Breaking Bad: Confessions (5x11)

I have been complaining the last few weeks about a lack of Jesse in these episodes. Let me tell you - this episode made up for that in spades. This episode gave every single central character a lot of screen time and a lot of room to grow and explore. It was honestly the episode I had been waiting for these past weeks, since it brought our entire cast of characters together and pushed things forward in a big way.

That being said, it was not flawless. Due to time constraints in my own busy life, this review will be rather brief, especially for such a meaty episode. Let's go through each character's journey in this episode and talk about what went well and what did not.

First of all: Walter Jr. He didn't have the biggest plot arc in this episode, nor has he had a lot to do this entire season. However, I really enjoyed the little of him that we did get. Walt sits down with his son to be "honest" with him, telling him that his cancer has come back. This scene broke my heart because Jr. looked so devastated at the thought of losing his father, but he has no idea about the rest of what is going on. Walt's subtle manipulation was actually really hard to watch, since Jr. clearly cares so much for a man he knows nothing about. I hope we get to really explore more of Jr's role in events as the season continues.

Suits: The Other Time (3x06)

This week's episode of Suits was the strongest of the season so far. I was smiling through the whole thing. It wasn't flawless, of course, but I had a lot of fun seeing the flashbacks to ten years ago, and examining how our characters got to where they are today.

In the present-day plot, a few different things were going on. For one, Cameron Dennis has another witness for the trial, so it looks like the case is going forward again. Throughout the episode, there was a lot of back-and-forth about this. Mike discovered that Cameron was only bluffing, but then it turns out that he does get the witness, thanks to Stephen Huntley's meddling. I was a bit annoyed with this plot line honestly, because this case with Cameron is just a big game of back-and-forth at this point. Ava wasn't even in this episode, and it turned into nothing more than a continuation of the petty feud between Harvey and Cameron.

Louis was barely in the episode at all other than a few moments of comic relief. Also missing from the main plots this week was Rachel, who goes to visit Stanford to decide if she wants to go there. Mike is resistant to the idea, understandably, but he comes through in the end and says he'll support her no matter what. And then... he pulls out an acceptance letter of his own. To Harvard.

What? 

What?

Breaking Bad: Buried (5x10)

After last week's strong opening, this week's Breaking Bad was actually a little bit less impressive. For a show that is always pushing the envelope, there were a few sections of this newest episode that moved along at a snail's pace. While I greatly enjoyed Skyler, Hank, and Marie this week, I found that Walt's and Jesse's stories didn't captivate me as well as I would have liked. As this show really works best when considered as a whole, it is sometimes difficult to judge each episode individually. And while I'm not disappointed with this week's installment, (nor have I ever been with this show) I was hoping for a bit more from our two main characters.

I'll start with Jesse. He was barely in last week's episode, and he took a backseat again this week. At the beginning, we see a man follow a trail of money to where Jesse's car is parked, door open and lights blinking. Jesse himself is lying listlessly on top of playground equipment. We don't see him again until the end of the episode: he has been taken in to an interrogation room for questioning about the bundles of money he threw out of his window. Hank tells the men interrogating him that since he has a special relationship with Jesse, he might be able to crack him. The episode ends as the door ominously clicks shut on Hank and Jesse.

I am hoping that next week's episode focuses on Jesse, because I seriously missed him these past two weeks. His plot is moving so slowly that I worry that soon I'll lose interest in it, even though Jesse is such a fantastic character.

Suits: Shadow of a Doubt (3x05)

This week's episode of Suits took huge leaps forward with the primary plot arc of the season. While it was by no means a flawless episode, there were a lot of things about it that I truly enjoyed. I missed out on Harvey and Mike interaction, but the other relationship dynamics explored in this episode were important to touch upon as well.

Stephen tells Harvey that if he can get Ava off on her murder charges, his deal with Edward Darby will still be good. Harvey and Stephen team up, trying to prove that Cameron Dennis colluded with Tony Gianapolous. Although they seem to work together alright at first, in the end Stephen makes a risky move by targeting Gianapolous' family, and they nearly lose the opportunity. Harvey goes to Jessica, who convinces Ava to sell her shares of the company to Gianapolous. In this way, she will no longer own the company, but she will still manage it. Ava is resistant, but Jessica convinces her in the end. Gianapolous tells the truth about Cameron Dennis' actions. However, Cameron's grudge against Harvey is so strong that he decides to go on with the murder trial anyway.

Along the way, Stephen reveals his true colors to Harvey. Jessica offers Harvey quite a big gesture... she decides to allow him to be named partner. Wow! We also see how this whole Donna/Stephen thing is going to fit into a larger whole. I'll talk about that in a minute.

Breaking Bad: Blood Money (5x09)

Breaking Bad is back from its hiatus, and I am so happy to see its return. While in many ways this episode is just setting the stage for what's to come, it did take a couple of serious leaps forward in the overall plot, and I am more excited than ever to see how Walt's journey will end in just a few short weeks.

We start with a flash-forward. Walter's house is completely abandoned. The pool has been covered, and kids are skateboarding on the cement. The word "Heisenberg" is sprayed on the wall. He retrieves some ricin from a hiding place in a light switch. His old neighbor, apparently named Carol, seems very frightened to see him. From all of that, we can safely assume that something big is going to go down at that house, and I must say I am very excited to see how it goes.

Then, we go back to right where we left off before the hiatus. Hank has just discovered that Walt is Heisenberg, and he does not appear to be taking the news very well. He manages to stumble his way through a goodbye, and then he and Marie leave the party. It was so eerie to see Walt's normal behavior; the way he holds his daughter and talks to Hank and Marie just proves how good he has gotten at living the lie. Hank is in a state of total panic. He nearly crashes the car on the way home and is taken to the emergency room. They determine that nothing is wrong with him.

Suits: Conflict of Interest (3x04)

This week on Suits, we saw Ava Hessington's plot take important steps forward. We saw Jessica and Harvey's rivalry grow. We saw some interesting developments with Katrina. And... we saw some stuff that didn't need to be there at all. I can't say I walked away from this week's episode entirely thrilled, but I also wasn't disappointed. I'll start with a brief summary of the plot.

Harvey is working on Ava's murder case, while Louis works the Hessington Oil case. For the first time, we see in the way in which Hessington Oil and Ava Hessington are separate clients of the firm. This causes some tension between the Harvey & Mike team and the Louis & Katrina team. With Jessica's conniving help, Louis goes to the board of Hessington Oil and convinces them to save their company by ousting Ava. After the shocking discovery of Ava's innocence, Louis and Katrina become uncomfortable with the sneaky plan, but Jessica doesn't care. She does not let Louis back out, and Ava loses her company.

Meanwhile, Donna and Stephen have entered into an "arrangement" of sorts, wherein they agree to keep things casual for the six weeks that Stephen is in town. They go to see a show but they end up leaving before it starts. Rachel plays the role of gossiping girlfriend as she asks Donna what exactly is going on with her and Stephen. In the end, Donna realizes she needs to tell Harvey about her... relationship... with Stephen, but doesn't find the right time to do so. Mike and Rachel share their very first "I love you."