I believe that Hank knows something fishy is up with Jimmy In-N-Out, and I think Hank is going to interrogate him to find out how much he really knows about cooking meth and how he is able to cook such pure meth. Jimmy of course will probably be completely ignorant to the whole method, but perhaps he is also able to keep his mouth shut with a guy like Saul for a lawyer.

Yeah, Hank is not buying it, just dose not make sense. The real Heisenberg would not risk a deal out in the open like that at a bus stop? No, that pig just dose not fly, even with lipstick. Man this show is just going deeper and deeper into the abyss. That commercial for Saul was Hilarious...

I do think there are other hackle-raisers to consider, Donna. In addition to the ones already mentioned (Jimmy's fame and the fishiness of the whole set-up), I can spot two. And unfortuntately, they both point straight at Walt.

The first - which other fans may not agree with - is that Walt's behavior, I thought, was very non-Waltish during his impromptu decoy of the sting. That open, friendly greeting... that obtuseness... "Oh, you guys are on a stake-out!... oh!... oh, wait, you want me to leave?... oh! okay, I get it!" Walt is somber and reclusive and anything but obtuse. Hank has known Walt for years, and I don't think he was fooled.

The second - I'm telling you, I thought the jig was up when Badger described Heisenberg to Hank as a middle-aged, average-sized guy with a completely bald head. The close-up of Hank's face right after that was not a random camera decision. Hank, in my opinion, has been sniffing something around Walt ever since that episode - can't remember which one it was - when he visited Walt at school about the "stolen" gas mask and made the crack about "not wanting people to think
it was him (Walt) who had stolen it". Ever since then, things have been adding up. Hank goes mostly by instinct and not by rational analysis, so it may take him a while to get the sum. But I think he's slowly catching on.

The origin of so many clues does start with the found gas mask/stolen lab equipment from the school. The purest form of meth ever seen on the streets in decades? I think you're right, Don, because the clues start at the school and Badger not being smart enough to give a false description of Heisenberg, I thought Hank would get it then. I thought the same thing when Badger described Heisenberg - I just about jumped out of my chair.

The bust of Jimmy is suspect because of Jimmy standing up immediately after receiving the meth, and putting his heads up a split second before any cop is near him. Why would he even know he's under surveillance, unless it was a planned job? Hank will watch that video again. Also, was there anything in Jimmy's criminal record/busts of the past for drugs? Saul listed his crimes, but can't remember if drugs were part of Jimmy's criminal background or not.

Also, Jimmy's past convictions/representations my bring Saul under surveillance by the DEA, if Hank is being suspicious.

Remember, Hank needs to redeem himself with the DEA after El Paso. He just got a great pep talk from Walt, and he seemed re-invigorated by the time of the stake-out.

Oops, meants "hands up" - need to proof my comments.

LMAO, jamm54!!! =D

Freudian slip??? hee hee hee!

Yeah, LOL!!

I guess it would be too obvious, but it would be hysterical if Walt started wearing a toupee so he's not so similar looking to the Heisenberg description. I suppose both Skyler and Hank would react like, what the f--k?? for their own reasons which would only encourage more suspicion about Walt's behavior. Walt's between a rock and a hard place, alright. Too bad Badger wasn't smart enough to give a fake description of Heisenberg, but Badger is Badger - dumb. Wait till they catch Skinny Pete and Combo, and get further details. Oh my.

And, sorry, I've been corrected on this but I keep mixing it up. Jimmy was the supplier, not the buyer in that stakeout bust.

I'm still sticking with what I think was the biggest mistake Walt could've EVER made, and that was getting that obnoxious, smart-ass attorney involved in this whole thing. He's gonna be charging Walt big bucks to keep his new secret life under wraps, not to mention also for abducting him and taking him out to a hole in the desert and scaring the shit outta him with a threat to kill him. This is money that Walt needs to save for his original cause. What I don't fully understand is why the hell did Walt even go to Badger's rescue anyway? Where's this tough guy "blowfish" image such like he expects Jesse to have? If I'd have been Walt I'd have probably said something like "Oh fucking well! That's too bad that Badger got caught! Piss on him, let him rot in prison for being so stupid to get caught like he did". Does anybody have a guess how long Walt is gonna take being pushed around by this asshole lawyer?

