Breaking Bad - 9/25/11 - "Crawl Space"

VegasVic · 09-25-2011, 10:24 PM

WOW. This season went from a slow beginning, IMO, to flat out incredible. So much going on, I'm going to rewatch. 2 to go.

MrGreg · 09-26-2011, 12:31 AM

Isn't Walt making like $13 million per year or so? He should have a lot more available cash than ~600k.

(but good episode)

spikedavis · 09-26-2011, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreg

Isn't Walt making like $13 million per year or so? He should have a lot more available cash than ~600k.

(but good episode)

But it hasn't been a year since he started working for Gus. It's been about a month or two. Between the car wash and Ted-they don't have the cash to get out of this.

Oh. And best ending ever. Seriously. The way that entire scene was framed, shot, scored and acted was amazing. Skylar trying to calm Marie down as Walter is losing his mind, laughing maniacally in the background...

How the hell do they go another 18 episodes with this???

cheesesteak · 09-26-2011, 05:19 AM

It seemed odd to me that Saul's A-Team still Fed-Ex'd the check even though Ted kicked the bucket. They should have checked in with Saul at the very least. Would the IRS still care about auditing Ted's company if he's dead?

When Ted first tripped on the carpet, I thought it was a flub that the director left it. Turned out to be foreshadowing.

Bryan Cranston turned in another great performance but I have no sympathy for Walt. He's an idiot. His gigantic ego caused all of his problems.

VegasVic · 09-26-2011, 08:15 AM

Carwash, money to Ted, paying Hanks medical bills, I could see where Walt would be "short" on cash. Or at least the amount he needs to pay the guy ($500K) and have money to live off of.

I hated the Ted character but his death was a little over the top. I liked it though

KungFuCow · 09-26-2011, 08:40 AM

Even tho someone mentioned it earlier...

Spoiler:

Bierboy · 09-26-2011, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheesesteak

It seemed odd to me that Saul's A-Team still Fed-Ex'd the check even though Ted kicked the bucket. They should have checked in with Saul at the very least. Would the IRS still care about auditing Ted's company if he's dead?....

That was the only fly in the ointment for me (although the "A-Team" seemed a bit light on brains); otherwise another stellar episode in a series that, impossibly, gets better and better.

spikedavis · 09-26-2011, 08:46 AM

From the episode description:

"Ted's financial problems hit a wall."

Bierboy · 09-26-2011, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spikedavis

..."Ted's financial problems hit a wall."

robojerk · 09-26-2011, 10:17 AM

That scene when Gus fires Walt was beautiful. The cloud making all dark one second, then bright the next. Love the cinematography.

cheesesteak · 09-26-2011, 10:38 AM

Tyrus really, really, really hates Walt.

spikedavis · 09-26-2011, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheesesteak

Tyrus really, really, really hates Walt.

At this point-everyone hates Walt. Except his son.

DevdogAZ · 09-26-2011, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreg

Isn't Walt making like $13 million per year or so? He should have a lot more available cash than ~600k.

(but good episode)

I'm pretty sure he's making $7.5 million per year, but as others said, he hasn't been doing this very long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheesesteak

It seemed odd to me that Saul's A-Team still Fed-Ex'd the check even though Ted kicked the bucket. They should have checked in with Saul at the very least. Would the IRS still care about auditing Ted's company if he's dead?

The problem was that Skylar had already given the money to Ted, and had ripped up the check he made out to her. So whether they mailed the check or not, there was no way to get the money from Ted's bank account back to Skylar without raising suspicion. Had they not mailed it, the IRS likely would have placed a lien on Ted's estate and they'd have gotten most of the money anyway.
[quote=cheesesteak;8721088When Ted first tripped on the carpet, I thought it was a flub that the director left it. Turned out to be foreshadowing.[/QUOTE]
As Alan Sepinwall called it: "Chekov's throw rug."

danterner · 09-26-2011, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheesesteak

Tyrus really, really, really hates Walt.

WALT, emerging from the laundry basket: "Did the laundry have to be dirty?"
TYRUS: "...no."

voripteth · 09-26-2011, 12:08 PM

Is Ted really dead? They did show his fingers moving afterwards...

spikedavis · 09-26-2011, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by voripteth

Is Ted really dead? They did show his fingers moving afterwards...

Based on Saul's conversation with "The A-Team", he's dead. His body was just twitching.

classicX · 09-26-2011, 12:19 PM

Who is Tyrus? edit: The guy tailing Walt.

And it hasn't been just a few months, it's been longer than that, I imagine that Walt has some money left but not enough to pay for the disappearing act.

