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"Confessions" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of Breaking Bad and the fifty-seventh episode altogether.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

Outside a diner in Arizona, Todd leaves Walt a voicemail about the recent change of management from Declan, requesting that Walt return his call. Inside, he brags to his uncle Jack and his partner Kenny about his role in the train heist, leaving out the killing of Drew Sharp. Afterward, Jack and Kenny visit the restroom, where Jack nonchalantly wipes blood off his shoe with a paper towel and flushes it down the toilet. The three then leave the diner and haul the methylamine trailer back into New Mexico.

Act I[]

5x11 - Confessions 2

Hank interrogates Jesse

Hank enters the interrogation room and tells Jesse he knows that his brother-in-law is "Heisenberg," which jolts Jesse out of his daze. Hank asks Jesse to give up information on Walt, but Jesse sarcastically suggests beating it out of him. Saul arrives and ends the interrogation. After Hank leaves, Saul scolds Jesse for throwing out the money and landing himself in jail. He calls Walt and tells him about the situation.

At the White residence, Walt Jr. yells from across the house that he's going to visit Marie, as she has requested his help with a computer problem. Realizing that this is merely a ploy to lure his son away, Walt reveals to Junior that his cancer has returned, prompting him to stay home. When Hank arrives home, Marie chastises him for not telling the DEA about Walt. Meanwhile, Walt sits down in front of a video camera, operated by Skyler, as he begins to film a confession.

Act II[]

5x11 - Confessions 4

Hank and Marie watch Walt's confession video

The Whites and the Schraders have a tense meeting at a taquería. Without admitting anything, Walt asks Hank to stop his investigation, as doing so would devastate his son and destroy the family. Hank insists that Walt won't get off that easily, while Marie suggests that he kill himself in order the spare the family any more suffering. When Walt realizes any further dialogue is futile, he leaves the Schraders a DVD before he and Skyler leave.

Screening the DVD at home, Hank and Marie watch as Walt falsely claims that Hank was Heisenberg, that he had forced Walt into being his chemist, and that Gus Fring was Hank's partner in the operation. He further claims that Hank's shooting was the result of a hit ordered by Gus, and that Hank retaliated by conspiring with Hector Salamanca to kill Gus, using a bomb that Walt was "forced" to build. Walt makes one truthful statement: that his drug money covered Hank's medical bills following his shooting. Hank deduces that the video is a threat meant to deter him from investigating. However, Marie confesses that she indeed unwittingly took Walt's drug money; Hank realizes that this gives credence to Walt's story. The Schraders seemingly have no recourse.

Act III[]

5x11 - Confessions 5

Jesse confronts Walt about his true intentions

In the desert, Jesse and Saul catch Walt up on what they know — Hank knows some things but hasn't told the DEA. Walt tells Jesse that Saul can contact someone who specializes in creating new identities for criminals, advising him to start over and have a better life. Jesse, fed up with Walt's duplicity, demands that he admit that he needs Jesse to leave for his own benefit instead of falsely portraying it as a magnanimous gesture, asserting that Walt will kill him the same way he killed Mike if he refuses. Walt walks up to Jesse, who wearily flinches at his approach, and holds him in a tight embrace. Jesse does not hug back but nevertheless breaks down into tears, sobbing in Walt's arms.

Act IV[]

Walt goes to the car wash and tells an apprehensive Skyler that "it worked," assuring her they're going to be fine. Meanwhile, at the DEA field office, Gomez asks Hank why two of his agents are tailing Jesse. Hank calls them off, then leaves the office for the day.

5x11 - Confessions 6

Jesse realizes that Walt poisoned Brock

Jesse is taken to Saul's office, where Saul calls his acquaintance for Jesse's pickup. Jesse tries to light up a joint, but Saul tells him that the acquaintance will not take him if he's carrying drugs. Jesse stubs out the joint but refuses to give up his weed, placing the bag in his pocket. Thinking about a potential destination, he chooses Alaska and seems buoyed by the idea. Jesse squeezes by Huell as he leaves Saul's office. Later, as he waits at the roadside location where he is to be picked up, Jesse realizes that his bag of weed has gone missing. He then pieces together that Huell must have lifted it, as he lifted the ricin cigarette from his person months prior. When Saul's acquaintance pulls up in a minivan, Jesse considers it for a few moments, then walks away; the minivan drives away as well.

5x11 - Confessions 9

Jesse furiously pours gasoline all over the White Residence

An enraged Jesse returns to Saul's office, barges past Huell and begins to beat Saul. Saul attempts to retrieve a gun from his desk, but Jesse gets to it first and uses it to threaten him into confessing. Saul admits that Walt did indeed ask for Huell to lift the ricin cigarette, but that Walt convinced Saul it was for Jesse's own benefit and that he had no idea Walt would poison Brock. As Jesse steals his car, Saul alerts Walt, who retrieves his revolver from the car wash. At the White residence, Jesse swerves onto the front lawn, grabs a can of gasoline from the trunk, kicks down the front door, and starts pouring gasoline all over Walt's living room.

