"Crawl Space" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Breaking Bad and the forty-fourth episode altogether.
Summary[]
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At a makeshift hospital inside an abandoned warehouse in Mexico, doctors and nurses hastily prepare medical equipment until a phone call prompts them to wheel out a stretcher. A Cadillac sedan races toward them and screeches to a halt. The staff rush an unconscious Gus into the tent, leaving Jesse to tend to a severely injured Mike. In the tent, the staff focus on saving Gus from his self-induced poisoning. Jesse begs for them to help for Mike, but the lead doctor, Barry Goodman, replies that Gus "pays his salary."
Act I[]
Walt and Tyrus in the superlab
In the superlab, Walt cooks another batch of meth alone while being closely monitored by Tyrus, who refuses to answer his questions about Jesse and Hank. Later, Walt and Hank sit together in Walt's car, watching the Los Pollos Hermanos factory farm. Hank mentions a big Cartel-related massacre in Mexico, which heightens Walt's concern for Jesse. Hank brings up Walt's face, which is still injured after his fight with Jesse, assuming that it is relating to his purported gambling.
Back in Mexico, Mike is unconscious while receiving a blood transfusion. Dr. Goodman tells Jesse to get another blood bag for Mike, but when Jesse opens the fridge, he sees blood bags prepared for himself along with Gus and Mike. Dr. Goodman then brings up Jesse's medical history, and Jesse realizes that this was all pre-planned; Gus knew he, Mike and/or Jesse might need medical attention and had prepared for such eventualities. Gus then walks in and indicates to Jesse that they need to leave. Jesse inquires about Mike, but Dr. Goodman says that Mike will need at least a week of rest before he can travel. Gus tells Jesse he'll send for Mike later, and they set off to leave without him.
Outside, Jesse asks about the plane when discussing their return plans, and Gus replies that while there are many methods to get to Mexico from the United States, the same cannot be said vice-versa; therefore, they will be taking a six-mile walk to the Texas border where Gus has someone who can smuggle them both back to the States. Gus congratulates Jesse on how he handled the situation and says he has proved he can run the superlab on his own. Jesse stops walking and tells Gus that he will not cook for him if he kills Walt, which would be problematic for Gus.
Act II[]
At the White residence, Skyler receives a voicemail from Ted, saying that he can't take her money. At his house, Ted gives Skyler a check for the amount she gave him previously, minus the cost of the Mercedes lease, but she insists that he pay the IRS instead. Skyler shares the gambling cover story with Ted and thus tells him that he must pay the IRS otherwise an audit may expose Walt's untaxed gambling money. Ted does not believe either of them will actually go to prison, boggling Skyler, who wonders aloud if Ted has even been paying attention to what she has been saying. Ted mentions that even if he pays the money to the IRS, he won't have enough money to pay the bank, and that he would be forced to move out of his house and pull his daughters out of their school. Skyler interprets this as Ted trying to ask for more money, which he denies. Having torn up the check he wrote for her, Skyler demands that he write another check, but for the IRS, although Ted kicks her out. Distressed, Skyler calls Saul for help.
Gus and Jesse visit Hector at the nursing home, where Gus gloats about murdering Don Eladio and the other capos in the Cartel, dangling Eladio's necklace in front of Hector's face before dropping it into his shirt pocket. He then points to Jesse as the man that shot his grandson, Joaquin, during their escape. As Hector's eyes fill with tears of rage and sadness, Gus reminds him that he is the only remaining Salamanca left. His revenge for the death of Max almost complete, he asks Hector once again if he'll look him in the eye. Hector steadfastly refuses but can't hide being visibly emotional, and Gus and Jesse make their leave.
The collision between the vehicles
Walt sees Tyrus watching the Schrader residence as he picks up Hank, expecting to drive to the chicken farm. However, Hank unexpectedly asks Walt to go to the laundry. Hank explains that the laundry is owned by Madrigal Electromotive, who also owns Los Pollos Hermanos, and that a high-industrial air filter was delivered to the laundromat, where it was signed for by Gale Boetticher; thus, Hank believes the laundry is where Gus is hiding his meth lab. Walt "accidentally" drives past the laundry's entrance, claiming he did not realize that was the path, and when Hank tells him to take a U-turn, Walt deliberately turns into oncoming traffic and collides with a vehicle.
Act III[]
At the Schrader residence, a neck-braced Hank is eating with Skyler and Walt Jr. when Walt and Marie enter. Walt apologizes for the collision, claiming the other driver came out of nowhere, but Hank retorts that he did see the driver coming. Marie then states that she does not want the pair going on anymore ride-alongs. While Hank agrees not to ride with Walt anymore, he divulges to his family that he has ordered a new car with hand controls, which will allow him to drive unassisted, therefore allowing him to continue his investigation missions. Skyler then receives a call from Saul, and she excuses herself from the room to answer. Saul tells her that Ted does not have any registered firearms or security cameras in his house and that they can deal with him, although Skyler insists that they don't actually hurt him. He assures her that he will send his A-team to handle it.
