Episode seven is full of highs and lows as a deal is struck, a former partner remains in limbo, and a life is lost.
Since Mike has decided to bow out of the operation, Walt makes a deal with the meth producer, Declan, who along with his crew would assume Mike’s distribution role while selling Walt’s product, and receiving 35% of the business. Though the new partners initially view Walt with hesitation, his cocky attitude helps to quickly set up his identity. Walt says that they have dyed their product trying to pass it off as his and that he’s the man who killed Gus Fring. He insists that they know his name, and says “say my name,†the men quickly conclude he’s Heisenberg, a persona created in the early days of the meth operation.
Though the deal in the desert is finalized, the issue of how and when Jesse would get his five million dollar buyout still needed to be addressed. Walt is unwilling to accept Jesse’s desire to get out of the business. He resorts to every method in the book to coax him into staying. He suggests that they get Jesse his own lab so that the duo could double production. When that fails, Walt takes a more cutting, personal approach. Walt trivializes his life insinuating that he has nothing worth living for. His appeal then hits another low when he suggests that being away from the business might cause him to start using again. He then questions Jesse about why he would want the filthy blood money anyway. Jesse, fed up with Walt’s spiel, leaves.
Mike has problems of his own; he learns that the feds are closing in on him after one of his men was caught placing money into the safety deposit boxes of the families of the imprisoned men he had paid off. Mike decides to flee; Walt meets with him and insists on getting a list of the names of the men. Mike ignores him, drives off, but Walt catches up to the car and fires a shot, causing Mike to crash the car as he attempts to drive away. When Walt approaches the car, Mike is gone, but he follows his trail to a desolate area where Mike sits bleeding with a gun in his hand which Walt removes, and Mike eventually dies.
Episode seven had moments of great intensity as viewers watched as yet another relationship in Walt’s life fell to pieces and as the seemingly untouchable Mike went out in such a dramatic fashion.
Walt’s approach to dealing with Jesse was baffling and showed just how volatile and heartless he has become. Walt was reminiscent of a desperate man grasping at straws as he attempted to keep Jesse involved in the business. Belittling and demeaning someone might not be the most sensible way to go about trying to sway someone to change their mind. Though the issue of Jesse receiving his money has been placed on the backburner for now, one could only wonder just how long he will be willing to roll over and ignore the fact that he has been denied what is rightfully his.
Mike’s demise was also surprising. Viewers might have initially thought that the feds would be the ones to do him in or bring him to justice, but that it was done by Walt’s hand in a quick, confusing, random exchange was an interesting twist to the plot. It will also be interesting to see how the men will cope without him because more often than not, Mike was able to stay a step ahead of the feds who seem to becoming closer to unraveling information about their meth business as the season progresses.
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