Written by: Moira Walley-Beckett
Directed by: Colin Bucksey

Walt arrives at the superlab and hears the whirring sound of a surveillance camera tracking his every move: Gus is watching him. Furious, he flips the camera the bird.

Skyler, frustrated because Walt won’t return her calls, visits his condo to discuss the car wash; Walt growls that he’s facing far more pressing matters. Noticing the bruise on Walt’s face from Mike‘s beating, Skyler tells Walt to go to the police, admit his crimes and tell them he fears for his life. That’s the last thing Walt wants to do. He got into a minor disagreement with a colleague over a business strategy, Walt replies, but the issue is resolved. Case closed: no police for Walt. Period.

Marie attends a residential open house, posing as a recent divorced woman with a gifted son that she wants to home school. What is she up to?

Hank is watching softcore porn when Marie comes home. He quickly shuts off the television while Marie unpacks her shopping, along with a figurine she stole from the open house — is her old kleptomania problem on its way back?

At the lab, Walt grumbles about the surveillance camera to Jesse, who shrugs it off. Doesn’t seem like that big a deal to him. He asks if Walt would like to race go-karts with him after work. Walt, confused and disinterested, asks Jesse how he’s doing. Without answering, Jesse points to Walt’s bruised eye and asks Walt the same.

At the condo with Walt and Skyler, Saul touts a nail salon as the best way to launder money. “Ya bombed. It happens,” Saul says about Skyler’s attempt to purchase the car wash. Bogdan just needs an “attitude adjustment,” contends Skyler, though she rules out instigating an IRS audit, INS raid or any violence.

Walt thinks the car wash is a bad idea. That is, until Skyler mentions Bogdan’s affronts to Walt’s manhood. Now, Walt’s on board and insists they buy the business.

Marie visits another open house and admires the owner’s collection of spoons, describing herself to the agent as the childless wife of a retired astronaut. After the open house, the agent notices the spoon Marie remarked about is missing.

That evening, Jesse races go-karts alone, screaming as he takes a curve. He arrives home to a meth party that’s spiraling out of control, with people brawling, screwing and vandalizing the house. Jesse sits down, lights a cigarette, and impassively watches the chaos.

Marie attends another open house, this time presenting herself to its owners as the globetrotting wife of an illustrator, but she exits swiftly after the agent from the previous house recognizes her. Outside, the agent accuses her of stealing and they tussle over Marie’s purse. It falls to the ground, revealing a picture frame Marie lifted from inside.

Hank, in bed, takes a phone call from Marie, from the police station. “Are you seriously doing this to me again?” Hank snarls, instructing her to sit tight while he makes a call.

At the police station, Hank’s colleague Tim tells Marie that the homeowners are not pressing charges. When he asks if she wants to go home, Marie starts sobbing, unable to speak.

While surrounded by the suds from Holly’s baby bottles, Skyler is struck by an idea and calls Saul.

Outside the car wash, a man wearing a Bluetooth headset who appears to be some kind of environmental inspector shows water samples to Bogdan and declares they’re full of contaminants. Bogdan must replace his entire wastewater treatment system, and the state requires he cease operations until it’s back up to code, the inspector-type says. Then we see that Skyler is feeding him lines via her cell phone — this is her big idea, but it’s not clear if the very frustrated Bogdan is biting.

Tim visits Hank to solicit his help — as “a pal I just did a favor for” — in solving theGale Boetticher homicide. Showing Hank a copy of Gale’s lab notebook, Tim speculates that it “pertains to some kind of methamphetamine superlab.” Hank dismisses Tim’s overture as “some sort of a charity thing,” but halfheartedly agrees to review the notebook. He dismissively sets it on a pile of his minerals.

At Skyler’s house, after the phony environmental inspection, Walt and Skyler wait on word from Bogdan. Walt believes the scheme has failed, but Skyler refuses to concede. The phone rings — it’s Bogdan calling with an offer to sell the car wash for $879,000. Skyler reduces her offer to $800,000, ignoring Walt’s protests and hanging up when Bogdan balks. A few moments later, Bogdan calls back, and Skyler smiles: success!

In his living room, Jesse balls up fifty-dollar bills and tosses them at the open mouth of a pants-less party guest passed out on the floor. “Yeah, bitch!” exclaims Jesse when he finally makes a shot, but no one reacts. Trying to breathe some life into the very unsavory and lethargic crowd, Jesse tosses his remaining cash into the air and watches his guests scramble after it.

In a nearby car, Victor’s replacement, Tyrus, watches Jesse’s house, keeping tabs on his decline.

At the White house, Walt toasts Skyler’s unexpected success with a $320 bottle of champagne, which bothers Skyler. How does it look for an unemployed school teacher to make such a purchase? Walt accuses her of overreacting. “One slip-up in our story — that could ruin us,” she argues. Walt, it seems, is unable to enjoy any part of his ill-gotten gains.

Late at night, Hank watches television. Bored, anxious, and sleepless, he reaches for Gale’s lab notebook and begins reading.

Guest stars:
First Realtor – Ralph Alderman
Hard Hat Guy – Bill Burr
Tyrus Kitt – Ray Campbell
Huell – Lavell Crawford
Tim Roberts – Nigel Gibbs
Second Realtor – Jennifer Hasty
Bogdan – Marius Stan
Written by: Sam Catlin
Directed by: David Slade

Walt purchases a .38 snub-nose revolver with a filed off serial number from an illicit gun dealer in a motel room. Watching Walt awkwardly draw the weapon, the dealer advises Walt to practice. He tells Walt that as long as this gun is for defense, he may as well procure one legally — less hassle. But Walt says he wants it this way “just in case” — from the look on his face it’s clear ‘legal’ isn’t what he’s looking for.

Having coffee at a bar, Mike discovers Victor’s dried blood on his jacket sleeve. He wipes it off, unsettled.

