"Confessions" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...

'', and the 57th overall episode of the series. Written by

Gennifer Hutchison Gennifer Hutchison (born ) is an American television and film writer. She is best known for her work on the television series '' Breaking Bad''. She won two Writers Guild of America Awards for her work on the series as a part of the writing te ...

and directed by Michael Slovis, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on August 25, 2013.

Plot

At a diner, Todd recalls to his uncle Jack and Jack's accomplice Kenny how he helped steal

methylamine Methylamine is an organic compound with a formula of . This colorless gas is a derivative of ammonia, but with one hydrogen atom being replaced by a methyl group. It is the simplest primary amine. Methylamine is sold as a solution in methanol, ...

from the train, neglecting to mention the boy he murdered. Agreeing to let Todd cook meth on his own, Jack and Kenny drive back into New Mexico. Meanwhile,

Hank Schrader Henry R. Schrader ASAC is a fictional character in the AMC drama series '' Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off series ''Better Call Saul''. He is portrayed by Dean Norris and was created by series creator Vince Gilligan. Hank's character development ...

tells

Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...

that he knows Walter White is Heisenberg. Jesse refuses to cooperate, and is released after Saul Goodman shows up. Later,

Walter White Jr. Walter Hartwell White Jr. (also known as Flynn) is a fictional character in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad''. Played by RJ Mitte, Walt Jr. is the son of protagonist Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White and his wife Skyler White, Sky ...

informs his father that Marie Schrader has asked him to help repair her computer and invited him to stay for dinner. Walt manipulates his son into staying home by confessing that his cancer has returned. Walt and

Skyler White Skyler White ( née Lambert) is a fictional character in '' Breaking Bad'', portrayed by Anna Gunn. For her performance, Gunn received critical acclaim, with some critics even lauding her character as the template for television anti-heroines. ...

meet Hank and Marie at the

Garduño's ''For people with the surname, see Garduño.'' Garduño's is a Mexican cuisine, Mexican and New Mexican cuisine restaurant chain from the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have two locations in Albuquerque, and formerly had locations in Las Cru ...

restaurant. The Whites try to convince the Schraders to keep their children out of the situation, but the Schraders refuse to comply; Marie even callously says that Walt should kill himself to end it all. As the Whites leave, Walt gives his in-laws a DVD of his "confession." Playing it at home, Hank and Marie discover they are being

blackmailed Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

. Walt's "confession" states that Hank masterminded the Heisenberg empire and forced Walt to cook meth for him. A stunned Hank then learns that Marie paid for his physical therapy using Walt's drug money, which Skyler had claimed were gambling winnings. This lends credence to Walt's story and torpedoes Hank's credibility. Walt meets Jesse in the desert and tells him that Saul can contact someone who specializes in creating new identities. He advises Jesse to start over and have a better life. Jesse reacts angrily, asking Walt to stop trying to manipulate him, and says, "You're acting like me leaving town is all about me and turning over a new leaf, but it's really about you ... you need me gone ... just say so ... just ask me for a favor." In response, Walt simply embraces Jesse, who cries in his arms. Jesse then agrees to leave. Saul admonishes him for bringing

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

for the journey. While Saul makes arrangements for Jesse's departure from Albuquerque, he has Huell Babineaux take Jesse's marijuana without his knowledge. While Jesse is waiting for the van that will relocate him, he notices the pot is gone, and suddenly realizes that Huell must have pick-pocketed it as well as the

ricin Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, ''Ricinus communis''. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body ...

cigarette that he previously believed

Gus Fring Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its prequel ''Better Call Saul''. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwester ...

used to poison

Brock Cantillo '' Breaking Bad'' is a neo-Western crime drama franchise created by American filmmaker Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the television series '' Breaking Bad'' (2008–13), its prequel/sequel series, ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–22), and its ...

. Jesse returns to Saul's office and physically attacks him, holding him at gunpoint and demanding to know about his role in Brock's poisoning. Saul admits to his involvement in the plot but insists he had no idea what Walt's intentions were. As Jesse leaves, Saul calls Walt, who rushes to the car wash to retrieve a hidden revolver from a vending machine. An enraged Jesse breaks down the door to Walt's house and begins to pour gasoline on the floor.

Production

Millard Drexler Millard "Mickey" S. Drexler (born August 17, 1944) is an American businessman and investor, currently CEO of Alex Mill, and head of Drexler Ventures. He was formerly the CEO and chairman of J.Crew, J.Crew Group, as well as the CEO of Gap (clothi ...

, former chairman and CEO of J.Crew Group, had a cameo appearance in this episode as a customer at the Whites' car wash to whom Skyler gives incorrect change. He stated that his scene, in which he says eight or nine words, took nine takes to film.

Reception

Viewership

The episode was viewed by 4.85 million people on its original broadcast, which was an increase from the 4.77 million of the previous episode.

Reviews

The episode received strongly positive reviews, with Walter's monologue particularly praised. TVLine named Aaron Paul the "Performer of the Week" for his performance in this episode. In 2019 '' The Ringer'' ranked "Confessions" as the 24th best out of the 62 total ''Breaking Bad'' episodes.

Accolades

won the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama for this episode. Aaron Paul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2014 for his performance in this episode.

Notes

References

External links

"Confessions"
at the official ''Breaking Bad'' site * {{WritersGuildofAmericaEpisodicDramaScreenplay 2010s Breaking Bad (season 5) episodes 2013 American television episodes