Violet recaps Season 5 Episode 10 of Breaking Bad, entitled “Buried,” where Walt tries to cover his tracks after his confrontation with Hank in the garage, Hank tries to get Skyler to talk, and we see what has become of Jesse after throwing his money around! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh provide their thoughts on the episode.
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Recap of Breaking Bad, Season 5 Episode 10: Buried
This episode picks up in the middle of the night after Jesse had taken on the role of the “money fairy.” An old man notices a wad of cash in his driveway. Then more further down the sidewalk. Then more across the street. Then he sees that a car has crashed into the swing set of the nearby playground. He investigates, and finds a bag filled with money in the car. We then see Jesse laying on the merry-go-round, using his feet to slowly push himself in a circle.
Following the Garage Confrontation
The episode then picks up from where we left Hank and Walt, as Walt exits the garage and walks toward his car. Walt turns around, and he and Hank stare at each other for a few moments, until Hank closes the garage door. Then Walt gets into his car, starts to speed away, but skids to a halt, and calls the car wash, asking to speak to Sklyer. But she’s already on the phone with somebody else. We see Hank come out of the garage with his phone to his ear, as Walt rushes over to the car wash. But he’s too late. She’s already gone.
Skyler meets up with Hank at a restaurant, where he greets her with a hug. He tells her that he gets everything she did now, that Walt’s a monster, and she’s done being his victim. Hank tries to record her telling him everything from the beginning, but she seems reluctant. Also, we find out Skyler apparently didn’t know Walt’s cancer is back. Hank tries to explain the importance of Skyler spilling the beans, but Skyler thinks that she needs a lawyer first, though he tries to talk her out of that, because he wants to get the ball rolling now and lawyers just get in the way. He tries to tell her that she needs to bring the kids to his house, but she starts freaking out, repeatedly asking, louder and louder, “Am I under arrest??” until she is shouting. She then leaves in tears.
Walt Attempts to Cover His Tracks
Saul’s guys, Huell and Kuby, show up at the storage unit to get Walt’s massive pile of cash. But first they lay on top of it. Meanwhile, at Saul’s office, Saul is trying to get in touch with Jesse, but no luck. Walt gets a call from Skyler, but Saul warns him not to answer, and in fact, advises him to take the battery out of his phone. Walt feels betrayed that Skyler went straight to Hank. But Saul tries to reassure him that the only real evidence she has is the money, which they’re taking care of. Saul also suggests that Walt send Hank on “a trip to Belize,” where Mike went. But Walt takes offense to that, saying “Hank is family.” Huell and Kuby show up with the money, which they have put into barrels and placed in the back of a van. Walt inspects the barrels to make sure the money’s all there, which he confirms is “close enough.” Huell and Kuby share a knowing glance, suggesting that they kept a little for themselves. Walt packs a bag of cash and gives it to Saul, telling him to pay Huell and Kuby, and take his cut, but the rest is Walt’s — insurance in case he needs Saul. He also tells Saul to find Jesse. Walt then drives the van into the middle of the desert and begins to dig a hole. In the blazing sun. While wearing a jacket.
Marie Confronts Skyler
Back at Walt’s house, Skyler is on the phone, trying to get in touch with Saul, and asking if Walt’s been there, but no luck. Then Marie comes knocking at the door, and Skyler looks out the window and sees Hank waiting by the car outside. Skyler agrees to let Marie in. Marie tries to get answers out of Skyler, and it is evident from Skyler’s tears that it’s all true. She tries to ask more specific things, but Skyler does not verbally respond, only continues to cry. Marie asks if Skyler knew about this before Hank was shot, to which she replies, “Marie, I am so sorry.” Marie then slaps Skyler across the face, and angrily accuses Skyler of not talking to Hank because she thinks Walt is going to get away with it. Marie tries to take the baby with her, but Skyler stops her from leaving the house, as the baby starts crying, and Marie tries to get Hank’s attention to come help her. Hank comes inside, as Skyler is frantically demanding for Marie to give her baby back. Hank tells Marie to give the baby back, and she reluctantly complies. When Hank and Marie get back in the car, Marie simply tells Hank, “Get him.”
Walt and Skyler Talk Strategy
The sun is starting to set, and Walt is still hard at work digging that hole. Night falls, and he shoves the barrels into the hole and buries them. He looks at a GPS, memorizes the coordinates, then smashes the GPS with a rock. He makes it back home, and we see him staring at a lottery ticket on the refrigerator. Skyler notices that he’s home and calls him into the bedroom. Walt starts to undress to get in the shower, as she tells him she knows that he moved the money, asks if he got her messages, and tells him she didn’t tell Hank anything. Walt isn’t responding, and suddenly collapses on the floor.
4 or 5 hours later, he wakes up on the bathroom floor with a pillow under his head, and covered with a blanket. Skyler realizes that it’s true that the cancer is back, and wonders if this is “it.” Walt asks if that makes her happy, and she replies that she can’t remember the last time she was happy. Walt tells her that he’ll give himself up if she promises him one thing: that she keep the money, never speak of it, and pass it on to their children. He pleads with her to do so, so that he wouldn’t have “done all this for nothing.” She doesn’t answer him, but instead asks him how Hank found out. He admits that it was his fault. Skyler points out that Hank has his suspicions, but not much else, and that Walt can’t give himself up without giving up the money. She suggests that their best move is to stay quiet.