Jesse shows off his powerful new sound system to Badger and Skinny Pete. He then tempts his friends — who are in recovery — with meth. Badger and Skinny Pete quickly cave, get high and discuss the finer points of videogame zombies. Jesse decides to throw a party and the house quickly fills with dozens of people drinking and dancing.

At his condo, Walt practices drawing the revolver; he’s getting better and better.

Marie wakes in the middle of the night to find Hank examining his minerals. When she mentions how late it is, he pointedly notes that the house has other bedrooms.

The next morning, Walt chastises Skyler for discussing their intention to buy a car wash over the phone. They’re not talking about purchasing a brothel, she counters, adding that if Walt isn’t “willing to pull the trigger” on the deal then she’ll contact Sauldirectly. That gets Walt’s attention — he can’t let that happen — and they start to talk it over.

Jesse, meanwhile, tiptoes through the passed-out partygoers. Peeling off some large bills, Jesse instructs Badger to buy everyone breakfast and keep the party going until he returns.

At the lab, Walt tucks his gun in his belt, waiting for Gus to arrive. When someone appears at the top of the stairs, he prepares to draw… only it’s not Gus, but Victor’s replacement Tyrus, here to pick up the latest batch. When Mike demands a second weighing (“new policy”) Walt asks to see Gus to “clear the air.” “You’re never gonna see him again,” Mike replies.

Surveilling the car wash from across the street, Skyler tallies the cars and services each customer receives, making a detailed accounting of the business.

At the Schrader house, Hank pushes himself to “soldier up” through a tough physical therapy session. Marie is elated by Hank’s progress, but after the therapist departs Hank coldly orders her out of the room.

The party is in full swing at Jesse’s house when he returns from the lab. Andrea rings the doorbell, but waits outside to speak with him. She asks Jesse if he sent her an envelope of cash the night her brother’s killers were murdered. Jesse acknowledges he did, then urges her to use the money to move her son Brock to a better neighborhood.

Late that night, Walt approaches Gus’s house, gun in hand, but loses his nerve when Mike calls telling him to “Go home, Walter.” His every move is being watched.

The next day, a deliveryman arrives at the Schrader home with box upon box of minerals. Hank instructs Marie to check each box for damage. “They’re rocks,” she replies, bristling. He corrects her, “they’re minerals,” and some of them are very delicate. Once again, Hank treats her unkindly and Marie feels it acutely.

At the car wash, Skyler approaches Bogdan with a proposal to buy his business. He derisively asks for $10 million; Skyler counters with $879,000 then shows him detailed research of his expenses and revenues. $20 million, Bogdan replies. “This is the price for Walter White,” he says, because Walt insulted him by quitting, grabbing his crotch, and “sending his woman” to make the offer instead of coming himself. This last accusation clearly angers Skyler.

Walt approaches Mike at a bar and tells him that his recent actions were motivated by loyalty to Jesse and self-defense. Walt says that he believes that Mike was just following orders when he tried to kill him. “There’s a load off my mind,” Mike drily replies. “So, what’s with the piece?” Mike asks: he noticed Walt’s gun at the lab.

Walt insists that he and Mike are in “the same boat,” and that Gus could easily kill either of them. “Get me in a room with him,” Walt says, “and I’ll do the rest.” Mike seems to consider the suggestion for a moment, then knocks Walt to the floor with a savage punch, and kicks him in the gut when heís down. Walt’s got his answer; Mike is not an ally, here.

As Jesse’s party finally breaks up, he asks Badger and Skinny Pete to stick around. Badger and Skinny Pete apologetically decline, disappointing Jesse. Alone in his house for the first time in days, Jesse cranks up the music to earsplitting levels, and sits against the shaking speaker.

Guest stars:
Skinny Pete – Charles Baker
Lawson – Jim Beaver
Tyrus Kitt – Ray Campbell
Badger – Matt Jones
Brock – Ian Posada
Andrea – Emily Rios
Bogdan – Marius Stan
Written by: George Mastras
Directed by: Michelle MacLaren

In a flashback to the original set-up of the superlab, Gale excitedly unpacks sterling new high-tech lab equipment, making notes in a distinctive journal labeled “Lab Notes.” When Gale praises the blue meth Gus gave him — it’s beyond the purity that he, or anyone else he knows of, could produce — Gus politely demurs, saying the chemist responsible wouldn’t make a suitable partner. Gale pushes the issue because this meth is that good, and Gus reconsiders; Gale has just talked Gus into hiring Walt White.

Back in the present, we find Jesse in Gale’s doorway pointing a gun at him. Jesse shoots Gale and flees. Moments later, Victor pushes his way through a small group of neighbors, including one on the phone to 911, and finds Gale dead. Outside, Victor spots a shell-shocked Jesse in his car. Victor jumps in and orders Jesse to drive at gunpoint.

At the lab, Walt and Mike stare each other down. Victor returns with Jesse and it’s clear he failed; Gale is dead.

Mike asks if Victor performed a sweep of Gale’s apartment. Victor replies that he couldn’t because people were there. When Mike asks if he was seen, he admits he was, but is certain they mistook him for “just another looky-loo.”

Early the next morning, Marie appears at Skyler‘s house with a stack of unpaid medical bills. Seeing Walt’s car, she assumes Walt and Skyler have reunited. After Marie leaves, Skyler moves Walt’s car to a nearby street so Walter, Jr. won’t ask questions when he wakes up.

Back at the lab, Walt explains the new reality to Mike and Victor: like it or not, he’s the only one who can maintain the meth production schedule. In response, Victor switches on the equipment. “We ain’t missin’ no cook,” he says. Now Walt and Jesse have a new problem, if Victor can manage a cook by himself.

Saul, scouring his office for bugs, receives a call from Skyler asking where Walt is. Returning her call by payphone, Saul lies and assures her Walt is fine; then he tells his new bodyguard, Huell, that they might need to leave town.