At the Beneke residence, Huell and Kuby arrive and coerce him into writing a check. Ted initially believes them to be criminals who heard about the inheritance and want his money, but when Kuby orders him to make the check out to the IRS for $617,226.31, Ted realizes that Skyler sent them. When Ted signs the IRS paperwork along with the check, Kuby tells him that he is to remain in the house with Huell while he drops the check off; he would then return and the trio are to remain at his house for the entire weekend until the check clears. Ted then jumps up and tries to flee, but he trips over a rug and crashes headfirst into a kitchen island, breaking his neck.
Due to potential surveillance of the laundry, Walt is smuggled into work in a dirty laundry bin. Walt asks Tyrus if the clothes had to be dirty, to which Tyrus smirks and responds with "nope." Upon entering the lab, Walt immediately realizes that someone cooked there and demands to know who it was, and Tyrus merely replies that Walt was out of work for four days due to his collision and that they could not stop production. Walt then realizes it was Jesse who cooked it, meaning that he has safely returned back home.
That evening, Jesse is hanging out at his house with Andrea and Brock when Walt shows up. Walt implores an irate Jesse to not cook on his own, pointing out that he'll be killed if rendered unnecessary. Jesse angrily points out that he drove a DEA agent to their laundry and that the last time he came to Walt for help, Walt refused and stated that Jesse should end up dead. When Jesse goes back inside, Tyrus and another Fring associate appear; Tyrus then used a taser to knock Walt to the ground and then shocks him again to render him unconscious.
Act IV[]
The following day, a bound and hooded Walt is taken to meet with Gus in the desert. Gus tells Walt he is fired, forbidding him from coming near Jesse or the laundry again. Walt deduces that the only reason Gus is sparing his life is because Jesse is preventing Gus from eliminating him, since Jesse would not cook if Walt is killed. Gus confirms this, but states that it is a temporary matter as he believes Jesse will eventually come around and drop his stipulation. Gus brings up that Hank nearly found their lab and that Walt had promised to take care of the situation; since Walt has not, Gus will now have Hank killed. Walt attempts to talk him out of it, but Gus warns Walt that if he attempts to interfere, he would kill Skyler and Walt. Jr, along with his infant daughter Holly.
Huell and Kuby return to Saul and tell him that the check has been mailed but that Ted's accident was an "act of God" beyond their control. Walt frantically bursts into Saul's office. After Huell and Kuby are whisked out, Walt tells him that Gus is going to kill him and his family and demands the phone number for the man who can make his family disappear. Saul tells him that he will need to pay extra due to being a high-risk client, and that it would cost around a million dollars to evacuate the entire family. He also adds that Walt needs to have all the money upfront before an extraction can begin, and that the family needs to have their bags packed before Walt even makes the call.
Not wanting Hank to die, Walt asks Saul to call the DEA and inform them that Gus has put out a hit for Hank so that Hank and Marie can receive DEA protection, although Saul refuses to implicate Gus since he would be killed for doing so. Walt then asks him to make an anonymous call; Saul counters that while he will not mention Gus' name, he can make the call but instead state that it is the Mexican cartel who has the hit out for Hank. Walt agrees, but needing time to gather his money and his family, tells Saul to wait an hour before making the call.
Walt searches for the money
Walt rushes home and enters the crawl space to retrieve the money, only to discover that a large sum of the cash is missing, with only two bags remaining. A frightened Skyler enters the room and peers down at Walt, who demands to know where the money went. She nervously admits that she gave the money to Ted, although she does not explain why. Walt lets out a violent scream at the thought of Skyler giving away his money to Ted and begins to cry, but his tears abruptly turn into maniacal laughter. Marie then calls, panicking after hearing from the DEA that Hank is being targeted. Skyler takes the call while Walt cackles from the crawl space. He then stops laughing and stares up aimlessly.
Official Photos[]
Trivia[]
- The little white car is Walt's after the Pontiac Aztek is damaged. It can be seen at Jesse's house when Walt visits and then it's out in the desert (Tyrus and his thug walk to the other car.)
- Ted trips over his carpet early in the episode, foreshadowing his later fall caused by the same carpet.
- Hank tells Walt that much of his job involves waiting. This is what Mike told Jesse in "Cornered".
- Once again, a character is blindfolded and then not killed. This goes back to what Jesse told Mike about the thief in "Bullet Points", as well as what Walt and Jesse did to Saul upon their first meeting ("Better Call Saul"). The hood was apparently meant to scare Walt.