Official Photos[]

Trivia[]

  • Editor, Kelley Dixon, stated on the Breaking Bad Insider Podcast that this was her favorite episode of Season 5B.
  • When Walt and Jesse lean against Saul's car in the desert the first letter on the license plate is covered by Walt. Instead of LWYRUP (Lawyer Up) it reads WYRUP (Wire Up), a possible foreshadowing of Jesse getting a wire by Hank in the next episode.
  • While the neo-nazis are at the diner the song "Gonna Romp and Stomp" by Slim Rhodes is played in the background. A Romper Stomper is a slang term for a skinhead.
  • As Hank and Marie are watching Walt's video a fly is visible on the screen, a possible allusion to the fly metaphor from the episode "Fly".
  • The opening line of Walt's fake confession where he tells his full name and address is a reference to Walt's confessional from the "Pilot". 
  • Many fans guessed this would be the episode where Jesse finds out about Brock because of the promotional trailer for the episode where we heard Saul crying and saying he never planned for "it" - Brock getting put in the hospital - to happen. They also thought this due to the title of the episode.
  • While at the taquería, Hank's and Marie's water glasses are very close, while Skyler's and Walter's glasses are separated, symbolizing the solidity of the Schrader marriage and the turbulency of the White marriage.
  • Jack scratches his boot in the teaser, revealing blood, mirroring Mike in the bar in "Thirty-Eight Snub".
  • When Jesse spreads the gas across Walt's house, he stops at the end of the scene in one spot and the camera switches angles so that it is looking up at Jesse as he splurges the gasoline down. This spot in the house is very close to the exact same spot where Jesse held the gun to Walt's head and was going to kill him in the Season 4 episode, "End Times".
  • Aaron Paul won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in this episode.
  • This is the last episode where Walt and Marie directly interact with each other. The last thing Marie says to Walt is to just kill himself in order to free the family from the burden of his criminal activities. This episode is also the last time Hank and Skyler interact with each other. The last thing Hank says to Skyler is warning her she will not get off easy if she continues to be loyal to Walt.
  • This is the last episode where Saul and Jesse interact with one another.
  • Paying close attention, one can see Huell pickpocketing Jesse's marijuana when he brushes up against him as he leaves Saul's office.
  • In "El Camino", its revealed that Jesse's choice of Alaska comes from a conversation with Mike Ehrmantraut before they announced their decision to quit the drug business. Mike had told Jesse that Alaska is a place where he could remake himself however he wants and its where Mike would've chosen if he was Jesse's age and looking to start over.
  • In "El Camino", Jesse is able to track down Ed the Disappearer using clues from the password he overheard Saul use when calling for him and recognizing Ed's van from the aborted pickup. In turn, Ed forces Jesse to pay him for both the attempted pickup in "Confessions" and the one Jesse goes through with in "El Camino."
  • Though Ed's face is unseen in this episode, it is confirmed by later events, particularly "El Camino", that he was in fact driving the van that arrived to pick Jesse up.
    • There are, however, several shots in which you can clearly see the driver is a middle-aged man and not Robert Forster.

Production[]

Credits[]

Featured Music[]

  • "Midnight Blue" by Rita Remington and the Smokey Valley Symphony (in the diner during the teaser)
  • "Everyday" by Mack Self (in the diner during the teaser)
  • "Gonna Romp and Stomp" by Slim Rhodes (in the diner during the teaser)
  • "La Casa de Olvera B" by Liza Carbe and Jean-Pierre Durand (in the Gardunia's Taqueria restaurant when the Whites meet the Schraders)
  • "Chaparrita A" by Liza Carbe and Jean-Pierre Durand (in the Gardunia's Taqueria restaurant when the Whites meet the Schraders)
  • "A la Orilla del Mar (Instrumental)" by Francisco Rodriguez/Marc Ferrari/Matt Hirt (in the Gardunia's Taqueria restaurant when the Whites meet the Schraders)
  • "Living the Dream" by Chieli Minucci/Emanuel Kallins/Steve Skinner (in the carwash before Walt goes to meet Jesse)
  • "Almost Alaska" by Dave Porter (while Jesse waits for the extractor)
  • "Nice N' Easy" by Die Solisten der SDR Big Band (The Soloists of the SDR Big Band) (in the carwash as Walt retrieves the gun)
  • "Gas Can Rage" by Dave Porter (as Jesse pours gas over Walt's lounge)

Memorable Quotes[]

"It was perfect. No one even knew they got robbed, just like we planned. Mr. White told me it was, like, the biggest train heist ever, like, potential money-wise. So that's how that happened."
―Todd describing the methylamine heist to his uncle.