Lydia Inspects the Meth Lab
Out in the middle of the desert, Lydia has ridden with a blindfold on to meet with the meth dealers to inspect the meth lab, which is located in a hole in the ground. She is very angry with the conditions of the lab, which are nowhere near that of their predecessor. But the guy counters that Heisenberg standards don’t matter anymore. She tries to get it through to him that it matters to her Czech buyers, and that she cannot move what their lab is producing, because it is substandard. She tries to convince him to use Todd, who learned from Heisenberg, because his first two cooks were at 74%. But the guy tells her that on his third cook, Todd started a fire, and that he only wants to use guys that he trusts, and he does not trust Todd. Up on the surface, there’s a problem, and the guys all go check it out while Lydia stays down in the lab, crouches down, and covers her ears. Meanwhile, we hear shouts and gunfire. It’s quickly over.
Then someone opens the manhole and asks if she’s okay. We see that it is Todd, who tells her that it’s safe to come up. She says she doesn’t want to see, so he tells her to close her eyes as he helps her out of the hole and maneuvers her around all the dead bodies. It sounds like Todd calls one of the men “Uncle Jack.” One of the guys on the ground isn’t quite dead yet though, so they have to shoot him some more. The men then prepare to confiscate all the equipment from the lab.
Hank’s Big Break
Hank is sitting at his kitchen table, going through evidence, trying to make sense of everything. Marie encourages Hank to tell the DEA about Walt, but he says he doesn’t have the piece of the puzzle he needs to prove it. He also points out that the day he goes in with this is the last day of his career, considering that the person he’s been chasing is his own brother-in-law. He resolves that if he goes in, he’s bringing proof, not suspicions, so that he can at least be the man who caught him. But Marie worries that if they catch Walt before then, that Hank will go to jail too because he knew about Walt but didn’t say anything.
Hank returns to work after his hiatus. Steve gives him a rundown of his schedule for the morning, but Hank asks for him to set up a conference call with Ramey, as a “getting up to speed” thing. Steve then tells him about a “money thing” that involves Hank’s “old pal” Jesse Pinkman.
We then see Jesse sitting in an interrogation room with two cops, while Jesse looks pretty out if it and isn’t responding in any way to their questions. Meanwhile, Hank is standing just outside, observing what’s going on. The two cops take a break, and Hank tells them that he has a history with Jesse, and thinks Jesse could be helpful to him on another active investigation. Hank seems to think he can get Jesse to start talking. The cops agree to let Hank “keep an eye on their suspect” while they go take a smoke break. Hank enters the room, closes the door behind him, and the episode ends there.
Violet’s Thoughts on Breaking Bad, Season 5 Episode 10: Buried
This episode was on the slower side, but was it ever filled with interesting stuff! First, the race to get to Skyler. I didn’t even consider that Hank was going to go to her, much less that quickly! And then Skyler’s conversation with Hank in the restaurant. At first, I thought she was totally faking her breakdown. But then, I started to question it. Anyone would be freaked out about their brother-in-law DEA agent finding out something that huge. Even if he didn’t have solid evidence yet, just knowing that he knows would be really disconcerting. But I think Skyler did a good job keeping her head and not saying anything incriminating against Walt or herself, even when talking to Marie. It would be really tempting just to let it all off her chest and pin everything on Walt. But I think at this point, it seems like keeping the family together is a big concern for Skyler, which is evident with how fiercely she fought to keep her baby. Speaking of family, where was Walt, Jr. this whole episode? Must’ve been at Louis’s house.
Also, I’m wondering what part Lydia plays in Walt’s downfall. It seems at this point that Todd and his guys have helped solved Lydia’s problem, because now Todd will be in charge of the meth cooking, and he’ll be able to yield meth with a higher purity rate. But still, even though 74% is higher than 68%, it’s very subpar to Heisenberg’s 96%+ purity. My guess is that the Czechs will grow more impatient and eventually Todd’s guys, or even the Czechs themselves, will go after Walt.
Poor, poor Jesse. He seems so lost, even more so this episode, not even speaking. How will Hank’s plan to get him to talk go? Will Jesse be just as non-responsive? Or is this the beginning of the end for Walt? Can’t wait for next week to see what happens next!
Josh’s Thoughts on Breaking Bad, Season 5 Episode 10: Buried
I suppose we can’t have the same explosiveness for all 8 remaining episodes as the first one was, as everything needs its ups and downs. This episode was very good, and we now know Skyler’s loyalty to Walt seems to be cemented in stone, despite how much he has ruined her life. I find it almost impossible to believe how she has chosen her side with Walt, as this will likely put her as an accessory to the crime if and when Walt is convicted. We also learned Skyler is fairly crafty, as I think her meeting with Hank was scary for her, and was a way for her to judge her next move.
Last episode, I felt Hank was fairly altruistic in his desire to take Heisenberg down. This episode, we see Hank seemingly playing dirty with Skyler, trying to convince her that she doesn’t need a lawyer. I guess it could appear to Hank that she is just a prisoner in the situation, and shouldn’t need any legal council, but no matter the situation, it would almost seem like anyone would need a lawyer in such situation.
We now know it wasn’t Todd making the meth, but a group of men that Walt had dealt with in the beginning of season 5. But Todd seems to potentially be back in the making after Lydia’s “conversation” with them. What future role does Todd have in this mess?
As for Jesse, I think my theory about him flipping on Walt may be coming true. If Hank can butter Jesse up enough with deals and hit his conscience just right, I would probably almost be happy to admit his wrong doings to someone. I cannot wait for that conversation to happen! Bring on next week!
While we are purposefully not watching the scenes from next week, you can view them below if you can’t help yourself!
