User Reviews

This is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the last season of Breaking Bad. The episode is highlighted by such a bombshell cliffhanger as Hank finally learns the true identity of Heisenberg. I am actually surprised how the revelation came only halfway through the season, but more time for the aftermath it seems. Once again, this episode features a great screenplay and excellent acting from the cast.

In this episode, "Gliding Over All," Walt meets with Lydia as Walt proposes a plan to kill all the men in prison involved with Gus's operation. Walt also expands his business overseas, where he is pulling more money than Skylar can launder. Meanwhile, the kids eventually come home to live with their parents again and Hank discovers a nasty surprise in the bathroom of the White's residence.

Overall, another excellent episode of this fantastic series. Of course, the ending is the main story. But I also loved the use of music and how the episode is more violent than usual. The final eight episodes promises to be on top of its game because of Hank's big reveal.

My Grade: A+

No other series in television history has so cleverly been able to transmute the protagonist into the antagonist in such an incremental, turn-by-turn almost justified way; and this episode ultimately shows that Walt, no matter how honest his intentions of reform were, is unable to escape from the consequences of choices he has made and from the reality that, hiding in plain sight can only protect for so long.

An absolutely brilliant episode of sheer film directing brilliance. As Walt cleans up his mess and eradicates threats which may undermine his operations and identity, he makes a seemingly genuine commitment to opt out of the operation and of the trade. The episode shows his gradual mending of his broken relationship and fractured self - or at least - a realization that 'being the best' at meth isn't leading to his contentment and happiness as it had previously promised. He wants his life back.

However the cliff-hanger we are left with is the point of Hank's sudden realization; or at least being put on notice - of Walt's darker identity and his connection with Gail. An absolute brilliant last 5 seconds that will propel the anxious wait until the latter part of the season. I can't wait.

Vince Gilligan's true masterpiece of directorship in taking the viewer on a calm joy ride of normality only to the shock of Hank's realization - a realization we've all known was inevitable. What a brilliant show. In terms of directorship, acting and momentum its generated, an unqualified 10/10.

As the final season reaches its midway point things business is booming for Walt. He meets with Lydia to get the names of Mike's men who are currently in gaol and liable to talk now Mike is no more; she realises that Walt might think she is another loose end to be tied up so proposes a business expansion that will keep her useful; she will use Madrigal's legitimate logistics network to ship Walt's meth to the Czech Republic where demand is high and just as importantly the DEA aren't investigating. It isn't long before Mike's men are all dead and the money is rolling in; so much so that Skyler has no idea how much they have; she just states that it is more than they could spend in ten life times. Perhaps he finally has enough to get 'out' at least he tells Skyler that he is out. Then just as it looks as if Walt and his family are going to get a happy ending Hank picks up a book to browse through while in the lavatory and reads its 'to W.W.' dedication written inside leading to an epiphany about exactly who he has been hunting!

This was a fine episode to precede the mid-season break… although I'm glad that I don't have to wait as long to find out what happens next as people watching the original broadcast did. There is a succession of brilliant scenes; Walt's meeting with Lydia where it is clear he would have eliminated her if she hadn't proved her use; the 'prison murder' montage where Mike's men are brutally murdered in the space of two minutes; Skyler talking to Walt about the money; reminiscing with Jesse about their old RV-lab, and finally the final scenes where Walt and family chat normally around the pool before Hank's discovery. These scenes are each very different but also very effective, picking out just two; the prison murders are both brutal and matter of fact made more shocking by the casual way Walt ignores the news as he plays with his young daughter and the final poolside scene where Skyler and Marie and Walt and Hank have overlapping conversations in the way real people do but TV people seldom do. Hank's realisation that Walt is W.W. sets things up perfectly for the final half season; I can't wait to see what happens next.

Walter meets with the young woman and finds himself in meth heaven as he goes international. The problem for him now is that he has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it. Skyler has rented a storage unit where tons of money is kept under a tarp. What is most disturbing are the scenes of all the witnesses in prison being "taken care of" as Walter funds the murders. As the episode ends, they set us up again with a cliffhanger conclusion. I don't know if I've ever watched a single show that keeps one moving forward like this one does. One thing we forget at times is that despite any reasons given, Walter is the worst of the the worst.

Like it hasn't always been perfect.

