Are we sure the boy was poisoned? If the doctors confirmed he had been poisoned with ricin, I imagine they'd immediately notify the police, who would have questioned Jesse and the Mom.

Logistically, I can't see Walt poisoning him. I also don't think he's that far gone.

As for Gus poisoning him, it would still be difficult for him to get access to the kid's food/drink to administer it. And the plan that Jesse would automatically blame Walt and kill him seems very risky for Gus. He knows they have a father/son relationship (albeit a really screwed up one) & Walt could convince Jesse he didn't do it, which would point the finger at Gus.

I hope Mike makes some miraculous recovery so we can see him in the finale.

I can't imagine Mike not showing up in the finale. I would think that his struggles with Gus' murdering Mike's guy in the first ep, and Mike's treatment in Mexico, might both come into play.

What treatment in Mexico? Mike knew the plan. He didn't intend on getting shot, but he's intelligent enough to know that the boss would come first, treatment-wise. He's not a two-year old, or Jessie.

Yes, but Jesse saved his life and Gus has shown that he considers him expendable.

I guess I will have to swallow that Gus poisoned the boy in an attempt to turn Jesse on Walt, but I totally agree with Fist of Doom. It's a far-fetched scenario that seems way too risky and came across as more of a "nifty plot twist" than as a truly plausible action.

Did I miss something here? What was the double shot of shockers? Honestly, this episode felt a bit flat to me compared to last week with a bit of sloppy writing. So Jesse is enraged and goes to Walt's with the plan to kill him? And he happens to not bring a gun, but Walt's gun is conveniently there?

Also, it wasn't too clear, but I assumed Walt had deviced a car bomb for Gus. So Walt is sudden an expert in making bombs and detonation devices?


The best parts for me were the tension of the DEA agent checking out the laundry facility and Jesse literally grinding a gun into Walt's forehead. You could see the imprint after he removed the gun. Dang!

I'm leaning towards Walt poisoning the kid. Not enough to kill him but make him sick. How could Gus know about the cigarette. Walt needed to turn Jessie against Gus. Walt is desperate and at the end of his rope. Jessie would either go after Gus or Walt and it seemed like Walt was resigned to accept either fate.

Yeah I am just extrapolating one possibility. There were 3 or 4 other people in that place, and all of them attended Fring on the head doctor's orders. I can see a flashback or two setting that up to anger Mike.

Also, maybe Mike's time recovering in Mexico has included something that dovetails with Jessie's panicked questioning in that makeshift ER.

If they want to build that up to justify tension between Mike and Fring, there is enough there. And a few moments in the first couple episodes of this season would seem to point to a confrontation between those two.

Who knows what will happen though -- this is Breaking Bad and however it plays out will be fantastic.

We know Gilligan is committed to Walt truly completing an arc of going "all the way bad" (whatever that might mean). Makes me remember that he was capable of letting Jessie's true love die to protect himself.

If he did do it, after his impassioned denial ... wow. What a contrast to his concern for his own family and his willingness to sacrifice himself for them. But it all would be consistent with his speech a few weeks ago to Jessie about why Gail had to die.

I still want to root for him, so I am hoping Fring did it.

That announcement was for the finale. Not this episode.

Really?



It's not that far fetched since Walt is a genius chemist, and the most important factor in making a pipe bomb is the chemical composition.

Exactly, and it's not like he was an expert. He clearly had trouble getting the device to go off when he was testing it. I was thinking he was going to have technical problems with the bomb going off, glad they didn't go with that cliched route. Gus really is friggin' sly to foresee the trap...

Here's my question. We know that Gus is a man of importance seeing as how he was spared in the flashback when they killed his partner. Assuming Gus gets killed off this season, I wonder what kind of unholy hell is going to rain down next season...

What was Walt's timeline after the desert meeting with Gus? He started freaking out, went to Jesse's house that night, the next morning he goes to Saul's, goes home to warn skhyhulure and get the money, DEA shows up, he stays at the house first by the house then inside with the windows covered. At which point did he take the ricin off Jesse and poison the kid. I don't see where Walt had time to do it. I'm not sure Gus did it either, but at least that seems possible.

