'Tread Lightly.'
The traditional use of in media res was, quite literally, jaw-dropping. The image of the abandoned and derelict White Household, assumed to be an image from a year or so after the present tense judging by Walt's equally derelict appearance, was overwhelmingly haunting, especially that of the skaters using the emptied pool in the White's back garden. Initially the idea came to mind that it may have been for some other reason, as we've seen foolingly similar flashforwards in the past that tend to involve planes, but then it appears; 'HEISENBERG', spray-painted in block capitals on the living room wall. Sure, it could have been from a post-world-collapse admirer, but the possibilities are endless - for all we know, Walt could have sprayed it on the wall in a fit of egotistical indulgence and the house could be abandoned for some other reason. As for his reason for returning, we see Walt retrieving the capsule of ricin from behind the plug socket in his bedroom, the reason for which is unknown and totally down to speculation, although you can bet it has something to do with killing someone. With a final reference to this scene, the reaction of Walt's neighbour, Carol, has to be noted. She is so shocked to see him that she literally drops what she's holding. But it's still down to speculation - as I've said, for all we know, Walt could have faked his death and Carol was simply responding under the impression of seeing a ghost, so to speak.
In the present tense, we see Hank's response to the notion that Walt is, indeed, Heisenberg, the notorious drug manufacturer that he has been chasing over the last 55 episodes. Credit has to be given to Dean Norris for his portrayal of Hank - his break down in the wake of this upcoming theory was nothing short of sublime, as well as his performance when he comes face to face with Walt in his garage, which I'll come to in a little while.
We saw Walt and Skylar contemplating opening a second car wash for the purpose of laundering their money, a plan which is likely to fall apart in future. This scene also saw the return of Lydia, likely one of the most annoying characters in the shows excellent cast, as she attempts to coerce Walt into returning to the meth business. Skylar's confrontation of Lydia supplied some tension before the advent of the episodes chilling ending.
Meanwhile, Aaron Paul's perfect portrayal of Jesse Pinkman remained consistent as ever, as we see him becoming disillusioned in the face dealing with the ten million dollars that he received from Walt in the previous episode. There's also an hilarious monologue from his friend Badger (Matt Jones), who pitches an idea for a Star Trek script to Skinny Pete (Charles Baker), which, while not really relevant to the main story in the episode, is one of the most memorable aspects of it.
After Jesse has paid a visit to Saul Goodman (Bob Odendirk), who is undoubtedly a cult character in the making, another painfully poetic scene is delivered as Jesse drives his car through the economically down-trodden neighbourhoods of Alberqueque, throwing stacks of $10,000 bills into the gardens of homes, as well as, in a preceding scene, giving the same amount to a homeless man.
Of course, 'Blood Money' saved the best for last. Hank's confrontation of Walt was incredibly unexpected, and it was apparent even before he delivered a right cross to Walt's cheek; hats off to the writers for coming up with the idea of Hank closing the automatic garage door. When he presses the button and the darkness slowly fills up the room, the tension escalated to heights that the show has somehow rarely reached in the past. The performances of both Norris and Cranston were executed with such grit that the scene was almost overwhelming, particularly the final words of the episode from Walt, in response to Hank's 'I don't even know who I'm talking to'; 'If you don't who I am, then maybe your best course... Would be to tread lightly.' Walt spoke the first part of the sentence, but it was Heisenberg who spoke the second. The shot holds on Cranston and you can genuinely see the transformation happen right in front of your eyes, as he changes from Jekyll to Hyde.
The episode effortlessly sets up for the remaining seven episodes and the much-anticipated finale of the series. It provided a fantastic plataeu for the inevitable and impending conflict between Walt and Hank, and somehow managed to give viewers even more than they were expecting, by giving real focus to the confrontation between Hank and Walt. There's no doubt things are about to get a whole lot more tense.
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