Apparently in next week's episode, Walt and Jesse are going out in the RV for a big cooking marathon. Walt uses the excuse to Jesse that the chemical in the drum that they stole is going bad. The smart thing to do would be to go ahead and use up that chemical, and then go get something else that can make just as powerful of meth only NOT BLUE, since everybody, including the DEA, is associating that blue meth with Heisenburg. This would really throw everybody off the trail.

Something else: Walt isn't stupid, and he probably realizes that he didn't really help matters by coming up to Hank and his crew right in the middle of a damn drug bust and striking up small talk, but he did what he felt like he had to do in that situation. Unfortunately, Hank isn't stupid either. I'm sure he thought "Of all the freaking streets in a city the size of Albuquerque, it just happened to be a bit TOO much of a coincidence that my brother-in-law comes wheeling up in his car out of nowhere while I'm on a drug bust stakeout.

And jamm54, you're absolutely correct writing that Hank is gonna see what really happened when he reviews the video of the bust. And he will also see Jesse in it too.....

Hadn't thought about Jesse in the video. Granted, his back is to the stakeout camera, but he always wears the oversized clothes and the cap. I'm sure in a review of the video, Hank will be able to zoom in the picture where he wants. Jesse needs to grow a beard or moutstache and dress different, and Walt needs to get a toupee! At least one of them needs to alter his looks, probably easiest for Jesse because no one would be questioning him. Of course, facial hair can also end up being an easy identifier. I think they need to get new wheels too, or paint the RV or something. I don't know how they would unload the toxicmobile at this point, but it wouldn't hurt to get a different one or find permanent quarters to do their cooking.

Hey Don, I remember you from last year! How have you been?

I absolutely agree with you that Walt wouldn't have approached Hank in that manner. He would wait to be greeted, not thrust himself into the situation. Of course, we know he's got an ulterior motive, but it had to have made Hank think.

I thought Hank looked like he had been kicked in the stomach after the arrest of "Heisenberg". The hamster is on the wheel and he's starting to put things together.

Yeah, Hank is putting together the pieces, he has been for about 3 or 4 episodes now.He's not a DEA officer for being stupid. I think he already knows, but he just can't imagen that it could really be Walt.

Hey Donna! Nice to see old faces (or, er, old screen names)!

jamm54, I noticed that too, that Jimmy In-'n-out was standing up before the cops even had their guns on him, practically. *We* know why he did that, but that kind of behavior, coupled with all the other weirdness going on in that bust, has got to rouse even Hank's lumbering instincts.

I don't believe Saul mentioned a drug bust in Jimmy's prior convictions either, but then again, he didn't go over all of them, did he?

About Badger not giving a fake description of "Heisenberg": you're right, it *may* have been just typical Badger stupidity, but then again... does Badger really feel any loyalty towards Walt? Does he really care? If it might get him out of a term in the joint, why *wouldn't* he give Walt up? He's scared of Jesse, sure, but he hasn't heard about Walt offing anybody with an ATM machine. So, I don't know.

bigfreakinnaz: was Jesse actually in the video? Hadn't he already walked out of range by the time Walt moved his car? I'll have to go back and watch it again, but if you're right - wow. That would be a dead giveaway.

Finally, in regards to the idea that Hank is gonna find Walt out pretty soon: have you guys seen the preview commercial where Walt is saying to someone: "Stay out of my territory"? You can only see a slim crescent profile of who he's talking to, but.... doesn't it kind of look like Hank?

My hypothesis: Walt makes a deal with Hank, becoming an informant for the DEA in return for them "staying out of his territory".

Far-fetched maybe... but wouldn't it be cool?

That's a wild idea, Don. So far, the writers have surprised me about 95% of the time (or else I'm the crappiest theorist/guesser ever). Hank better go back to his PST mode where he was too scrambled to think about Heisenberg. Walt shouldn't have given Hank that pep talk; now Hank's all hot to put some energy back into his swagger with a huge bust - I guess Heisenberg would be it. How long before they figure out it's not the real Heisenberg they busted? Or before they haul Badger back in? Or maybe even Jesse?

