I think it's been said elsewhere that he was a hired gun to help brainstorm some ideas for episodes before he went back to SNL.

Nice catch.  I love it when a show references its own past narrative, no matter how subtle — like it's rewarding us for being such good fans.

Has that been reported as fact? Looking back on that episode now with that in mind I could certainly see it: Walt and Jesse's handshake, the burning down of the lab, Gus's death — there were several definitive moments last night.  And how much more badass is Vince Gilligan if he was willing to end that series with the…

Loved the episode, favorite show and all, but is it just me or did the whole ricin/poison/plant angle just seem to come out of left field?  It was like they needed a quick catalyst for those last two episodes and it didn't mesh as well as I'm used to seeing in this show — granted I'm extremely spoiled, and things may…

Directly? Who you said, plus Tyrus, Tio, Gus, those two dudes rolling around in the rv when he suffocates them with some chemical smoke — did anyone die in the explosion at Tuco's?

Goodfellas?  On AMC? Get right outta town

I loved that scene — straight out of a Coen Brothers movie.

I was wondering this as well.  My take on it is Walt can't not warn Hank — he's still family.  But Walt not even considering letting Hank die is a weird sign of compassion from what we've seen Walt go through just to provide for his wife and children, let alone protect them from harm.  I mean, dude's not even your…

This TV show should win an Oscar.

I missed Hank.

I usually cringe when he throws out his prerequisite "bitch", but this time it worked like a charm.

I thought when Mike went to grab the chain off of the Don's neck that he was going to save him from drowning, and Gus was going to make the death a little more satisfying for himself.

Very depressing episode, but the saddest part?  That PT Cruiser.  Oh Boy.

Yeah, a couple of bare knuckle shots to the face of a couple of people who don't have any fighting experience would certainly do much worse in a real setting, but then we'd have a much less entertaining fight.  But adrenaline is a funny thing, with mother's lifting up cars to save their babies and whatnot.

I think because the entrance way to the lab is underneath a massive washing machine powered by hydraulics they probably assume they're in the clear for now.  Hank is doing all this detective work without the help (or knowledge) of the police; that means no search warrant, and no one else to assist him besides Walter —…

Cadillac used "Rock & Roll" in a commercial, so while this isn't the first, it is certainly the worst.

So in that train of thought, does Jesse not plan on killing Gus even if given the chance?  If that's correct, then it's a pretty big revelation, isn't it?

Yep. He rocks that thing like a Livestrong bracelet. 

I just watched the episode again, and I interpreted Jesse's text and Walt's reaction differently from Donna.  I read it as Jesse already setting up the meeting for the ricin, making Walt feel guilty for just yelling at Jesse to get things moving, instead of Jesse just ignoring Walt's plans to kill Gus.  Am I…

I always thought a "There Will Be Blood"-type ending, where Walt has his money and power, but no one else, with the cancer eating away at him, would fit with the storyline and his transformation throughout the show.