"Granite State" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the fifth season of Breaking Bad, and the sixty-first and penultimate episode of the series altogether.
Summary[]
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The disappearer's minivan picks up a passenger and drives to a vacuum repair shop. When the disappearer, a man named Ed, parks inside the rear garage, Saul steps out. Ed takes a photo of Saul and starts working on his new Nebraska ID, saying that he will have to wait at least two days to be transported out of state. In the meantime, Saul will be staying in a downstairs bunker with another client. Knowing the person is Walt, Saul asks how he is doing. Ed shows him a monitor screen with live footage from the bunker, where an impatient and angry Walt paces the room.
Act I[]
Jack's gang watch Jesse's confession video
SAC Ramey and two DEA agents drive a distraught Marie home; on the way, he promises that they will find Hank and Gomez. They arrive at the Schrader residence only to see that somebody has broken in. Ramey orders the drive to call it in and drive Marie to safety while he and another agent investigate the premises. As they enter, the notice the place has been ransacked. The tripod used to record Jesse's video confession lies damaged on the floor.
It is revealed that Jack's gang broke into the house to steal the confession video. The video is being played for Jack at the compound. As he laughs at Jesse's emotional state, Kenny, who has already seen the video, fast-forwards to a section he believes Jack should see: Jesse's disclosure that Todd murdered Drew Sharp. Furious, Jack grabs his gun and storms out to kill Jesse for speaking about Todd to the feds. Todd tries to stop him, telling his uncle that he would like Jesse's help for a few more cooks. Jack retorts that the cooks don't matter given the millions they now possess, but Todd responds that they are making millions off the meth business and that, while appreciative of the money they already have, he would like to remain in the business to generate further millions. Jack then laughs and claims that the reason Todd wants to keep selling meth is because he is attracted to Lydia, and teases his nephew that he can find a much better woman than Lydia. When Todd remains silent, Jack relents and agrees to spare Jesse's life for the time being. Meanwhile, in his cage, Jesse looks at the photo of Andrea and Brock, which he stole from the meth lab. Attached to the photo is a paperclip, which he uses to pick the lock on his handcuffs.
Walt attempts to intimidate Saul
In Ed's bunker, Walt asks Saul for a list of mercenaries, hitmen and/or assassins, announcing that he will kill Jack and his gang for killing Hank and stealing his money. Saul suggests that Walt forego revenge, and notifies him that Skyler will be prosecuted in Walt's absence. Walt mentions the call he made exonerating Skyler, but Saul replies that while it may play well for a jury, she would still be in the legal crosshairs. Instead, Saul suggests that since Walt only has a short time left to live, he should surrender and ensure that all blame lies solely on him in order to protect Skyler, adding that with both of their names and faces being publicized, Skyler will have a hard time finding employment, and that the government has frozen their bank accounts. Walt mutters that money isn't an issue, indicating his multi-million dollar barrel, but Saul brings up that delivering the money to his family won't be easy, reminding him that Mike's attempts to leave money for his granddaughter resulted in the money being seized twice. Ed then enters the room and announces that it's time for Saul to leave, but Walt interrupts, insisting that Saul will be coming with him. Saul refuses, citing that he is a civilian now who, if lucky, would be managing a Cinnabon in Omaha. Walt tries to intimidate Saul into compliance like he did before, but is unable to finish when he suffers a coughing fit. No longer afraid of Walt, Saul informs him that their partnership is over and leaves.
Act II[]
Skyler is threatened by Jack's gang
Skyler meets with a U.S. Attorney and members of the DEA, including Ramey, who press her for information on Walt's location in exchange for leniency. However, Skyler is unable to agree to the deal as she truly has no idea where Walt is. That night, the White residence is watched by the Albuquerque Police Department, who have maintained a constant surveillance on the house in the hopes of catching Walt. Skyler, who is in the living room, smokes a cigarette as she looks out the window and spots their cruiser. She then hears Holly cry and goes to tend to her, only to be startled by three masked men, one of whom covers Skyler's mouth from behind. Todd, who is one of the masked men, asks her if they're home alone, to which she nods, and then asks her if she'll scream if they let go of her mouth, and she indicates she will not. Her mouth uncovered, she tells them that Walt Jr. is at his friend's house for the week and begs for them not to harm her baby, but Todd tells her that they won't unless she gives them reason to. Todd asks her whether she's spoken to the authorities about Walt's criminal associates, including a "black-haired lady" that Skyler met previously at the car wash. When Skyler indicates that she has never spoken of her nor will she ever, Todd is satisfied. Upon receiving confirmation that she will not say anything to the police officers outside, Todd and the other two masked men leave through the window.