Skyler drives with Holly to Walt’s condo. When no one answers the door, she convinces a locksmith to let her inside by feigning a panic attack. Searching the apartment she finds no clues to Walt’s whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Marie gushes about Hank’s progress in physical therapy. Hank dismisses the compliment; she’s exaggerating, since he only covered sixteen feet in twenty minutes. Embarrassed and humiliated, he asks Marie to help him use his bedpan.

At the lab, Jesse remains nearly catatonic while Walt waits and hopes for Victor to miss a step in the cook. He doesn’t. Gus arrives and Walt immediately tries to defend his and Jesse’s actions. Gus wordlessly changes into one of the lab’s orange clean-up suits. As he becomes more nervous and agitated, Walt blames Gus for Gale’s death: did Gus really think that Walt wouldn’t take “extreme measures” to defend himself? Gus says nothing and Walt, panic mounting, taunts Victor with rapid-fire questions pertaining to the chemistry of the meth-making process.

It’s called “a cook” for a reason, counters Victor. He knows the recipe. But Victor doesn’t know the chemistry and can’t fix problems that come up, Walt challenges. Without him and Jesse, says Walt, the lab is just “an eight million dollar hole in the ground.”

Gus picks up a box cutter and walks menacingly toward Walt and Jesse. “You kill me,” says Walt, “you have nothing. You kill Jesse, you don’t have me.”

Gus crosses to Victor and slices his throat. The blood sprays on Jesse and Walt. Walt can’t meet Gus’ icy stare. Jesse locks eyes with Gus until, his face covered in blood, Gus pushes Victor’s dead body to the floor. He walks past Walt and Jesse, dropping the box cutter. After washing up, Gus silently changes back into his street clothes.

“Well?” he tells Walt and Jesse, calmly. “Get back to work.”

As Mike watches, Walt and Jesse squeeze Victor’s body into a plastic drum then pour in hydrofluoric acid. “You sure it’ll do the job?” Mike asks. “Trust us,” Jesse replies. Walt seals the drum, which is shipped off with a load of hazardous material.

Later at a diner, Jesse eats ravenously, while Walt appears shaken. Walt asks Jesse what their next move should be, “given the fact that at his first opportunity Gus will kill us.” Jesse disagrees; if Gus wanted them dead, he would’ve done it at the superlab. Walt replies that they merely bought time until Gus finds another chemist.

“Good luck with that,” laughs Jesse, eerily unaffected, adding that everyone is on the same page now: “The one that says if I can’t kill you, you’ll sure as shit wish you were dead.”

Walt arrives at Skyler’s house in a cab but can’t find his car. Skyler meets him in the driveway and tells him she moved it to avoid questions from Walter, Jr. She does not ask him where he’s been, she simply directs Walt to his car and returns to the house.

At Gale’s, the Albuquerque police process the scene. Gale’s “Lab Notes” journal sits in plain sight on his coffee table. It’s only a matter of time before someone looks at it and discovers Gale’s notes on the superlab.

Guest stars:
Victor – Jeremiah Bitsui
Gale Boetticher – David Costabile
Huell – Lavell Crawford
Locksmith – John Lawler
Francesca – Tina Parker
Written by: Vince Gilligan
Directed by: Adam Bernstein

In a flashback, a real estate agent shows a younger Walt and Skyler (pregnant withWalter, Jr.) the house where they’ll eventually live. Walt, then working at the prestigious Sandia Laboratory and envisioning a bright future with three children, worries they aren’t setting their sights high enough with this house. “We’ve got nowhere to go but up,” he says.

In the present, Walt sits in his car in the desert. An SUV arrives. Mike phones and instructs Walt to walk toward it. “I was out all night cleaning up after you,” chides Mike after frisking Walt. “You said no half measures,” Walt replies.

Gus emerges from the SUV. “Some worthless junkie,” he says. “For him, you intervene and put us all at risk.” Jesse was angry, Walt explains, because Gus’s dealers killed Tomas. “Are you asking me if I ordered the murder of a child?” asks Gus nearly shaking with fury. “I would never ask you that,” Walt responds.

Walt tells Gus that Jesse is on the run and suggests that Gus has two options: Kill Walt and search for Jesse or “consider this a lone hiccup in an otherwise long and fruitful business arrangement.” Gus accedes, but insists on choosing Walt’s new lab assistant.

When he reports to the superlab, Walt is surprised to see that the locks have been changed (Victor has to let him in) and that Gale has been reinstated as his assistant.

Later that night at a chemical supply warehouse, Mike effortlessly outmaneuvers four Mexican gunmen, slaying them all. At Gus’s office, Mike and Gus examine the gunmen’s passports. “It’s cartel, all right,” says Mike. “Probing for weakness,” replies Gus. “What about Pinkman?” Gus asks. “I’m making inquiries,” says Mike.

Down in the superlab, Walt and Gale cook meth while Victor observes from the catwalk. “We had a little drama with the person you replaced,” Walt explains. Gale promises to follow Walt’s instructions exactly and to be the perfect lab assistant.

Later, Gus surprises Gale at home and tells him Walt is dying of cancer. “I intend to keep Walter on as long as he wants,” Gus assures Gale. Nevertheless, he continues, “I must prepare for the worst-case scenario.” Gale estimates that mastering Walt’s system would require “a few more cooks,” but under Gus’s stern gaze concedes that one more cook should be sufficient.

Mike heads to Saul‘s office and demands to know Jesse’s whereabouts. Saul invokes attorney-client privilege, but when Mike threatens him, Saul lets Mike sneak a peek at a notebook containing the name of a trailer park in Virginia.

Saul drives Walt to the laser tag arcade. Victor follows, but stays in his car. Once inside, Walt says it’s safe to talk freely as the arcade could not possibly be bugged. As Jesse appears, Saul warns both of his clients that the clock is ticking and Mike will soon realize the Virginia address leads nowhere.

