"Crawl Space" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Breaking Bad and the forty-fourth episode altogether.
Doctors and nurses hastily prepare medical equipment until a phone call prompts them to wheel a stretcher out of the room. Upon their exit it's revealed that they are working in a tent inside an abandoned warehouse. A car comes racing toward them, frantically honking its horn until it comes to a halt and its driver, Jesse Pinkman, jumps out. The medical staff put the unconscious Gustavo Fring onto the stretcher and rush him into the tent, leaving behind the severely injured Mike Ehrmantraut.
In the tent, the doctors and nurses focus intently on saving Gus from his self-induced poisoning. Jesse stumbles in carrying Mike, who is bleeding profusely, and shouts angrily, "This man needs help!" The head doctor, Dr. Barry Goodman, shoots back, "This man pays my salary" in reference to Gus.
Summary
Walt and Tyrus in the superlab
Walter White cooks another batch of meth alone in the superlab with Tyrus Kitt hovering over his shoulder. He asks about Jesse and what should be done with Hank Schrader; as usual, Tyrus is a man of few words. When they weigh the meth, Walt tries to add 0.02 pounds to the total in a failed attempt to implicate Tyrus in stealing the product. Later, Walt sits with Hank in his car while Hank patiently watches Gus's chicken farm. There was a big cartel incident in Mexico, Hank says, with many bodies, which makes Walt worried about Jesse. Hank brings up the subject of Walt's face, which still has many cuts and bruises from the fight with Jesse, and assures him that if he's in over his head, he is the guy to talk to.
Back in Mexico, Mike is asleep and receiving a blood transfusion. The whole scenario was planned out from the beginning, with the doctors prepared with the medical history and correct blood types for the trio. The doctor says Mike will need at least a week of rest before he can travel, so Gus and Jesse set off to leave without him.
It's a six-mile walk north to Texas. Gus congratulates Jesse on his performance in the ordeal and says he's proved he can run the superlab on his own. "Let Mr. White go," Jesse tells him, but Gus objects. Jesse insists that he won't cook if Walt is killed.
At home, Skyler White, entering the kitchen with groceries, discovers a voicemail from Ted Beneke. Ted states that he gave the situation more thought, but has decided he "can't do it." At Ted's house, Ted gives Skyler a check for the full amount she gave him previously, but she tries to convince him to pay the IRS with this money. Skyler knows that if the IRS investigates Ted, they'll investigate her as well, possibly finding out about the "gambling winnings" used to buy the car wash. She cannot, however, tell Ted why he must comply. He says the amount she gave him isn't enough to save his life from ruin anyway, which sounds like blackmail to Skyler. Distressed after the meeting, Skyler calls Saul Goodman .
Gus and Jesse visit Tio Salamanca, where Gus gloats about murdering Don Eladio Vuente and the other high-ranking members of the Juárez Cartel. He places Eladio's eye necklace into Tio's pocket. As it turns out, the man Jesse shot during their escape was Joaquin Salamanca, Tio's grandson and last remaining male family member.
The collision between the vehicles
Walt again sees Tyrus watching Hank's home as he goes to pick up Hank for another day of watching Gus's farm. As they drive, however, Hank unexpectedly asks Walt to go to the industrial laundry where the superlab is hidden. Hank tells Walt about the connections he's found between the laundry, Madrigal Electromotive, Los Pollos Hermanos, Gus, and Gale Boetticher. "In an industrial laundry, we've got one hell of a place to hide a meth lab," Hank observes. Walt drives past the laundry's entrance and then deliberately causes a car accident by turning into oncoming traffic.
Back at the Schrader house, Hank, in a neck brace, sits eating frozen yogurt with Skyler and Walter White Jr. as Marie Schrader and Walt enter the room. The accident added a new set of wounds to Walt's already battered face. Hank announces that he's ordered a "gimp mobile," a new car with hand controls, so he doesn't have to get friends and family to drive him around.
Saul calls Skyler to inform her that he's dealing with Ted using his "A-Team", Huell Babineaux and Patrick Kuby (who acted earlier as the fake EPA inspector in Skyler's plot to get Bogdan to sell his car wash to the Whites ("Open House")). The A-Team visit Ted at his home and force him to write a check to the IRS for $617,226.31, telling him they will remain at his house until the check clears. When Ted tries to run, he trips over a carpet and crashes headfirst into a wall. The A-Team later confirm that the check was mailed and say what happened to Ted was an "act of God".