The next day, Todd waits at café when Lydia appears, inquiring about the meeting with Skyler. Lydia is not happy that Skyler was left alive, as she is paranoid of leaving any loose ends that could implicate her, although Todd responds that Skyler is just a mother looking out for the safety and welfare of her children and that he doesn't believe Skyler would rat out Lydia. Still perturbed, Lydia tells Todd that their meth partnership is over; before she can leave, Todd mentions that he has 50 pounds of meth with a purity level of 92% that also have the signature blue color. A stunned Lydia inquires as to whether they have Walt working for them, to which Todd reveals that Jesse is. Lydia is apprehensive of the working arrangement as Jesse can also implicate her, but Todd assures her that Jesse is confined to the compound and will not be speaking to anyone.
Walt collects his money in New Hampshire
Meanwhile, Walt is transported out of New Mexico to New Hampshire inside a hidden compartment in a propane truck. Arriving in the middle of a snowy, forested area, Ed shows Walt his new home, a small cabin in the New Hampshire wilderness with no telephone, internet, television service or cell signal, and a generator that can power the freezer and the television, which has a DVD player. Ed says he will visit on a monthly basis for grocery runs in exchange for a hefty fee and offers to bring newspapers as it'll be the only way Walt can keep up with what's going on in the outside world. While there is a small town miles away at the bottom of the mountain, Ed further explains that Walt will inevitably be caught if he leaves the property, as his face is all over the news. Ed also makes it clear that he won't return again if he finds out Walt has left the property. After he leaves, Walt stuffs his jacket pockets with bundles of cash and prepares to depart into town. He opens the front gate but stops and looks at the vast wilderness before him. Overcome with a bout of coughing, he tells himself that he'll embark on the journey tomorrow and returns to the cabin, where he lights a fire in the wood stove to warm himself up.
Todd kills Andrea
Back at Jack's compound, Jesse uses the paperclip to unlock the handcuffs and tries to reach the cage bars above his head, using his folded mattress and a bucket, but struggles due to the tarp placed above the cage. Hearing Todd approaching, he quickly puts the cuffs back on and pretends to be resting. Despite the other members stating that Todd is spoiling Jesse, Todd brings Jesse two buckets of Ben & Jerry's ice cream to celebrate a 96% pure batch. Todd stays to watch Jesse eat for a while before telling him that they will cook again in the morning. Deciding to take advantage of Todd's good mood, Jesse asks if Todd can remove the tarp so he can look at the stars, and Todd relents. After he leaves, Jesse unlocks the handcuffs again and uses the bucket to jump at the cage bars above him. Managing to grasp one, he feels around for the lock and is able to undo the latch. Pulling himself up, Jesse exits the cage and dashes through the compound, unknowingly running past a security camera. As he attempts to climb a fence, he is surrounded by Jack and his gang. Wanting to be freed from his enslavement, Jesse tells them to just kill him and declares that he will not be cooking for them again.
Later that night, Todd pays a visit to Andrea's house, telling her that he is a friend of Jesse's. When she undoes the front lock, he tells her that Jesse is waiting in a truck outside for her. Jesse, who is bound and gagged in the truck, propped against the rear passenger window, bangs on the glass with his head and screams, although his cries are muffled. Andrea steps onto the porch to get a look at the truck, while Todd, who is now behind her, pulls out a silenced pistol and points it to the back of her head. He tells her that for what it's worth, his actions aren't personal; before she can respond, Todd shoots Andrea through the back of the head, killing her. Jesse screams inside the truck as he watches Andrea's body slump onto the porch, and Jack, who is in the passenger seat, tells him to shut up or they'll go after Brock as well.
