"Green Light" is the fourth episode of the third season of Breaking Bad and the twenty-fourth episode altogether.
At a desert gas station, Jesse Pinkman fills The RV's tank. Realizing that he's short on cash, he charms the cashier girl into taking some freshly manufactured blue meth as payment instead. She's reluctant, admitting only having smoked pot before, but intrigued nonetheless. Just then, a police officer enters the store, Jesse plies on the pressure for her to take the deal. As the officer gets to the counter behind Jesse, she finally relents and takes it.
Summary
Mike Ehrmantraut visits Saul Goodman and plays an audio recording of Skyler White and Walter White's fight over her affair with Ted Beneke. Skyler admits that Walt called her bluff about having him arrested, but whether he stays or goes, she says, "We are not married anymore."
Walt tries to break Ted's office window
Walt heads to Beneke Fabricators to confront Ted, who refuses to see him. "You don't want to be a man about it?" Walt shouts. As a mortified Skyler and her co-workers watch, Walt hurls a huge potted plant at an inside window of Ted's office. It bounces off harmlessly. Three warehouse men arrive and toss Walt out the front door. Seconds later, Mike drives up and whisks him away.
"Consider this an intervention," Saul tells Walt back at his office. Suddenly it dawns on him, "Did you bug my house?" Walt asks, wondering how Saul knew where to find him. Saul admits he did, and Walt tackles him. "You're fired!" Walt screams. "I'm unplugging the website, so no more money laundering!" Saul screams back.
Mike removes the bugs from Walt's house. "You know, Walter," he says, "sometimes it doesn't hurt to have someone watching your back." As Mike drives away, his tires roll over a yellow chalk drawing of a scythe (a long curved blade often symbolic of death), no doubt placed there by another visit from the Cousins.
At school, Carmen calls a distracted Walt into her office to discuss his absenteeism and erratic behavior in class. Walt awkwardly tries to kiss her. Carmen backs away from him, alarmed at his strange behavior.
Hank learns about the return of the blue meth
A somber Marie Schrader drops Hank Schrader at the airport. "El Paso's like the Super Bowl," Hank explains. "What about last time?" she replies.
After Marie drives off, Hank receives a call from the Albuquerque sheriff: the blue meth has reappeared. An excited Hank hails a cab back to town, abandoning his El Paso assignment.
Back at school, Carmen has placed Walt on indefinite leave. In the parking lot, holding all his work items in a box, he comes across Jesse, who shows off the blue meth he cooked. "This is my product," Walt snarls, nitpicking about flaws in Jesse's process. Refusing a request to set up a meeting with Gustavo Fring, Walt tells Jesse, "My guy is a pro, and he doesn't deal with junkies." Jesse takes off in a huff, with Walt's box forgotten atop his car, which crashes to the floor as he speeds off, much to Walt's chagrin.
Skyler and Ted continue their affair
Over at Beneke, a co-worker ignores Skyler's efforts at small talk, flashing her the 'stink-eye' as she walks out the copy-room. Later that day, Skyler and Ted have another steamy sex session at his house. Afterward, Ted asks Skyler what went wrong with her marriage, as he doesn't want to make the same mistake with her. "I don't feel really comfortable talking about it," Skyler says.
In an interrogation room, Hank and Steven Gomez attempt to coax information out of a tweaker about the blue meth's source: The guy's name began with an "M," the meth-head recalls. Hank wants to pursue this possible Heisenberg lead, but Gomez thinks it's inconsequential. Hank should just report to El Paso. "I'm gettin' tired of all the second guessing," Hank replies tersely.
Jesse visits Saul and displays his bag of crystal, revealing he cooked it himself when he struck out convincing Walt to come back onboard. "You know the guy who knows the guy, right?" Jesse asks, begging Saul to hook him a deal.
Mike meets Gus in a parking lot and reports that Walt is physically fine but mentally "a disaster," and unlikely to return voluntarily to meth cooking. Describing the scythe drawing, Mike asks, "Why not just tell him you're the only thing that stands between him and an axe in the head?" "I don't believe fear to be an effective motivator," Gus responds.
