Previously on Breaking Bad, Jesse was about to kill some drug dealers, but got brought in before Gus, who made him promise to keep the peace. But when the dealers then killed the eleven-year-old Jesse was trying to keep safe, he got high and decided to confront them with his gun. Before their two guns were able to blow him and his one gun away, though, Walt and his Aztek came screaming in, running them over. And then Walt shot a guy! And then he told Jesse to run.

As ever, the opening scene is a perfect little short film that is both an exquisite little piece of filmmaking and also completely unnerving. This week, we see younger versions of Walter and Skyler as they prepare to purchase the house they'll still be (tenuously) living in today. Skyler is pregnant with Walter Jr., which would place this in about 1994, which freaks me out in the same way that Simpsons flashbacks continue to creep further and further forward, until it's like "a little show called Futurama taught us all how to love." Point being: I remember 1994. Freaks me out to see it in flashback like this. Also, I have to give credit to the show here for making Walt look credibly 16 years younger. Anna Gunn is gorgeous regardless, but given how weathered and worn Walt appears, always but especially this week, they really shellac some youth into his face right here.

Anyway, so Walt and Skyler look at the place and talk about whether it's big enough to house all their oversized dreams. Walt wants five bedrooms, three for their future children, one for an office (Walt talks about working from home and Skyler working on her writing). Skyler tries to sell Walt on the home, and the neighborhood, and says it's a great place for their price range. Walt's argument is to forget their price range. They've got their whole futures ahead of them and nowhere to go but up. Clearly, Skyler prevailed in this one, since they ended up buying the house. And I know I'm supposed to linger on the sad irony of Walt's hopes and dreams and what became of them, but honestly, I was too busy figuring out whether or not this teaser meant that by episode's end, this house would be burned to the ground. Oh like Breaking Bad wouldn't do that.

Back in the present, Walt's out in the middle of nowhere, sitting in the driver's seat of his man-killing Aztek. And yes, once again that damned windshield is cracked. At this point, if Hank doesn't end up busting Walt for criminal activity, his guy at the body shop just might. Walt's waiting anxiously, with his eyes on the horizon, but for what? A car approaches and stops in clear view of Walt's car but too far away to see who's inside. Lucky, we live in the cellular age. Walt picks up his ringing phone, and it's Mike, which might be enough to make me pass out, but Walt's made of sterner stuff. We hope. (That said, he did kind of have a heart attack when the phone rang.) Mike asks Walt to exit the vehicle and start walking towards the other car. Walt plays a strong hand, saying he wants some assurances first. Striking the exact perfect tone of half-amused exasperation, Mike says, "I assure you I can kill you from here, if it makes you feel any better."