- This article is about the Breaking Bad episode. For the German company, see Madrigal Electromotive GmbH.
"Madrigal" is the second episode of the fifth season of Breaking Bad and the forty-eighth episode altogether.
Summary[]
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At a test kitchen in Hannover, Germany, Peter Schuler, an executive for Madrigal Electromotive, glumly tastes a variety of dipping sauces with tater tots. His secretary informs him that policemen have arrived asking to speak with him. On his way to his office, Peter walks through the building's lobby while a large sign for Los Pollos Hermanos is removed by a work crew. He notices a group of police officers in his office, looking at a photo of him and Gus Fring. Peter then takes a nearby automatic defibrillator and locks himself in a bathroom. As police pound on the door, Peter removes his shirt and then places one of the defibrillator's contacts on his chest and the other in his mouth after stripping the wire. He then activates the defibrillator, killing himself.
Act I[]
Jesse finds the fake ricin cigarette
Jesse phones Walt to share his worries about the ricin cigarette being missing, as he is afraid an innocent bystander or a child might find and use it. After promising to help Jesse look for it, Walt fills a similar vial with salt and creates a duplicate cigarette. He stashes the real ricin cigarette — which he retrieved from Saul — behind a wall outlet cover in his bedroom. Walt then "helps" Jesse search his house for the cigarette and plants the fake cigarette in Jesse's Roomba for him to find.
"Failing" to find the cigarette, Walt pretends to notice the Roomba for the first time and asks Jesse what it is. When Jesse answers, Walt indicates that he should search it. Jesse checks the vacuum's filter and spots the cigarette. Jesse then breaks down in tears, crying that he blamed Walt for stealing it and poisoning Brock Cantillo and that he almost killed Walt for it. Walt tries to comfort Jesse, but Jesse tearfully apologizes for his actions. Walt responds that he bears no ill will and all that matters is they are now back on the same team, and that they need to focus on their future. Jesse then asks what future he is referring to. The duo pay Mike a visit and tell him they plan to start cooking again, proposing a three-way even split of the profits: Walt and Jesse will handle manufacturing while Mike uses his connections to handle distribution. Mike declines, assessing that Walt is a "time bomb" waiting to go off and that he does not wish to work with him. Walt, however, tells Mike to sleep on it and then extends his hand out for a handshake, which Mike obliges.
Hank, Gomez and ASAC George Merkert meet with several Madrigal executives, some having flown in from overseas. Among them is Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, an executive from the company's Houston office. The head of Madrigal pledges his company's full cooperation with the DEA, stating that while he believes Peter Schuler was a sole rogue agent, he would like to use the DEA's investigation to weed out any further corrupt employees. Afterward, Hank and Gomez share a drink with Merkert, who is being used as the scapegoat for the DEA's failure to notice Gus' activities, especially with Gus being a known DEA booster and friend. Hank tells Merkert that Gus' laptop was encrypted and was thus unlikely to yield much evidence, despite the evidence room debacle. Gomez mentions the Albuquerque Police's discovery of Gus's offshore bank accounts as a possible lead. Merkert then contemplate how Gus came over to his house for a family cookout and yet had no idea of his true nature. Hank looks on with a pensive look on his face as Merkert discusses people with double lives being right under their noses.
Act II[]
Lydia meets with Mike
Lydia meets with Mike at a diner, handing him a list of eleven men who were on Gus' payroll; she surreptitiously suggests that Mike kill them before they can implicate Mike or herself. Mike shoots down the idea, vouching for the integrity of his men — Gus ensured they were well paid to handle interrogation and not divulge anything. Meanwhile, a depressed Skyler refuses to get out of bed despite the car wash opening in 15 minutes. Walt tells her to get out of bed and to take a shower, and she wordlessly obliges.
