Breaking Bad: Half Measures

 "I won't be wearing bells..."

This, yet another exercise in how to make sublime television from Breaking Bad, is an extraordinarily clever and extremely hard hitting episode. The title is very apt indeed, and the conclusion is even foreshadowed by a littl story told to Walt by Mike about his former days as a beat cop: he decided to give a regular wife beating piece of scum a warning rather that just killing him, and the long suffering lady died two weeks later.

That's the little microcosm, but the overall structure of the episode is incredible, from the opening montage with the prostitute we occasionally see, shot like an advert, to the shocking conclusion. There are other plot threads, too; Skyler continues trying to persuade Walt to lander the money her way. And Hank, after briefly coming to question how Walt is staying afloat financially without a job, is finally persuaded by Marie to leave hospital, using methods that, I imagine, must have been interesting to read in the script as an actor...

But it's clear what the main plot thread is here; the uncharacteristic pub conversation between Walt and Jesse make it clear where things are headed. Jesse, ever protective of children and wanting to avenge his mate from last season, plots the deaths of the dealers who did the deed and are using his gorlfriend's brother Tomas as a mule and a killer. Walt, of course, thinks this is madness. It will fatally rock the boat, and it's a little absurd to have moral standards if you're dealing meth.

Walt, after pondering a really bad idea, finally seems to hit upon a solution in making a clean breast to Gus, who brokers a truce. Jesse shows guts, but not brains, in insisting no more use of children, but Gus capitulates. And that's that... except that consequences are unpreductable. And Walt hears on the news, conveniently, during a family dinner- a phenomenon that must certainly have its own TV Tropes page- that Tomas has been killed in a contracr killing.

The final scene is superbly shot and soundtracked (the unsettling music sounds like Trent Reznor but probably isn't) as high noon approaches and Jesse begins a shootout with the two men responsible. So it's a real shock to see Walt, from out of nowhere, ram into them with a car and shoot the survivor dead. The bridges are all burned, and no one is safe. Roll on the finale. Wow.