The final season of Breaking Bad does not look to be slowing down at all as it dove right into the immediate aftermath of Walter's confrontation with Hank. There is a lot to consider in 'Buried' and what it means as we near the finale. Both Walt and Hank feel they've dropped their own ball and act fast to undermine the other. Hank's strategy is to go straight to Skyler after piecing together her behaviour from last season with what he now knows about Walt. He wants her on his side so much though that he doesn't even consider the possibility of her own involvement in the business. While he correctly guesses Skyler has known about Walt for a long time, he immediately assumes he's threatened and possibly even abused her to keep her quiet. While she felt largely threatened for the majority of last season, she had become a willing participant in Walt's illegal activities long before then.
Skyler's freak out in the restaurant demonstrates her unwillingness to cooperate. Hank has a very good point about how the DEA and district attorney would view her differently if she lawyered up. She knows she's in too deep to free herself from any potential judgment, legally or socially. After all, it was her idea to use the carwash as a front to launder their money, a carwash she gained through less than legal means. She may still be afraid of Walt to an extent, but she knows she'll face some serious charges of her own either way. Skyler's fears are further justified when Marie tries speaking with her. Skyler remains at a loss for words and Marie is too for the most part, but her quiet shock and sympathy slowly turns to anger and disgust as she discovers just how far back Skyler's knowledge goes. She's never had to quite face the repercussions of her inaction against Walt until now as Marie lashed out in anger. What was interesting about this scene was how extremely reluctant Skyler was to send her kids away when that was her main objective last season. Her reason last season, of course, was they would never be safe as long as Walt remained cooking meth. However she, like Walt, has bought into this naïve sense of security when, ironically enough, they are probably the furthest thing from safe now that Walt has quit. Nevermind the fact Hank is gunning for Walt, but Lydia now knows who Walt is and has told him her bosses are quite desperate for his product. I feel simply replacing Todd won't be enough to recoup their losses, forcing them to do something more drastic. Walt and Skyler's egos have become so large they think everything will remain okay when more serious trouble lurks around the corner.
Walt, meanwhile, has been taken down from the pedestal he's been sitting on since last season with a very large crash to reality. His ego and carelessness led Hank to his discovery and now he's gone into panic mode. Even though he hid his money and is already making some kind of escape plan, it was still very surprising to hear him tell Skyler perhaps the best thing to do for everyone is to give himself up. He's never been one to simply give up and has gotten through worse situations before, albeit by the skin of his teeth. As Walt has become quite skilled in manipulation, one has to wonder whether or not he's manipulating Skyler by playing on her emotions. I'm sure one part of him does feel that if the money is taken away from Walt Jr. and Holly, everything he's ever done will have been for nothing, but I'm also sure part of that reason is bull as he's come to enjoy the power. Both Jesse and Skyler have called Walt out on the fact that he never needed that many millions of dollars; he only wanted to cover his medical bills and leave a small fortune for his children's inheritance. By playing the opposite of a Get Out Of Jail Free card, he could be trying to bring Skyler to his side more so she won't have second thoughts about talking to Hank.
Speaking of Jesse, though he only appeared in the teaser and end of the episode, he still has a very important role to play in the coming events. Jesse seems to have had a breakdown of some kind, becoming guilt ridden for everything he's done and how he helped shape Walter into the man he's become. As Hank entered the room at the end, it's all too clear Jesse is about to become the lynchpin in Hank's case. The start of the series presented us with a Jesse who wanted to be nothing but a big shot in the drug underworld, but after seeing the toll it has taken on so many people he's striving for redemption. Could his redemption and chance for a normal life come by handing over Walt to Hank and the DEA? Only time will tell as we race to the finish.