'Breaking Bad' Cornered; the ego has landed, some thoughts (VIDEO)

By April MacIntyre Aug 22, 2011, 4:22 GMT

On "Cornered," we see Walt puffing his chest up post-hangover in a defensive response to his wife\'s scab picking.

"Breaking Bad" showrunner Vince Gilligan and company are making art every week - not only with astoundingly creative lensing flair and artistic composition for each scene - but with pitch-perfect continuity and detail minding (Mike's ear bandage) as the writers strip down the Walter White (Bryan Cranston) character layer by layer.

Walt's bravado is chipped away, enough to reveal what's really happening with him to Skyler (Anna Gunn) and creating more of a wedge with Jesse (Aaron Paul). Even his son Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte) can sense he isn't being played straight. 

On "Cornered," we see Walt puffing his chest up post-hangover in a defensive response to his wife's scab picking.

She nailed him, and he didn't like it one bit.

That beaten-down Chemistry teacher moonlighting at the car wash having to eat it taking abuse from Bogdan circles back and strikes hard against an old boss, and a spouse who has less of an emotional hold on him than she did a few years back.

And then, there are Gus and Mike.

Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) is the string puller, the one orchestrating the divide between Jesse and Walt, and Mike (Jonathan Banks) is his facilitator.

For sheer power and force within a scene, these two actors, Esposito and Banks, are a super-sized helping of manly huevos.

Neither actors are in their matinee idol prime-time, but both men deliver a raw sex appeal that comes with confident talent, conveying pages of dialogue with just a turn of their facial expression.
That's a rare skill.

Where Vince Gilligan and company take our Walt from here - and knowing there is but one year left in this tale - will keep all of us devoted fans of the series wondering and worrying a bit. 

Who will be the reckless and stupid one? Who is first expendable? The cartel, who's getting the Intel on the trucks? How long can Sklyer and Walt keep it together? Hank's epiphany of Heisenberg, when will that arrive? Mike's longevity as Gus' right-hand man? All up in the air.

The details are what makes "Breaking Bad" head and shoulders better than most dramas if not all on TV.

And just like knowing someone you love is terminal, the series' end date looming makes each one of these savored episodes all the more poignant.

 
Breaking Bad 4x06 - "Cornered" - Sneak peek #1... by Llegaronparaquedarse