Man, this was an incredible episode this week. The sense of inescapable, gnawing dread that has been steadily building over the course of this season has me thinking this might end up being the best season yet. I really shouldn't be surprised, as I've found myself saying "This season has topped the last one" for 3 seasons in a row now. But while it might not be as showy and high-octane as earlier seasons, each episode is a masterfully crafted gift to fans of quality television everywhere, dense with layers and great performances.
Oh man, the performances. It's a real shame that Breaking Bad is out of Emmy contention this year, because on the strength of his performance thus far - especially in this episode - Bryan Cranston would already have done enough to have his 4th consecutive Emmy in the bag. That scene at the end, where he was tipsy on wine, incredible work. Walt has really become quite an ugly character, and is becoming harder and harder to like.
Similarly, Aaron Paul is as compelling as ever, and taking his character to some dark, unexpected places. Even Skyler, who (perhaps unfairly) got crapped on by fans for much of the past couple of seasons, is really compelling with her new role in the tapestry, Anna Gunn giving a great performance that is at once jarringly different from Skyler's original morality, but utterly consistent with her personality over the course of the show. Even Marie, who I've long hated, has had some really good stuff to do this season.
Dean Norris was so good last season that he was worthy of a Best Supporting Actor nom of his own. Hell, you could have filled the whole Emmy shortlist in that category with Breaking Bad actors. I was finding his self-pitying misery over his disability in the early episodes grating - particularly because I know from experience how difficult it can be to live with someone like that - but now we are seeing the fire come back into Hank's eyes, and he's back on the trail. Some brilliant slow-boil plotting going on.
As for the bad guys, Mike is great, and Gus manages to be terrifying even when he's off-screen.