Thirty-Eight Snub

"Clear the contaminant." This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality. Please complete this article to the highest level of quality before continuing on other articles. Remove this message when finished.

Thirty-Eight Snub
Synopsis: Walt attempts to form a new alliance as he plans his next move. Skyler pushes Walt towards a business opportunity, in hopes of protecting the family.
Season	4
Episode	2
Directed by	Michelle MacLaren
Written by	George Mastras
Running time	45 minutes
Air date	July 24, 2011
U.S. Viewers	1.97 million
← Previous	"Box Cutter"
Next →	"Open House"

"Thirty-Eight Snub" is the second episode of the fourth season of Breaking Bad and the thirty-fifth episode altogether.

Summary

Teaser

In a motel room, Walt purchases a .38 snub-nosed revolver from Lawson, an illicit gun dealer procured by Saul. Watching him awkwardly draw the weapon, Lawson tells Walt that as long as the gun is for defense, there is little sense in him carrying an illegal firearm.

Act I

Mike has coffee in a bar and notices Victor's dried blood on his jacket sleeve; he wipes it off, unsettled. Meanwhile, Jesse has purchased a large home sound system and shows it off to Badger and Skinny Pete. He then successfully tempts his friends, who are in recovery, to take some meth. As the three of them get high, Jesse decides to throw a party. His house quickly becomes a crowded with people. Elsewhere, at his condo, Walt practices drawing his revolver.

Act II

Marie Schrader wakes in the middle of the night to find Hank Schrader examining his minerals. When she mentions how late it is, he pointedly notes that the house has other bedrooms.

The next morning, Walt chastises Skyler White for discussing their intention to buy a car wash over the phone. They're not talking about purchasing a brothel, she counters, adding that if Walt isn't willing to pull the trigger on the deal then she'll contact Saul Goodman directly.

Jesse, meanwhile, tiptoes through the passed-out partygoers. Peeling off some large bills, Jesse instructs Badger to buy everyone breakfast and keep the party going until he returns. At the lab, Walt tucks his gun in his belt, waiting for Gustavo Fring to arrive. When someone enters the laboratory and appears at the top of the stairs, Walt prepares to draw, but instead of Gus, it is actually Victor's replacement, Tyrus Kitt. He is there to pick up the latest batch. When Mike demands a second weighing as part of a "new policy," Walt asks to see Gus to "clear the air." Mike simply responds that Walt will never see Gus again. Mike leaves as Tyrus and Jesse weigh the batch. Walt looks unsettled that his plan to deal with Gus will be harder than he thought.

Act III

Surveilling the car wash from across the street, Skyler tallies the cars and services each customer receives, making a detailed accounting of the business. At the Schrader house, Hank pushes himself to "soldier up" through a tough physical therapy session. Marie is elated by Hank's progress, but after the therapist departs, Hank coldly orders her out of the room.

The party is in full swing at Jesse's house when he returns from the lab. Andrea rings the doorbell, but waits outside to speak with him. She asks Jesse if he sent her an envelope of cash the night her brother's killers were murdered. Jesse acknowledges he did, then urges her to use the money to move her son Brock to a better neighborhood.

Late that night, Walt approaches Gus's house, gun in hand, but when crossing the street, his phone rings. Tyrus tells him, "Go home, Walter." Surprised, he looks all around and sees nothing, but his every move is being watched.

Act IV

The next day, a deliveryman arrives at the Schrader home with dozens of boxes of minerals. Hank instructs Marie to check each box for damage. "They're rocks," she replies, bristling. "They're minerals," he corrects her, and that some of them are very delicate. Once again, Hank treats her unkindly and Marie feels it acutely.

At the car wash, Skyler approaches Bogdan Wolynetz with a proposal to buy his business. Knowing that Walter is behind the offer, he derisively asks for $10 million; Skyler counters with $879,000 then shows him detailed research of his expenses and revenues. Bogdan counteroffers with $20 million as the "Walter White price," still angry about the manner in which Walter left his employ. He then asks Skyler to leave because he believes Walter is using her to buy the car wash.

Walt approaches Mike at a bar, offering to buy him a drink. He explains that his recent actions were motivated by loyalty to Jesse, then self-defense. Walt says that he believes that Mike was just following orders when he tried to kill him, but insists that he and Mike are in "the same boat," and that Gus could easily kill either of them. Mike seems to consider the suggestion for a moment, then knocks Walt to the floor with a savage punch, and kicks him twice in the gut before leaving.

As Jesse's party finally breaks up, he asks Badger and Skinny Pete to stick around. Badger and Skinny Pete apologetically decline, disappointing a depressed Jesse who's desperate for the distraction. Alone in his house for the first time in days, Jesse cranks up the music to earsplitting levels, and sits against the shaking speaker, shaking. With fingers digging into his temples, Jesse starts to panic at being left with only the mess, the music, and his thoughts for company.