Ever since the first scene of this season, it has been the best one of Breaking Bad yet. I don't think there has been a season that has been so consistent than this 5th one. Every episode is phenomenal and this last one of the half season is no different. Not only do I think that it's phenomenal, but it's one of the best episodes ever crafted in TV history. In terms of Breaking Bad I don't think there are more than 2 episodes that could compete with this one; 'Face Off' and 'Crawl Space'

Everything about this episode has been out of hand; the directing, cinematography, acting, story development, and last but most definitely not least the conclusion. This episode is the epitome of all things Breaking Bad. There are montages (2 of them), many deaths, 'cooking', stacks of money, Skyler not being a complete bitch, crazy drug deals, great music, and purple. The montage killing the nine guys in jail was a key, perfect moment. Not many scenes are directed that perfectly. And finally after a whole season of 100% unhappiness and tragedy with Heisenberg, we see Walter White back rekindling with his renewed family and finally out of the business. Only for the most shocking conclusion to any season; episode; show ever is history.

Never on TV has there been such a great ending with someone taking a s**t. Hank is taking a dump in Walt's house only to find a book given to Walt by non other than Gale Boeticher (or however you spell it). Hank, looking through the book, catches a very touching dedication to Walt by Gale; he makes the final connection he has forever needed. Hank knows about Walt and the episode ends there, with Hank taking a crap. Now, we have a vague idea about what the M60 machine gun at the beginning of the season was about. Honestly, after it ended I was trembling. It was ridiculously impacting.

Let's see if Walt could continue 'Gliding Over All'

In this episode we see Walt clearing up the evidence. As in getting all the men on Mike's list being killed. We see a whole segment of it happening. In a very disturbing and brutal manner which kind of represents Walt's recent behavior.

But then we go towards the end when he is getting out of the business to have his family back.

At first there is a wonderful part of him having a conversation with Jesse, really made me miss them in the past. And I am worried that this is the last one we had.

And the cliffhanger is very dramatic. So now Hank gets a clue that he is Heisenberg. Really wish it didn't happen and yet love how it did.

Brilliant writing, excellent acting and great suspense, as always. Nevertheless, I found very difficult to explain why the f*** sake did Walter, so careful and thorough, forgot that important object on the toilet! The guy, at this point, thinks of everything, every little detail, but he forgot that he owns a book given to him by Gale with a written dedication so explicit that could frame his ass so hard if found by his brother-in-law, whom weekly takes a dump at his house. I'm not hunting witches here guys, I'm not looking for flaws. I love this show so much that it kind of let me down on this one. Still, I forgive you.

I first rated this episode a bit higher (5/10), but decided that I will lower the rating because of how ridiculous and weak the moment of Hank finding out about Walter was. The huge hype surrounding this episode seems to be solely, or at least hugely due to the cliffhanger ending. While I understand why the ending would seem so great to many people, it is still a cheap deus ex machina, and nothing else. We are supposed to believe that Walter, so obsessive about tying any loose ends and having no problems in ordering the killing or personally killing so many people would forget to get rid of the book that could incriminate him, or at least just rip off the page with the incriminating dedication? And all the while he knows full well everything that Hank knows about Gale, so it is not the case of something that was unknown to him. I should say that this is impossible, but then again, this is Breaking Bad, a series whose trademark is pulling impossible and unbelievable coincidences out of it's writers' backsides in order to further the plot... and sometimes not even to further the plot, but just for cheap theatrics and wow moments. In any case, the whole thing is completely anticlimactic and unbelievable. And this should be perhaps the biggest moment of the entire series - Walter's secret is discovered by the authorities and it is effectively game over for him. That it has been done so poorly is a huge disappointment. On top of all that, there is the completely ridiculous idea that Walter is using "Leaves of Grass" as a bathroom read, something to pass the time while taking a dump. Whoever wrote this obviously thinks that there is no difference between poems of Walt Whitman and the list of ingredients on a shampoo bottle.

Then there is another of BB's trademarks - characters doing a complete 180 regarding their personalities, without any sense. Last episode, Walter was adamant that he would never quit. Now he's "done". Why? Because reasons.

Finally, I lowered the rating on principle, considering that the episode ends with a huge cliffhanger, and the next episode was aired a year later. It is not a problem for me watching the show years later, but I sincerely hate every show that does this. It is a huge middle finger to the viewers and I will always return the favor.

But then I took a meth lab to the knee.

Gliding over all is the 8th episode of the 5th and final season of Breaking Bad.

After a very short 2 months, we are at the mid season break of our favorite show on television. No, not small town security, BREAKING BAD!

Gliding over all starts off with a very still Heisenberg, looking at, what other than, a fly! Remind anyone of another episode? No? OK, moving on.

Jesse swings by the shed to confirm with Heisenberg that Mike made it out OK, Heisenberg replies with a very straight forward "He's gone." Jesse, having the analyzing skills of a 5th grader, believes that Mike truly made it out OK, I expect that to be a major part of the story next year.