As he walks into the DEA office downtown, Mike sees Duane Chow, Gus' chemical supplier and one of the men on the list, exiting from his own interview. Chow is visibly shaken, and attempts to calm himself with a cigarette, although Mike reminds him that he cannot smoke inside a federal building. Under questioning from Hank and Gomez, Mike states that he worked for Los Pollos Hermanos as head of corporate security. Hank inquires as to what the demands of the job are, and Mike responds that he is to conduct background checks on employees and oversee loss prevention in stores. Hank questions why a former cop like Mike was hired by Gus to investigate mere fry cooks and prevent loss prevention at fast food restaurants. Mike asks if he is under arrest, and Hank replies that they do not have anything yet to arrest him for. As Mike gets up to leave, Hank mentions that they found offshore banking accounts that Gus transferred money into, and that there is $2 million in an account under the name of Kaylee Ehrmantraut, Mike's 10 year old granddaughter. Mike denies any knowledge of the accounts or the money, but as he leaves, he shows a face of anger.
Act III[]
Walt and Jesse visit Saul to discuss finding a new venue for a meth lab. Jesse suggests going back to an RV, stating that he misses it, although Walt shoots it down, citing that it worked as a starter lab but that they need a proper lab in-town. Saul says that finding a facility in town will be difficult, but Walt insists that if Gus could do it, they can as well. Jesse reports that he was able procure all of the precursor chemicals except for methylamine; he suggests using pseudo, like when they first began, but Walt refuses, wanting to use methylamine to retain their signature blue meth. Saul advises they pull out of the meth business since Gus is dead and they've both made enough money, although Walt retorts that with Ted Beneke having been given most of his money and due to other expenses (such as Hank's physical therapy), he doesn't have any money and in fact owes Jesse $40,000; as such, Walt declares that he cannot stop and that there is still money to be made in manufacturing and distributing meth.
Mike kills Chris
Meanwhile, Mike is playing with Kaylee when Chow calls, lamenting that the DEA has seized the money in his offshore account and asks Mike to come over to his house so they can discuss this in-detail and not over the phone. Chow hangs up and looks up at Chris, one of Mike's former henchmen. When Mike approaches the front door, Chris puts the muzzle of his gun to the peephole. He hears a strange sound and looks through the peephole, where he sees a motorized toy hanging from the door frame, bumping against the door. Suddenly, Mike appears behind Chris and orders him to drop his gun. Chris admits that Lydia was going to pay him $30,000 to kill Mike and $10,000 for each man on her list, starting with Chow, whose body remains on the couch; Chris had killed him before Mike arrived. A disappointed Mike asks Chris if he's ready and as Chris tries to respond that he needed the money, Mike shoots him multiple times, killing him.
Act IV[]
That night, Mike travels to Houston and sneaks into Lydia's lavish house, waiting for her to come home. Lydia's daughter Kiira is being taught to count in Spanish by her nanny Delores when Lydia returns home. As Lydia makes her way into her bedroom, she is pulled in by Mike, who covers her mouth and tells her to get her nanny and daughter out of the way if she does not want them to be harmed, but warns her not to scream. He then uncovers her mouth, and Lydia tells Delores to put Kiira to bed and then leave, while telling Kiira that she will take a bath first before coming to read her goodnight.
As Lydia takes a seat, Mike points his gun to her head, and she asks him to promise her that he will not shoot her in the face, as she does not want Kiira to see her dead body that way. Mike scoffs and states that not only would Kiira not find her body, but that he would make it so that no one does. Lydia then begins to panic, causing Mike to quickly urge her to lower her voice. Delores then leaves the house for the night, unaware of the commotion. Lydia then pleads with Mike to not get rid of her body, since she wants Kiira to find her. Mike ludicrously asks why she would want her child to see her murdered body, to which Lydia explains that she does not want Kiira thinking her mother abruptly disappeared or abandoned her and would rather her daughter know that her mother was killed.
Mike points the gun at Lydia's head and she pleads again, asking him to promise her and brings up her daughter once again. This affects Mike, who instead asks her if she can obtain methylamine. Stunned, Lydia looks up, confused. Mike asks her again, and she stammers as she says "maybe." Mike then allows her to live on the condition that she acquires and provides methylamine. Exiting the house, Mike enters his car and calls Walt, notifying him that he has accepted his offer. Walt, who is washing the dishes, smiles in satisfaction.