Act III[]
Ed performs makeshift chemotherapy for Walt
Months later, Walt greets Ed as he arrives for another supply drop. Now sporting a beard and full head of hair, he picks a new pair of glasses from a sampler case and reads through newspapers from Albuquerque. Ed informs him that Skyler has reverted to her maiden name and is working as a taxi dispatcher to make ends meet while she waits for her trial; while she retains custody of the children, they no longer live at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane, which was seized by the bank and had to be cordoned off as kids kept breaking in. Walt has been paying Ed to procure a homemade chemotherapy rig, injecting Walt with an IV drip. Ed then prepares to leave, prompting Walt to beg for him to stay, as he is lonely. Ed responds that he has a long trip back, but Walt offers him $10,000 to stay for two hours; Ed agrees to stay for one hour for $10,000. As Ed prepares a game of seven-card stud, Walt states that one day Ed would return only to find him dead from his cancer. He then motions to his multi-million dollar cash barrel and asks Ed whether he would deliver that barrel to his family after his death or keep it for himself; Ed merely asks Walt if he trusts him to do so. Ed eventually leaves and Walt falls asleep. Some time later, Walt wakes up to the sound of his wedding ring falling off his finger, which has thinned considerably. After fashioning it into a necklace, Walt notices a box that Ed had brought and fills it with $100,000 from the barrel. In the morning, he finally leaves the property and walks to the nearest town.
Act IV[]
Flynn receives a call from his dad
At J. P. Wynne High School, Walt Jr., now having reverted back to using the name Flynn, is called into Principal Carmen's office, where he is told that Marie wishes to speak with him. However, the woman claiming to be Marie is a barmaid from the New Hampshire mountain town, whom Walt has paid to make the call. Taking over the phone, Walt begs for Flynn not to hang up. Walt speaks with his son for a while and then asks if his friend Louis still lives at the same address; when Flynn confirms this, Walt says that he will mail a package containing $100,000 to Louis, with the understanding that Louis, whom he trusts, will secretly give the money to Flynn who can then give it to Skyler. Flynn becomes infuriated that Walt is trying to send money and yells at him for killing Hank and screams that he wishes Walt would just die already before hanging up. Feeling defeated, Walt calls the Albuquerque DEA Field Office and asks to speak with the agent in charge of the Walter White investigation; when asked who is calling, he replies with "Walter White." He then leaves the phone off the hook so that his location can be traced.
Walt's unfinished drink
Waiting for the authorities to arrive so he can surrender, Walt orders a drink and sits at the bar when he notices Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz on the television. The pair are being interviewed by Charlie Rose, who asks them whether their grant of $28 million towards drug rehab facilities in the American southwest is a ploy to distance themselves from the fact that one of their co-founders was a meth kingpin. Elliott however claims that Walt's contribution to Gray Matter Technologies was practically non-existent, with Gretchen chiming in that all Walt did was coin the name "Gray Matter" before he left the company. Gretchen then adds that she considers Walter White to be dead, as the Heisenberg person he became is not someone they knew of. Hearing the Schwartzes downplay his contribution to Gray Matter infuriates Walt, who glares at the television.
Shortly after, the sheriff's department arrives at the bar with several officers armed and ready to arrest Walt. However, Walt has left, leaving his unfinished whisky, and a $20 bill left to cover it, on the counter.
Official Photos[]
Trivia[]
- The title of this episode, "Granite State", is a nickname for New Hampshire, where Walt relocates to in this episode.
- This episode was originally titled as "Permanent Vacation". It was later renamed to "Granite State".
- His relocation to the state was revealed in the season premiere when his fake ID claimed he was from New Hampshire. ("Live Free or Die")
- This is the only episode in the series that contains the full version of the "Breaking Bad Theme" scored by Dave Porter outside of the credits. It plays in the final scene, while the police are raiding the bar in New Hampshire.
- This episode was the series' most-watched episode at the time of its airing with 6.58 million U.S. viewers, but was later passed by the very next episode, which had 10.28 million.[1]
- Vince Gilligan originally planned to direct this episode along with "Felina" but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
- During the production for the episode, parts of the footage of Walt's phone call to Walt Jr. had to be filmed again because the footage from the first time was accidentally crushed by a 737 after the footage fell out of a truck.
- Walt regains his hair in the main timeline for the first time since Season 1's "Crazy Handful of Nothin'", although he was seen with hair in a few flashbacks.
- Walt and Skyler technically still have the same last names, as Skyler's birth surname is Lambert.
- In Ed's bunker, Saul says "If I'm lucky, a month from now, best case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha." This was intended to be a throwaway line, as at the time of this episode's production, there were no plans to make Better Call Saul. When the series was greenlit, the decision was made to have Saul (Gene Takavic) actually work at a Cinnabon in Omaha.
- This is Saul's last appearance on Breaking Bad, although Bob Odenkirk is still credited as main cast member for the series finale.
- This episode confirms that Todd's surname is Alquist and that Jack's is Welker.
- Andrea is the second romantic interest of Jesse's to die in the series, the first being Jane.
