'Breaking Bad' Season 5, Episode 14 Recap: Hank Dies, 'Ozymandias' Falls and Seeks Redemption
"Breaking Bad" season 5, episode 14 recap- the episode is titled "Ozymandias," and rightly so: like Percy Shelley's famous 1818 poem, the third-to-last episode of the show chronicles Walter White's empire's ultimate downfall. Read on for spoilers and an in-depth look at the beginning of the end of Heisenberg.
"Breaking Bad" season 5, episode 14 opens not in the middle of the intense shootout from last episode, but with a far less harrowing conversation between Walt and his loving wife Skyler- he lies to her for the first time about cooking methamphetamine while Jesse fools around in the background.
A return to the To'hajiilee desert shows Gomez dead, his arms sprawled out. Walt reveals that Hank is his brother-in-law, and even offers Todd's uncle Jack his full fortune, $80 million, to spare his life.
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"My name is ASAC Schraeder. And you can go f--- yourself," Hank says to Jack, ever the DEA agent.
Jack shoots Hank dead. And things only get worse from there. Walt loses most of his money- the gang leaves him a barrel of "10 or 11 million" because of Todd's respect for him- and then, a former partner.
Walt, in his grief, demands Jack's gang kill Jesse as well, even ratting him out: Jesse was hiding under a car. Todd decides that they should spare Jesse for the moment, as he has valuable information, but Walt can't resist figuratively spitting in Jesse's face- it's a complete role reversal from last episode, when Jesse literally spit in his.
"I watched Jane die. I was there. And I watched her die. I watched her overdose and choke to death. I could have saved her. But I didn't," says Walt maliciously while Jesse crumbles at the news.
Because Walt runs out of gas in the desert, Marie has enough time to visit Skyler at the car wash. She tells Skyler that Walt has been caught by Hank and that she "could not be happier." Marie also forces her to tell Walt Jr. of his father's devious activities.
Meanwhile, Jesse was being tortured, beaten and caged at the hands of the sadistic Todd. The killer then releases him into a lab and chains him to the ceiling- like a "dog on a leash," Aaron Paul tweeted during the episode's airing- and shows him a picture of Andrea and her son Brock.
"Let's cook," says Todd unemotionally, putting on the iconic yellow hazmat suit. The threat is implied.
Skyler and Flynn are surprised to see Walt at home packing the family's stuff, and he tries to avoid their incessant questioning while convincing them to leave.
"Where is Hank?" Skyler asks deliberately. "You killed Hank."
Skyler tells Walt to "get out now," and a kitchen knife backs up her command. Walt learns that she's serious when she slices his hand, and the two fight for the weapon while Walt Jr. looks on, horrified.
The teenager eventually pushes his father off, coming to his mother's aid. He also calls the police, telling him his father attacked his mother.
Walt takes Holly and leaves in an emotionally charged spectacle- a blood-covered Skyler chases her husband and infant daughter out into the street.
However, it seems later that Walt changes his mind. Perhaps it was Holly's constant one-word plea- "mama"- that spurred the change of heart, but the beleaguered and dirty Walt makes a call to Skyler while the police trace the call in the background.
"This is what comes of your disrespect! I told you, Skyler, I warned you for a solid year- you cross me there will be consequences," Walt tells Skyler on the phone, berating her. Through it all, she is passive.
"I built this, me, me alone, nobody else!" he rants, teary-eyed. Skyler seems to realize the Heisenberg-like tirade is nothing more than a façade; Walt absolved her of any wrongdoing, took sole credit for the methamphetamine empire and admitted to killing Hank in one fell swoop.
Walt then leaves Holly at a fire station with her address and phone number pinned to her clothing. Now alone, the last shot shows him getting in the minivan of Saul's contact, who will give him a new name and location- a stray dog lags behind, forlorn.
