"Breaking Bad" 4x8, "Hermanos"

Where to begin describing "Hermanos," the tightest, scariest episode of "Breaking Bad" this year?

I could start with that closeup of the blood in the swimming pool, glimpsed briefly in a preliminary flashback by Gustavo Fring; blue-green water with crimson seeping into it. A lovely and mysterious image, one of the best on a series that's very, very good at showcasing abstract and often haunting close-ups. Or I could start by admiring the show's decision to structure that last act as a long flashback that showcased one of the program's more spectacular talents, its ability to put you in the middle of a real-time moment of violence that builds with a nightmarish mix of inevitability and surprise. Read More...