Hank notices the ATM camera
Mike relays Saul's request for a meeting with Jesse. Gus reiterates his policy against dealing with junkies, but reconsiders upon learning that Walt and Jesse aren't getting along. "Do the deal," he says.
While following up on the tweaker's tip, Hank listens to an urgent voicemail message from ASAC Merkert. "I've got Texas breathing down my neck," says his boss.
At the gas station, Hank catches the cashier girl in a lie. Sobbing, she admits that a guy with piercing blue eyes and an RV paid her with meth, which she passed along to a friend named Matt.
The gas station's security camera doesn't work, but Hank notices an ATM whose camera points at the gas pumps. "Bingo," he says.
Over an awkward breakfast with his parents, Walter White Jr. reports that SaveWalterWhite.com donations have ceased. Walter Jr. suggests that since Walt is on leave, his dad can watch Holly so that Skyler doesn't have to bring the baby to work. "We'll see," Skyler says.
At an isolated underpass, Jesse delivers the meth to Victor, but complains when he only receives half the payment. "It's your half," says Victor as he drives off.
Hank meets with ASAC George Merkert at the DEA. "Are you going to El Paso now? Tonight?" the ASAC asks. "No," a reluctant Hank finally replies, then covers, "But that's only because I'm really close to something big here." Quietly understanding, "Better get to it then," the ASAC says.
Walt, driving his car, listens to a radio report that Jane Margolis's father, Donald Margolis, has attempted suicide. As Walt grimaces with further guilt at the news, a car pulls alongside him at a red light. Its driver, Victor, tosses a paper bag stuffed with money into Walt's car. "Your half," he says before speeding away. Walt ponders the cash until the light turns green. He drives off...
Official Photos
Trivia
- The episode's name is a double-entendre referencing the fact that Walt is (unknowingly) dealing with Gus again, having been given the "green light", or go-ahead, to make meth. To this end, the episode comically and symbolically ends with the final shot being that of a green traffic signal.
- The episode's title could also be a reference to the story Walt tells Marie in the cafeteria, where he says on the way to the hospital for his surgery, every single light they hit was green. ("I See You")
- The radio news reporting Donald Margolis' suicide attempt also reveals there were 167 fatalities in the Boeing crash ("ABQ") he was/felt responsible for.
- Gus expresses to Mike that he doesn't believe fear to be an effective motivator, but later episodes show he's not afraid to resort to it as the situation requires. Examples include the brutal killing of Victor as a message to Walt and Jesse ("Box Cutter") and the threat to kill Walt's family ("Crawl Space").
- When Jesse shows Walt the meth that he personally cooked, Walt becomes angered as he claims it is inferior and contains flaws, though in reality he is angered that Jesse is able to produce by himself a product that is as good as his.
- At the very start of this episode, the ATM in front of the gas station looked like blood splattered up on it from the bottom, like when Spooge's head was smashed under an ATM by his wife in a fit of rage ("Peekaboo").
Production
Credits
Starring
Guest Starring
Co-Starring
Uncredited
Filming Locations
- The Big Chief gas station is located on Hwy 550, Jesse trades meth for gas, then Hank uses the ATM camera to get a photo of the RV.
- Jesse only gets half the money from Victor, at an underpass towards the end of the episode.
- Victor drives up behind Walt, honks and throws a bag of money into his car while he sits at a red light. You can see the street sign for Unser (but not for Sage Rd), and the white traffic boxes on the shoulder of the road. (Insersection has been rebuilt sometime around 2013)
- Mike & Gus meet on the 4th floor of the Sunport Airport Parking garage, facing Northeast. Where they speak about Walt and Jesse's falling out.
Featured Music
- "Battle Hymn of the Republic" by Pat Boone (in the reception of Saul's office)
- "America the Beautiful" by U.S. Marine Band (in the reception of Saul's office)
- "Hank in Pursuit" by Dave Porter (as Hank leaves the gas station and looks at the ATM)
- "In the Valley of the Sun" by Buddy Stuart (in Walt's car near the end of the episode)
Memorable Quotes
- "You know, Walter, sometimes it doesn't hurt to have someone watching your back."
- ―Mike taking to Walter after removing the bugs from Walter's house.