Breaking Bad S5E7: Say My Name / Mike's Exit
After a lot of talky scenes in the previous episode, where Walt explains at (almost painful) length why he won't take a $5 million exit strategy, Season 5 episode 7 of Breaking Bad returns the standard of action, tension, drama, and tragedy from two episodes earlier, the one about robbing a freight train. In this episode Walt strikes a deal to move further up the food chain as a criminal gangster and Mike makes his exit, all while the DEA tightens its net around the bunch of them.
Walt Commands Respect
The episode's title, "Say My Name", comes from a tense scene in the desert where Walt bargains with a rival drug gangster from Arizona. The rival, Declan, doesn't know Walt and treats him dismissively. Walt, who's feeling his oats, fires back- verbally-with a taunt that Declan's gang can't make meth anywhere near as good as his "99.1% pure" product and a boast about taking out Gus Fring.
"Say my name," Walt hisses, after Declan again claimed not to know him.
"You're Heisenberg,"
"You're damn right."
Yeah, that retort sounded a lot like a line from Shaft.
The Cops Tighten the Net
While Walt is proving to himself that he can build an empire, the cops are tightening their net around it. Hank's team has been gunning for Mike, as they strongly suspect he's the street boss in the gang. They get a warrant to search Mike's house but find nothing. Mike knew they're were coming via the bugs Walt planted in Hank's DEA office and threw away or hid all his contraband elsewhere. Mike has a $5 million payout from the baller deal Walt negotiated, and he's ready to get out of the business and disappear anyway.
The DEA team is frustrated that Mike's place is clean. They know he's connected, though. Hank notices in the paperwork that all 9 of Mike's known criminal associates have the same lawyer. He directs his team to follow that lawyer. They track him to a local bank and apprehend him with a gym bag full of over $100,000 cash he's placing into safe deposit boxes.
The cops move to arrest Mike after this. Walt hears via the bugs that they're coming for him and calls him, frantically. Mike almost doesn't answer Walt's call, but it's good he does. He looks up in time to see cops starting to encircle the park where he's relaxing while his granddaughter plays on the swings. Mike's wily, but it's not clear if he's going to make it out.
Mike's Exit
Mike does evade the cops in the park, though it happens off camera. Presumably he had to scoot without letting his 8yo granddaughter know. We next see him at Saul Goodman's law office. Walt and Jesse are already there.
Mike wants Saul to retrieve his "go bag" from the trunk of a car parked at the airport so Mike can use the stash of cash and fake passports there to go into hiding. Saul refuses, saying it's too risky; the cops are likely following him, too, as they know he's Mike's lawyer.
Next Jesse offers to get the bag, but Mike turns him down, saying it's too dangerous. Mike has developed a soft spot for Jesse, whom he consistently addresses as "Kid" rather than calling him by name. It's touching, and is one of the many ways Mike as the tired, old been-there, done-that, don't-really-want-another-t-shirt reluctant criminal is more entertaining than his earlier persona.
Finally Walt offers to get Mike's bag. He obtains it without difficulty and meets Mike outside of town. Before handing it over, though, he demands that Mike give him the list of 9 names. Those 9 are people who can implicated Mike- and Walt-and now no longer have the hush money Mike's other lawyer was distributing. Mike refuses, grabs the bag overpowering Walt, and leaves. But instead of quietly accepting that Mike has overpowered him once again, Walt approaches Mike's car with a gun while he's not looking and shoots him.
Mike tries to escape, there's a brief foot chase, but he's been mortally wounded. Walt finds him sitting on a rock by a stream.
"It occurred to me just now I didn't even need that list of names from you. I could have gotten it from Lydia," Walt says- acknowledging, sardonically, that he didn't need to kill Mike.
"Shut the fuck up and let me die in peace," Mike snarls.
Moments later Mike dies.
Walt Commands Respect
The episode's title, "Say My Name", comes from a tense scene in the desert where Walt bargains with a rival drug gangster from Arizona. The rival, Declan, doesn't know Walt and treats him dismissively. Walt, who's feeling his oats, fires back- verbally-with a taunt that Declan's gang can't make meth anywhere near as good as his "99.1% pure" product and a boast about taking out Gus Fring.
"Say my name," Walt hisses, after Declan again claimed not to know him.
"You're Heisenberg,"
"You're damn right."
Yeah, that retort sounded a lot like a line from Shaft.
The Cops Tighten the Net
While Walt is proving to himself that he can build an empire, the cops are tightening their net around it. Hank's team has been gunning for Mike, as they strongly suspect he's the street boss in the gang. They get a warrant to search Mike's house but find nothing. Mike knew they're were coming via the bugs Walt planted in Hank's DEA office and threw away or hid all his contraband elsewhere. Mike has a $5 million payout from the baller deal Walt negotiated, and he's ready to get out of the business and disappear anyway.
The DEA team is frustrated that Mike's place is clean. They know he's connected, though. Hank notices in the paperwork that all 9 of Mike's known criminal associates have the same lawyer. He directs his team to follow that lawyer. They track him to a local bank and apprehend him with a gym bag full of over $100,000 cash he's placing into safe deposit boxes.
The cops move to arrest Mike after this. Walt hears via the bugs that they're coming for him and calls him, frantically. Mike almost doesn't answer Walt's call, but it's good he does. He looks up in time to see cops starting to encircle the park where he's relaxing while his granddaughter plays on the swings. Mike's wily, but it's not clear if he's going to make it out.
Mike's Exit
Mike does evade the cops in the park, though it happens off camera. Presumably he had to scoot without letting his 8yo granddaughter know. We next see him at Saul Goodman's law office. Walt and Jesse are already there.
Mike wants Saul to retrieve his "go bag" from the trunk of a car parked at the airport so Mike can use the stash of cash and fake passports there to go into hiding. Saul refuses, saying it's too risky; the cops are likely following him, too, as they know he's Mike's lawyer.
Next Jesse offers to get the bag, but Mike turns him down, saying it's too dangerous. Mike has developed a soft spot for Jesse, whom he consistently addresses as "Kid" rather than calling him by name. It's touching, and is one of the many ways Mike as the tired, old been-there, done-that, don't-really-want-another-t-shirt reluctant criminal is more entertaining than his earlier persona.
Finally Walt offers to get Mike's bag. He obtains it without difficulty and meets Mike outside of town. Before handing it over, though, he demands that Mike give him the list of 9 names. Those 9 are people who can implicated Mike- and Walt-and now no longer have the hush money Mike's other lawyer was distributing. Mike refuses, grabs the bag overpowering Walt, and leaves. But instead of quietly accepting that Mike has overpowered him once again, Walt approaches Mike's car with a gun while he's not looking and shoots him.
Mike tries to escape, there's a brief foot chase, but he's been mortally wounded. Walt finds him sitting on a rock by a stream.
"It occurred to me just now I didn't even need that list of names from you. I could have gotten it from Lydia," Walt says- acknowledging, sardonically, that he didn't need to kill Mike.
"Shut the fuck up and let me die in peace," Mike snarls.
Moments later Mike dies.