After that, Heisenberg consults with Todd's uncle, and then, we get a very dark two minute stretch of men being shanked, tossed, burned, and beaten to death in prison. One may think after this, "wow, this show can't get much darker than that" One, would in fact, be wrong. The scene then skips to Heisenberg holding his year old daughter or so, while watching a news special about all the men that were just murdered in prison, so father like.

Now, to the important parts, we get to the best conversation in the show, Hank comes home from a very stressful day at work finding out that all 9 men have been murdered, aka, the only 9 men that knew anything about Gustavo's operation, after Hank talks to Heisenberg about his old job, and how this job is hurting him physically/emotionally, Heisenberg then calmly replies, "I used to love to go camping" Referencing the old days when him and Jesse used to cook out in the boonies in a beat up RV.

To avoid sounding like an echo, I'll assume you know the rest of the show and skip to the good part, Walt is, and I quote, "Done", that's right folks, you heard it from Walter himself, but then again, they don't show any proof of him dissolving the business so, it's pure speculation.

Now, if you're still reading this, here is my review of the episode! This episode does a great job of relieving some stress off of the show itself, IE: getting rid of mike's prison connections, paying off Jesse, and FINALLY, Walter and Skyler are talking again, I know, I finally called him Walter, he FINALLY is kind of likable again. But to every happy moment, there is a 5'7 Dea agent to stick his bald head in the wrong place, and that just happens to be Hank. Although this wasn't a surprising ending, it is a HUGE cliff hanger, so while we are all waiting another 8 months to see the final episodes of Breaking Bad, we can try and guess what is going to happen, but until then, I rate this episode, a ten, out of ten.

Too many familiar images were recalled during Breaking Bad's part one finale to go unnoticed— a fly, a CAT scan, the dented paper towel dispenser, the famous RV, and, of course, Leaves of Grass (the image that returns to offer us the episode's payoff)—all images that seem to suggest that the past is the simplest, yet perhaps most dangerous, locale to inhabit.

And that much worked for me this episode—those winks to my not-so-inner Breaking Bad fangirl kept me intrigued until those last moments that almost set my anxiety levels over the edge. What nearly didn't, however, was how tidy it felt, how neatly (and easily) Walt's loose ends seemed tied up and how suddenly (despite the progression of time within the show's universe) our characters' motivations seemed to have shifted. It almost felt a digression; unnatural and frustrating.

But maybe that was the point.

When the episode first opens, we see Walt staring, lost in thought, at a fly, a symbol we've come to associate (thanks to Mr. Rian Johnson) with contamination and obsession. He's managed to successfully eliminate Mike, as well as the possibility of anyone else discovering his secret, and he's found an efficient, if uninspiring, new assistant in Todd, and yet, things still don't seem quite right. For one reason or another, Walt isn't feeling in that moment as he believes he should be, isn't thoroughly appreciating his spoils. Perhaps, in part, it's because even he hasn't quite figured out what pulling the trigger that ended Mike's life was meant to achieve, despite his telling Todd "it had to be done;" perhaps it's because he knows he can no longer rely on Jesse.

And that's only because his pride initially won't allow it. Not surprisingly, Jesse arrives moments before Mike is to meet his official end in a familiar barrel of hydrofluoric acid to speak with Walt privately. Wishing to know the status of Mike's getaway, Walt assures him "he's gone" and reels, almost childishly, when Jesse questions their next move. "There is no 'we,' Jesse," Walt tells him, "I'm the only vote left." Realizing that he is truly no longer under Walt's wing, Jesse leaves somewhat defeated, leaving Walt with no other options but to continue on.

When he later meets with Lydia in a coffee shop for the names of Mike's men, his vial of ricin in tow, Walt's plans to get rid of her as well are thwarted when she offers him not only the names he needs, but a proposition to expand his business internationally. Apparently, the Czech Republic has a rather large population of meth users that haven't even come close to trying something as pure as Walt's creation, and selling his product overseas would more than double his profit. It's a plan that, apparently, Gus Fring was in the final stages of organizing before "someone killed him," and upon learning that bit of information, Walt finds it difficult to refuse.

But knowing that Lydia is, for the time being, a minor threat doesn't leave him entirely in the clear. Armed with the list of names and the aid of Todd's white supremacist, "prison connections" uncle, Walt specifies his wish that all ten of Mike's guys, spread out over three prisons, be eliminated in only two minutes, a seemingly daunting task, but one that Walt's guys manage to pull off anyway. An impressive montage (almost reminiscent of a Scorsese-esque gangster flick) later, and it appears that Walt no longer has anything to fear—his obstacles are eliminated.

