User Reviews

This episode really blew my mind. My heart was actually pumping in my ears for the entire last 20-25 minutes. It was exhilarating and exciting, and I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen. This episode is the best of Season 5 so far. I loved seeing Jesse come up with more great plans, he is really coming in to his own. Now for the ending...

SPOILERS: I am very conflicted with that ending. Throughout the episode, I was worried Todd would be killed/left behind/screwed over in some way by Walt because it seemed like something Walt could do to show he is really becoming evil. I thought maybe he would sacrifice Todd somehow to complete the methlamine transfer, or kill him for less witnesses or something. Vince Gilligan had warned this episode was shocking and/or mind-blowing for something that happens in it, and I was sure it would be Walt who shocked us. But no, it was Todd, shooting an innocent child who happened to be in the wrong place at the absolute worst time. I have re- watched that ending and thought it over and I am so excited to see how Jesse, Walt, Mike, and even Todd react to what he has done. Of course there was that scene where Walt looks menacingly down at Todd and makes sure he knows NO ONE can ever know about this, which is the only reason this child murder is not entirely unjust to me, at least from Todd's point of view.

Of course I think killing the boy is absolutely horrible and I hate Todd, but I'm looking at it from his point of view. There are some reasons I think it was a good idea for Todd to do this deplorable act: Mike made it very clear that Walt and Jesse were to be obeyed wholeheartedly and entirely by the Vamanos Pest crew, Todd included. So their orders, like 'make sure nobody ever knows about this', were just being followed. Then there's the fact that Todd may have been scared of the consequences should he be linked to a meth-manufacturing team and a train robbery, and he killed the kid so quickly in an act of self-defense and fear of the alternative. The cons, however, are many: there's the fact that he is now a murderer, of course, then the fact that the whole idea of the siphon/exchange system of the robbery was to ensure that no one was killed, (even though he may not have known that). Then there's the fact that Todd may have been too sure of himself and independent. There was already mention this season of Gus's murder of Victor, via box cutter to the neck. Walt had commented to Jesse that he had begun to understand further why he had done it, something along the lines of Victor taking too much authority and independence, where Gus was really the boss and Victor was stepping out of his role essentially. He was almost challenging Gus's power. Something similar happened here. Todd didn't await orders or ask for his bosses' permission. He just drew his weapon and shot a child to death. In fact Jesse even screamed "NO!" before he fired, so Todd theoretically could have stopped before he shot, but he continued anyway.

Jesse will undoubtedly be livid because a person, even worse a child, has been murdered because of them, and because, I'm sure, he feels Todd had no right to make that decision. Walt I'm less sure of, because he may even like how dedicated Todd was to following orders. On the other hand, as mentioned, Todd definitely stepped out of his role and acted on his own, almost challenging Walt's authority in an interesting parallel with Victor from the first episode of season 4. I don't think Todd will be around much longer, and from the look of the quick "next on Breaking Bad" set of clips at the end of the episode I think Mike will be angry as well, and something bad will happen to Todd, any way I look at it.

Anyway, very excited for next week. Best episode of season 5 yet. I'm off to buy it now, and get all exhilarated all over again.

Season five's opener "Live Free or Die" was a very small-scale hint of what was about to happen in this episode, as the unlikely trio consisting of Walt, Jesse, and Mike can now tick off 'robbing a train' from their criminal to-do list. The decisive factor for this absolutely bad-ass endeavour was methylamine, precursor for the group's product, and scallywag playing hard-to-get since the series' very first season. Yet everything's a bit bigger than it was when the high school chemistry teacher and the junkie snaffled a drum each of it from a warehouse - this time around, a thousand gallons change hands and the actual recipients mustn't ever know.

With the most beautiful Western vibe and a little help by a distracting Patrick Kuby and a slightly too enthusiastic Todd, "Dead Freight" stages this immense exploit the best way possible, but not before warming audiences up with the three interrogating Lydia in a wonderfully shot and hilariously scripted scene, Marie and Hank being even greater than usual while housing Holly and 'Emo McGee' (I like that more than Walt Jr or Flynn or whatever), and an ambiguous pre-credits sequence that isn't going to be fun to watch for arachnophobes. However, what is going to be much less fun to watch for everyone in general is the final shot of this episode, a jaw-dropping turn of events that reminds you again that Breaking Bad isn't about entertaining peril in the style of the train robbery, but the criminal life and what uncomfortable things accompany it. Writer and first-time director George Mastras struck home with this unsettling twist that very interestingly showcases the differences between the characters in the succeeding episode.

