You know how some teenagers think they’re invincible? They’ll maybe pass by a car wreck on the side of the road and think, “Hey, that could never happen to me” and continue to race down the highway without caution. But then it does happen and it’s scary. It’s scary and it sets them straight.

That is Walter White. He finally had his epiphany in “Buried” on Sunday night. How many times have we heard him acknowledge that he isn’t perfect?

“I screwed up.”

Those words sounded almost foreign coming from his mouth. There was no lying. There was no blaming anybody else. It was an honest statement, a statement that wasn’t totally self-serving, and from Walt, those are rare. He told Skyler that he’d turn himself in and told her to take the money. If anything, he’ll leave his family with a little bit (or a lot, really) of security regardless of the fate he suffers. It was actually sort of heartwarming. It’s one of his final statements of the episode, though, that kind of set all of that aside. His plea for Skyler to not let all of his hard work go to waste was more like the Walt we’re used to, the Walt who just last week begged Jesse to believe him because Walt needed him to.

And Skyler sat by his side on the bathroom floor the whole time, still wearing her clothes from the day before. She’s in it for the long haul, and not because she has to be. She chose to be. Where Hank expected her to break down and literally lay it all on the table for him, she stood strong. Hank went into that diner figuring he’d get what he needed, but it didn’t happen. He was obviously thrown off.

It seems to be a pattern with him. His confrontation with Walt was fierce…until Walt’s sudden slip into the Heisenberg character caught Hank off guard. Skyler did the same and Hank initially felt vulnerable. He expressed  a concern that fans have contemplated since he first started chasing Heisenberg: what would happen if Walt ever got caught? How would the DEA react once it realized that one of its most prominent targets was right in front of ASAC Schrader’s face? With a little prodding from Marie, he attempted to set that aside and get back into the office with his findings.

Now, Hank’s presented with what could be a gift. Is Jesse so ready to separate himself from Walt that he’ll give Hank what he needs? It’s hard to tell, though if that cut to black was any indication, it’s going to be worth the wait. Regardless of the outcome, future Walt is still looming over these early episodes like a storm cloud. Those guns, his glasses, and the car just provide us with bad omen after bad omen after bad omen. It seems impossible that all of Walt’s closest supporting characters – Skyler, Jesse, and Hank – will emerge unscathed. Hank’s conversation with Jesse could lay the framework for who gets what.