anything to go by. This is television of the very first class.

We begin, after a nice bit of directorial showing off, with Walter continuing to clean the blood while we have a flashback to Walter and a woman to whom we've yet to be introduced. They are workimg out the percentages of elements in the human body: the literal human condition. This nicely artistic use of chemistry reminds me of Primo Levi, and makes me wonder if this is going to be a cleverly done episode of cleaning up blood (itself symbolic) with lots of flashbacks to flesh out Walter's past.  

But no. It's better than that.

Stuff happens, of course. Skyler gets even more suspicious to the point where Walter has a lot to do to explain himself to her... but that's next episode. So is the fact that, in a nice touch, Hank is slowly but unwittingly on Walter's train as he and his men examine the scenes of previous episodes.

But no: the episode starts properly as Jesse buggers off and leaves Walter with the dilemma of whether or not to kill Crazy Eight. It begins with a hilariously nerdy list of pros and cons but centres around a long and extraordinary scene, a simple two hander between Walter and Crazy Eight which is at once superbly scripted and proof that Bryan Cranston is an extraordinary actor with phemomenal range and talent.

Ultimately, after discovering he was about to be betrayed, Walter ends up committing his first unambiguous murder. The following scen finds him at a literal and metaphorical crossroads. He's taken yet another big step into darkness. Can there be any way back?

Also, loving the way Walter makes sandwiches ithout crusts. These little touches say so much.