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This article is about the episode. For the poem, see Ozymandias (poem).

"Ozymandias" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of Breaking Bad and the sixtieth, and the antepenultimate episode altogether.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

In a flashback to Walt and Jesse's first cook inside the RV at the Tohajiilee Indian Reservation, Walt explains the chemical reactions of the cooking process as they wait for the batch to cool. Jesse brushes him off and nearly lights a cigarette before Walt tells him to do it outside. Stepping away from the cook site, Walt calls a still-pregnant Skyler and falsely tells her that Bogdan is making him work late at the car wash. The two consider the name "Holly" for the baby before exchanging goodbyes. Walt, Jesse and the RV all fade to the desert setting of To'hajiilee.

Act I[]

5x14 Ozymandias 1

Hank's final moments

Eighteen months later, at the same location of the first cook, the shootout between Hank, Gomez and Jack's gang ends. Gomez is dead, while Hank has been shot in the leg, is hiding behind the SUV and is out of ammunition. Hank tries to crawl towards Gomez's shotgun, but Jack approaches and prevents him from doing so. Upon learning that he and Gomez are DEA agents, Jack prepares to execute Hank. Walt, still handcuffed inside the SUV, yells at Jack, telling him not to do it. When Walt is brought before Jack, he pleads for Hank's life. Walt reveals that Hank is his brother-in-law and offers to give Jack his buried $80 million if they release Hank. Hank refuses to cooperate, telling Walt that Jack has already made up his mind. Jack shoots Hank in the head. Walt is horror struck; he drops to his knees and falls to the ground on his side, crying.

5x14 - Ozymandias 3

Jack acquires assurance from Walt

While Todd searches for Jesse, Jack and Kenny use the GPS coordinates given to them by Walt to dig up the seven barrels containing Walt's money. As he is lying on the ground, Walt notices something beneath his car. Jack's gang load the barrels onto the back of their pickup truck and bury Hank and Gomez in the hole where the cash was buried. Todd convinces Jack to leave one of the barrels for Walt as a gesture of good will; Jack orders his men to load the barrel into Walt's trunk. After Walt's handcuffs are removed, Jack shakes hands and states that there's no need for hard feelings over what just happened.

5x14 - Ozymandias 4

Todd insists to question Jesse personally

Walt tells Jack he still owes him a hit on Jesse; Jack agrees, but needs to know his location. Walt then reveals that Jesse is hiding under Walt's car. Jack's men drag Jesse out; Jack points his gun at his head and Walt gives a nod of approval to pull the trigger, but Todd intervenes and suggests they question Jesse about what he told the DEA before killing him. While Jesse is being forcibly escorted to the pickup, Walt reveals that he watched Jane die without trying to help her. Jesse becomes limp as he is hauled off. Walt sullenly returns to his car as the gang leaves, towing the SUV behind them with a chain. Walt takes one final look at Hank's burial place before driving away.

Act II[]

5x14 - Ozymandias 6

Skyler and Marie discuss Walt's arrest

As he is driving out of the reservation, Walt's car runs out of gas — a bullet from the shootout has pierced his tank. He decides to roll his one remaining barrel through the desert until he arrives at a Navajo man's house and buys his truck with $10,000.

Meanwhile, at the car wash, Skyler becomes worried by Walt's continued absence and leaves him a voicemail. Marie, unaware of what has transpired, appears and tells Skyler that Walt has been arrested. Marie tells her sister that she still believes there is good in her, and that to redeem herself she must give up all copies of the slanderous video that Walt filmed. She also demands that Skyler to come clean to Walt Jr., saying that she will tell him herself if Skyler doesn't.

5x14 - Ozymandias 7

Jesse is kidnapped by the neo-Nazis

Sometime later, a badly beaten Jesse wakes up in the bottom of a concrete cellar at Jack's compound. As Todd drops down a ladder, Jesse pleads that he has told them everything already — that Hank and Gomez were working alone and that his video confession is at the Schrader residence. Todd takes Jesse to a Nissen hut where Jack's gang have set up their meth lab. Jesse is tethered to a hanging wire on a rail to keep him from escaping. He notices a photo on a steel bar on the other end of the lab: it is of Andrea and Brock, with the threat behind the photo's presence made clear. Todd reappears in a yellow hazmat suit and nonchalantly says, "Let's cook."

