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(S02E02) Nothing brings a family together faster than a crisis. With Walter missing without a trace, Hank gets the DEA team working on tracking down Tuco so he can help Skyler and Walt, Jr. find Walter. It seemed unlikely that Hank would have any luck tracking him down in Tuco's desert crib.

Tuco remained an unpredictable force and from the moment he let Walt and Jesse out of the trunk, it was anybody's guess what he was going to do to them. The revelation that he didn't know about Gonzo's death and believed his second in command was working with the cops just added to the paranoia. Feeding his fear only made Tuco more unpredictable.




There was one glimmer of hope that Walter and Jesse would best Tuco straight up -- when he saw the white powder and was ready to snort it. Jesse overplayed his hand, trying to get Tuco to ingest the deadly poison ricen that Walt had cooked from castor beans. Tuco was tempted, thinking it was some crazy new high, until Jesse said it was cut with chili powder. That -- surprise, surprise -- was a turn off for Tuco. Of course, all through the scene I was at the edge of my seat because what if Tuco asked Jesse to take a snort the ricen first?

Certain hard truths were exchanged between Walter and Jesse. Walter lied to save Jesse's life, saying Jesse was his partner and he wouldn't go to Mexico without him. Then Jesse asked Walt to sacrifice himself by attacking Tucom since Walter had cancer and was dying anyway. Is this how partners bond?

Ultimately, the ricen did play a role because Walt found the cajones to sprinkle the powder into Tuco's dinner when he had the chance. However, Tio with the bell -- Tuco's wheelchair bound and unable to speak uncle -- saw him and proceeded to find inarticulate ways to keep Tuco from eating the food. What did one ding of the bell mean compared to two? Did Tuco even know?

It was maddening to watch the looks from Walt to Tio, as well as maddening to see Tuco trying to figure out what the old man was saying. When he finally got the message, loco Tuco used to opportunity to beat the crap out of Jesse. Even though they're weaklings, that was the opening for Jesse and Walt to counterattack. When Jesse shot Tuco with his own gun, I fully expected him to empty the magazine in his brain. I would have.

Meanwhile, on the homefront, I'm not sure I bought the GPS/Lojack in Jesse's lowrider as a way for Hank to track down the car, but it worked. And it was great to see Hank in action against Tuco -- who was not yet dead because Jesse and Walt left him in the trench to bleed to death. After a furious shootout that riddled both cars with bullets, Hank took aim and nailed Tuco. Adios, loco hombre. If Raymond Cruz doesn't get an Emmy nomination for this guest turn, I'll be stunned. He was brilliant, and completely the opposite of his character on The Closer.

After watching Hank finish off Tuco, Walter and Jesse were back in the desert again, like the pilot, only this time Walt has his pants. Getting back home will be complicated because even though it seems that nobody's found Walt's stash in the diaper box, he's got a lot of splainin' to do. Hank and Marie have convinced Skyler than Hank has a secret because of the second cell phone.

Skyler's hormones are already in overdrive, and I don't think Walt Jr. is going to accept that everything is fine. Jesse's mom has also now been alerted to his involvement with Mr. White -- and she's going to have questions. And even if they can get all the family and friends to be cool, what are they going to do about the business? Without Tuco, there's no distribution and, therefore, no money. What's Eisenberg going to do now? Walter is only in this for the big money; he needs a new plan.

In true Breaking Bad tradition, there seems to be no easy answer and we don't know where the story is going. The bottom line: this continues to be perhaps the best drama on TV.