"My name is Walter Hartwell White. I live at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87104. This is my confession. If you’re watching this tape, I’m probably dead– murdered by my brother-in-law, Hank Schrader. Hank has been building a meth empire for over a year now, and using me as his chemist. Shortly after my fiftieth birthday, Hank came to me with a rather shocking proposition. He asked that I use my chemistry knowledge to cook methamphetamine, which he would then sell using his connections in the drug world, connections that he made through his career with the DEA. I was astounded. I–I always thought Hank was a very moral man, and I was particularly vulnerable at the time–something he knew and took advantage of. I was reeling from a cancer diagnosis that was poised to bankrupt my family. Hank took me on a ride-along and showed me just how much money even a small meth operation could make. And I was weak. I didn’t want my family to go into financial ruin, so I agreed. Every day, I think back at that moment with regret. I quickly realized that I was in way over my head and, Hank had a partner named Gustavo Fring, a businessman. Hank sold me into servitude to this man, and when I tried to quit, Fring threatened my family. I didn’t know where to turn. Eventually, Hank and Fring had a falling out. From what I can gather, Hank was always pushing for a greater share of the business, of which Fring flatly refused to give it, and things escalated. Fring was able to arrange, uh, I guess… I guess you call it a hit on my brother-in-law, and failed, but Hank was seriously injured, and I wound up paying his medical bills, which amounted to a little over $177,000. Upon recovery, Hank was bent on revenge. Working with a man named Hector Salamanca, he plotted to kill Fring, and did so. In fact, the bomb that he used was built by me. And he gave me no option in that. I have often contemplated suicide, but I’m a coward. I wanted to go to the police, but I was frightened. Hank had risen in the reigns to become the head of the Albuquerque DEA, and about that time to keep me in line, he took my children from me, for three months he kept them. My wife, who up until that point, had no idea of my criminal activities, was horrified to learn what I had done. Why Hank had taken our children. We were scared. And I was in hell. I hated myself for what I had brought upon my family. Recently, I tried once again to quit, to end this nightmare, and in response, he gave me this. I can't take this anymore. I live in fear every day that Hank will kill me. Or worse, hurt my family. All I could think to do was to make this video and hope that the world will finally see this man for what he really is."
―Walter's fake confession.

Marie: "Who do you think he's shown this to?"
Hank: "No one. It's a threat. It's what he will do if I don't back off."
Marie: "I think you should show this to Ramey. Just get ahead of it. That video is a bunch of lies, Hank. Anybody who knows you will know."
Hank: "$177,000? Hell's he talking about? Marie?"
Marie: "They told me it was gambling money."
Hank: "What was gambling money? Oh, Jesus Christ, Marie. Oh, God, no."
Marie: "How was I supposed to know? How was I supposed to know where it really came from?"
Hank: "Why were they paying for my medical bills? What about my insurance?"
Marie: "Insurance wouldn't have covered the treatment that you needed, and I... I just wanted the best for you."
Hank: "Why didn't you tell me?"
Marie: "Because I knew that you would refuse it, and without it, you may never have been able to walk again."
Hank: "Oh, Christ, Marie. You killed me here. I mean, it's the- that's the last nail. That's the last nail in the coffin."
―Hank and Marie after watching Walt's fake confession.

Walter: "Saul knows a man. He specializes in getting people new identities. He would move you someplace far away, set you up with a whole new life. Yeah, I know. It sounds a little extreme. But maybe it's exactly what you need. You know, I really think that would be good for you. Clean slate. My, just think about it. You get a job. Something legitimate, something you like. Meet a girl, start a family even. Hell, you're still so damn young. You know, what's here for you now, anyway? I tell you, if I could, I'd trade places. Whole lifetime ahead of you, with a chance to hit the reset button. In a few years, this might all feel like nothing more than a bad dream."
Jesse: "Would you just, for once, stop working me?"
Walter: "What are you talking about?"
Jesse: "Can you just, uh, stop working me for, like, ten seconds straight? Stop jerking me around?"
Walter: "Jesse, I am not working you."
Jesse: "Yes. Yes, you are. All right? Just drop the whole concerned dad thing and tell me the truth. I mean, you’re–you’re acting like me leaving town is–is all about me and turning over a new leaf, but it’s really–it’s really about you. I mean, you need me gone, ‘cause your dickhead brother-in-law is never going to let up. Just say so. Just ask me for a favor. Just tell me you don’t give a shit about me, and it’s either this–it’s either this–or you’ll kill me the same way you killed Mike. I mean, isn’t that what this is all about? Huh? Us meeting way the hell out here? In case I say no? Come on! Just tell me you need this!"
―Walt and Jesse at meeting in the desert.
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