"Say My Name" does something pretty unlikely for Breaking Bad: starting directly with an awesome scene. Walt is Heisenberg once again and unknowingly makes for one of the most often used memes of the series with a bad-ass display of him being the boss as a meeting with another meth cook and contributor doesn't exactly run down the way this second party planned it to. Bryan Cranston shows multiple shades of the character he portrays in this episode and good God, was that a great pre-credits scene.
While the story can't be faulted, the best part about "Say My Name" is its astonishing look, whether it's in the Coppola-esque final shots of the episode, the newest instalment in the series' never-failing-to- impress meth making montages (though I'm not a fun of the new duo), or the way that cinematographer Michael Slovis shows Mike's lawyer distributing the hazard pay and thereby trying out every last camera angle possible to film the scene. Besides the predictable, but nevertheless outstanding final moments of the episode, there isn't that much going on with the plot and the exposition in dialogue is kept within limits as well (wouldn't have needed that much of Hank this time).
I did very much enjoy "Say My Name" and the visuals really did impress me, yet for the penultimate episode of a season – or at least a part of it – things were a bit too slow for me. Having seen the following episode already, this makes perfect sense; however, in terms of thrill, action, and drama, I can't help but view this one as a step back.
