Breaking Bad: Abiquiú Rewatch

November 17, 2014 9:54 AM - Season 3, Episode 11

Skyler gets more involved in Walt's business, much to his chagrin. Hank struggles with his recovery. Jesse takes an active role in his new enterprise, leading him to a startling discovery.

The title: Abiquiú, NM was Georgia O'Keeffe's home for 39 years.

In the cold open, Jesse and Jane view My Last Door at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. The Breaking Bad Insider podcast revealed that the scene was in fact shot in-studio with an authorized reproduction of the artwork.

Two blog posts on O'Keeffe and Breaking Bad: Doors and Repetition (sadly the images are now broken); The Last Door and Breaking Bad.

posted by We had a deal, Kyle (5 comments total)

I'm not totally clear on why Gus invited Walt for dinner. Was it just to try to get him to stop working with Jesse?

There's another example of the small universe Breaking Bad is set in: it's one hell of an unlikely coincidence that Jesse would start dating the sister of the boy who shot Combo. But I overlook that because I like what the writers do with the plotline (thought it breaks my heart for Brock).

At first I thought it was kind of a weird setup with the dudes in the car taking the money and Tomás handing over the meth, but then it occurred to me that by doing it that way the dudes in the car aren't caught holding meth. Would it be hard to connect those two events in court in some way that prevents reasonable doubt? It seems like if you gave one guy some money and immediately afterwards someone else gave you drugs, you'd think the two events are connected, and I'd imagine the police would do some stakeout filming it, showing that it happens consistently.

On another note entirely, Saul mansplaining things to Skyler--wow. That's really cringeworthy.
posted by johnofjack at 4:58 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'm not totally clear on why Gus invited Walt for dinner. Was it just to try to get him to stop working with Jesse?

I'm not entirely clear on it either. Gus is all surface conviviality, but he's always ALWAYS working angles so he certainly must have a purpose in having Walt to dinner over and above "break bread together."

I think it's mostly about Gus asserting dominance. "Don't make the same mistake twice" is framed as friendly advice, but really it's a warning. What mistake has Walt made recently? He tried to bullshit Gus about why the batch would be late.

Other little things in this I like:

Skyler punctuates "married couples can't be forced to testify against each other" with "so there's that": an echo of both Walt and Jesse using that same phrase in Series 1.

Walt jokes with Junior about "something with playing cards in the spokes." Am I remembering rightly that in the cold open where Combo was shot, Tomas's bike did indeed have playing cards in the spokes?

After selling to him, Tomas tells Jesse to "bounce"; an echo of Combo telling Tomas "bounce, little man."
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:30 PM on November 17, 2014 [3 favorites]

Also: Jesse's whole plot to sell meth to his fellow 12-steppers is pretty much a moral low point for him. He's done bad things before and since in the series, but this choice is unforced. Even Badger and Skinny Pete think it's low: "like shooting a baby in the face."

Also, notice that Jesse reuses Jane's words from the opening:

JESSE: That O'Keeffe lady kept trying over and over until that stupid door was perfect.
JANE: No. That door was her home and she loved it. To me, that's about making that feeling last.

to try to tempt Andrea back into using:

ANDREA: I can’t get caught using again.
JESSE: See, the thing is not to get caught. You ever try that blue stuff that's going around? Just a little gas in the tank and suddenly everything is interesting. Man, I wish I could make that feeling last.

Lowest moment.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:41 PM on November 17, 2014 [4 favorites]

Rewatching on the 10th-anniversary marathon: it always stands out like a rusty nail Gus says of the dish he prepares for/with Walt "[the] kids won't eat it." They're never mentioned again and we're not given any indication in any other episodes that Gus has any family.

scribd has the as-broadcast script, and the stage directions for that scene are interesting:

Moving with subtle caution, Walt follows after his host, taking in the sights of Gus’s inner sanctum. Looking around, it’s... tasteful, modest... god, it’s... normal. Shockingly normal.

Cozy even. As Walt moves, he sees... On the floor of the living room, there’s one or two children’s TOYS (generic -- like a plastic riding toy or dolls, whatever we can get). Some of the cabinets and shelves may have family photos, but we never want to get close enough to see any details of faces (in case we want to cast these roles in later episodes).

There’s no sign of any other family members here currently, but the home certainly feels lived in. Can we be sure this home is actually Gus’... who knows?

posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:52 PM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Rewatching on the 10th-anniversary marathon: it always stands out like a rusty nail Gus says of the dish he prepares for/with Walt "[the] kids won't eat it." They're never mentioned again and we're not given any indication in any other episodes that Gus has any family.

I don't find it impossible that Gus is attempting to be a little more relatable to family-man-Walt here. If Gus can play "Charitable local business owner" to the point where he can take visits to chat with DEA workers - then that would not be much of an acting stretch. Viewers of the latter part of Better Call Saul will know that Gus is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to arrange his home just the way it ought to appear.
posted by rongorongo at 3:53 AM on August 30, 2022