The great thing about "Dead Freight" is that there's more than just this one thing you're going to remember about it, as the whole episode includes outstanding bits of writing, acting, and filming (I very much approve of the train-cam).

It's almost overwhelming to think about just how unbelievable this show is. Week after week, I ask myself how on earth Gilligan and Co. plan to top themselves, and week after week (seemingly effortlessly) they do just that. Even at this show's "worst" (if we can even call it that) it's incredible, and to put into words how this show makes you think and feel and what that means is almost difficult (I myself have resorted to wild hand gestures and a string of "gahs" when trying to describe it to people).

"Dead Freight" is a perfect example of that. How many of you were speechless after last night's episode? Anyone else pick their jaw up off the floor? Because I know I was, and I know I did. In fact, I'm pretty sure I breathed a sigh of relief, laughed, gasped, panicked (yet again), and yelled "NO!" at my TV all in less than a minute. And now here I am, trying to write this review, asking myself what in God's name I'm supposed to say other than my go-to "GAH!" (I suppose I could just borrow from our very own Mr. Martens who, at approximately 10:07 last night, sent me a text that simply, yet eloquently, read, "FFFFUUUUCCCKKKK!!!!" Really, that's probably the best method of summing it all up, anyway.)

I feel like this episode, and specifically its monumental Great Train Robbery heist, is bound to be one of those that instantly comes to mind when we later become nostalgic about Breaking Bad, and not just for its shock value (although, goodness knows there's a healthy dose of that), but for its status as "game-changer." In what's probably one of the most wonderfully agonizing sequences this show has ever seen, our favorite misfits carry out a plan to (illegally, of course) obtain the methylamine much needed for their business. Devised, surprisingly, by Jesse and inspired by crazy Lydia, the plan leaves the men draining a train tank of some of its methylamine and replacing it with a similar amount of water ("It's all about the weight, yo."). Ultimately, the men hope to obtain the precious chemical without anyone realizing a robbery even occurred (the watered-down batch of methylamine they're to leave behind is to be blamed on China); and unbelievably they succeed. With Mike as lookout and Saul's henchman, Kuby (Bill Burr), as a rather amusing diversion, Walt, Jesse, and the newly adopted Todd (Jesse Plemons), who first looks out for the team by warning of a nanny-cam in "Hazard Pay," climb aboard the train and extract the chemical just as rehearsed. And although a good Samaritan nearly exposes the entire operation when he offers to give Kuby's "dead truck" a pull off the train tracks, and Walt's refusal to settle for anything other than complete victory threatens to give us some serious heart attacks, the plan finally goes off without a hitch.

Or so they think. Unfortunately, Jesse's perfectly timed "Yeah, bitch!" is short-lived as they notice the little boy on the dirt bike introduced to us in this episode's opening sequence has witnessed the entire thing. After waving a sad hello (or perhaps it was, more appropriately, a wave goodbye), Todd aims a gun at the child, and despite Jesse's wails of protest, shoots him without hesitation. In a heart-pounding, gut-wrenching moment, it's clear that Todd has taken the warnings that absolutely no one was to know about the robbery to heart, and, in a surprisingly despicable manner, has proved his loyalty to Walt.

But what does that mean for Jesse? Apart from Walt's, it's his character's evolution that has surprised me the most on this show, especially this season. We first came to know Jesse as a punk, just another drug-dealing knucklehead whose main purpose, with his "yos" and tacked- on "bitches," was to provide comedic relief. But he's grown to be so much more than that (which is interesting considering Gilligan had reported his plan to kill Jesse off at the end of season one)—he's now important, and reliable, and an intelligent planner, even (first magnets, now this). And what's more, he actually cares; he's emotional. And despite the fact that he's committed his fair share of crimes, and has, just as the others, murdered, he still remains very much in touch with his moral center, and I find that to be quite the fascinating aspect of his character; it even makes him sympathetic! (And really, how many murdering drug-dealers can you say that about?)

