Hazard Pay

Lore & Background

Mike Ehrmantraut spends a day visiting former subordinates in jail under police scrutiny for their association with Gus Fring, reassuring them they will get compensation. Walt and Jesse partner with the criminal owners of Vamonos Pest to cook meth in clients' homes after scouting locations. The first mobile cook is successful. Walt feigns enthusiasm for Jesse's relationship with Andrea Cantillo but hints he should break up with her to protect his secret life. At a car wash, Skyler White suffers a nervous breakdown and shouts "shut up" when Marie Schrader confronts her about smoking; later, Walt tells Marie the stress stems from Ted Beneke's recent accident and an affair. Mike allocates earnings to dealers, mules, Saul Goodman, and Vamonos Pest before distributing hazard pay to his old henchmen. Walt is initially upset but relents after Jesse explains that as owners of a higher-volume operation, they are making more than when working for Gus.

In Their Own Story

Mike visits jailed former subordinates while Walt proposes using the criminal-owned Vamonos Pest for mobile meth production. The first cook succeeds. Skyler has a breakdown at the car wash, leading Walt to reveal Ted Beneke's accident and her affair with him to Marie. Mike distributes payments including hazard pay, upsetting Walt until Jesse clarifies their new profit margins as owners compared to their time under Gus.

Reader's Guide

The episode features Walt and Jesse using Vamonos Pest for mobile cooking, Mike managing hazard pay for jailed associates, Skyler's breakdown regarding her affair with Ted Beneke, and a dispute over revenue distribution that resolves when Jesse points out the partners' increased earnings as business owners rather than employees.

Did You Know?

• The episode originally aired on July 29, 2012.
• Charles Baker's real-life piano ability was written into the show, where his character Skinny Pete plays Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach's Solfeggieto in C minor (composed in 1766) on an electric keyboard.
• Walt and Jesse use a pest removal company called Vamonos Pest to cook meth in clients' homes.
• In 2019, The Ringer ranked "Hazard Pay" as the 62nd best episode out of 62 total Breaking Bad episodes.
• The episode received approximately 2.20 million American viewers during its original broadcast.