Walt then makes his way to the bedroom, where he strips down to his underwear while Skyler is on her side, facing away from him. Walt then cuddles up next to Skyler and begins kissing her neck and shoulders; assuming that her quiet demeanor is that of guilt over what happened to Ted, he replies that he understands because they both did things to protect the family. He then continues to kiss her and rearranges himself, implying a sexual encounter is about to transpire, while Skyler, who does not face him, remains motionless with tears in her eyes.
Official Photos[]
Trivia[]
- This is the last episode George Merkert appeared in.
- This is the first appearance of Madrigal Electromotive GmbH (besides only being mentioned).
- This is the first episode to depict a location outside of the United States or Mexico. It is also the first episode to feature characters speaking German. Most of the German-speaking actors have an English accent and are clearly not native speakers of German, except for Peter Schuler, played by Norbert Weisser, and Mr. Herzog, played by Wolf Muser; both are actors of German origin.
- When Walt and Jesse sit down with Mike in his kitchen, a drawing made by Kaylee, which says "Blue is Good," is seen over Walt's shoulder.
- Vince Gilligan came up with the concept for an older comedy script he wrote where a character achieves great fame through the invention of Franch. Vince Gilligan eventually concluded that the script would never really go any further from there, so he saw fit to cannibalize the idea for the opening of this episode.
- Multiple references to other works are visible in this episode:
- After Walt hides the ricin vial inside an electrical outlet and replaces the table in front of it, the novel The Bastard (1974) is prominently visible on the table.
- The film Mike is watching on TV is The Caine Mutiny (1954) which is one of Vince Gilligan's favorite films. Additionally, the line "I don't know what you're talking about." can be heard while Mike is watching that film. Mike would use this line later in this episode while being interrogated by Hank and Steve.
- One of the fast food restaurants seen at the Madrigal offices is called "Burger-Matic", which is a reference to the film Home Fries (1998), written by Vince Gilligan, which also featured the burger chain.
- A copy of the game LittleBigPlanet 2 can be seen while the characters are looking for the ricin in Jesse's House. In real-world production history, LittleBigPlanet 2 was released in 2011; this episode takes place in 2009. Also, in the same scene, seconds before, another copy of the game is visible next to it.
- Jesse was known to own an Xbox 360, so him possessing LittleBigPlanet 2 indicates he also owns a PlayStation 3.
- In the same scene, a DVD copy of Open Season 2 can be seen as well.
Errors[]
- Peter Schuler's method of suicide, an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) would not function as shown. The "automated" aspect requires the detection of a condition of ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) or ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach) in order to issue a shock. This is what makes them safe for untrained usage. A manual defibrillator could function as shown, however, but use of those is restricted to advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) -trained personnel, such as doctors, nurses, or paramedics. Additionally, the German markings on the AED are grammatically incorrect since they were translated literally from English to German.
- The bathroom where Peter Schuler commits suicide is supposed to be in Germany. Yet the light switch and wall sockets are distinctly US, which look very different from the ones commonly used in Germany.
- Peter Schuler's wedding ring switches from his right hand to his left, then back onto his right again. Germans wear their wedding rings on their right hand.
Production[]
Credits[]
Starring
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Guest Starring
Co-Starring
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Uncredited
- Frank Sandoval as DEA Agent
- Ryan Schaefer as Madrigal Suit
Featured Music[]
- "Stay On The Outside" by Whitey (as Walt & Jesse search for the cigarette)
- "I Can't Hide It" by The Coachmen (in the diner where Lydia meets Mike)
- "Somebody Just Like You" by Mack Owen (in the diner where Lydia meets Mike)
Memorable Quotes[]
- Walter: "Mike, I know you don't care for me. We've had our issues, you and I. But I would suggest that you leave emotion out of this decision."
- Mike: "I am. You are trouble. I'm sorry the kid here doesn't see it, but I sure as hell do. You are a time bomb tick, tick, ticking, and I have no intention of being around for the boom."
- ―Walter and Mike on a three-way partnership with Jesse.