To read the rest of the review (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/breaking-bad-5-8-gliding-over-all/

Gliding Over All is the best episode of Breaking Bad. It's phenomenal. The action, the drama, it's perfection in 3 Acts. There's the Cold Open, with Todd meeting with Walt in his office, and Jesse negotiating with Walt. Then in Act 1, Dennis meets with the DEA, Walt meets up with Lydia, and then with Uncle Jack. And in Act 2, you have the Prison Killings, Walt talking to Hank, the Crystal Blue Persuasion scene, and the family meeting with Skyler, Marie, and Walt Jr. And finally, in Act 3, Skyler discovers the money pile, Walt gets an MRI, then he and Jesse reminisce about the RV and then he gives Jesse that duffle bag full of money, and finally, there's the pool party where Hank connects the dots. Flawless episode. Best 47 minutes in TV history. Although not the greatest episode, it's easily the best. It's also the last episode where Walt cooks meth. Plus, every member of the main cast appears in this episode, and the critical reception for the episode is overwhelmingly positive. It's perfect. Ozymandias is nothing compared to this. And the cherry on top is that it's the midseason finale.

P. S I've watched all 62 Episodes (plus El Camino), and this is the best one I've seen. Just in case you thought this was as far as I got into the series, or I just skipped over to this episode.

When in doubt, and in need of a new formidable villain without likeable anti-hero characteristics, always go Neo Nazi...

While it's nice seeing Michael Bowen, the 1980's jerk-jock turned Tarantino-flick semi-regular turned into (and looking decades older as) the head of such shallow scum, without Mike around everything needed to be pushed to the limit since Mike, during the last two seasons, was basically... the limit... and now it's Walter's turn to go it alone... that is, in that limitless regard...

And while THE GODFATHER-style death-montage is a stretch on a show that constantly stretches, either way, there isn't one not-moving-briskly episode of this season...

A final season that fans can truly enjoy and adore; it gets rid of the brooding and guilt needed to build drama and tension in the prior previously, and, anyhow...

At this point, especially with that now iconic Leaves of Grass toilet-sitting finale, this is the beginning of the end... and what a ride it will be, and has been.

The mid-season finale and it's another great one, tying up a number of loose ends. For the first time in the show's entire run we see everything going right for Walt, although the ending offers a fine twist and of course we knew something was going to go wrong. Elsewhere the prison murders take the show to one of its darkest points yet.

After what walt did (killing mike) he finds no way other than killing the other 9. Well, there is another way, keep paying them, but no way he is doing that. So, he hires people who are specialized in killing. Because of that, a massacre happens, and it's shown in such a way that is so enjoyable and still keeps its brutality and inhumanity that demonstrates what the new Walter can do. After that he keeps cooking and keeps getting paid, of course the director didn't show that in regular form, he showed it in fast paced well edited scenes, which are enjoyable and makes us feel that all of this work is useless, especially when we see Walter sitting on the couch not feeling happy at all, so what's the point of all of this. In the end he realized its time to stop, and that's what he did, however the writer Vince Gilligan has other plans. We finish the episode by hank figuring out that walt is Heisenberg, the scene could have been stronger, but its still strong. As a conclusion, this is one of the greatest episodes of breaking bad so far, if not the best.

Another awesome S5 episode of Breaking Bad? Who would have guessed!

I must say this wasn't at all what I was expecting. Walter is just done with the meth business all of a sudden? I'm not totally sure I buy that yet. On one hand, it seems unlikely that he went through this whole season trying to build an empire only to call it quits after a day. He literally had several men murdered in this episode to tie up loose ends too. AND just made a deal with Lydia and international drug dealers.

But on the other hand, there IS enough money to probably last him several lifetimes as Skyler put it. And he may easily have some sort of guilt about killing Mike that it shook him up enough to tie up said-loose ends and call or a life. Or maybe his cancer diagnosis isn't looking too good and he has finally decided to spend his remaining days with his family like he originally planned over a year ago.

I genuinely don't know! The cliffhanger was pretty ingenious though, and I feel like the remaining half of this season is going to be crap hitting the fan and unraveling. There are just too many things going on behind the scenes this show to truly be over anyway. Walter, what the heck are you thinking? I like that the writers and directors haven't been blunt about any of his thoughts.

I really liked the scene with Jesse toward the end. I'm excited and scared to see just what he's going to do with the money. Could be horrible, could be awesome.

Had I seen this as it aired, I'd be content but still yearning for the rest of the show. I can see why there was a mid-season break. Words cannot express how good this first half was though.

