‘Breaking Bad’ Retro Recap: ‘Madrigal’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Something that we have come to discover over the past couple of years, is that most jobs out there… are just jobs and they are a dime a dozen, and that we no longer have to sit there and tolerate toxic environments and poor management. Which is why so many are using their skill set to land better gigs right now. The kind that affords them a better schedule, a better environment and the possibility of working remotely. So that they can use that lack of stress to focus on getting into the career field that is going to bring them true happiness or just work a job that is free from dread and worry, and it is wonderful and comforting to know that we are now afforded this kind of opportunity, where others don’t have that option.
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For some jobs, are so lucrative and so intoxicating, that people will stand by them regardless of the danger and toxicity that is involved with them and for proof… then look no further than the next episode of Breaking Bad. For ‘Madrigal’ is a story that saw the fallout of the Gus Fring disaster bring a great deal of people down, including executives at Madrigal. Which was, the super shell corporation that Gus set up to hide his vast drug fortune and well… the heat that was coming down from Madrigal, through a bloodthirsty executive named Lydia, combined with the pressure that Walter White was exuding upon Mike to join his new drug empire… motivated this salty police vet to try and do like so many others… and change jobs. After all, he’d made his money, this gig was toxic, and he wanted to see his granddaughter grow up in a safe environment. So why not walk away?

But alas, that heat continued to burn, and it put Mike in a very difficult set of situations. The first was financial in nature, because Hank and the DEA went after the Cayman accounts that Gus used to pay people from and they seized that cash and bankrupted everyone getting a payout, in the hopes of getting someone to talk so the DEA could bring down everyone involved in this mess. Which meant that, Kaylee’s two-million-dollar trust fund was gone forever. But money has always meant little to Mike, and he has always been resourceful in building fortunes… so he let that go. But what he couldn’t let go, was Lydia’s poor choice. Because she was convinced that someone was going to talk and since Mike didn’t want to help in plugging potential leaks with bullets… she took matters into her own hands and ordered hits on Mister Chow, the methylamine supplier for the outfit, and Mike.

Which Mike was able to escape with ease, before opting to take revenge upon Lydia by showing up to her home with a magazine full of payback. But despite his desire to put her down, the fear she expressed over how her daughter was going to grow up without her, flipped a switch in Mike’s mind and helped him to realize… that this wasn’t something he could just walk away from. Kaylee needed that money, she needed a future and if Walter could make it happen, then so be it. An epiphany that motivated him to make the call to Walter’s house and go ahead and sign up for another tour in the Blue Sky Experience and just like that… the Heisenberg Empire is about to finally come to life, and with it… heartbreak and strife and more hard times.

Some of which is already taking place in the White home. Since Skyler is a mess over the fact that her husband has crossed the ultimate line, to the point where she was despondent in this tale and in some uncomfortable situations, courtesy of Walter and his belief that all is well and should be business as usual and Walt should be worried about that… and the DEA. Because it is obvious that with Hank’s boss stepping down over not listening to the clues revolving around Fring, and the investigation as it stands, that this agency is going full bore into uncovering every ounce of facts about this operation and will stop at nothing to expose its underbelly and well… that likely means some scary scrapes with the DEA are coming. The kind that might lead to the tragic and bloody ending of the Heisenberg Empire. Until next time.

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