Act III[]

5x14 - Ozymandias 8

Walt tells his family that they need to leave town

At the car wash, Junior, incredulous at what he is hearing, curses at his mother and aunt and accuses them of lying. He tries to call Hank, then furiously storms out of his mother's office. Marie tells Skyler to get her kids home, since it's better for them to regroup as a family at the moment. Walt arrives home first, frantically packing suitcases for his family. Skyler and Junior find him throwing his bags in the back of the truck. Junior demands to know the truth about Marie's accusations, while Skyler demands to know how Walt escaped Hank's custody. Walt tries to evade the questions, saying everything will be all right if they trust him. Skyler realizes that Hank is dead and accuses Walt of killing him. Walt denies it, telling her he tried to save him.

5x14 - Ozymandias 9

Skyler holds a knife against Walt

Skyler grabs a knife from the kitchen, demanding that Walt leave the house and never to come back. Walt tries to persuade her to put down the knife, but she slashes his hand when he makes an approach. This triggers a struggle for the knife between husband and wife, with Junior shouting at them to stop. Walt takes the knife from Skyler, but Junior tackles him and shields his mother. Walt screams at his wife and son, only to realize that they are now terrified of him. Junior calls 9-1-1 on his father. Walt grabs Holly from her playpen and flees in the truck. Skyler chases them down the street, screaming for the baby, as Walt drives away.

Act IV[]

5x14 - Ozymandias 15

Walt makes his phone call to Skyler

Walt, his injured hand wrapped in duct tape, tenderly changes Holly in a public restroom. A bloodstained diaper lies on the sink before Walt throws it in the trash. When Walt hugs Holly, she utters one of her first words: "Mama." Walt, devastated, continues to give affection to his daughter.

Meanwhile, the White residence is swarming with police while Skyler, Junior and Marie are sitting in the living room. The phone rings and goes to the answering machine; Walt demands that Skyler pick up. Walt, knowing the police are recording the call, seems to verbally abuse his wife. However, Skyler slowly realizes he is deliberately giving her an alibi to prevent her from being prosecuted. When asked about what happened to Hank, Walt struggles to recompose himself, then says, "You're never going to see Hank again." Upon hearing this, Marie breaks down. Skyler asks Walt to give Holly back. Fighting back tears, he responds that he "still has things left to do" and ends the call. Walt then leaves Holly at a fire station. Early the next morning, Walt waits on a roadside with his luggage and his barrel of $11 million. When the disappearer arrives, Walt packs his remaining belongings into the minivan and is driven away.

Official Photos[]

Trivia[]

