Say My Name (Breaking Bad)

Last updated

"Say My Name"
Breaking Bad episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 7
Directed by Thomas Schnauz
Written byThomas Schnauz
Featured music"Goin' Down" by The Monkees
Cinematography by Michael Slovis
Editing by Skip Macdonald
Original air dateAugust 26, 2012 (2012-08-26)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Buyout"
Next 
"Gliding Over All"
Breaking Bad season 5
List of episodes

"Say My Name" (originally titled "Everybody Wins") [1] is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad , and the 53rd overall episode of the series. Written and directed by Thomas Schnauz, it aired on AMC on August 26, 2012.

Contents

The title of the episode is repeated by Walt (Bryan Cranston) during his encounter with Declan (Louis Ferreira).

The episode marks the final series appearance of Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut, though he reprised the role in Better Call Saul and El Camino .

Plot

Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Mike Ehrmantraut meet with Declan, their Phoenix-based competitor. Instead of agreeing to Declan's offer to purchase the heisted methylamine for $15 million in exchange for removing Walt's blue meth from the drug market, Walt offers a counterproposal: to sell his superior product through Declan's distribution network in exchange for a substantial share of the business and a one-time, $5 million payment to Mike for his share. Declan initially refuses but accepts after realizing Walt is the infamous Heisenberg.

Walt avoids Jesse's attempts to leave with his share of the money. Meanwhile, Mike learns through the bugs that the DEA has a search warrant for his house. He stashes a car with a go bag with cash, a passport, and a gun in an airport parking lot. When Hank and Steve Gomez search his house, they find nothing. Later, Hank instructs Steve to follow Mike's attorney, Dan Wachsberger, catching him in the act of depositing the illegal drug cash.

Jesse confronts Walt and demands his share of the money. Walt cruelly accuses Jesse of having nothing in his life, but his attempts to manipulate Jesse fail, and he ultimately leaves without his money, angering Walt further. Walt is forced to cook his next batch of meth with Todd, who proves to be much more subordinate and better at following orders than Jesse. Pretending to be distraught over Skyler, Walt visits Hank at his office and manages to remove the bugs, but overhears Gomez telling Hank that they have arrested Dan and that he plans on telling everything he knows about Mike. Walt frantically calls Mike, who is at a park with his granddaughter Kaylee, and tells him the DEA is coming for him. Upon the arrival of the police, Mike is forced to flee the park without saying goodbye to Kaylee.

Mike asks Saul Goodman to retrieve the go bag for his getaway, but Saul fears the DEA will follow him. When Jesse volunteers to help, Mike refuses his assistance out of concern that Jesse would be spotted, leaving Walt to retrieve the bag. When Walt meets with Mike, he refuses to hand over the bag unless Mike tells him the names of the nine men he is paying off. Mike takes the bag anyway and a heated argument erupts, in which Mike scolds Walt for his egotistical behavior and accuses him of having ruined their ideal situation working for Gus Fring. Walt storms off, and returns as Mike is about to leave, impulsively shooting him. Mike tries to get away, but – mortally wounded – ultimately resigns himself to sitting on a log by the river. After Walt catches up to him, he realizes he could have just asked Lydia Rodarte-Quayle for the names, and that shooting Mike was unnecessary. Walt attempts to apologize, but Mike tells him, "Shut the fuck up. Let me die in peace." Mike succumbs to his wound seconds later.

Production

Banks made his final appearance as a series regular in "Say My Name" Jonathan Banks 2012 2.jpg
Banks made his final appearance as a series regular in "Say My Name"

The episode was written and directed by Thomas Schnauz and aired on AMC on August 26, 2012.

This episode marks the final Breaking Bad appearance of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) as a series regular. Show creator Vince Gilligan talked about Mike's death and why it was one of his favorite moments of the series: [2]

In season 5A, as we call it, the character of Mike gets brought down by Walt in a moment that Walt himself I don't think sees coming, and it's just a sad moment, beautifully written and directed by one of my oldest friends, a writer named Thomas Schnauz, who I've known since NYU film school, and in his first professional directing gig he just did a fantastic job with that episode and that scene.

Banks claimed Mike's death did not surprise him because he always believed the character would die at some point. [3] Banks reprised his role as Mike Ehrmantraut in Better Call Saul and El Camino.

Reception

Ratings

"Say My Name" was watched by 2.98 million viewers and received a 1.4 rating among viewers aged 18–49, the series' highest ratings and viewers at the time. [4]

Critical reception

TV Fanatic's Matt Richenthal gave "Say My Name" a five-star rating, calling it "one of the best in series history." [5] Seth Amitin of IGN gave the episode a 9 out of 10 rating, calling it "mind-blowing", but stating that "I hate to see Mike go out like that. He deserved more. I literally can't give this higher than a 9.0, it was just too sad of an ending." [6] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix thought the episode was "a mostly tremendous episode of a drama", adding the death of Mike "is just a gorgeous, devastating scene", but he was unimpressed by the plotting that led to Mike showing any trust for Walt in that situation, writing that it was a contrived way to ensure that Walt would be in a position to kill Mike per the requirements of the overall show story. [7]

Thomas Schnauz was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for writing this episode. [8]

In 2019, The Ringer ranked "Say My Name" as the 8th best out of the 62 total Breaking Bad episodes. [9]

Related Research Articles

"Cancer Man" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Jim McKay, it aired on AMC in the United States on February 17, 2008.

