Breaking Bad

[Tim]

So Huell took it from him originally. But Walt manipulated him into thinking Gus stole it. And just now Huell taking his pot made him figure out Huell must have also took it from him originally? And he freaked out?

OK. But shouldn't the scene where Walt faked the finding of the ricin in the vacuum settled that up so that he wouldn't keep thinking about it?

I'm fine with it. I'm just want to make sure I understand it right.

It's not really about the ricin... it's about the manipulation. Jesse isn't really freaking out over the ricin, he's freaking out because he's gone mad from the psychological trauma of dealing with being manipulated time after time. Huell taking the pot, Jesse realizing this had happened before, Jesse figuring out that Walt was involved with Brock's poisoning somehow.... They're all just too much for him and he snaps.

[Pheidippides]

That was my take too.

[SCcoug]

Here is how it went down in Season 4. Huell's first pickpocket wasn't subtle. Jesse barges in after getting Saul's 6 frantic messages and Huell starts frisking him and lifts the cigarettes. Saul tells Jesse Fring threatened Walt and his family. Jesse goes home and gets Andrea's call about Brock. When he can't get into the ICU he goes out to smoke and finds the missing ricin cigarette. After telling Andrea to have the doctors check for ricin poisoning he confronts Walt about the cigarette. Jesse accuses Walt of poisoning Brock and having Saul and Huell lift the cigarette off of him. Jesse then gets manipulated by Walt.

[UVACoug]

This season (or half-season) has been spectacular. I was bawling during the scene where Walt hugged Jesse. Jesse's realization that Huell took the ricin cigarette seemed a but contrived, as did the idea that Skyler would have gone along with the fake confession plan ... but I can put up with that kind of stuff when everything else is so perfect.

It seems pretty clear that Walt will be using Saul's disappearer to get out of ABQ. What isn't clear us whether any of the rest of his family goes with him (or survives). My guess is no.

Jesse doesn't seem like the type that is capable of going to war with Walt. I am guessing that he goes to the cops, which destroys Walt's life in ABQ, as well as Hank's.

[Jeff Lebowski]

How can every episode be so good? Darn, I am going to miss this show.

[UVACoug]

Anyone else been to Garduno's before? We used to go there every time we went to ABQ when I was kid. I was expecting the Mariachi Band to pop up at any moment.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Hank and Marie watching the confession was very good, great really. Although one can find flaws in Walt's story, it was surprisingly solid, and one could really feel the stunned sense of helplessness H&M had to be feeling. [skip joke about them going off and starting a hip clothing store] The writers on this show work really well together, much better than, say, those on Lost who seemed to write themselves into corners with lots of plot points never getting tied together. This show is pretty tight.

[scottie]

I didn't catch all of the dialogue when Jesse was yelling and punching Saul, so help me out -- Why would Huell have taken the ricin cigarette back in season 4 (or whenever it was)?

[Vic Vega]

I didn't catch all of the dialogue when Jesse was yelling and punching Saul, so help me out -- Why would Huell have taken the ricin cigarette back in season 4 (or whenever it was)?

The way I saw it, Saul was helping Walter.

[Non Sequitur]

I'm not getting the ricin logic even after hearing an explanation on the Talking Bad show. Walt planted the ricin cigarette in the vacuum when they were looking for it in Jesse's apartment right? So why would it mean anything that Walt knew Jesse still had it?

Wait I assume Walt would've taken that ricin cigarette when they found it in Jesse's apartment, so why would Jesse have it now?

This is a show that doesn't have a lot of missteps, but this ricin epiphany really missed the mark. Jesse going from zero to meltdown with no smoking gun just doesn't ring true. It came off as a clumsy to me.

[old_gregg]

aaron paul... wow. i think hank kills himself.

[UVACoug]

I didn't catch all of the dialogue when Jesse was yelling and punching Saul, so help me out -- Why would Huell have taken the ricin cigarette back in season 4 (or whenever it was)?

Huell took the ricin cigarette on behalf of Walt to make Jesse think that Gus had poisoned Brock. I don't remember exactly why Walt wanted Jesse to think Gus poisoned Brock though. I haven't rewatched Season 4 since it aired.

[Coach McGuirk]

This is a show that doesn't have a lot of missteps, but this ricin epiphany really missed the mark. Jesse going from zero to meltdown with no smoking gun just doesn't ring true. It came off as a clumsy to me.

I guess I disagree. Jesse has been on the verge of a breakdown for some time, so I don't think he went from zero to meltdown at all.

[UVACoug]

This is a show that doesn't have a lot of missteps, but this ricin epiphany really missed the mark. Jesse going from zero to meltdown with no smoking gun just doesn't ring true. It came off as a clumsy to me.

I felt the same way at first, but after thinking about it for a bit I am alright with it. Jesse knows for a fact that Huell lifted the pot from his jacket. It was the only thing that made sense. As Bob Odenkirk said on the after show, the missing ricin cigarette has probably been nagging him since it happened. Huell's frisking him at the end of Season 4 was not an ordinary event, and it didn't happen as long ago as you think (time moves slower in the show than in real life). I wouldn't even be surprise if Jesses had considered whether Huell had taken it at some point in the past but had no solid reason to believe it.

It is certainly a but contrived, but it isn't as bad as it seems in my opinion.

[SCcoug]

I wouldn't even be surprise if Jesses had considered whether Huell had taken it at some point in the past but had no solid reason to believe it.

It is certainly a but contrived, but it isn't as bad as it seems in my opinion.

See my post above. Jesse tells Walt that he thinks Huell took it under Saul's (and Walt's) orders as he is pointing the pistol at Walt. Turns out his original suspicion was right but he fell under Walt's manipulation again.