VijmpDX

Writer Moira Walley-Beckett as an extra

  • This episode has the rare rating of a perfect 10/10 on IMDb.
    • This episode was the series' most-watched episode at the time of its airing with 6.37 million viewers, but was later passed by "Granite State", which had 6.58 million.[1]
    • On August 25, 2014, Moira Walley-Beckett won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for her writing on this episode.
      • She also appears as an uncredited extra as a customer in the car wash, although her title credit appears while she is on-screen.
    • In a September 13 interview with TV Fanatic Vince Gilligan called the episode "Ozymandias" "the best episode we ever have had or ever will have."
    • Guillermo del Toro desperately wanted to direct this episode. When he expressed this desire to the episode's eventual director, Rian Johnson, Johnson responded "Yeah, sorry, I'm the one who gets to fuck the prom queen".
  • The episode is named after the 1818 poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley about the inevitable fall of kings and empires. In addition, Bryan Cranston read the poem in a short promo prior to the episode.
  • Hank Schrader is the third main character to die.
    • His death may have been foreshadowed in the episode "One Minute", where he received injuries similar to that of which he got in this episode.
    • His death scene was shot in one take.[2]
    • This is the final episode to feature all of the show's original cast in new footage, marking the final appearance of Hank who only appears in the series finale during a brief flashback to the pilot episode.
    • His death has led many fans to believe that this is the point where Heisenberg has died, and from that point onwards they watched Walt who, under the disguise of Heisenberg, is trying to make things right and save what is left of his family, and uses the disguise in order to intimidate his opposition.
  • The posture Walter falls into after Hank's death is similar to Gus's posture after Max Arciniega's death. This is also reminiscent of a picture portrayal of the poem "Ozymandias".
  • While rolling his barrel, Walt passes the same pair of tan pants that he lost in the Pilot after they flew off of the RV.
  • Within the flashback, Jesse is shown playing with a stray stick while waiting for Walt, something we also see him do while waiting on Mike in "Shotgun".
  • The final shot is a stray dog crossing the street after Walt goes into hiding. This is the third of three major "dog" references in the show. The first is in "Problem Dog", where Gale Boetticher is described as such, albeit in metaphor, by Jesse to his therapy group. The second is "Rabid Dog", which describes Jesse as a dog that may have to be killed before he attacks. This final one, the "Stray Dog", is an obvious reference to Walt, who is now homeless and without his family.
  • The actor who plays the firefighter that discovers Holly is Noah Segan, who has had starring roles in two of Rian Johnson's films, Brick (2005) and Looper (2012).
  • Walt abducts Holly just like Marie tried to do a few episodes before.
    • The Koala Kare changing station logo seen when Walt is changing Holly can also be seen in "Live Free or Die", when Walt is purchasing the M60 machine gun from Lawson.
    • In an interview, director Rian Johnson revealed that Holly's crying "Mama" in the bathroom scene was improvised by Moira Bryg MacDonald. Her mother was standing behind Bryan Cranston on set, and she locked eyes with her and started saying "mama" repeatedly. Cranston simply went with it and the shot ended up in the episode.[3]
    • During the game of chess between the firemen, the white king is cornered, but not checkmated or even in check. The king is simply going behind another pawn, buying time, but not advancing the game. The only remaining white pieces are a Knight (not a Queen) and two pawns.
  • When Walter looks at the bullet holes in his car, the reflection of him in the metal puts a hole in his forehead.
  • The flashback at the beginning of the episode is full of symbols echoing its climax:
    • Skyler packs and ships away a white statue of a clown crying blood belonging to Walt, that she's been able to sell for more dollars than Walt bought it, and that they both find now ugly. This symbolizes the end of the episode, when Walter White, a man with bloodied hands, is sent away by Skyler with his money, and everyone being disgusted by him.
    • They discuss the name of their upcoming child that Walt will abduct at the end of the episode.
    • The knives that Skyler will later use against Walt are conveniently set on the counter, their handles offered in her direction.
    • Walt suggests a short break for the family the next weekend, like he will "suggest" they all pack up and leave for no return at the end.
  • Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman) and Laura Fraser (Lydia Rodarte-Quayle) do not appear in this episode.
    • However, the flash forward scene in the Better Call Saul episode "Quite a Ride" likely happens during the events of this episode.
  • The phone number for the White residence's land line in this episode differs from that shown on Skyler's divorce application papers in "Más".
  • The extractor's van picks up Walt at John B. Robert Dam in Northeast Albuquerque. When the van arrives, a long shot reveals that it is on Juan Tabo Boulevard, a 4 lane road, and is driving north. Walt enters the van, and when it starts moving, it is suddenly on a 2 lane road driving west, whereas Juan Tabo travels north and south.
  • The cast and crew credits do not appear onscreen until the beginning of act two, to avoid interfering with the intensity of the first.
  • Walt wrote down the coordinates of his stash - which became the location of Hank and Gomez's bodies - to the second (as in degrees, minutes, seconds). But plus-or-minus half a second of latitude and longitude describes a rectangle about 100x80 feet. The DEA would find the grave eventually, but Jack's gang were lucky to hit pay dirt so quickly.

Production[]

Credits[]

Co-Starring

  • Billy Lockwood as Detective # 2
  • Patricio Delgado as Cop #1
  • Carlos Telles as Cop # 2
  • Noah Segan as Fireman

Uncredited

Filming Locations[]

Featured Music[]

  • "Take My True Love by the Hand" by The Limeliters (as Walt rolls his barrel of money across the Tohajiilee Indian Reservation)
  • "Floating Away" by David Fennell (as Marie enters the carwash)
  • "Chained Dog" by Dave Porter (as Jesse is taken from his pit to cook)
  • "Higher Law" by B.D. Lenz (Marie makes Skyler confess everything to Walt, Jr.)
  • "We're a Family" by Dave Porter (as Walt leaves with Holly)

Memorable Quotes[]