Saul leaves Jesse and Walt alone to talk. Walt says that he is only safe until Gale feels confident enough to take over the lab.

“So what do we do?” asks Jesse. “You know what we do,” Walt replies.

“There’s got to be some other way,” says Jesse, who suggests Walt turn himself over to the DEA for witness protection.

“Never the DEA,” Walt responds. Gus can’t afford to stop production, Walt reasons, which gives Walt the leverage he needs to save their lives — “If I’m the only chemist that he’s got,” Walt emphasizes.

“I can’t do it, Mr. White,” says Jesse. “I’ll do it,” Walt replies, “but I need your help.” Jesse resists, but Walt holds firm. “When it comes down to you and me versus him,” Walt says, “I’m truly sorry, but it’s gonna be him.”

With Victor watching Walt closely, Jesse will have to follow Gale home and get his address. “I saved your life, Jesse,” Walt says. “Are you gonna save mine?”

Later, Jesse calls Walt with Gale’s address. “Don’t do this, Mr. White,” he says. “Please? Go to the cops.”

That night, as Walt is leaving his house after dinner with his family, Victor pulls up. “There’s some kind of chemical leaking in your lab,” he says. “You gotta come with me.”

At the industrial laundry, Walt sees Mike and knows he’s about to be killed. “I’ll cook for free, and I won’t be any more trouble,” Walt pleads. “If I could just talk to Gus, I know I could make him understand.” “I can’t do it,” Mike replies.

Walt offers to give up Jesse. “I’ll take you right to him,” he says. Mike demands to know Jesse’s whereabouts, but Walt explains that since Jesse moves around, Walt will have to call him and arrange a meeting.

Jesse is about to smoke meth when Walt calls. “You’ll have about a twenty-minute lead,” Walt says, while Mike listens in. “They’ve got me at the laundry, and they’re going to kill me.” Mike grabs the phone. “Jesse, do it now!” screams Walt.

Mike and Victor draw guns on Walt.

“You might want to hold off,” Walt says. “Your boss is going to need me.” Walt then recites Gale’s address.

Mike calls Gale, but music and a noisy teakettle prevent Gale from hearing his phone vibrate. He answers a knock on his front door. It’s Jesse.

Jesse pulls out his gun. “You don’t have to do this,” insists Gale, begging for his life. His eyes tearing, Jesse fires the gun.

Guest stars:
Grandaughter – Kaija Bales
Victor – Jeremiah Bitsui
Chinese Secretary – Tiley Chao
Gale – David Costabile
Realtor – Louis Herthum
Chow – James Ning
Written by: Vince Gilligan
Directed by: Vince Gilligan

Wendy the meth whore turns tricks outside the “Crystal Palace” motel. Her finances replenished, she exchanges cash and burgers for blue meth with the dealers behind Combo’s murder. Jesse, nearby in his car, watches the deal go down.

Walt sits in his car’s passenger seat while Walter, Jr. practices for his upcoming driving test. When the two arrive home, Skyler privately presses Walt about the car wash scheme. Walt uses the opening with Skyler to negotiate four nights of family dinners a week claiming that the new family car wash business would be more plausible if they seemed reconciled.

At a bar after work, Jesse shows Walt the blue meth he purchased from Tomas and the dealers responsible for Combo’s murder. “They work for our guy,” deduces Jesse. Referring to Tomas, he says, “They used this little kid like some puppet. They used him to shoot my friend.”

Jesse asks Walt for ricin, the slow-acting poison Walt suggested they use on Tuco. Jesse plans to have Wendy slip the dealers tainted burgers when she buys meth. Walt calls the plan “ridiculous,” reasoning that he and Jesse lost a simple turf war, and that murdering Combo’s killers at this point won’t achieve anything. “I’m doin’ it,” a furious Jesse replies, “with or without you.”

At the hospital, Marie baits Hank by mentioning to Walter, Jr. that the doctors say he is well enough to be released. “I can’t move my legs,” Hank angrily retorts, countering that he should not leave the hospital until he can walk. Walter, Jr. asks if Hank is suggesting that everyone in a wheelchair or crutches should be hospitalized. “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Hank grumbles.

Walt and Saul wait in the law office for Jesse, who doesn’t show. “He is going to do it. Or try, at least,” says Walt, referring to the ricin plot. “Could you get him arrested?” Walt asks, grasping at straws, reasoning that Jesse will have time to calm down if he’s off the street.

Over at the motel, Jesse tries to ease Wendy’s qualms about committing murder by appealing to her maternal instincts — she has a son named Patrick. “These guys using kids like that?” he says, “they gotta go.”

Mike surprises Walt with a visit to his home to tell him that neither he nor Saul will be pursuing Walt’s suggestion of getting Jesse arrested. “My boss. Your boss,” he says, revealing that he also works for Gus, would “take it as a problem” if Jesse landed in jail.

Mike then tells Walt a story about confronting a chronic wife abuser back when he was a beat cop. Mike intervened, and almost killed the wife-beater, but gave in when the abuser promised to change his ways. Shortly thereafter the man beat his wife to death. Mike’s mistake was to take a half measure when he should have killed the abuser. “No more half measures, Walter,” he says referring to Jesse.

At the drug corner, Wendy sits in Jesse’s car clutching a bag of poisoned burgers, but the dealers aren’t in their regular spot. Mike and Victor take Jesse and Wendy by surprise and whisk Jesse away to Gus’s factory farm.

Walt and Gus sit side by side. The rival dealers are also present at this ad hoc summit. Gus concedes that his employees may have “acted rashly” in murdering Combo, but that “the man was selling on their territory. There is blame on both sides.”

Jesse accuses Walt of ratting him out. “You have one friend in this room,” dismisses Gus, adding that without Walt, “I would be dealing with this in a very different way.”

Gus orders Jesse to make peace with the dealers. Jesse refuses. “They use kids,” says Jesse. “You’re supposed to be some kind of ‘reasonable’ businessman. This how you do business?”