I knew the carpet would be significant when he tripped the first time, but didn't expect it to happen the way it did.

phox_mulder · 09-26-2011, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicX

Who is Tyrus?

When have we heard his name is Tyrus?

Apparently he's Walt's current babysitter.
The one watching his house at night, watching while he cooks, the guy who cow-prodded him and took him to the desert.

phox

DevdogAZ · 09-26-2011, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicX

Who is Tyrus?

And it hasn't been just a few months, it's been longer than that, I imagine that Walt has some money left but not enough to pay for the disappearing act.

I knew the carpet would be significant when he tripped the first time, but didn't expect it to happen the way it did.

In the previous episode, we learned that the entire course of the series to date (from Walt finding out he had cancer until now) has been about a year. So the portion of that time where he's been working for Gus hasn't been that long.

I hope the "A-Team" was smart enough to wipe down their fingerprints from Ted's house.

MrGreg · 09-26-2011, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spikedavis

But it hasn't been a year since he started working for Gus. It's been about a month or two. Between the car wash and Ted-they don't have the cash to get out of this.

It sure seems like it's been longer to me. All of the Gail stuff, the build up of conflict with the cartel, etc. I haven't been able to find a good timeline for the show, though.

john4200 · 09-26-2011, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreg

It sure seems like it's been longer to me. All of the Gail stuff, the build up of conflict with the cartel, etc. I haven't been able to find a good timeline for the show, though.

I think it is more than 6 months. I also thought Walt should have had more cash available.

VegasVic · 09-26-2011, 01:29 PM

When there is more than a year between the last 2 seasons it can be easy to not have a clear idea of the story timeline. I don't have time to research it (if it can even be found) but I'm also thinking so far we are about a year from the beginning until now.

DevdogAZ · 09-26-2011, 01:57 PM

Last episode, Walt Jr. said to his dad something to the effect of, "I'd rather remember you like that than how you've been acting the past year. It's more real.". So I think we're supposed to believe that Walt's been acting strange for about a year.

Bierboy · 09-26-2011, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicX

...I knew the carpet would be significant when he tripped the first time, but didn't expect it to happen the way it did.

I need to watch the "second" trip again, but I thought the big dude did something after Ted make his "break for it"....something like flipping the rug to trip Ted. It all happened so fast, I'm not sure....but I actually laffed when Ted went sliding head-first into the hearth (or whatever he slid into)....at least until I saw his fingers twitching. Then I knew he was a goner.

robojerk · 09-26-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevdogAZ

The problem was that Skylar had already given the money to Ted, and had ripped up the check he made out to her. So whether they mailed the check or not, there was no way to get the money from Ted's bank account back to Skylar without raising suspicion. Had they not mailed it, the IRS likely would have placed a lien on Ted's estate and they'd have gotten most of the money anyway.

I'm not sure if the police would look into Ted's death closely or not, but wouldn't it be a little suspicious that Ted wrote two checks for over $600K? Yes the first to Skylar was ripped up, but wouldn't that be a little suspicious.

KungFuCow · 09-26-2011, 03:02 PM

Walt had his own medical bills to pay too. Although he was making money before, it was chump change compared to what Gus paid so some of his money probably went to his bills as well. Giving 600K to Ted, paying Hank and his bills.. I can see why he wouldnt have a lot of money left.

DanB · 09-26-2011, 03:22 PM

i thought walt specifically said in this episode that its been a year since all this started (which to me implied cooking & working for Gus), so I'm on the "should have more money" in the crawlspace, but not by much.

7.5M - 50%? (Saul) - 1M (car wash) - 200k? (for Hank) - 650k (for Ted) - 200k? (walt) = 1.7M

The more you make, the more you need.

cheesesteak · 09-26-2011, 03:42 PM

Surely, Walt had to spend a lot of money on booze and hookers. What rich guy wouldn't? With me, the crawl space would have a couple of $50s left.

NJ_HB · 09-26-2011, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanB

i thought walt specifically said in this episode that its been a year since all this started (which to me implied cooking & working for Gus), so I'm on the "should have more money" in the crawlspace, but not by much.

7.5M - 50%? (Saul) - 1M (car wash) - 200k? (for Hank) - 650k (for Ted) - 200k? (walt) = 1.7M

The more you make, the more you need.

minus another $50k for the Challenger

Bierboy · 09-26-2011, 04:46 PM

....and, of course, the obligatory link to Sepinwall's summary. Especially good stuff with his observations at the end of his column...