Walt: "No! Jack! Jack! No! [walks toward Jack] Jack! No! Don't kill him. Don't kill him. Don't kill him. Jack."
Jack: "The hell not? He's DEA."
Walt: "No. He's- He's family."
Jack: "Say again?"
Walt: "He's my family. He's my brother-in-law."
Jack: "Didn't cross your mind to maybe tell us you had a DEA agent for a brother-in-law? [to Todd] Did you know about this? [Todd shakes his head]"
Walt: "I called you off, remember? I told you not to come."
Jack: "Well, it seems to me we did you a solid."
Walt: "You weren't supposed to be here."
Jack: "Too late now. How about you telling me what was going down out here? Hmm? Yeah, you and your brother-in-law don't seem to be getting along too well."
Walt: "It doesn't- doesn't matter. It doesn't concern you."
Jack: "We just wasted his partner here and he's wearin' a bullet, so yeah, I'd say it does concern me."
―Jack being told by Walt not to kill Hank.

Walt: "This is... between him and me."
Jack: "No cavalry comin'?"
Walt: "No."
Hank: "You bet your ass the cavalry's comin'."
Walt: "[to Jack] No! No, no. Jack, Jack! No. The DEA doesn't know about this. Not yet. [to Hank] Hank, nothing can change what just happened, but you can walk out of here alive if you just promise us that you'll- you'll let this go. [Hank scoffs]"
Jack: "Yeah, I thought as much. Sorry, man, just no scenario where this guy lives."
Walt: "No, no, no, listen! I have money! It's buried right here. It's here. It's $80 million. $80 million."
Jack: "So, that's what got this party started, huh? But this money of yours won't do me much good in prison."
Walt: "You can- you can go anywhere. You can do anything. Just think about that. You can have any future that you want. Jack. Eighty. Million. All you've got to do is let him go."
Kenny: "That's a hell of an offer."
Jack: "What do you think, Fed? Would you take that deal?"
―Jack and Walt on sparing Hank's life.

Walt: "It's Hank. His name is Hank."
Jack: "How about it, Hank? Should I let you go?"
Hank: "My name is ASAC Schrader. And you can go fuck yourself."
Walt: "Hank... listen to me. You gotta tell him. You gotta tell him now that we can work this out. Please. Please."
Hank: "What? You want me to beg? You're the smartest guy I ever met. And you're too stupid to see... he made up his mind ten minutes ago. [to Jack] Do what you're gonna do-"
―Walt and Hank's final conversation before Jack kills Hank.

"Hey. I'm leavin' you a barrel. The boys are gonna load it for ya. You got the keys to these cuffs? My nephew here, he respects you. He would never forgive me if... things... went another way. Also, I'll be honest, you caught me in one hell of a good mood. So, here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna get in your car and you're gonna drive out of here. Alright? No hard feelings. Understand me? We square? Hey, man, I gotta know we're square or I'm gonna have to go that other way."
―Jack forcing Walt to be "square" after Hank's death.

"I watched Jane die. I was there. And I watched her die. I watched her overdose and choke to death. I could have saved her. But I didn't."
―Walt revealing to Jesse that he watched Jane die.

"You’re completely out of your mind. (...) Then both of you are out of your minds. You’re full of shit, is what you are. Both of you. If– if this is true, then how could you keep this a secret? I mean, why? Why would you go along? (...) So you’re saying all of this time you were lying about this? I mean, so you’re saying… you’re a liar. You… you just admitted it. So were you lying then, or are you lying now? Which lie is it? (...) You know what? This– this is bullshit. This is bullshit."
―Walter Jr after learning the truth about his father.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! We're a family! We’re a family..."
―Walter, after Skyler attacked him with a knife and Walter Jr. intervened in favor of his mother.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t you do one thing I say? This is your fault! This is what comes with your disrespect! I told you Skyler, I warned you for a solid year, you crossed me there will be consequences. What part of that didn’t you understand? Maybe now you’ll listen. Maybe now you’ll use your damn head. You know, you never believed in me. You were never grateful for anything I did for this family. ‘Oh no! Walt! Walt! You have to stop! You have to stop this! It’s immoral! It’s illegal! Someone might get hurt!’ You’re always whining and complaining about how I make my money, dragging me down while I do everything. And now, now you tell my son what I do? After I’ve told you and told you to keep your damn mouth shut? You stupid bitch! How dare you?"
―Walt orchestrating his phone call as a ploy to release all possible charges and suspicions against Skyler.


Videos[]

Breaking_Bad_Ozymandias

Breaking Bad Ozymandias

Notes[]

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