Incensed by Jesse’s insolence, but committed to finding a resolution, Gus tells the dealers “No more children,” and orders Jesse to shake their hands.

Jesse leaves the farm in Walt’s car. “Your actions, they affect other people,” rationalizes Walt. “Sometimes compromises have to be made.” Jesse doesn’t respond.

Over at the hospital, Marie gives Hank a sponge bath and playfully bets him that she can arouse him using her hand. Certain that nothing will happen, Hank agrees to return home if she succeeds. “You got one minute,” he says. Later that day, with a victorious smile pasted on her face, Marie wheels Hank out of the hospital.

Jesse and Andrea are post-coital and enjoying each other’s company in bed when the phone rings. Andrea becomes hysterical as she listens to her grandmother’s news. They rush to an abandoned playground, where Tomas’s bike lies on the ground, his dead body nearby.

The next day, Walt impatiently calls Jesse from the lab but gets only his voicemail.

That evening at Skyler’s, Walt sneaks to the bathroom to call Jesse, but again gets his voicemail. “I hope you’re not waiting for an apology, because I did not rat you out,” says Walt defensively.

After the call, Walt hears a TV news report describing Tomas’s death as another casualty of Albuquerque’s drug war. Walt, concerned, abruptly leaves the family dinner.

Jesse, parked at the drug corner, snorts some meth to get his confidence up. Spotting the dealers’ black car, he picks up his gun and walks toward it. The dealers, also armed, notice Jesse and menacingly walk toward him.

Just as Jesse draws his gun, Walt plows into the dealers with his car. One is killed instantly. The other, badly injured, reaches for his gun. Walt rushes over, grabs the gun, and shoots the dealer in the head.

“Run,” Walt tells Jesse.

Guest stars:
Victor – Jeremiah Bitsui
Rival Dealer #2 – Antonio Leyba
Tomas – Angelo Martinez
Wendy – Julia Minesci
Brock – Ian Posada
Andrea – Emily Rios
Rival Dealer #1 – Mike Seal
Written by: Sam Catlin and Peter Gould
Directed by: Adam Bernstein

In a flashback, we find Jesse and Jane taking in Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting, “My Last Door.” Unimpressed, Jesse argues that O’Keeffe painted the same door over and over attempting to achieve perfection. To Jane, the repetition was about making a good feeling last. Her point made, Jane extinguishes her cigarette — marked with an impression of her pink lipstick — in the ashtray.

In the present, Hank, suspended in an electromechanical patient lifter, works with his physical therapist. Taking even one step proves too painful, and he angrily cuts the session short. Outside of the therapy room, Marie hands Skyler the first medical bill.

Over at the lab, Walt takes over the weighing of a meth batch. “Just say the words,” says Jesse. “You think I’m stealing.”

A reluctant newcomer named Andrea attends an NA meeting. During the break, Badger and Skinny Pete confess to Jesse that they can’t bring themselves to sell to recovering addicts. “It’s like shooting a baby in the face,” says Badger. To show them “exactly how easy” tempting addicts can be, Jesse strikes up a conversation with Andrea.

Skyler invites Walt for dinner. Walter, Jr. announces that he’ll soon be qualified to drive without supervision. He suggests his parents start thinking about what kind of car they want to buy him — a 1971 Mustang is his suggestion. Later, in private, Walt hands Skyler a check for Hank’s medical bill from his “guy.” “What are his qualifications?” asks Skyler. This money must be “unimpeachable,” she says.

The next day at the law office, Walt introduces Skyler to Saul. The lawyer’s suggestive quips don’t impress her, nor does his scheme to launder Walt’s money through a laser tag franchise. Her husband buying such a business “doesn’t make any sense,” she maintains. “You don’t need to be involved,” Saul replies curtly.

Jesse makes out with Andrea at her house. He hypes the blue meth, but the arrival of Andrea’s five-year-old son, Brock, and Andrea’s grandmother interrupts the pitch. Andrea describes Jesse as being “like a sponsor.” Andrea’s grandmother leaves, muttering to herself in Spanish.

Skyler, driving with Walt, criticizes Saul’s lack of caution. Despite the clownish behavior, Walt assures her, Saul knows what he’s doing. Walt informs Skyler that his involvement in producing meth is “ongoing.” Everything is safe and professional, but he can’t quit.

Skyler stops off at the car wash where Walt used to work. “It’s a story people will believe, not laser tag,” she says. “This is what we buy.”

Outside an NA meeting, Jesse asks Skinny Pete and Badger why they’re still attending if they won’t sell to addicts. “I’m on like Step Five,” says Skinny. “Deuce, yo,” says Badger, who’s “catching up.” “Whatever,” says Jesse, who leaves again with Andrea.

At a taco restaurant, Jesse entertains Brock with magic tricks. While chatting, Jesse learns that Andrea has a younger brother, Tomas. “We don’t talk about him,” she says.

In Saul’s Cadillac outside the car wash, Walt explains the logic of purchasing this business instead of the laser tag franchise. “Is that you talking or Yoko Ono?” asks Saul. You can make any story work, he contends. More important is to have “a Danny” — the guy who runs the laser tag and can be “trusted completely” — as an accomplice.

Andrea, alone at her house with Jesse, declares herself up for some this heavily hyped blue meth “if you’re holding.” “What kind of mom gets wasted with a little kid to take care of?” Jesse asks.

“You gonna come in my house and judge me?” asks Andrea. The two discuss her struggle to spare Brock the fate of Tomas, who became involved with a gang as a child. At age ten, he killed a rival dealer as part of an initiation rite. “Just rode up on his bike and shot him,” Andrea says. As this shooting sounds eerily familiar to Jesse, he grimly quizzes her about the details.

Over at the hospital, Marie excitedly tells Hank that he will soon be released. Physical therapy equipment and a hospital bed have already been installed at home. “I leave this hospital when I walk out of here,” Hank replies. “And not before.”