We know that the death of an innocent child hits close to home for Jesse—there's no forgetting his confrontation with Walt last season any time soon—so the revelation that his team has sunk to the level of cruelly carrying out unprovoked murder is bound to send him in a different direction, both mentally and emotionally (his reaction next episode is one I'm already looking forward to as Aaron Paul, especially as of late, has proved himself to be quite the actor). We've already witnessed this season that Jesse finds himself caught between Mike and Walt (there's a nice little shot this episode that lends to the visual depiction of just that, too) so will he finally find himself forced to make a life-changing decision? And if he decides to walk out, who's to replace him? Todd? Who's to keep the team in check with votes?

To read the rest of the review/recap (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/breaking-bad-5-5-dead-freight/

Not an Emmy or a Golden Globe, but an Academy Award!

The whole scene with the train heist was done brilliantly and very intense. But that last scene is what got me in the gut. At first, I thought maybe they're planing to make the train crash into the truck to make it stop and the kid from the cold open would've got hit from the debris, and then I thought "Nah... they're not going to kill a kid. He'll probably end up finding some evidence and call the cops as a set up for the next episode", but then, like a bullet to the heart, came the last scene. The emotional landslide that I went through with the joy I felt when the robbery was a success to the shock after Todd shot the kid is still taking it's toll on me. I get shivers every time I think of it. 10/10 easy.

Heist movies have been around a long time. The tension created here by the writers of "Breaking Bad" is sensational, event if the chances of pulling this off is beyond belief. Of course, one could dismiss the entires series of cliffhangers presented by these people as such. Here we have Jesse's idea of obtaining a huge quantity of a necessary ingredient by stopping a train and siphoning off the contents from a tanker car while the engineers work to remove a truck from blocking the tracks. They also need to replace the tank's contents with water. Crazy, yes! But still a great bit of drama.

Look how far this show has come. Five episodes into the shortened fifth season and we are still astounded. The beginning set the tone: a little boy on his motorbike enjoying his hobby of picking up spiders . . . then we hear the train whistle blow in the background . . . and then the opening credits role. This is what Breaking Bad does so well. Every once and a while, for the opening scene, they will show a scene that happens towards the end of the episode and we have to figure out how it gets to that point or what happens after that scene.

That scene probably wasn't really paid close attention to most of the viewers - and I guarantee you that most of us went "Holy Sh*t" when we saw that little boy watch Walt, Jesse and Todd steal the methyl-mine from the train. And then, just when we thought something bad was going to happen, it did. Todd pulls out his gun and shoots the boy dead as Jesse screams out "No!" in the background. Walt, the man we once knew was full of good and love, stood there and watched - didn't even flinch.

Murder has always been taken very seriously for a show that has a large body count as of right now. Deaths are never funny or dumb to watch. Each death is taken with the utmost respect - each character's death hits the viewers. The death of Jane in season 2 as Walt watches on as she chokes on her own vomit, Hank taking down the Tuco's cousins in the grocery store parking lot in season 3, and even Gus Fring's death in the season 4 finale - every death was full of suspense and seriousness. This is what Vince Gilligan and his writers do so well - they make death/murder hard to watch. They through no punches that aren't necessary.

The boy's death will lead to the fifth season's end (even with 3 more episodes so watch). Jesse was hit hard when Todd shot the kid - he'll question if he should remain in the meth business with his old chemistry teacher. Mike will not be happy with Todd - shooting a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only person who will want to continue with the business will be Walt who, quite frankly, does give a damn. He will want to continue to cook as his lust for power turns him fully into Heisenberg - the drug lord Hank has been looking for since season 1.

Now with the ending aside, this episode was still masterful. The scene in Hank's office where Walt breaks down in front of his brother-in-law DEA agent was tremendous. Again, Bryan Cranston shows how easily he can shed tears and then become serious and bug Hank's office with a microphone and a tracker on his computer. It was great to see how Walt smoothly transitioned from heart broken family member to law breaking Heisenberg in a matter of seconds.

And it turned out Lydia didn't plant the tracker on the bottom of the meth barrels. Now, I wasn't too fond about this new character when I first saw her, but perhaps this show needs a Lydia after all. While she can be mentally unstable under the threat of DEA watching her moves but it's still pretty cool to watch as she helps out Mike, Walt and Jesse with the train situation.