What do you think tipped Gus off to the car bomb? Why did Gus allow Jesse to take as long as he needs off? Wasn't it already established that they need to cook every day to keep up with demand?

I am probably wrong, i usually am when it comes to this show. But i do think Walt did something to the kid. There was quite a long period after Walt was spinning the gun in the backyard when he could have done something. But the most suspicious thing Walt did happened when Jesse confronted him at his house, I don't believe Walt would purposely leave his gun on the sofa with Jesse standing right next to it. Walt always has a plan no matter how bad of a plan it is, he always has one. I think Walt knows he cant take out Gus alone and he needs Jesse. I believe he somehow poisoned the kid, knew Jesse would eventually figure out about the poison and connect him to it, Jesse would confront him, he would leave the gun so Jesse could take it giving him the power and then he would blame it all on Gus, which would give him Jesse back.

So you're thinking that Walt was coming up with his plan while sitting by the pool, somehow sneaks into Jesse's cig pack, takes the ricin, finds and poisons the kid, then get's back to his house and does the whole holed up paranoid routine to throw off Jesse? Kinda far fethched but I am wondering why Walt went from sitting out in the open by the pool to being super paranoid in the house.

Also, what was the point of the gun spinning and landing on the plant? That seemed to be a trigger for Walt, something clicked for him when that happened.

I didn't say it was a good theory. Maybe Walt had Sauls guy take it during the the pat-down when he went to Sauls office?

And to add to my theory. Walt knew that his family/Hank was safe with the DEA. By giving Jesse the gun he would either kill Walt, the DEA would find out and put his family in protective services, or he would turn Jesse back to his side and continue fighting.

Again probably 100% wrong.

Not trying to say you are wrong, just trying to figure everything out. Last night I was having problems connecting the motivation for some of the moves the characters made, just trying to put the puzzle together. I didn't understand how Jesse instantly connected the missing ricin to the kid being sick or how he connected that happening to Walt. I don't understand why Gus would allow Jesse to stop cooking for a week or how he figured out the plot against him in the parking garage. Why the Klepto was so concerned that the cartel might come after Walt and Skhyhulure. Lots of development with little explanation.

I forget from the previous episodes, how long does the ricin take to kick in?

Great episode, maybe one of the best in the entire series.

But you have to admit that we are reaching comic book levels in some plot devices.

Oh and I also think that Gomez is working for Gus.

I had a feeling this would be a 'simmer' episode leading into the finale.

I could see Gomez working for Gus, but I hope that's not the case. If so, he surely would have tipped Gus off beforehand, and would not have had to make up that ridiculous story to the laundry manager. If he was really working for Gus, I'm guessing the camera would have just focused on the guy in the car until Gomez waved him over.

I also don't think that Walt poisoned the kid. Walt seemed ready to face the consequences for his actions. I think that the cigarette was lifted by Tyrus. Walt is pretty heartless, but I still can't see him using a child for his own good.

I'll be disappointed if Mike isn't back for the finale.

A day or two.

This show has always been a bit comic book-esque, was really obvious in season 2.

Forgot to also add:

Aaron Paul's acting in this episode was so, so brilliant. Watching the scene at the hospital and then the ensuing scene at Walt's house...so powerful. He's always been good (particularly season 3 on), but this episode was his time to shine.

I too think Gomez is working for Gus, why else would he stare at the fake laundry machine? The cherade of Gomez talking with the manager was done for the cameras and possibly because neither knows they both work for Gus. The manager obviously got a call before hand to let him know that the DEA was on their way and to let them search, how else would Gus know unless Gomez was dirty?

I don't think Gomez is working for Gus. I think that whole scene where he paused was done for nothing more than dramatic effect. The "holy crap, he's right there! Is he going to find it?" sort of thing seen from time to time.

Then how did the manager know to expect them? Was there another DEA agent in the room when Hank started pressuring Gomez? It had to be either Gomex or the canine cop, or is Gus so good that he has influtrated the canine training facility and had the dogs trained to not recognize the blue scent?