…and the Bag’s in the River

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Walter and Jesse fight about the latter’s drug use, so he leaves, forcing Walter to deal with their captive, Krazy-8 (Max Arciniega); Hank uses scared-straight tactics with Walter Jr. when his aunt suspects he’s smoking pot; Skyler is furious when Walter stays away from home.

Our Take

Krazy-8, the surviving dealer, is still in the basement, and Walt feeds him sandwiches while deciding whether to kill him. The episode builds to the show’s first true moral choice: Walt’s pros-and-cons list, Krazy-8’s escape attempt with a sharpened plate shard hidden in his clothing, and Walt’s decision to strangle him — sobbing, with a bike lock, after realizing the man would kill his family. The moment Walter White stops being a sympathetic man in a bad situation and starts becoming something else.