The train heist was another great scene. We've seen another heist happen in the first episode of this season but the train scene was absolutely spectacular to watch. You had Todd and Jesse stealing the methyl-mine as guest actor Bill Burr plays around on the tracks with the engineers driving the train. And even though Jesse was nearly run over by the train and we had to watch Todd kill the only witness, it was still a great scene.

Breaking Bad continues to amaze with each passing episode. I am thoroughly enjoying this season. Though I am upset only three episodes remain and then the final eight air next year, but I know this show will continue to amaze until the final credits role next year. "Dread Freight" is a masterpiece and shows us that even five seasons in, Breaking Bad can still leave the audiences in shock and make us want more. Bravo.

Mike is still keen to eliminate Lydia following what he sees as her scheme to get out of the operation. She continues to protest her innocence and it is ultimately confirmed that the tracker was placed there by a local law enforcement agency although this still doesn't help her case as far as Mike is concerned; if the warehouse is under surveillance she can't supply the methylamine so she is on no use… she claims otherwise. Lydia informs the group that there is a way to get their hands on a huge quantity of methylamine; all they have to do is rob a train! It will require a lot of planning but if they do it right nobody will even know the train was robbed. Meanwhile things aren't getting any better between Walt and Skyler and Walt Jnr refuses to stay at Hank and Marie's any longer.

The opening scene where we see a child catching a tarantula in the desert while a train's whistle blows in the distance should be taken as a sign that something bad is going to happen but by the time that bad thing does happen we are so wrapped up in the excitement of the train robbery it still comes as a shock. The differing reactions of Jesse and Walt to this event strongly suggests that it will have a huge impact of their working relationship. It also shows us just how far Walt has come since those early days when an event like this would have devastated him… we may have suspected it before but now we know he is little different to Gus. The robbery itself may have been a little far-fetched but we believe it thanks to the cast's fine performance. Overall one of the best episodes to date; it shows the writers know how to twist the knife by turning a moment of triumph into one of shock and disgust.

I knew from as soon as we were subtly introduced to Todd that he would be trouble. Boy was I right, and I am absolutely amazed at what proved he's a problem. As for the train heist, it bugged me that Walt cares more about the amount of methyl-amine than he does Jesse's and Todd's life, but I guess that's what the writers are trying to get across to us. Loved how when Skylar asked Walt why he had exposed arms, he honestly responded with arrogance "Robbing a train" (Like it's simply NOTHING to him). When Todd shoots the boy at the end, I literally screamed and looked over at my brother to see that his jaw was on the floor. Cudos to you Vince Gilligan and your team of writers. This show has definitely set itself up for an outstanding ending. Absolute brilliant episode, cannot wait for next week to see what happens to Todd! If I could give above a 10, I most certainly would.

I just don't get why this episode is so highly rated. It's a great episode, but all the set-up for the heist and the heist itself feels too much like a clichéd Oceans Eleven pastiche. It unoriginally uses a clueless character to provide the opportunity to present the expository dialogue to explain the plan. It even has the "oldest trick in the book" trope of artificially creating suspense by waiting too long to finish up with the task, way beyond the point where it's within safe parameters, and still having it turn out perfectly anyway. I felt the same way about the first episode of the season and that is also a beloved episode so I guess I just don't get it.

I also noticed some logical flaws (but maybe it was just me not getting it again). They establish that they only know six hours ahead of time which train car contains the methylamine. So was it just a stroke of luck that the day they decided to carry out the robbery that that train car was positioned in such a way that the distance between it and the locomotive was exactly the same as the distance between the bridge and the railroad crossing?

With that said, and my rating, it might seem that I don't like this episode but that's not the case at all. Breaking Bad is my favourite show of all time and it simply doesn't have a weak episode. If this was any other show I'd probably rate this episode a 9. But I hold BB episodes to a higher standard and I feel this one doesn't quite live up to it and it gets more praise than it deserves within the BB fandom.

Season five, man. Everyone keeps talking about how it's the best one yet and how Breaking Bad was THE show that only got better with each season, but I can only feel that I miss the brilliance of the "chess match" between Walt and Gus and how season five just makes me depressed with how the protagonist is now completely unlikable, the innocent people get killed in cold blood and the characters you like get dragged through hell. It's all by design, obviously, and executed better than ever but I just can't enjoy it as much. Although, those last four episodes of season 5 probably make up the best television ever produced.