"...And the Bag's in the River" is the third episode of the first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Adam Bernstein, it aired on AMC in the United States on February 10, 2008.

"Grilled" is the second episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad and the 9th episode overall. It was written by George Mastras and directed by Charles Haid. The episode aired on AMC on March 15, 2009.

"Green Light" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 24th overall episode of the series. Written by Sam Catlin and directed by Scott Winant, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on April 11, 2010.

"I See You" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 28th overall episode of the series. Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Colin Bucksey, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on May 9, 2010. The episode's title is a play on "ICU", the intensive care unit of a hospital.

"Abiquiu" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 31st overall episode of the series. It was written by John Shiban and Thomas Schnauz and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The title refers to Abiquiú, New Mexico, where Georgia O'Keeffe had a home and studio.

"Full Measure" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 33rd overall episode of the series. It was written and directed by the show's creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan.

"Shotgun" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 38th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 14, 2011.

<i>Breaking Bad</i> season 5 Fifth season of the AMC crime drama television series

The fifth and final season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad premiered on July 15, 2012, and concluded on September 29, 2013, on AMC in the United States and Canada. The 16-episode season is split into two parts, each containing eight episodes. The first part of the season was broadcast from July 15 to September 2, 2012, and aired on Sundays at 10:00 pm ET. The second part was broadcast from August 11 to September 29, 2013, and aired on Sundays at 9:00 pm ET. It debuted in the UK and Ireland on Netflix, showing one day after the episodes aired in the U.S. and Canada. Part 1 was released on region 1 DVD and region A Blu-ray on June 4, 2013, and part 2 was released on November 26, 2013.

Crawl Space (<i>Breaking Bad</i>) 11th episode of the 4th season of Breaking Bad

"Crawl Space" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 44th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on September 25, 2011. The episode introduces Barry Goodman, played by JB Blanc.

"Live Free or Die" is the fifth season premiere episode of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, the first episode of the first part of the season and the 47th overall episode of the series. Written by series creator Vince Gilligan and directed by Michael Slovis, it originally aired on AMC in the United States on July 15, 2012.

"Madrigal" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 48th episode overall. Written by the series creator Vince Gilligan and directed by Michelle MacLaren, it originally aired on AMC in the United States on July 22, 2012.

"Buyout" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 52nd overall episode of the series. Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Colin Bucksey, it originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 19, 2012.

"Dead Freight" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 51st overall episode of the series. Written and directed by George Mastras, it originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 12, 2012.

"Blood Money" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 55th overall episode of the series. Written by Peter Gould and directed by Bryan Cranston, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on August 11, 2013, as the midseason premiere.

"Buried" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 56th overall episode of the series. Written by Thomas Schnauz and directed by Michelle MacLaren, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on August 18, 2013.

"Confessions" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 57th overall episode of the series. Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Michael Slovis, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on August 25, 2013.

"Half Measures" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the third season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad, and the 32nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on June 6, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Ehrmantraut</span> Fictional character from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul

Michael Ehrmantraut is a fictional character in the television series Breaking Bad and its spinoff prequel Better Call Saul, portrayed by Jonathan Banks. Mike is a former Philadelphia police officer and United States Marine Corps veteran who works for Gus Fring—and, on occasion, Saul Goodman—as a private investigator, head of security, cleaner, and hitman. While an officer in Philadelphia, he engaged in corrupt activities that indirectly led to the death of his son Matt, leading Mike to move to Albuquerque to watch over and financially support his daughter-in-law Stacey and granddaughter Kaylee through jobs in the criminal underworld.

"One Minute" is the seventh episode of the third season of American television crime drama series Breaking Bad, and the 27th overall episode of the series. It was written by Thomas Schnauz and directed by Michelle MacLaren. The episode follows Hank as he deals with a lawsuit against the DEA by Jesse after Hank physically assaults him. Walt tries to pacify Jesse and have him be his cooking partner. Meanwhile, the Cousins plot Hank's assassination and engage in a shootout with him in a parking lot.

References

  1. "The Futon Critic – Breaking Bad schedule". Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  2. Plumb, Ali (May 30, 2013). "Vince Gilligan's Five Favourite Breaking Bad Moments". Empire. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  3. Molloy, Tim (August 27, 2012). "'Breaking Bad' Star Jonathan Banks: 'The Bad Guy's Gotta Die'". TheWrap . Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 28, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Finale Dominates, + 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians', 'Breaking Bad', 'Real Housewives of NJ', 'Army Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  5. Richenthal, Matt (August 27, 2012). "Breaking Bad Review: Simply the Best". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  6. Amitin, Seth (August 26, 2012). "Breaking Bad: "Say My Name" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  7. Sepinwall, Alan (August 27, 2012). "Review: 'Breaking Bad' – 'Say My Name': I like Mike". HitFix. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  8. "Breaking Bad". emmys.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  9. Miles Surrey (September 30, 2019). "The Ringer's Definitive 'Breaking Bad' Episodes Ranking". The Ringer. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2019.