Remember in i think episode 1 season 1.........walt goes on the DEA ride/bust and all that.........when Walt asks if he can come in and check out the lab? Both Hank and his partner looked at him.........then each other hahahaha........they'll no doubt remember that as the pieces fall together..........along with the lab theft, thermite, methylamine, 50, bald, blocked surveillence @ crucial time(badgers on other bench suddenly haha), not to mention lookin for walt at Jesses mamas house when Walt.......and Jesse........were missing...........so the car he tracks down leads him to.......OH HELL, IT LEADS HIM TO TUCO......whos shot and bleeding! Walt has practically spelled it out for him more than once........or hinted around at least! Skylar is always wonderin where he is......he knows this as well. Yea, that fake bust didn't fool anyone- except Walt and Jesse..........fooled them outta 80 grande!

Would there or could there be dirty cops/DEA? I can't imagine there'd be any dishonest DEA - but might be the only saving grace for Walt and Jesse. Or Hank goes crooked.

Maybe Walt and Jesse can start putting out special holiday batches to throw the DEA off their scent. Pastels for Easter; red, white and blue for Independence Day; red and green for Christmas. LOL

Don: Perhaps while Walt was diverting Hank's attention and blocking his view of the setup with Badger, the camera could've been rolling that whole time with a bird's-eye view from the other side of the DEA car, catching Jesse coming into the scene and telling Badger to go to the other bench. You almost have to figure Hank is gonna be looking at that video very carefully since Walt distracted him from getting the finer points when it happened. If he is able to ID Jesse in that footage, he will be able to immediately put it all together - "Hmm..Jesse Pinkman and Walt in the same vicintity at the same time..."

I feel Badger has to have some loyalty to Walt. After all, Walt is the cook of the blue meth, and he's not peddling it for him for his health! If Walt gets put out of business, there goes his paycheck. But then again, I don't see Walt and Jesse giving any more meth to Badger to move because he's hot with the cops right now, so he may have thought in his feeble mind "Why not give a description of Walt? If it keeps me out of Big Leroy's cell, I'll do it."

Jamm54> Dude...that is a great idea! Just like the holiday M&M's!!! I use those to make brownies for my kids and they love 'em!

They messed up to begin with when they decided help badger out they should of let him go to prison offered him a false sense of security then have him killed and use him as an example to Jesse's other friends to not be as stupid as badger. They wanted to seem rutless well they are failing in that area as of the moment. Then they got deeper into the shit when they showed their face to Saul I mean WTF!! your the manufacturar of some of the highest grade of meth ever seen and you show your face big mistake. It looks like Saul has some connections to the cartel and he may just use Walt as a trade in to save his own ass. And Hank well its only a matter of time before he figures the whole thing out. I dont think he's gonna bust Walt i think he's gonna let him know he knows and try to help him in one way or another. The reason for that being is that Hank isnt in it for cleaning up the street he's just doing it to feed his own ego and a paycheck.Plus walt is dying Hank's not gonna put him in prison so he can live the remainder of his day's incarcerated while he dies of cancer With that being said I wonder how Hank will react when he finds out, He probably wont be surpised and will sympathize with walt.

Frankly, I'm still waiting to see what the long term after-effects are gonna be for Hank after all the recent things he had to see and go through. Remember all the hyper-ventilating, stressing out, hallucinating, and all that other shit that's happening to him (even in this most recent episode)? Does anybody think there's a possibility that when Hank DOES find out Walt's game (and he will), and what it's all doing to his family, that it may push him over that fine line? I mean, you go add something like all of this to a guy's plate that's already full, and it may prove to be pretty tough to handle.

BFN> I agree. Hank is pretty emotionally fragile right now. It's been my belief that Hank will discover the secret before most of the others and also have some sort of conflict with deciding whether or not to reveal his discovery. I have the feeling Gomez is going figure strongly in the strife between Hank and Walt. What I didn't guess was the horrible price Hank has already paid and now I have to consider how that factors in with everything else.

Things are just so different this season! Everyone was still basically "normal" last year. Sure, they had problems, but in some ways, the characters weren't fleshed out well enough for me to have much more than a superficial opinion. I feel like I especially know Jesse and Hank a lot better.

bfn I guess Hank was able to hold his PTS in check after Walt's little pep talk and for the stakeout, but I still don't truly understand why Hank cracked over the Tuco shoot-out in the first place.

Hank's a career DEA agent. Why would that particular incident (the Tuco shoot-out) have such an effect on him in the aftermath? Hasn't Hank always been involved in life-or-death situations his whole career? So why that time?