That night at the White home, Walt explains the “Danny” concept to Skyler, who proposes that she perform that role at the car wash. Walt objects to her involvement. “I’m in this,” she says, because the two are married. “We’re divorced,” says Walt. “Right?”

Skyler reveals that she never filed the divorce papers. “Married couples can’t be compelled to testify against one another,” she points out.

Gus surprises Walt with an invitation to his home for dinner. “We’re working together,” says Gus. “Why not break bread together?” Gus offers to help Walt avoid mistakes that he himself made starting out. His first piece of advice: “Never make the same mistake twice.”

The next day, Jesse drives to the corner where Combo was shot. He spots Tomas on his bike and asks to buy meth. Moments later, a black car drives up. Inside are the dealers who tried to intimidate Combo the day he died. Jesse hands them money.

The car drives away. Tomas slips the meth to Jesse, who holds his gaze. “Bounce,” Tomas orders. Breathing heavily, Jesse stalks away.

Guest stars:
Skinny Pete – Charles Baker
Group Leader – Jere Burns
Badger – Matt Jones
Rival Dealer #2 – Antonio Leyba
Tomas – Angelo Martinez
Grandma – Virginia Montero
Brock – Ian Posada
Andrea – Emily Rios
Jane – Krysten Ritter
Rival Dealer #1 – Mike Seal
Bogdan – Marius Stan
Written by: Thomas Schnauz and John Shiban
Directed by: Michelle MacLaren

It’s two in the morning at Walt‘s condo. He lies in bed, staring up at his smoke detector’s flashing indicator light.

Later, at Gus‘s industrial laundry, workers punch a time clock. “I’m surprised he doesn’t make us do that,” Jesse comments to Walt. Downstairs, the partners scrub equipment as Jesse describes how hyenas acknowledge the pack leader’s superiority by literally licking his “junk.”

The maintenance complete, Walt pores over calculations. Their meth yields are consistently short, he concludes. Jesse suggests spillage, evaporation and condensation might account for the discrepancy. Walt rejects these hypotheses, though he admits that “the vestiges” left from their cooking process could possibly account for a portion of the missing meth.

After Jesse leaves for the day, a buzzing fly that’s loose in the lab distracts Walt. Walt tries to kill the fly and his efforts become increasingly desperate and dangerous. Balancing on the outer rail of the lab’s catwalk, he lunges with a broom and falls to the concrete floor.

Walt’s car is still at the industrial laundry when Jesse arrives the next morning. Before exiting his own car, Jesse notices lipstick on an old cigarette butt in the ashtray.

Jesse has to force his way into the lab; Walt has dramatically increased the air pressure to address the perceived threat. “There’s been a contamination,” Walt tells an incredulous Jesse as he stalks the bug with a makeshift fly swatter.

“We make poison for people who don’t care,” argues Jesse, who works furtively to keep their current batch of meth that is halfway through the cook process on track. Walt orders Jesse to cease all cooking activities until the fly is caught, and smacks him with the swatter when Jesse continues anyway.

After a scuffle, the fly lands on Walt’s head. “Jesse, get it,” Walt whispers. Jesse swats hard. Reeling, Walt crawls on the floor looking for the fly’s corpse, but finds only a stray raisin. The fly contamination must be eradicated, an exasperated Walt claims. “There is no more room for error. Not with these people.”

Jesse convinces Walt that they should step outside and get some air. After Jesse passes through the doorway, Walt snatches Jesse’s keys and locks himself in the lab. “If you’re not gonna help me, stay out of my way!” Walt snarls. Jesse counters by shutting off the main circuit breaker to the lab.

Later on, the power restored, Jesse shows Walt the assortment of pest control supplies he has purchased. Walt deems the nontoxic glue strips acceptable. The partners hang them throughout the lab.

Jesse prepares coffee and slips some sleeping pills into Walt’s cup in an effort to force him to get some much-needed sleep. “Let the traps do the work,” he says.

“Have you ever had like a wild animal trapped in your house?” Jesse asks while they sip. An opossum took up residence beneath his aunt’s house, he continues, but even after it had been removed she insisted it was still there. Her obsession over it, Jesse explains, was a sign the cancer had spread to her brain.

“I’m still in remission,” Walt replies. “I missed it,” he adds. “There was some perfect moment that passed me right by.”

“Perfect moment for what?” asks Jesse. “Are you saying you want to die?”

“I’m saying I’ve lived too long,” Walt responds, struggling through his own guilt and anger, expressing frustration that he cannot make Skyler comprehend his motivation for cooking. “There must exist certain words in a certain specific order that would explain all of this,” he says. “But with her I just… I just can’t ever seem to find them.”

Walt ruminates further on when the perfect moment occurred. “It was the night Janedied,” Walt concludes. After delivering Jesse’s money, Walt reveals, he stopped at a bar, where he met Jane’s father, Donald. “What did you talk about?” asks a floored Jesse. “Family,” says Walt.

“The universe is random,” Walt continues. But how can it be random that on the night Jane died he was having a drink with her father?

Walt, becoming groggy, says that earlier the same evening he had been watching TV. On the baby monitor he could hear Skyler singing Holly a lullaby. “If I had just lived right up to that moment, and not one second more,” he says, “that would have been perfect.”

The fly begins buzzing again. “I’m gonna get that bitch,” says Jesse. He wheels over two steel carts, precariously stacks a ladder atop them and starts climbing.

“You’re gonna break your neck,” Walt warns wearily. Half-asleep, Walt clutches the ladder while Jesse swats. “I’m sorry about Jane,” he says. “It’s not your fault,” Jesse replies.

“Jesse, come down,” Walt says. “We need to cook.” “What about the contamination?” asks Jesse. “It’s all contaminated,” Walt mumbles.