Official Photos

Trivia

• Some of the music featured during Jesse's party has strong language and is uncensored on home video. In the edited version, this language was muted.
• The subtitles on TV commercial of Saul Goodman says: 'Settlement figures quoted are for illustration purposes only... Does not constitute a promise of results... Amounts referenced are before fees and expenses... Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits...'
• The scene where Jesse, Badger, and Skinny Pete discuss why the pizza place (Venezia's Pizzeria) does not slice their own pizza comes from the scene in the episode "Caballo Sin Nombre" of Season 3, where Walter throws a pizza onto the roof of his house, also unsliced. This caused a fan discussion of why the pizza was not sliced.
• The title "Thirty-Eight Snub" refers not only to the type of gun Walter buys, but also to the various characters being snubbed throughout the episode:
  • Gus snubs Walter when Mike says Walter will never see Gus again.
  • Bogdan snubs Skyler when she asks to buy the carwash.
  • Mike snubs Walter when Walter asks him at the bar to get him alone in a room with Gus.
  • Hank snubs Marie during his treatment.
  • Badger and Skinny Pete snub Jesse when they leave the house at the end of the episode refusing to party any longer.
• Combinations of 3's and 8's occur often in Breaking Bad. The White residence is 308 Negro Arroyo Lane. In "4 Days Out" they cook 38 pounds of meth, which they eventually end up selling to Gus in "ABQ". In "One Minute", the time on the clock is 3:07 when there is one minute left, and it then turns to 3:08 when the minute is up. In this episode Walt buys a .38 caliber snub nose revolver.
• This is the first appearance of Lawson.
• In the scene where Walter and Mike are drinking, Mike always sticks his pink finger out when he takes a sip. It's unclear if this is intentional or a habit of the actor, Jonathan Banks.
• When Marie is organizing the boxes for Hank's minerals, there are 16 boxes which can be seen in the frame.
• Whilst high, Skinny Pete and Badger talk about the action games Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil and Call of Duty: World At War (Zombie Game Mode).
• The scene in which Walter practices drawing his gun uses camera angles similar to the opening scene of the "Pilot".
• When Jesse yells "Wake up and party!" the morning after the party at his house, the guest waking up in the frame is Bryan Cranston with a wig and different glasses.
• When Jesse steps outside to talk to Andrea, the house's actual street number of 322 can be seen next to the window.
• Walt's attempt to kill Gus in this episode is mirrored in the Better Call Saul episode "Point and Shoot" when Kim Wexler tries to kill Gus in a similar manner, by walking up to his front door and shooting him with a revolver.

Production

Credits

• Starring
• Guest Starring
• Co-Starring
• Uncredited

Starring

Bryan Cranston as Walter White Anna Gunn as Skyler White Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman Dean Norris as Hank Schrader Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader

RJ Mitte as Walter White Jr. Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo Fring (credit only) Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut

Guest Starring

• Jim Beaver as Lawson
• Matt Jones as Badger
• Emily Rios as Andrea Cantillo
• Charles Baker as Skinny Pete

Co-Starring

Marius Stan as Bogdan Ray Campbell as Tyrus Tank Jones as Chuck Ian Posada as Brock

John Christopher Hicks as Biker Jefferson Arca as Delivery Man Sarah Minnich as Party Girl David Robinson as Commercial Voice Over

Uncredited

• Martin Palmer as CarWash Patron

Featured Music

• "Money" by D/R Period (feat. Fly Ty) (as Jesse shows off his new sound system)
• "Up in the Club" by The Trak Kartel (while Jesse pressures Badger & Skinny Pete to take drugs)
• "Hoochie Mama" by 2 Live Crew (while Badger & Skinny Pete discuss zombie video games)
• "Unga Bunga Bunga" by Flavor Flav (during the party montage)
• "Raise Hell" by M.O.P. (Mash Out Posse) (played by Jesse on his sound system to wake up his guests and in his earphones at the lab)
• "Get Down" by Dub-Boro (Ed E. Ruger, DJ Phillie Phresh, Dubkiller & JJ the Jenius) (at the party after Jesse has left work)
• "The Long Walk Alone (Heisenberg's Theme)" by Dave Porter (as Walt approaches Gus' house and during the end credits)
• "Unknown Track #2" by Unknown Artist (in the carwash as Skyler introduces herself to Bogdan)
• "Digital Animal" by Honey Claws (at the end of the episode)

Memorable Quotes

Marie: "They're rocks, Hank."

Hank: "No, they're minerals. Jesus, Marie!"

―Marie and Hank about rocks, uh, minerals.