The whole blow-up scene in El Paso was more horrific, I thought. After that one, well, I figured Hank would be a basket case (he was, all curled up in his dark bedroom refusing to talk to Marie) for a long, long time.

I think you're right about Hank's state-of-mind. His mental state is being held together like a spitwad - one more blow and he'll disintegrate. Maybe it will be a discovery of Walt's sideline activities or an attack from the cartel to do it, but when it happens, Hank may be blubbering in a strait-jacket for a while (but I hope not for long, I really like Hankie).

Hank may be a career DEA agent and everything, but when he went out on all those busts of probably low level dealers, he had a whole lot of backup with him with major firepower at his disposal to insure that he wasn't ever really facing grave danger from piddly-ass druggie punks they were hauling in.

BUT, the situation with Tuco was a whole different ballgame. Here Hank was all alone, none of his DEA compadres knowing he was there, and he was simply trying to locate this Jesse Pinkman guy to find any info on his missing brother-in-law's whereabouts. Then all of a sudden he's face to face with this notorious, evil, psychopath high-level druglord, who of which he just got finished telling all his co-workers to be on the lookout for, and he's forced into a life-or-death gunfight situation where all he has is his little 9mm handgun against this nutjob's big AK47. This situation he was up to his eyeballs in was probably the most dangerous one he has ever had to face in his DEA career. One where he could have very easily wound up dead, and there would be no telling how long before anybody would find him. I can fully understand how this would blow anybody's head, even Hank's. Plus, you add on the exploding tortoise/head thing, and all he really needs now is something else (or someone else) to put the icing on the cake for him.

BFN> I think you are onto something. Hank is one of those people who really works best in a crowd, with an audience. He ramps himself up when he is with other people, but he's actually pretty timid when he is by himself. Think about the panic attack in the elevator...he was getting ready to join the others, but for a few moments, he was stuck in a tiny space and suddenly, there's not enough air to breathe.

Also, dare I say it? He is haunted by the grill. In a big room with a lot of laughing people around or showing it to his brother-in-law and nephew, it's a trophy. But when he has some down time, it is a grim reminder of what almost happened to him. Why would you keep something like that around?

Walt's little talk is setting the stage, I think, for more trouble ahead.

bfn Thank you for that excellent explanation, now I do get it......poor Hank is all I have to say. It kind of fits in, too, with Hank's blowhard persona. Maybe he's not quite the Dirty Harry he presents himself to be after all.

Hank is definitely no Dirty Harry in my book jamm54, that's for sure! Hell, Dirty Harry would've split Tuco's grill in two while he was wearing it with just one shot of that 44 Magnum! No, Hank is a good guy and devoted to his DEA work and everything (For now!), but he really likes to talk big and put on a real dog and pony show for everybody to see. Trouble is that all his DEA buddies in ABQ haven't yet seen through all this bullshit to what he really feels. The El Paso DEA guys got a little taste of what he's really like when he scampered back to the truck for "Evidence bags". Luckily, that's what saved his ass from getting blown up with the others. And DR Kellogg, I think you're right about Walt stirring up Hank with the "Go Git 'em" talk. You go inflate a guys balls bigger than his head, it'll be the first thing to get deflated real quick!

Oh, hey jamm54? Sorry I kinda went overboard with the explanation - Mind + Keyboard + Fast Fingers = Long Story.

bfn You didn't go overboard - perfect! If you haven't figured out I like analysis by now, well you haven't been reading me! We wouldn't all be coming to this forum if we weren't in love with BB and a little over-zealous, over-the-top (and probably losing it) in our enjoyment! LOL

In one of the first scenes of Hank and Gomez in his office (was it Ep. 8?) when he's back, and said something like "Honey, I'm home!" I swear Gomez was looking at him in a weird way, skeptical or judgmental, I'm not quite sure. But Hank's rep has really been damaged after El Paso - forever, I don't know. Feel sorry for him.

