The interesting thing about 'Breaking Bad' is that it manages to be absorbing even when nothing much is actually happening. This is often due to thick layers of subtext that add greater significance to seemingly mundane proceedings. Such is the case with "Shotgun." In the aftermath of Jessie's "kidnapping" last episode, Walt is furious, desperately trying to find his partner before Gus eliminates Jessie from the equation. Walt's mad dash to the chicken restaurant reveals the subtlety of this episode early on. Not only is it reminiscent of the race to bring the first batch of drugs to Gus in season 2, but Walt's cellphone call is also significant. The message he leaves for his family is a parallel to the video message he left for them in the pilot. He only does this when he is feeling particularly vulnerable and guilty. Though he will not admit it, even to himself, Walt's old self occasionally pokes through to remind him that what he has done is wrong. By now it has reached a subconscious level, but Walt hopes that these messages will be a link for his loved ones to the Walter that existed before Heisenberg. Should he be caught or perish, he wants there to be a record that there was indeed a good man hidden somewhere underneath his criminal exterior.
When Walt arrives at Gus' establishment, he demands to see the proprietor immediately. Unfortunately, Gus had other plans and left before Walter arrived. The thematic and musical motifs that the writers have going for these confrontational scenes are amazing. Every time Walter is seemingly on the verge of finding Gus, such as in "Thirty-Eight Snub," the music builds to a climactic crescendo only to come to an abrupt halt as Walt realizes that he has failed. This episode continues the theme that Gus is an enemy that cannot be touched, cannot be seen, unless he wills it. He's almost a Big Brother character. Fulminated mercury won't save Walt this time. A feat of tremendous ingenuity will be required to overcome this current stalemate. Finding Gus office empty, Walt gets a call from Mike, letting him know that Jessie is taking a little ride with the hired gun. Confused but unable to retaliate in any way, Walt simply returns to work.
The following scenes featuring Mike and Jessie set up an interesting relationship dynamic between the two. On the surface, Mike is just toting Jessie around, but that's too simple an interpretation for this show. Over the course of the series, Jessie has always had a father figure in Walt. Wether the two of them ever acknowledge it or not, a bond has formed between them that has helped Jessie in the worst of times. Walter was there to save him from his depression over Jane's death, as well as to prevent him from dying at the hands of those two street thugs. Now, Mike is stepping in to fill that role, even if he does not yet realize it. Part of Gus' plan is to separate Walt and Jessie emotionally by having Mike provide stability and purpose in Jessie's life, purpose that is independent of Walt and his personal drama. It will be intriguing to see how this angle develops, especially given Walt's obvious jealousy when Jessie returns.
Hank's arc in this episode is perhaps the most vital to the series' future. After closing the book on the Heisenberg case, Hank is tipped off by a drunk Walter in one of the more impressively written scenes in the show's catalogue. Once again, Walt's ego gets the best of him, leading to a snarky comment about Heisenberg's identity. This puts Hank back on the trail, and he soon finds a clue that could change everything, rattling the series' foundations in the process. From a character standpoint, it is essential to note that Hank brightens up the moment he's back on the case. He has always been a driven individual, invigorated by obsession. Before Walt's verbal mishap, Hank's obsession manifested itself in the minerals. Now, given new purpose, he begins to revert back to his old self. In an interesting way, Hank's story can be compared with Jessie's. Both men are having trouble emotionally recovering from a tragic incident and both are just beginning to find new meaning in their lives.
"Shotgun" does suffer from slow pacing and some scenes that are unnecessarily drawn out, but it is still yet another strong entry, supported by the overwhelming notion that this is merely the calm before the storm. There are so many ways that the events of this episode can lead to complete chaos, and with 'Breaking Bad's' track record, it will be no surprise if the fallout is even worse than expected.
Cannon's rating: 9/10
When Walt arrives at Gus' establishment, he demands to see the proprietor immediately. Unfortunately, Gus had other plans and left before Walter arrived. The thematic and musical motifs that the writers have going for these confrontational scenes are amazing. Every time Walter is seemingly on the verge of finding Gus, such as in "Thirty-Eight Snub," the music builds to a climactic crescendo only to come to an abrupt halt as Walt realizes that he has failed. This episode continues the theme that Gus is an enemy that cannot be touched, cannot be seen, unless he wills it. He's almost a Big Brother character. Fulminated mercury won't save Walt this time. A feat of tremendous ingenuity will be required to overcome this current stalemate. Finding Gus office empty, Walt gets a call from Mike, letting him know that Jessie is taking a little ride with the hired gun. Confused but unable to retaliate in any way, Walt simply returns to work.
The following scenes featuring Mike and Jessie set up an interesting relationship dynamic between the two. On the surface, Mike is just toting Jessie around, but that's too simple an interpretation for this show. Over the course of the series, Jessie has always had a father figure in Walt. Wether the two of them ever acknowledge it or not, a bond has formed between them that has helped Jessie in the worst of times. Walter was there to save him from his depression over Jane's death, as well as to prevent him from dying at the hands of those two street thugs. Now, Mike is stepping in to fill that role, even if he does not yet realize it. Part of Gus' plan is to separate Walt and Jessie emotionally by having Mike provide stability and purpose in Jessie's life, purpose that is independent of Walt and his personal drama. It will be intriguing to see how this angle develops, especially given Walt's obvious jealousy when Jessie returns.
Hank's arc in this episode is perhaps the most vital to the series' future. After closing the book on the Heisenberg case, Hank is tipped off by a drunk Walter in one of the more impressively written scenes in the show's catalogue. Once again, Walt's ego gets the best of him, leading to a snarky comment about Heisenberg's identity. This puts Hank back on the trail, and he soon finds a clue that could change everything, rattling the series' foundations in the process. From a character standpoint, it is essential to note that Hank brightens up the moment he's back on the case. He has always been a driven individual, invigorated by obsession. Before Walt's verbal mishap, Hank's obsession manifested itself in the minerals. Now, given new purpose, he begins to revert back to his old self. In an interesting way, Hank's story can be compared with Jessie's. Both men are having trouble emotionally recovering from a tragic incident and both are just beginning to find new meaning in their lives.
"Shotgun" does suffer from slow pacing and some scenes that are unnecessarily drawn out, but it is still yet another strong entry, supported by the overwhelming notion that this is merely the calm before the storm. There are so many ways that the events of this episode can lead to complete chaos, and with 'Breaking Bad's' track record, it will be no surprise if the fallout is even worse than expected.
Cannon's rating: 9/10