I was wondering what "I.F.T" could stand for until the very end. Skyler comes home and tells Walt "I fucked Ted." That one line encapsulated the ongoing struggle between Skyler and Walt. Skyler is slowly reasserting her power, and as much as one might despise her, a fair assessment, she has be pushed to the brink by Walt and finally, she is pushing back against this monster who deceived her and her family, brought danger into the house, and has lost any sense of decency.
Now, two wrongs don't make a right, and that's where the conflict stands. If Walt is legally able to stay in the house, Skyler will make his life unbearable. Her first act, calling the cops on Walt, ends with Walt staying. Skyler is conflicted about what to do, having either the choice to do nothing or reveal Walt's secret and shattering Walt Jr.'s impression of his father. While talking to her lawyer, she assumes Walt will die of lung cancer, thus resolving the issue entirely, but when Walt shows her to money and tells her to truth, she decides to stop letting him dictate how great he is when everyone knows he isn't.
The connection between Gus and the cartel became clear. Gus does business with the cartel and for the most part is allowed to do what he wants on the northern side of the border. However, the cartel now knows that Heisenberg AKA Walter White, was the one who backstabbed Tuco (though Hank took the shot). Gus can keep Walt alive for now, arguing that he needs Walt to do business and once the business is done, they can do whatever they want to Walt. After seeing the flashback in the beginning, that won't be pretty at all.
Meanwhile, Hank is having troubles of his own. He's been largely ignored to focus on Walt's problems, but after he is called back to El Paso, his PTSD comes right back. After calming himself down in the bathroom and leaving his gun in the car, indicating his premeditation, he goes back into the car and pounds two bikers to the floor. Why did he do it? I have two theories. He wanted to reassert himself--like Skyler--and show that he is man. Or he wanted to get in trouble, so he wouldn't have to go to El Passo.
Jesse spends most of the episode listening and relistening to Jane's voicemail message. It's his last connection to her and almost normalcy, and once the line is disconnected, he goes right back to cooking meth.
There are concurrent stories of Walt's family problems and the drug trade. They came perilously close to intersecting at the end of the last episode. Walt hasn't touched drugs yet, but Jesse has reentered the trade. With Skyler pushing back against Walt, it seems like Walt will return soon. And if he doesn't, Gus will have to let the cartel have a shot at him.
Score: 9.2/10