- Gus's actions towards Walt in this episode contradict his previous statement in "Green Light" about fear not being an effective motivator.
- In addition, Gus threatens to do the exact same thing to Walt as he had done with Hector Salamanca's entire family, although Tuco Salamanca and likely his mom's death had little to no relation with Gus, as mentioned in the beginning of this same episode, thus completing the circle.
- The vacuum model used as a code for the man who makes people disappear, the "Hoover MaxExtract Pressure Pro Model 60," is a real product.
- When Walt arrives at Jesse's house, he and Brock are playing the video game Sonic the Hedgehog for the Xbox 360.
- The doctor at the start of the episode goes through various things about Jesse Pinkman. Such as his age being 25, his blood type being A negative, he weighs exactly 70 kilos (roughly 154 pounds), is a drinker and a smoker (of both cigarettes and meth) and he mentions that he has no diseases or conditions that he is aware of. He also tops this off by saying that he has an allergy to erythromycin, which is an antibiotic that is used to treat many different kinds of infections.
- When Walt and Hank are driving to the industrial laundry, a sign can be seen outside of the car reading: "A-One Collision". - This business shares the A-1 name with the car-wash, and is a real business in Albuquerque, NM.
- When Gus and Jesse arrive at Casa Tranquila, Hector is watching the climactic scene of The Bridge on the River Kwai. The moment Gus sits in front of Hector, the sound of the railroad bridge detonating in the movie can be heard. This can either symbolize the explosive hatred Hector has for Gus, or the proverbial 'bomb' that Gus is going to drop on Hector by telling him he is the last of the Salamanca name. The film is also fitting for the events of the episode and those that follow, with Jesse's arc of first finding his loyalty shifting to Gus to the point of fighting with Walt before then assisting with Gus' final downfall mirroring that of Nicholson in the film who after working with the Japanese to build the eponymous bridge and then prevent its destruction by his own countrymen has a sudden crisis of loyalties and instead causes the destruction of the bridge.
- References to other media:
- Due to his facial cuts and bruises, Hank remarks that Walt showed up looking like "Macho Camacho."
- Hank calls Walt "Kojak" because he's bald and talking about how the chicken farm is the best place to investigate.
- Hank calls Walt "Mr. Magoo" for not seeing the oncoming traffic that hit them.
- Hank describes the web of connections surrounding Gus as being like Three Days of the Condor.
- Marie describes Hank and Walt's sleuthing as a Hardy Boys routine.
- Hector is watching the conclusion of The Bridge on the River Kwai.
- Saul calls his guys "The A-Team".
- The final shot where Walter stares exasperatedly out of the crawl space bears resemblance to the shot of Jesse on his first heroin trip in "Mandala". Both the shots feature surreal photography with the camera rising impossibly high looking down, conveying the intense feelings both characters were experiencing.
- The final shot also bears a striking resemblance to the last shot of the whole series in "Felina", with Walter staring straight up into the camera while lying motionless on the ground.
- The names that Gustavo Fring mentions whilst teasing Hector Salamanca are: Don Eladio, Don Paco, Cesar, Renaldo, Fortuno, Cisco, Luis, Escalara, and Joaquin.
- Unlike other Breaking Bad episodes, the transition from the final act to the credits is abrupt.
Production[]
Credits[]
Starring
Guest Starring
Co-Starring
Filming Locations[]
- The episode opens with Jesse looking over Mike in a makeshift hospital, the end of the scene shows him walking away from the building that has a stepped roof, and a concrete ramp leading up to it. This building is located near 2nd street. Google Satellite View reveals this is the same building.
Featured Music[]
- "Crawl Space" by Dave Porter (as Walt searches for money in the crawl space)
Memorable Quotes[]
- "Paying my debt with illicit gambling winnings, I don’t know. It feels wrong."
- ―Ted Beneke talking to Skyler.
- "All of them, Hector. Don Eladio, Don Paco, Cesar, Renaldo, Artuno, Cisco, and Luis, Escalada... All dead. As is your grandson Joaquin. Do you know who killed Joaquin? Oh, would you like to see? [points on Jesse] This young man. Do you remember him? That young man shot Joaquin to death, while I made my escape. I believe you have met him before. It was just you and Joaquin. He was the only family you had left. Now the Salamanca name dies with you. Will you look at me now? Look at me, Hector. Look at me."
- ―Gus tormenting Hector and telling him that his entire family is gone.
- "If you try to interfere, this becomes a much simpler matter. I will kill your wife. I will kill your son. I will kill your infant daughter."
- ―Gustavo Fring threatening Walter in the desert.
Videos[]