Descending the ladder, Jesse spots the fly and swats. The fly falls to the floor dead. Walt, asleep, misses Jesse’s victory.

Later, outside the industrial laundry, Walt warns Jesse that if he’s skimming meth and Gus finds out, “I won’t be able to protect you.”

“Who’s asking you to?” responds Jesse.

Back at his condo, Walt wakes to the sound of buzzing. Staring up at the smoke detector, he watches a fly land on the blinking light.

Written by: Sam Catlin and Moira Walley-Beckett
Directed by: Rian Johnson

A Los Pollos Hermanos commercial extols the chain’s signature chicken. Back at the lab, Walt and Jesse hand off a batch of blue crystal meth, which ends up at Gus‘ chicken farm. Victor supervises workers as they submerge plastic bags of blue meth into specially-marked tubs of fry batter for shipment across the Southwest.

Jesse and Walt cook a batch that yields slightly more than required. Jesse wants to save the extra product for the next batch, but Walt insists they send it to Gus. Jesse grumbles that Gus will gross $96 million to their $3 million. “That is messed up, yo,” he contends. Jesse should be happy to be a millionaire, Walt responds.

Gomez visits Hank at the hospital and shows his partner a map detailing the blue meth’s reappearance. “You’re the only one who saw this coming,” says Gomez, but Hank doesn’t take much comfort from the news; he’s in too much pain. Skylerwatches Walt absorb this — and Hank’s revelation that he received a call warning him of the Cousins’ impending attack.

Later in the parking lot, Walt tries to tell Skyler he had nothing to do with Hank’s shooting. “Are we safe?” Skyler interrupts. Walt assures her they are.

At a group therapy meeting, Jesse describes his new workplace as a boring corporate laundromat. “My boss is a dick,” Jesse complains, adding that he’s “not worthy” to meet the owner, “a super dick” whom everyone fears. “Sounds kind of Kafkaesque,” responds the group leader. “Totally Kafkaesque,” agrees a clueless Jesse.

Back at the hospital, a doctor tests for feeling in Hank’s legs, noting that nerve function appears to be returning. “So when do we get him walking again?” asksMarie.

Pulling Marie and Skyler aside, the doctor warns that the odds are against a full recovery for Hank. A hospital staffer refers to insurance delays and alludes to policy limitations, but advises Marie not to go out of plan.

“If Hank had more physical therapy with better therapists, wouldn’t it be more likely he would walk?” objects Marie. The plan’s coverage is medically justifiable, if not optimal, replies the doctor. “Screw it,” says Marie. She’ll arrange care herself.

Saul shows off a nail salon to Jesse, who is not impressed. “Don’t you get it?” Saul asks. “It’s the best money laundry a growing boy could ask for.” The IRS — not the police — got Capone, Saul points out. Jesse, already reluctant to play by the rules and pay taxes, ends the conversation after Saul declines to extend him Walt’s five percent fee structure.

Walt drives to Gus’s chicken farm to discuss “issues that could cause a misunderstanding between us.” Walt speculates that he was the Cousins’ primary target. They were steered to Hank to protect Walt. But “this person” protecting him, Walt continues, “was playing a much deeper game.” He wanted to put heat on the cartel so that he could corner the entire Southwest meth market, Walt suggests.

“I can’t pretend I don’t know that person is you,” Walt concludes. “I owe you my life. And more than that, I respect the strategy.” After expressing other concerns, Walt leaves with a $15 million-a-year deal and Gus’s guarantee of the White family’s safety.

On the ride home, Walt floors the Aztek’s gas pedal and closes his eyes. He opens them only just in time to avoid colliding with a semi-trailer.

At another group meeting, Jesse recounts being inspired by a high school woodworking teacher. At first, Jesse slacked off on the class assignment, but eventually he created an intricate box, which he says he gave to his mom. When the group leader suggests that Jesse take art classes, Jesse interrupts. “I didn’t give the box to my mom,” he admits. “I traded it for an ounce of weed.”

At the White home, Marie and Skyler discuss Hank’s medical bills until Ted surprises Skyler with a visit. “I care about you,” he tells Skyler, who asks him to leave. “Is there some reason for secrecy I’m not getting?” he asks. “Are you really gonna make me do this right now?” Skyler responds. Ted departs.

Jesse, at a deli with Badger and Skinny Pete, reminisces about being able to cook “anytime, anywhere” in the RV — and not having people boss him around. “What’s the point of being an outlaw when you got responsibilities?” he asks. Jesse proposes they sling again, hinting about a new market to tap. Back at the lab, Jesse underreports a batch’s weight.

Badger and Skinny Pete accompany Jesse to his next group meeting. Heads bowed, they confess to relapsing because of the potent “blue stuff.” “I hear it’s back in town,” Skinny Pete adds. Jesse hides a smile.

Marie, at the hospital with Walt and Skyler, threatens to take Hank’s story to the TV networks if he doesn’t receive top-grade therapy. “He is a hero, and he is not going to be in a wheelchair at forty-three,” she says.

“Walt, we can always pay their bills,” proposes Skyler, who spins a tale about her husband developing a blackjack card counting system and winning big in illegal back room games. “Marie, let us help,” Walt confirms.

“How did you come up with that?” Walt later asks Skyler of her surprising and impressive lie. “I learned from the best,” she replies. “Something tells me that Hank is here because of you,” Skyler continues. “And I’m not forgetting that.”

Guest stars:
Skinny Pete – Charles Baker
Victor – Jeremiah Bitsui
Group Leader – Jere Burns
Ted Beneke – Christopher Cousins
Badger – Matt Jones
Gomez – Steven Michael Quezada
Written by: Peter Gould and George Mastras
Directed by: Michael Slovis

Jesse, still weak and bruised, is wheeled out of the hospital by an orderly. As he waits outside for his ride, an ambulance approaches. Curious, Jesse rolls his wheelchair closer to find paramedics working frantically on an unconscious Hank. Skinny Pete arrives and asks how Jesse is doing. Jesse smiles. “Actually, I’m great,” he says.

