Granite State (Breaking Bad)

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"Granite State"
Breaking Bad episode
Granite State.jpg
Walter walks from his cabin in New Hampshire.
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 15
Directed byPeter Gould
Written byPeter Gould
Featured music"Sign of the Gypsy Queen" by April Wine
Cinematography byMichael Slovis
Editing byKelley Dixon
Chris McCaleb
Original air dateSeptember 22, 2013 (2013-09-22)
Running time53 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Ozymandias" 		Next →
"Felina"
Breaking Bad (season 5)
List of episodes

"Granite State" is the fifteenth and the penultimate episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 61st and penultimate episode of the series. The episode was directed and written by Peter Gould. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on September 22, 2013.

Plot[]

Ed Galbraith brings Saul to his vacuum repair shop, where Walt also awaits a new identity.[a] Walt attempts to coerce Saul into coming with him, but is subdued by a coughing fit. No longer intimidated, Saul leaves for his new life in Nebraska.

Jack's gang raids Marie's house and finds Jesse's confession tape.[b] Jack wants to kill Jesse for informing, but Todd wants Jesse to cook meth in order to impress Lydia, with whom Todd is infatuated. Knowing Skyler once met Lydia,[c] Todd and other gang members break into Skyler's house and threaten her to keep quiet. Lydia is not convinced Skyler will stay silent, and aims to end their meth operation. Todd informs her that the meth is now at 92% purity because of Jesse, and she reconsiders.

Jesse uses a paper clip to unlock his chains and tries to run, but is thwarted. Todd takes him to Andrea's house and forces Jesse to watch as Todd kills her. Jack threatens to kill Brock if Jesse attempts another escape.

Ed takes Walt to a secluded cabin in New Hampshire and says he will visit monthly to bring food and supplies. He cautions that Walt risks capture if he leaves the cabin. A few months later, a disheveled Walt has a full beard and head of hair. Ed tells Walt that Skyler is using her maiden name and works as a part-time taxi dispatcher. There is a nationwide manhunt for Walt, and his abandoned house is now something of a tourist attraction.

Walt stuffs $100,000 into a cardboard box and walks into town. He stops at the local bar and pays a barmaid to call Walt Jr.'s school pretending to be Marie. Walt tries reconciling with Walt Jr. and says he is going to send money for Skyler. Walt Jr. is enraged, blames Walt for Hank's death,[d] and furiously wishes Walt dead. Dejected, Walt calls Albuquerque's DEA division to surrender, leaving the phone off the hook so they can trace his location.

On the bar's TV, Walt sees Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz being interviewed by Charlie Rose. They discuss their charitable contributions to drug abuse rehabilitation and note that Walt's blue meth is still being distributed. They dismiss Walt's contribution to Gray Matter Technologies, which angers Walt. Motivated by their comments and the knowledge that his blue meth is still being sold, Walt leaves before local police arrive.

Production[]

Bob Odenkirk made his final (pre-Better Call Saul) appearance as Saul Goodman in this episode.

On September 18, 2013, it was announced that both "Granite State" and "Felina" would run for 75 minutes including 22 minutes of commercials.[1] The episode title refers to the nickname of New Hampshire, which is where Walt is relocated upon being given a new identity.[2] Parts of the phone call of Walt and Walt Jr. needed to be reshot, because during the transport an airplane rolled over the film.[3]

This episode marks the final appearance of Bob Odenkirk as a series regular, as his character, Saul Goodman, flees to Nebraska. Odenkirk returned as Saul in the spin-off prequel to Breaking Bad entitled Better Call Saul. In the episode, Saul tells Walt, "If I'm lucky, a month from now, best-case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha." Gould said this was simply a throwaway line as Better Call Saul had not yet been conceptualized, but once that series was greenlit, it was decided to show in the flash-forward of the series premiere that Saul has indeed become a Cinnabon manager in Omaha, Nebraska.[4]

Reception[]

The episode was watched by 6.58 million viewers on its original broadcast.[5][6]

The episode was generally acclaimed, with critics commenting on how the slower change of pace from the previous week's episode "Ozymandias" allowed for a more contemplative narrative.[7]

Peter Gould was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama for this episode.[8]

Robert Forster's guest performance earned him the Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television.[9]

The Ringer ranked "Granite State" as the 7th best out of the 62 total Breaking Bad episodes.[10]

Notes[]

  1. ^ As seen in "Ozymandias".
  2. ^ As seen in "Rabid Dog".
  3. ^ As seen in "Blood Money".
  4. ^ As seen in "Ozymandias".

References[]

  1. ^ Couch, Aaron (September 18, 2013). "Breaking Bad: Final Two Episodes Get Extended Run Times". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Porter, Rick (July 16, 2013). "'Breaking Bad': New pics, episode titles and everything else we know about Season 5b". Zap2It. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  3. ^ Martin, Denise (September 23, 2013). "Breaking Bad's Peter Gould Talks 'Granite State'". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Ryan, Patrick (February 8, 2015). "'Saul' fans can get sweet deal at Cinnabon". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 24, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night + 'Dexter' Series Finale, 'Devious Maids', 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  6. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 23, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' Hits New Highs In Penultimate Episode With 6.6 Million Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  7. ^ Dietz, Jason (September 22, 2013). "Episode Review: Breaking Bad, "Granite State"". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  8. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 5, 2013). "Breaking Bad, Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards Lead 2014 WGA Nominations". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  9. ^ Cohen, David S. (June 27, 2014). "Saturn Awards: A Genre Reunion and More Gold for 'Gravity'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  10. ^ Chris Ryan (September 30, 2019). "The Ringer's Definitive 'Breaking Bad' Episodes Ranking". The Ringer. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2019.

Further reading[]

External links[]

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