Granite State (Breaking Bad)
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"Granite State" is the fifteenth and the penultimate episode of the fifth season of the American television
crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...
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 h ...
'', and the 61st and penultimate episode of the series. The episode was directed and written by Peter Gould. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on September 22, 2013.


Plot

Ed Galbraith brings Saul Goodman to his vacuum repair shop, where
Walter White Walter White most often refers to: * Walter White (''Breaking Bad''), character in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' * Walter Francis White (1893–1955), American leader of the NAACP Walter White may also refer to: Fictional characters ...
also awaits a new identity. Walt attempts to coerce Saul into coming with him but is subdued by a coughing fit. No longer intimidated by Walt, Saul then leaves for his new life in Nebraska. Jack Welker's gang raids Marie Schrader's house and finds
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). J ...
's confession tape. Jack wants to kill Jesse for informing, but Todd Alquist wants Jesse to cook meth to impress Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, with whom Todd is infatuated. Knowing
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. ...
once met Lydia, Todd and other gang members break into Skyler's house and threaten her to keep quiet. Lydia is not convinced Skyler will stay silent, and aims to end their meth operation, but reconsiders after Todd informs her that the meth is now at 92% purity because of Jesse. Jesse escapes but is recaptured. Todd forces Jesse to watch as he kills Andrea Cantillo. Jack threatens to kill
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 se ...
if Jesse attempts another escape. Ed takes Walt to a secluded cabin in
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and says he will visit monthly to bring food and supplies. He cautions that Walt risks capture if he leaves the cabin. Months later, a disheveled, lonely and remorseful Walt has a full beard and head of hair. Ed tells Walt that Skyler is using her maiden name and working part-time as a taxi dispatcher. A nationwide manhunt continues for Walt and his abandoned house has become something of a tourist attraction. Walt packs $100,000 into a box and walks into town. He stops at the local bar and pays a barmaid to call
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 and his wife Skyler. He has cerebral palsy, as manifested ...
's school pretending to be Marie. Walt tries reconciling with Walter Jr. and says he will mail money to Walter Jr.'s friend Louis for Walter Jr. to give Skyler. Enraged, Walter Jr. blames Walt for
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 developm ...
's death, and wishes Walt dead. Dejected, Walt calls the DEA to surrender and leaves the phone off the hook so they can trace his location. While waiting for the police to arrive, Walt catches
Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz ''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 se ...
being interviewed by
Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP. Rose also co- ...
, on the bar's T.V. They minimize his contribution to
Gray Matter Technologies Walter Hartwell White Sr., also known by his drug-lord alias Heisenberg, is the main protagonist of the American crime drama television series ''Breaking Bad'', portrayed by Bryan Cranston. Walter was a skilled chemist and co-founder of a ...
, claiming Walt's only contribution was towards naming the company, which angers Walt. Motivated by their comments, Walt flees before the police arrive.


Production

On September 18, 2013, it was announced that both "Granite State" and " Felina" would run for 75 minutes including 22 minutes of commercials. The episode title refers to the nickname of
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, which is where Walt is relocated upon being given a new identity. Parts of the phone call of Walt and Walt Jr. needed to be reshot, because during the transport an airplane rolled over the film. This episode marks the final appearance of
Bob Odenkirk Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off '' Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has ...
as a series regular, as his character, Saul Goodman, flees to
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. Odenkirk returned as Saul in the spin-off prequel to ''Breaking Bad'' entitled ''
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
''. In the episode, Saul tells Walt, "If I'm lucky, a month from now, best-case scenario, I'm managing a
Cinnabon Cinnabon is an American chain of baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in areas with high pedestrian traffic such as malls, airports and rest stops. The company's signature item is a cinnamon roll. As of December 2017, there are more t ...
in
Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...
." Gould said this was simply a
throwaway line In comedy, a throwaway line (also: throwaway joke or throwaway gag) is a joke delivered "in passing" without being the punch line to a comedy routine, part of the build up to another joke, or (in the context of drama) there to advance a story or ...
as ''Better Call Saul'' had not yet been conceptualized, but once that series was greenlit, it was decided to show in the
flash-forward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...
of the
series premiere A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
that Saul has indeed become a Cinnabon manager in Omaha, Nebraska. To film the part where Charlie Rose interviewing Gretchen Schwartz and Elliott Schwartz, the crew emailed one of Charlie Rose's producers, then received a reply from Charlie Rose directly: "I love your show, and I love Vince Gilligan." The chronology of events immediately prior to and during this episode were further explored via flashback scenes in the 2019 sequel film '' El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'', and in three episodes of the aforementioned spin-off series ''Better Call Saul'' (these being Season 4's " Quite a Ride", Season 6's "
Wine and Roses "Wine and Roses" is the first episode of the sixth season of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of ''Breaking Bad''. Michael Morris directed the episode written by Peter Gould. It aired back-to-back with "Carrot and Stick" ...
", and the series finale "
Saul Gone "Saul Gone" is the series finale of ''Better Call Saul'', the spin-off television series of ''Breaking Bad''. It is the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth season and the 63rd episode of the series overall. Written and directed by Peter G ...
").


Reception

The episode was watched by 6.58 million viewers on its original broadcast. The episode was critically acclaimed, with reviewers commenting on how the slower change of pace from the previous week's episode " Ozymandias" allowed for a more contemplative narrative.


Accolades

This episode was nominated for two Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Michael Slovis was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour), while Kelley Dixon and Chris McCaleb were nominated for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, losing to Skip Macdonald for Felina. Peter Gould was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama for this episode. Robert Forster's guest performance earned him the Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television. '' The Ringer'' ranked "Granite State" as the 7th best out of the 62 total ''Breaking Bad'' episodes.


Notes


References


Further reading

*


External links


"Granite State"
at the official ''Breaking Bad'' site * {{Breaking Bad episodes 2013 American television episodes Breaking Bad (season 5) episodes Television episodes written by Peter Gould