Good lord.
Last week, I asked you guys to make some predictions about what would happen in this week's episode of Breaking Bad. While the specific predictions were all over the map, one thing remained constant: We were all pretty sure that this week's episode was going to be bonkers.
We were right.
SPOILERS FOLLOW, YO.
From the chilling beginning (Walt tells Skyler a lie over the phone) to the blood-curdling ending (Walt tells Skyler a very different sort of lie over the phone) and everything in between (more death, torture, trauma and terrible revelations than anyone would've expected in a single episode), the Rian Johnson-directed "Ozymandias" was, and will likely remain, the most shattering episode of Breaking Bad in the series' run.
Sure, the final two episodes will probably have their share of heart-stopping moments. Somehow or other, this is all going to come to an end; someone's gonna get a dose of Ricin, and that machine gun is gonna come out of Walt's trunk. But in terms of sheer zeniths and nadirs, in terms of climactic moments that irrevocably altered the course of the series, this episode almost has to have been the peak.
I enjoyed looking to YouTube to watch others' reactions. Here's Frank Yang:
and RazorwireReviews:
For my own reaction, look only to this IM window, through which I was chatting with Wired's Laura Hudson as she finished her own recap. This transcript begins at the moment when Skyler goes for the knife and covers the last ten or so minutes of the episode.
Bonus points: Laura totally spotted Walt's pants from the pilot, lying on the ground as he rolled his barrel. "Two vast and trunkless legs," indeed! And hey, while we're linking to things, I also liked Matt Zoller Seitz' take on the episode over at Vulture.
It's all ending, folks. If that wasn't clear before, it's clear now. What did you think of last night's episode? How do you think it'll all shake out in the end? And is Todd the true face of evil, or what? Landry! What have you become!
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