‘Breaking Bad’ season 5, episode 13 review: Did the student outsmart the teacher?

Tonight’s “Breaking Bad” was at times chilling, at times smart, but overall one of the episodes that we have been waiting to see for quite a while. It was an opportunity to see something resembling a showdown between Walt and Jesse, but not one with a conclusion that you probably saw coming.

Instead, what we had here was a showdown between Todd’s uncle and the authorities, brought on thanks to some sheer determination on the part of Jack’s people. Walt told them not to come out to the desert once he realized that Jesse had outsmarted him, and we saw yet again that there was some humanity to him in terms of the sort of blood that he was willing to get on his hands.

But that didn’t happen. At first, we had the epic moment of Walt’s arrest at the hands of Hank and of Gomez, who with the help of Jesse, finally managed to get him in the back of a car. This was a glorious moment for Pinkman, and one that seemed to justify that as corrupt as he is, this is still a young guy who cares at the end of the day.

Unfortunately, what happened from there is something that no one on Hank’s side could have seen coming: The arrival of Jack and his team. Walt didn’t want them to fire away, and even yelled at them to stop. It was a strange sight to see a killer beg to not have Hank be killed, but it was pretty clear that this is what it was coming to. While we did not see the bullets fired, there was a feeling in the air as Hank dialed his wife that this was going to be the last time in which the two ever spoke. Hank is completely outnumbered in this fight, and with people with far better weapons than he or Gomez have. The ending to this is going to be infuriating, given that it faded to black right when things started to get crazy.

Maybe we’re wrong and he’ll live; however, we are not entirely optimistic about that.

For us, the most interesting scene of the episode, and probably the most controversial, was the conversation between Hank and Huell. Who knew that a former “Last Comic Standing” runner-up would be so crucial to a case? We sure didn’t, and that is what has made his dramatic role here so particularly interesting to watch. Huell selling out Walt and Saul was perhaps a tad convenient for a show, but predictable. He’s not a horrible man; he’s a bodyguard, hired to do a job rather than to do illegal activities. If he feels like his own life is on the line, of course he is going to do just about anything that he can in order to protect himself.

Did this episode deliver for you? Be sure to share your thoughts below! If you want to read some more “Breaking Bad” news, including our preview for next week’s episode, just be sure to visit the link here.

Photo: AMC