Walt returns to work at the superlab by being concealed among dirty laundry. Although Walt took four days off due to the accident with Hank, he discovers that someone had been cooking in the lab during that time: it must've been Jesse.
That evening, Jesse hangs out at his house with Andrea Cantillo and Brock Cantillo, playing games when Walt shows up. He implores Jesse to not cook on his own, pointing out that he'll be killed if rendered unnecessary. Jesse becomes furious with Walt and thinks he's becoming a risk. "You brought your brother-in-law to our lab. What the hell is wrong with you?"
When Jesse leaves, Tyrus tazes Walt into submission. He is covered with a hood and taken out to the desert where he meets with Gus, who says he's fired. Walt deduces that Jesse is preventing Gus from eliminating him, declaring "If you could kill me, I'd already be dead." Gus is also after Hank now, and warns Walt that he'll kill his entire family if he interferes.
Afterward, Walt frantically presses Saul for the phone number of the guy who makes people disappear. He gives him the number, but warns that it'll cost at least $500,000 in cash for four people. Walt also asks Saul to give him a one-hour head start and then warn the DEA that Hank's life is in danger.
Walt searches for the money
At home, Walt scrambles into the meter room and desperately searches for the money in the crawl space below, only to find out that a large sum of the cash is missing. Skyler enters the room with a look of fright on her face, peering down at Walt in the crawl space as he frustratingly demands she tell him where the missing money has gone. She admits that she gave the money to Ted to protect the family; nervously trying to explain herself to a panicking Walt. Walt lets out a violent scream and begins to cry, until his tears abruptly turn into maniacal laughter. The phone starts to ring, several times before the caller begins to record a message: It's Marie, who is in sheer panic because the DEA received a tip that the Cartel is going to attack Hank again. Skyler approaches the phone and after calming herself, picks it up and starts talking to her sister. Back in the crawl space, Walt has stopped laughing and is now just staring aimlessly through the hole in the floor that leads to the basement.
Credits
Main Cast
- Bryan Cranston as Walter White
- Anna Gunn as Skyler White
- Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
- Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader
- RJ Mitte as Walter White Jr.
- Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman
- Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo Fring
- Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut
Supporting Cast
- Mark Margolis as Hector "Tio" Salamanca
- Christopher Cousins as Ted Beneke
- Emily Rios as Andrea Cantillo
- Bill Burr as Patrick Kuby
- JB Blanc as Barry Goodman
- Ray Campbell as Tyrus Kitt
- Lavell Crawford as Huell Babineaux
- Tina Parker as Francesca
- Ian Posada as Brock Cantillo
Trivia
- Hank tells Walt that much of his job involves waiting. This is like what Mike told Jesse in Template:L2.
- The little white car is Walt's after the Pontiac Aztek is damaged. It can be seen at Jesse's house when Walt visits and then it's out in the desert (Tyrus and his thug walk to the other car).
- Ted trips over his carpet early in the episode, foreshadowing his later fall caused by the same carpet.
- Once again, a character is blindfolded and then not killed. This goes back to what Jesse told Mike about the thief in Template:L2, as well as what Walt and Jesse did to Saul upon their first meeting (Template:L2). The hood was apparently meant to scare Walt.
- The vacuum model used as a code for the man who makes people disappear, the "Hoover MaxExtract Pressure Pro Model 60", is a real product.
- When Walt arrives at Jesse's house, he and Brock are playing the video game, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 video game)
- References to other media:
- Due to his facial cuts and bruises, Hank remarks that Walt showed up looking like "Macho Camacho."
- Hank calls Walt "Kojak" because he's bald and talking about how the chicken farm is the best place to investigate.
- Hank calls Walt "Mr. Magoo" for not seeing the oncoming traffic that hit them.
- Hank describes the web of connections surrounding Gus as being like Three Days of the Condor.
- Marie describes Hank and Walt's sleuthing as a Hardy Boys routine.
- Hector is watching the conclusion of The Bridge on the River Kwai.
- Saul calls his guys "The A-Team".
- On the uncensored DVD version, Huell's "mofo" line at Ted's house is changed to "motherfucker".
- The final shot where Walter stares exasperatedly out of the crawl space bears resemblance to the shot of Jesse on his first heroin trip in Mandala. Both the shots feature surreal photography with the camera rising impossibly high looking down, conveying the intense feelings both characters were experiencing.
Featured Music
- "Crawl Space" by Dave Porter (as Walt searches for money in the crawl space)
Notes
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