Walt was a very careful person and we saw that from the very first episode, but why did he put a book like this in his bathroom? And he knows that his brother-in-law in his house and he might use the bathroom or something so why did he put it on the toilet? Anyway, 7/10.

The characters introduced in season 5 are poorly developed, uninteresting and seem to have been written in to hasten plot development since the end of the series is near. The earlier characters were MUCH richer, incorporated more interesting plot angles and dialogue, etc. Compare Tuco, Jane, Combo, even Ken the lawyer to Lydia, Todd, etc. The new characters are lame.

How convenient that Todd's relative (uncle) knows hit men on the inside of all of those institutions who can operate in that fashion. Killing ten at the same time is nonsense, I'm sorry. I can allow for Walter pulling off some borderline impossible acts but having the entire season depend on a constant string of them is tedious and unbelievable, in the real sense of the word. The train thing in the Dead Freight episode is thoroughly stupid.

I sincerely wish the show had stopped either at the end of season 3 or 4. It was an excellent show in its early seasons but has really softened over time. There are still some great moments but the show has lost its focus.

Being screened over two years (presumably to cause as much pain to me as possible), the concluding season of this show opens with a flash-forward to an event which is to come, before jumping back to the aftermath of Gus' death and Walt's "victory" and continuing the story from there. The flash-forward lets us know that the show knows where it is going and, unlike the viewer at this point, how it will get there but to be honest this is something that I no longer need convincing about because the show has done nothing but proof to me that the core of the show is mapped out really well and convincingly. The core of the show of course being Walt's moral decline – one small necessary step at a time; and the first half of season 5 continues this really well.

A colleague of mine who also watches was surprised to learn of there being a fifth season; he was of the mind that the "I won" was the right place to end it, since all was tidied up, but to me the path ahead was obvious simply because of how well drawn all this has been so far. Walt is a brilliant cook but the tragedy of him is that he knows he is – he knows he is one of the best in the world and we have seen a constant battle for him to get the recognition of this from those "above" him and also for him to reconcile the old view that his friends and family of him as a gentle teacher while he is really anything but this. With the fifth season it was a given that he would seek to step into Gus' shoes in some way – or develop an empire for himself. The plot devices that are used to continue this path are occasionally a little far-fetched in their design; events such as a train-robbery and a few other aspects require the show to be strong to carry them but fortunately this is the case. To me it starts and ends with Walt – all the characters are good but he is the key to it all.

His arrogance and ego have long overtaken his need or even his want. What was once horrific to him is just the latest small compromise he has to make and there is a brilliant scene where others start to realize this – a scene that simply contains Walt whistling while he works. In support of this character, Skyler is really well used this season; she has had her "moral decline" happen to her without planning and the impact on her is tangible. What is even more evident though is that she cannot see any of what she feels in Walt and she knows he has done much worse than her, her fear is really well done. Jessie is sidelined a little but remains important and indeed has gradually become one of the few moral characters in the show. Mike's time is increased which is effective because he is not only a good character but is also key in the story moving forward. The events make sense but what makes them work so well is that all the characters totally make sense – so yes, some of it is a bit of a stretch, but the way the characters act and move always makes sense. With one exception.

The exception to me is the final episode of season 5.1; an episode that feels rushed, lacking a flow and all about setting up the concluding half for 2013. How I feel about it may change with context given by this second half, but for now it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the half season. Although Walt does have a certain amount of "revelation" with the murder of Mike, it doesn't carry though enough to justify his sudden willingness to step away from the table where his ego has kept him all this time. Nor is there sufficient "bridging" to this decision. The jump in time from this decision to apparent domestic bliss also creates a problem in regards questions that would have been asked by Walt's partners in this period, while the sudden idea in Hank's head was not as well done as I had hoped it would be when it happened (and some form of this was always going to happen). It is still a decent episode but it just seemed less than the others.

The cast continue to be quite brilliant – but this is due to the product they have to deliver. Gilligan's script and understanding of his characters is assured and, although he didn't direct any of these 8 episodes, his vision is well captured by others and the show has a very creative and engaging feel to it in terms of camera angles, music and general design. There are lots of examples of odd angles and creative illustrations of the cooking process but for me the standout was the series of vicious jailhouse murders playing out under lovely music while contrasting with the incredibly brutal action.

Overall this half season did not disappoint; yes I had some doubts on some aspects of plotting and I did feel that the 8th episode was not all it could have been (or rather that what it did needed to be better and done over more time) but generally this continues the very high bar set by the previous seasons. I will be sad to see the show end but equally cannot wait for it to do so as it is really hard to imagine that Gilligan will let us down at this point.