Entertainment
'Breaking Bad's Season 5 Premiere, "Blood Money," Left Us With These 8 Questions
Breaking Bad proved during its Season 5 Part 2 premiere Sunday night that it does not waste any time. With only 7 episodes left until the series finale, the first episode saw Hank confront Walt (just one episode after discovering his true identity), answering just how long it would take Hank to approach his brother-in-law. Still, we were left with so many more questions following "Blood Money." Read on for just a few. But make sure you tread carefully. (Shudder.) Images: AMC
What Will Happen to the Ricin?
In the first minutes of Sunday's premiere, we watched Walt roll up to his abandoned house and remove the ricin cigarette from his its hiding spot in an outlet. The good news? Presumably, the ricin cigarette hasn't killed anyone yet. The bad news? It no doubt will kill someone at some point in the future. But who will the cigarette smoke?
Possibilities: It's likely Walt will use the ricin for one of two purposes: 1) To commit suicide, or 2) To murder someone. There would be some poetic justice in the man diagnosed with lung cancer who never smoked dying with one single puff, but Walt would likely choose to go out in a blaze of glory — not quietly with a smoke in hand. But who could Walt trick into smoking a cigarette? Jesse's wise to the ricin, so he'd be an unlikely bet, but there is one character we've seen smoke: Skyler. Or is she already dead?
Who Trashed the White House?
On the outside, Walt's former home is being used as a skate park. On the inside, it's completely trashed, with broken windows and doors, and a spray painted "Heisenberg" on the wall. But who's responsible?
Possibilities: It's easy to assume the DEA trashed the joint looking for evidence — but Hank is a much better cop than to disturb a crime scene. (Gomey on the other hand... ) I'd wager a bet that the man who wants you to remember his name most — Heisenberg himself — is responsible for the destruction.
What Exactly Did Walt Do?
While revisiting his old home, Walt ran into a neighbor, Carol, who appeared petrified by his mere appearance. It's likely headlines of Walt's brutality had hit the news after he was discovered, but Carol's dropped jaw seemed to indicate that she had seen (and heard) much, much more about the drug kingpin. So what exactly did he do between now and the future?
Possibilities: Well, the likely answer is kill, kill, and kill some more. Could this be proof that Walt's violence extends beyond those in the drug trade, and into suburban America? Or was Carol jarred because she saw who she thought was a ghost? Some think Walt might have faked his death in the future.
Is Skyler Trying to Escape?
Walt, having given up the drug trade for money laundering, encourages Skyler to open an additional car wash. When she's considering the options, is she merely looking to add to their money pile, or is she searching for an additional way to get away?
Possibilities: Skyler herself told Walt they had enough money to spend in multiple lifetimes, so it's unlikely she's hoping for more. But would opening another car wash actually allow her to escape her horrible marriage? Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan himself says Walt's wife is actually better at forgetting the past than us viewers: "She’s the most pragmatic character on the show in a great many ways. She does what she does for the family, including getting along with Walt, trying to put the past behind her."
Will Walt Begin Working With Lydia Again?
When Lydia arrives at the car wash, complaining about Todd's rate of production, Walt shuts her down completely, failing to jump on board the meth train supplied by a very large train. But will he begin working with her again?
Possibilities: By the looks of the "Heisenberg" in the White household, you're damn right he will.
Will Kaylee Ehrmantraut Ever Get Her Money?
Jesse attempted to rid himself completely of his blood money, asking Saul to distribute his earnings to the Sharp family — who is still searching for their son, who Todd murdered after the train heist — and Kaylee Ehrmantraut, the granddaughter of the dearly departed Mike. After young Kaylee failed to get her savings on numerous occasions — including this one — is easy to wonder: Will she ever get the cash her grandfather worked (and killed) so hard to get?
Possibilities: Jesse could hand deliver the cash himself, which would land him a one-way ticket to jail... or to a deal that could keep him immune should he rat on Walt. As for Kaylee, though — seems she might have to deal with college debt after all.
What the F Will Hank Do?
We can already tell Hank is filled with indecision: Should he risk ruining his entire family (and having people discover where his physical therapy money really came from) by outing Walt, or should he stay quiet and allow the cancer to kill Walt in the next six months? It's the same question Skyler dealt with seasons back before deciding to ultimately keep quiet, and wait for the cancer to take him. (Which it didn't... at that point.)
Possibilities: Hank is a very different beast from Skyler, and far too good a cop to let an entire meth industry slide under his watch. But will his efforts to uncover Walt and tread carefully be careful enough?
When Will the Internet Take On Badger's 'Star Trek' Script?
Hopefully (and probably) right now. Because his story about a pie-eating contest between Captain Kirk, Chekov, and Spock is just too delicious for the Internet to ignore.
UPDATE: Looks like the Internet already did.