- Walt packs his money in an Ensure box to "ensure" his family's financial security after he dies.
- Walt Jr.'s last words to his father in this episode are similar to his words to him in "Cancer Man", "Why don't you just die already?".
- Several characters, who were close acquaintances of Walter before he became Heisenberg, make their return in this episode:
- Elliott Schwartz, last seen in the Season 1 episode "Gray Matter".
- Gretchen Schwartz, last seen in the Season 2 episode "Peekaboo".
- Carmen Molina, last seen in the Season 3 episode "Green Light".
- The bar and cabin in New Hampshire are set in the fictional Crawford County in the White Mountain region. However, there is a well-known mountain pass called "Crawford Notch" that crosses the White Mountains, to which this name probably refers.
- In the Breaking Bad Insider Podcast, Peter Gould told a story about the bar scene. A Police Tech Adviser asked them "What are you gonna do with the cactus?" The production did not realize that there was a cactus right in front of the bar, so they ended up painting it white.
- The hockey game was NCAA D1 game shown on the bar TV was from February 13, 1998. Wisconsin played Denver at Wisconsin and won 7-4 but only after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in college hockey history[2] .
- PBS talk show host Charlie Rose makes a cameo appearance as himself in this episode. This was revealed by him during his August 8, 2013 episode that featured Anna Gunn, Vince Gilligan, Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston as guests.
- In the interview, Charlie Rose references a New York Times column written by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The column was actually written and an excerpt appears on the New York Times website.
Production[]
Credits[]
Starring
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Guest Starring
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Co-Starring
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Filming Locations[]
- The outdoor New Hampshire scenes were filmed in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. The tavern scenes were filmed in the Manzano Mountains. The tavern itself is the former Ponderosa Eatery and Saloon which is on NM Hwy 337 just north of the intersection of NM Hwy 217 and the unincorporated village of Yrissari, NM. [3]
Featured Music[]
- "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" by April Wine (Jack and crew watch Jesse's confession video)
- "Salvador" by Philip E. Baker (when Todd meets Lydia at The Grove)
- "Girl from Sao Paolo" by Vince Constantino (when Walt meets Todd and Lydia at The Grove)
- "The Final Hat" by Dave Porter (when Walt puts on his hat and heads towards his gate for the first time and over the end credits)
- "Dimple Pinch Neat" by Dave Porter (as Gretchen and Elliott talk about Walt and the police raid the bar)
Memorable Quotes[]
- Saul: "Hey, I'm a civilian. I'm not your lawyer anymore. I'm nobody's lawyer. The fun's over. From here on out, I'm Mr. Low Profile. Just another douche bag with a job and three pairs of Dockers. If I'm lucky, three months from now, best-case scenario, I'm managing a cinnabon in Omaha."
- Walter: "You're still part of this. Whether you like it or not."
- Saul: "I'm sorry. I don't think so."
- Walter: "You remember what I told you? It's not over. Unti... [Walter erupts into a severe coughing fit and collapses onto the bed]"
- Saul: "It's over."
- ―Saul and Walter in Ed's bunker.
- US Attorney: "Do you understand what's happening here?"
- Skyler: "Yes. I understand. I understand I'm in terrible trouble. I understand that you will use everything in your power against me and my children unless... unless I give you Walt. But the truth is, I can't give you what you want. I don't know where he is."
- ―US Attorney pushing Skyler for information about Walter.
- "I just think we work together good. We make a good team. I think it's kind of mutually good."
- ―Todd to Lydia after raising the purity of his meth.
- Walter: "One of these days when you come up here, I’ll be dead. My money over there–What happens to it then? What if I ask you to give it to my family? Would you do it?"
- Ed: "If I said yes would you believe me?"
- ―Walter and Ed in the cabin in New Hampshire.
- "Will you just–just leave us alone. You asshole! Why are you still alive? Why don’t you just–just die already? Just–just die."
- ―Walter Jr's final words to his father.
- Charlie Rose: "Is Walter White still out there?"
- Gretchen: "No, he's not."
- Charlie Rose: "You sound very sure."
- Gretchen: "I am. I can't speak to this Heisenberg that people refer to, but whatever... whatever he became, the... the kind, sweet brilliant man we once knew, long ago, is gone."
- ―Charlie Rose interviewing Gretchen about Walter.
Notes[]
- ↑ TV by the Numbers
- ↑ Ryan Lambert tweet
- ↑ Inside Breaking Bad: Granite State