One Minute

Lore & Background

The episode opens with a flashback in Mexico where Hector Salamanca teaches his grandnephews Leonel and Marco that "La familia es todo" (family is all) after punishing them for a toy dispute. In the present, the twins prepare to kill Hank, placing his photo at a Santa Muerte shrine. After Walt tricks Hank into believing Jesse's wife was hospitalized to lure him away from the junkyard, Hank attacks Jesse, only to realize he went too far when paramedics take Jesse away.

In Their Own Story

Hank assaults Jesse after being tricked about a hospital emergency, leaving Jesse hospitalized and suing for damages. At the DEA, Hank pleads the Fifth regarding his actions at Jesse's house. Walt tries to convince Jesse to return as a cooking partner, promising him that his meth is just as good as Walt's own. Jesse eventually agrees. Meanwhile, Leonel and Marco buy bulletproof vests and hollow-point bullets in the desert. In a parking lot, an electronically disguised voice warns Hank he has one minute to leave before being killed. The Cousins ambush him; Hank reverses into Leonel, maiming him, then flees with his gun. After reloading with a dropped hollow-point bullet, Hank kills Marco just as he raises his axe. Hank collapses from blood loss.

Reader's Guide

The episode was written by Thomas Schnauz and directed by Michelle MacLaren. It aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on May 2, 2010. Originally, the script intended for Mike to appear near the end, but this was changed so one of the Cousins would survive for the next episode. The electronically disguised voice warning Hank could be Mike or another of Gus's henchmen, though the writer is uncertain who voiced it.

Did You Know?

• In a flashback, Hector Salamanca shoves Marco's head into icy water after Leonel wishes his twin brother was dead.
• The Cousins tested their new bulletproof vests by shooting a trucker point-blank before buying them.
• Writer Thomas Schnauz was originally supposed to kill off both Cousins as early as the second episode of the season.
• Hank falls unconscious from massive blood loss after killing Marco with a single gunshot using Leonel's gun.
• The episode received an 'A' from The A.V. Club and a 10/10 'Masterpiece' rating from IGN.