I'll have to go back and look for that jamm54. Maybe while Hank was away down in El Paso, Gomez was in his seat at the controls, and probably liked it and wasn't real thrilled about seeing Hank back so soon. I don't want to get bitched at by a few certain other posters (I won't name names), but I still think that "thing" with Windy Wendy and his nephew Walt Jr. back from Season 1 that came out in the open in the DEA interrogation room, will get all misconstrued by the DEA upper echelon and others, and will bite poor Hank squarely in the ass. He's probably not looking so invincable now to his peers since word got around he showed his weak side after the tortoise/head blowup thing. They're probably thinking "Geez, what a puss!", and realize he doesn't walk on water. Gomez could be looking at him that way for this reason too.

bfn I think there's going to be some DEA suspicion about a Hank-Heisenberg connection because of their physical descriptions (bald, 50s), his brother-in-law (Walt - chemist, high school theft of lab equipment) plus his inncredible odds of running into the very man (Tuco) they were (DEA) chasing. It's going to look like Hank may have some in-side information if the DEA starts looking at Hank.

I was always under the impression that for all their smack, the ABQ gang was pretty tight. Yeah, Hank's a dickhead most of the time, but he's their dickhead! Also, he led some of the briefings in the first season, so he was in a position of authority. But the promotion to El Paso was over his head and he knew it. He lucked into killing Tuco, no two ways about it. And probably everybody in the office knew moving Hank was a bad idea.

I interpreted Gomez' look as one of genuine concern. If he thought Hank would speak frankly with him, he might have given him a pep talk similar to Walt's, but because they are both cops, it wouldn't have gone over well

Gomez knows Walt through Hank, but they don't really have an emotional connection. Gomez isn't going to have as much trouble with taking Walt down.

Ooh, just thought of something...what if Gomez has to shoot Walt or vice versa? How would that mess with Hank?.

Looked at the episode again, and I stand corrected about something! Walt DID block the view of the camera taping that bust, because skinny-boy cop kept saying "Shrader- he's blocking us- get him outta here!" like three times.

Hank may be good at his job but his ego will never let him find out about Walt. Even with it right in front of him he would not even consider that Walt could have fooled him so long. I think that having Saul in the picture might balance out the power struggle that is in the works with Walt and Jesse.

With Jimmy in and out I think that Hank will know that something is fishy but he will take credit for it. He needs people to look up to him and I don't think that he would admit that he was had.

Hank knows that ain't the dude!!!

He's suspicious...

he has that gut instinct... probably b/c the dude gave up so quickly... that this is not the right guy.

I mean, the guy was on his knees with his hands behind his head before the cops even got to him...

that has to raise the antennae of any DEA agent.

GREAT SHOW !!!!

I think Hank is just fragile enough right now to turn bad. He will finally have to acknowlege that his dorky brother in law fits all the qualifications for Heisenberg, and take a second look, and when he does, Walt's going to offer to cut him in and he'll take it. Then we'll have to see where that leads because it will get more tedious to keep the lies in check when there are more people involved. Hey once both sisters are being lied to, they're going to start comparing notes and those boys are going to be fried.

Well, the sisters share the same DNA and have a few quirks of their own (shoplifting, maybe infidelity, risky behavior - smoking while pregnant). I think everyone is going to break bad before the series is over, and the only one who will survive it will be Jesse (because he started the series already broken).

I have started to think that Hank is already connected with Walt. Consider this.
1. Why would the DEA let a civilian ride along on a bust?
2. When Hank told Walt about the gas mask being traced back to his school it was almost like he was telling him to be more careful.
3. Hank inventoried all of the lab items at the school with Walt, sort of like covering their tracks.
4. When Walt was missing and Hank sat in Walt's car, he sniffed the headrest and removed
something (gps?) from the wheel well.
5. Walt down played Walt having a 2nd cell phone when Skylar told him about it.

Just something to ponder.

That does seem strange. Alot of us kind of concluded (as far as Hank sniffing Walt's car seat and his actions about the second cell phone) that Hank thought Walt may be having an affair. So, as a man, he wasn't going to expose another man's infidelity (the man code - you know). But as far as the school stuff, well, you might be right. In a few scenes between Walt and Hank, Walt has looked like his confession is going to roll right off his tongue - he's looks this close to telling Hank what he's doing. Your guess is as good as anyone's, Dan222.

I'm not sure, but I think lots of civilian do ride-alongs. I don't know specifically if they would allow attending a drug bust, but in a town near where I live, there is actually a course you can take (just for the heck of it) to get an idea of what police work is like. And I know that Criminal Justice majors at many colleges are required to go on ride-alongs.

I thought Hank was retrieving a key to Walt's car to unlock it. A lot of people hide them in magnetized cases in that same spot. He took whatever it was from the wheel well, before he got into the car.