Loved how Mike just looked annoyed at having part of his ear shot off.

That was very funny. The guy is a badass.

new rule: from now on whenever you play gin rummy you must end all rounds by shouting "I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS"

Well, that was pretty much a perfect episode.

This show, man.

More like Dead Beneke, amirite?

That's just my guess, anyway. I think at this point he's the only character on the show more detestable than Walt.

Man, Jesse instructing the chemist with Mike and Gus looking on proudly was so badass.

Was Mike about to shoot Jesse when he got hit, or is it just my imagination?

I think it's just you, since there's no real reason why he'd do that.

Yeah, you're probably right, it just seemed like that for a split second or so. But regardless of that, fucking amazing episode! My heart was pounding for that final scene, and I'm still so glad that the show isn't showing any signs of decline, even as it's nearing the end of its fourth season.

Why would it decline? Shows decline because they make artistic compromises in order to stretch the show out for years and years. But Gilligan and AMC already announced the show is going to end after next season*. They're writing toward a definite, planned endpoint, one they picked because it's exactly the amount of time they need to tell this story at this level of quality. This kind of practice is a big part of why TV drama has gotten so much better over the last decade. (See also The Shield and Lost, which both flagged creatively in the middle of their runs, then did the best work of their entire series upon setting an end date three seasons in the future.)

*they are giving us 16 episodes next year, though. Which is nice.

So many good shows do.

Shows like Breaking Bad don't. The Wire didn't, Deadwood didn't, Mad Men hasn't. The X-Files (Vince Gilligan's last show) did, because its writers got orders from Fox to stretch the show out as long as possible. That doesn't happen to prestigious cable shows.