So I don't agree with the consensus that season five is better than season four, even if it's still amazing, as every season is. It's weird though because I usually do agree with the consensus on this show.

"Dead Freight" is a suspenseful episode and has really high production values. I agree with some of the reviewers that the story is implausible, though. One big one is that with the advent of satphone technology, there are no dark areas in the continental US. Anywhere that there is an open sky, a satphone can send and receive signals.

That isn't the biggest plot hole. The really biggest one is the positioning of the car with the precursor on a short bridge under which the tanks can be buried. The car's position in the train isn't going to be known before the 2-6 hour window in which Lydia is giving the crew the location info. All of that tank placing preparation takes a few days, not a few hours.

There are a few more problems with the plot, but the two listed above are deal breakers for suspending disbelief. 5 stars is for the cinematography and the acting. The other 5 stars that could be awarded are blocked by the implausibility of the plot.

For some reason, there are far too many 10 star reviews for this episode: 29 out of 38 reviews. Somebody got the 10 star posse fired up somehow. I think it was the single 2 star review posted in 2013.

As shocking an episode as it is, it is amazing, and up until the end so cool. They rob a freaking train to get meth, and they do it almost perfectly. Until they realise they have been seen, this sure made these fellas feel like a million dollars, especially Walt. The heartbreaking unjust that precedes is what grips me. Todd shooting the young boy is horrific, it only brings out the monster in Walt and the human in Jesse. An abundance of mixed emotions manifest in the background but this is without a doubt a top ten episode of the series in its entirety. It's groundbreaking and astounding, an achievement in one episode itself

This was an amazing episode. One point that was that I began to really like the characters of Walter White and Jessie. Even when one understands the tremendous hardship that they caused in the lives of people who use their products, and the fall out to the children whose parents take the substances, you did not see this direct effect on the users' lives and their families.

I really speculate was this the first child that the hurt due to the business that they (White and Co.) took part in? This was I guess a Sopranos moment when you really see that these guys are killers, and that they are basically evil. As I cheered Walter White and Jessie in passed episodes was I in reality cheering for a "destroyer of worlds" to beat the cops? Do I feel somewhat more sympathetic to the DEA agents that are hunting them down? Reflecting on the events I wonder about and am amazed concerning the idea that shows like this and the Sopranos and Dexter and (possibly) Weeds are complex in nature and show that there is talent in Hollywood that will live on for generations.

Bravo to AMC for having the guts to put a show like this one the air. Thank god the world I grew up in with (as a child) of ABC, CBS and NBC as the only alternative is OVER.

A great show! I give this episode a ten out of ten! Walter and Jessie never get it. Walter and Jessie try to create a victimless crime. The train robber is exciting to watch. The Breaking bad moral theme of collateral damage and the cause and effect of Walter and Jessie's actions are hammered at the ending of the episode. A great ending. I wonder how Walter and Jessie will react on the next episode. I bet Walter gets meaner, and Jessie is going have problems with Mike and Walter. The trio have enlisted the help of one of the exterminators. Will he be further enlisted in the ongoings of the operation. I give Dead Freight a ten out of ten.

That was unbelievably genius. I thought Gus's death was the pinnacle of this show that cannot be topped. It is no more so, Vince Gilligan and crew have pulled the perfect heist on that. The best thing about yesterday's episode was that it put the viewer on a perfect crossroad. On the one hand you are happy that the gang is successful in pulling the job off, but in order to make the job fool proof , one of them commits what was an act 'way beyond usual crime'. That makes you punch the air in shock and disgust. I really don't know how VG can pull something off better than this one, knowing him through all those seasons, he can. Don't be somewhere else when he does.

This is the BB season where the network teach you crime doesn't pay...

There are good parts to the episode but the whole idea of robbing the train seems ridiculously contrived.

Too many logical flaws to it. What if the train car isn't in the correct place where they are? Surely there are loads of other options to get what they need? No need for this crazy heist. It seems forced and ridiculous.

Overall it seems this season is just set up for Walt to lose the plot. Largely because the network can't show him getting away with it and living happily ever after...

Seasons 1-4 pretty much 10/10 for me but season 5 heading for shark jump territory.

I watched Better Call Saul before watching BB and the last half season of that was also a huge step down in quality.