At the lab, Walt fires Gale, who argues the two were a great team. “It’s as if I’m classical,” Walt explains, “but you are more… jazz.” Jesse arrives and declares the high-tech setup “the bomb.” “This makes no sense,” says Gale. He trudges up the stairs as Walt insists to Victor that this is “for the best.”

When Walt wants to get right to work, Jesse realizes that Walt is unaware of Hank’s shooting.

As doctors work to save the Cousin who survived, Walt rushes into the waiting room. He questions ASAC Merkert about Hank’s attackers. Marie becomes enraged whenGomez reveals that Hank was unarmed because of his suspension. “The DEA is not welcome here,” she hisses at Merkert and Gomez.

Marie then turns on Walt, asking if he realizes that Hank would never even have heard of Jesse if Walt hadn’t bought pot from him. Skyler comes to Walt’s defense. Crying, Marie apologizes.

The next day, an impatient Jesse pages Walt, who tells him to sit tight. “I’ll just cook on my own,” Jesse responds defiantly, but Walt insists he touch nothing. As Walt hangs up, Skyler approaches him and suggests they all get breakfast. Walt asks if she knows who was on the phone. Skyler smiles sadly and walks away.

In the cafeteria, Marie complains about the dirty silverware and declares the hospital a deathtrap. Sensing Marie is about to spiral out of control, Walt intervenes. After relating his own anxieties before his operation in the same hospital, Walt tells Marie, “I survived this place. And I’m not half the man your husband is.”

Over at Los Pollos, Gus takes a call from Juan Bolsa, who contends that the Cousins would never have shot Hank without approval. “Are you accusing me?” Gus asks, adding that he assumes the next meth shipment will be delayed. Bolsa concedes that it will be delayed indefinitely, then vows to learn the truth about the assassination plot from the surviving Cousin.

A doctor announces that Hank is out of surgery. Though her husband can’t receive visitors, Marie insists on remaining at the hospital. Walt offers to run errands for everyone. In the lobby, he runs into Gomez and other officers holding vigil. Gomez invites Walt to see the injuries Hank inflicted on his would-be assassin.

Walt, Gomez and several agents arrive outside the Cousin’s ICU room. The Cousin has had both of his legs amputated. Turning to look at them, he recognizes Walt. His heart rate spikes as he tears at the tubes attached to his body and pushes himself onto the floor. He drags himself toward Walt before doctors subdue him.

At the lab, boredom overwhelms Jesse, who amuses himself with the equipment until Victor walks in. “Why isn’t there anything cooking?” asks Victor.

Jesse calls to give Walt a heads-up about Victor, but a distracted Walt shifts the conversation to their time as Tuco‘s hostages. Walt asks if Jesse remembers Tuco referring to his cousins coming up from Mexico. Jesse says he thinks he does.

Walt returns to the waiting room with toiletries and blankets, and hands his son a book. Walter, Jr. explains that Hank gave him the book. It’s about the agents who investigated the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. “Good guys never get ink like the bad guys do,” says Walter Jr., quoting Hank.

A call from Gus interrupts the conversation. Walt excuses himself. He lies about being “hard at work” and blames his inability to meet the week’s meth quota on Gale’s mistakes. He promises to deliver 400 pounds by next week.

That night, Walt asks Gomez if other assassins could be on the way. “That was their one shot and they blew it,” Gomez replies. The men commiserate a few moments, then Gomez’s cell rings. He answers and spreads the word that food has arrived: “You like Pollos Hermanos?” Gomez asks Walt. The owner, a big DEA booster, is bringing over chicken.

In the waiting room, Walt watches Gus console Marie. “Men like your husband are the thin blue line between us and these animals,” he says. ASAC Merkert and the family thank Gus for offering a $10,000 reward for information about the shooting.

“As it happens, I actually have met Agent Schrader,” says Gus. Referring to the donation jar for Walt’s surgery he saw at the DEA office, Gus tells Walt, “It was clear to me how deeply he cares for you.”

Walt walks Gus out. “You knew my brother-in-law was with the DEA,” Walt whispers. “I investigate everyone with whom I do business,” Gus replies. Walt asks if Gus’s presence is a message to him. “I’m supporting my community,” Gus says. “I hide in plain sight, same as you.”

Walt tells Gus that he fears for his family. The businessman replies that the Cousin is unlikely to survive. “Now, thank me and shake my hand,” Gus softly commands.

As Gus departs, police race upstairs where medical staffers are attempting CPR on the flat-lining Cousin. Their resuscitation attempts fail and the Cousin dies. Amid the commotion, Mike slips away unnoticed, discarding a syringe as he leaves.

Back at Los Pollos, Gus receives a call from Bolsa, who complains that pressure from the U.S. government has brought the Mexican Federales to his doorstep. “I think you’re behind all this,” says Bolsa, threatening to pay Gus a visit when things calm down.

A sudden crash interrupts Bolsa. His bodyguards investigate and are brought down by gunfire. As Bolsa attempts to escape, he is met by a machine-gun-wielding assassin. Gus listens impassively as Bolsa is gunned down, then breaks his cell phone in two.

Walt sits with his sleeping family in the waiting room. The doctor enters to inform Marie that she is finally permitted to see Hank. She insists that Walt, Skyler, and Walter Jr. accompany her. “We’re all family,” she says.

The family solemnly enters Hank’s room. As the Whites look on, Marie kisses Hank’s forehead and takes his hand.

Guest stars:
Skinny Pete – Charles Baker
Victor – Jeremiah Bitsui
Gale – David Costabile
Juan Bolsa – Javier Grajeda
The Cousin #2 – Daniel Moncada
Gomez – Steven Michael Quezada
ASAC Merkert – Michael Shamus Wiles
Written by: Gennifer Hutchison
Directed by: Colin Bucksey